Well, as ever Keith manages to astound me with his taste. For a man who’s trousers were all a-quiver to My Bloody Valentine, having no less than 5 outright pop tunes in your singles of the year is almost insanity, particular low points for me were the inclusions of Duffy; Adele and Sam Sparro.
Whilst I agree that 2008 may not go down as another 1969; 1977 or even 1994 in music, I think that there were actually quite a few shining beacons that were uncovered and in actual fact quite a lot of new music coming to the fore. Anyway, perhaps not as all-inclusive as yours (no Duffy et al in here) but here’s my efforts… (sadly no Youtube links due to firewalls at my work preventing me access but I’m sure you can muster that yourselves…
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My top 10 tracks of the year (abiding by the normal rules) I think are actually pretty difficult to get down as most of the music I have been listening to is all on the albums of the year, however here goes…
10: Los Campesinos – You Me Dancing!
This is just too catchy not to be included. Yes they are Welsh, but look past that for a bit and it’s worthwhile!
9: Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name
Yep I know…. 2008’s ‘Foundations’. Yes it was overplayed. Yes it became annoying; yes she looks likea Primark mannequin and yes, he’s instantly forgettable, but I think it’s still worth a mention
8: Death Cab for Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart
This was the standout song on what was a real grower of an album. Bit of a corker this one really and clocking in at about 8 and a half mins – top value for your 79p itunes credit in these credit crunch times.
7: Elbow – Grounds for Divorce
Almost disqualified from this list as the album so nearly snuck into the top 10. A worthy Mercury prize winner and a couple of really outstanding tracks on what was a good little album
6: The Raconteurs – Salute Your Solution
No end of year list would be complete without a little something from Jack White and so here it is… under his Raconteur guise this track was (i think) the second single off their second album. Decided against the Bond collaboration with Alicia Keys, though that itself ended up growing on me too, tho not to the extent that it deserves a place on this list.
5: Sarah Silverman / Jimmy Kimmel -(Two links) I’m F*ckin Matt Damon / I’m F*ckin Ben Affleck
OK bit of a change in direction with this, not an actual single, more a couple of moments of TV genius from Saturday Night Live. Brought to UK life through Youtube.
4: British Sea Power – Waving Flags
Another track that is only just eligible. One of the standouts from the quite terrific British Sea Power album (Do You Like Rock Music) from this year. Quality single, quality album, terrible band name…
3: Noah & The Whale – 5 years time
Just lovely really. Simple and catchy, and features a performance from Laura Marling on the ukulele. Though quite why he sings in a Cornish accent when he’s from London I don’t know (not my assertion but still true).
2: Santogold – LES Artistes
This is a bit of a strange one for me. I really, really liked this track, for the main reason that I was convinced it was Tegan and Sara for long enough. Then I realized it wasn’t and was quite impressed. Shame that she only went and did a moby and that all of her other tracks want to make me go out and buy hair products; ipods; cars etc…
1: Black Kids – I'm not gonna teach your boyfriend
Such a pity that the rest of the album couldn’t hold up to this level of quality. This was the single that got them hours of airplay and was a cracking summer jingle. Also a great silent disco track at Benicassim.
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Now onto the albums, and the more I think about this list, the more difficult it gets to pull this together really and more difficult it is to rank them.
There are also a lot of honorable mentions to those which never quite made the final cut but are still worth a look. Raconteurs (Consolers of The Lonely) knocked out a good one this year if wailing guitars and generally noisy merriment is your bag of mince; Death Cab For Cutie (Narrow Stairs) and Elbow (The Seldom Seen Kid) as per The Raconteurs were both mentioned above and both deserve the praise they get. Similar cap doffing goes in the direction of Tilly and The Wall ‘O’; Vincent Vincent and The Villains ‘Gospel Bombs’; Magnetic Fields ‘Distortion’ and Jenny Lewis’ “Acid Tongue” which were all fairly spectacular…
Now, Like Keith mentioned before, Fleet Foxes (Fleet Foxes) and also Bon Iver (For Emily, Forever Ago) are two that I have come to late on and to be honest haven’t given enough time for them to warrant a place on the top 10 but they are both growing on me by the day, and given their lofty positions on just about everyone else’s top 10s they may both prove to be a couple of dubious omissions. The opening track to Fleet Foxes could have made the top 10 singles, such is the strength of that.
However the top 10 for me…
10: White Rabbits – Fort Nightly
Strictly speaking this was a 2007 (US) release, however January 08 saw Phil release this through Fierce Panda so figured that it qualified just fine. A cracking debut album and “Kid on My shoulders” is a standout track. They were quite terrific live at the borderline too.
9: She & Him – She & Him
This album is just so… pretty… and perfect… it probably should have got higher than 9 really. M Ward and Zooey Deschanel have put together a quite stunning debut. I never actually realized that I really liked music with a country twang… I was wrong; very wrong. AND it’s the girl from ELF the movie!!!
8: Kings of Leon – Only by The Night
Mega, I think is probably the word for this band. Their rise to pop popularity has been staggering this year. They have achieved something that only (I think) Dave Grohl has managed before them – to get everyone to like them. Nobody has anything bad to say about this band. Even the usually gobby Liam Gallagher could only muster that he thinks they are releasing too many albums too quickly… The singles on the album are very strong and have made them a regular player on all playlists across radioland and seeing them selling out huge stadiums all around. The rest of the album is actually just as strong, especially after a few listens.
7: Glasvegas – Glasvegas
The second of the self-titled albums in the top 10 and the 3rd debut record – who said it wasn’t a good year for music? Yes, it’s very Jesus and the Mary Chain but since when has that ever been a bad thing? Some really terrific tracks in here with the exception of the spoken word “Gonna Get Stabbed” which is truly horrific (the demo version was much better). May have made it a few places higher in the list had lead singer, James Allen realized that sunglasses were an outdoor accessory and one used mainly during hours of daylight.
6: Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s - Animal / Not Animal
Yes you read that right… this band are called Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s. After seeing the name I was compelled to find out a little bit more on them and what I uncovered was great. Simple as that. They actually released two records this year at the same time (Animaland Not Animal are two separate entities with some crossover in terms of different versions of songs. Animal is my favourite but thought I’d couple them both in here together).
5: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig Lazarus Dig!
I’ll admit it, until this album came out my knowledge of Nick Cave was pretty patchy. Though this album was on constant play on my ipod for months when it came out. So many good tracks on it and easily the most accessible Nick Cave album for quite some time. The title track was a great single and a good starting point for anyone who hasn’t heard it. Had the rather strange scenario of watching them play HMV on Oxford St too – Rock and Roll!
4: Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst
Bright Eyes’ boy wonder just keeps churning out these amazing albums and his Mystic Valley Band have helped him record another cracker, this time under his own name. Recorded in a cave in Mexico (seriously) this album also features a track where the percussion comes from everyone stamping on wooden floorboards (a la Tilly and the Wall). Not a bad track on there and again one that has been on constant rotation in the Mackay household this year.
3: Frightened Rabbit – Midnight Organ Test
Following on from their 2006 Sing The Greys album Selkirk’s Frightened Rabbit released Midnight Organ Test which got rave reviews and loads of airtime in the states yet was somewhat muted over here. Not too sure why really - though they did spend the majority of the year slogging their way around the states so maybe that has something to do with it. It’s a really strong album with top tunes - The Modern Leper and Floating in the Forth are good starting points. Still available in small venues near you in 2009.
2: Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line
After seeing them support the editors and Biffy Clyro last September in a pub in Portland I fell for this band. Having overcome the loss of one of their founding members this year they released The Rhumb Line on Barsuk (always a good signal). Whilst they draw a lot of comparisons to Arcade Fire – mainly cos there is a lot going on when they play and there’s fiddles involved - I think that there’s more to Ra Ra Riot than being a second rate Arcade Fire. Tracks like “Ghost Under Rocks”; “Each Year” and “Dying is fine” are most awesome in their very own right and definitely stand up. A worthwhile runner up this year.
1: Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
We got there in the end! And both arrived on the same verdict!
The publicity machine that brought us the Vampire Weekend album meant that they were everywhere this summer, this was something to behold. A-Punk their first single from the album (that I was aware of) was so catchy it couldn’t help but get stuck in your head, leading with a shouty ‘Hey! Hey!’ chorus the NME went mental. Vampire Weekend are the new Strokes yadda yadda yadda… well I’m not too sure about that – a bit early to tell, but they followed up with a load of other great tracks on the album (Mansard Roof, Oxford Comma et al) and quickly filled out all small venues on the live circuit. Whether they are ready for Brixton/Ally Pally and the inevitable festival headline slot in 09 as yet; I’m not convinced, but as a debut this was a cracking place to start.
Well there you have it. That’s what I think… for what it’s worth…
Edit: Since originally writing this in December i have invested a fair amount of time with both Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver and can confirm my suspicions mentioned earlier... They would both find a top ranking position in my top 10 of 2008 if compased today! Alas, that was't the case!
