Hello there.

I’d be surprised if there was anyone reading this who didn’t already know the score, but just in case: this is what you’re letting yourself in for. My friend Adam and I have continued a tradition, since time immemorial, of listing our top 20 studio albums of the year. And we both take it a little too seriously…

All quite simple: to qualify, an album needs to be full length, studio, and released in 2008. This is my list. When Adam has posted his, I’ll add a link to it.

Continuing the tradition I started last year, I’ve actually ranked every single eligible album that I bought (or 'otherwise acquired'). This year, at the final count, I had 46. So, what follows is the main list countdown: from 20 down to my album of the year. Then, there are ‘the remainder’ (21-46). After that, there are some notes on a few records that were important to me in 2008, but for one reason or other were ineligible for the list. Finally, in a new experiment for this year, Adam suggested we also list our top 10 songs of the year (though not in any order). In the end he only bothered to do 5 (lazy), but my list of 10 comes at the very end of all this fun. If you've stuck around till then, though, you’ll deserve some kind of award…

Enjoy
And be Merry.

James
Dec 08

20.
Eagles Of Death Metal
Heart On

To begin, an album that holds no real surprises. It wears its…heart on…its sleeve (ha ha). The third Eagles Of Death Metal album sticks pretty much to the same scuzzy rock formula of its predecessors. Never going to make any lists for artistic ingenuity or technical prowess, but then when an album is as fun as this, I don’t care that it’s all based around three or four distorted chords and an outdated chauvinistic good-time sentiment. It’s all fag butts and smeared lipstick. In a good way. This isn’t quite as consistent as last year’s Death By Sexy: ‘Solo Flights’, for example, is a bit of a plodder. The vast majority of tracks, though, are quality little rock tunes. Indeed, there are indications that this is a band capable of more than just arranging a big party; the best example being the slow-build of closer ‘I’m Your Torpedo’, which wouldn’t feel out of place on a Queens Of The Stone Age record, in spite of its slight electronic edge. All told, this isn’t going to change anyone’s world, but it will rock it quite hard.

19.
Ambrose Tompkins
Are You Well?

This is a tiny, weird little record. I guess it could be filed as ‘folk’ or perhaps ‘nu-folk’, but in reality it’s just whatever seemed to come to mind of those responsible for it at any given time. Ambrose Tompkins isn’t, as one might reasonably expect, a guy, it’s a band (no idea what that name’s all about though). In fact, I knew nothing about them at the start of the year, and still know quite little now – this was an album bought based on a superb review, though I can’t now remember where I read it. What makes this album great, I think, is that it strikes a balance between keeping things simple – it’s essentially a collection of 16 short acoustic songs – and maintaining an edge of experimentation: some of the harmonies are quite unusual, and instruments like mandolins, xylophones and ukuleles all crop up throughout in support of the acoustic guitar. This is unassuming, chilled music, but it’s also captivating and rewards repeated listens with its depth. A great find, and one I’d strongly recommend. Thoughtful and yet not overly weighty.

18.
Black Mountain
In The Future

In The Future in fact takes most of its cues from the past – there's the swagger and blues of Led Zeppelin, the floating prog of Pink Floyd, the hammond organ of Deep Purple and the crunch of Black Sabbath. Yet, there are also more recent influences to be found here: ‘Stay Free’ reminds me of The Flaming Lips, and ‘Wucan’ comes over like a slightly electroed up White Stripes. The mixture of male and female vocals thoughout makes the album feel fresh and varied, as does the willingness of the band to experiment. Black Mountain are a prog-rock behemoth, and filled a large Pure Reason Revolution shaped hole for me this year (though Black Mountain are both more varied than that band, and less good). Yet, whilst this is, ultimately, a prog-rock album, it is not an exercise in either shoe gazing or star gazing, but is a focused piece of work, clear in purpose and execution. A real challenger to compete with the best acts on the modern prog scene.

17.
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes

This really shouldn’t be my bag: effeminate harmonisation, country-folk and a definite whiff of religion, Seattle’s Fleet Foxes should have me running as quickly as I can away from them (though I guess they could catch up with me, being fleet an’ all…). For some reason, though, it all works, and the result is a compelling and beautiful album of simple folk ballads. ‘White Winter Hymnal’ builds into a wonderful sing-a-long that I can’t help but (badly) join in with every time I play it. ‘He Doesn’t Know Why’ is a perfect slice of melancholic bittersweetness, and album closer – and standout track – ‘Oliver James’ is catchier than a fish in a box. The sort of album that if I’d only heard it once, I’d file it as ‘twee crap’; in fact this is brilliant, albeit quite different from most of what I played in 2008.

16.
Neon Neon
Stainless Style

The 80s are coming back! Quick, run! No, wait, it’s ok. This ridiculously eclectic Mercury Music Prize nominee is, in spite of its heavy reliance on the decade that everything good forgot, an utter gem. From the instrumental electro-funk of the opening track, though the unashamed pop of ‘Dream Cars’ and ‘Raquel’ to the brooding synths of ‘Belfast’, every track is lovingly crafted to perfection. The album represents a collaboration between by Gruff Rhys (of Super Furry Animals fame) and Boom Bib (who I’d never heard of, and who sounds silly). I’ve never been entirely convinced by the Super Furry Animals, and this is, for me, far superior to any of their albums. Ok, it’s cheesy, and, worse, it’s very 80s, but this is damn fine music, whatever decade it’s rooted in. Uncool and really cool, all at the same time.

15.
Pendulum
In Silico

I bought Pendulum’s debut – Hold Your Colour – ages ago: way back in 2005. It didn’t make my top 20 albums then. That record was an enjoyable mainstream drum ‘n’ bass record (ideal for the likes of me: people who don’t follow drum ‘n’ bass but quite like it on occasion). It was good, but I soon forgot about it. When this, their second album, finally appeared in May, then, I noted but largely ignored it. The general buzz that followed, as well as a short TV clip I caught of them at Glastonbury, convinced me to re-evaluate. What I got was not just a drum ‘n’ bass record, but a rather masterful dance/rock cross-over album. Pendulum have rightly gone supernova this year, and I get the feeling that if this had come out ten years ago, it could have been one of my favourite albums of all time. The quasi nu-metal choruses don’t have quite the impact on me today that they once would have, but it is impossible not to move to the beats. An infectious and completely thrilling listen. Even if it is aimed at 16 year olds…

14.
Noah And The Whale
Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down

A highly intelligent folk-pop album of real quality. I assume like most people, the first thing I came across by them was ‘Five Years Time’; an absolutely brilliant summer single, but not something I would’ve wanted a whole album of. As it is, though, that track is not really representative of the record, which is in general comprised of weightier offerings. The lyrics are a cut above the usual I love you/I miss you clichés of most bands, and the music is – I guess a bit like Ambrose Tompkins – at once both simple and inventive. Indeed, there are other similarities with that band here, including the interesting choice of instruments throughout and the overriding sense of fun. The presence of Laura Marling adds some class and charm to an already excellent mix. Hopeful and uplifting, pessimistic and cynical, this is grown-up pop. They deserve the airplay they’ve been getting. The second record could be a masterpiece.

13.
The Fratellis
Here We Stand

At first I was somewhat disappointed with this – it certainly isn’t as instant (or, ultimately, quite as good) as their brilliant debut, Costello Music. On repeated listens, though, it becomes clear that The Fratellis know, better than most, how to write a quality rock song. As with the Eagles Of Death Metal album, this doesn’t really have much depth to it. It doesn’t really need to, though: it’s a simple collection of great tunes. Verse-chorus-verse, and maybe an undemanding solo once in a while. That’s it. Still, there’s a reason that formula is so enduring – so long as the verses and choruses (and solos) are good, it’s pretty much a winner every time. This is consistently strong throughout, with every single track being capable of putting a smile on my face. It’s easy to sing along to, it rollicks along a fair pace never pausing for breath, and, in spite of its apparent superficiality, I’ve continued to play it since July. Bouncy rock. The Fratellis make me happy.

12.
Foals
Antidotes

So I’m not really sure what ‘math-rock’ actually is, other than spiky indie with weird time signatures (maybe that’s all there is to it). In any event, they’re from Oxford, not Oregon, so it should be ‘maths-rock’. All in all, there’s a lot to hate about Foals. Yannis Philippakis is clearly an arrogant mother f. They are really pretentious (don’t face the side of the stage when you play live – it’s not cool, it just means I can only see half of you). They have ridiculous trendy hair. I mean, they’re ‘math-rock’, for fuck sake. Leaving all that stuff aside, though, this is a quality record of dynamic and original rock songs. There is work to be done: not much on this album is instant (other than perhaps, the superb single ‘Cassius’). In time, though, the odd noises and weird timings start to make sense, and something great emerges. Hard to dance to (you have to sort of wobble), but intriguing and involving stuff. In many ways the exact opposite of The Fratellis record, this is not ‘big grin’ bounce rock, this is serious sonic exploration. Using mathematics. Apparently.

11.
Operator Please
Yes Yes Vindictive

Back to bouncy fun rock, then. Operator Please are a female fronted Australian pop-punk outfit. This record is pretty much perfect if what you want is well crafted poppy rock songs that clock in at around the three minute mark. The band has a violinist, which is rare for this type of stuff (though I guess less rare in the post American Idiot/The Black Parade world). It has enough to it to set it apart, but is also fairly familiar and is hardly challenging. Equally, it’s venomous enough to get the blood pumping, but not based on any real bile or vitriol. Stand out tracks include ‘Get What You Want’ (which reminds me of Smash era Offspring), and ‘Two For My Seconds’ (a mellow moment that’s very Beatles indeed), but they’re all pretty darn good. If this album had come out in around 1994, I would have played it to death. As it is, I’ve still played it a fair bit… Another one to file in the ‘shallow but fucking fun’ category.

10.
Kings Of Leon
Only By The Night

About as unexpected as it gets. I really hated the last two Kings Of Leon albums, and yet for some reason there’s something about this one that I love. I have no idea what sets it apart. It seems to have a fairly similar sound to their previous offerings, and I still find Caleb Followill’s voice a bit grating, but the songs on offer are just so strong. I was given a copy of this – I’d never have sought it out myself – and on first listen I was fairly sure that my preconceived view was correct: load of crap. I stuck with it, though, and I’m so glad I did. ‘Sex On Fire’ was, perhaps inevitably, my pathway into loving this record. However, there are numerous other great tracks to be found after a little digging. I simply can’t get ‘Revelry’ out of my head. ‘Be Somebody’ has a wonderful rolling quality to it, and ‘Cold Desert’ is a lovely laid back finale. Right now, this is the record that I'm playing more than any other and it's still growing in my estimation; if the year hadn't ended when it did, it could maybe have got an even higher placing. I’m not sure if it’s Kings Of Leon that have changed or if it’s my taste. Either way, this record is awesome.

09.
Blood Red Shoes
Box Of Secrets

What a noise these guys make. This is a boy/girl two piece who hail from Brighton. He plays drums, she plays guitar, and they both sing. Dirty garage pop, with a real sniping edge to it. Standouts are the aptly scatterbrained ‘ADHD’, the shouty ‘It’s Getting Boring By The Sea’ (Brighton’s maybe not as good to live in as it undoubtedly is to visit), and the brilliant ‘I Wish I Was Someone Better’ (as good a rock song as anyone has managed in 2008). I think what makes it all work so well is the chemistry between the two of them, and the way that their voices complement each other. I’ve also realised that the lyrical repetition of the refrains has hammered these tracks firmly into my brain cave – the sort of songs that will stay there forever. This album went up in my estimation still further after they absolutely blew me away live. How do they make that noise, when there’s only two of them?

08.
Laura Marling
Alas, I Cannot Swim

A lovely little record. I know everyone goes on about how young-yet-mature she is, but I can’t help but find it all amazing. If this had come from Beth Orton or someone similar, at this stage in their career, it would have been extremely impressive, but for an album this developed and well rounded to come from an 18 year old is, frankly, incredible. The songwriting, the lyrics – it’s all superb. I’ve listened to it loads. I think the only real problem I have with the record is that it is so emotionally real that I sometimes find it actually makes me sad. Opener ‘Ghosts’ is perhaps the best example: delicate but with an underlying pain, which – contrived or not – feels genuine to me. Similarly ‘Your Only Doll (Dora)’ has a harshness to it that belies its beauty and always leaves me a tad melancholic. To round it off, the hidden track is also absolutely perfect. Can’t remember the last time I wished a hidden track had been included earlier on an album.

07.
Protest The Hero
Fortress

Metal! The first record on the list to fall into the ‘heavy’ bracket, this is something of a revelation. I’m told that Protest The Hero are ‘math-core’ (much like Foals are ‘math-rock’). Adding ‘math’ clearly makes stuff cool in 2008. Except, Protest The Hero aren’t exactly cool. So far as I know, they’re virtually unknown outside of their native Canada (I discovered them whilst in Toronto), but they damn well should be. This is a band that have remembered that metal is supposed to be fun. Much in the same way that Muse play around with operatics in a less heavy context, Protest The Hero are flamboyant and overblown. The album sounds to me like some kind of bizarre hybrid of System Of A Down and Queen. Singer Roddy Walker is as camp as a camper van, every guitar solo is unashamedly whiddly, and at least two of the band have a perm. To top it off, the lyrics are simply awful (it is metal, after all). So, Protest The Hero are not even slightly cool, which seems to make them fearless in what they play. The tracks are adventurous (all too rare in metal), but also hark back to the pre-Nirvana pomp and speed of 80s thrash. Every track is genius. An absolute must have.

06.
The Raconteurs
Consolers Of The Lonely

I liked their debut without ever really loving it. Certainly, I never expected an album this good from them. Without doubt, I prefer this to any White Stripes album. There’s musical genius at work here, unhinged and dangerous. It’s all a bit chaotic, and I get the feeling that this may be their first and last great record – I’m not sure they like each other at all anymore. That odd underlying tension gives this record real life, though. Like the White Stripes, this album draws on the 60s, and yet makes it all sound so very now. ‘Many Shades Of Black’ is, for me, the standout track. A massively uplifting chorus neatly juxtaposed to the depressing lyrics. Perfect simple songwriting. The other one that I always turn that iPod dial to is ‘Salute Your Solution’: a grinding powerchord fest, with a wicked bassline and a guitar effect on the solo that sounds like a hammond organ. Awesome. Their performance at Bonnaroo remains my musical highlight of the entire year. That’s simply as good as live music gets.

05.
Cold War Kids
Loyalty To Loyalty

Somewhat unbelievably, I think this might actually be as good as their near perfect debut, Robbers And Cowards (which is in retrospect, I think, now my album of 2007, having endured enough to have overtaken last year’s list topper by Against Me!). Yet despite being that good, Loyalty To Loyalty suffers just because it came second, with a weight of expectation and with a sound I’d already heard. On its own merits, this perhaps should be number one this year, but I simply don’t play it as much as the four albums above it. Every time I do, though, I’m astounded by the quality on show. This is, unexpectedly, an even sparser, barer record. There is so little going on, but that’s what makes the Cold War Kids so good, they know what’s crucial to any given song, and don’t provide anything else. The droning ‘Avalanche In B’ should be awful, but somehow it’s brilliant. The schizophrenic piano of ‘Every Valley Is Not A Lake’ is part depressing blues, and part rockabilly shuffle, and is a standout. The best track though, is the bass driven ‘Mexican Dogs’, which all the way through has something nasty seething underneath it. An album that confirms that the Cold War Kids are here to stay, somewhere near the top of the tree.

04.
Lightspeed Champion
Falling Off The Lavender Bridge

There’s something inherently charming about this record. As soon as I heard the country-blues of the opening ‘Number One’, leading into the perfect ‘Galaxy of the Lost’, I was hooked. The ten minute – but feels like only three to me – long ‘Midnight Surprise’ (best drumming on a ‘mellow’ track since Dave Grohl’s appearance on Cat Power’s You Are Free) is another highlight. I also love the banjo-led ‘Let The Bitches Die’. Hell, I love every track. There is, in addition to the brilliant songs, a great style here – Dev Hynes’ new look, the colour and image on the album cover (why is he holding a rabbit, exactly?) and an underlying laissez faire vibe – this album just stands out from the pack. An unexpected pleasure. I was sad when Test Icicles broke up (for those who don’t know, Hynes was in that terribly-named punk band a few years ago). Now I’m really glad, as it made way for this: very different, and in a whole other league.

03.

Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago

A small but perfectly formed album of naked passion and astounding songwriting. Up until mid-summer, this was easily my number one. It stands as a testament to what good simple songwriting can do. Although his voice is ok, he’s not the best singer in the world. He’s not the best guitar player either. But…he can write and, crucially, you get the feeling that he means it. Every word and every note. The album is so minimal and sparse, that sometimes it feels like it’s not there at all (take, as just one example, ‘Blindsided’, which has almost nothing to it, but is completely brilliant). On the few occasions that the record does spark into life, it comes as something of a shock, and has all the more impact for that (take the end of ‘Creature Fear’, or, better still, the impassioned chorus of ‘Skinny Love’). This is just one man and his acoustic guitar, recorded on a four track. There’s hope for us all. An album I’ll still be coming back to in ten years time.

02.
Metallica
Death Magnetic

Yes! All the hype, all the expectation, the internet leak of ‘Cyanide’… Would it actually be good? I dared to hope. In fact, I probably had higher expectations than most, because I was the only person in the entire world who really liked 2003’s universally derided St. Anger. Ok, so it didn’t have cool solos, but I actually liked the new drum sound. Oh, well, that’s gone (no surprise there), but in spite of a disappointing return to traditional drumming, Death Magnetic is a superior offering to its predecessor in pretty much every way. It feels like this is Metallica at ease with themselves, for the first time since, well…ever. It starts with a heartbeat – a pretty strong sign of life – which leads into the slow build opening of ‘That Was Just Your Life’. A song that teases for nearly two minutes before then bashing you about the head like a big guy with tree a branch. Ouch. ‘The End Of The Line’ is classic Metallica riffage: the repeated ‘the slave becomes the master’ line is the best bit of the entire record, especially when it explodes back into the riff (I nearly make a mess in my pants every time). ‘Judas Kiss’ is wickedly off kilter, and the instrumental ‘Suicide And Redemption’ beats Karma To Burn at their own game without even seeming to try that hard. The closer ‘My Apocalypse’ is so brutal that it makes some of the stuff on St. Anger sound a little childish.

A great record from what is still a great band. Long may it continue.

01.

Bloc Party

Intimacy

A bit of a landmark, this. The first time that a band has had more than one record get the number one spot on my list (their debut, Silent Alarm, was my number one album of 2005). Ironically, I wasn’t at all sure about Bloc Party’s new dancey direction – I really disliked (and still dislike) last year’s stand alone single ‘Flux’, and when ‘Mercury’ appeared, on first listen I was equally ready to dismiss it. As it turns out, it’s one of the best tracks of the year, and the lead in to a challenging and dynamic record that has the band coming on leaps and bounds. Their disappointing ‘difficult’ second album, A Weekend In The City, (its few exceptional moments – ‘The Prayer’ and ‘Hunting For Witches’ – aside) is washed away. This is Bloc Party establishing themselves as a band that takes risks, and one that, it would seem, will endure for a long time to come.

Tracks like ‘Halo’ and the brilliant ‘One Month Off’ hark back to the better tracks from their earlier work (high octane indie rock), but there are also intriguing moments of a very different kind: the poignant lament of ‘Signs’ (a song that burrows into the brain) and the soft tread of ‘Biko’ demonstrate that Bloc Party have been adding strings to what was already a rather snazzy bow. When the ‘dance’ tracks are thrown into the mix (again, ‘Mercury’ is the best example, but ‘Ares’ is another awesome song in this vein), the result is an eclectic but balanced record capable of contending with the very best. Ultimately, I think I probably still prefer their near perfect debut, but this is closer to it than I ever expected them to get. I look forward to seeing them (for the second time, but the first for many years) in the New Year. I’ll dance to the sound of sirens…

The Rest...

21.
Russian Circles

Station
Intricately crafted post-rock, with crushing riffs chucked in every so often to spice it all up. An album that really needs to be listened to in its entirety to get the best out of it. A superb piece of music.

22.
Dengue Fever

Venus On Earth

Cambodian rock mixed with Americana, this is as odd as it is brilliant. Sung half in English and half in Khmer, this is exotic, cool and utterly barmy.

23.
Snow Patrol

A Hundred Million Suns
Unfortunately not as good as their previous effort, Eyes Open, this is still a strong piece of work from a quality band. Having said that, it does all get a little too Coldplay on occasion.

24.
Weezer
Weezer (The Red Album)
Somewhat inevitably, this is a great collection of pop gems. Easily their best record since the masterful Weezer (The Green Album), way back in 2001.

25.
The Music
Strength In Numbers
High quality dance rock from ‘up norf’, this is my favourite of The Music’s albums. High octane stuff.

26.
Her Name Is Calla
The Heritage
Beautiful post-rock with a dark, twisted heart. Well worth your time and money – pretty, but also evil. So, well, pretty evil.

27.
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
A slight disappointment, given the heights that Nick Cave and his band have reached in the past. Having said that, they’re far too talented to release anything that is in any way bad. This just isn’t as good as it could be.

28.
The Gutter Twins

Saturnalia
Q: What type of rock are The Gutter Twins? A: gravel. Excellently grimy rock from this two man supergroup. The soaring riffage of ‘Idle Hands’ is the pick of a pretty good bunch.

29.
Santogold
Santogold

A mixed bag of hip-hop-electro-rock-pop, with some tracks of absolute genius (‘You’ll Find a Way’) and others that are really not that great (‘Unstoppable’). Enough on show to suggest she’s capable of releasing a record of real quality, but she’s not there yet. To keep an eye on.

30.
Hello, Blue Roses
The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty...
Hippy two-piece from Vancouver: more chilled than an Inuit’s unmentionables. Lovely and, occasionally, a little odd (in a Kate Bush kinda way). This is well worth a listen. Plus, what a great album title…

31.
The Last Shadow Puppets

The Age Of The Understatement

An intriguing side project for Alex Turner (and that other guy), this is one part 60s pop, one part post-millennial British street poetry (a la The Libertines or the Arctic Monkeys themselves), and one part Bond themes of the 70s and 80s. Interesting and lots of fun, but I think I prefer the day job (unless we’re talking about the other guy).

32.
Flight Of The Conchords
Flight Of The Conchords
Genius, of course, in every way, but comedy albums are always difficult to really get into. Plus, I knew all of these tracks very very well already, from the TV show, the radio show or trawling the internet. So this hardly felt ‘new’ when I finally got my hands on it.

33.
Sigur Rós
Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
A more adventurous work than previous efforts, this is Sigur Rós spreading their wings. An ethereal journey which is well worth taking, but one that certainly doesn’t reach the heights of their masterful ( ) album. Plus, it’s just too long…

34.
Portishead
Third
Returning (finally) after an eleven year break. It’s extremely high quality stuff, no question. It’s also a brave departure. I just never fully warmed to the new doom-electronica vibe. Great, but ultimately disappointing.

35.
Mogwai
The Hawk Is Howling
It’s a while since Mogwai released anything that really blew me away. Having said that, I prefer this more stripped down sound to their previous effort, 2006’s Mr Beast. Flashes of what they’re capable of, most notably on the thumping ‘Batcat’, but not their best work.

36.
The Zutons
You Can Do Anything
Extremely enjoyable but short-life pop-rock (with sax, of course) which sounds exactly like their last two albums. I played it loads for four days and then haven’t touched it since…

37.
Yoav
Charmed And Strange
Multi-instrumentalism from the wandering Israeli electro-minstrel. ‘Club Thing’ is the album’s stand out track, with its muted and slightly camp approach to pop, but the whole album swaggers along with the confidence of someone who knows how to make music.

38.
British Sea Power
Do You Like Rock Music?
This is the first British Sea Power album I’ve ever got, in spite of being aware of them for ages. It’s a really strong record, featuring a mixture of straight 90s-style rock songs and more orchestral tunes. Every track here is really good, but something is missing from the album as a whole.

39.
Leo Abrahams
The Unrest Cure
A varied, experimental and challenging record, but unfortunately one that misses the mark more often than it hits it. It has to be said that ‘City Machine’ (featuring KT Tunstall) is one of the best stand alone tracks of the year. However, overall, this album is an admirable but inconsistent piece of work.

40.
The Dandy Warhols
...Earth To The Dandy Warhols...
This doesn’t even come close to the glory days of The Dandy Warhols’ career (See Welcome to the Monkey House, from 2003, for that), but equally, it’s a vast improvement on 2005’s frankly awful Odditorium or Warlords of Mars. Not sure whether that makes this a success or not.

41.
TV On The Radio

Dear Science
A far more accessible effort than the acclaimed but somewhat impenetrable Return to Cookie Mountain. What Dear Science makes up for in accessibility, though, it loses in scope. In other words, it replaces the flaws of its predecessor with a whole new set of problems. Having said that, ‘Half Way Home’ and ‘Red Dress’ both kick ass.

42.
Feeder
Silent Cry
This is exactly what Feeder were doing 15 years ago, and, as such, I haven’t really played it. If I want this sound, I’ll just dig out 1999’s highpoint, Yesterday Went Too Soon. On its own merits, though, this is actually pretty good. Just a little behind the times…

43.
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
Sunday At Devil Dirt
The second very enjoyable album to feature Mark Lanegan this year, but, as with The Gutter Twins, not one that was good enough to get a top 20 place. Nonetheless, this is, for me, an improvement on their debut. The Nick Cave-esque, ‘Come On Over (Turn Me On)’ is particularly good.

44.
Coldplay
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Everything on this record is perfectly listenable, and the last track ‘Death And All His Friends’ is absolutely superb. Having said that, the rest of it is all so calculatingly bland that it’s hard to appreciate that they can clearly still write good songs. The last Coldplay album I’ll ever buy.

45.
Youthmovies
Good Nature
Part of the same math-Oxford scene as Foals, Youthmovies have been knocking about for a while, and have been likened to Amlifier and Oceansize. Turns out that, whilst there are some superficial similarities to those bands, Youthmovies are not in the same league (or even playing the same sport).

46.
Nine Inch Nails
The Slip
There is a reason that this was released free on the Nine Inch Nails website. I wouldn’t have gone near this horrible ‘industrial’ noise it if it had cost me anything more than a click of my mouse. Utter pants.

The Ineligibles

The were two records that I played more than any other this year. Between them, they would have battled for the top spot on the list…except that both were released in 2007:

Two Gallants
Two Gallants

I saw Two Gallants at Bonnaroo festival – there was nothing I wanted to see at the time, and I remembered I'd been told that they were a good Saddle Creek band. They were really great live, but not anything all that exceptional. Good enough, though, to encourage me buy their latest record. It turned out to be the album I played most all year. Lyrics of the highest possible quality, raw but beautiful blues rock and a perfect sense of songwriting all add up to one astounding record. Stand out tracks are: ‘Reflections Of A Marionette’ (with its really nasty sentiment masked by a lovely picked guitar part) and ‘Despite What You’ve Been Told’ (which turns the structure of the traditional love song brilliantly on its head, and is the one single track I have played more than any other in 2008). However, those are just examples to highlight an album that is without flaw. Album of the year. Sort of.

LCD Soundsystem
Sound Of Silver

Closely followed by this. I’m not sure what type of music it is (electronica, I guess, but then there’s also rock and other junk in here too). Every track is different from all the others, and yet the album works really well as a whole. ‘Get Innocuous’ is a brooding piece of electronic music that slowly draws you into it, whereas ‘North American Scum’ is an instant classic that it’s impossible not to love. Finally, ‘New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down’ is a pretty lament that shows a completely different side to LCD Soundsystem. There’s a reason that this appeared at the top of many people’s ‘album of the year’ lists this time last year. It would have been somewhere up there on mine too if I’d known about it. I’m off to buy their back catalogue…

I should also mention a stand out 2008 release that was ineligible, being an ep:

One Day As A Lion
One Day As A Lion

It’s great to have Zack de la Rocha back. Finally. Better still, this is really good stuff. Similar enough to his work with Rage Against The Machine that there’s some continuity here, but different enough that it is its own beast, One Day As A Lion is as good an ep as you’ll find. The mix of rock and dance/electro is seamless, and all fits really well with Zack’s rapping. It just annoys me every time that it ends so soon. I particularly love the line ‘your arsenals stripped’ from ‘Wild International’, which I like to pretend is Zack saying ‘your Arsenal strip’, in reference to a replica football kit…

Top Ten Tracks of 2008

My top 10 tracks of 2008, in nothing other than alphabetical order. And, yes, I know one of them was a Eurovision entry…

‘City Machine’ – Leo Abrahams (featuring KT Tunstall)
‘Mercury’ – Bloc Party
‘I Wish I Was Someone Better’ – Blood Red Shoes
‘Cassius’ – Foals
‘Sex On Fire’ – Kings Of Leon
‘Galaxy Of The Lost’ – Lightspeed Champion
‘Get What You Want’ – Operator Please
‘You’ll Find A Way’ – Santogold
‘Divine’ – Sébastien Tellier
‘Club Thing’ – Yoav

That’s it, then. Another year gone. Time to start getting excited about the Amplifier double album I’ve been promised for 2009…