So its that time of year for end-of-year list. We are gonna kick it off with our albums of year list (to be followed by a song and concert list). It was tough and some of our favorite albums had to get kicked to the curb, but we eventually got it down to 10. Here it is:
10. El Guincho: Alengranza. Drawing comparisons to Animal Collective, El Guincho truly presents us with a tribal version of Person Pitch. The hazy overlayed sampling, dance music pattern brings Panda Bear to mind, yet this album is distinctly unique. Definitely one of the most unique albums of the past 12 months (and the winner for album artwork of the year).
9. Elanoora Rosenholm: Ala Kysy Kuolleilta, He Sanoivat. Getting a shipment of records from Finland's Fonal label was the most thrilling package I got all year. The foreignness of the music was fascinating and this record showed why Fonal quickly became one of my favorite labels. This Nordic pop proved more enchanting with every listen. The opening track, Tammen Vorjossa, is up for song of the year around here.
8. Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit: The Very Best Mixtape. A big thanks to Gorilla vs. Bear for introduction us to these guys. The early leaks were some of my favorite songs of summer and kicked off a late year Afro-pop craze. With high expectations surrounding the release of the mixtape, Esau stepped up. With songs like Dinosaur on the Ark and a cover of the Beatles's Birthday, its not hard to see why this was far and away the best mixtape of the year.
7. Animal Collective: Water Curses EP. Continuing their tradition of releasing an EP to complement each of their LPs, Water Curses proves a fitting follow up to Strawberry Jam. The title track is up their for song of the year, while Street Curses feels like vintage Animal Collective, if that's possible (probably not).
6. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend. What hasn't been said about Vampire Weekend? After all the hype piled on these guys before they even released an album, it was inevitable that there would be a backlash in the blogosphere (perhaps deservedly so). Over the summer I had an off and on relationship with this album, at times resenting them and at others believing they were the Second Coming. In retrospect, this was irrepressibly fun album of the summer and will prove a fitting example of "What 2008 sounded like."
5. Spiritualized: Songs in A&E. The story of Jason Pierce's near death experience is an omni-present spectre throughout the album, in which Spiritualized once again hits its stride musically. Pierce's voice and lyrics portray a despair and weariness of one confronted with death, which proves more amazing once you learn that most of the album was completed before his bout with pneumonia. Spiritualized's amazing rendition of their new material at ACL also help solidify this as some of the best music of the year.
4. Portishead: Third. If anyone was gonna release two classic genre defining albums, wait 11 years, put out the most haunting album of the year, play Cocachella, then seemingly disappear again, it would be Portishead. The Rip and Hunter prove that Third belongs up there with Portishead's other two trip-hop masterpieces. Third is great enough for us to forget the long wait, which hopefully doesn't happen again (please!!!)
3. Paavoharju: Laulu Laakson Kukista. The second Fonal album on here, Paavoharju have crafted a most unique and unusual album. The Finish born-again ascetic Christians put together an amazing mix of ambiance and more "traditional" song structure. Laulu Laakson Kukista is one of those albums that you discover some new nuance with every listen that magnifies the beauty. This hazy record is one of the most fascinating things I have listened to in a long time.
2. White Denim: Workout Holiday. While there might be a little homerism with this Austin band, White Denim was far and away my favorite Rock band this year and they translated the raw energy of their shows onto vinyl with Workout Holiday (It was a tough choice between Exposion and Workout Holiday). In a year where I slid away from traditional rock, bands such as White Denim kept me tethered to primal spirit of rock embodied by White Denim. This album was this year's translation of that spirit and in the process, one of the best albums of the year.
1. Beck: Modern Guilt. Perhaps this was one of those albums that hit me at just the right time, but Modern Guilt was my favorite album of the year almost at first listen. Beck once again solidified is position as one of the most versatile artist of our generation. Having already embraced everything from Brazilian Funk to Freak Folk, Beck uses a 60's minimalist sound here, which is perfectly complemented by Danger Mouse's production. Beck sings of an exestentialist dread ever present in the modern world with Orphans and the ethereal Chemtrails. This was the album of this year in which everything came together perfectly for me.
Just missed the cut: Flying Lotus: Los Angeles, Sigur Ros: Með suð í eyrum við spilum end, The Walkmen: You & Me, No Age: Nouns
10. El Guincho: Alengranza. Drawing comparisons to Animal Collective, El Guincho truly presents us with a tribal version of Person Pitch. The hazy overlayed sampling, dance music pattern brings Panda Bear to mind, yet this album is distinctly unique. Definitely one of the most unique albums of the past 12 months (and the winner for album artwork of the year).
9. Elanoora Rosenholm: Ala Kysy Kuolleilta, He Sanoivat. Getting a shipment of records from Finland's Fonal label was the most thrilling package I got all year. The foreignness of the music was fascinating and this record showed why Fonal quickly became one of my favorite labels. This Nordic pop proved more enchanting with every listen. The opening track, Tammen Vorjossa, is up for song of the year around here.
8. Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit: The Very Best Mixtape. A big thanks to Gorilla vs. Bear for introduction us to these guys. The early leaks were some of my favorite songs of summer and kicked off a late year Afro-pop craze. With high expectations surrounding the release of the mixtape, Esau stepped up. With songs like Dinosaur on the Ark and a cover of the Beatles's Birthday, its not hard to see why this was far and away the best mixtape of the year.
7. Animal Collective: Water Curses EP. Continuing their tradition of releasing an EP to complement each of their LPs, Water Curses proves a fitting follow up to Strawberry Jam. The title track is up their for song of the year, while Street Curses feels like vintage Animal Collective, if that's possible (probably not).
6. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend. What hasn't been said about Vampire Weekend? After all the hype piled on these guys before they even released an album, it was inevitable that there would be a backlash in the blogosphere (perhaps deservedly so). Over the summer I had an off and on relationship with this album, at times resenting them and at others believing they were the Second Coming. In retrospect, this was irrepressibly fun album of the summer and will prove a fitting example of "What 2008 sounded like."
5. Spiritualized: Songs in A&E. The story of Jason Pierce's near death experience is an omni-present spectre throughout the album, in which Spiritualized once again hits its stride musically. Pierce's voice and lyrics portray a despair and weariness of one confronted with death, which proves more amazing once you learn that most of the album was completed before his bout with pneumonia. Spiritualized's amazing rendition of their new material at ACL also help solidify this as some of the best music of the year.
4. Portishead: Third. If anyone was gonna release two classic genre defining albums, wait 11 years, put out the most haunting album of the year, play Cocachella, then seemingly disappear again, it would be Portishead. The Rip and Hunter prove that Third belongs up there with Portishead's other two trip-hop masterpieces. Third is great enough for us to forget the long wait, which hopefully doesn't happen again (please!!!)
3. Paavoharju: Laulu Laakson Kukista. The second Fonal album on here, Paavoharju have crafted a most unique and unusual album. The Finish born-again ascetic Christians put together an amazing mix of ambiance and more "traditional" song structure. Laulu Laakson Kukista is one of those albums that you discover some new nuance with every listen that magnifies the beauty. This hazy record is one of the most fascinating things I have listened to in a long time.
2. White Denim: Workout Holiday. While there might be a little homerism with this Austin band, White Denim was far and away my favorite Rock band this year and they translated the raw energy of their shows onto vinyl with Workout Holiday (It was a tough choice between Exposion and Workout Holiday). In a year where I slid away from traditional rock, bands such as White Denim kept me tethered to primal spirit of rock embodied by White Denim. This album was this year's translation of that spirit and in the process, one of the best albums of the year.
1. Beck: Modern Guilt. Perhaps this was one of those albums that hit me at just the right time, but Modern Guilt was my favorite album of the year almost at first listen. Beck once again solidified is position as one of the most versatile artist of our generation. Having already embraced everything from Brazilian Funk to Freak Folk, Beck uses a 60's minimalist sound here, which is perfectly complemented by Danger Mouse's production. Beck sings of an exestentialist dread ever present in the modern world with Orphans and the ethereal Chemtrails. This was the album of this year in which everything came together perfectly for me.Just missed the cut: Flying Lotus: Los Angeles, Sigur Ros: Með suð í eyrum við spilum end, The Walkmen: You & Me, No Age: Nouns
