Best Albums- 2008

[mjkoehler]

Lets here them. The beauty of lists like this here is you can discover new stuff.

I did mine in kind of Good, Bad, do not know yet way. These are in no particular order. My number 1 album of the year is Seldom Seen Kid fom Elbow. Seriously, if you have not heard this I cannot recommend it enough. Thanks to our resident dragonboy, I am a convert.

Good
Kathleen Edwards-Asking For Flowers
Wolf Parade-At Mount Zoomer
Black Keys-Attack & Release
Supergrass-Diamond Hoo Ha
MMJ-Eu
The Sword-Gods Of The Earth
James-Hey Ma
Black Mountain-In The Future
The Duke Spirit- Neptune
Dead Meadow-Old Growth
Hold Steady-Stay Positive
The Last Shadow Puppets-The Age Of The Understatement
Elbow- Seldom Seen Kid
The Charlatans-You Cross My Path
Felice Brothers-Felice Brothers
British Sea Power- Do You Like Rock Music?
The Cure-4:13 Dream
We Are Scientists-Brain Thrust Mastery
Spiritualized-Songs in A&E
Portishead-Third
Louis XIV-Slick Dogs & Ponies
Kings Of Leon- Only By The Night
Buckethead- Albino Slug
Buckethead- The Dragons Of Eden
TV On The Radio- Dear Science
Oasis- Dig Out Your Soul
Fleet Foxes- S/T
The Verve- Fourth
Glasvegas- Glasvegas
The Whigs- Mission Control
Mogwai- The Hawk Is Howling
Dead Confederate- Wrecking Ball

Disappointed
DBT- Brighter Then Creation...
Dandy Warhols- Earth To The Dandy Warhols
NIN-The Slip
The Secret Machines- The Secrete Machines

Not sure yet I need to listen to these more to determine if I like them or not. I like these bands, but these albums just didn't reach out and grab me yet.
Raconteurs- Consolers Of The Lonely
Story Of The Year-The Black Swan
Devotchka- A Mad & Faithful Telling
Morcheeba- Dive Deep
Dr Dog- Fate
Bloc Party- Intimacy
Kaiser Chiefs- Off With Their Heads
Razorlight- Slipway Fires
The Music- Strength In Numbers
Okkervil River- The Stand Ins

[dragonboy]

That's one heck of a list MJ...& I thought I bought a lot of albums this year!  ;D

My number 1 album of the year is Seldom Seen Kid fom Elbow. Seriously, if you have not heard this I cannot recommend it enough. Thanks to our resident dragonboy, I am a convert.

Still working on/listening to my list but I can safely say that Elbow will most probably be @ No1.

"So throw those curtains wide!
One day like this a year would see me right!"

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=hooPU2mdsH4

[mjkoehler]

It was a good year!

Yeah, I'd have to go with that as my fav off that album.

[dragonboy]

Yeah, I'd have to go with that as my fav off that album.

So many brilliant songs, this is another fav: http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=-r3Bs_KkP94

"Straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day!"

[dragonboy]

Yeah I've decided  :)

[size=14]1) Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid [/size]

[mjkoehler]

IIIIIII've been workin on a cocktail called grounds for divorce...Seriously, lyrics like this, how can you go wrong.

[Penny Lane]

Yeah, I'd have to go with that as my fav off that album.

So many brilliant songs, this is another fav: http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=-r3Bs_KkP94

"Straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day!"

ah i love that line

[dragonboy]

The man is an excellent lyricist!

"I plant the kind of kiss
That wouldn't wake a baby"

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=nMD7FIpq11Q

You might have to ask CC to move all of these posts over to the Elbow thread MJ!

...that or start a new Best Albums of 2008  ;D

[tomEisenbraun]

Here's mine? Just to keep this back on track?

Bon Iver -- For Emma, Forever Ago
MMJ - EU
Megafaun's Bury The Square was pretty damn incredible.
The Little Ones -- Morning Tide if only for "Ordinary Song"
----I met you on the radio (radio!)----
Fleet Foxes, both the s/t and Sun Giant belong very high on my list. Sun Giant may actually be my favorite thing this year.
My friend Ellison Park made a beautiful e.p. called When Head Killed Heart and you need to go and buy it on iTunes immediately. If you're looking to spend a dollar on a new song, go buy his track "Like a Portrait" and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Is that seriously it for me for this year?

Wait, Dead Confederate's EP rocked a whole lot. Didn't care so much for the full-length, if only because they rerecorded "The Rat" without so much angst.

And seriously, I don't care what anybody says, Vampire Weekend's self-titled is just fun.

[red]

Not trying to jump on Tom's coattails, but I'll go...


TOP 10 (IN SPECIFIC ORDER)

1 - Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
The Canadian crazy & ex-busker finally puts together a cohesive album, and it's an absolute gem.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLw5b70OJH8

2 - TV on the Radio - Dear Science
My once favourite band bring it all back home.  An album nearly as good as Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes is a title.  Young Liars is still their greatest achievement.

3 - Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Yeah, yeah, he put it out himself last year.  Jagjaguwar rules.  Enough great things have been said about Justin Vernon, next...  

4 - Constantines - Kensington Heights
Canada's best current band (IMO) release quite an album.  "New King" is probably the best song Bryan Webb has written.  F*ck I love this band.

5 - Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
I believe Sub Pop called it this generation's Marquee Moon -  definitely an overstatement.  It's still one hell of a record, though.  Nice way to brush off Isaac Brock, the Arcade Fire & finally step into their own skin.  

6 - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Nick Cave > Nick Cave on heroin

7 - Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP / S/T
CSN(Y?) 2K8?  Cool.

8 - $100 - Forest of Tears
Canadian debut of the year  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GONanHXgNYU  I love this band more than members of my own family.

9 - Sun Kil Moon - April
Mark Kozelek, where have you been all my life?  I've swooned over you in Almost Famous for years and years, little did I know how incredible you were.  

10 - The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Boys and Girls in America Vol. 2.  Fitter, stronger, faster, whatever Daft Punk says...  Better than BaGiA, but it's no Separation Sunday, or ...Almost Killed Me.  Still beyond great, though.  


NEXT BATCH (OF COOKIES)

The Black Keys - Attack & Release
So much better than Magic Potion.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Lie Down in the Light
BPB + the babe from Black Mountain =  I dig.  He's sounds so happy, I can't believe it's the same guy who released I See a Darkness.  I just need a little more time with the album.  Reminds me of pre-stolen iPod in New Orleans; good times (even though NO was the time of my life).

Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Gain
Till the Suns Turns Black is one of my favourite albums of this decade.  This album is not nearly as good, but there's still a few gems.  "I Still Care for You" is jaw-dropping.  Ray, please marry into my family?

Blitzen Trapper - Furr
This album is incredible, I just need a little more time with it.  Certainly one of the years best, by far.  "Not Your Lover" and the title track are two of the years best tracks.

Drive-By Truckers - Brigher Than Creation's Dark
Jason who?  "A Ghost To Most" is probably my favourite Cooley track.  This album is great, but a little too bloated to make my top ten.

Black Mountain - In the Future
STORMY STORMY!!!  STORMY HIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Jerk with a Bomb's Pyrokinesis still takes the cake.

Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
God, Failer is such an incredible record.  Still not embarrassed about confessing my love to her this year.

Ron Sexsmith - Exit Strategy for the Soul
Canada's most consistently great songwriter?  I think so.  Surely you've got a masterpiece in you Ron?

Portishead - Third
Trippa to the hoppa - to the don't stop-ya.  You try writing these things while knee-deep in a bottle of red wine & far too many Heineken.

The Mountain Goats - Heretic's Pride
Hey John Darnielle, I love you!  Please release something as great as Tallahassee again.

Los Campesinos! - Hold on Now, Youngsters
Best looking band of 08.  I want to talk Pavement with them one day.  I'm very excited for your second album this year, hope it's great.

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!

[ManNamedTruth]

1 Fleet Foxes
2 Black Mountain - In The Future
3 The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely
4 The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
5 The Black Keys - Attack & Release
6 Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
7 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology
8 Dr. Dog - Fate
9 MMJ - EU
10 Ray Lamontagne - Gossip In The Grain

honorable mentions - The Roots, Okkervil River, The Mars Volta

[dragonboy]

Thanks guys! Enjoyed reading those, especially K's...A[size=9]+[/size] for effort K  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[mjkoehler]

Damn K. That's some serious effort there. And there is ABSOLUTLY NOTHING WRONG with confessing your love for Kathleen Edwards. Hell, I didn't even know of her until this year when BH offered me his extra ticket. Not only is she beautiful, she's fantastic live. Her and Neko in the same year, oh wait that would Best Gigs 2008....hmm need that in another thread. It's that time of year.

[getinthevan]

A Best Gigs thread would be sweet.  Maybe I'll get on that because I'm not doing anything else.  Unless I just wasn't paying attention and it's already been created.  

[mjkoehler]

You are a good man Charlie Brown.

[tenn]

In no order

Tv on the Radio - Dear Science
Spiritualized - Songs in A&E
Tapes N' Tapes - Walk It Off
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement
Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Black Keys-Attack & Release
Man Man - Rabbit Habbits
Blitzen Tapper - Furr
MMJ - EU
Supergrass-Diamond Hoo Ha
Kings of Leon - Only By the Night
Evangelicals -  The Evening Descends
The Whigs - Mission Control
The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
Why - Alopecia
Black Mountain - In the Future
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping

[AlBorland]

A few that haven't been mentioned:

Calexico- Carried to Dust

Murder By Death- Red of Tooth and Clay

[Jbones72]

The Black Crowes Warpaint, Don't think it was mentioned!

[Janet]

The Black Crowes CD was really strong.   It was a pleasant surprise as I think their last couple of releases were not that great - although I enjoyed Chris' solo efforts.

[Jbones72]

The Black Crowes CD was really strong.   It was a pleasant surprise as I think their last couple of releases were not that great - although I enjoyed Chris' solo efforts.

Totally Agree, I was happy they got back to basics and didn't try to sound too polished like the last 2 cd's! I guess the hiatus/solo stuff was the best thing for them  ;D