Anyone born after the McD.L.T. has no business stomping around acting punk rock
So, 2008 music. I liked it!
Here are 21 of 2008's better albums, in the order that occurred to me at the time.
21. Miko - Parade Maybe a bit busy but it's lovely. Miko sounds a bit tougher than Tujiko Noriko and a little more introspective Minekawa Takako.
20. Jay Reatard - Matador Singles '08 / Singles 06 - 07 Boy, this guy does not much care for a lady.
19. Jazzanova - Of All The Things A dorky soul album complete with the slightly-off English lyrics favored by Europeans.
18. Quest For Blood - s/t avant-garde jazz flute prog folk black metal. If this record had more variety it'd be in the top five.
17. Stereolab - Chemical Chords This smoove, straight pop album is the best I've heard from the Gane Gang since 1998 or so.
16. Howling Hex - Earth Junk Fresh inspiration comes to the longtime rock hero in the form of a creaky organ & new female vocalist.
15. Thomas Brinkmann - When Horses Die Noted Euro tech-house producer Brinkmann sings spare electronic pop in a deadpan baritone. Like a sad & wise Matthew Dear record. Check "Words".
14. Yoko Nishi - Koto Concert 2008 Doesn't really count because this was an event giveaway, but what a fantastic album! We can meet on slsk if you want to hear it.
13. VA (Kompakt) - Total 9 The best Total since no. 5. Stalwart Kompakt artists seem to be broadening out just enough. Check "Hey Hotties," "Droplets," "Minimal," and "Geduld".
12. M.A.N.D.Y. - Fabric 38 Narrowly beats Luciano and Metro Area's contributions as the year's best Fabric mix. They wander around for a while, then suddenly it's roiling in your blood like a fizzy tropical peyote cocktail.
11. The Fall - Imperial Wax Solvent I don't understand how Mark Smith manages to keep this up. Somehow he thrives on the constant personnel changes. Possibly the best (& most sprawling in sound) in the wave of great Fall albums this decade.
10. Theo Parrish - Sound Sculptures, vol. 1 A solid introduction to Parrish's hypnotic urban minimalism--"basement house" built around jazz/funk/soul loops. A bit smoove and hi-fi compared to previous releases, but it holds up well over two discs & 27 tracks. This would rank higher if Parrish hadn't tried to politicize so many tracks with samples from movies. The music is already political.
9. El Guincho - Alegranza Maxed-out banging-on-the-walls Afro-Latin dance loops. For excited time or party time.
8. GZA - Pro Tools GZA sounds confident & relaxed, "on point" with plenty of change-ups & all sturdy productions. Personally I don't like Lil Wayne, so it's nice that the Wu Wear is still reliable.
7. Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life A blessed black blistering blasting buzzing bleak black blizzard of metal that incorporates melody, ambience, & some nice keyboard flourishes.
6. Boris - Smile The mix on the Japanese version beats the Southern Lord release.
5. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals (2007); Mgmt. - Oracular Spectacular This year I stopped worrying about the youth singing in that awful way that they do. It's the way of the modern world & there's nothing I can do to stop it. As a result of lightening up (or devolving) I enjoyed these two records more than I'd like to admit. Dave Friedmann's production gives Mgmt. a bit of that old-timey Mercury Rev / Flaming Lips sound. Yeasayer was a slow-grower but there is a nourishing quality to their sound. More than Peter Gabriel it reminds me of Invisible Touch-era Genesis w/a dash of Pogues.
4. Grouper - Dragging A Dead Dear Up A Hill Brian, Frank, & others have mentioned what a great cover this album has, and also that the music is good. This is all true. I want someone to make a film based on this cover, using the music for the soundtrack.
3. Fennesz - Black Sea Feels closer to a sun-beaten arctic landscape...the glare is bright; the wind blows long & Hecker-esque. Fantastic attention to detail & depth in the layers.
2. Ricardo Villalobos - Vasco At this point, there's no doubt in my mind that Villalobos is the most talented electronic dude of the Era. His methods are familiar by now, but the robotic/organic sounds that emerge are still fresh and unpredictable.
1. Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While the Sky Is Falling I've been waiting for something like Polar's disco space opera since high school. Classically trained at Juliard and mentored in dance music by Morgan Geist, Polar abandoned a decadent life in NYC and sequestered himself to record at a remote cabin in New Hampshire with a herd of cattle and no internet. (My song of '08 "Zeno of Elea" is about, in Polar's words, "someone who is trying to commit suicide and then thinks better of it and tries to save themselves with advanced math".) Overwhelming, cosmic & fragile, quivering swells of synths & strings, full of obsessive longing and detachment, apocalyptic, sublime & ridiculous, immaculately recorded...at this point all I can do is gush uselessly. If you're not sold after the opening 3 tracks may the good lord help you, it is out of my hands.
Runners-up: these albums did not make the list because I have nothing in particular to say about them.
Nagisa Ni Te - Yosuga
Luomo - Convivial
Ezekiel Honig - Surfaces of a Broken Marching Band
Dead Reptile Shrine - Burning Black Infinity
Byrne/Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Moss - Sub-Templum
Dungen - 4
Blood Ceremony - s/t
Reissue of the year:
Gas - Nah und Fern A beautiful & inexpensive box released by Kompakt collects Wolfgang Voigt's four Gas albums, lightly remastered. This is some of the greatest ambient music of all time, and instantly accessible. As Phil said, even if you're not interested in ambient, you should check it out. Play it on a Sunday afternoon and the day will float through you.
Twelve dumb 2008 songs that I also liked:
Morgan Geist - "Detroit", "Ruthless City"
--I love Jeremy Greenspan, but he is a tremendous wuss, and apparently not very smart. On "Ruthless City" he tells us about how his girlfriend beats him up. Then reveals that she used to date his best friend, and wore him down, and they all wondered how he he could've broken up w/her. Um.
--still, when he sings "In. A. Ruth. Less. City", it gives me shivers like "Last Exit" used to.
Gang Gang Dance - "House Jam"
--personally I have nothing against Bjork, but she may have poisoned the minds of a generation.
--the album missed the cut because looping the sound of a phonebook hitting the floor does not a rhythm make.
--less gang gang more dance! discipline will make you stronger! collab with someone at Kompakt for chrissakes
Sunn 0))) & Nurse With Wound - "Dysnystaxis (remix)"
--some silky grimness.
--the other 2 tracks were a li'l too intense for me, given the length.
--Stephen Stapleton does tend to make me feel like I'm trapped in a plastic bucket with a giant snail.
Friendly Fires - "Paris", "Jump in the Pool"
--these guys are straight rippin' some Liquid Liquid 23 Skidoo etc in the most accessible way. I can't really defend it, but you know, I wouldn't mind living in Paris neither.
Sebastien Tellier - "Roche"
--this will cause a region on your pants to shrink
Dragonforce - "The Last Journey Home", "Heroes of Our Time"
--these songs are about preparing oneself for a difficult challenge.
Deerhoof - "Offend Maggie"
--much less annoying than their early work.
Crystal Castles - "Untrust Us", "Crimewave"
--if I keep the doses small I'll be able to listen to these guys for a long time. I kind of hope they mutate into something amazing, although that is unrealistic.
--they remind me a lot of Enigma. I'm sure all the Japanese lady social studies teachers who were rocking "Return to Innocence" on their car stereos in 2003 have picked this album up.
See also:
asphalteden's list
cut_dead's list
foxinthesnow's list
frankieteardrop's list and song list
murdermystery's list
Who else?
Apparently I didn't do one for 2007 - here's my 2006 list and 2005
Here are 21 of 2008's better albums, in the order that occurred to me at the time.
21. Miko - Parade Maybe a bit busy but it's lovely. Miko sounds a bit tougher than Tujiko Noriko and a little more introspective Minekawa Takako.
20. Jay Reatard - Matador Singles '08 / Singles 06 - 07 Boy, this guy does not much care for a lady.
19. Jazzanova - Of All The Things A dorky soul album complete with the slightly-off English lyrics favored by Europeans.
18. Quest For Blood - s/t avant-garde jazz flute prog folk black metal. If this record had more variety it'd be in the top five.
17. Stereolab - Chemical Chords This smoove, straight pop album is the best I've heard from the Gane Gang since 1998 or so.
16. Howling Hex - Earth Junk Fresh inspiration comes to the longtime rock hero in the form of a creaky organ & new female vocalist.
15. Thomas Brinkmann - When Horses Die Noted Euro tech-house producer Brinkmann sings spare electronic pop in a deadpan baritone. Like a sad & wise Matthew Dear record. Check "Words".
14. Yoko Nishi - Koto Concert 2008 Doesn't really count because this was an event giveaway, but what a fantastic album! We can meet on slsk if you want to hear it.
13. VA (Kompakt) - Total 9 The best Total since no. 5. Stalwart Kompakt artists seem to be broadening out just enough. Check "Hey Hotties," "Droplets," "Minimal," and "Geduld".
12. M.A.N.D.Y. - Fabric 38 Narrowly beats Luciano and Metro Area's contributions as the year's best Fabric mix. They wander around for a while, then suddenly it's roiling in your blood like a fizzy tropical peyote cocktail.
11. The Fall - Imperial Wax Solvent I don't understand how Mark Smith manages to keep this up. Somehow he thrives on the constant personnel changes. Possibly the best (& most sprawling in sound) in the wave of great Fall albums this decade.
10. Theo Parrish - Sound Sculptures, vol. 1 A solid introduction to Parrish's hypnotic urban minimalism--"basement house" built around jazz/funk/soul loops. A bit smoove and hi-fi compared to previous releases, but it holds up well over two discs & 27 tracks. This would rank higher if Parrish hadn't tried to politicize so many tracks with samples from movies. The music is already political.
9. El Guincho - Alegranza Maxed-out banging-on-the-walls Afro-Latin dance loops. For excited time or party time.
8. GZA - Pro Tools GZA sounds confident & relaxed, "on point" with plenty of change-ups & all sturdy productions. Personally I don't like Lil Wayne, so it's nice that the Wu Wear is still reliable.
7. Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life A blessed black blistering blasting buzzing bleak black blizzard of metal that incorporates melody, ambience, & some nice keyboard flourishes.
6. Boris - Smile The mix on the Japanese version beats the Southern Lord release.
5. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals (2007); Mgmt. - Oracular Spectacular This year I stopped worrying about the youth singing in that awful way that they do. It's the way of the modern world & there's nothing I can do to stop it. As a result of lightening up (or devolving) I enjoyed these two records more than I'd like to admit. Dave Friedmann's production gives Mgmt. a bit of that old-timey Mercury Rev / Flaming Lips sound. Yeasayer was a slow-grower but there is a nourishing quality to their sound. More than Peter Gabriel it reminds me of Invisible Touch-era Genesis w/a dash of Pogues.
4. Grouper - Dragging A Dead Dear Up A Hill Brian, Frank, & others have mentioned what a great cover this album has, and also that the music is good. This is all true. I want someone to make a film based on this cover, using the music for the soundtrack.
3. Fennesz - Black Sea Feels closer to a sun-beaten arctic landscape...the glare is bright; the wind blows long & Hecker-esque. Fantastic attention to detail & depth in the layers.
2. Ricardo Villalobos - Vasco At this point, there's no doubt in my mind that Villalobos is the most talented electronic dude of the Era. His methods are familiar by now, but the robotic/organic sounds that emerge are still fresh and unpredictable.
1. Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While the Sky Is Falling I've been waiting for something like Polar's disco space opera since high school. Classically trained at Juliard and mentored in dance music by Morgan Geist, Polar abandoned a decadent life in NYC and sequestered himself to record at a remote cabin in New Hampshire with a herd of cattle and no internet. (My song of '08 "Zeno of Elea" is about, in Polar's words, "someone who is trying to commit suicide and then thinks better of it and tries to save themselves with advanced math".) Overwhelming, cosmic & fragile, quivering swells of synths & strings, full of obsessive longing and detachment, apocalyptic, sublime & ridiculous, immaculately recorded...at this point all I can do is gush uselessly. If you're not sold after the opening 3 tracks may the good lord help you, it is out of my hands.
Runners-up: these albums did not make the list because I have nothing in particular to say about them.
Nagisa Ni Te - Yosuga
Luomo - Convivial
Ezekiel Honig - Surfaces of a Broken Marching Band
Dead Reptile Shrine - Burning Black Infinity
Byrne/Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Moss - Sub-Templum
Dungen - 4
Blood Ceremony - s/t
Reissue of the year:
Gas - Nah und Fern A beautiful & inexpensive box released by Kompakt collects Wolfgang Voigt's four Gas albums, lightly remastered. This is some of the greatest ambient music of all time, and instantly accessible. As Phil said, even if you're not interested in ambient, you should check it out. Play it on a Sunday afternoon and the day will float through you.
Twelve dumb 2008 songs that I also liked:
Morgan Geist - "Detroit", "Ruthless City"
--I love Jeremy Greenspan, but he is a tremendous wuss, and apparently not very smart. On "Ruthless City" he tells us about how his girlfriend beats him up. Then reveals that she used to date his best friend, and wore him down, and they all wondered how he he could've broken up w/her. Um.
--still, when he sings "In. A. Ruth. Less. City", it gives me shivers like "Last Exit" used to.
Gang Gang Dance - "House Jam"
--personally I have nothing against Bjork, but she may have poisoned the minds of a generation.
--the album missed the cut because looping the sound of a phonebook hitting the floor does not a rhythm make.
--less gang gang more dance! discipline will make you stronger! collab with someone at Kompakt for chrissakes
Sunn 0))) & Nurse With Wound - "Dysnystaxis (remix)"
--some silky grimness.
--the other 2 tracks were a li'l too intense for me, given the length.
--Stephen Stapleton does tend to make me feel like I'm trapped in a plastic bucket with a giant snail.
Friendly Fires - "Paris", "Jump in the Pool"
--these guys are straight rippin' some Liquid Liquid 23 Skidoo etc in the most accessible way. I can't really defend it, but you know, I wouldn't mind living in Paris neither.
Sebastien Tellier - "Roche"
--this will cause a region on your pants to shrink
Dragonforce - "The Last Journey Home", "Heroes of Our Time"
--these songs are about preparing oneself for a difficult challenge.
Deerhoof - "Offend Maggie"
--much less annoying than their early work.
Crystal Castles - "Untrust Us", "Crimewave"
--if I keep the doses small I'll be able to listen to these guys for a long time. I kind of hope they mutate into something amazing, although that is unrealistic.
--they remind me a lot of Enigma. I'm sure all the Japanese lady social studies teachers who were rocking "Return to Innocence" on their car stereos in 2003 have picked this album up.
See also:
asphalteden's list
cut_dead's list
foxinthesnow's list
frankieteardrop's list and song list
murdermystery's list
Who else?
Apparently I didn't do one for 2007 - here's my 2006 list and 2005