Jump to content
passwords have all been force reset. please recover password to reset ×
MFGamers

Album of 2008


HandsomeDead
 Share

Recommended Posts

Yes, I'm doing it again. No rules this time, just say what you think of the last years offerings, as many as there may be.

Last year passed me by and I heard very little so my choices are few but my albums of 2008 are (in no particular order).

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

Unashamedly Americana but is all the more entertaining for it. Musically you sort of feel you've heard it all before but give it a proper listen you find the drama in the lyrics. One for Cutters being a track that makes the best of the storytelling that the album does so well. The uplifting Constructive Summer is also awesome.

<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="

name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>

British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

Perhaps a little middle of the road but still one of the best things I heard last year. I think it must of been my draw to post rock that got me into it, that and the fact that it sometimes starts to sound a little bland it hits you with something interesting. Also the fact that there last effort was - in my opinion - a bit shit, makes this good (I'm also biased because they half of the band are Cumbrian an no-one comes out of this dodgy gene pool). Looky

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="

name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

David Holmes - The Holy Pictures

Coming from someone that usually deals with film soundtracks there are times that the album feels like a soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist. But that doesn't stop it from being some great shoegazey, electronica type stuff... I really did like to chill out to this one. For example.

A mere link 'cos some bellend won't allow embedding with this.

Since I did miss out a bit it's also an excuse to see if you guys know something good I've missed. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Easy for me Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight, just utterly awesome from start to finish. The lyrics are genius too

Not the best song they've done, but one thats got a video (Head Rolls Off)

Good Arms vs Bad Arms - awesome song, but there's no video :(

I dont think anything esle has come close but i'll see if anything leaps out tomorrow

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been meaning to pick up that Hold Steady album, Colin Murray has been pimping it loads.

I'm ashamed to say that my listening habits have fallen into the iTunes generation, where I just lazily skip through playlists instead of listening to albums properly, and haven't bought many albums of late.

Here's what I have that came out last year:

Brad Sucks - Out Of It

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords

Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree

Guillemots - Red

The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement

Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts

Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

Panic At The Disco - Pretty. Odd.

Portishead - Third

The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

Quite sad really, for a big music fan.

All of them are very good but the Elbow album is certainly the best one I bought last year. Stone cold classic.

The Panic at the Disco album is surprisingly good. I'm guessing everyone hates The Ting Tings but it's a good album.

Sadly, The Slip by NIN is pretty shit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I quite liked The Slip, it's not his best work but it does improve the more you listen.

Sigor Ros released 'Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust' last year, it didnt really grab me like I thought but it's still pretty decent. As is, surprisingly Metallica's album

My 2nd most listened to album this year is brobably Bon Iver 'For Emma'

Again, not the best song but the only one i can find a video for

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I keep meaning to pick up the latest Sigur Ros album but I keep forgetting about it.

So was this year just no that great then? Bloc Party's album I also got but their brand of electronica does nothing for me, it was toyed with on their last one but never ruined it as a whole where as it does on Intimacy.

I've never got into Elbow but they seem to tick the right boxes for me, I think I could get into The Seldom Kid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried Hot Chip's last album but I didn't connect with it really which is strange 'cos they're a bunch of nerds too.

Another album I liked more than I realised last year was Sleight of Heart by Malcolm Middleton. I'm very fond of his music but the latest one was all acoustic and I've always prefered the more electric stuff. Fickle, I know. Still, after trying it out again recently it's still fantastic, just different. I might find myself trying out more of the singer/songwriter type guff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...

Some nice shouts here.

For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver would definitely be my favourite from that year, and it's been a keeper (same goes for the follow-up in 2011). You know he actually took the Bon Iver moniker from Northern Exposure. Made my day when I found that out haha...

Other favourites:

Beach House - Devotion, was lucky enough to finally see Beach House live last year, one of my favourite bands. Devotion is beautiful album.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes, I've already said beautiful but you'd have to apply the same to this album. Just stunning. Helplessness Blues was a big disappointment.

Hot Chip - Made in the Dark, like I said in the Hot Chip thread, big fan of this band. Made in the Dark has some great dance tunes but it's the late night, quiet songs that a real highlight - We're Looking for a Lot of Love, Made in the Dark, In the Privacy of our Love.

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend - I think their debut has been a bit more enduring than Contra, but I still listen to both all the time. Just a brilliant album. It does sound a whole lot like Graceland-era Paul Simon but that's a compliment really.

I know Vampire Weekend and Bon Iver are poster boys for the "hipster" generation, and you could probably say the same about Beach House and Fleet Foxes, but I'm a big fan of all of theirs (and nobody ever mistook me for a hipster!). Probably just an unfortunate byproduct of being highly rated by Pitchfork.

Looking at my itunes those are the main albums that have survived from that year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My iTunes has taken a hammering lately and haven't got round to putting everything back on there so I'm not sure which albums I have from 2008 that may have gone up in my estimation.

One is still there, and that's Bloc Party's Intimacy which I like a whole lot more now than I did at the time so maybe replace British Sea Power with that. BSP is an odd one though because I went back to it for a little listen curious to why I rated it so highly but it's pretty okay, actually.

I think 2008 was when I slipped off the music radar in terms of following what's hot and what's not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...