Best Music of 2008, so far

henke on 25/6/2008 at 18:35

itt u post favourites

Best songs:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyjls0wueM0) B-52s - "Funplex"
Good song. Terrible video. Watch it with your eyes closed.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQi7Dm2hfxE) Why? - "By Torpedo or Crohn's"
Yoni Wolf realizes that you can't have the beautiful without the ugly.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MajmI5j7Bs) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "More news from nowhere"
Not as initially catchy as (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kV5XkBQsKU) "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" but deeper, better.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_ebWFMI_Ow) Willie Nelson - "Gravedigger"
I don't really like Willie Nelson. This song was written by Dave Matthews, who I don't like either. I guess two negatives does make a positive. Good video too.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9AfKcHwoP4) The Black Keys - "I Got Mine"
Rockin'.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb8S51M2GAc) Hercules and Love Affair - "Blind"
Not sure whether I like this one or "Hercules Theme" better, but this one has the awesome video.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0D0ZxjpbkM) Sébastien Tellier - "Divine"
Should've won the Eurovision Song Contest.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyjls0wueM0&feature=PlayList&p=433DCE3FD0BF59BB&index=0&playnext=1) Henke's Best of 2008 Youtube Playlist

Best albums:
1. Why? - "Alopecia"
2. Mindless Self Indulgence - "If"
3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"

Stitch on 25/6/2008 at 20:25

The only truly great disc so far this year (that I've heard, anyway) is the new (http://youtube.com/watch?v=BKm-OkHj-VM) Portishead disc, although (http://youtube.com/watch?v=yhASu2OjEcQ) Hot Chip's Made In the Dark comes close.

My summer listening so far has consisted of (http://youtube.com/watch?v=XnXRfhIDLtA) MGMT, (http://youtube.com/watch?v=obEEbhU598g) No Age, (http://youtube.com/watch?v=F29fGbm0a24) Crystal Castles, and the aforementioned Hot Chip. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=pq-yP7mb8UE) Death Cab for when the lights get low.

(http://youtube.com/watch?v=JlgNFwoApec) Vampire Weekend is fairly overrated but otherwise great for going shirtless in the backyard.

Edit: now with links.

Tonamel on 25/6/2008 at 20:29

I just got Sigur Ros' new album, (http://www.last.fm/music/Sigur+R%C3%B3s/me%C3%B0+su%C3%B0+%C3%AD+eyrum+vi%C3%B0+spilum+endalaust) "með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust", yesterday, and while most of it is your standard Sigur Ros fare, I was totally blown away by the first two tracks, which seem to be showing heavy influence by Animal Collective or Akron/Family.

Also, Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago" (which I can't find a worthwhile video of). Even though everybody was saying good things about it, I held off on buying it, since the 30 second samples didn't really sound that great. But people KEPT saying great things about it, so I broke down and got it and what do you know? It was actually pretty good. Just not an album that does well in 30 second chunks.

Edit for Stitch mentioning MGMT: I really liked "Time to Pretend" but I just couldn't get into the rest of the album for some reason.

heretic on 25/6/2008 at 20:44

My top pick so far : (http://www.emusic.com/album/Black-Francis-Svn-Fngrs-MP3-Download/11169381.html) Black Francis - SVN FNGRS
The songs 'When They Come to Murder Me' and 'Garbage Heap' are great in particular.

Ditto on Nick Cave & TBS's - Dig Lazarus Dig

Love the B52's, but didn't know they had released anything recently. Funny Schneider never mentioned it on his radio show, at least not that I've noticed.

Aja on 25/6/2008 at 20:50

"Blind" is a great song; I've been looking for the album everywhere, but it's always an import, and therefore super-expensive. Just bought Vampire Weekend, which is nothing special, but fun at least (and cheap). Also (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeiRe4Qp9Dw) Fleet Foxes -- the vinyl version comes with their EP from last year, and so far both sound great. Autechre has new record out called (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqz8HiQz0QI) Quarstice; way more accessible than previous discs, and with an even greater emphasis on ambience and tone (and man, there are some fantastic tones in it). I'm also playing something called (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQPaD-k_ahM) Ellen Allien (who might actually be a person; not sure), which is like minimal electro-techno-field-recordings, and No Age, though the off-key wailing grates on me a bit (I like it for the lush guitars). And in real ambient, (http://www.myspace.com/christopherbissonnette) Christopher Bissonnette though I haven't heard it enough to really comment yet.

Finally, Walter Becker's new solo album, (http://walterbecker.com/) Circus Money. I bought it in New York last week as a prelude to seeing Steely Dan at the Beacon, and used it as the soundtrack for my trip. Its juxtaposition of clever, poignant lyrics, occasionally goofy melodies and obligatory ultra-slick production is oddly appealing, and certainly more successful than anything Donald Fagen has recently put out.

Scots Taffer on 25/6/2008 at 23:09

Couple of tracks I've been digging:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVnRzEjpUmE) Time to Pretend - MGMT

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jB1MT4Tkvg) Rising Down - The Roots

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo7wmPF1w2s) Criminal - The Roots

I've yet to check out Death Cab's latest.

demagogue on 26/6/2008 at 00:50

If you like jazz, Hiromi Uehara's new album Beyond Standard is pretty great ... It's only been out 2 weeks, but she's been playing tracks live that were getting on YouTube for a few months.

Here's a live performance of one of the great tracks ((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m78sBMW4fVA) Softly, as in a morning sunrise). I like the volley between Hiromi on piano and Fuze on guitar starting about halfway.

Vivian on 26/6/2008 at 07:13

Another vote for Dig, Lazarus etc etc. Nick Cave's been getting really impressive again over the last few years. The tache must have granted him a virility boost or something. My favorites this year so far are:
Crystal Castles, already mentioned, fucking brilliant '8-bit terror duo' (their self-description. Live, they deserve it).
(http://www.myspace.com/timesnewviking) Times New Viking - Rip It Off: Um... stoner pop? I'm not sure where to put this. Nice, airy tunes smothered in 20 feet of warm fuzz, it sounds like the entire world is singing to you through a pillow. Particular tracks, probably the single 'My Head'.
(http://www.myspace.com/matmos1) Matmos - Supreme Balloon: A lovely 70's-style synth record, full of blip-blip-squelch soundscapes and wibble.
(http://www.myspace.com/bloodredshoes) Blood Red Shoes - Box of Secrets: rock two piece from Brighton, like the white stripes in reverse (the girl shreds, the boy drums and squawks a bit). Nice, heavy riffing, reminds me of early PJ Harvey.
(http://www.myspace.com/ffinalffantasy) Final Fantasy - Hey Dad. Nice song from a nice man. Forgot it came out this year, actually. For those who don't know yet, final fantasy are fucking awesome.

Also, the appallingly titled (http://www.myspace.com/jaguarloveband) Jaguar Love released a really good EP, which I like almost as much as the (now dead) Blood Brothers that some of the them come from. I dont have the album yet.

Aja on 28/6/2008 at 03:41

Quote Posted by demagogue

That link doesn't work but (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRU1o-sCnqY) check this out: she does a duet with Chick Corea. I'd never even heard of her before, but holy hell is she talented.

I haven't been following any current jazz lately, other than (http://www.myspace.com/vijayiyer) Vijay Iyer, whose adventurous new album Tragicomic is (at least in my listens thus far) a refreshing change in a rather stale genre.

Bjossi on 28/6/2008 at 03:47

My favorite albums of this year are Rockferry by Duffy and Crash Test 02 by Bloom 06.