Stitch on 16/12/2008 at 19:11

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Like drinking too much mulled wine and telling the inlaws what you really think, Uncle Stitch's musical best-of list is back by December tradition. Name your personal pics for best of 2008, and drop a few words as to why.

My top ten, presented in reverse order for great suspense:

Top Ten

* 10. Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs - Reigning indie pop darlings of the OC set return with their bleakest yet most compelling disc so far.
* 9. No Age, Nouns - These two kids from LA may sound like a box of bees falling down a flight of stairs but underneath the grime and distortion and occasional ambient interludes are real songs with winning--if gradually revealed--hooks.
* 8. Black Keys, Attack & Release - Raw bluesters stretch out of their comfort zone by partnering with Danger Mouse and the brilliant results sprawl stylistically while remaining easily recognizable.
* 7. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular - Nobody else better converted your morning commute into tripping balls while dancing naked on the beach.
* 6. Hot Chip, Made in the Dark - While Made in the Dark's first half nails the electro dance pleasure principle perfectly, it's the ballads that forge new territory while quietly stealing the show.
* 5. Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles may sound limited in concept, but their debut disc proves that there is a time for broken glass vocals over abrasive Nintendo beats and that time is fucking now. The full album is a few subtracted songs away from perfection, yeah, but Crystal Castles establishes its importance with sheer visceral intensity. The digital sugar punch of 2008.
* 4. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes - You are wandering lost in the mountains, your stomach aching with hunger as the temperature drops. Just as you begin contemplating curling in the snow and giving in, you barely make out a faint melody whistling through distant passages. Hope renewed, you follow the sound, traversing the frosty terrain as the singing grows louder and closer. Just as the four-part harmonies kick in, you turn a corner and find a group of musicians playing around a campfire glowing with generous warmth, the sound so inviting you wordlessly join and so nourishing your hunger disappears. This is Fleet Foxes.
* 3. Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer - Worried about repeating themselves, Wolf Parade dropped the Modest Mouse-ish indie stomp of their debut and struck out into darker, murkier territory for their sophomore disc. At Mount Zoomer finds two cracking songwriters operating at the top of their game, oscillating from the sublimely loopy ("Bang Your Drum") to outstanding torch-bearing rock ("Fine Young Cannibals"). Wolf Parade have recorded a rewarding disc that grows with each listen and firmly promotes them beyond "indie blog sensation of the month" territory. My personal soundtrack to 2008.
* 2. TV on the Radio, Dear Science - After a debut that was more promise than delivery and a sophomore disc that crackled with ideas but lacked memorable songwriting, TV on the Radio finally got it all right with Dear Science, an ear-twisting and exuberant album exploding with equal parts joy, anger, and lust. Dear Science is jaw-dropping enough to easily earn the status of album of the year, if only it weren't for a welcome return of one dormant veteran, which brings us to...
* 1. Portishead, Third - Who really expected this? On paper the return of Portishead sounds about as relevant as a new wave of hypercolor shirts, and yet these veterans deliver a suffocated, fractured masterpiece. By jettisoning the languid hiphop beats that made them famous but now sound like cologne ads, Portishead have crafted a timeless study of alienation and heartbreak that remains recognizable while sounding nothing like their previous material. Third pushes against the listener relentlessly, ending songs prematurely and squeezing moments into uncomfortable dissonance, creating a tense and jarring atmosphere of dread that reflects the lyrical content but--here's the kicker--somehow manages to be compulsively listenable and addicting. Portishead's Third certainly isn't for everyone--you can't have international spy sex to it, after all--but its uncompromising brilliance makes this one for the ages.

Honorable Mentions

* Beck, Modern Guilt
* The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely
* Vampire Weekend, Vampire weekend
* HEALTH, DISCO

Disappointments

* Sigur Rós, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
* Cold War Kids, Loyalty to Loyalty
* Weezer, Red Album

Single of the Year

* * Hot Chip, "Ready for the Floor"

A solid year overall, with two incredibly strong contenders for album of the year. Still to pick up: the Deer bands (-hunter, -hoof) as well as whatever Aja lists.

Roll on 2009.

Edit: You know what, fuck that. "Single of the Year" category is typically where disposable pop has its opportunity to shine, but Flo Rida's "In the Ayer" never attained more than "kicks ass while drunk" status, so consider its title RESCINDED. Instead please find good sirs Hot Chip's "Ready for the Floor," which rocked my shit all summer long.

ercles on 16/12/2008 at 20:11

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In no particular order,

1. The Roots-Rising Down: Probably their most aggressive album to date, as political as every, a bunch of brilliant cameos, and ?uestlove still tearing it up on drums, easily cements their spot as one of the most cerebral and talented rap groups around.

2. Foals-Antidotes: These guys definately share a lot with every other british dance-rock/indie band going around, but they are undeniably odd at the same time. It's impossible not to dance to this stuff, though, some very punchy songs interspersed through what is quite a spacy album.

3. NIN-GhostsI-IV: Trent continued down his path of fucktherecordlabels with this one by famously releasing it on the internet. It's a shame that all the hype about the way it was released overshadowed the music itself, because there is an immense amount of music spread out over these four cd's, and it really doesn't get that tiring to listen to. There are a lot of very well crafted tunes spread throughout these thoroughly atmospheric albums.

4. The Presets-Apocalypso: It's a shame that the great tracks on this album were played into the ground by every radio station in aus, because they are brilliant songs. The fact that this stands head and shoulders above the glut of disco-rock/electronica albums being released right speaks to the calibre of talent and spunk that was poured into them.

5. MGMT-Oracular Spectacular: Once again a band that stood out against a crowd of lookalikes. The second half of the album really sagged, but the first four songs were just so brilliant that they carried the album on their own.

6. Omar Rodriguez-Old Money: I was sure that I was going to put The Bedlam in Goliath in my end of year top ten until I heard this album. This guy (Mars Volta guitarist) is really the brains trust of the group and is insanely prolific in his releases, but this one is lightyears ahead of the rest of his releases. It is made up of material that has come out of Mars Volta live jams over the years, and reminded me of what was missing from The Bedlam in Goliath. Rather than the over-produced chaos of that album, we have the loose latin feel, and gutteral riffs that defined the band for so long.

7. Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles: I swear to god everytime I listen to this album a bit of my brain leaks out my nose. It's incredibly intense, wierd, and harsh on the ears at times, but it is the swagger of the band that carries this one through what is essentially a very messy album. I never thought about it before, but one reviewer mentioned that this album is probably the best sex soundtrack of the year, and in a messy, drunken, chaotic way I completely agree.

8. Fleet Foxes-Fleet Foxes: Insanely pretty music, perfectly crafted, I don't really listen to it much now I am stuck in wintery Canada, but this is basically the perfect summer album. Probably the most perfect album this year, it's impossible to fault.

9. Wolf Parade-At Mount Zoomer: Not as approachable as their last album that was defined by great tunes such as "You are a Runner", this album took some time to grow on me. It's essentially prog-indie, personally I liked the epic final track, "Kissing Your Beehive" the best, but there is lots to like throughout the cd.

10. Conor Oberst-Conor Oberst: As the guy continues to sober up, grow up, and piss off the angsty teens who drank up the early Bright Eyes, Connor continues to become more fascinating. It's always interesting to see an artist actually evolve their sound and take some risks. Although this album sometimes risks sounding corny at time, he still continues to be one of the great lyricists of the modern generation.

heretic on 16/12/2008 at 21:12

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Nick Cave & TBS - Dig Lazarus Dig

The Breeders - Mountain Battles

Beck - Modern Guilt

Moonchild Trio - The Crucible

Melvins - Nude With Boots

Boris - Smile

Malleus on 16/12/2008 at 21:24

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ohGr - Devils In My Details

Ayreon - 01011001

Coil - The New Backwards

Cradle Of Filth - Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder

Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts

Steven Wilson - Insurgentes

Opeth - Watershed

LaiBachKunstDerFuge

BEAR on 16/12/2008 at 22:48

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Agreed on Ghosts, The Slip and Death Magnetic. Though I <3 ride the lightening/master of puppets (though that song really doesn't know when to just stop) and And Justice For All (fuck, I even like the black album, load and reload), but this was one of the most immediatly catchy albums they've made yet. I really didn't know what to think after garage days and st anger, but I'm glad they pulled another good one out. It also has surprising longevity given its catchiness.