top 30 albums of 2008

30. Tokyo Police Club: Elephant Shell
Elephant Shell is full of sweet and captivating songs; each track has its own charm along with some clever and witty lyrics.




29. Johnny Flynn: A Larum
One of many wonderful folk records from 2008. The up tempo melodies and gorgeous fiddling are more than pleasing to the ears.




28. Port O'Brien: All We Could Do Was Sing
The folk-rock style in All We Could Do Was Sing sounds like the perfect combination of Great Lake Swimmers, The Decemberists, and The Dodos.




27. Frightened Rabbit: The Midnight Organ Fight
An emotionally charged and beautiful indie rock album.




26. Times New Viking: Rip It Off
So noisy... so much fun!




25. Old Man Luedecke: Proof of Love
A genuine and authentic reproduction of late 20s to 40s country-folk music.




24. Mystery Jets: Twenty One
An extremely catchy pop record full of carefree and cheesy relationship songs.




23. The Ruby Suns: Sea Lion
An incredible psychedelic pop album with Grizzly Bear-like lo-fi/mellow style and Akron/Family level of experimentation.




22. Sigur Rós: Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
Sigur Rós departs from the gloomy tone. Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust is rather uplifting, triumphant and celebratory sounding. "Gobbledigook" puts a smile on my face every time I listen to it!


21. Portishead: Third
The majority of the album sounds like something out of a 1970s Italian horror flick!




20. The Streets: Everything Is Borrowed
Mike Skinner has developed from a musician to a true poet in Everything Is Borrowed.




19. Cocoanut Groove: Madeleine Street
A youthfully carefree/laid back album.




18. Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground: Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground
The rich mixture of styles and sounds give this album a wonderful carnivalesque sensation.




17. My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges
Evil Urges is the best My Morning Jacket album to date.




16. Noah And The Whale: Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
Noah And The Whale shows that there is a place for charmingly cheesy pop songs.




15. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
So catchy!




14. Benoît Pioulard: Temper
From found sound to drone noises, Pioulard beautifully integrates countless elements with tradition folk music. The end product is adventurous, gorgeous and completely mesmerizing.



13. Nico Muhly: Mothertongue
The complexity of Mothertongue is undesirable; it is multi-dimensional, genre bending, and beyond brilliant.




12. Deerhunter: Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
While Microcastle is more or less full of incredible old-school indie pop influenced songs, Weird Era Cont. is more like Cryptogrmas as it features a more drone-ambient approach. "Nothing Ever Happened" is one of the best songs of the year!




11. M83: Saturdays = Youth
I have always adored M83’s electronic nostalgic sound; Saturdays = Youth is yet another exceptional journey through time.




10. Late Of The Pier: Fantasy Black Channel
Late Of The Pier’s debut is 40 plus minutes of rhythmic basslines, 80s retro synth-pop melodies, and unforgettable abstract lyrics. This one will make you dance!




9. The Wave Pictures: Instant Coffee Baby
Laid back 50s rock n roll sound and entertainingly witty lyrics make Instant Coffee Baby an unique sounding album.




8. Foals: Antidotes
The complex melodies and rhythm driven songs make Antidotes the best math rock album of 2008.




7. The Dodos: Visiter
Almost an hour of up tempo acoustic guitars and rhythmic percussion... absolutely fantastic!




6. No Age: Nouns
I am loving this revival of 80s hardcore punk. Nouns is full of noise and raw vocals; Randy and Dean are always amazingly energetic live.



5. I Was a Cub Scout: I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope
A delightfully straightforward indie rock album that is full of sincere passion and emotion.



4. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
Breathtaking harmonisation!




3. These New Puritans: Beat Pyramid
The youthful and punk-like attitudes make Beat Pyramid extremely entertaining; "Numerology aka Numbers", "Swords of Truth", and "Elvis" are some of the most memorable anthems of the year.


2. Sam Amidon: All Is Well
Sam Amidon celebrates classic American folk blues with songs of grief, loneliness, lost love, and tragedy. Amidon’s soft and fragile voice is meditative and graceful; All Is Well is most gorgeous release of 2008.


1. Atlas Sound: Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel
This is an album that I have been listening to on a regular basis since last December. Let the Blind is quite a personal record and it is an absolute beauty! The ambient instrumentation and touching lyrics give the album this chilling tone; I get weird mixed emotions every time I listen to it. Let the Blind is by far my favourite album of 2008!


The Next Ten (honorable mention):
Mercy Arms: Mercy Arms
Plants and Animals: Parc Avenue
Fall Horsie: Devil(e)durge
The Sea and Cake: Car Alarm
Wildbirds & Peacedrums: Heartcore
Cadence Weapon: Afterparty Babies
TV On The Radio: Dear Science
Women: Women
Vivian Girls: Vivian Girls
Flight of the Conchords: Flight of the Conchord