A Selection of Albums, 2008

In the interests of keeping this brief (it is a vain enterprise after all) I'm not going to try and eke out an order. Indeed, even the boundary between top and bottom tiers is an insecure one. Neither will I be making any particularly elaborate attempts to persuade you my selection is correct - I think these albums all speak for themselves.

A top 10:

Born Ruffians – Red, Yellow And Blue (Clattering sing-song with irresistible choruses)

Charlottefield – What Friends Are For (Yelping, convulsive rock. Sadly missed)

Gregor Samsa – Rest (Slowcore gems that gently tie your gut in knots)

Lau Nau – Nukkuu (Abstract pieces woven from threads of contentedness and peace)

Les Étoiles – Never To Alight (Fragile moments of dawn-touched solitude. Heartaching)

Little Joy – Little Joy (Fuzzy feelgood record just waiting for the summertime)

Parts & Labour – Receivers (Reeling noises and rolling drums suffused with epic melodies)

Peter Broderick – Float (As rich in understatement as in melancholy. Insanely more-ish)

Religious Knives – It’s After Dark (Surprisingly muscly, mesmerising rhythm and drone)

Sic Alps – U.S. Ez (Like a lo-fi static attic haphazardly littered with shambolic pop blasts)

A further 10:

Fuck Buttons – Street Horrrsing (Initially disappointing, now totally engrossing)

Haruka Nakamura – Grace (Songs in turn wistful, peaceful, joyful and simple)

Islaja – Blaze Mountain Recordings (Menacing experimental folk from a faraway cavern)

No Age – Nouns (Distorted melodies briefly flicker and the album’s past before you realise)

This Will Destroy You – This Will Destroy You (Beautifully executed post-rock)

War On Drugs – Wagonwheel Blues (Seemingly effortless shoegazy Americana)

Wetnurse – Invisible City (Scary in its ambition, terrifying in its execution)

Wildbirds & Peacedrums – Heartcore (Enchanting combination of folk and blues)

Wilderness – (K)No(W)Here (My first experience with the Wilderness formula)

Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer (Possibly the years biggest grower)

Interestingly, while many (a quarter!) bands in my list begin with the letter W, the sub-categorisation has resulted in a ghettoisation of these to the 'somewhat less essential' status. I cannot begin to imagine why. The following are also worthy of consideration.

Still good:

Shapes – Get Your Learn On EP

Gang Gang Dance – Saint Dymphna

El Heath – Winter Soundtrack

Why? - Alopecia

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

Grouper – Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (A failure on my part, to give this enough plays)

Lastly, there are a lot of things I intended to hear in 2008, but didn't. The first part of any year is always spent catching up on things missed the year before.

Still Need To Hear:

Asva

Conor Oberst

Fennesz

Flying Lotus

Four Tet

Fucked Up

Harvey Milk

Hauschka

Hercules & Love Affair

Lovvers

M83

Papier Tigre

Portishead

Sun Kil Moon

The Bug

William Burroughs

This final list should confirm that in fact my selection is hardly the most comprehensive out there. I posted a run-down of what I've actually been listening to the most, from my computer at least, on my last.fm page. It is here.