Best Music of 2008

My favourite music of 2008. See also, from 2007 and 2006.

Top 10 Albums of 2008

10. Mixtape The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit)

I’m not sure if this should really be included since its a cover album but gosh-darn if it isn’t fun. Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit team up to produce some fresh-sounding, afro-inspired takes on songs from the likes of Architecture in Helsinki, Vampire Weekend and M.I.A.

9. Quaristice Autechre

Masters of ambient electronica or so-called “intelligent dance music”, Autechre are back – not seen since 2005’s Untilted. Tracks are shorter and more digestible than usual, however this limits their appeal. Tracks don’t get the chance to gestate or for the listener to pick out subtle shifts.

8. London Zoo The Bug

Kevin Martin’s The Bug project serves up some crunchy dubstep in collaboration with a host of rappers. The album is notable in that each track has a unique sound, listening to the album as a whole is not as tiresome as say, the JME album (not quite apples-to-apples comparison, but the genre is pretty close). Some tracks are quite spaced out as is the dubstep way, others jammed up proper, almost becoming drum and bass. In any case, a roller-coaster of a listen.

7. Street Horrsing Fuck Buttons

Simmering, shimmering guitar static, primal beats and distorted, chanted lyrics. It would seem there’s a lot owing to Animal Collective et al. and there indeed some similarities. The Fuck Buttons have a bleak, acid-washed feeling to them that is somewhat unsettling to the belly.

6. Los Angeles Flying Lotus

Flying Lotus serves up bite-sized beats and dense musical textures, somewhat akin to Amon Tobin.

5. Chemical Chords Stereolab

I’m not sure how Stereolab, around since the early ’90s, keep producing new music within their niche sound. They haven’t deviated much over years, yet still manage to find room for exploration and fresh takes.

4. Hercules and Love Affair Hercules and Love Affair

Disco and Antony Hegarty: I’m not sure why so many people think that’s such an inspired combination, it seems such an obvious thing. Needless to say, Hercules and Love Affair‘s combination of a crisp, stripped-down classic disco/house sound with Hegarty’s vocals works wonders. It seemed to be the theme of the Norwegian summer 2008 – it was being played everywhere you went.

3. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós continue to forge new territory, continuing the migration toward rock signalled by 2005’s Takk…. They’ve managed it beautifully, producing rhythmic, soaring, inspiring songs which are now a little more radio-friendly and approachable. Some might consider all of this heresy, that Sigur Rós are selling out and going mainstream. Indeed, the inclusion of an intelligible (English-language) track might provide an additional clue. Perhaps. But if they still sound like nothing else and give me goose bumps, that’s alright by me.

2. Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend

The Vamps seem to have been around forever, but have burst on to the scene relatively recently. It’s hard to imagine that this was even a 2008 release (it barely was). The Establishment repeatedly fell in and out of love with them and now they are faced with The Difficult Second Album. But if you ignore all the hype, anti-hype and personalities, you can’t deny the hooks, rhythm and surprisingly good lyrics of Vampire Weekend.

1. Third Portishead

It’s an understatement to say that a new release by Portishead was hotly anticipated. After releasing two genre-defining albums, Dummy (1994) and Portishead (1997), and following it up with the beautifully-tasteful live orchestral performance of Live at Roseland fans couldn’t wait to see what Portishead would do next. They waited. And waited. Band members drifted apart, doing solo projects and producing, but none of it came close to the heights of Portishead. It seems that the magic of Portishead really is greater than the sum of its parts. I was one of the many who trawled the official forums over the years, looking for news or titbits that something, anything was happening in Portishead. And then, with very little prior notice, it was announced that a new album was ready, and it was called Third.

Portishead have been known as a “trip hop” band (a label which no artist seems to wear willingly) however Third truly defies categorisation. Beth Gibbons’ voice seems to be the only carry-over from the Portishead sound. The new album is sparsely instrumented and has a pounding, relentless quality that supports Gibbons’ tortured vocals. Industrial sounds and endless loops feature prominently, yet at the same time, there is room for the delicateness of The Rip (covered nicely by Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood) which crescendos from soft guitar to lifting synth melody.

Best Australian Albums

I haven’t really been following the Australian music scene from Norway, so I’ve probably missed a lot of good stuff. Nick Cave and Cut Copy are both very big over here so they weren’t hard to miss.

Also enjoyed were…

Assorted Favourite Tracks