After the jump, the individual ballots for all the critics who voted in this years fantastic Disastrous Rocktimists Critics Poll 2008.Sean Adams
Albums:
| Cut Copy | In Ghost Colours |
| Crystal Castles | Crystal Castles |
| M83 | Saturdays=Youth |
| Stills, The | Oceans Will Rise |
| Friendly Fires | Friendly Fires |
| These New Puritans | Beat Pyramid |
| Nine Inch Nails | Ghosts I-IV |
| Youthmovies | Good Nature |
| Panic at the Disco | Pretty. Odd |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! |
Tracks:
| Death Cab for Cutie | I Will Possess Your Heart |
| Friendly Fires | Paris |
| Kills, The | Black Balloon |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | We Call Upon The Author |
| Deerhunter | Nothing Ever Happened |
| Cut Copy | Out There On the Ice |
| Panic at the Disco | That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) |
| Hauschka | Blue Bicycle |
| Raveonettes, The | Dead Sound |
| Crystal Castles | Courtship Dating |
Ash Akhtar
Albums:
| Gregory and the Hawk | Moenie and Kitchi |
| Bug, The | London Zoo |
| Chase & Status | More Than a Lot |
| Angil & The Hiddntracks | Ouliposaliva |
| Johann Johannson | Fordlandia |
| Eagles of Death Metal | Heart On |
| Tenebrous Liar | Last Stand |
| Death of the Neighbourhood | S/T |
| Buraka Som Sistema | Black Diamond |
| Amadou & Mariam | Welcome to Mali |
Adam Anonymous
Hip-Hop Connection, MetroAlbums:
| TV on the Radio | Dear Science |
| Mae Shi, The | Hlllyh |
| Jaguar Love | Take Me To The Sea |
| Bloc Party | Intimacy |
| Racebannon | Acid Or Blood |
| Oxford Collapse | Bits |
| Roots Manuva | Slime & Reason |
| Why? | Alopecia |
| 5ive | Hesperus |
| Death Of Her Money, The | Spirit Of The Stairwell |
Tracks:
| Bloc Party | Mercury |
| TV On The Radio | DLZ |
| Roots Manuva | Buff Nuff |
| Oxford Collapse | B-Roll |
| Jaguar Love | Vagabond Ballroom |
| Mae Shi, The | Run To Your Grave |
| Anni Rossi | Machine |
| Racebannon | Awaken |
| volcano! | Africa Just Wants To Have Fun |
| Portishead | Machine Gun |
Tom Artrocker
Artrocker MagazineAlbums:
| Those Dancing Days | In Our Space Hero Suits |
| Late of the Pier | Fantasy Black Channel |
| Blood Red Shoes | Box Of Secrets |
| Crystal Castles | Crystal Castles |
| Young Knives | Superabundance |
| XX Teens | Welcome To Goon Island |
| Bromheads Jacket | On The Brain |
| Metronomy | Nights Out |
| Black Carrot | Drink The Black Forest |
| Pete & The Pirates | Little Death |
Tracks:
| S.C.U.M. | Visions Arise |
| Maccabees, The | Toothpaste Kisses |
| These New Puritans | Elvis |
| Crystal Castles | Courtship Dating |
| Late of the Pier | Space and the Woods |
| Hot Club De Paris | Hey Housebrick |
| Lillica Libertine | Limited Edition |
| Bromheads Jacket | Speaker Box |
| Yo Majesty | Kryptonite Pussy |
| Psychedelic Horseshit | New Wave Hippies |
Tracks: Hateful NME terminology - what's wrong with Singles? I hate the term 'tracks' - pop music is built on the foundations of the single, a track is...a track - so what? Don't go down the NME path, they started calling the singles reviews 'tracks' cos they bought the lie that the single was finished. It isn't, as the many pages of single reviews in Artrocker testify. Singles are the life-blood of new music, please don't minimise their importance.
Mike Atkinson
Rocktimists, Troubled Diva
Albums:
| Elbow | Seldom Seen Kid, The |
| Late of the Pier | Fantasy Black Channel |
| Lindstrøm | Where You Go I Go Too |
| Hercules & Love Affair | Hercules & Love Affair |
| Portishead | Third |
| Hold Steady, The | Stay Positive |
| Lone | Lemurian |
| Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend |
| Solange Knowles | Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams |
| Bellowhead | Matachin |
Tracks:
| Beyonce | If I Were A Boy |
| Hercules & Love Affair | Blind |
| Elbow | Bones Of You, The |
| H "Two" O ft Plat'num | What's It Gonna Be? |
| Juan MacLean, The | Happy House |
| Goldfrapp | A&E |
| Estelle ft Kanye West | American Boy |
| Paleface ft Kyla | Do You Mind (Crazy Cousinz House Mix) |
| Late of the Pier | Focker |
| Perempay 'N Dee ft Katie Pearl | In The Air |
Stevie Chick
Albums:
| Erykah Badu | New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) |
| Abe Vigoda | Skeleton |
| Bug, The | London Zoo |
| Cadence Weapon | Afterparty Babies |
| Koushik | Out My Window |
| Howlin' Rain | Magnificent Fiend |
| Ponytail | Ice Cream Spiritual |
| Kasai Allstars | In The 7th Moon... |
| Cheap Time | Cheap Time |
| Madlib The Beat Konduktah | Dil Cosby Suite |
Tracks:
| Erykah Badu | Telephone |
| Cadence Weapon | Real Estate |
| Abe Vigoda | Dead City / Waste Wilderness |
| Koushik | ifoundu |
| Cheap Time | Trip To The Zoo |
| Bug, The | Angry |
| Erykah Badu | Cell, The |
| Mars Volta | Goliath |
| No Age | Erasers |
| Abe Vigoda | Animal Ghosts |
John Doran
The QuietusAlbums:
| Fall, The | Imperial Wax Solvent |
| Bug, The | London Zoo |
| Gas | Nah Und Fern |
| SunnO))) | Domkirke |
| UFOmammut | Idolum |
| Rolo Tomassi | Hysterics |
| Nadja | Skin Turns To Glass |
| Neon Neon | Stainless Style |
| Amadou & Mariam | Welcome to Mali |
| British Sea Power | Do You Like Rock Music? |
Tracks:
| Hercules & Love Affair | Blind |
| Eine Klein Nachtmusic | Feverprobe |
| Fall, The | Senior Twilight Stock Replacer |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! |
| Mogwai | Sun Smells Too Loud, The |
| Glasvegas | Geraldine |
| MGMT | Time To Pretend |
| Cabaret Voltaire | Skankenstein |
| N*E*R*D | Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom) |
| Magnetic Fields, The | California Girls |
Mark E
ireallylovemusicAlbums:
| Black Dog, The | Radio Scarecrow |
| David Holmes | Holy Pictures, The |
| Lindstrøm | Where You Go I Go Too |
| Cut Copy | In Ghost Colours |
| Harry Beckett | Modern Sound of Harry Beckett, The |
| Midnight Juggernauts | Dystopia |
| Goldfrapp | Seventh Tree |
| Portishead | Third |
| Booka Shade | Sun And The Neon Night, The |
| IDC | Overthrow the Boss Class |
Tracks:
| Flykkiller | Shine Out Shine Out (Edison Remix) |
| Verve, The | Love is Noise (Freelance Hellraiser Remix) |
| Bug, The | Angry |
| Missil | Glitch (Tepr Remix) |
| Sarah Nixey | When I’m Here with You (Miss Kubelik Remix) |
| Absentee | Bitchstealer |
| Luke Solomon | Spirits (Prins Thomas Disco-Tek Miks) |
| Steinski | 9000 Number, The |
| Grace Jones | Williams Blood (Aeroplane Remix) |
| Unusual & Electric | Infamy |
Tom Ewing
Freaky Trigger, PitchforkAlbums:
| Girl Talk | Feed The Animals |
| Kanye West | 808s & Heartbreak |
| Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend |
| Lindstrøm | Where You Go I Go Too |
| Buraka Som Sistema | Black Diamond |
| Portishead | Third |
| Danity Kane | Welcome To The Dollhouse |
| Britney Spears | Circus |
| Ne-Yo | Year Of The Gentleman |
| Bug, The | London Zoo |
Tracks:
| Wiley | Wearing My Rolex |
| Cassie | Official Girl |
| Goldfrapp | A&E |
| Addictive ft. T2 | Gonna Be Mine |
| Veronicas, The | Untouched |
| Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown | No Air |
| Santogold | L.E.S. Artistes |
| Alphabeat | Boyfriend (Pete Hammond Remix) |
| Hot Chip | Ready For The Floor |
| Elephant Man | No Tikkle |
Most of my favourite songs this year seem to be about moments and their consequences - Wiley and Goldfrapp trying to piece together what just happened; Cassie, Santogold and Hot Chip screwing up their courage to make some kind of change; Addictive striding out defiant; The Veronicas and Jordin Sparks taking a second of angst and turning it into pop epic. That leaves Pete Hammond's take on the otherwise useless Alphabeat, which is as thorough and pure a nostalgia trip as I've ever heard, and Elephant Man doing disgraceful things over the Benny Hill theme.
As for albums, the list is almost everything I played through twice by choice - Girl Talk I've played about fifty times: my bootleg dreams of 2002 fulfilled! (Kind of). It's so shamlessly eager to please that I'm a bit embarassed by how much it does. Most of the rest - Kanye, Vampire W, Portishead, The Bug, Ne-Yo - are mood pieces whose moods I happen to like. The first half of the Danity Kane's album is the secret actual follow up to Blackout, Britney's nominal sequel being more consistent but not quite as good. Lindstrom and Buraka are very different answers to "where were U in 92?": "listening to The Orb" and "raving yr bollocks off in an Angolan scrapyard" respectively.
Mark Fisher
k-punk, WireAlbums:
| Caretaker, The | Persistent Repetition of Phrases |
| Tricky | Knowle West Boy |
| Stereo Image | S/T |
| John Butcher | Resonant Spaces |
| Benge | Twenty Systems 1968-1988 |
| Elllen Fullman and Monique Buzzarté | Fluctuations |
| Mark Stewart | Edit |
| Philip Jeck | Sand |
| Blevin Blectum | Gular Flutter |
| John Baker | John Baker Tapes, The |
Noel Gardner
TerrorizerAlbums:
| Be Your Own Pet | Get Awkward |
| Doubtful Guest, The | Acid Sauna |
| Blood Ceremony | Blood Ceremony |
| Silver Jews | Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea |
| Billy Bao | Dialectics of Shit |
| Failures | Failures |
| Hercules & Love Affair | Hercules & Love Affair |
| Geoffrey Oi!cott | Good, The Bad and the Googly, The |
| RTX | JJ Got Live JTX |
| Jex Thoth | Jex Thoth |
Tracks:
| Wiley | Wearing My Rolex |
| Doubtful Guest, The | Drunky |
| Be Your Own Pet | Bitches Leave |
| Shitty Limits | Here Are the Limits |
| Reverend Bizarre | Demons Annoying Me |
| RTX | Mr Wall |
| Hercules & Love Affair | Blind |
| Jay Reatard | Always Wanting More |
| Souljah Boy | Yaaah! |
| volcano! | Africa Just Wants To Have Fun |
The ‘tracks’ poll is to be honest pretty much in random order after the first three because I still insist on being a technological retard and not having any sort of MP3 player with shuffle function, and thus continue to put on records and more often than not play them until the end. So, uh, yeah sorry about that. As for the year in music, I think it has been really good and basically every level of commercialism from the absolute top end to the realm of ridiculous cassette-duplicating nonentities has featured rad happenings somewhere. In terms of what I’ve found myself liking I’ve felt maybe more divorced from critical consensus than ever before, I mean my top 10 albums has maybe one popular pick and nine things that almost no-one else seemed to like enough to rep for them come December. Even that Silver Jews album, which seemed to get a lot of love at the time, has fallen off the radar. Eh, what can you do.
Dom Gourlay
Drowned in SoundAlbums:
| Portishead | Third |
| Black Angels, The | Directions To See A Ghost |
| Bon Iver | For Emma, Forever Ago |
| Wave Pictures, The | Instant Coffee Baby |
| Ruby Suns | Sea Lion |
| Vivian Girls | Vivian Girls |
| Raveonettes, The | Lust Lust Lust |
| Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend |
| Frightened Rabbit | Midnight Organ Fight, The |
| Darker My Love | 2 |
Tracks:
| Portishead | Machine Gun |
| Exit Calm | We're On Our Own |
| Model Morning | This Town |
| Domino State, The | What's The Question |
| Wave Pictures, The | I Love You Like A Madman |
| Chairlift | Bruises |
| We Were Promised Jetpacks | Quiet Little Voices |
| Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The | Come Saturday |
| Vampire Weekend | Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa |
| Wooden Shjips | Losin' Time |
2008's been a good year for guitar bands in particular. The likes of Glasvegas have taken a largely uncommercial sound into the charts and a few other bands are on the verge of breaking the mainstream as a result.
NYC as ever has provided the greatest source of innovative new talent, while the dance scene has been brighter than in recent years too.
Owen Hatherley
Sit Down Man, You're a Bloody Tragedy, WireAlbums:
| Tricky | Knowle West Boy |
| Stereo Image | S/T |
| Caretaker, The | Persistent Repetition of Phrases |
| Advisory Circle, The | Other Channels |
| Fall, The | Imperial Wax Solvent |
| Blevin Blectum | Gular Flutter |
| Luomo | Convivial |
| Riko | The Truth |
| Ladytron | Velocifero |
| Girls Aloud | Out of Control |
Tracks:
| Tricky | Bacative |
| Tricky | Council Estate |
| Estelle ft Kanye West | American Boy |
| Caretaker, The | Von Restorff Effect |
| Stereo Image | Exposure |
| Girls Aloud | Love is Pain |
| Fall, The | 50 Year Old Man |
| Der Zyklus | Cherenkov-Radiation |
| Mordant Music | Mum Prepared the Piano |
| Advisory Circle, The | Mogadon Coffee Morning |
Louis Jagger
Rocktimists
Albums:
| Thomas White | I Dream Of Black |
| Youthmovies | Good Nature |
| Late of the Pier | Fantasy Black Channel |
| volcano! | Paperwork |
| Silvery | Thunderer & Excelsior |
| Half Man Half Biscuit | CSI:Ambleside |
| Chap, The | Mega Breakfast |
| Hold Steady, The | Stay Positive |
| Portishead | Third |
| Kayo Dot | Blue Lambency Downward |
Tracks:
| volcano! | Palimpsests |
| Half Man Half Biscuit | National Shite Day |
| Late of the Pier | Enemy Are The Future, The |
| Esoteric | Circle |
| Youthmovies | Surtsey |
| Thomas White | Silence Stops Tonight, The |
| Chap, The | Proper Rock |
| Torche | Amnesian |
| Elbow | Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver, The |
| Virgin Passages | This Is Not The End Of The World Again |
Tom Lea
FACTAlbums:
| Gang Gang Dance | Saint Dymphna |
| Late of the Pier | Fantasy Black Channel |
| Zomby | Where Were U In 92? |
| Jay Reatard | Matador Singles 08 |
| No Age | Nouns |
| Be Your Own Pet | Get Awkward |
| Evangelista | Hello, Voyager! |
| Grails | Doomsdayer's Holiday |
| Thomas Brinkmann | When Horses Die |
| Wynlrd | Oneiromantical War |
Tracks:
| Heartsrevolution | Digital Suicide |
| Joker | Gully Brook Lane |
| MGMT | Time to Pretend |
| Jay Reatard | No Time |
| Paleface ft Kyla | Do You Mind (Crazy Cousinz House Mix) |
| Evangelista | Hello, Voyager! |
| Trim | Inside Looking Out |
| Gang Gang Dance | House Jam |
| TRG | Broken Heart (Martyn's DCM Remix) |
| Zomby | Spliff Dub (Rustie Remix) |
Albums: Honourable mentions: Optimo - Sleepwalk (Domino), Neil Landstrumm - Lord for £39 (Planet Mu), Lukid - Foma (Werk Discs), Max Richter - 24 Postcards in Full Color (Fat Cat), High Places - 03-07 - 09-07 (Thrill Jockey), Dungen - 4 (Subliminal Sounds), Air France - No Way Down (Rough Trade)
Tracks Honourable mentions: Darkstar and Inonika's singles on Hyperdub, Darkstar - 'Memory Bank', Pangaea - 'Router', DLX - 'Matter of Fact' (Breakage Remix), Peverelist - 'Clunk Click Every Trip', Joker - 'Snake Eater', Biz Markie - 'Just A Friend' (Starkey Remix), RSD - 'Murderation', Zomby - 'Bubble Bobble', Gang Gang Dance - 'Princes', about a billion others.
Sam Lewis
Drowned in SoundAlbums:
| Grouper | Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill |
| Wave Pictures, The | Instant Coffee Baby |
| Hold Steady, The | Stay Positive |
| Trimski | Soulfood Vol. 3 |
| Lil Wayne | Tha Carter III |
| Dot Rotten | RIP Dot Rotten |
| Magnetic Fields, The | Distortion |
| Arthur Russell | Love Is Overtaking Me |
| Yo La Tengo | They Shoot, We Score |
| Fennesz | Black Sea |
Tracks:
| Hold Steady, The | Constructive Summer |
| Wave Pictures, The | Instant Coffee Baby |
| Grouper | Heavy Water |
| Magnetic Fields, The | Too Drunk To Dream |
| S. Malkmus | Gardenia |
| Sleeping States | A Trip To NYC |
| Lil Wayne | A Milli |
| T.I. | Swagger Like Us |
| Rozi Plain | Let Go |
| Beach House | Some Things Last A Long Time |
Andrzej Lukowski
Plan BAlbums:
| of Montreal | Skeletal Lamping |
| Fuck Buttons | Street Horrrsing |
| Deerhunter | Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. |
| Women | Women |
| Atlas Sound | Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel |
| Parts & Labor | Receivers |
| No Age | Nouns |
| Times New Viking | Rip It Off |
| Portishead | Third |
| Ra Ra Riot | Rhumb Line, The |
Tracks:
| Atlas Sound | Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel |
| Santogold | L.E.S. Artistes |
| of Montreal | An Eluardian Instance |
| Women | Black Rice |
| Parts & Labor | Nowhere's Nigh |
| Telepathe | Chrome's On It |
| Nat Baldwin | Black Square |
| Hot Chip | Ready For The Floor |
| Hot Puppies, The | Clarinet Town |
| War On Drugs, The | Taking The Farm |
Dorian Lynskey
GuardianAlbums:
| Portishead | Third |
| Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! |
| Elbow | Seldom Seen Kid, The |
| TV on the Radio | Dear Science |
| Erykah Badu | New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) |
| Fred Deakin/Various | Nu Balearica |
| Deerhunter | Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. |
| Bon Iver | For Emma, Forever Ago |
| Beck | Modern Guilt |
Tracks:
| Vampire Weekend | Oxford Comma |
| Portishead | Rip, The |
| MGMT | Kids |
| Santogold | L.E.S. Artistes |
| Hercules & Love Affair | Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix) |
| Bon Iver | Re: Stacks |
| Deerhunter | Nothing Ever Happened |
| Juan Maclean, The | Happy House |
| Grace Jones | Williams' Blood (Aeroplane Remix) |
| M83 | Kim & Jessie |
Patrick McNally
Rocktimists
Albums:
| Kelley Polar | I Need You To Hold On While the Sky is Falling |
| V/A | Veros Artists Vol 2 |
| Alex Moulton | Exodus |
| Lindstrøm | Where You Go I Go Too |
| Cave | Hunt Like Devil |
| Hercules & Love Affair | Hercules & Love Affair |
| Shearwater | Rook |
| Ponytail | Ice Cream Spiritual |
| Goslings | Occasion |
| Geeneus | Volumes (One) |
Tracks:
| DJ Khaled | Out Here Grindin’ |
| Crazy Cousinz | Bongo Jam |
| Paleface ft Kyla | Do You Mind (Crazy Cousinz House Mix) |
| Bon Bon Club | Lullaby |
| Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown | No Air |
| Juan MacLean, The | Happy House |
| Nat Johnson | Heart of Clay (Demo) |
| Addictive ft. T2 | Gonna Be Mine |
| H "Two" O ft Plat'num | What's It Gonna Be? |
| Lil Wayne | A Milli |
Phillip Mlynar
Hip-Hop ConnectionAlbums:
| Fat Ray & Black Milk | Set Up, The |
| P Brothers, The | Gas, The |
| Black Milk | Tronic, The |
| Million Dan | Spektrum |
| Roots Manuva | Slime & Reason |
| Elzhi | Preface, The |
| Ida | Lover's Prayers |
| 88 Keys | Adam's Case Files |
| EMC | Show, The |
| Donny Goines | Minute To Midnight |
Tracks:
| 88 Keys feat. Kid Cudi | Wasting My Minutes |
| P Brothers, The feat. Boss Money | Cold World |
| Million Dan | Inner City Got Plenty Cases |
| Charles Hamilton | Ronald McDonald |
| Elzhi feat. Black Mlik, Guilty Simpson, Fatt Father, Danny Brown & Fat Ray | Fire RMX |
| Roots Manuva | Let The Spirit |
| Black Milk | Long Story Short |
| Black Milk ft Royce Da 5'9" | Losing Out |
| Donny Goines | Can't Fit In My Shoes |
| Illa J | All good |
2008 was a very good year for underground hip-hop from Detroit, rap albums from the UK, and insanely catchy songs featuring the line "I say 'What's good?' She say 'McDonald's apple pie.'"
Momus
Click OperaAlbums:
| Max Tundra | Parallax Error Beheads You |
| Simon Bookish | Everything/Everything |
| Yximalloo | Unpop |
| Ursula Bogner | Recordings 1969 to 1988 |
| Oorutaichi | Drifting My Folklore |
| Gustav | Verlass die Stadt |
| Idle Tigers | Spirit Salon, The |
| New Humans | AKA - Vito Acconci / New Humans / C. Spencer Yeh |
| Germlin | Thrash'r |
| Burning Star Core | Challenger |
Emily Moore
Tank MagazineAlbums:
| Bon Iver | For Emma, Forever Ago |
| Arthur Russell | Love Is Overtaking Me |
| David Byrne & Brian Eno | verything That Happens Will Happen Today |
| War on Drugs, The | Wagonwheel Blues |
| Shearwater | Rook |
| Wave Pictures, The | Instant Coffee Baby |
| Bowerbirds | Hymns for a Dark Horse |
| Micah P Hinson | Micah P Hinson & the Red Empire Orchestra |
| Department of Eagles | In Ear Park |
Tracks:
| Bon Iver & Bowerbirds | Lovin's For Fools |
| Joe Gideon & the Shark | Civilization |
| Fleet Foxes | White Winter Hymnal |
| Sleeping States | Call Me |
| Woodpigeon | Home as a Romanticized Concept Where Everyone Loves You Always and Forever |
| Beach House | Astronaut |
| Mountain Goats, The | Sax Rohmer #1 |
John Mulvey
UncutAlbums:
| James Blackshaw | Litany Of Echoes |
| Brightblack Morning Light | Motion To Rejoin |
| Howlin' Rain | Magnificent Fiend |
| Raconteurs, The | Consolers Of The Lonely |
| Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks | Real Emotional Trash |
| TV on the Radio | Dear Science |
| Endless Boogie | Focus Level |
| Portishead | Third |
| Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend |
| Bohren & Der Club Of Gore | Dolores |
Peter Parrish
Rocktimists, Plan B
Albums:
| Portishead | Third |
| Aaron Parks | Invisible Cinema |
| near the parenthesis | l'eixample |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! |
| Tape | Luminarium |
| Pia Fraus | After Summer |
| M83 | Saturdays=Youth |
| Shearwater | Rook |
| Beach House | Devotion |
| i am robot and proud | uphill city |
Tracks:
| Emiliana Torrini | Gun |
| Aaron Parks | Roadside Distraction |
| Portishead | Machine Gun |
| Populous With Short Stories | Holy See, The |
| Nat Johnson | Dirty Rotten Soul |
| Robin Guthrie | Explaining the Game |
| Fujiya & Miyagi | Knickerbocker |
| Adam Buxton | Hours, The (Exit Theme) |
| Ladyhawke | Magic |
| Damned, The | A Nation Fit For Heroes |
Dom Passantino
Ich Luge BulletsAlbums:
| Los Campesinos! | Hold On Now, Youngster… |
| Half Man Half Biscuit | CSI Ambleside |
| Hold Steady, The | Stay Positive |
| Elzhi | Preface, The |
| Indelicates, The | American Demo |
| Royce Da 5'9" | Bar Exam 2, The |
| Corb Lund | Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier |
| Raphael Saadiq | Way I See It, The |
| Los Campesinos! | We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed |
| Ballboy | I Worked On The Ships |
Tracks:
| DJ Khaled | Out Here Grindin' |
| Indelicates, The | Our Daughters Will Never Be Free |
| H "Two" O ft Plat'num | What's It Gonna Be? |
| Black Milk ft Royce Da 5'9" | Losing Out |
| Elzhi ft Royce Da 5'9" | Motown 25 |
| Wiz Khalifa | Say Yeah |
| Shawty Lo | Foolish |
| Hood Headlinaz | Rollin' |
| Hello Saferide | Anna |
| Hotstylz ft Young Joc | Lookin' Boy |
Louis Pattison
Plan BAlbums:
| Journey To Ixtlan | Journey To Ixtlan |
| Toumani Diabate | Mande Variations, The |
| Abe Vigoda | Skeleton |
| Flying Lotus | Los Angeles |
| Prurient | And Still, Wanting |
| Wild Beasts | Limbo, Panto |
| Portishead | Third |
| Chromatics | Nite Drive |
| Los Campesinos! | We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed |
| Bug, The | London Zoo |
Tracks:
| Salem | Redlights |
| AC/DC | Rock N Roll Train |
| T.I. featuring Rihanna | Live Your Life |
| Petit Mal | Crisis In The Credit System |
| Lil Wayne | A Milli |
| Wiley | Wearing My Rolex |
| Los Campesinos | We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed |
| Gang Gang Dance | House Jam |
| Marnie Stern | Transformer |
| Grace Jones | Corporate Cannibal |
Kevin Pearce
Tangents
Albums:
| Erykah Badu | New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) |
| Fallen Leaves | It's Too Late Now |
| Stacy Epps | Awakening, The |
| Eric Lau | New Territories |
| Ellen Allien | Sool |
| Leila | Blood, Looms and Blooms |
| Portishead | Third |
| Janelle Monae | Metropolis - The Chase Suite |
| Camille | Body Hole |
| Olga Kouklaki | Getalife |
Tracks:
| Estelle ft Kanye West | American Boy |
| Jazmine Sullivan | Need U Bad |
| DJ Mujava | Township Funk |
| Zomby | Liquid Dancehall |
| Call Me | Hollywood Mon Amour |
| Robert Wyatt/Bertrand Burgalat | This Summer Night |
| Lupe Fiasco | Superstar |
| Girls Aloud | Promise, The |
| Sea and Cake | Fuller Moon |
| Sexual Objects | Here Come The Rubber Cops |
A year when it is tempting to immerse oneself in forgotten corners of the past, only for someone to come tapping on the shoulder and whispering that you need to hear this ..
Simon Reynolds
Blissblog, WireAlbums:
| Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend |
| Giggs | Walk In Da Park |
| Portishead | Third |
| Kanye West | 808s & Heartbreak |
| Crystal Castles | Crystal Castles |
| Gang Gang Dance | Saint Dymphna |
| Moon Wiring Club | Shoes Off and Chairs Away |
| Beck | Modern Guilt |
| Backyardigans, The/Evan Lurie | Born To Play |
| Skull Disco | Soundboy's Gravestone Gets Desecrated By Vandals |
Tracks:
| Blackout Crew, The | Put a Donk On It |
| Vampire Weekend | Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa |
| Kanye West | Love Lockdown |
| Vampire Weekend | Kids Don't Stand A Chance, The |
| Ting Tings | Great DJ |
| Beck | Gamma Ray |
| Crystal Castles | Courtship Dating |
| Giggs feat Kyze | Rat A-Tat Tat |
| Crystal Castles | Magic Spells |
| Vampire Weekend | M79 |
Jude Rogers
GuardianAlbums:
| Elbow | Seldom Seen Kid, The |
| Benge | Twenty Systems 1968-1988 |
| Glasvegas | Glasvegas |
| School of Seven Bells | Alpinisms |
| Ladyhawke | Ladyhawke |
| Eine Kleine Nacht Musik | Eine Kleine Nachtmusik |
| Lindstrøm | Where You Go I Go Too |
| Girls Aloud | Out of Control |
| Fleet Foxes | Fleet Foxes |
| Roots Manuva | Slime & Reason |
Tracks:
| Elbow | Starlings |
| Estelle ft Kanye West | American Boy |
| Susanna | Lay All Your love On Me |
| Glasvegas | Flowers and Foorball Tops |
| Mercury Rev | People Are So Unpredictable |
| Dizzee Rascal ft Calvin Harris | Dance Wiv Me |
| School of Seven Bells | Half Asleep |
| Tony Christie | Louise |
| Alexandra Burke | Hallelujah |
| Wiley | Wearing My Rolex |
Daniel Ross
Drowned in SoundAlbums:
| Frightened Rabbit | Midnight Organ Fight, The |
| Dananananaykroyd | Sissy Hits EP |
| David Karsten Daniels | Fear Of Flying |
| Silver Mount Zion | 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons |
| Destroyer | Trouble In Dreams |
| British Sea Power | Do You Like Rock Music? |
| Mogwai | Hawk Is Howling, The |
| Silver Jews | Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea |
| James Yorkston | When The Haar Rolls In |
| Acorn, The | Glory Hope Mountain |
Tracks:
| British Sea Power | Open The Door |
| Frightened Rabbit | It's Christmas So We'll Stop 2008 |
| Dananananaykroyd | British Knights |
| Peter Moren | This Is What I Came For |
| David Karsten Daniels | Martha Ann |
| Destroyer | Foam Hands |
| Acorn, The | Hold Your Breath |
| Leona Lewis | Run |
| Dananananaykroyd | Pink Sabbath |
| Mae Shi, The | Run To Your Grave |
Alex Sarll
Press Association
Albums:
| Indelicates, The | American Demo |
| Los Campesinos! | Hold On Now, Youngster… |
| Hold Steady, The | Stay Positive |
| Neil Diamond | Home Before Dark |
| Portishead | Third |
| Tony Christie | Made In Sheffield |
| British Sea Power | Do You Like Rock Music? |
| Gaslight Anthem, The | 59 Sound, The |
| Amanda Palmer | Who Killed Amanda Palmer? |
| Mystery Jets | Twenty One |
Tracks:
| MGMT | Time To Pretend |
| New Royal Family, The | I.W.I.S.H.I.W.A.S.Gay |
| Black Kids | I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You |
| Wiley | Wearing My Rolex |
| Indelicates, The | America |
| Saturdays, The | Up |
| Jay-Z | Jocking Jay-Z |
| Katy Perry | I Kissed A Girl |
| Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra, The | Thank You For Not Discussing The Outside World |
| Pink | So What |
This year hasn't had an Umbrella or Get Ur Freak On or Can't Get You Out Of My Head or even an All Your Friends, a unifying This Song Was 2008. And I'd love to draw some kind of conclusion from that about the fragmentation of scenes and culture in the internet age, but it's probably just that we had a lousy summer again and there wasn't another pop epic about rain to be written just yet.
Paul Scott
Rocktimists
Albums:
| Indelicates, The | American Demo |
| Skull Disco | Soundboy's Gravestone Gets Desecrated By Vandals |
| Los Campesinos! | We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed |
| Lil Wayne | Tha Carter III |
| Air France | No Way Down |
| Niccokick | Good Times We Shared, Were They So Bad, The |
| Hello Saferide | More Modern Short Stories By Hello Saferide |
| Tough Alliance, The | A New Chance |
| Chairlift | Does You Inspire You |
| Times New Viking | Rip It Off |
Tracks:
| Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The | Everywhere With You |
| Appleblim and Perverilist | Circling |
| DJ Khaled | Out Here Grindin' |
| R.E.M. | Supernatural Superserious |
| Red Hot Entertainment | Junior Spesh |
| Wiz Khalifa | Say Yeah |
| Rhianna | Disturbia |
| Booka Shade | Charlotte |
| Rick Ross | Boss, The |
| Alphabeat | 10,000 Night Of Thunder |
Natalie Shaw
Muso's GuideAlbums:
| Hercules & Love Affair | Hercules & Love Affair |
| The Week That Was | The Week That Was |
| Metronomy | Nights Out |
| Wild Beasts | Limbo, Panto |
| Elbow | Seldom Seen Kid, The |
| TV on the Radio | Dear Science |
| M83 | Saturdays=Youth |
| Evangelicals | Evening Descends, The |
| Bon Iver | For Emma, Forever Ago |
| They Came From The Stars I Saw Them | We Are All In The Gutter But… |
Tracks:
| The Week That Was | Scratch The Surface |
| Hercules & Love Affair | Blind |
| Jonjo Feather | I Suppose |
| Glasvegas | It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry |
| Long Blondes, The | Too Clever By Half |
| Metronomy | A Thing For You |
| Evangelicals | Midnight Vignette |
| Kelley Polar | Chrysanthemum |
| Simon Breed | Smitten King's Lament, The |
| Official Secrets Act | Girl From The BBC |
James Skinner
Plan BAlbums:
| Why? | Alopecia |
| Cut Copy | In Ghost Colours |
| Bon Iver | For Emma, Forever Ago |
| Okkervil River | Stand Ins, The |
| Islands | Arm's Way |
| Wildbirds & Peacedrums | Heartcore |
| Joan As Police Woman | To Survive |
| Portishead | Third |
| Laura Marling | Alas, I Cannot Swim |
| Death Vessel | Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us |
Tracks:
| Cut Copy | Feel The Love |
| Bon Iver | Flume |
| Hercules & Love Affair | Blind |
| Okkervil River | Lost Coastlines |
| Portishead | Rip, The |
| No Age | Teen Creeps |
| Conor Oberst | Keely |
| Why? | Fatalist Palmistry |
| Metronomy | Heartbreaker |
| MGMT | Kids |
Albums: Why?'s Alopecia was just an absolute addiction for me. Marrying wildly inventive lyrics to a blisteringly catchy folk-pop-rock backbone, for months on end, and still today, it seems I'm incapable of being bored by this album. Cut Copy were luminescent and enduring, Bon Iver obvious but heartachingly beautiful, Okkervil River great as ever, Islands supreme/perplexing/malevolent in turn, Wildbirds & Peacedrums perhaps my favourite live band of the year - visceral, commanding, hypnotic - all these things, JAPW - LOVE her; a personal, twinkling second effort, Portishead - who still thought they'd be that menacinglly great? Laura Marling took ages but am slightly besotted, and finally Death Vessel steal in there with an album that enchants in a manner it's hard to put into words. But I did, a few days ago, and it's brilliant.
Tracks: Cut Copy - Feel The Love - headphones walking = best thing ever. Or at least, pretty darn special.
Matt Slack
Rocktimists
Albums:
| Q-Tip | Renaissance, The |
| Erykah Badu | New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) |
| Scorch Trio | Brolt |
| Los Campesinos! | Hold On Now, Youngster… |
| Solange Knowles | Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams |
| Polar Bear | Polar Bear |
| T.I. | Paper Trail |
| Bloc Party | Intimacy |
| Lil Wayne | Tha Carter III |
| Lupe Fiasco | Cool, The |
Tracks:
| Kanye West | Love Lockdown |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! |
| Los Campesinos! | All Your Kayfabe Friends |
| Ryan Adams & The Cardinals | Magick |
| Oasis | Turning, The (Jagz Kooner Remix) |
| N*E*R*D | Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom) |
| Q-Tip | Won't Trade |
| Killers, The | Human |
| Weezer | The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On A Shaker Hymn) |
| Coldplay | Viva La Vida |
Luke Slater
Drowned in SoundAlbums:
| Koushik | Out My Window |
| Johnny Flynn | A Larum |
| Fuck Buttons | Street Horrrsing |
| Abe Vigoda | Skeleton |
| Errors | It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatever |
| Shit 'N' Shine | Kuss Mich Meine Leibe |
| Los Campesinos! | We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed |
| volcano! | Paperwork |
| Why? | Alopecia |
| Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend |
Tracks:
| volcano! | Africa Just Wants To Have Some Fun |
| Why? | These Few Presidents |
| Born Ruffians | Red, Yellow, Blue |
| Johnny Flynn | Box, The |
| Mogwai | Batcat |
| Palms | Der Koenig |
| Shit 'n' Shine | Toilet Door Tits |
| Anni Rossi | Wheelpusher |
| Tim Ten Yen | Sea Anomone |
| Johnny Foreigner | Hennings Favourite |
Nick Southall
Rocktimists
Albums:
| Shearwater | Rook |
| Notwist, The | Devil, You & Me, The |
| Polar Bear | Polar Bear |
| Elbow | Seldom Seen Kid, The |
| Do, The | A Mouthful |
| Four Tet | Ringer |
| Portishead | Third |
| Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan | Sunday At Devil Dirt |
| Cadence Weapon | Afterparty Babies |
| Koushik | Out My Window |
Tracks:
| Alexandra Burke | Hallelujah |
| Can | Halleluwah |
| Os Mutantes | Haleluia |
| Happy Mondays | Hallelujah |
| Jeff Buckley | Hallelujah |
| David Axelrod | Hallelujah |
| Rufus Wainwrigh | Hallelujah |
| kd lang | Hallelujah |
| Amon Düül II | Hallelujah |
| Leonard Cohen | Hallelujah |
William B Swygart
Rocktimists, William B Swygart
Tracks:
| Kathleen Edwards | I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory |
| Marit Larsen | This Is Me, This Is You |
| Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown | No Air |
| Goldfrapp | A&E |
| T2 & Addictive | Gonna Be Mine |
| Private | Crucify My Heart |
| Peter Fox | Alles Neu |
| Beyonce | Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) |
| Kanye West | Love Lockdown |
| Rock Hard Power Spray | Trigger Nation |
I could've sworn I listened to some albums this year, but I can't remember what they were. That Ne-Yo one was alright. Bought my parents the Robert Plant & Alison Krauss one for Christmas, they'll enjoy that. Am strangely unemotional about feeling no need whatsoever to hear the Futureheads album - me aged 21 would be staring in horror and shame. "Radio Heart" was an utter dog of a single, though. "Ready For The Floor" and the Bosnian and French Eurovision entries really ought to be on this list somewhere, but got bumped for fugly Danish guitar types Rock Hard Power Spray because THE BASTARDS WILL NEVER GRIND ME DOWN.
Alexander Tudor
Drowned in SoundAlbums:
| Frightened Rabbit | Midnight Organ Fight, The |
| Wolf Parade | At Mt Zoomer |
| Fuck Buttons | Street Horrrsing |
| Shearwater | Rook |
| Yeasayer | All Hour Cymbals |
| Sun Kil Moon | April |
| Marnie Stern | This Is It |
| Fleet Foxes | Fleet Foxes |
| Nadja | Desire in Uneasiness |
| Sigur Ros | Meth suth i eyrum, vid spilum endalaust |
Tracks:
| Radiohead | Reckoner |
| Frightened Rabbit | Keep Yourself Warm |
| Sigur Ros | Ara Batur |
| Marnie Stern | Crippled Jazzer, The |
| Shearwater | Homelife |
| Sun Kil Moon | Tonight the Sky |
| MGMT | Kids |
| Retribution Gospel Choir | Breaker |
| Sunset Rubdown | Mending of the Gown, The |
| Effi Briest | Mirror Rim |
With the mainstream in flames, this has been the best year for indie music since I started reading Melody Maker & the NME, half a lifetime ago...
Simon Tyers
Sweeping the NationAlbums:
| TV on the Radio | Dear Science |
| Los Campesinos! | Hold On Now, Youngster… |
| Johnny Foreigner | Waited Up 'Til It Was Light |
| Elbow | Seldom Seen Kid, The |
| Wild Beasts | Limbo, Panto |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! |
| Okkervil River | Stand Ins, The |
| Why? | Alopecia |
| Acorn, The | Glory Hope Mountain |
| Indelicates, The | American Demo |
Tracks:
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | We Call Upon The Author |
| Those Dancing Days | Hitten |
| Acorn, The | Crooked Legs |
| Los Campesinos! | This Is How You Spell "Hahaha, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics" |
| Wild Beasts | Woebegone Wanderers |
| Why? | Song Of The Sad Assassin |
| TV On The Radio | Dancing Choose |
| Okkervil River | Lost Coastlines |
| Future Of The Left | Hope That House Built, The |
| Fleet Foxes | White Winter Hymnal |
Simon Warner
PopmattersAlbums:
| Hold Steady, The | Stay Positive |
| Conor Oberst | Conor Oberst |
| Elbow | Seldom Seen Kid, The |
| MGMT | Oracular Spectacular |
| Michael Franti & Spearhead | All Rebel Rockers |
| Django Bates | Spring is Here (Shall We Dance?) |
| Mercury Rev | Snowflake Midnight |
| Walter Becker | Circus Money |
| Courteeners, The | St Jude |
| Feeling, The | Join With Us |
Tracks:
| Courteeners, The | Not Nineteen Forever |
| Katy Perry | I Kissed a Girl |
| Pink | So What |
| Duffy | Mercy |
| MGMT | Weekend Wars |
| Sigur Ros | Gobbledigook |
| Mercury Rev | Senses on Fire |
| Hold Steady, The | Sequestered in Memphis |
| Little Jackie | 28 Butts |
| Walter Becker | Bob is Not Your Uncle Anymore |
Best gig – Mercury Rev at End of the Road Festival
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