Wednesday 31 December 2008

Singles and albums of the year – 2008

I originally wrote both of these lists in December 2008.

I still can’t split number 1 and number 2 – I think I tossed a coin and I still would now.

Can’t really argue very much with the general order right now. I think I might have put Lights Out For Darker Skies a bit higher.

Hera Hjartardottir’s Feels So Good is just a beautiful pop song. I was in Reykjavik in the summer when the thermometer was touching a ridiculous 29 deg C (84F). She sang this song in the main park outside the Town Hall, which was full of sunbathers, and it was shown on the evening news programme which I watched while drowning myself in Icelandic beer which I had to buy from a special shop (there is only two places in the whole city where you can buy alcohol).



There’s one other Icelandic band – FM Belfast – who I didn’t discover until 2009. Their June 2008 release “Lotus” – a cover version of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name” – has to be one of the best covers of all time. Here’s a clip of the song performed live at the Sirkus club, al fresco. (Or just Google their Myspace to hear the whole track).



One other song I didn’t find until 2009 which should have been in this list – Baikonour’s excellent Oben Beg mk3 CBC theme. I think that just means a version of “Oben Beg” recorded for CBC in Canada. Mr Baikonour himself isn’t from the old Soviet space launchpad from whence he is named, but a French guy living in Brighton (where else).

The British Sea Power album was a big breath of fresh air. I think it might have been the last CD I bought in a record shop too, two years ago now! Pretty harsh to keep an excellent album from Young Knives from the top.

Singles

1. Sons and Daughters – Darling
2. Manda Rin – DNA
3. Kaiser Chiefs – Never Miss A Beat
4. Hot Puppies – Clarinet Town
5. Rosie and the Goldbug – War Of The Roses (Because You Said So)
6. Amanda Palmer – Leeds United
7. Foals – Red Socks Pugie
8. Hera Hjartardottir – Feels So Good
9. Robots In Disguise – We’re In The Music Biz
10. Young Knives – Counters
11. Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning
12. Late Of The Pier – Heartbeat
13. Boys In A Band – Black Diamond Train
14. Dandy Warhols – The Legend Of The Last Of The Outlaw Truckers AKA The Ballad Of Sheriff Shorty
15. Absent Kid – Retaliate First
16. B-52’s – Funplex
17. Das Pop – Underground
18. Ting Tings – Great DJ
19. Fields – Are You Ready Yet
20. British Sea Power – Lights Out For Darker Skies
21. Your Friends Are Architects – Figure
22. Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses
23. Future Of The Left – Manchasm
24. Foals – Cassius
25. Housse de Racket – Oh Yeah!
26. Ida Maria – I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked
27. Friendly Fires – Paris
28. We Are Scientists – Chick Lit
29. Prince Edward Island – It’s All Over Bar The Shouting
30. Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man. – Fatherhood
31. Jenny Owen Youngs – Hot In Herre
32. Chris T-T – Where Were You?
33. Scenario Rock – Skitzo Dancer (Part 1)
34. Ipso Facto – Six & Three Quarters
35. British Sea Power – No Lucifer
36. Beck – Gamma Ray
37. Automatic – Steve McQueen
38. Asobi Seksu – Me & Mary
39. Sigur Rós – Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur
40. Utah Saints – Something Good 08 (Van She tech remix)
41. Matt Trakker – Hypathetic
42. Howling Bells – Into The Chaos
43. Future Of The Left – The Hope That House Built
44. Bloc Party – Halo
45. Parlotones – Here Comes The Man
46. Prince Edward Island – Partlife
47. Stars and Sons – In The Ocean
48. Vicky Pollard – Tender Demand
49. Bloodgroup – Hips Again
50. Asteroids Galaxy Tour – Around The Bend
51. Dirty Royals – I’m In Love
52. Long Blondes – Century
53. Mystery Jets – Hand Me Down
54. Nancy – Keep Cooler
55. Frank Turner – Reasons Not To Be An Idiot
56. Chris T-T – This Gun Is Not A Gun
57. British Sea Power – Canvey Island
58. Bertrand Soulier – L’ABCD
59. Stereolab – Fractal Dream Of A Thing
60. Ten Tigers – Superlucky
61. Glam Chops – Tell Us Are You Ready Eddie
62. Candy And The Raincloud – In It
63. Jyrojets – Dead On Arrival
64. Fight Like Apes – Something Global
65. Landon – Only 20
66. Poppy and the Jezebels – UFO
67. Vileevils – Fucking & Fighting
68. (International) Noise Conspiracy – I Am The Dynamite
69. Charlatans – Oh! Vanity
70. I, Ludicrous – Argument In The Laundrette
71. Kaiser Chiefs – Good Days Bad Days
72. Thirst – My Everything
73. Pigeon Detectives – This Is An Emergency
74. Ra Ra Riot – Suspended In Gaffa
75. Jessica Fletchers – Downtown
76. Colin MacIntyre – Stalker
77. Coldplay – Violet Hill
78. Choir Of Young Believers – Action/Reaction
79. Yeasayer – 2080
80. Jameson – Small Terraced Town
81. Last Shadow Puppets – Standing Next To Me
82. Crystal Castles – Courtship Dating
83. Futureheads – Radio Heart
84. Jake Shillingford – You Can’t Uneat The Apple
85. Sara Bareilles – Love Song
86. Rosalita – What Would Your Mother Say
87. Serj Tankian – Empty Walls
88. Grenville Harrop – Make Believe
89. Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Epic Last Song
90. Dan Le Sac v Scroobius Pip – Look For The Woman
91. Subways – Alright
92. Neon Neon – Dream Cars
93. Lionheart Brothers – 50 Souls And A Discobowl
94. Beautiful Life – Ritalin Boy
95. V Major – Filth
96. Detektivbyran – Partyland
97. Cling – Groovyshoes
98. XX Teens – Only You
99. dEUS – Slow
100. Grates – Burn Bridges

Albums

1. British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?
2. Young Knives – Superabundance
3. Foals – Antidotes
4. Chris T-T – Capital
5. Ting Tings – We Started Nothing
6. Sigur Ros – Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
7. Stereolab – Chemical Chords
8. Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads
9. Bloc Party – Intimacy
10. Jake Shillingford – Written Large
11. Choir Of Young Believers – This Is For The White In Your Eyes
12. Charlatans – You Cross My Path
13. Hot Puppies – Blue Hands
14. Thirst – On The Brink
15. Coldplay – Viva La Vida
16. Long Blondes – Couples
17. Los Campesinos – Hold On Now, Youngster
18. Mystery Jets – Twenty One
19. (International) Noise Conspiracy – The Cross Of My Calling
20. Subways – All Or Nothing
21. B-52’s – Funplex
22. Forward Russia – Life Processes
23. Robots In Disguise – We’re In The Music Biz
24. Neon Neon – Stainless Style
25. Detektivbyran – Wermland
26. Fireman – Electric Arguments