On The Record

  • Housekeeping

    December 12, 2008 @ 10:17 am | by Jim Carroll

    Thanks to all the blog readers who contributed to our Review of the Year post over the last few weeks. We had a massive response and you’ll find some of those views expressed in the Readers vs the Writers feature in today’s Ticket - music writers here, readers here and movie writers here and here. For those who are interested in looking at even more lists, my own Top 20 albums from 2008 list is after the jump below

    If you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to download Adrian Crowley’s “Long Distance Swimmer”, available free via On The Record until next Thursday. Fellow bloggers, please feel free to spread the word on this.

    And finally, today is the very last day for entries to our totally awesome competition where you can win 30 of the best indie releases of 2008. 30 awesome CDs for the Christmas? You know you want to. Here’s a track from one of the CDs you can win - Vampire Weekend doing “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”

    My top 20 albums from 2008

    (1) No Age “Nouns” (Sub Pop)

    (2) Vampire Weekend “Vampire Weekend” (XL)

    (3) Lykke Li “Youth Novels” (LL)

    (4) TV On The Radio “Dear Science” (4AD)

    (5) Bon Iver “For Emma Forever Ago” (4AD)

    (6) Lisa Hannigan “Sea Sew” (Self-release)

    (7) Fleet Foxes “Fleet Foxes” (Bella Union)

    (8) RSAG “Organic Sampler” (Psychonavigation)

    (9) The Gaslight Anthem “The ‘59 Sound” (Side One Dummy)

    (10) Hercules & Love Affair “Hercules & Love Affair” (DFA)

    (11) Santogold “Santogold” (Atlantic) (Diplo and Santogold’s “Top Ranking” mix also deserves a mention here)

    (12) Lil Wayne “The Carter III” (Cash Money)

    (13) David Holmes “The Holy Pictures” (Canderblinks)

    (14) Our Brother The Native “Make Amends For We Are Merely Vessels” (Fat Cat)

    (15) Spook of the Thirteenth Lock “Spook of the Thirteenth Lock” (Transduction)

    (16) Kanye West “808s & Heartbreaks” (Roc-A-Fella)

    (17) Katie Kim “Twelve” (Granny It’s OK Recordings)

    (18) White Denim “Workout Holiday” (Full Time Hobby)

    (19) She & Him “Volume One” (Domino)

    (20) Chequerboard “Penny Black” (Lazybird)

    • 26 Comments »

    1.
    December 12, 2008
    10:39 am

    My forthcoming list will also feature a similar number 1 album. By ’similar’ I mean ‘exact same’. Groovy list.

    Comment by adam
    2.
    December 12, 2008
    10:49 am

    Currently hungover in London acting the bollox. The only thing keeping me together this morning has been Foals raping my ears. Easily one of the best live bands of the year who released (possibly) one of the best records of the year.
    And it doesn’t even make your top 20.

    WTF Carroll?

    Comment by Pedro
    3.
    December 12, 2008
    11:15 am

    Adam - thanks dude

    Pedro - they were 21. You’re hungover? Tsk, and I thought you were straight-edge

    Comment by Jim Carroll
    4.
    December 12, 2008
    11:21 am

    Superb to see No Age top of the pile. Had the pleasure of interviewing them a few weeks ago and they’re a dead nice pair - raved about the vegan eats on Wexford Street. Played an UNBELIEVABLE afershow during the Los Camps/TNV stop in London aswell.

    An album that just keeps getting better.

    Comment by Padraic
    5.
    December 12, 2008
    11:21 am

    Re:readers reviews

    I agree with whoever said it, but that comment about Tom Waits in the readers quotes was not made by me.

    Comment by Peter81
    6.
    December 12, 2008
    11:24 am

    Padraic - I’m amazed by the amount of end of year poll which do not feature No Age. I saw them live 3 times during the year and they rocked every time.

    Peter81 - I’ve refered this to the WTF? department

    Comment by Jim Carroll
    7.
    December 12, 2008
    11:45 am

    Great to see some love for Our Brother The Native which has been much overlooked in many end of year lists.

    Comment by Joe
    8.
    December 12, 2008
    12:53 pm

    That David Holmes album really was quite good, wasn’t it?

    Portishead didn’t do it for you, Jim? I thought it was a brave return, especially choosing the staccato rythms of Machine Gun as the lead-off single.

    Comment by Noise Annoys
    9.
    December 12, 2008
    1:12 pm

    No Portishead, Mogwai or Sun Kil Moon? WTF?
    I take it they were 22, 23, 24 respectively.

    Bloody hell, check this out!:

    Blur, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen for Glastonbury. Maybe.

    http://www.nme.com/news/glastonbury/41611

    Comment by Quint
    10.
    December 12, 2008
    1:16 pm

    Jim,
    I presume you meant Cohen and not Kravitz when you were naming ‘Lenny’ as one of your favourite gigs this year in today’s ticket.
    Or is this your guilty secret……….

    Comment by McLovin
    11.
    December 12, 2008
    1:23 pm

    Joe - another act conspicuous by their absence from other polls

    Noise - that is one of the albums i’m planning to revisit because of the amount of times it has come up in end of year polls. It passed me by completely

    Quint - See above for P’Head. Mogwai are shite and Sun Kil Moon is your man Mark Kozelek who has yet to write a decent song (and, God love him, he has been trying long enough)

    McLovin - chuckle

    Comment by Jim Carroll
    12.
    December 12, 2008
    1:28 pm

    Quint,
    Portishead’s 3rd should win Turkey of the year by a country mile. Pretentious, unlistenable drivel. Don’t get TV on the Radio either. Nick Cave, Elbow, Lambchop, Vampire weekend, David Byrne/Brian Eno and Fleet Foxes on my shortlist.

    Comment by McLovin
    13.
    December 12, 2008
    3:08 pm

    A sure sign of journalistic integrity is your willingness to bang that vampire weekend drum, Jim. For some nebulous reason they are out of favour with ‘cool’ bloggers. Makes no sense to me. It is easily an album of the year and not only that, but one of the great all-killer no-filler albums of our lives. Get with the programme sheep. Vampire Weekend is a savage album.

    Comment by Gardenhead
    14.
    December 12, 2008
    3:26 pm

    McLovin - Elbow are the new Neds Atomic Dustbin

    Gardenhead - It is the perfect pop album from start to finish, isn’t it? I hadn’t realised my fellow bloggers had turned on it - I’m obviously uncool, which is great news to hear on a wet Friday afternoon.

    Comment by Jim Carroll
    15.
    December 12, 2008
    3:33 pm

    The new Ned’s Atomic Dustbin?

    I don’t remember them releasing four consistently very good albums in a row.

    And the only northern comic Elbow have collaborated with is Richard Hawley…

    Comment by Noise Annoys
    16.
    December 12, 2008
    3:47 pm

    I don’t remember them releasing four consistently very good albums in a row.

    Don’t remember Elbow doing that either, dude ;-)

    Comment by Jim Carroll
    17.
    December 12, 2008
    3:55 pm

    Ned’s Atomic Dustbin-now that brings me back to my childhood at a certain pox awful festival called Feile in Thurles. I don’t want to go into details but I remember (thro a haze of cheap cider) the ‘Ned’s’ doing a rousing version of ‘Kill Your Television’ to universal boredom. Lad’s in long shorts trying to hard.
    Did see Elbow at EP this year, one of the highlights of a top weekend.
    My how sophisticated I have become, exchanging Neds for Elbow and Scrumpy for Paulaner. (ironic smile)

    Comment by McLovin
    18.
    December 12, 2008
    4:20 pm

    I bought that Fleet Foxes album the other week based on the positive comments from posters on this blog (and a listen to the FF myspace page) but I have to say it’s very disappointing. A couple of strong tunes, but far too much indie mediocrity on it. To many Brian Wilson-style instrumental touches too.

    Comment by Mumblin' Deaf Ro
    19.
    December 12, 2008
    4:53 pm

    I hadn’t realised my fellow bloggers had turned on it

    Some of us never liked it.

    Comment by Ian
    20.
    December 12, 2008
    5:27 pm

    “It is easily an album of the year and not only that, but one of the great all-killer no-filler albums of our lives.”

    Sorry man, but that statement is beyond ridiculous. At best that album sounds like The Beautiful South covering the Ramones….a bit of lightweight pop confection, 6/10, better luck next time.

    I agree with the comment by someone in today’s Ticket that Beck’s album is the most overlooked/under-rated of the year. Lots of established acts like Mr. Hansen simply don’t get the column inches these days and perhaps that explains the disproportionate prevalence of debut albums in lots of critics’ end-of-year lists.

    You get the impression that if that record came from ‘Sawdust Sigfried’ the Honolulan hermit who sleeps in a fishtank, bloggers and journalists of integrity alike would be falling over each other to proclaim its brilliance.

    Comment by colly_browy
    21.
    December 12, 2008
    5:31 pm

    Hi Jim - and all Ticket reading types. Interesting and quite differing lists from the IT critics. But, and you sensed that was coming, why no lists of world and roots offerings for ‘08? Amadou & Mariam’s Welcome to Mali for example.

    Comment by Des
    22.
    December 12, 2008
    5:33 pm

    You get the impression that if that record came from ‘Sawdust Sigfried’ the Honolulan hermit who sleeps in a fishtank, bloggers and journalists of integrity alike would be falling over each other to proclaim its brilliance.

    That Honolulan hermit scene is totally old hat, Colly. You need to check out the Oregon skiffle revival right away, especially The Humpy McHammers, they’re like The Libertines on ketamine

    Comment by Jim Carroll
    23.
    December 12, 2008
    5:57 pm

    Re: Kozelek.. did you try that first Sun Kil Moon album Jim - ‘Ghosts of the Great Highway’?.. That’s what convinced me that he does in fact have something good going on, after years of thinking the Red House Painters were just moany tedium.. It has a lightness of touch that’s absent from most of his other work (this year’s overloaded ‘April’ included).

    Comment by dermot
    24.
    December 12, 2008
    7:47 pm

    Nice little list Jim, good to see two homegrown acts in the top ten. Finally finished the final instalment of my top 60 today. Tough bloody work. Think I might stick with a top 20 next year too.

    Oh and while I remember, make sure Jason Isbell’s new record is high-up on your 2009-must-listen list!

    Comment by Ronan
    25.
    December 12, 2008
    8:34 pm

    Lists and the like are for the birds, fair amount of decent stuff in there Jim, some shite, no reissues though.

    New Orders 5 reissues are worth a purchase, Technique top of the list, Brotherhood and Low Life essential, the b-sides, sleeve notes and extras are very good value. The Dennis Wison and Mudhoney reissues are also essential purchases.

    Purchases, Jim, you forgot to point out that all of the acts featured on your list are available to buy from your local record store, support your local record store people. They need it big time. You should do an article on the current state of the indies and bigger stores around the country Jim, big them up. People have very short memories….

    Comment by Peter
    26.
    December 12, 2008
    11:21 pm

    Wait, Vampire Weekend aren’t cool anymore? Why didn’t I get the memo??

    Easily top 5 for my albums of 2008.

    Comment by Niall

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