Top Albums of 2008 Reader Lists
If you understand HTML (or even if you don't, it's pretty easy to figure out), swipe the code below and replace the appropriate areas (take out the respective numbers, the code will fill those in) when you email me your list. It will save me serious amounts of time if I don't have to reformat every list. Otherwise, just send me your list (anywhere from top 5 to top 20) in descending order and I'll do my best to post it up here quickly. Also, if you have a website you want me to link from your name, just include that in your email somewhere. Oh yeah, the email to send your lists to is top10list@almostcool.org Thanks to everyone who has contributed!
(23 total / 10 countries representing)
Christopher Abbott (Cheshire, UK)
- Fennesz (&Jeck) - Black Sea/Amoroso/Transition/June
- Astrobrite - One Hit Wonder
- Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
- Beach House - Devotion (label)
- Sigur Ros - Med sud ’ eyrum vid spilum endalaust
- A Silver Mt. Zion - 13 Blues For Thirteen Moon
- Experimental Aircraft - Third Transmission
- Merzbow - Here
- Tim hecker & Aidan Baker - Fantasma Parastasie
- No Age - Nouns
- M83 - Saturdays = Youth
- Deerhunter - Weird Era Continued/Microcastle
- Belong - Colorless Record
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
- EF - I Am Responsible
Collin Anderson (Oberlin, OH)
- Portishead - Third
- Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
- Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane (label)
- The War On Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues (label)
- Music Tapes - For Clouds and Tornadoes (label)
- Shugo Tokumaru - Exit (label)
- Why - Alopecia (label)
- Beach House - Devotion (label)
- Stereolab - Chemical Chords (label)
- Dodos - Visiter (label)
Honorable Mention (just barely missed out of top 10 or seem like they would be if I'd given them a proper listen)
- Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
- Dosh - Wolves and Wishes
- Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
- Magnetic Fields - Distortion
- Juana Molina - Un Dia
- Shearwater - Rook
- Woods - Some Shame
- Wye Oak - If Children
Neil Cheyney (Dover, UK)
- Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling (Play It Again Sam CD)
- "V" - We Are Crossing Fences Through Rocky Fields (Housecraft CD-R)
- Horse Gives Birth To Fly - Titus Andronicus (self-released CD-R)
- Pocahaunted - Chains (Teenage Teardrops LP)
- Nackt Insecten - Countdown To Ecstasy II (Total Vermin cassette)
- Invisible - Klimt (Hive Music CD-R)
- Invisible - The Somnambulist (Hive Music CD-R)
- Pocahaunted - Beast That You Are (Night People cassette)
- These Feathers Have Plumes - These Feathers Have Plumes (Period Tapes cassette)
- Quttinirpaaq - Dragged Through The Streets (Blackest Rainbow CD-R)
- Pocahaunted - Island Diamonds (Not Not Fun CD)
- Christina Carter - Texas Working Blues (Blackest Rainbow cassette)
- Birchville Cat Motel - Second Curved Surface Destroyer (Celebrate Psi Phenomenon triple CD-R)
- GHQ - Everywhere At Once (Three Lobed CD)
- GHQ - Seven & Eight (Heavy Blossom CD-R)
- Remember Remember - Remember Remember (Rock Action CD)
- Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing (ATP/R CD)
- Quttinirpaaq - Quttinirpaaq (Faunasabbatha CD-R)
- Susan Matthews - Axis Vein (SirenWire CD-R)
- Susan Matthews & Rainier Lericolais - Homothetique Ricochet (SirenWire CD-R)
Ryan Dee (Lincoln, NE, USA)
- Samamidon - All Is Well (Bedroom Community)
- Nico Muhly - Mothertongue (Brassland)
- The Hospitals - Hairdryer Peace (self-released)
- The Advisory Circle - Other Channels (Ghost Box)
- Bill Dixon - 17 Musicians In Search Of A Sound: Darfur (AUM Fidelity)
- The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave (Gravitation / Mexican Summer)
- Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing (self-released)
- Benge - Twenty Systems (Expanding Records)
- Philip Jeck - Sand (Touch)
- Wavves - Wavves (Woodsist)
- Portishead - Third (Mercury)
- Zomby - Where Were U In '92? (Werk)
- The Walkmen - You & Me (Gigantic)
- Nomo - Ghost Rock (Ubiquity)
- Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymhpna (The Social Registry)
- Janek Schaefer - Extended Play (Triptych For The Child Survivors Of War And Conflict) (Line)
- Murcof - The Versailles Sessions (Leaf)
- Trimski - Soulfood Vol. 3:Leaf Out Of Their Book (Soulfood)
- Cheveu - Cheveu (Born Bad)
- Lykke Li - Youth Novels (LL)
Martin F. (Sweden)
- M83 - Saturdays=Youth
- Hercules & Love Affair - s/t
- Dodos - Visiter
- Brendan Canning - Something For All of Us
- Johan Heltne - Vetenskapliga Bevis Fšr Att Jesus Lever
- Kleerup - Kleerup
- Why? - Alopecia
- Calexico - Carried to Dust
- Tingsek - Too Many Feelings At The Same Time
- Arthur Russell - Love is Overtaking Me
Andrew Forell (New York City)
- nick cave & the bad seeds - dig!!! lazarus dig!!! (mute)
- flying lotus - los angeles
- cut copy - in ghost colours
- why? - alopecia (anticon)
- wild beasts - limbo panto (domino)
- TV on the radio - dear science (interscope)
- subtle - exiting arm
- crystal stilts - alight of night
- los campensinos! - hold on now youngster
- 2562 - aerial
- barry adamson - back to the cat
- the lodger - life is sweet
- last shadow puppets - the age og the understatement
- johnny foreigner - waited up til it was late
- hercules & love affair - s/t
- foals - antidotes
- frightened rabbit - midnight organ fight
- glasvegas - s/t
Chris Gramstadt (Woking, UK)
- Sigur-Ros - Med Sud I eyrum vio spilim endalaust (EMI)
- Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (4AD)
- Robert Forster - The Evangelist (tag05 records)
- Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)
- The Walkmen - You & Me (Talitres)
- Broken Social Scene presents Brendan Canning - Something for all of us (Arts & Crafts)
- Sennen - Where the light gets in (Hungry Audio)
- Shearwater - Rook (Matador)
- Headlights - Some Racing Some Stopping (Polyvinyl)
- The Dodos - Visiter (Wichita)
- Ruby Suns - Sea Lion (Memphis Industries)
- Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (4AD)
- Andy Yorke - Simple (Aktiv)
- Crystal Stilts - Crystal Stilts EP (woodsist)
- Foals - Antidote (transgressive)
- Southeast Engine - A wheel within a wheel (Misra)
- Wye Oak - If, Children (Merge)
- Beck - Modern Guilt (XL)
- Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (Universal)
- Mount Eerie - Lost Wisdom (Southern)
Aaron Grauer (Lincoln, NE, USA)
Albums:
- Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
- Cat Power - Jukebox
- M83 - Saturdays = Youth
- Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
- Adem - Takes
- Shearwater - Rook
- Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too
- VA - Rio's Night Out (Mixed by Gay Werewolf)
- Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
- D. Lissvik - 7 Trx. + Intermission
- Studio - Yearbook 2
- Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
- Thom Hell - God If I Saw Her Now
- Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
- TIE: Lars Horntveth - Kaleidoscopic & Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood OST
Singles & EPs
- Bon Iver - Blood Bank
- Final Fantasy - Spectrum, 14th Century
- VA - Parlour No.1 Amor/Capriccio 7„
- Lansing-Dreiden - Tri
- Antony & The Johnsons - Another World
Sunny Kataria (Altamonte Springs, Florida, USA)
- Matthew Dear - Body Language Vol. 7 (Get Physical Music)
- Girl Talk - Feed The Animals (Illegal Art)
- Efdemin - Carry On, Pretend We Are Not In The Room (Curle Recordings)
- Carl Craig - Sessions (K7)
- Wighnomy Brothers - Metawuffmischfelge (Freude Am Tanzen)
- Steinski - What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective (Illegal Art)
- Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing (ATP)
- Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too (Smalltown Supersound)
- Quiet Village - Silent Movie (K7)
- Santogold - Santogold (Downtown)
Mark Knight (Melbourne, FL)
- Portishead - Third
- Deerhunter - Microcastle
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
- Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
- Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
- TV On The Radio - Dear Science
- Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
- The Walkmen - You & Me
- Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
- Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Josh McGregor (Alberta, Canada)
- Azeda Booth - In Flesh Tones (Absolutely Kosher)
- Cinderpop - A Lesson In Science (Popoganda)
- Arc Lab - The Goodbye Radio (N5MD)
- Kangding Ray - Autumne Fold (Raster Noton)
- Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams (Merge)
- Kettel - Myam James 1 (Sending Orbs)
- Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek)
- Chan Van Gaalen - Soft Airplanes (Flemish Eye)
- Aidan Baker + Tim Hecker - Fantasma Parastasie (Alien8)
- Le Chat Blanc Orchestra - Ste-Claire Hotel (Thisquietarmy)
- Tapage - The Institute Of Random Events (Tympanik Audio)
- Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies (Anti)
- Duchess Says - Anthologie Des 3 Perchoirs (Alien8)
- Mother Mother - O My Heart (Last Gang)
- Styrofoam - A Thousand Words (Nettwerk)
- Marc Houle - Sixty Four (Minus)
- The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns (Unsigned)
- Funckarma - Vell Vagranz (N5MD)
EPs:
- Oldfolks Home - I Hate Dell
- Final Fantasy - Spectrum, 14th Century & Plays To Please
- Stars - Sad Robots
- E. Stonji - Particles
- Funckarma - Dubstoned EP1
malcom milesLincoln, NE
- UUVVWWZ - s/t
- silje nes - ames room
- antony + the johnsons - another world ep
- evangelista - hello voyager
- juana molina - un dia
- portishead - third
- the notwist - the devil, you + me
- pattern is movement - all together
- sigur ros - med sud ’ eyrum vid spilum endalaust
- for against - shade side, sunny side
- david byrne / brian eno - everything that happens will happen today
- matmos - supreme balloon
- elizabeth shepherd - parkdale
- rena jones - driftwood
- dosh - wolves + wishes
- xiu xiu - women as lovers
- the machete archive - terra incognita
- beck - modern guilt
- joan as police woman - to survive
- santogold - s/t
Mindaugas (Vilnius, Lithuania)
- The Black Dog - Radio Scarecrow (Soma Quality Recordings)
- Anders Ilar - Sworn (Level Records)
- Kettel - Myam James Part 1 (Sending Orbs)
- Deadbeat - Roots And Wire (Wagon Repair)
- Johann Johannsson - Fordlandia (4AD)
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop Records)
- Fennesz - Black Sea (Touch)
- Peter Broderick - Home (Bella Union)
- Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Vid Spilum Endalaust (XL Recordings )
- Kangding Ray - Automne Fold (Raster-Noton)
- The Mole - As High As The Sky (Wagon Repair)
- Irezumi - Eendurance (Snowblood)
- Peter Broderick - Float (Type Records)
- TV On The Radio - Dear Science (Interscope Recordings)
- Takahiro Kido - Fleursy Music (Plop)
- VA - Intelligent Toys 6 (Sutemos)
- Portishead - Third (Mercury)
- Mrs Jynx - The Standoffish Cat (Planet Mu)
- Lights Out Asia - Eyes Like Brontide (n5MD)
- Fenin - Been Through (Shitkatapult)
erik nash (houston, tx, usa)
- portishead - third (mercury)
- like kisses of thread - letters (october man)
- soundpool - dichotomies + dreamland (aloft)
- fleeting joys - occult radiance (only forever)
- babyland - cavecraft (mattress)
- lowfish - frozen & broken (noise factory)
- gd luxxe - crave (angelika kšhlermann)
- twine - violets (ghostly international)
- populous with short stories - drawn in basic (morr music)
- valet - naked acid (kranky)
Sebastien Radiguet (France)
- Tape - Luminarium (Hapna)
- The dodos - Visiter (French kiss)
- Leila - Blood, looms and blooms (Warp)
- The notwist - The devil, you & me (City slang)
- Skyphone - Avellaneda (Rune grammofon)
- Why? - Alopecia (Anticon)
- Rudi Arapahoe - Echoes from one to another (Symbolic interaction)
- Foals - Antidotes (Sub pop)
- Immune - Not until morning (Eglantine records)
- Pivot - O soundtrack my heart (Warp)
- Max Richter - Waltz with Bashir OST (Delabel)
- Max Richter - 24 postcards in full colour (Fat cat)
- Portishead - 3rd (Island)
- Benoit Pioulard - Temper (Kranky)
- High places - High places (Thrill jockey)
- Depth affect - Hero crisis (Autres directions in music)
- Gang gang dance - Saint Dymphnia (Warp)
- Low in the sky - We are all counting on you (Abandon building)
- Thousand and Bramier - Go typhoon (Arbouse recordings)
- Bowerbirds - Hymns for a dark horse (Dead oceans)
Elwin Rijken (Netherlands)
- The Dodos - Visiter (Frenchkiss) (awesome fingerpicking, energy and surprising songwriting, saw them two times live this year)
- Calexico - Carried To Dust (Quarterstick) (one of their best albums and that says a lot)
- Walkman - You and Me (Gigantic Records) (absolutely ravishingly moving and beautiful)
- Hercules and Love Affair - selftitled (Mute) (saw them live this year, they swing hard)
- Ratatat - LP3 (XL) (more new electronic sounds mixed in with the guitars, there most varied album to date, plain groovy)
- Slagsmalsklubben - Boss For Leader (EMI) (ok it's officially a 2007 release, but it was just until this year I discovered the band ‡nd this magnificent electronical album)
- Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer (Sub Pop) (they take the mountain with little steps at the time before sliding walking off with excellent 6 min + songs that absolutely rock. Pun intended)
- Notwist - The Devil You + Me (Domino) (a very very welcome return)
- BSS presents Brandon Canning Ð Something For All Of Us (Arts and Crafts) (Brandon's soft but assured voice provides a great fresh addition to the usual greatly layered BSS arrangements)
- Love Is All - A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night (What's Your Rupture?) (With a lot of charm, wit and energy, backing up their excellent debut with more punk pleasing outings)
- Paavoharju - Laula Laakson Kukista (Fonal Records) (This Finnish psych folk reminds me of a young experimental Mœm but with even better vocals)
- MGMT - Oracular spectacular (Sony Records/Columbia Records) (just great fun)
- Laura Marling - Alas I cannot Swim (Virgin Records) (a striking debut, what a voice! promising!)
- Max Richter - 24 Postcards in Full Color (Fat Cat Records) (gorgeous ambient/neoclassical postcards)
- Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (4AD) (beyond Grizzly Bear)
- Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL) (†ber catchy, not to miss)
- Sigur Ros - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (EMI) (ok, we know the band and they still rule)
- Xiu Xiu - Woman As Lovers (Kill Rock Stars) (I just love their unique freak sound. Catchy songwriting disguised as chaos)
- El Guincho - Alegranza (Discoteca OcŽano )(like an earthquake shaking the dancefloor mixing old with new cool. El Guincho must be tireless)
- Plants And Animals - Parc Avenue (Secret City) (celebrating indie rock)
Brent Sallay (Salt Lake City, UT)
- Wild Beasts - Limbo, Panto (Domino)
- Beach House - Devotion (Carpark)
- Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna (Social Registry)
- Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You (Domino)
- Clark - Turning Dragon (Warp)
- Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (Type)
- Icy Demons - Miami Ice
- The Drones - Havilah (ATP/R)
- Portishead - Third (Mercury)
- M83 - Saturdays = Youth (Mute)
- Women - Women (Jagjaguar)
- Snowman - The Horse, the Rat, and the Swan (Dot Dash)
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
- The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion (Sub Pop)
- Autechre - Quaristice (Warp)
- Joan as Police Woman - To Survive (Cheap Lullaby)
- The Dead Science - Villainaire (Constellation)
- Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (Modular)
- Tussle - Cream Cuts (Smalltown Supersound)
- Cheveu - Cheveu (Born Bad)
skyline (Xi An,China)
- atlas sound - let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel
- Toumani Diabate - The Mande Variations(Nonesuch)
- Stephan Mathieu - Radioland(Die Schachtel)
- Nico Muhly - Mothertongue(Brassland)
- Yoshi Wada - The Appointed Cloud(EM Records)
- Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
- Sigur R—s - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust
- plants and animals - parc avenue
- Murcof - The Versailles Sessions (Leaf)
- TV On The Radio - Dear Science
- Goldmund - The Malady Of Elegance
- Dodos - Visiter (French Kiss)
- department of eagles - in ear park
- Valet - Naked Acid (Kranky)
- Philip Jeck - sand(touch)
- cut copy - in ghost colours
- Paavoharju - Laulu laakson kukasta(fonal)
- mountain goats - heretic pride(4ad)
- Transcendental Manship Highway - Lord of the Trees(Carbon)
- The Fun Years - Baby, It's Cold Inside
Jean-Rene Sylvestre (Deux-Montagnes, Quebec, Canada)
- Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP / Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
- Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (XL)
- Dodos - Visiter (French Kiss)
- Portishead - Third (Mercury)
- Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (Modular)
- Chad Van Gaalen - Soft Airplane (Flemish Eye Records)
- Paavoharhju - Laulu Laakson Kukista (Fonal)
- Deerhunter - Microcastle / Weir Era Continued(Kranky)
- Peter Broderick - Float (Type)
- Aidan Baker + Tim Hecker - Fantasma Parastasie (Alien 8 Recordings)
Peter Vanoverbeke (Belgium)
- Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (4AD)
- Autistic Daughters - Uneasy Flowers (Staubgold)
- Nico Muhly - Mothertongue (Bedroom Community)
- Richard Skelton - Marking Time (Preservation)
- Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista (Fonal)
- Murcof - The Versaille Sessions (Leaf)
- Juana Molina - Un Dia (Domino)
- Scott Tuma - Not For Nobody (Digitalis)
- James Blackshaw - Litany of Echoes (Tompkins Square)
- Toumani Diabate - The Mande Variations (World Circuit)
- Samamidon - All Is Well (Bedroom Community)
- Fennesz - Black Sea (Touch)
- Philip Jeck - Sand (Touch)
- Bohren & Der - Dolores (Pias)
- Erik Enocksson - With Its Dark Tail Curled 'Round The Garage (Kning)
- David Grubbs - An Optimist Notes The Dusk (Drag City)
- Anthony Pateras - Chromatophore (Tzadik)
- Francisco Lopez - Untitled (#213)
- Arve Henrikson - Cartography (Rune Grammofon)
- Sun Kil Moon - April (Caldo Verde)
Samuel W (London, UK)
- Deerhunter - Microcastle (Kranky)
- Bruno Pronsato - Why CanÕt We Be like Us (Hello? Repeat)
- Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna (The Social Registry)
- Nico Muhly - Mothertongue (Bedroom Community)
- Lawrence English - Kiri No Oto (Touch)
- Jacaszek - Treny (Miasmah)
- Portishead - Third (Mercury)
- Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (Kranky)
- The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion (Memphis Industries)
- Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing (ATP Recordings)
- Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista (Fonal)
- Murcof - The Versailles Sessions (Leaf)
- Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (Type)
- Move D and Benjamin Brunn - Songs from the Beehive (Smallville)
- Foals - Antidotes (Transgressive)
- Fennesz - Black Sea (Touch)
- Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings)
- Gavin Bryars/Philip Jeck/Alter Ego - The Sinking of the Titanic (Touch)
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Bella Union)
- Eero Johannes - Eero Johannes (Planet Mu)
Sean Warkentine (Winnipeg, Canada/Seoul, South Korea)
- Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing (ATP)
- Pyramids - Pyramids (Hydrahead)
- Food For Animals - Belly (Hoss)
- Tim Hecker & Aidan Baker - Fantasma Parastasie (Alien 8)
- Christopher Bissonnette - In Between Words (Kranky)
- Philip Jeck - Sand (Touch)
- Deerhunter - Microcastles/Weird Era Continued (Kranky)
- Fennesz - Black Sea (Touch)
- Nebulo - Ìvutm‹ (Hymen)
- Portishead - Third (Mercury)