I haven't given enough listens to Hercules, Cut Copy and El Guincho to say they're definitely favorites this year, but I like what I've heard, so that could change.

No particular order:
Beach House - Devotion
British Sea Power - DYLRM?
Los Campesinos - Hold on Now Youngster
Atlas Sound - Let the blind...
Constantines - Kensington Heights
M83 - Saturdays=Youth
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Neon Neon - Stainless Style
Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies
No Age - Nouns
Boris - Smile
Jamie Lidell - JIM
Long Blondes - "Couples"

I want to like Beach House but they just bore the shit out of me. They make me sleepy, and not in a good way.

#1 - Sun Kil Moon: April

No Age- Nouns *
Neon Neon- Stainless Style
Earth- The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull
ASMZ- 13 Blues for 13 Moons
Lightspeed Champion- Falling Off the Lavender Bridge
Black Mountain- In the Future
Trimski- Soulfood Vol.3 *
Sun Kil Moon- April *
Subtle- Exiting Arm
Why?- Alopecia *

*= particularly good.

Found the new Boris and the new Jamie Liddell albums fell a little flat. Water Curses was poor.
Albums I need to hear in full: M83- Saturdays= Youth, Atlas Sound- Let the Blind Lead...., Cut Copy- In Ghost Colours.

Most recent revised edition....

Cut Copy
Hercules & Love Affair
Silver Jews
Why?
M83
No Age
Atlas Sound
Dodos
Foals
Portishead
Hot Chip
Destroyer
Islands
Man Man
Jamie Lidell
The Tallest Man On Earth
Dosh
Plastic Constellations
Constantines
The Notwist
Four Tet ("Ringer EP")
Matmos
Cloudland Canyon
Clark
Bruno Pronsato
The Muslims
Vampire Weekend
Fleet Foxes
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
Jason Collett
The Mae Shi
Torche
Mountain Goats

brent d's review of this in TOC is making me want to check it out in a major way. And (almost) making me want to go to this show instead of The Teenagers.

Right now:

Bruno Pronsato
Al Green
Cut Copy
My Morning Jacket
Portishead
Fleet Foxes
M83
Thomas Function

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Clinic - Do It!
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

(incomplete/no particular order)


Crystal Castles - s/t
Times New Viking - Rip it Off
Atlas Sound
El Guincho - Alegranza (think panda bear meets beck w/ a tropicalia flare)
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Carsick Cars - Carsick Cars (not sure if this actually came out in 2008)
Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
Dark Meat - Universal Indians (this was just reissued this year on Vice and it totally fucking rocks. An Atl collective so to speak... there are like 20 or so members.... country punk carnival music)


I fully expect the new deerhunter to be the best album of the year though.


Albums that I can't believe people are fluffing:
MMJ - Evil Urges
Cut Copy - this may be some of the worst music i've ever had recommended to me by people whose opinions i respect

hmmm, if i picked just ten now;

autechre - quaristice + versions
british sea power - do you like rock music?
cat power - jukebox
guillemots - red
hot chip - made in the dark
laura marling - alas i cannot swim
lykke li - youth novels
neon neon - stainless style
nick cave - dig lazarus dig
portishead - third

would prolly be it, i like some unpopular reccuds this year.

hanging around the outskirts would be clark, boris, isobel campbell & mark lanegan, jamie lidell, mystery jets, the fall, lupe fiasco and school of language.

i feel like i'm missing loads though, m83 and fleet foxes' full length are the two that spring to mind most

everyone's all over this M83 business...

with good reason. that album's amazing.

Why aren't people talking about these five?

Envelopes Here Comes The Wind
The Long Blondes "Couples"
Youthmovies Good Nature
Pete and The Pirates Little Death
Pete Molinari A Virtual Landslide

and from last year

White Rabbits Fort Nightly

This is a rock 'n' roll record. Remember those?

The Night Marchers - See You In Magic

You're not alone. I've surprised myself over how much I actually like this album, too. There are always at least a couple choices every year that I like that that not many others seem to like though (sometimes even by so-called fans of a particular artist).

I've done a complete 180 on Why?

Now I believe Alopecia is awesome.

1. Portishead - Third

this album is seriously fantastic

2. M83 - Saturdays = Youth

as is this one

3. Boris - Smile
4. Autechre - Quaristice
5. Why? - Alopecia

I haven't heard any of the top five, but love the Long Blondes album.

and White Rabbits is cool, I'll give you that.

I finally feel like I have a solid Top 10

01. m83 - Saturdays = Youth
02. Glass Animal - Patterns: Available for free download right here
03. Lykke Li - Youth Novels
04. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
05. Sun Kil Moon - April
06. Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
07. Portishead - Third
08. Matmos - Supreme Balloon
09. The Wedding Present - El Rey
10. Dr. Manhattan - Dr. Manhattan

I looove this one. Catchy as all hell.

Is everyone serious about M83? I'm listening to it right now, and maybe it's just
not type of music, but it makes me think of bangin dudes while watching top gun.
maybe it's just me.

yeah, we're fucking serious dude. Top Gun? yeesh.

like for reals serious? yep, still don't like it. too much like take my breath away.

yes. goldfrapp needs more support like this.

This is in no particular order.

M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Atlas Sound - Let The Blind blah blah
Black Mountain - In The Future
Violet Vector and The Lovely Lovelies - EP 1
Au - Verbs
Johnson&Jonson - Powders&Oils
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Fleet Foxes - S/T
Beach House - Devotion

Was just listening to this while putzing about the house and it's a really stunning album. I mean, I understand why people don't like it, mainly, because it was Goldfrapp and they were expecting something else. But, I honestly think if you slapped a different name on the CD, it would have gone over a lot better. I really dig the two singles, and "Caravan Girl"

totally agree.

I've heard the Wicker Man soundtrack so while I do like the album, and the change of direction, it doesn't impress me.

My top 5 right now:

1. M83
2. DBT
3. MGMT
4. Portishead
5. Gary Louris

Really solid year so far.

yeah universal indians came out in 06...so I dunno if you can really count it for this year, they're also from athens(I know a few people in the band).

really?

For four songs:

Vagabonds
She Only Calls Me On sundays
D.C. Blues
Wanna Get High

The rest I never listen to but I listen to those all the time.

right... i mean i dig it too, but it's not even the 5th best LOCAL Twin Cities album i've heard this year...

Spill the beans then.

i don't think i'm indie enough for this totally hip music

is Bon Iver 2008?

Crescent Moon is in Big Trouble - EP
The Wars of 1812 - Status Quo Ante Bellum
Kid Dakota - A Winner's Shadow
Haley Bonar - Big Star
Chris Koza - The Dark, Delirious Morning
Ben Weaver - The Axe and the Oak
Vampire Hands - Me And You, Cherry Red

Do any of these sound anything like recent Golden Smog? If not, I will be checking them out.

not at all

Fuckin' nagode's been pushing these guys on me for a good year and a half now and you know what? He's right. These guys should be way bigger than they are. I mean, "The Plot" is such a great single and the rest of the album is just as fun. You hear this, nagode? I'm agreeing with you.

Because we were having this conversation over dinner, I'll repost:

The Black Angels - Directions To Seek a Ghost
The Black Keys - Attack And Release
Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
Dub Trio - Another Sound Is Dying
The Heavy - Great Vengeance And The Furious Fire
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts
Mike Patton - A Perfect Place
This Will Destroy You - This Will Destroy You
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
John Zorn - The Dreamers

Friday June 20th
w/ The Warlocks
Logan Square Auditorium

It's gonna be loud, and I can't wait. I've gotta give it to Bobz and Red for turning me on to their live show. I went to the Bottle for VietNam but the Angels kicked so much butt. Passover was nowhere near my top 10 of '07 but the Passover tour (Lolla included) is what did it for me.

Think they are going to do pretty well over here.

This was #5 on my year end list last year and probably should have been even higher.

9/10
Ours - Mercy...Dancing for the death of an imaginary enemy

8.5/10
King's X - XV

8/10
Sculptured - EMBODIMENT
Arsis - WE ARE THE NIGHTMARE

7.5/10
Protest the Hero - FORTRESS
The Gutter Twins - SATURNALIA

7/10
Opeth - WATERSHED
Darla Farmer - REWIRING THE ELECTRIC FOREST
Hills Like White Elephants - HIMALAYA
Apes and Androids - BLOOD MOON
Gloria Morti - ERYX
Black Mountain - IN THE FUTURE
Cloud Cult - FEEL GOOD GHOSTS

6.5/10
The Mars Volta - THE BEDLAM IN GOLIATH
Foals - ANTIDOTES
Panic at the Disco - PRETTY. ODD.
Agalloch - THE WHITE
Russian Circles - STATION
Genghis Tron - BOARD UP THE HOUSE
Ebu Gogo - WORLDS
Textures - SILHOUETTES
The Jealous Girlfriends - THE JEALOUS GIRLFRIENDS (re-release)
dEUS - VANTAGE POINT

6/10
The Big Sleep - SLEEP FOREVER
The Helio Sequence - KEEP YOUR EYES AHEAD
!Forward, Russia - LIFE PROCESSES
Porcupine Tree - WE LOST THE SKYLINE
Muse - HAARP

5.5/10
Blowing Trees - BLOWING TREES
Youthmovies - GOOD NATURE
Monolith Deathcult - TRIUMVIRATE

5/10
Colin Meloy - COLIN SINGS LIVE
In Ruin - A GHOST TO BE FORGOTTEN
This Will Detroy You - THIS WILL DESTROY YOU
Mt.Helium - FACES
Fleet Foxes - SUN GIANT (EP)
The Sword - GODS OF THE EARTH
Brain Drill - APOCALYPTIC FEASTING

4.5/10
Grand Archives - THE GRAND ARCHIVES
Kayo Dot - BLUE LAMENCY DOWNWARD
Murder By Death - RED OF TOOTH AND CLAW

.5/10 - 4/10
Elbow - THE SELDOM SEEN KID
Island - ORAKEL
White Hinderland - PHYLACTERY FACTORY
Klimt - KLIMT
Idiot Pilot - WOLVES
Tiles - FLY PAPER
RPWL - THE RPWL EXPERIENCE

Unrated
Eluveitie - SLANIA
Ihsahn - ang L
Hate - MORPHOSIS
Meshuggah - obZen
Zero Hour - DARK DECEIVER
Vampire Weekend - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
The National Bank - COME ON OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE
Pat Metheny - DAY TRIP
Annuals/Sunfold - WET ZOO (EP)
Hate Eternal - FURY AND FLAMES
The Dresden Dolls - NO, VIRGINIA
Secret Chiefs 3 - XAPHAN: BOOK OF ANGELS VOLUME 9

Yeah... it was just pressed to vinyl. I had no clue about these guys until recently.... what a tragically overlooked album. The only people who seem to know about them live in Athens. Given the re-release and the lack of fanfare the album received its first go around, I feel ok listing it in my 2008 list.... if for no other reason than to give me a chance to fluff them and try and get the word out.

I got the chance to see them a couple nights ago and it was easily the best show I've seen this year. Pretty epic... 13 members on a tiny stage and somehow they managed to keep the sound from getting cluttered.

updated list:

1. Motorpsycho - Little Lucid Moments
2. {{{Sunset}}} - Bright Blue Dream
3. LSD Pond - LSD Pond
4. VA - African Scream Contest - Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo 70s
5. Cloudland Canyon - Lie In Light
6. Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull
7. Torche - Meanderthal
8. Fuzz Against Junk - Netti Netti
9. Dead Meadow - Old Growth
10. Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - Recurring Nightmare And Apocalypse of Darkness
11. Suishou No Fune - Prayer For Chibi
12. Shit And Shine - Cherry
13. Black Mountain - In The Future

it sure is

correction...my mistake. 2007 release in north america...you crazy bastards

That sunset album really went down for me. It was initially interesting but not much to the lyrics and whatnot to hold it together