Five Favourite Albums of 2008
Unlike books read, I don’t write down all the albums I listen to. Perhaps I should, because I found it difficult enough to remember what albums I listened to this year, let alone which were my five favourite albums of the year. Aren’t albums dead yet?
Limbo, Panto by Wild Beasts
I went to see Wild Beasts at Latitude in an ironic way, imagining a really dull indie band who happened to have chosen an inappropriately exciting name. What I found was the most remarkable singer since Billy MacKenzie, singing about poorly performing football teams, backed by sublime bass lines. Can’t wait to see them again, my Fauvrite band!
White Elephant by The Vichy Government
My future Best of The Vichy Government swelled by another six or seven songs with the release of third album, White Elephant. Technically released in 2007, but refreshed for me by Darren’s review in MusicOMH, which sums it up better than I ever could. I was disappointed to discover that the Wikipedia entry that I set up for the band was deleted. Fuck you, Jimmy Wales!
Slavoj Zizek Interview on Radio Open Source
Not an album, but Zizek is always entertaining and this interview, conducted at the height of the financial collapse, was especially good value.
Everything/Everything by Simon Bookish
My album of the year, by far, an exuberant masterpiece. The kind of album that Bowie could have made today if he hadn’t been killed after recording Scary Monsters. Well done, Leo!
Couples by The Long Blondes
Despite disdaining everything they had done before, I thought their second album an indie disco classic. Unfortunately, the Great British public disagreed with me and they ended splitting up before they were pushed. Shame on you, British public!
To make amends, please recommend me something good. Anything considered. Any genre, any style, any era.