From the very beginning of ‘Sup, we’ve sort of shunned the annual music publication tradition of year-end lists. We never quite know how to go about it–there aren’t enough of us to do a proper tally of votes, and, like all rue music fans, we all end up bickering about who should be number one. This year though, we’ve decided to go for it. There was a lot of music we loved this year, and not the usual choices one would go with. ‘Sup is all about championing the artists we believe in, creating our niche and sharing it with the world. Here are our top 10 albums of 2008. Buy them, rip them, steal them, whatever. Just own them.
10. Late of the Pier – Fantasy Black Channel
When we first saw Late of the Pier two years ago, they were fresh-faced young Gary Numan fanboys who had their Moogs set up on ironing boards. Now they have an NME cover under their belts, are signed to Astralwerks in the US, and blew minds during CMJ 2008. Fantasy Black Channel is a collection of electro-dance gems that sound like the Edgar Winter Group if they were 18-year-old Brits.
9. The Dodos – Visiter
The Dodos write songs about girls and love and feeling free. Indie rock like the old days with sing-a-long choruses. Properly layered and orchestrated arrangements with wicked percussion to give it a bit of edge. Thank god they don’t still go by Dodobird!
8. Eine Klein Nacth Musik – Eine Klein Nacth Musik
Henry aka Riton’s kraut rock side-project so good you’d think he’s German. Known mostly as a DJ across Europe, this album really put him down on the producer / I’m an artist in my own right map. Trippy, spacey, fist-pumping and of course kraut-y. We like.
7. Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement
When we heard that Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys started a side project with musical BFF Miles Kane of the Rascals, we never thought it would totally eclipse the Monkey’ achievements in our esteem. The Age of the Understatement takes it inspirations from ’60s epic European pop, from Gainsbourg to Tony Christie to Jacques Brel to Scott Walker but with an update so its compatible with Alex and Miles’ younger fan base. Irony alert: absolutely not an understatement.
6. Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair
The crowning achievement in US dance music of 2008, Hercules and Love Affair’s self-titled debut album was a huge, glittery slap in the face to all those who dared think that, in 2008, disco was dead. The revival was in full effect this year, and H&LA were at the helm of the ship. Who knew that a simple mixture of late ’70s disco and early ’90s house would yield an instant, contemporary classic.
5. Foals – Antidotes Foals’ manifesto was to create dance music with conventional instrumentation, and as anyone who has witnessed one of their insanely frenetic live shows can attest, they succeeded. Like a beehive slowly melting inside your brain, Foals’ music buzzes with the experimentation of Liars and the energy of old Don Caballero.
4. Fucked Up – The Chemistry of Common Life Fucked Up are essentially new dogs with old tricks: hardcore hasn’t changed much over the years, but Fucked Up’s interesting use of horns, congos, and other decidedly non-hardcore instrumentation only adds to the band’s brilliance.
3. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
We give mad props to these guys for continuing to push the envelope – instrumentally, vocally and structurally. Post-punk, rap, Motown and electro woven together like nobody’s business.
2. School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms The first time we heard Alpinisms, we literally sat with our mouths open while our stereo blasted awesome song after awesome song into our bedroom. A brilliant set opening for M83 this winter confirmed that SO7B might just be one of the best breakout bands of 2008. With 2009 bright ahead of them, their particular brand of epic dreampop might dictate what’s cool in 2009.
1. Chairlift – Does You Inspire You? By far the album we listened to this most in the past 12 months, Chairlift’s Does You Inspire You? is one of those completely flawless, perfect little record that you can listen to all the way through without skipping a track, anytime, anyplace. Singer Caroline Polachek’s vocals are on par with Chan Marshall’s for sheer raw emotion, and Aaron Pfenning’s guitar works washes across every track like the specter of Robin Guthrie, if Robin Guthrie were dead. So much more than just “that band that have that song on that iPod commercial”, Chairlift have created a debut so solid that it will be remembered as one of the greats of the ’00s. A real triumph.
