Contributions to Rockfeedback's Records of the Year '08

Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now Youngster (#75)

As good an indie pop album as any released for many a year, the shouty, witty, sing-along, boy-girl brilliance of the much-anticipated debut from Los Campesinos! was also among the finest albums of 2008 full stop. The blend of Darren Hayman-esque self-deprecating bitterness, Eddie Argos-equalling wit and Stuart Murdoch’s ear for a tune (and eye for a song title) comes together perfectly in songs like ‘Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats’ and ‘This Is How You Spell...’ – but there really isn’t a dud on the whole album.


The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (#64)

While the Hold Steady took most of the blue collar rock plaudits in ’08 with the solid Stay Positive, this debut from New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem snuck up on the inside to out-Springsteen all comers, adding a harder punk edge to melodies inspired by the Boss. With timeless rock’n’rollers like ‘Old White Lincoln’, ‘Great Expectations’ and none better than the title track, The ’59 Sound was one of the few releases in 2008 that made you want to dust off the leather jacket and get a Joe Strummer haircut. Which can only be a good thing, can’t it?


The Acorn – Glory Hope Mountain (#60)

It was only early in 2008 that I got hold of The Pink Ghosts, The Acorn’s excellent 2004 debut. An intriguing blend of acoustic electro-folk, the thought of an ‘evolution’ from this (and the two subsequent EPs) into a concept album based on the life and local music of Acorn main-man Rolf Klausener’s Honduran mother, merely served to multiply that intrigue exponentially. And the Ontarians didn’t disappoint, with sprawling latin ballads based on interviews conducted with Mom and set to music influenced by that of her home. As well-executed a project as it was genuinely touching, Glory Hope Mountain provided a welcome reminder of the redemptive power that music can have.


The War On Drugs – Wagonwheel Blues (#51)

Yet another band of young Americans summoning up the spirit of Springsteen on their debut, The War on Drugs did so in a more interesting, successful and, frankly, bloody brilliant way than most in 2008. The glorious Boss-meets-Dylan harmonica-drenched ramblings of ‘Arms Like Boulders’ is surely one of the finest album openings of the year. But the exhilaration of this introduction hides more than just a collection of backward-looking pop-rock songs. Sonically-speaking Wagonwheel Blues ranges from the lo-fi ballad ‘Barrel of Batteries’ to the waves of guitar of ten minute album centre-piece ‘Show Me The Coast’, with much more in between. There are ideas, textures and timeless tunes a plenty on what is a remarkably impressive debut.


Calexico – Carried To Dust (#43)

Joey Burns and John Convertino’s sixth studio album was a welcome return to top form after the more mainstream stylings of Garden Ruin. Back came the brass, the mesmerising instrumentals, the mariachi storytelling, and, above all, songs to rate among the bands best. As the title implies and as all the best Calexico records do, Carried to Dust instantly transports the listener to the dusty American South with a sound like no other, and is easily as good as anything the Arizonans have produced to date.


Los Campesinos! – We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (#39)

Los Campesinos! not only get props for releasing two full-lengthers in 2008, there should also be the sound of 14 hands patting seven backs reverberating around Cardiff for the combined brilliance of both Hold On Now Youngster and We Are Beautiful.... 10 more tongue in cheek quotidien tales of the disaffected and heartbroken more than complement their debut, on this limited-run-no-single-once-it’s-gone-it’s-gone album, with more great songs a plenty and a title track to absolutely die for.


Born Ruffians – Red, Yellow & Blue (#7)

One of the more interesting guitar albums of 2008, Red, Yellow and Blue was also one of the best (you’d expect nothing less of Canadians signed to Warp) and quite how it never exploded, I have no idea. Led by Luke LaLonde’s strained vocals, the trio mixed scruffy, infectious guitar hooks with Animal Collective-like production (courtesy of Rusty Santos) and a whole range of quirkiness, from a capella breaks to song titles like ‘Badonkadonkey’ and ‘Foxes Mate For Life’. Bursting with childish exuberance and a couple of the songs of the year (‘Hummingbird’ and ‘I Need A Life’) it is a quite brilliant record.


Rockfeedback’s (very fine) Top 10:

10. Neon Neon - Stainless Style
9. High Places - High Places
8. The Magnetic Fields - Distortion
7. Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue
6. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
5. Mystery Jets - Twenty One
4. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
3. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
1. Portishead - Third

See the entire top 80 here and here.

Fifteen to Hum - part 2

Taking on the mantle of some sort of musical William G. Stewart, here’s some more info on the Fifteen To Hum playlist...

The Hold Steady’s very good (but not as great as some people seem to think it is) follow up (review here) to Boys & Girls in America opens auspiciously with ‘Constructive Summer’, a typically infectious piece of anthemic rock’n’roll.

Hefner’s The Fidelity Wars was one of the great underrated British albums of the 90s and has recently received the full make-over treatment, repackaged with a whole load of bonus material. And the Darren and Jack Sing Hefner Songs show at the 100 Club was one of the best I’ve seen this year. And ‘Hymn For The Cigarettes’ is just the best song about smoking ever.

Psych-rock is represented by the old and the new with The Count Five’s classic from ‘66 ‘Psychotic Reaction’ (check out Lester Bangs amazing review of the similarly titled album), and San Franciscans with an extra consonant Wooden Shjips’ (whose second album Wooden Shjips came out in July) awesome ‘Losin Time’.

I’m currently half way through David Browne's Sonic Youth biography Goodbye 20th Century, and while I haven’t reached the Daydream Nation section yet, there’s always room for a live Sonic Youth track.

Born Ruffians’ (interview here) Red, Yellow & Blue remains the best album released so far this year and for that reason alone the ode to vulpine monogamy ‘Foxes Mate For Life’ gets its place in this playlist. The War on Drugs' debut Wagonwheel Blues is one of the few that is close to taking its crown – ‘Arms Like Boulders’ is the storming opening track.

Saturday Looks Good to Me seem to have been influenced by all the right British bands, but retain an American veneer over their brand of indiepop. They were also great supporting the aforementioned Darren and Jack in London.

Salty Pirates are one of those bands you stumble across and instantly fall in love with, only to discover that they are Swedish and don’t seem to be making music anymore. Bugger. Still, their back catalogue is available to download from their website, which is quite frankly brilliant. Okkervil River, too, just keep being brilliant.

Ontario’s The Acorn’s 2007 concept album Glory Hope Mountain came out in the UK on Bella Union on 11th August (digital, physical release is in October) and it’s quite a treat. ‘Darcy’ is actually taken from The Pink Ghosts (2004), which just so happens to also be somewhat of a treat.

I actually know very little about Windmill and can’t even remember where I came across this song, but he's/they're from just down the road in Brixton - and sounds like he really shouldn't be. Fleet Foxes are rather better known and their debut can’t fail to move you. M Ward + Conor Oberst + Jim James + one of the great self-deprecating male songs = what’s not to like?

Liam Finn’s debut album came out last month over here and is a real grower. He certainly has his old man’s ear for a tune and his double-tracked vocals really remind me of Elliott Smith. Pete & the Pirates, along with Windmill, are the only British band on this list currently making music which says something about the quality of British records out so far this year . Here’s to a better second half of the year...

Fifteen To Hum - The Summer '08 Collection

Floating in on a wave of dubious punnery, here are fifteen tracks to brighten up your summer. A literal 'mix' of brand new bands, favourites from recent months and a couple of old nuggets polished up and thrown in for good measure. See what you reckon to these:

**UPDATE** - it seems Seeqpod has sadly passed on, so my playlist is no longer available... Boo.

SeeqPod - Playable Search