2008 Wrap-Up (Greg) - The Dreaded List of Albums

In line with tradition, here is my unordered, incomplete list of awesome albums from 2008.  Things seem a bit folk heavy for me.  Interesting.  Do share your thoughts.

Baltimore

Small Sur - We Live in Houses Made of Wood

MP3: Small Sur - Roots

A subtle beauty, a gentle giant of a release from a local treasure.  Bob Keal is calling us all back to nature; it’s a wondrous journey.

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Zomes - S/T

MP3: Zomes - Coloured Matter

Warm and addictive melodies make this album glow as Asa Osborne meticulously tinkers with tone and form.

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Arbouretum/Pontiak - Kale Split

MP3: Pontiak - Green Pool

Two spectacular bands pay homage to the great John Cale, and bring along some of their own material to boot.  Win/win.

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Beach House - Devotion

MP3: Beach House - Gila

A glittering gem of a release, ornate and lush.  Not to mention all the positive Baltimore PR they’ve been gathering.

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Matmos - Supreme Balloon

MP3: Matmos - Les Folies Francaises

Our fair city’s resident transplanted experimental superstars.  How can you resist?  You can’t.

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Lo Moda - Replica Watches

MP3: Lo Moda - Real Real

Never has a band been so hard to pin down, so damn likable and addictive.  The maturity of their songwriting is almost without compare, taut and diverse.

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DC

Imperial China - Methods: EP

MP3: Imperial China - There is no translation

Picking up where it feels like Q and Not U left off, Imperial China’s EP is a short-but-sweet blast of angular and textured experimentalism that has felt sorely lacking in DC where precious, diabetes-inducing indie-pop and overly ironic rock have prevailed as of late.

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Caverns - Kittens! EP

MP3: Caverns - Brodown High Noon

A late-comer, sneaking in just under the wire at the end of December, this EP is the visceral punch in the gut and stab at the heart that I was waiting for all year.  For me, instrumental rock doesn’t get much better than this.

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CANNOT BE STOPPED - Mountain

MP3: CANNOT BE STOPPED - Dull Fangs

I really remained firmly against one-man drum acts.  Until I heard Farley Miller’s CANNOT BE STOPPED project.  Consider me converted.

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The World

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!

MP3: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

Ah Nick, do you never falter?  Probably my favorite in his catalog, hands down.  And that’s impressive.

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These New Puritans - Beat Pyramids

MP3: These New Puritans - Swords of Truth

An invigorating, underappreciated album filled with mesmerizing beats, a maelstrom of post-punk guitars, and dripping with the influence of dub and hip-hop.

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High Places - High Places / 0307 - 0907

MP3: High Places - From Stardust to Sentience

One of those times transcendent actually means something, High Places dropped TWO albums of zen-like beauty and inventive experimentalism.

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Shearwater - Rook

MP3: Shearwater - Rooks

Achingly melodramatic, at times bordering on histrionic.

And I love every second of it.

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Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet - S/T

MP3: Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet - Strange Things

Redefining how I view globalized music, truly proving that music is a language with universal aspects that can be tapped into, regardless of your culture of origin.

Probably my album of the year, if I had to choose one.

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Horse Feathers - House With No Name

MP3: Horse Feathers - Working Poor

Folk meets classical amidst the twirling counterpoint of gentle string lines and gorgeous vocals.

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Nina Simone - To Be Free

MP3: Nina Simone - I Loves You, Porgy

A timeless talent with a luscious voice with near-limitless range that could woo legions of men.  This 3-CD and DVD box set is probably one of my most valuable purchases of 2008.

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The Bug - London Zoo

MP3: The Bug - Poison Dart

Bass.  Dub.  Love.

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The Rumble Strips - Girls and Weather

MP3: The Rumble Strips - Alarm Clock

At first I was slightly non-plussed about this record.  But over time it became one of my most frequently spun all year.  A dose of adrenalized, bittersweet joy.