TOP 10 NOW: \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\shawty got poll poll poll poll poll poll poll (part II: 2008 ALBUMS)/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

the "who the hell are crystal castles?" business is the first thing on this thread that's really surprised me. like that's the most obscure pick so far???

i don't think any given album so far is un-ilm, but ambient droney stuff does seem rather overrepresented compared to its visible presence. and there's a weird lack of house and techno so far, though i'm not sure what the consensus albums even were this year (shed? trus'me?). also i suspect that the metal crew have done a better job of getting themselves organised for an effective assault on this poll. i can't even imagine the r&b or ringtone threads doing that.

i'm not unhappy with it, better this than the terrible pfork indie which filled every other 2008 year-end list, but i do feel a bit...distant from it, and i really hope the top 20 has more stuff i'm down with.

ie no more fucking elbow, seriously, god, so BORING.

better this than the terrible pfork indie which filled every other 2008 year-end list

lol this was an xpost, while i was typing that musically posted deerhunter. facedesk.

List so far for those not keeping up/who have bad memories:

50 - Boris – Smile
49 - Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
48 - School Of Seven Bells – Alpinisms
47 - Sébastien Tellier – Sexuality
46 - Fall, The - Imperial Wax Solvent
45 - Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
44 - Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 08
43 - Alex Moulton – Exodus
42 - Stephen Malkmus and Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
41 - Solange - Sol Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams
40 - Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
39 - Hold Steady, The - Stay Positive
38 - D. Lissvik - 7 Trx + Intermission
37 - Gas - Nah und Fern
36 - Glass Candy - B/E/A/T/B/O/X
35 - Half Man Half Biscuit - CSI: Ambleside
34 - Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
33 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
32 - Luomo – Convivial
31 - El Guincho – Alegranza
30 - Quiet Village - Silent Movie
29 - Lau Nau – Nukkuu
28 - Fennesz - Black Sea
27 - Ne-Yo - Year Of The Gentleman
26 - Torche – Meanderthal
25 - Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster
24 - Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill
23 - Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
22 - Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
21 - Deerhunter - Microcastle

haven't seen that particular take on the deerhunter cover art, but it sure tops the image of that demonic, glazed over indie type on the front of my copy.

i have actually heard deerhunter rather too much, and they're just so grey and bloodless and mediocre. it's nothing music. it's barely existence.

(I had to correct the Grouper album title in that round-up, I just couldn't live with it.)

xpost I'm pretty meh about Deerhunter too, although I did enjoy Atlas Sound at Primavera, though not sure if it was just his rambling 'tween song charm that did it.

also i suspect that the metal crew have done a better job of getting themselves organised for an effective assault on this poll.

― lex pretend

lol, metal cru = crimson permanent assurance

the "who the hell are crystal castles?" business is the first thing on this thread that's really surprised me. like that's the most obscure pick so far???

They are for those of us who voted the obscure stuff no-ones heard of before now ;)

but ambient droney stuff does seem rather overrepresented

What 'ambient droney stuff', Lex? Only thing really ambient, and somewhat droney, is Gas, but what else?

i found a round table singles panel i did last year, and deerhunter came up in it. these are some selected comments (only two are mine):

"it's...just there? it seems to aspire to competence and just about get there"
"psychedelic sounding in many different shades of grey"
"They're playing like they could go on forever but my ears are slowly fading them out"
"oh god it actually does sound interminable"
"a road to nowhere"
"i like motorik repetition but that needs something worth repeating"
"is this the exciting bit?! ...no, this is the i just discovered my pitch shifter bit"

yeah i forgot all about deerhunter, but i'm surprised it's so low too. definitely a highlight of 2008 for me; it was the first deerhunter rec i liked, and was my favorite for the middle part of the year until erykah and skeletal lamping (losing hope but fingers crossed) both hit me. i really liked the introspective stuff on here--songs like "calvary scars" and "little kids" were really affecting and were imo mature and thoughtful ways of expressing his unique desire to age (rather than the usual nostalgia-driven desire to regress to youth that so many ppl write about and drives lex up a wall). remember dude has marfan syndrome and is likely going to die at a really young age

First time I heard of Crystal Castles was when that nme cool list came out. But I dont think I've heard anything.

Deerhunter is something on paper i should like but... i just dont. Not heard this album. If its on spotify I'll give it a listen. Same with Crystal Castles I suppose.

but ambient droney stuff does seem rather overrepresented

What 'ambient droney stuff', Lex? Only thing really ambient, and somewhat droney, is Gas, but what else?

the stuff ive been singing the praises of that wasnt in the metal chart.

Also you will find that lots of the doom/drone guys tend to like any drone and lots of psych folk, esp finnish stuff. And the bands who do stuff in all those genres.

yeah this deerhunter is different than the first two btw, i didnt like them before either.

anyway that was it for today, tomorrow we'll count down the teens and then you can spend the weekend guessing the top 10...based on the projections I have read above some of you are going to be in for a rather large surprise. i feel that the winners of the trax and this have been a lot less clear-cut than the last couple of years, which is always nice.

anyway, teaser for #20...it's probably the most tolerable "indie" album I heard last year. coming from me that's like getting a 9.3 from p4k. and i imagine that lots of you who have been wtfing the list so far will find much of the upcoming stuff more relatable, so don't despair quite yet.

But you can't really call Grouper ambient/droney, now can you? I was just wondering if there really was a lot of drone/ambient on this list, or if it was just Lex's perception.

xxxpost

i'm mostly ok with the weirdness of the list so far cuz i'm pretty certain 7 of my votes will place in the top 20, which is good going - i do wonder whether the other 13 will be stuff i like but didn't vote for (maybe laura marling?), or the usual pfork indie shit that i'll have to get my hate on for

But but but Musically, I like the wtfing most of all! :)

Thanks again for doing this, have a great weekend

anyway, teaser for #20...it's probably the most tolerable "indie" album I heard last year

my most tolerable indie album was santogold...i'd be pretty pleased to see her at no 20, it's about where she belongs.

i think what i meant was that there's a distinct lack of songs so far - not that i place any sort of premium on them but the tendency towards droney ambience and abstract psych folk has meant that any album with actual songcraft on it has really leapt out so far.

Great weekend AFTER you give us #19 - #10 obv. (sorry, I already have weekend)

also i suspect that the metal crew have done a better job of getting themselves organised for an effective assault on this poll.

if anything i'd say the exact opposite, mostly lamenting the fact that harvey milk et al aren't probably going to make it. also, not the most centralized shared opinion types yer likely to find, TBH.

Droney ambience and abstract psych-folk are two different things to me - the phrasing "actual songcraft" makes me cringe, because to me that's exactly what Grouper does, for example - but I see your point Lex.

Maybe on that album, the other albums are pretty drone-y

if anything i'd say the exact opposite, mostly lamenting the fact that harvey milk et al aren't probably going to make it.

The biggest disappointment for me. Before the poll , i didnt think it would make it, but after Boris and Earth made it, whom Harvey Milk beat by a long way in the metal poll, I had my hopes raised, but dashed when Torche was posted.
Still, I've had a lot more of my list making it than I imagined. And there's still The Bug and Portishead to come hopefully.
Longshot after seeing Grouper and Lau Nau making it would be James Blackshaw, but I dont think there's anyway he could go top 20. Esp if the top 20 features more recognisable names now.

re crystal castles, the track that first got me.

a lot of the album is like that, moody, repetitive. some of it gets more electrodribbly

and some of it's more chiptuney and squawky

fingers crossed for Late Of The Pier at 20

for the record, i don't know grouper. but am keen to listen to it now. thanks guys.

Hmmm lots happening while i was gone. happy abt torche, it was my #1 but that's a great showing for a 'niche' album.

however, crystal castles is fine but boring, elbow and campesinos are things i will never understand, and i was really disappointed with microcastle.

It's like dying in Zelda over and over again.

Can't stand Crystal Castles, but love this description.

i don't think any given album so far is un-ilm, but ambient droney stuff does seem rather overrepresented compared to its visible presence. and there's a weird lack of house and techno so far, though i'm not sure what the consensus albums even were this year (shed? trus'me?). also i suspect that the metal crew have done a better job of getting themselves organised for an effective assault on this poll. i can't even imagine the r&b or ringtone threads doing that.

i'm not unhappy with it, better this than the terrible pfork indie which filled every other 2008 year-end list, but i do feel a bit...distant from it, and i really hope the top 20 has more stuff i'm down with.

ie no more fucking elbow, seriously, god, so BORING.

― lex pretend, Thursday, February 12, 2009 5:24 PM Bookmark

good assessment

I'm particularly suprised at the low amount of house/techno after how strongy those genres performed in the singles poll.

I'm particularly non-stoked for the top 20 because ho boy we're in for a lot of house/techno/TVOTR

:P

based on the projections I have read above some of you are going to be in for a rather large surprise.

looking forward to being surprised

Elbow is the best thing on this list so far, IMO!

O_O

if ANYONE can explain to me why elbow is good i will listen attentively.

get the other three albums. do not get this one.

the other three albums are sublime, musically-involving and often surprising explorations of emotion, this is watered-down mush by comparison

what instrument did musically play?
/dadjoek

regarding elbow, i think this one is the best and most accomplished yet! the other three seemed a bit hesitant and unsure of themselves, particularly in the longer, plodding numbers. seemed like they were doing the requisite long track, requisite loud track etc., all the while kind of uncertain about what direction they wanted to go in as an act. this new record is much more confident and assured, and, importantly, it's a lot more subtle too. the dude's staying in a comfortable range vocally and not trying to outdo himself. i mean he's no thom yorke, and when he stretches his voice he sounds broad and clumsy. bad thing about 'seldom seen kid' though is that it really falls away at the end. 'one day like this' is fucking shit, sugar coated in gimmicky strings and the worst kinds of studio trickery.

I half expected the Paul Weller to sneak in. Was quite an adventurous album from his point of view and it's the first album I've liked of his since Wild Wood.
I think marcello and maybe mark grout will back me up on that.

So, here are 15 albums that will certainly go top 20:

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War
The Bug - London Zoo
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
The-Dream - Love/Hate
Fleet Foxes - s/t
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Hercules and Love Affair - s/t
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Portishead - Third
Santogold - s/t
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Vampire Weekend - s/t
Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak

also there are some things that didn't make the top 50 that made me go omgwtf, like, search my spam folder to make sure that i didn't lose some ballots kind of omgwtf.

― lil waynes babymama (musically), Monday, February 9, 2009 12:08 PM (4 days ago)

Here are 12 more that could make it, but I'm unsure:

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
David Byrne and Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
No Age - Nouns
Steinski - What Does It All Mean? Retrospective 1983-2006
TI - Paper Trail
Young Jeezy - The Recession

A couple more:

Air France - No Way Down
DJ /rupture - Uproot

maybe kanye/vampire weekend/tvotr/fleet foxes one of those wont make it and thats what she means? Thats 3 high profile things id expect to be in it.

There's been a lack of nme/pfork indie really so far, replaced by whats been termed as mor electro-dribble so either its all going to come now or miss out completely. Could any of TVOTR/Fleet Foxes/Vampire Weekend miss out?

That's 29 albums. Only 20 max are going to make it.

And that's just off the top of my head.

Hopefully there will be some unexpected entries. (though I doubt it)

i hope fucked up and no age didn't get many votes. the former is arty and "challenging" in a way that misses the point, while the latter is doug martsch singing over old JAMC outtakes