The Yellow Stereo’s Albums of 2008

On this day, we conclude another year here on The Yellow Stereo, one that has once again brought us a smorgasbord of new and exciting music. In my opinion, 2008 provided a lot of “very good” albums, but not many that I outright loved. It was a year that also brought forth new albums from old favourites like Portishead, The Verve, and The Notwist, though, not all of them really lived up to expectations. We also had mainstays from years past, like Of Montreal, who seem to have mysteriously fallen off my list. I think in defense of that album, i’m just sort of burnt out on Of Montreal, as we did in fact just recently had something new from them last year. But it’s just one of those cases where it’s out with the old and in with the new.

As you can see with my list, I only ranked my top five, as the rest of the list can easily be interchangeable from top to bottom. We also have lists from all of our contributors past and present, which is always great to look at as I think each of us always have something very distinct and unique to bring to the table.

Please feel free to comment, as your opinions are always welcome and appreciated.  Also, all of us here thank you for your support as it’s your kind words and encouragement that helps us continue with this site.

The Lucksmiths
First Frost (Matinée)
The Lucksmiths are a band that you can’t help but just absolutely adore. They’re the elder statesmen of this list, as they’ve been around for quite a while now (since 1993 to be exact), and continue to put out quality records. In the case of First Frost, their first release since 05’s Warmer Corners, they’ve released another solid recording that continues to improve the more I listen to it.
MP3: “Up With the Sun”
MP3: “A Sobering Thought”

Shearwater
Rook (Matador)
Trying to best the work of Palo Santo could be considered a daunting task, and for a while I didn’t think this album lived up to the heights that the previous record achieved. Because of that, I sort of tossed this one away for a while before coming back to it towards the latter half of the year and just looked at it as its own body of work. It’s definitely more polished than its predecessor, and overall still packs the emotional punch thanks in part to Jonathan Meiburg, who for my money has one of the best voices in music right now.
MP3: “Rooks”
MP3: “Leviathan, Bound”
MP3: “The Snow Leopard”

Gang Gang Dance
Saint Dymphna (The Social Registry)
This one was a late addition to the list, but its impact is one I could not ignore. The two tracks that kick off this record were unlike anything that I had heard this year, and really broadened what I had been listening to prior to. I can appreciate its boundary pushing, experimental take on dance music, while still remaining relatively accessible. This was my first introduction to the group, and i’m definitely looking forward to listening to their catalog of records.
MP3: “First Communion”
MP3: “House Jam”

Elbow
The Seldom Seen Kid (Polydor)
At one point, long ago, I absolutely adored Elbow. It was a time of being a closet anglophile, in which everything I listened to at the time consisted of britpop. Today, i’m not nearly as big a fan of the group, though, I still respected their work. Their past two records were disappointing, and when The Seldom Seen Kid came around – I just didn’t care anymore. Well, as you would expect, I ended up giving it a chance and this record absolutely shines from beginning to end. Don’t believe me? They’ve got this year’s Mercury Prize to prove it.
MP3: “Grounds for Divorce”
Video: “Grounds For Divorce”
Video: “The Bones Of You”

Sigur Rós
Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (XL)
Sigur Rós seem to take the term ‘epic’ to new heights with each release, and this is certainly no different. They’re kind of at a point for me where I don’t expect too much from them, but I remain confident that whatever they do will be consistent. This one tries to reach for something different, but it’s not exactly ground-breaking, which i’m ultimately content with. They don’t need to try and reinvent themselves, just keep creating great music.
MP3: “Festival”
MP3: “Gobbledigook”
Video: “Gobbledigook”
Video: “Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur”

Lykke Li
Youth Novels (LL)
What more can be said about this young lady that hasn’t been mentioned already? Poised to to take over as the new queen of Swedish indiepop with her debut, which if you consider that tiny detail — it’s a pretty damn good debut. It’s a successful pop record, who’s naive, sometimes blunt lyrics can be quite jarring, but can easily grow a fondness for. She’s got a bright future if she can keep this momentum up with her next record.
MP3: “Little Bit”
MP3: “Dance Dance Dance”
Video: “Little Bit”
Video: “Breaking It Up”
Video: “I’m Good, I’m Gone”

Frida Hyvönen
Silence Is Wild (Secretly Canadian)
Along with Lykke Li, this makes two female Swedes to make the list. I’ve always admired Hyvönen’s work; she’s got such an amazing voice which goes without saying, but what makes the new record appealing is the quality production. From the piano compositions, percussion and string arrangements, everything just flows so wonderfully with her exquisite vocals. She should really be garnering more attention, i mean, I haven’t seen this mentioned on any other lists which is a shame.
MP3: “Enemy Within”

School of Seven Bells
Alpinisms (Ghostly)
Really great dreampop record that features the lovely vocals of twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza. At times I think of this sound as some odd electronic reinvention of the Cocteau Twins. I’d consider that a compliment, right? I think it is! There’s a few tracks here that flat out don’t work for me, but overall this is a very solid piece of work.
MP3: “Connjur”
MP3: “Half Asleep”
MP3: “Chain”

M83
Saturdays=Youth (Mute)
I had a love affair with this record for about a month or so leading up to it’s release, and at that time I didn’t think I would listen to anything better this year. It’s nostalgic 80’s angst for the modern teenager, and while the months following the first time I heard this haven’t been kind, I still can’t deny how great those few singles are. Overall, it’s good, but not every track lives up to those singles. I think I just might’ve been asking too much of this album.
MP3: “Kim & Jessie”
MP3: “Graveyard Girl”
Video: “Kim & Jessie”
Video: “Graveyard Girl”

Shugo Tokumaru
Exit (Almost Gold)
This singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Tokyo put out a great album this year. For many, this was our first introduction to it’s fast-paced and exciting blend of acoustic indie-pop. Which given a closer look, is undoubtedly complex, yet delicate and inviting to a casual listener.
MP3: “Parachute”
MP3: “Green Rain”
Video: “Parachute”
Video: “Green Rain”
Video: “Button”

Laura Marling
Alas, I Cannot Swim (Astralwerks)
Probably my second favourite discovery this year came from this bright, soulful teenager (she’s only 18!) from Hampshire. I was curious to check her out after seeing her featured on songs from Mystery Jets and Noah and the Whale. I’m forever thankful that I did, as this debut is just astonishing when you consider her age. She comes across as an old soul, who’s voice feels as if it’s been through years of experience through heartache and loss.
MP3: “Ghosts”
Video: “Night Terror”
Video: “New Romantic”
Video: “Ghosts”
Video: “My Manic & I”
Video: “Cross Your Fingers”

Grouper
Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (Type)
“Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping” – a song that was the soundtrack of many sleepless nights this year. Once I finally got a hold of this album, one song that kept me up through night soon became twelve. Liz Harris’ ethereal vocals are a delight, with the slow-moving swaths of sounds that permeate this record are quite mezmerizing.
MP3: “Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping”
MP3: “Disengaged”
MP3: “Invisible”

The Notwist
The Devil, You + Me (Morr Music)
Six long years after the release of the masterpiece known as Neon Golden, we were finally able to hear something new from Markus Acher. Personally, the album didn’t need to surpass Neon Golden, as I would be perfectly content with it being just “good enough.” Well, it’s certainly that and much more. Everything feels more organic and natural compared to its predecessor. No longer needing to hide behind layers of different electronics, while also making Acher’s vocals feel more prominent. It’s a welcome evolution of The Notwist, and something that i’m hoping will continue in the future.
MP3: “Boneless”
MP3: “Good Lies”

Beach House
Devotion (Carpark)
Beach House have become a group that defies age, as I feel their two albums could be just as good ten years from now as opposed to their respective years of release. I always knew Devotion would be there at the end of the year, but considering this came out in February, I didn’t think it would end up so high on my list. As the months continued to pass by, this album just seemed to continue to grow stronger. The work of both guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally and vocalist/organist Victoria Legrand soar to new heights and seem to effortlessly improve upon the excellence of their self-titled debut. It’s at times hauntingly bare, and easily evokes deep emotions to a chilling effect. It’s simply music to lose yourself in.
MP3: “Gila”
MP3: “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.”
Video: “Gila”
Video: “You Came To Me”
Video: “Heart of Chambers”

Moscow Olympics
Cut The World (Lavender)
Here it is, my favourite album of the year. The fact that this is just a seven-track mini LP could possibly attribute this to being a really poor year for music, but you really need to understand that this is an absolutely stunning debut. From the very first moments of “What Is Left Unsaid,” you’ll notice right away that this Philippine quintet wear their influences on their sleeve. Echoing the best of the likes of New Order, Blueboy, and My Bloody Valentine, each of these songs shimmer with jangling guitars and soft-spoken vocals. It’s deliciously fuzzy dreampop that has delighted me to no end in 2008. By far, my favourite discovery this year.
MP3: “Second Trace”
MP3: “Still”
Video: “Second Trace”
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Pablo’s Picks:

I’m terrible at making lists. Well, not making the lists, but ordering them. So, after struggling for quite a while to make a nice, ordered list, I gave up. Below you’ll find first a list of 35+ albums that made my list, in alphabetical order, followed by my top ten, in order.

Alias :: Resurgam
Anathallo :: Canopy Glow
Basia Bulat :: Oh My Darling
Beach House :: Devotion
Beck :: Modern Guilt
Boy Eats Drum Machine :: Boomboxxx
Calexico :: Carried to Dust
Coldplay :: Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
Death Cab for Cutie :: Narrow Stairs
Decomposure :: Humidity Patient Guide
Deerhunter :: Microcastle
DJ /rupture :: Uproot
Friendly Fires :: Friendly Fires
Girl Talk :: Feed the Animals
Glavegas :: Glasvegas
Gnarles Barkley :: The Odd Couple
Hot Chip :: Made In the Dark
Jamie Lidell :: Jim
Les Philippes :: Odisea Ultramarina
Marching Band :: Spark Large
Mates of State :: Re-Arrange Us
Okkervil River :: The Stand Ins
Pas/Cal :: I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke and Laura
Q-Tip :: The Renaissance
R.E.M. :: Accelerate
Ra Ra Riot :: The Rhumb Line
Santogold :: Santogold
Shearwater :: Rook
Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down :: We Brave Bee Stings & All
The Black Keys :: Attack & Release
The Mighty Underdogs :: Droppin’ Science Fiction
The Submarines :: Honeysuckle Weeks
Tobacco :: Fucked Up Friends
Truckasauras :: Tea Parties, Guns and Valor
Welcome Wagon :: Welcome to the Welcome Wagon
The Very Most :: The Very Most Mixtape
Why? :: Alopecia
Wolf Parade :: At Mount Zoomer

And now, the top 10:

10. Allá :: Es Tiempo
Like no other album this year, this is the one I turned to when I wanted to chill out. This album just floats along in the best way possible.

9. Sigur Rós :: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
What can I say? It’s Sigur Rós.

8. Bon Iver :: For Emma, Forever Ago
I know this first came out in 2007, but I found out about it only after the rerelease. A great, soulful batch of stripped-down songs.

7. David Byrne and Brian Eno :: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Producing one of the best-selling albums of the year wasn’t enough for Brian Eno. He also had to team up with the legendary David Byrne and make one of the best.

6. Fleet Foxes :: S/T
After My Morning Jacket kind of let us down, it was good to see these guys fill that hole. The melodies and harmonies on this one are just wonderful.

5. Elbow :: The Seldom Seen Kid
I never cared too much for these guys, but this album really woke me up to a great band.

4. Flight of the Conchords :: S/T
Two words: binary solo! (Not to mention the business socks.)

3. Air France :: No Way Down
Sampling hasn’t sounded this good since the Avalanches.

2. Flying Lotus :: Los Angeles
In a year filled with great electronic/instrumental hip-hop albums, this album was hands-down my favorite. Like old Prefuse-73, Flying Lotus can twist up hip-hop into equal parts of glitch, boom, and beauty.

1. TV on the Radio :: Dear Science
I have to admit, on this one I’ll end up agreeing with quite a few other year-end lists. But I can’t resist this album. From the day it came out it’s been finding its way into regular rotation in both my iPod and my brain. The band basically took everything I really liked about their older albums and made it into a full album.
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Val’s Picks:

2008 almost seemed like an off year. There were so many good albums in 2007 that some of my favorites from this year were albums that I slept on last year. This year, it’s hard to find a really standout list of stellar albums where everyone agrees: “Yes! THESE are unquestionably the best!” There were a few that made a lot of noise but it seemed like people found their favorites in little pockets here and there, scattered between brief buzz whispers and dark rock clubs. Therefore, there’s very little overlap that I’ve noticed in the very tops of the Best of ‘08 lists…and I kind of like that. Furthermore, for much of 2008 either my internet connection or my computer itself was out of commission. As such, most of my top albums came from bands who impressed me with their live show.

Honorable mentions: Wye Oak :: If Children… and These New Puritans :: Beat Pyramid

10) Sic Alps :: U.S. EZ
On paper, Times New Viking and No Age should be right up my alley, but try as I might…I can’t really take more than two or three songs at a time by either band. Sic Alps on the other hand takes those same elements of lo-fi recording, no wave sensibilities and a noisy punk aesthetic and actually put out a record that was challenging but not so abrasive that I felt the need to hit the “next” button repeatedly.

9) Fleet Foxes :: S/T
I’m under the distinct impression that a lot of people put Fleet Foxes in their top albums solely on the strength of “White Winter Hymnal” which might just be the most haunting track of the year. But basically, this plays like a Shins album, if the Shins listened to more CSNY with only a smattering of The Beach Boys and a few more harrowing tracks. I didn’t listen to it as much as any of the albums listened above (or even as much as any of my Shins collection), but

Cut Copy :: In Ghost Colours
New wave was never really my thing but when I first saw Cut Copy make the entirety of The Black Cat jump (not an easy feat in DC), I knew I had to check out the album. After getting over that initial aversion of hearing yet ANOTHER band that sounds like they’re aping Depeche Mode, I started putting tracks on repeat and dancing. Okay, Cut Copy, you win.

7) Lykke Li :: Youth Novels
She’s a twenty-two year old firecracker with a soft side who can’t decide whether she wants to kick her man to the curb with her spiky heeled boot or timidly admit her affection. The best part about this display of her range of emotion is that she also shows a range of stylistic influences from dance floor jams to ’50s girl group harmonies. Maybe on the next album we’ll hear her break out some raps.

6) Pattern Is Movement :: All Together
For the past couple of years, Pattern Is Movement has been one of those bands that I always respected but never listened to. All Together changed that. Although I have a soft spot in my heart for raucous dissonant guitar work, the happy atmospherics seem to suit them better.

5) Wolf Parade :: At Mount Zoomer
There’s always been an inherent darkness about Wolf Parade, even when they played bouncy tracks like “Grounds for Divorce” and “Disco Sheets.” Here they bring out that darkness in force, as if Apologies to the Queen Mary was meant to start a long night of drinking with At Mount Zoomer to be played afterwards as the raucous drunks start to get more tired, more bitter and more introspective.

4) Jukebox the Ghost :: Live and Let Ghosts
I’ve been singing the praises of Jukebox the Ghost for the past year and with good reason. It takes skill to sing tunes about the devil, the apocalypse and spontaneous combustion with such a sly, lighthearted wink. Their pop actually seems to serve a purpose.

3) Deerhunter :: Microcastle
Deerhunter breaks the rule of bands that made it onto my Best of ‘07 list that continued to release material in ‘08. Not only are they actually on my list again this year, they’ve moved up. Initially, I missed some of the angst that made tracks like “Cryptograms” so engaging. However, the woozy, spaced-out pop that makes for a stronger album as a whole seems a more than fair trade for the noise-ridden angst that only made for a few incredible standout tracks.

2) The Mae Shi :: Hlllyh
Some bands can put out a good album and others can put on a fantastically memorable live show but the two do not always coexist (see: Monotonix.) However, the Mae Shi not only have one of these spastic, audience-engaging live shows filled with tarps and sing-a-longs…but they have an album of frightfully joyful tunes that are as much fun to listen to outside of the dark smoke-filled rooms.

1) The Dodos :: Visiter
This one wasn’t even close and I honestly can’t believe that most of the year end lists of more prominent publications either relegated this one to some unforgiving number or left it off entirely. I can speak to so many things on this album that utterly wowed me: the skillful fingerpicking, the drumbeats as hooks, the fantastic storytelling, etc. But in the end, the composition of memorable song after memorable song has insured that I will be listening to this album as heavily in the years to come as I did this year.

Top 5 albums that I wish I hadn’t slept on in 2007:

5) Battles :: Mirrored
4) Caribou :: Andorra
3) Georgie James :: Places
2) White Rabbits :: Fort Nightly
1) Animal Collective :: Strawberry Jam
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Andie’s Picks:

10. Ra Ra Riot :: Rhumb Line
They were solid in concert and this is a solid album of pop. Taken all in one go it can blend in together and lose its potency but if you take any song out and play it alone it’s obviously a gem.
9. French Kicks :: Swimming
Sweet and melodic, this album can be background or can creep up on you and catch you in its sweet arms.
8. The Black Keys :: Attack & Release
Some good sweet raw rocking comes from the Black Keys. Good for road trips.
7. Ruby Suns :: Sea Lion
Layered and multi-faceted, The Ruby Suns veers between soothing and upbeat. Kenya dig it? Yes I can.
6. Bon Iver :: For Emma, Forever Ago
Slow drawling folk, Bon Iver holds you softy in the hollow of his throat
5. The Dodos :: Visitor
Dynamic duo from San Francisco made my summer with their simple structures and sweet voices, like the rocking parts too
4. Blitzen Trapper :: Furr
Excellent album, reminded me of classic rock, Furr was one of my favorite songs of 2008, solid all the way through
3. Lykke Li :: Youth Novels
Not a fabulous record all the way through, but have to say her beautiful voice and the perfection of the songs that worked kept me listening over and over and over again.
2. Department of Eagles :: In Ear Park
I’m not a huge fan of Grizzly Bear but found this album to be perfectly put together from beginning to end.I loved the slow layered sounds, the guitars and the otherworldly voices.
1. Fleet Foxes :: S/T
Best concert of 2008, so utterly beautiful, they have resurrected something I didn’t know I was missing.
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Andy’s Picks:

1) M83 :: Saturdays=Youth
2) Fleet Foxes :: Fleet Foxes & Sun Giant EP
3) Women :: Women
4) Deerhunter :: Microcastle
5) Beach House :: Devotion
6) The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit) :: ‘The Very Best’ Mixtape
7) Portishead :: Third
Air France :: No Way Down
9) Bonnie “Prince” Billy :: Lie Down in the Light
10) Mount Eerie, Julie Dorion, & Fred Squire :: Lost Wisdom
11) Grouper :: Dragging a Deer Up the Hill
12) Sun Kil Moon :: April
13) Abe Vigoda :: Skeleton
14) Department of Eagles :: In Ear Park
15) Girl Talk :: Feed the Animals
16) Ruby Suns :: Sea Lion
17) Plant & Animals :: Parc Avenue
18) TV on the Radio :: Dear Science
19) Destroyer :: Trouble in Dreams
20) Little Joy :: Little Joy
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Additional posts you may be interested in:

The Yellow Stereo’s Albums of 2009

The Yellow Stereo is three years old

The Yellow Stereo’s Songs of 2008

An Aggregated List of the Top 25 Albums of 2007

The Yellow Stereo on Blog Fresh Radio

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