Nov 11 2008 2:50 pm,
1.
Elbow
‘The Seldom Seen Kid’
(Fiction)
When we counted through the votes for album of the year, Elbow were MILES in front of everyone. It doesn’t just show how the Bury five-piece have morphed from plucky nearlymen to national treasures but also a clear underlining of how universally loved – and deservedly so – their fourth album is. The likes of ‘The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver’’s and ‘One Day Like This’ are intimately epic songs that reveal a band at the top of their game and also show that, hey, even the Mercury judges get it right once in a while… (ND)
2.
MGMT
‘Oracular Spectacular’
(Columbia)
Streaking a luminous, psychedelic rainbow across 2008’s horizon, MGMT’s debut revealed a band bursting at the seams with rampant, wide-eyed creativity. Its UK release date brought forward three months early due to the amount of people buying it on import, ‘Oracular Spectacular’ stole hippydom back from the crusties and injected a Summer Of Love vibe into eardrums across the land. This is psyche-pop at its most blissfully brilliant; the star-gazing, spaced-out swirls of ‘Time To Pretend’, ‘Kids’ and ‘Electric Feel’ perfectly capture mind-expanding imagination that made albums in 2008 so great. (ND)
3.
Fleet Foxes
‘Fleet Foxes’
(Bella Union)
After their dominating arrival at SXSW, a sublime teaser EP and considerable hype on the blogosphere, nothing was quite preparation enough for the gorgeous assault of Fleet Foxes' landmark debut into the breathtaking wilderness of their choral, soft-psyche folk. Months later, it remains as satisfying and as powerful: stupefying hymnbook harmonies and pitted chamber-pop folk narratives, layered over enduring poetic imagery and a neat turn of phrase. Their sound is self-assured, sublimely retro but unpredictably timeless – probably the most beautiful and perfectly structured baroque-harmonic-pop-jams you could ever conceive. (JEK)
4.
Late Of The Pier
‘Fantasy Black Channel’
(Parlophone)
Whoever said glam stomp, post punk, shimmering electro, psychedelic space rock and soaring pop couldn’t sit together sweetly on one album? Late Of The Pier proved themselves to be British music’s most cleverly out-there innovators this year with this thrilling debut offering which, bizarrely, seemed to get more and more brilliantly outlandish with each listen. “Pineapple pieces in brine, fucking around with your mind” they shrieked nonsensically on ‘Heartbeat’, just one of the album’s many highlights. Watching them try to top this is going to be fun. (CP)
5.
Kings Of Leon
‘Only By The Night’
(Columbia)
Topping ‘Because Of The Times’, one of the finest albums of the decade, was never going to be an easy task. But, with a slight tweak in their trajectory, largely due to a baffling lack of breakthrough in their home country, KOL used 2008 to shift from yelps’n’riffs to anthems’n’choruses, with US radio firmly in mind. A pretty mental step for a band who are already big enough to headline Glastonbury. As a result, ‘Only By The Night’ is a more streamlined, ear-bludgeoning burst of pulse-racing Springsteen and U2 massiveness. (JJD)
6.
Foals
‘Antidotes’
(Trangressive)
A huge weight of expectation and hype was no problem for Foals, who this year saw off the naysayers with an infectious belter of a first release, all twittering riffs, horns and danceable frantic rhythms. Smart stuff. (CP)
7.
Vampire Weekend
‘Vampire Weekend’
(Abeano)
Arriving in February, VW set an early standard in 2008 that was never surpassed. Testimony to the album’s omnipotence came at Reading, where the entire tent was not only singing every word but la-la-ing every addictive riff. Jugular-piercing stuff. (SB)
8.
TV On The Radio
‘Dear Science’
(4AD)
‘Dear Science’ may have been a little poppier than TV On The Radio’s previous efforts, but its killer mix of tribal percussion, searing riffs, synths and soaring melodies did not disappoint. Mesmerising. (CP)
9.
Glasvegas
‘Glasvegas’
(Columbia)
All the feelings you’ve ever felt – the excitement of watching your first FA Cup Final, the grief of first losing someone close – are resurrected on Glasvegas’ debut and played out to a heart-stopping indie-Motown soundtrack. (JK)
10.
Johnny Foreigner
‘Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light’
(Best Before)
Arriving in a splatter of Sonic Youth guitars and Pixies screeches, Johnny Foreigner proved there’s more to Brum than The Twang, all but erasing the memory with a hi-octane, no-pause-for-breath debut. Brilliant. (ND)
11.
Santogold
‘Santogold’
(Lizard King)
Eclectic, exotic and just the right amount of crazy, this year Santogold stepped out from behind the production desk and became the MIA is was easier to like. (MJ)
12.
Wild Beasts
‘Limbo, Panto’
(Domino)
Part eccentric English pastoral rock, part Beck-nightmare, Wild Beasts’ quite extraordinary debut managed to sideswipe our ears with a gloopy, wistful joy that made us yearn for jam and marmite sandwiches whilst watching footy. (JS)
13.
Lightspeed Champion
‘Falling Off The Lavender Bridge’
(Domino)
A touchingly earnest reaction to being trapped in a vacuous, hedonistic lifestyle, Dev Hynes bared his tortured, neurotic soul and proved himself as one of our generation’s most quirkily gifted songwriters. (ST)
14.
Mystery Jets
‘21’
(Sixsevenine)
Mystery Jets hit their stride, and the second album ‘21’ gave us two of the best pop gems of the year in the form of ‘Two Doors Down’ and ‘Young Love’. (MJ)
15.
Neon Neon
‘Stainless Style’
(Lex)
Gruff Rhys is one of the most naturally-talented musicians on the planet, and in tandem with the groovy Boom Bip helped create a dancetastic album based on the life of John DeLorean. Effortless style. (JS)
16.
Deerhunter
‘Microcastle’
(4AD)
Deerhunter's third album exceeded the high expectations set by the first. Engaging and emotive, it's a moving musical experience that everyone should hear. (MP)
17.
Laura Marling
‘Alas I Cannot Swim’
(Virgin)
This haunting collection of totally beguiled, gothic love songs totally enveloped our hearts this year. Drawing influences from Bonnie Prince Billy and PJ Harvey, her trembling voice captures modern-day folktale with absolute grace. (HG)
18.
British Sea Power
‘Do You Like Rock Music?’
(Rough Trade)
What a question: of course we do, lads. And we goddamn loved it wrapped up by our favourite nature-loving Brighton-via-Kendal madheads. Trippy and aggressive at equal turn, BSP’s third album redefined what it was to rock. (JS)
19.
Metronomy
‘Nights Out’
(Because Music)
If there’s one thing remarkable about 2008 it’s the innovation. Thanks to their ambition and experimentation, Metronomy - alongside Late Of The Pier and Crystal Castles - tick the box of electro-pioneers. (ST)
20.
Friendly Fires
‘Friendly Fires’
(XL)
Friendly Fires’ eponymous, self-produced debut is a myriad of glistening, thriving and seductive disco. Cow bell-laden percussion is laid over Tom Vek styled jauntiness to create a euphoric mix of lush pop. (HG)
21.
Sigur Ros
‘Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust’
(EMI)
A slightly different approach from the Icelandic post-rock masters, but ‘Með suð í eyrum…’ sees the band as majestic, beautiful and ethereal as ever. Truly moving stuff. (MP)
22.
Bon Iver
‘For Emma, Forever Ago’
(4AD)
‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ sounds like it was recorded in a Wisconsin log cabin in the winter. Which it was. Fragile, broken beauty that exposes the brittle bones of human emotion. (MP)
23.
Cage The Elephant
‘Cage The Elephant’
(Relentless)
Cage The Elephant arrived looking like The Rolling Stones, The Stooges and G’N’R all at once and the best new rock’n’roll band in the world’s debut is fearless and life-affirming. (JK)
24.
The Kills
‘Midnight Boom’
(Domino)
The Kills saw their simple yet sexy nouveau-garage strut back into fashion with the backing of Gossip Girl and Kate Moss, finally getting their overdue centre spotlight on the tabloid stage. (VMD)
25.
White Denim
‘Workout Holiday’
(Full Time Hobby)
‘Workout Holiday’ is an exhausting clatter of an album, melding Minutemen non-stop-ness onto cool-as-fuck Hendrix guitar licks, fragmented Motown basslines and frontman James Petralli’s spectacular, soulful, howl. (JJD)
Words: Stephen Brolan, Niall Doherty, JJ Dunning, Lisa Durrant, Molly Jones, Johnny K, Jeremy Kingsley, Iain Moffat, Mischa Pearlman, Camilla Pia, Andy Slocombe, Sophie Thomsett, Vicky McNaught-Davis
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