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After we’ve spent the best part of a month asking our readers (erm, you!), our writers and our press/label friends who released the best records this year; we thought you might like to know the core of this site’s (the writers) opinions; and hopefully mop up any wondrous releases the tragically small 50 spots offered us...
THE SUBBA-CULTCHA.COM WRITER'S CHOICE 2008
THE SUBBA-CULTCHA.COM WRITER'S CHOICE 2008
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Alan Baillie (Edinburgh): 1. Julian Cope ‘Black Sheep’ (Head Heritage): His best work since ‘Peggy Suicide’ Catchy melodies hooked up to heady subject matter has long since been the thing that sets him apart from the rest of the pack. 2. The Termites ‘Kicked In the Teeth’ (Crazy Love): This record is a glorious occasion of psychobilly at its most versatile. Intelligently structured compositions with real fire in the belly that refuse to be stifled. 3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig’ (Mute): The psyche of Charles Bukowski in collaboration with the esotericism of David Lynch. Truly stunning. 4. Glasvegas ‘Glasvegas’ (Creation): 2008 belongs to Glasvegas. Gritty snapshots of council estate sensitivity, love and desperate frustration set against the shimmering backdrop of a rock & roll stripped of modern clichés 5. Ponytail ‘Ice Cream Spiritual’ (We Are Free): It is as transcendent as it is reassuringly comforting. It resembles bewildered garage/punk rock caught up in some sort of erratic fandango evening at a lunatic asylum. |
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Ash Akhtar (London): 1. Gregory and the Hawk - Moenie and Kitchi (Fat Cat): The most sublime record of the year. Meredith Godreau and producer Adam Pierce plumb emotional and musical depths in a unique and altogether American fashion. 2. The Bug - London Zoo (Ninja Tune): Fierce dubstep, ragga and dancehall all rinsed out with some superb MCs and rhymes makes this bass heavy monster a timeless classic. 3. Angil + the Hiddntracks - Ouliposaliva (Chemikal Underground): Dark poetry mixed with a dense brew of hip-hop and jazz - and all without using the letter or key of 'E'. A winning concept album. 4. Johann Johannsson - Fordlandia (4AD): A classical album for the zeros. Consistently beautiful and moving digital and analogue soundscapes.5. Chase and Status - More than a lot (Ram Records): Mixing hip-hop, dubstep and all genres of Drum n' Bass has made this the DnB album to beat. Something that's going to prove very hard to do. |
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Ben Bradford (Leeds): 1. Afterparty Babies – Cadence Weapon (Big Dada): This was the discovery of the year for me. Also known as Rollie Pemberton, the Canadian hip-hopper makes music which is like Basement Jaxx dancing with Kanye West and its irresistible. 2. Mixed Messages – Breaking The Illusion (Nice Things): Apart from Duels they’re the best band to come from Leeds. Fronted by a charismatic Tom Stewart, they’re kind of The Clash meets The Specials meets Dizzee Rascal and more in-between. 3. The Barbarians Move In – Duels (This Is Fake DIY): Apart from Breaking The Illusion they’re the best band to come from Leeds. Dark and scary and damn addictive follow up album from Duels. ‘Regeneration’ alone makes you come back for more. 4. Half Past Calm – Jonphonics (Ill Smith Productions): Brighton based producer Jonphonics sets his stall out with his debut album, which shows a more personal and thought provoking side to hip-hop, intensely so at times. Listen and weep literally. 5. Rock This World – Yes King (Yes King): It’s a champion infusion of reggae, ragga, and hip-hop. This spills with vital enthusiasm from the Yes King duo of Mark Rae (Rae & Christian fame) and Rhys Adams. |
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Brad Barrett (London): 1. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing (ATP/R): Swathes of fuzz, layers of static, cycles of harmonic feedback - it's a storm in heaven being resonated throughout your entire body . 50 minutes of enveloping, soothing, searing noise that ebbs, flows and filters through your ears and head 2. Frank Turner - Love, Ire and Song (Xtra Mile): It may lyrically be almost pathologically honest, it's the music's melodic heights that help these immensely personal songs seem so relevant to my life, and therefore one of the most heartfelt records of 2008” 3. Shield Your Eyes - Shield Your Eyes (Run For Your Life): A late entry, this is a shockingly furious record that perpetrates violent, cascading guitar blues upon disjointed, sonically disarming post-hardcore - utterly unfathomable and incredibly exciting. 4. Why? - Alopecia (Tomlab): Wordplay, flow, instrumentation is all finely produced, filtered and captured in 2008's least definable release - and that's saying something. Hip hop? Folk? It's a stunning, captivating record with it's fair share of poignant moments. 5. Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up Til It Was Light (Best Before): The polar opposite to Fuck Buttons, yet just as immersive. A wondrous pop record that revels in its chaos and mistakes as much as it's irresistible melodic intentions. |
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Callum Galbraith (Manchester): 1. Protest the Hero – Fortress (Vagrant): Absolutely majestic and unsurpassable, the technical ability on display here is astounding. This album is ridiculously accessible whilst leaving no corner unturned as it drills itself into your head, a blinder. 2. Misery Signals – Controller (Ferret): Completely brutal from start to finish, Controller is Misery Signals' declaration of war. With production from Devin Townsend, it sounds flawless and punishing at the same time. 3. Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vol. III & IV: Air & Earth (Vagrant): A completely different direction for Thrice and it paid off completely. Beautiful songs with masses of atmosphere, great for relaxing with. 4. Underoath – Lost in the Sound of Separation (Tooth & Nail): Hitting back with another instant classic, Underoath go even heavier and uncompromising than ever before with this line up. Epic soundscapes combine with discordant riffs to create the band's ultimate sound. 5. Norma Jean – The Anti Mother (Solid State): Sounding as sludgy as ever, Norma Jean's concept album continues where Redeemer left off by hitting hard and hitting fast. This album may not be as heavy as their old records but it's still crushing and keeps them up at the top of the pile. |
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Chris Merriman (Sarf London): 1. Midnight Juggernauts – Dystopia (EMI): Effortlessly the greatest record of the year, with a mixture of French house and Seventies prog, and huge pop sensibilities 2. Does It Offend You, Yeah? – You Don’t Know What You’re Getting Yourself Into (EMI): The future of rock and roll, The New Prodigy, and The best live act in the world, all rolled into one. 3. Dan Le Sac & Scroobius Pip – Angles (Sunday Best): Taking rap and twisting it into a new shape with a laptop beats and intellectual overtones 4. Barth – Cuchillo (Bleepmachine): Barking Frenchman who mixes jazz, indie and ska, and sings songs about spit on apples.... 5. Ladytron – Velocifero (Nettwerk): They just keep getting better and better with every outing... |
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David Evans (London): 1. Dengue Fever - Venus On Earth (Real World): Spellbinding collection of California-meets-Cambodia pop nous. In 'Tiger Phone Card' and 'Sober Driver' we have two of the most heartwarming tracks of the year. 2. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL): Ok, we all know it and take it for granted now but let's not forget what an instant pop thrill it was first time round. Ay ay ay. 3. MGMT - Oracular Spectactular (Virgin): Rumours of ropey live shows notwithstanding MGMT still picked and mixed some of the most uncool elements of 70s and 80s pop and came up with something effortlessly entertaining. 4. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music (rough trade): Still not as good as they could or should be but this album was a step in the right direction for the ornithologist pop mavericks. 5. Bellowhead – Matachin (Navigator): Loads of good folk stuff out this year and the crowds getting younger and younger. Bellowhead are still the go to guys for this kinda stuff. |
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Eddie Thomas (London): 1. Kaki King – Dreaming Of Revenge (Cooking Vinyl): A sublime and potent record from an artist who seamlessly welds incredible technical ability with passion and soul via her unique artistic vision 2. The Rotted – Get Dead Or Die Trying (Metal Blade Europe): Utterly brilliant blast of electrifyingly aggressive death metal – fuck Metallica, this is the most forceful and scalding metal album in years from ANYONE 3. The Steal – The Steal (Get Outta Town Records): Ragingly intense hardcore from the UK’s hottest h/c band 4. Jimi Tenor and Kabu Kabu – 4th Dimension (Sahko Recordings): From the sublime to the ridiculous, Jimi and co. harvest the collective insanity of Frank Zappa and George Clinton to great effect5. LamRatLazIt1st – Viva Sem Fronteiras? (Tuneless Records): Yes – my own record – but easily the most original, powerful and creatively gratifying project I’ve ever been involved in, and still IMHO completely unlike any other band out there – see if you agree : www.projectopus.com/lamratlazit1st |
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Jeremy Chick (London): 1. The Mae Shi – Hlllyh (Moshi Moshi): Noise, screams, hyper energy, chanted break downs and enough madness to power a They Might Be Giants lyric writing session... 2. Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up Til It Was Light (Best Before): The best moments of 90’s alt. Rock given an inspired and driven delivery on modern terms… 3. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires (XL): Electro smattered, funk prodded pop from another world – finally something to rival DFA’s grittier electro/funk/pop without sounding too Timberlake-like... 4. Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies (Big Dada): House music given a Justice-sized Crunking remix with one of the most fluid rappers around, genius...5. Say Anything - In Defence of the Genre (Vagrant): So much anger, So many tunes, a mess of ideas sprawled across 2 discs, and as it predicted, it saved the emo genre from falling down a pop sized flight of stairs! |
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John Mutch (Norwich): 1. TV On the Radio – Dear Science (4AD): Brooklyn’s finest alt-rockers return with some flashy pop hooks to compliment their trademark synthesis of off-beat melodies and texture-rich compositions. Dear Science is unfashionable, anti-stadium indie perfection. 2. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (4AD): Love sick fella withdraws to isolated woodland retreat, does more than chop wood. Justin Vernon’s cathartic collection of ethereal acoustics could only be matched by his irresistible falsetto. 3. Metronomy – Nights Out (Because): Oddball Joseph Mount returns, this time with a microphone and friends. Built on childlike bouncy beats and downbeat keyboard notes, this unlikely floor filler is the best dance album of 08. 4. Noah and the Whale – Peaceful the World Lays Me Down (Young and Lost Club): This brass-inflected nu-folk collective may have been tainted by their mind-drilling, radio-wave hogging single, but look beyond and you’ll discover an album that’s one of the most precious of the year. 5. RZA – Digi Snacks (Koch): He may be a big shot Hollywood player these days, but RZA certainly hasn’t forgotten his Wu-Tang roots. This year’s effort is an album made by a true pro – a voice synthesizer free, gritty rhyme-filled master class in rap from one of the genre’s true pioneers. |
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Leni (Reading): 1. Metallica - Death Magnetic (Elektra): Back on form, reminds me of Reading 08 2. Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair (DFA): Beautiful and innovative 3. Kings of Leon - Only by The Night (RCA): Highlight of the year, great band 4. Pete & The Pirates - Little Death (Stolen): Simply brilliant 5. The Kills - Midnight Boom (Domino): Dark and dirty |
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Lucy Smith (London): 1. Bon Iver-For Emma Forever Ago (4AD): Contemplated just voting for this over and over again. An album with a back-story that makes it feel very genuine. Nothing else sounds like this. 2. Santogold-Santogold (Warner): In a year of plentiful female solo artists, she has done it the best. Pop from a quirky, alternative angle that maintains a high standard between the singles. 3. TV On The Radio-Dear Science (4AD): They kept it TVOTR but managed to move forwards more successfully than on the last album. 4. Fleet Foxes-Fleet Foxes (Bella Union): This year's Band of Horses. Songs to soothe and give you goose pimples. 5. Frightened Rabbit-The Midnight Organ Fight (Fat Cat): The indie version of Biffy-all Scottish accents and heartfelt (albeit a bit Irvine Welsh in places) lyrics. |
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Lewis Morton (Norwich): 1. Jeremy Warmsley - How we became (Transgressive): Mr Warmsley builds on the promise shown by his debut LP with this effort. A more mature, considered affair, it's the most complete album of the year and Jeremy Warmsley is surely the UK's most talented solo artist at present? 2. Noah and the Whale - Peaceful The World Lays Me Down (Young And Lost Club): Forget the fact that they're now darlings of the mainstream, this band have enchanted me since I first saw them at festivals last summer and they write fantastically affecting music. 3. Mystery Jets - Twenty One (679): The tricky second album; yet unlike many bands who appeared at the same time, the Mystery Jets delivered an album far more cohesive than their first and in doing so confirmed their status as one of the most important bands in the country. 4. Foals - Antidotes (Transgressive): An album underpinned by machine like drumming and assisted by the best production I've heard this year, this album dispels the notion of Foals being nothing but a hype band 5. Johnny Flynn - A Larum (Vertigo): An album full of bijou charms, Johnny Flynn has an incredible voice and writes insightful, articulate lyrics. He's no slouch on the guitar either and this could be the album I've played most in 2008. |
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Lisa Wright (London): 1. Late Of The Pier- Fantasy Black Channel (Parlophone): Unquestionably the most original, exciting and downright insane album to come out for yonks. One of those records that makes you wonder why you bother ever listening to anything else. 2. Los Campesinos!- Hold On Now Youngster... & We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (Wichita): I'm gonna cheat and put both down 'cos releasing two amazing albums in less than a year gets you extra kudos points.. 3. Jeremy Warmsley- How We Became (Transgressive): This is what all the current batch of chart-topping folkies should aim for. Sonic beauty in it's purest form from a voice that could warm the stoniest of hearts, and a completely entrancing live act. 4. The Kills- Midnight Boom (Domino): The Kills are the ultimate in nonchalant cool & their music is dirty, grungy & fantastic without even trying. 5. MGMT- Oracular Spectacular (Columbia): There's little to say on this one that hasn't already been said ten times over. The woozy soundtrack to long summer nights, and an album with literally not one even slightly duff track on it- which is a lot more impressive than it may sound. |
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Mandy Williams (Liverpool): 1. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (V2): Friends of vampire Weekend deliver a requiem for a lost friend. A heartfelt piece of string driven beauty. 2. Hot Club De Paris - Live At Deadlake (Universal): Liverpool's hottest export muse on ghosts, bricks and sparrows. 3. The Wedding Present - El-Rey (Pinnacle): The seventh album from the indie godfathers. More fabulous tales of doomed love from the king of the broken-hearted. 4. Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off Lavender Bridge (Domino): Ex Test Icicles Dev swaps crossover thrash punk for folksy orchestral Americana with an edge care of Brighteyes producer 5. The Envy Corps - Dwell (Mercury): Iowan band sound like an orchestra playing at a ceilidh. These luscious musical pastures are momentarily life changing. |
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Matt Merritt (Portsmouth): Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig (Mute): Cave and co’s most aggressive record to date, blends the best of the bad seeds with some choice Grinderman to create something truly special. Turned an artist I respected into one of my absolute favourites. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (Rough Trade): Their best album to date, blends all that has gone before to make something very special indeed. Oli Brown - Open Road (Ruf): Some of the best Blues Rock I’ve ever heard, played by a trio of teenagers. Full of attitude, swagger and most of all skill. If you haven’t heard Oli already you really are missing out. Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and The True Loves - Roll With You (Q Division): Does everything the likes of Winehouse and Duffy have tried to do, except this sounds genuine. That I played this to someone and they asked which Otis Redding album it was should say it all…AC/DC -Black Ice (Columbia): Lets be hones, this could have been the worst album ever made and it would still be here, it’s just great to have the guys back! |
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Melissa York (London): 1. Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up Till It Was Light (Best Before): An unashamedly upbeat, British album that spurts fervent jets of originality from its every orifice. 2. The Futureheads - This is Not the World (Nul Records): A criminally underappreciated band who've fought the system that abused them, and fucking won! 3. Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim (Virgin Records): The quality of the songwriting from someone so young makes me want give up and just eat chocolate fingers for a living. 4. Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - Angles (Sunday Best): Just what the doctor ordered for the UK Hip-Hop scene: poetry in lotion. 5. Santogold - Santogold (Lizard King): If Barack Obama can win over America, then surely Santogold's musically diverse, intelligent pop should conquer the charts. That's all I'm saying. |
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Philip Goodfellow (London): 1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Bella Union): One of the most precious discoveries of the year 2. Eastern Conference Champions - Ameritown (Universal/Island): As blisteringly fantastic as it is woefully underrated 3. Foals - Antidotes (Transgressive): The band which grabbed the baton of intelligent, relevant British rock music from Bloc Party and sprinted off with it 4. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL): Africa meets preppy in surprisingly perfect union 5. Brett Anderson - Wilderness (DiS): A gorgeous set of songs from the irrepressible Britpop survivor |
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Sara Curtis (London): Patti Plinko and Her Boy – Dada Noir (None): The world needs to be more aware of Patti Plinko. Together with her Boy she creates awesome dramatic ukulele folk with huge cabaret undertones Blood Red Shoes – Box of Secrets (Mercury): Brighton’s finest exports, this simplistic duo create a ferocious, driven racket that is captured perfectly on this album. The Presets – Apocalypso (Universal): ‘Beams’ by The Presets is one of my favourite albums, and ‘Apocalypso’ is nearly as good. The Presets have mastered dirty, grinding electronica in to a fine art. The Notwist – The Devil, You + Me (City Slang): This is such a mellow, relaxing album but at the same time it’s intense and enthralling. A bit like Radiohead, but a bit… not. Foals – Antidotes (Transgressive): Okay, so this is a little bit overplayed and hyped up, but at the end of the day this is a really good indie-pop record. |
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Stevie Chick (London): 1. Erykah Badu, NuAmerykah Part One: The Fourth World War (Motown) 2. Abe Vigoda, Skeleton (Bella Union) 3. The Bug, London Zoo (Ninjatune) 4. Cadence Weapon, Afterparty Babies (Big Dada) 5. Koushik, Out My Window (Stones Throw) |
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Tim Mass Movement (Bridgend): Artillery – Terror Squad CD (Metal Mind): Re-issue of one of the greatest thrash albums of all time, like Merciful Fate praying at the altar of the chugga-chugga riff. The re-issue made me feel like I was sixteen again…Well, apart from me dodgy knee’s., bad back, yadda, yadda… White Skull – Public Glory, Secret Agony CD (Metal Mind): Everything that power metal should be – completely over the top, overblown, chock full of pomp and drama. Theatrical metal at it’s finest… Annihilation Time – III: Tales Of The Ancient Age CD (Reflections): Reminds me of the first time I heard Black Flag, got the same tingle. The same shivers down me spine…Flag meets Thin Lizzy, does it get any better? Bad Reaction – Had It Coming (Reflections): A good year for Reflections, as Bad Reaction summed everything that was great about early 80’s USHC and then some. Almost like the major’s never got their greasy paws on punk rock, Bad Reaction reinvent the wheel in grand old style…Stupids – Reissues (Boss Tuneage) Okay, so it’s four records, but they count as one because I can’t single just one out. Everything that was great about the late 80’s UKHC scene summed up in single band. Almost as good as having a time machine… |
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Tom Genower (London):
1.Ungdomskulen - Cry -Baby 2. Metronomy - Nights Out 3. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Ros 4. Modern Guilt - Beck 5. Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt 80 - Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt |
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Will Holloway (London): 1. Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel (Parlophone): This bizarre and brilliant debut effort from Castle Donnington's electro-prog pop princes went above and beyond our high expectations. 2. Midnight Juggernauts - Dystopia (EMI): King Crimson, Daft Punk, and David Bowie in a rocketship to planet Dancetopia: bloomin' brilliant! 3. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music (Rough Trade): A return to form from the bird-loving boys from Brighton. It's the perfect balance between epic and eccentric. 4. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (Last Gang): Hyped to the heavens they may be, but no one can deny that this album is some mighty fine electro. 5. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (4AD): This album snuck up on us slightly unnoticed at the end of this year and totally blew us away. A perfect piece of 60's tinged indie-pop. |
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