50 best tunes of 2008
6 December
First, the usual disclaimer : this list isn’t intended to represent anything except the music that I’ve enjoyed in the past year. I’m proud of it though. I’ve listened as widely as I can from among the thousands of artists who’ve released records this year to bring you the best music that I can find, and songs that do justice to each of the artists selected. Many big names haven’t made my list, generally because I wasn’t excited enough by what I’ve heard from them.
It may sound obvious, but I’ve tried only to include songs first released in 2008. This has meant excluding some songs released last year that became hits in 2008, and even songs from albums released in 2008 which were previously released as singles in 2007.
The links work as follows :
Click on the artist name to go to their myspace page
Click on the song title to see a youtube video of the song
Click on the album title (in brackets) to go to a page on amazon or elsewhere where you can buy the album
This will be the format that I will be using in future lists.
50 Slipknot – All hope is gone (All hope is gone)
Lead track from the 4th album from the thrash metal band from Iowa, which debuted at number one in the Billboard 200. Not to be taken too seriously : a great song to yell to, or leap up and down to in a frenzied fashion.
49 The Kills – Sour Cherry (Midnight Boom)
The Kills is a collaboration between American vocalist and guitarist Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince. Turning their backs on their former rock careers, and shunning all interest from major record labels, they renamed themselves VV and Hotel respectively and began writing sparse, minimalist songs together with the aid of a drum machine. On their 3rd album Midnight Boom, the duo mix in an impressive assortment of electronic beats and pop hooks. I don’t follow celebrity news, but I gather that Hince has been spending 2008 in an on-off relationship with the tiresome Kate Moss.
48 Ray LaMontagne – Let It Be Me (Gossip in the grain)
He quit his job in a shoe factory to start a new career as a singer songwriter. On this his third album his songs have a real emotional depth.
47 Cat Power – Song to Bobby (Jukebox)
The only original song on her latest covers album, this is about her first meeting with her idol Bob Dylan.
46 Robby Hecht – Two tickets (Late last night)
Debut album release from the soulful singer songwriter from Tennessee. The cheaply recorded video doesn’t do justice to this beautiful song.
45 Tracy Chapman - Sing for you (Our bright future)
The Grammy award winning singer songwriter from Cleveland Ohio is back, and is my November BOTM (band of the month).
44 My Brightest Diamond – Inside a boy (A Thousand Sharks’ Teeth)
My Brightest Diamond is New York’s Shara Worden. Her 2nd album was originally written for a string quartet, but evolved to include a wide and eclectic range of instruments. On this song the familiar guitar pounds the rhythm as she sings about stars colliding.
43 Ben Watt – Guinea Pig (Guinea Pig)
First single for three years from Buzzin’ Fly label boss, Ben Watt (formerly one half of Everything but the Girl). Deep, fluid club music.
42 Jamie Lidell – Another Day (Jim)
He’s a British guy, who’s experimented in electronic music. But the album is pure soul, with strong upbeat melodies that could have come straight from Stevie Wonder’s back catalogue.
41 Detroit Social Club – Rivers and Rainbows (Rivers and Rainbows / Silver)
Debut single from my October BOTM, the six piece band from Tyneside.
40 Times New Viking – The end of all things (Rip it Off)
Three piece band from Columbus Ohio whose trademark is a militantly lo-fi approach to music making. The danger is that the amateurish production and use of feedback come across as just another gimmick; but these guys are for real, and they know how to write a good song.
39 One Day As A Lion - If You Fear Dying (One Day As A Lion)
Collaboration between former Rage against the Machine front man Zack de la Rocha and former The Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore. On the evidence of this 5 track EP, it’s a promising new direction for Zack. His aggressive vocal style and hard hitting politically conscious lyrics benefit from the the more stripped down musical arrangements.
38 The Mountain Firework Company – Love is a rose (Samurai )
Brighton group who’ve been described as “swampy alternative bluegrass with a dark treacle folk centre”. From their self produced live second album.
37 Aruba Red – Who am I (Aruba Red)
She is Natascha Eleonoré, daughter of Jack Bruce, who was bass guitarist for 1960s supergroup Cream. Natascha studied philosophy at university and didn’t start singing until she was 21. Her songs are intelligent, politically conscious, and soulful. Her debut album (available on itunes) was produced by Bacon & Quarmby who seem to have done a great job on it.
36 The Bug & Tippa Irie – Angry (London Zoo)
A recording whose influences include ragga, grime, noise and dubstep may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but London Zoo captures the dark, edgy, innovative side of London’s underground culture. Here Tippa Irie, one of several guest vocalists on the album, plays the part of grumpy old man.
35 Morgan Page Feat Lissie – The Longest Road (Deadmau5 Remix) (Elevate)
This is progressive house, apparently, but don’t let that put you off. One of the year’s most addictive dance tracks.
34 Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – Swimming Pools (We Brave Bee Stings and All)
Song bristling with energy by the San Francisco based group about a wet T-shirt competition. ‘It was spring break and my friends persuaded me to go to this beach town. I don’t even like wearing a bathing suit. This was so depressing, total objectification. These incredibly drunk women walked down a runway and got sprayed, and the guys stood on a balcony and cheered or booed them off stage depending on how big their breasts are. The power dynamic was so unsettling. That was, like, the last time I interacted with men outside my band!’
33 Benga – Pleasure (Dairy of an Afro Warrior )
Wikipedia informs me that dubstep music “has its roots in London’s early 2000s UK garage scene … Musically, dubstep is distinguished by its dark mood, sparse rhythms, and emphasis on bass”. This isn’t a dark track though : it’s melodic and sexy.
32 Q-Tip feat Raphael Saadiq – Fight/ Love (The Renaissance)
Q-Tip, so named because he comes from Queens NYC, is best known for his work with A Tribe Called Quest. This number is laid back hip hop with a jazz funk groove.
31 Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell – Come On Over (Turn Me On)
(Sunday At Devil Dirt)
Another deliciously retro song from this creative partnership : Campbell supplies the songs, which are dominated by Lanegan’s husky vocals.
30 Nitin Sawhney feat Natty – Days of fire (London Undersound)
The singer Natty personally witnessed the July 2005 bombings in London. He was a few metres away from the number 30 bus when it exploded in Tavistock Square; a few weeks later, he was on the tube train at Stockwell station when Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police. Caspar Llewelyn Smith writes in the Observer “Rather than agit-prop, the approach is personal; set against Sawhney’s acoustic guitar is the refrain ‘it all went slow motion … now we’re all in slow motion’, and as well as freezing the action and pain, the blurring of confusion is felt, too.”
29 Portishead – The Rip (Third)
From the first studio album for 11 years from the English trip hop pioneers, this song has the rare distinction of having been covered by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, whose acoustic performance of it is also on video.
28 Elbow - The Bones Of You (The Seldom Seen Kid)
Great lyrics, about a man who can’t escape the memories of his lost love, from the 2008 Mercury music prize winning album.
27 Shearwater – Rooks (Rook)
Texan Jonathon Meiburg left Okkervil River in 2008 to concentrate on his other band Shearwater, as they released their fifth album. Meiburg is an avid ornithologist, and Shearwater and several of their songs are named after birds. Rooks, he says, is “not an ‘apocalyptic’ song, as it’s been called many times; I was trying to talk about the ways in which we’re changing the old world into something new. “
26 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – We call upon the author (Dig ! Lazarus Dig ! )
Nick Cave : “It’s an old-fashioned screed, which is an actual form of writing, where you sit down and make a longwinded complaint about something. You know, Rock and Roll’s littered with that sort of thing. That was my attempt at a screed, asking why certain things happen, from the tiny, tiny things to the big things and I guess there’s a certain playfulness about which of the kind of two universes, my creative one, me being the author, or God’s creative one are we actually talking about and stuff sometimes. But me and God are the authors… God and I.”
25 Karan Casey - Black Is The Colour (Ships in the Forest)
“It has taken all my years as a singer to come to the point of feeling confident enough to tackle the big songs within the traditional repertoire.” Irish folk singer Karan justifies her decision to cover some traditional classics on her 5th solo album by beautifully measured vocal performances such as this, with the piano accompaniment putting an even greater focus on her singing.
24 Heidi Talbot – If you stay (In love and light)
Formerly a singer with the Irish American group Cherish the Ladies, Heidi launched In Love and Light at the Celtic Connections festival in January 2008.
23 The Gutter Twins – Idle hands (Saturnalia)
Amazon sums them up like this : “Saturnalia, the debut album by The Gutter Twins, brings together two long-standing veterans of the ’90s alternative rock scene–Greg Dulli, the soulful voice behind the Afghan Whigs, and Mark Lanegan of psych-tinged grungers Screaming Trees and latterly, Queens of the Stone Age. Both gentlemen being, shall we say, personalities, Saturnalia could easily have come off as the musical version of the town that ain’t big enough for the both of them. Agreeably, though, the pair appear to have learnt to live–indeed, thrive–in one another’s company.”
22 The Black Keys – Strange Times ( Attack & Release)
Honest blues rock which sounds as if it could have been recorded in the early 70s, which is probably why I like it (though it was actually produced by Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley fame).
21 Mamadou Diabaté - bi allahlake (Douga Mansa)
Malian kora player Mamadou Diabate, who now lives and works in the United States, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2007. On his fourth album, Douga Mansa (The King’s Vulture), he reworks a series of traditional melodies. This tune flows like a river and you never want it to stop.
20 Lila Downs y Bunbury – Justicia (Shake Away)
Lila writes in her myspace profile “I was born de Mixteca mother and Scottish leftist Father… I had to find my voice …am still looking… grew up in Tlaxiaco Oaxaca, in the mountains and Minneapolis, Minnesota… Ran into Paul in Candela! a hippie hangout and started sharing songs and dreams with him…still looking to find peace within and love on the journey….” A big song to grab you and get you singing along or dancing to the Latin rhythm.
19 Sigur Ros – Ara Batur (Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust)
The Icelandic group took their name from the singer’s sister Sigurrós, who was born the same day as the band was formed. Slow plaintive song with piano accompaniment.
18 Erykah Badu – Soldier (New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) )
A song sparkling with soul, creativity and social consciousness. This is Erykah’s first full studio recording in five years, but as she explains, “I’m more like an oven than a microwave. I don’t quickly serve something up just because people expect me to. I serve it up when it is well done, cooked and ready. I go by the lifeline, not by the deadline. I believe in lifelines not deadlines. I do it when I feel it. Deadline seems like some kind of finalization of a thing. Lifeline is when it is born and it starts to live. A lifeline gives birth to something and giving birth is a process.” She added “My first job is being a mother. That comes before anything for me. And that helps me to be as creative as I am.” Recently she announced that she was pregnant with her 3rd child (with 3 different fathers).
17 Frightened Rabbit – Keep Yourself Warm (The Midnight Organ Fight)
Four piece rock band from Selkirk in Scotland. In this song Scott Hutchison paints a picture of human loneliness and desperation, but with such power and passion that you can’t help but to sing along.
16 Fuck Buttons – Colours Move (Street Horrrsing)
Pitchfork : “Brits Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power formed the group in 2004 with the goal of creating pain-inducing noise music, but soon became curious about mixing in prettier sounds, and adding structure and melody to their brutal tracks. Still, they never lost the aggression and abstraction of their noise leanings: They’re not afraid to let a beat pound forever, or let a drone wash slowly, or let a pedal loop endlessly. Where more traditional groups might worry that a part goes on too long, Fuck Buttons seem fascinated by what will happen if it does, riding it just past the point of expectation before hitting you with the next big switch-up. It’s a trick that gives Street Horrrsing a sense of constant tension, with another surprise detonation always looming around the corner.”
15 Laura Marling – The Captain And The Hourglass (Alas I Cannot Swim)
The 18 year old singer songwriter from Hampshire England has been recording new material – so look out for a second album in 2009. Here’s a dark fable from the critically acclaimed debut album.
14 Miss Kittin - Metalhead (Batbox)
Miss Kittin is the French DJ and vocalist Caroline Hervé. She says “I get quickly bored when I listen to the same sound. DJs have to take risks, without only thinking about what people want to hear.” This track evokes for me a dark and dangerous sexy underworld.
13 Antony And The Johnsons – Another World (Another World EP)
Early 2008 saw the release of an album by a Antony Hegarty side project, Hercules & the Love Affair. This was a decent album, but lacked the magic of ‘I am a bird now’. The songs from this EP, which are a taster for a new album out in January 2009, represent a return to form – hauntingly emotional, and centred on Hegarty’s unique voice. This song is about his relationship with the natural environment.
12 Immortal Technique - Open Your Eyes (The 3rd World)
Revolutionary hip hop. From the lyrics : ‘Once upon a time, we were told that nationalization would prevent growth by limiting competition, that our countries were nothing without the companies that invested in us and so they privatized everything, everything in our country was owned by people that had no connection to our culture, by those who never had our interests at heart, they didn’t care about our survival or well being, they just wanted to turn a profit by raping our land, by exploiting our people, our industry and our resources. They took everything we built and made it theirs, first by creating racism to justfiy slavery, building the capital for capitalism and then when they gave us what they call liberty, everything we had was still owned by them, our governments told us that socialism was the real enemy and that we would have freedom, but the foreign powers and corporations were the ones with the real freedom.’
11 The Last Shadow Puppets – Meeting Place (The Age of the Understatement)
Arctic Monkey Alex Turner and Rascal Miles Kane seem to be made for each other – great harmonies, killer song.
10 My Morning Jacket – Librarian (Evil Urges)
An ode to sexy bespectacled librarians, from the innocent days before Sarah Palin came along.
9 Bon Iver – Skinny Love (For Emma, Forever Ago)
Very raw and emotional out-of-love song. Bon Iver is the current band of Wisconsin indie folk singer songwriter Justin Vernon.
8 Atmosphere – Guarantees (When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold)
Alternative hip hop duo from Minneapolis. Springsteen fans will know what I mean when I say that When life gives you lemons is their Nebraska moment. In a departure from their previous releases, this album relies largely on live instrumentation, while Slug tells third person narratives about the day to day problems of blue collar workers.
7 Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Wukun (Gurrumul)
The sweet voiced blind Aboriginal singer is my December BOTM.
6 James McMurtry – Ruby and Carlos (Just us kids)
Like his father, Pulitzer prize winning novelist Larry McMurtry, Texan James McMurtry produces here a piece of classic Americana, an epic narrative of American working class life. The obvious comparison is with Springsteen, but Springsteen himself never recorded anything as authentic as this. Carry on listening after the song to hear McMurtry talking about his support for Veterans for Peace.
5 Goldfrapp – Clowns (Seventh Tree)
Delicate, sensual number that gives pleasure every time I hear it.
4 Glasvegas - Geraldine (Glasvegas)
Magnificent anthem for social workers everywhere from my September BOTM.
3 Santogold – Shove It (Santogold)
My July BOTM. “I’m really interested in rhythm and melody. My delivery is always rhythmic and based largely around the bassline. I also love old grimy analog sounds, which is why I derive much of my style from punk influences. And as far as melody and vocal sound, I like playing with my voice and challenging myself to find new vocal sounds and styles. I also love awkward harmonies.”
2 Toumani Diabate – Cantelowes (The Mandé Variations)
They don’t come any better than this. Spellbinding instrumental music by the master of the kora.
1 British Sea Power – Waving flags (Do You Like Rock Music? )
“Our most popular song from the album, ‘Waving Flags’, is about welcoming Polish people to Britain. It’s the good side of Britishness, not ‘keep everyone out’. We’re not nostalgic, and nor do we have any weird ideas of what Britain is. ” Soaring, uplifting rock music.
