Best albums of 2008

Best albums

1.Deerhunter/Atlas Sound- Microcastle+ Weird Era/Let the blind...

I've put all Brandon Cox's projects together because I'm lazy, and the projects are all kinda tied together. It's been his year, really. Microcastle is a lesser album than Cryptograms, more muted by it's 50s/60's influences but has 3 or 4 great songs in Never Stops, Little Kids and Twilight...- these songs combine the lush fuzziness with the breezy 60's pop to the best effect. Weird Era I like even more- they seem to have saved the more experimental material for this album, and its pretty refreshing after what I'd consider quite conventional song structures in Microcastles. VHS Dream and Slow Swords especially are absolutely gorgeous.

Let the blind... is a more stately affair than the Deerhunter records, seems much more steeped in the shoegaze template. Ativin and Recent Bedroom are my favourites off the record.

2. Beach House-Devotion

First time I'd come across the duo, who have been compared favourably with Mazzy Star. Their record sounds so decadent and luxurious. They've basically taken lounge music to a higher form. Her voice is distinctive, understated but soaring at the same time. The combination of the perfume- like organ, the lazy guitar and her voice is just superb. Gila and D.A.R.L.I.N.G are two of my most played songs of the year. Brilliantly haunting melodies.

3.No Age-Nouns

Brilliant noise pop duo part of the LA noise scene. Beauty lies in the quiet droney build ups then the furious unleashing of noise. Sounds like teen anthems.

4.The Helio Sequence-Keep your eyes ahead

Found out about the Portland duo after they supported Low. Combine shoegazey textures with a repertoire of dancey New Wave numbers and folk dittys. The singer has a great voice, too.

5.Santogold-Santogold

Pretty surprised by how much I've enjoyed this album this year. In a year when TVOTR failed to deliver a great album of New Wave, shoegaze and R'n'B, Santogold stepped up. Very addictive and catchy.

honourable mentions:

Clinic-Do it
Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles
Foals-Antidotes
M83- Saturday=Youth
Magnetic Fields- Distortion
Meho Plaza-Meho Plaza
MGMT-Oracular Spectacular
Port Royal-Afraid to dance
The Walkmen-You & Me
Vivian Girls-Vivian Girls
Sun Kil Moon- April