Journal

Here it is, the new Battle Of The Albums. This time records from 2008 will fight for honor.

The rules of this stage:
256 albums
32 groups with 8 albums each
you vote for 2 out of 8 in each group
in each group the 2 first proceed to the next phase
when it's undecided who should proceed, there'll be an extra poll
voting until Sunday the 25th January


If you like this one, just join this group.


Have fun with it:

Group 1
¡Forward, Russia! - Life Processes
Akimbo - Jersey Shoes
Melvins - Nude With Boots
Mr. Oizo - Lambs Anger
H2O - Nothing To Prove
Russian Circles - Station
Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Modern Life
Deichkind - Arbeit nervt
Group 2
Anberlin - New Surrender
The Kooks - Konk
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
American Music Club - The Golden Age
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Marianne Faithfull - Easy Come Easy Go
Lambchop - OH (Ohio)
Group 3
The (International) Noise Conspiracy - The Cross Of My Calling
The Walkmen - You & Me
…

The top 20 albums of 2008 re-ordered.

1. Bloc Party - Intimacy
2. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
3. The Twilight Sad - Killed My Parents And Hit The Road
4. The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
5. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
6. Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man. - The Lay Of The Land, The Turn Of The Tide
7. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
8. The Cure - 4:13 Dream
9. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
10. Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
11. Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
12.Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
13. Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
14. Broken Records - Out On The Water EP
15. Errors - It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatever
16. Kris Drever, John McCusker & Roddy Woomble - Before The Ruin
17. The Mars Volta - Bedlam In Goliath
18. Foals - Antidotes
19. Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man. - Obscured By A Setting Sun
20. ¡Forward, Russia! - Life Processes

After doing a more in-depth thing talking about each 2008 release I've got my hands on, I figured I may as well go in for the obligatory thing that is a list of records I liked, completely devoid of any explanation why. Everybody else is doing it, so why shouldn't I? All-in-all, there are 30 2008 releases in my library, and I didn't think 10 places was enough to get everything in that I wanted, so I decided to go with the top half. There were still a few more albums I would have liked to get in here, though. So many albums, so few integers from 1 - 15...

So here goes the list:

1. In Our Space Hero Suits - Those Dancing Days
2. Hold On Now, Youngster... - Los Campesinos!
3. Little Death - Pete & The Pirates
4. Let's Fall Back in Love - Slow Club
5. Waited Up Til It Was Light - Johnny Foreigner
6. We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed - Los Campesinos!
7. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós
8. Life Processes - ¡Forward, Russia!
…

As the title suggests, this is basically going to comment on all the albums/EPs I've heard which were released in 2008. Or at least, those which are listed as 2008 releases in my library (Secret Machines' new album isn't released in the UK until next year, but I imported it. There are probably also some which were released in 2007 somewhere).

I say "review" is used loosely because I mostly just ramble about the bands' histories or how good they are live, rather than talking about the record very much.

Life Processes (¡Forward, Russia!)
The first album was good, but for me this was even better. Some great tracks on here, particular stand-outs for me being A Prospector Can Dream and Gravity & Heat. But the whole album's consistently good, anybody who liked the first album's not going to be disappointed as there are clear links between the two, but they (prepare for cliché) sound a more mature outfit in this one. In a good way. …