How was 2008 for you? (Part II)

As promised, let's have a look at all the other albums I heard in 2008 that didn't make my top 10. I can hardly wait! First up, let's have a look at some honourable mentions:

Deerhunter - Microcastle

Would have liked to put this in my top but it was just edged out. The band describe themselves as "ambient punk" which is somewhere approaching the truth but I'd prefer to describe it as intelligent, atmospheric, imaginative guitar music. The jam on the end of "Nothing Ever Happened" is one of the most sublime things I heard all year.

Brian Eno and David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

The fact that this album even came to be released was cause for celebration enough. Of course, it wasn't as groundbreaking as My Life In The Bush of Ghosts but the pair's folk-gospel-electronica was wonderfully human and clearly showed them both relishing being able to display their considerable songwriting powers.

Torche - Meantherthal

Thunder pop? Doom pop? Whichever slightly-awkward hybrid phrase you use to describe this, Meanderthal was a mighty refreshing album. Heavy as anything and yet so very soaring and catchy. Sounds like it shouldn't have worked, but it did. Very well.

Oneida - Preteen Weaponry

Now I love Oneida, as anyone who read my interview with them will be able to tell. Preteen Weaponry, the first part in a planned trilogy, is definitely the most unconventional album I've discussed. A 40 minute instrumental composition, split into three parts, that was by turns hypnotic and enthralling. Not one for the faint hearted, but a very worthwhile and enormously rewarding listen.

And now, some miscellaneous awards:

The "Could Do Better Award"

The Magnetic Fields - Distortion. About 3 really great tracks and a lot of okayish ones. C'mon Stephin Merritt, you can do better than this!

Most Disappointing

Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us. "Spirit If..." was excellent. This was very ordinary by comparison. Let Kevin Drew go back to writing all the songs, ok?

The "Hooray for Gloomy Indie-Pop" Award

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight. Those crazy Scots and their lovestruck gloom.

Best Reissue

Wooden Shjips - Wooden Shjips Vol 1. Mmm, fuzzy psychedelia. Also includes some tape experiments. Excellent stuff.

The "You Clearly Just Made That Genre Up" Award

Abe Vigoda - Skeleton. Tropical punk? Come on. Actually the tag kinda makes sense when you hear it. Some very fine calypso rhythms and fiddly guitar lines from the West Coast boys, named after the not-dead actor.

Phew! Hope you enjoyed that. There were loads of other albums I could've mentioned as well. Man, I clearly listen to too much music (note - this is almost certainly not true).