2008

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Have any good albums come out/leaked this year? (Yes, I know some have, I could make a list myself, but I want your picks so I can play catch-up).

And what's coming up that might be good?

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

quelle coincidence - I was actually planning to post on my own lj my top albums of the half-year...will get back to you on this.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

2CD Darren Styles best of? :)

I'd be interested to see what percentage (if any) of the Ne-Yo album is not drippy ballads. 'Closer' is growing on me v slowly and I would like this boshier direction to continue.

I doubt the new Dr Dre will be any good but it might be worth a punt.

Popjustice said (http://popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2624&Itemid=206) Sophie E-B was about to release a new album instead of doing a greatest hits, but I think they'll probably make it a 2CD instead (er, like Scooter).

Hold everything!!!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Fightstar B-sides and rarities compilation (http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=220;1;-1;-1&sku=814937)!

RUSH ME ONE IMMEDIATELY etc etc

Other stuff on the release schedule

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

new Missy Elliott
new CSS (they've got indier (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkJaI2C1rS4)!)
Jonas Brothers (!)
Robin Thicke

Blimey, Tricky (http://www.knowlewestboy.com/index.html)'s got a new one out that sounds almost as bleak as Portishead on the first listen. Yikes.

Re: Other stuff on the release schedule

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Tricky's new album is dire apart from one or two tracks.

The new Missy tracks I've heard don't bode particularly well either.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

OK here we go - this year's worthwhile albums and mixes in a rough order. Bear in mind that the rolling spreadsheet (!) I am keeping tells me I have managed to listen to 79 (!) albums this year, not including mixes or compilations (and all but about 10-15 are basically Any Good At All!).

Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
Mariah Carey, E=MC²
Lil' Wayne, Tha Carter III
Ellen Allien, Boogybytes Vol 4
Ashlee Simpson, Little Miss Obsessive
Robert Hood, Fabric 39
The Bug, London Zoo
Lil' Mama, VYP: Voice Of The Young People
Appleblim, Dubstep Allstars Vol 6
Akiko Kiyama, 7 Years
Estelle, Shine
Bun B, II Trill
Trus'me, Working Nights
Booka Shade, The Sun & The Neon Light
The-Dream, Love/Hate
Roland Appel, Talk To Your Angel
The Mole, As High As The Sky
Junior Boys, Body Language Vol 6
Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia, Pain Disappears
Benga, Diary Of An Afro Warrior
Diskjokke, Staying In
Danity Kane, Welcome To The Dollhouse
Kuniyuki Takahashi, All These Things
Guilty Simpson, Ode To The Ghetto
Sébastien Tellier, Sexuality
Leila, Blood, Looms & Blooms
Laura Marling, Alas I Cannot Swim
Bruno Pronsato, Why Can't We Be Like Us?
Portishead, Third

a fair few albums which don't hold up all the way through but have some AMAZING songs on them which would put them right at the top had the standard been maintained - never quite sure how to judge these albums:

Santogold, Santogold
Trina, Still Da Baddest
Janet Jackson, Discipline
Tiffany Evans, Tiffany Evans
Miss Kittin, Batbox
Hercules And Love Affair, Hercules And Love Affair
Kelley Polar, I need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

No Carl Craig?

My top 3 albums of 2008 so far are all compilations!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Sound Of Bassline (omg so awesome)
Step Up 2: The Streets
Carl Craig Sessions

Oh ok, let's add in 50% of the Santogold, 50% of the Estelle and the bonus remix CD off the Booka Shade album, which has none of the f4nnyd4ngle and but keeps all of the good bits. This is still a pretty poor showing though, I need another MIA or Britney :( However I haven't actually heard the Mariah, Ellen or Lil'Mama yet so there's still hope!

Re: Booka Shade

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

heh, I got the version of teh Booka with the bonus mix CD but haven't listened to it yet. I figured it might be superior to the 'proper' alBUM though.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

my knowledge of new albums is largely confined to the ones you review on p4k!!

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

So far I like: Portishead, Robert Forster, Scooter, Etran Finatwa - Desert Crossroads (recommended by Matos on emusic - don't know much about this style, but I like what i hear here);

Top reissue = expanded (!) version of Triffids - Black Swan. This is still ace, and now my favourite B-sides are part of the album.

also on my itunes I have:

Hold Steady; Santogold; The Breeders; Vampire Weekend; Ashlee Simpson; The Fall; Matmos; Mariah Carey; Kelly Polar; Erykah Badu; Dolly Parton; Fuckbuttons; Noze;

All of which are OK but I haven't listened to for long enough to judge (OK the Breeders is a bit rub).

Catherine bought the Goldfrapp album, which is ok

All the LPs I've bought this year

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Recommended:
Lil Mama – VYP: Voice of the Young People
V/A - Boogy Bytes Vol.4 mixed by Ellen Allien
Estelle - Shine
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
Ashlee Simpson - Bittersweet World
Matmos - Supreme Balloon (+ saw them play live last night: awesome!)
Monade - Monstre Cosmic
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement

Good, but some reservations about:
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
Booka Shade - The Sun & The Neon Light

A few grebt tracks but otherwise botherd:
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Scooter - Jumping All Over The World
Was (Not Was) - Boo!

Bought but not yet arrived / listened to (expect to be good):
V/A - Step Up 2 OST
Portishead - Third
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

Came out in 2007, but heard this year, pretty good:
Alizée - Psychédélices

HOW COULD WE FORGET!

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

New Zutons! :-0

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This is what I put on the P4K board thread which got me thinking about this:

Ja Bitte: Vampire Weekend, Santogold, Fleet Foxes, Lykke Li, Mariah Carey, Danity Kane, Fuck Buttons, Herc & LA.

Nein Danke: Alphabeat, Quiet Village, Madonna, Foals, Magnetic Fields

Undecided/Need More Listens: Wiley, Lil Mama, Ashlee Simpson, Goldfrapp, The Dream, Cut Copy, Booka Shade, Scooter, Dolly Parton, Portishead, anything else I might have heard.

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

I couldn't make it more than three songs into the Fleet Foxes record, is it worth another go?

Pretty much everything I've liked has been mentioned on this thread. The Raconteurs album is surprisingly great as well, nice and spiky, probably my favourite Jack White related release.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

I only really know about work albums this year! So Vampire Weekend, Mountain Goats and Be Your Own Pet have all done pretty decent albums, and I also like 'Rook' by Shearwater which is a bit like Radiohead/Talk Talk but doesn't make me want to die. There is one coming up by El Guincho which sounds like a cross between the Avalanches and an ice cream van - I think it's great and everyone else I know thinks it's the most irritating thing they've ever heard...

Also

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Camille - Music Hole, sort of French acapella pop. I absolutely love about 2/3rds of this, you'll either like it or it will annoy the hell out of you.

Re: Also also

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

The Zeigeist album is fucking great and I've been banging on about it for ages. It all sounds exactly how you expect it to but it is very enjoyable indeed nonetheless.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

FYI these are my archived reviews... (http://browse.guardian.co.uk/search?search=alex+macpherson&site=Music)

[martinv.livejournal.com]

I haven't listened to enough albums, as usual.

Ladytron's new one is good, though. By numbers, but good still.

Nothing has really excited me so far...

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

NB for reasons unknown prancehall appears to be offering Wiley's Grime Wave up for free (http://prancehall.blogspot.com/2008/06/free-music.html).

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

nope that is a nasty spammy p0rno link :-(

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Good stuff according to me:
This Will Destroy You (ST) -this is really, really becautiful pop; if people here like minimal techno and ambient electronica then there's no real reason they wouldn't like this. It's wonderfully crafted and leaves me strangely euphoric, despite the fact the music is actually quite sad.
I also liked the new 5ive CD but this is the instrumental metal 5ive not the boyband 5ive so make of that what you will.
As many people have said, Santogold is good. controversially, I prefer the second half but still not quite top-ten-of-the-year material.
Ashlee v good, tick, etc.
Taio Cruz good in a harmless kind of manner. Bit like a cup of tea; very nice but something you feel will happen again
The bits I've heard of the new Cyndi Lauper are really, really good.
As In Rebekkamaria's album, 'Queen Of France' = v good bonkers scandinavian electropop.
Welcome To The Dollhouse by Danity Kane has been discussed at length by various people and is extremely good, full of the same sinister production as 'Press Play.'
New Arch Enemy's good, too. If you liked the In Flames track from the Pop Euro thingy, then you'll almost certainly enjoy it lots.
'I Want You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling' by Kelley Polar is AMAZING in a lot of places and then has this UTTERLY DIRE track called 'A Dream In Three Parts (On Themes By Enesco)' or something, which is so bad it's embarassing.
I like the new Dolly Parton. Not actually sure that it's "good," per se, beyond the title track though.
New Apparat is dead good, although I haven't listened to it much for whatever reason.

The new Ihsahn is very good, too. Black metal might be going a bit far, though.

That's all I can pull from my WMP. The pressing need to write a dissertation drove me into a lot of repeat-hammering of old comfort rock albums and also myself and my metalhead housemate were forced to musically co-exist, so there's been a lot of My Dying Bride and Decapitated that might not have happened otherwise.

[koganbot]

Haven't made my way to too many albums this year (and vice veras); and only three so far seem worthy of my year-end list, and I have reservations about all three (e.g., Danity Kane's sensibility provokes the "Why should I give a shit?" response in me, though the harmony and polyphony win me over):

1. Danity Kane Welcome To The Dollhouse
2. Ashlee Simpson Bittersweet World
3. María Daniela Y Su Sonido Lasser Juventud En Éxtasis

María Daniela has a tendency to go punky and shouty in a way that hampers the music, but the band (basically a duo, she and the guy who runs the machines) are better than any other indie dance I've heard in that (1) they've got really good taste and their one Italodisco cover (Click's "Duri Duri") is my favorite Italodisco track of the '80s, (2) they're good at beats, (3) María is actually a viable singer, even with her shouty tendencies (I mean, Ashlee has shouty tendencies too that generally don't harm her), and (4) their humor doesn't try to bash you with its cleverness and knowingness. (Well, given that I don't speak Spanish, for all I know the humor does bash you, but this doesn't infect the music.) I do recommend that you all give it a listen and help me sort out my ideas, since so far the only two other people I know who've heard it are Dave Moore and Jimmy Draper. If you liked "Let's Make Love And Listen Death From Above" but generally wanted Cansei De Ser Sexy to give you better than it did, this might be your band.

Was released in Mexico in November '07, but by my criteria (late in the year and released in somewhere other than Britain or the U.S.) that makes it easily eligible for my 2008 ballot.

María Daniela Y Su Sonido Lasser "Duri Duri" (not a single yet, though it'd likely top my list if it became one)

María Daniela Y Su Sonido Lasser "Pobre Estupida" (is a single, I think, though I'd have chosen three or four ahead of it)

[koganbot]

My favorite non-"Duri Duri" María Daniela Y Su Sonido Lasser song, "Dame Más,"* is temporarily being streamed here.

*Not a Britney cover.

Jabber and blah

[koganbot]

I keep forgetting that I've got the Mariah Carey, so that's still a subject for further research. The Trina is sitting on my pile as yet unlistened to. Need to hear more of the Lil Mama, which could be a contender, and need to go back and listen to Dolly Parton to see if I'm right that everyone else is overrating it, and the Willie Nelson to remind myself that it's pretty good, and TOKIO's TOK10 to find if I can get beyond its apparent coldness. Also need to give the Breeders alb more listens to find out if I was right to be unimpressed (my friend Mara decided from hearing them live recently that Albini had botched the album production). September and Cilmi were disappointing on first listen, having no other songs that were as strong as their current hits. The sludge vs. greatness ratio on the Santogold was far too high, but I'll give it more of a hearing. Five songs into the Pack album and I'm not excited; five songs into the Donna Summer and it's good but not great. Ashton Shepherd is a country woman with pipes and tunes but I find her broad and irritating, yet with enough good material that I need to wrestle with her more.

On the basis of "Control Me" I would really like to hear the Booka Shade.

I'm not ecstatic about either single from Tha Carter 3, but I assume there's good stuff on there.

But basically it's the year of Waiting For Cassie.

Re: Jabber and blah

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Assuming all the leaked tracks make the Cassie album...even if it is JUST those eight tracks, it's a close thing between her and Erykah for No 1. Mariah/Weezy/Ashlee round out the top 5 (Ellen's Boogybytes being a mix CD): if anything else gatecrashes them I'll be ready to anoint this year a golden year for music. All of those are heads and shoulders better than all non-Blackout albums of last year.

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

The new Bret Michaels album is out, but I it hasn't arrived yet. It's sure to be awesome.

[lisa-go-blind.livejournal.com]

The new Sons and Daughters (This Gift) is pretty awesome. I like the new Raconteurs better than the first one, I think, though there's nothing as immediately great as "Steady, As She Goes." Also, the Jack White-centered songs have a wide margin on the Brendan Benson-centered ones. I have the Last Shadow Puppets album but I haven't listened to it enough yet to form an opinion.

It hasn't been a great year, but my top 5 thus far:

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

American Demo - The Indelicates
Do You Like Rock Music? - British Sea Power
Hold On Now, Youngster... - Los Campesinos!
Red - Guillemots
"Couples" - The Long Blondes

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

I keep a running tab here:

http://davesneuroticlistmakers.blogspot.com/

Right now my top five is Erykah, Dolly, Wayne, Ashlee, aaaand...probably Danity.

Worth a listen for those who usually aren't into it: Black Mountain! Also, anyone on the Lykke Li Swedish semi-pop-songstress tip should check out Britta Persson, whom I like more, even though her tunes aren't quite as strong.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I like Black Mountain but they are oddly inconsistent in a way I find a bit jarring. 'Night Walks,' for instance, just doesn't seem to sit right on the same album as 'Evil Ways.'

All good, though.

[mostlyconnect.livejournal.com]

Brooke Waggoner's 'Fresh Pair Of Eyes' EP is pretty startling, 'Wonder-dummied' especially? I like it a really huge amount.

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

Alphabeat was the best of the first 6 months, and The Pipettes will be the best of the next 6. The only other things I particularly enjoyed were The Delays and Taio Cruz, and the only other thing I've actually bought is Lykke Li (although I sold my spare copy and made more than I spent on my own, so does that count as buying?)