SATISFACTORY ALBUMS OF TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT

The late late edition. I'm getting worse and worse at keeping up with this. I could blame many things for this. The current state of the Middle East, for example, distracting me from listening to new music and instead relying on my musical library to cheer me up. Everyone current excuse of "y'know, the credit crunch and all that" which, if I hear as a phrase one more time (even in the form of the BBC's cautiously optimistic "economic downturn" complete with mainly downward facing arrows) I'm gonna scream.

I could also blame the mountains of university which I have also clearly not completed, even a small amount, or the endless hours of shifting sportswear to the ironically overweight for pennys. But in reality, I'm just lazy. 2009 is ages away, I said to myself, why worry about it now? Erm...bugger.

So here it is, my Top 15 (extra 5 from last year!) especially for you jolly good people that I banged out in about 15 minutes between getting home, eating my dinner and procrastining until the red dawn light. Enjoy:

15: Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
14: No Age - Nouns
13: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
12: Portishead - Third
11: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend Review

10: Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue Review
9: Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
8: Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles Review
7: Santogold - Santogold
6: British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music? Review

5: MGMT - Oracular Spectacular Review
4: Beck - Modern Guilt

3:

Foals - Antidotes
While my review didnt take particularly kindly to this album back in April, it has worked its way back to my affections on repeat play alone. There is something to be said about an album that I could sit there and listen to quite comfortably on more than one occasion. For a while it was my "go to" album of choice - what you listen when you can't think of anything else and are too impatient to use the shuffle function.

In April I criticised it, rightly, for not featuring Foals' two best tracks. Namely "Hummer" and "Mathletics"

2:

Deerhunter - Microcastles/Weird Era Cont.
Bradford Cox's second entry on this list, and none more deserved than for this fantastic album of shoegaze, noise and lo-fi perfection, with Weird Era Cont. winning the prize for best bonus disc of any album, possibly ever. But don't just take my word for it, read the original review here for the thoughts of me just one month ago. (or scroll down a bit)

1:

Metronomy - Nights Out
Joseph Mount's follow up to wonky debut Pip Paine finds his former solo moniker now including live partners Oscar Cash and Gabriel Stebbing this time around. And while the album has failed to reach the chart success it should, tracks such as "My Heart Rate Rapid" and "Heartbreaker" have proved dancefloor hits of their own.

If nothing else, Nights Out has blended pop themes and sensibilities with minimalist beats and an aching, awkward dancefloor noise.
Album Preview

Favourite Female Vocalists

Here is a quick run down of some of my favourite female vocalists - in no particular order.

Satomi Matsuzaki - Deerhoof
Its difficult where to start with what I like about Matsuzaki's voice. Due to the fact she mainly sings in her second language of English, her vocals are uncomplicated yet melodic, often (intentionally) following the guitar line that makes part of Deerhoof's signature sound. Her voice is often also very childlike, bringing in a massive sense of fun and innocence, and both breaking and adding to the tension in many of Deerhoof's songs.
Example: Deerhoof - Apple Bomb (Found on Apple O')

Beth Gibbons - Portishead
Arguably one of the best singers of recent times, Beth Gibbons' work with Portishead has been nothing short of remarkable. Her incredible strength and range in her voice arguably make Portishead who they are.
Example: Portishead - Elysium (Found on Portishead)

Emily Haines - Metric/Broken Social Scene/Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton
Whilst Metric's music is only occasionally brilliant, Haines' voice is the constant factor across their three albums, her solo album and her work with Canadian collective Broken Social Scene. She sets a very high benchmark for female vocalists, bringing often intense emotion in what would otherwise be a fairly banal instrumental.
Example: Metric - Poster Of A Girl (Found on Live It Out)

Jemima Pearl Abegg - Be Your Own Pet
In my opinion, the snarlier, sexier and let's face it, better version of Hayley Williams. Much in the same way that BYOP are the far-superiors of their pop-rock counterparts Paramore. While their new album "Get Awkward" was made with some internal strife, when it is released on the 17th, hopefully everyone else will come round to my way of thinking too.
Example: Be Your Own Pet - Wildcat! (Found on Be Your Own Pet)