The Chart of Charts 2008

Albums of the Year

In a fit of too-much-time-on-my-hands, below is a collative top ten of the charts submitted this year.

The chart was compiled by awarding one point to everyone's tenth favourite album, two points to everyone's ninth, and so on, up to the number ones, which got ten points.

10: Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now Youngster
8=: Okkervil River – The Stand-ins
8=: Death Cab for Cutie - The Narrow Stairs
6=: The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely
6=: MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
5: Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
4: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
3: TV on The Radio - Dear Science
2: Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
1: Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

Jo Mason

Albums of the Year

10: The Kills - Midnight Boom
9: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
8: Santogold - Santogold
7: Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
6: Does it Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
5: Scanners - Violence is Golden
4: My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
3: TV on The Radio - Dear Science
2: Neon, Neon - Stainless Style
1: Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight

Tracks of the Year

10: Dengue Fever - Tiger Phone Card
9: TV on the Radio - Halfway Home
8: Malcolm Middleton - Marguerita Red
7: Frightened Rabbit - Fast Blood
6: Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
5: Florence and the Machines - Dog Days
4: Death Cab for Cutie - Cath
3: The Presets - Talk Like That
2: Sonny J - Handsfree
1: Florence and the Machines - Kiss With a Fist

Emperor's New Clothes 2008

Coldplay/Killers/BlocParty/Oasis

It's Good, But It's Not That Good 2008

The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

Guilty Pleasure 2008

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Innocent Pain 2008

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Chris Brook-Carter

Albums of the Year

10: Shearwater - Rook
Originally an off-shoot of Okkervil River, lead singer Jonathan Meiburg has now taken this side-project full-time. The result is a lush and complex ode to nature that requires your full attention, even at a brief 36 minutes long. It is, at times, brooding and dark, but, just like the landscape it paints, there is just the right amount of colour to draw the attentive listener in.

9: The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely
The crunching two opening tracks set the tone for this, the rock album of the year. Benson and White fulfil the promise they hinted at on Broken Boy Soldiers, by combining all that’s good about the two Detroit stars. Heavier than its predecessor, it’s also more diverse and the songwriting more complex and assured.

8: The Felice Brothers – The Felice Brothers
Three hobo-looking brothers and a friend called Christmas – The Felice Brothers sound like a band right out of a Coen brothers film. The music would fit many of the flicks produced by Ethan and Joel too - it’s ramshackle, booze-sodden and wonderfully thrown together. This is a world of moonshine and mountains inhabited by destitute and complex characters wandering train tracks and falling off bar stools. The music itself is a robust blend of Dylan, The Band and more recently Richmond Fontaine – the perfect accompaniment to a bottle of JD and a bar room brawl.

7: Okkervil River – The Stand-ins
Originally the second half to a planned double album with last year’s The Stage Names, 2008’s release gives away nothing in quality on its excellent predecessor. If anything, the album delivers a more consistent listen, with singer Will Shelf injecting great passion into the album, bitterness and warmth playing off against each other, sometimes within the same song. Motown basslines, soaring choruses and big brass sections, The Stand-ins has it all.

6: Joan as Policewoman – To Survive
Much darker and contemplative than its predecessor, To Survive suffered on first listen from a lack of playfulness that coloured Real Life. However, repeated listens revealed a modern blueprint for soul music. Moving, haunting and reflective, Joan Wasser never settles for the easy option. But ultimately this is a hugely rewarding album - unsettling and fragile it may be, but the quality of the songwriting puts her head and shoulders ahead of contemporaries like Feist and Regina Spektor.

5: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig! Lazarus Dig!
Hilarious, ridiculous and exhilarating, it’s extraordinary to think that Nick Cave is now 50. This is easily one of his finest albums, full of crunching garage rock and haunting ballads. “Prolix, prolix, nothing a pair of scissors can’t fix!” I’ll keep this one short, then.

4: The Acorn – Glory Hope Mountain
The premise of this album wasn’t promising. Lead singer Rolf Klausener interviewed his mother for eight hours about her escape from Honduras to Canada and has set the story to song. However, the tale of abuse, escape, abandonment and survival has transferred to record beautifully. Sufjan Stevens is an obvious comparison, but The Acorn has a sound of its own, with plenty of ukulele, marimba and banjo. Label Bella Union has a habit of picking up oddities that prove to be absolute winners – here’s another one.

3: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
The timeless, floating harmonies that dominate this release have an otherworldly quality to them. Fleet Foxes have delivered a near-perfect set of American songs that sound as if they have been around for years whilst at the same time being one of the freshest listens of the year.

2: TV on the Radio – Dear Science
There was little to pick between my number one and two this year, and TV on the Radio was pipped at the post only for having come out later in the year. TVOTR’s previous output has been easy to admire but hard to love, this year the Brooklyn-based band have produced a perfect balance of artistic endeavour and pop sensibilities. Bowie, Prince and every experimental New York band you can think of are thrown into the mixer here with electric results. Angry, sensuous, brash but still thoughtful – truly an album of the modern age.

1: Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
The myth that is growing surrounding the making of this album will no doubt have been documented on this site already – heartbroken man retreats to woods with guitar and gun, shoots his own food, pours his grief into his guitar. More importantly, though, is the music, which is just staggering. Justin Vernon’s lyrics and voice are simply heartbreaking, whilst his guitar playing and gentle backing transport you totally into the snows of that Wisconsin wood. The best break-up album since Blood on the Tracks.

Tracks of the Year

10: Willard Grant Conspiracy - Miracle on 8th Street
9: Howlin' Rain - Riverboat
8: Frank Turner - I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous
7: Silver Jews - Suffering Jukebox
6: American Music Club - Decibels and Little Pills
5: Randy Newman - Losing You
4: Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
3: Fleet Foxes - Your Protector
2: The Felice Brothers - Frankie’s Gun
1: Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Black Ice – AC/DC
There are three songs with the word ‘rock’ in the title – what more do you want?

Innocent Pain 2008

Third – Portishead
Loved everything they have done before. Love Beth Gibbons. Can’t get on with this soulless impenetrable nonsense.

Daniel Foster

Albums of the Year

10: TV On The Radio - Dear Science
Catchier and more accessible than 2006's Return To Cookie Mountain, Dear Science sees TVOTR reach a new level of universal appeal but without compromising on progression. Drawing influences from all over the place (think Prince, Talking Heads, RHCP, Sigur Ros to name but a few), they achieve a range of styles that most artists would cut their right arm off for!

9: Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 08
On his second release of the year, Jay proves he's no one-trick pony. The same short, sharp, aggressive bursts of garage-punk-infused tracks that he's become so well-known for are given a new twist with the addition of layered acoustic guitars and clean synth sounds creating a textural collection of songs that are catchier than the common cold.'The Deerhunter' cover's pretty fantastic too.

8: Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
A brilliant record that spans the genres.Think of a voice reminiscent of Neil Young at his most fragile, the mastercraft pop-jiggery of The Shins, the disonant chord progressions of Modest Mouse and the electronic noodlings of Jimmy Tamborello and the Postal Service and you're close. Then consider he recorded the majority of Soft Airplane alone on an old tape recorder in his basement and prepare to be amazed.

7: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
OK, don't roll your eyes. Yes they're everywhere… and yes to an extent, it's over-hyped, but I just couldn't leave this out. It's one of those records that you put on and love from the off, yet there's that lasting appeal that keeps you coming back for more. Great ideas, witty lyrics and hooky tunes. This is what pop music should be!

6: Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
The ever prolific Bradford Cox and co, come up with the goods again. Microcastle grabs you from the off with hook-laden indie-rock gems in a similar - but more accessible - vein to last years Cryptograms, whereas Weird Era is well, a little weirder but absolutely worth every second. The deeply buried tunes reveal themselves gradually, becoming more familiar and appealing with each listen.

5: The Walkmen - You & Me
Grand and moody arrangements of chiming guitars, swooshing organs and bellowing horns that sound as though they've been swallowed into the ocean through a cave of Spector-filled echo. Coy and inviting, You & Me doesn't so much grab you by the throat so much as it takes you by the hand. subtle perfections in the way horns, vocals and guitars collapse into each other and become one.

4: The Dodos - Visiter
Intricately picked acoustic guitar and heartfelt vocals that meet with drums which don't just sit back and rest on their laurels, so much as romp on down the street as if in a carnival procession. Visiter is an impressive and sprawling album. There's a hell of a lot of influence in there (and a hint of schizophrenia), but they pull it off, sounding like no-one quite as much as themselves. There's still hope for folk.

3: Why? - Alopecia
Genius lyrics that pull from all corners - bright and beautiful, dark and vile, and a marriage of styles that defines what the unclassifiable genre on your iPod was made for. The guy crams what feels like a novel into a song and there's no-one out there doing this sort of thing with such conviction. Not my usual cuppa by any stretch of the imagination, but it just works oh so well.

2: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Hauntingly beautiful, subtle arrangements that evoke a strong sense of isolation, loneliness and regret. The result of Justin Vernon's self-sequestered winter in a remote log cabin is an impressionable one. It's rare that I'm still paying so much attention to a record that I've been listening to since the beginning of the year, but For Emma… is an incredible debut. Stoke up the fire, sit back and enjoy.

1: Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
It takes an impressive record to top my list. One that ticks the box all over - beautifully produced, superbly crafted tunes that get stuck in your head for days, intimate heartfelt lyrics and great ideas. For me, this is the record. The one that I reach for more often than any other. An absolute pleasure from start to finish that. Think Jim O'Rourke's Insignificance meets the creative genius of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper.

Tracks of the Year

10: MGMT - Time To Pretend
9: TV on the Radio - Crying
8: Deerhunter - Operation
7: Chad Vangaalen - Bare Feet on Wet Grip Tape
6: Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
5: The Walkmen - In the New Year
4: Dodos - Joe's Waltz
3: Why? - These Few Presidents
2: Jay Reatard - Always Wanting More
1: Department of Eagles - Phantom Other

Emperor's New Clothes, 2008

Foals - Antidotes
For all Yanis Philippakis preposterous claims and the odd catchy single, Foals' debut full-length turned out to be a little thin on the ground and ultimately, forgettable.

It's Good, But It's Not That Good 2008

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Good but overrated, take the best bits of early My Morning Jacket and a bit of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and you get pretty much the same result. Pleasant enough all the same.

Innocent Pain 2008

Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Some great tunes on there but it's padded between chapters of noise which I find hard to take. Frustrating.

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Ne-Yo - Miss Independant
That cheesy keyboard riff has a nasty habit of getting stuck in my head.

Scott Harrison

Albums of the Year

10: Nada Surf - Lucky
This was the album that I'd hoped Death Cab for Cutie's 'Narrow Stairs' was going to be. This was also the album that introduced me to Nada Surf. How I've missed them all these years, I have no idea, but this is pure pop perfection.
Key Track: 'Ice on the Wing'.

9: Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
This was their second full-length release this year, and a genuine first for me to have two albums by the same artist in the same end of year list. This album has beefier production and even more lyrical bile, bitterness and black humour than their debut, but is ever so slightly inferior for some reason. I can't put my finger on why.
Key Track: 'You'll Need Those Fingers for Crossing'.

8: Constantines - Kensington Heights
Often described as the Canadian Hold Steady - a gross misrepresentation, in my mind. I'd say they sail more through the waters of Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees era) or Buffalo Tom singing Stillwater. However you try to categorise them, this was one of the undisputed highlights of the year. It took a while to get it, but once it took hold it didn't (and still hasn't) let go.
Key Track: 'I Will Not Sing a Hateful Song'.

7: Frank Turner - Love, Ire & Song
It took a long time for me to see this as anything other than a collection of pretty good songs. Something clicked about two weeks ago and this suddenly makes perfect sense as a complete album. A few lines here don't really do it justice, so give it a spin yourself. You won't regret it.
Key Track: 'To Take You Home'.

6: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
What can I say about this that hasn't already been said by hundreds of others already? You must have heard it. If you haven't, I don't know where you've been hiding. So here it is, on the list. There we go.
Key Track: 'Re: Stacks'.

5: The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
This is my entry for unsigned-band-that-are-really-fucking-good-I-hope-they-make-it-big-but-I-can't-see-it-happening-because-they-don't-really-have-enough-commercial-appeal. Which is a shame. Pitched perfectly between early (and I mean early, not Funeral-era) Arcade Fire, Pavement and Neutral Milk Hotel. The only place to get it (legally) is emusic.com, and I'd recommend to anyone to give it a listen. I'm positive you'll find something that tickles your fancy.
Key Track: 'Four Night Rider'.

4: Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now Youngster
I can't believe how good this album is. Honestly. With lyrics like "Nothing says I miss you quite like poetry carved in your door with a Stanley knife", and song titles like 'This is How You Spell HAHAHA We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics', this album really ought to disappear up it's own arse, but it just works. I don't know how, but it does. I wish I could sell it better than I am because you're missing out on a fuck-load of fun if you let this band pass you by.
Key Track: 'My Year In Lists'.

3: Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
Maybe not quite as good as last year's The Stage Names. Definitely should lose points for being a sequel album, but that's missing the point. If albums were movies, and this was truly a sequel, it would be The Godfather, Part II. Not quite as good as the original, but still worthy of whatever accolades you care to throw at it. Songs as stories, albums as movies. It seems a little strange down by the old Okkervil River, but you can't argue that the soundtrack is phenomenal.
Key Track: 'Pop Lie'.

2: Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Midnight Organ Fight = Sex. Theme of the album = I'm no longer getting any. Quite how a 'break-up' album can be this much fun defies logic. A lyrical treat with tunes that will have you humming for weeks after. Anyone that can squeeze in the line "It takes more than fucking someone you don't know to keep warm" deserves all the praise in the world heaped on them.
Key Track: 'Keep Yourself Warm'.

1: The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
You may remember this band from such lists as 'Top 10's of 2007 - Scott Harrison'. Yes, they're back again. Not much has changed, except they're bigger, bolder, louder and better. Still following the blue-collar rock meets punk ethic that served the debut so well, but hey, if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. Olly has dismissed this lot as 'Born to Run'-era Springsteen rip-offs. His loss. Here's hoping they don't do a Hold Steady and 'grow up' on us.
Key Track: all of them :-)

Tracks of the Year 2008

10: Death Cab for Cutie - Long Division
9: Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
8: Ladyhawke - My Delerium
7: Glasvegas - Geraldine
6: The Felice Brothers - Frankie's Gun
5: Okkervil River - Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979
4: Frightened Rabbit - Keep Yourself Warm
3: Los Campesinos! - My Year In Lists
2: Gaslight Anthem - Film Noir
1: Biffy Clyro - Mountains

Emperor's New Clothes 2008

The Last Shadow Puppets -The Age of the Understatement
I don't get it. First single was pretty good, but the rest of the album was almost unlistenably dull. Bring back Arctic Monkeys (less so The Rascals) pleeeaaaaase!

It's Good, But Not That Good 2008

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
It's alright. Has a couple of cracking tunes. sounds a bit like Midlake (though without the consistency). I just don't get why they've had so much attention.

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Iglu & Hartly - In This City
The album is pretty poo, but I just can't get enough of this song. Sue me ;-)

Innocent Pain 2008

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
I really should like this album. They were cracking live. It's winning awards left, right and centre. But I just can't get into it though. It'll probably click sometime next year.

Stuart Peskett

Albums of the Year

10: Spiritualized – Songs in A&E
No 18-minute flanger-fests here, just a spectacularly world-weary Jason Pierce soothing us, Sufjan Stevens-style, with Americana-tinged ballads.

9: Santogold – Santogold
Wonderful stuff, taking in most dance styles, particularly house, soul and reggae.

8: Sia – Some People Have Real Problems
The downtempo tracks from Zero 7’s Aussie singer are more successful than the attempts at pop, but Sia’s fascinating, jazzy voice is unlike any other.

7: Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
Unfairly criticised as dinner-party chillout fodder, Goldfrapp continue to knock out tunes that appear superficial, but have staying power. 'Happiness' is a cracking, jaunty pop tune that Saint Etienne would be proud of.

6: Glasvegas – Glasvegas
They may look a bit daft adopting the Jesus and Mary Chain shades indoors look, and Alan McGee’s toe-curling Guardian blog hardly helped, but there is no disputing the power of Glasvegas. Altogether now: “Here we, here we, here we fucking go!”

5: Portishead – Third
Thank God they didn’t do another 'Dummy'. There is an argument that the bigger the gap between albums, the worse the comeback (Stone Roses, Stereo MCs take note...), but while Portishead haven’t lost the John Barry spookiness, the songs are more experimental, less obvious. Beth still impresses with that marvellously cracked voice.

4: TV on the Radio – Dear Science
Great mix of Gary Numan eerieness, a touch of hip-hop, even a bit of po-faced balladry, but the funk is never far away. More bands like this, please!

3: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
So uncool that it actually is cool, this Seattle band’s folk ballads and singalongs are as innocent as they are comforting. Robin Pecknold’s room-filling and pure vocals are a treat, and the harmonies so effortless they warm you up like a campfire. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

2: Sasha – Involver 2
The follow-up to the 2004 original by the real Lord Coe is subtler, classier and more coherent. The concept is simple: Sasha picks a load of tunes he likes, messes with them, strips the guts out of them and works them into a single piece of music. The first 'Involver' featured the stunning 'Talk Amongst Yourselves' by Grand National – one of the greatest openers of any dance album – but the sequel’s 'You Are The Worst Thing In The World' tops it. The Sasha trademarks are all there: complex arrangements; rich textures; emotional vocals. As good as slow-burn deep trance gets.

1: Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
Doesn't everyone love Elbow? Despite (irritatingly) being adopted far too often by those who plaster incidental music all over interior design shows and sporting highlights, The Seldom Seen Kid is a delight. The album hangs together wonderfully, despite Guy Garvey’s habit of veering between serious subject matter and whimsical oddities, such as 'The Fix’s horse-racing scam (“Too many times we’ve been post-ily pipped, We’ve loaded the saddles, the mickeys are slipped”). But songs like 'Mirrorball' and 'The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver' are two of the best you’ll hear all year: emotional, measured, beautiful.

Tracks of the Year

10: The Verve – Love is Noise
9: Dizzie Rascal – Dance Wiv Me
8: Madonna ft Justin Timberlake – Four Minutes
7: The Futureheads – The Beginning of the Twist
6: Santogold – Say Aha
5: Ladyhawke – Paris is Burning
4: Goldfrapp – Happiness
3: The Shortwave Set – The Downer Song
2: Elbow – Mirrorball
1: Fleet Foxes – Tiger Mountain Peasant Song

Emperor’s New Clothes 2008

I’ve ignored the brief, but this is the one spot where I can tell it like it is. Only one possible contender: Scouting for Girls. Shit name, shit music, incredibly irritating vocals. And the fact that Watford fan Tim Lovejoy has championed them makes them even more loathsome. Now, do us all a favour, and fuck off, eh?

It’s Good, But Not That Good 2008

Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Always been a fan, but for God’s sake, take a few risks for once...

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Keane – Perfect Symmetry
Featured purely as a straightforward two fingers to the luddites who insist that a band must have a guitarist – which, as we all know, is patently bollocks.

Innocent Pain 2008

The Killers. Just what is the fuss about?

Olly Wehring

Albums of the Year

10: Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
So? It's a comedy album. I get that. But the tunes are superb. An eclectic mish-mash, ranging from Jamaican dancehall ('Boom' sounds ace in the car when stuck in traffic in Streatham – you blend in with the street drivers) to ballad ('Leggy Blonde') to Pet Shop Boys ('Inner City Pressure'). Any album that contains lyrics like “Just because we've been playing tonsil hockey doesn't mean you get to score the goal that's in my jockeys” will make my top ten, year in, year out.
Key Track: 'Business Time'.

9: Frank Turner – Love, Ire and Song
Agreed, his voice – a bit of a lean to Billy Bragg – may be an acquired taste. Some of his idealistic lyrics may also appear a touch cloying, but goodness me, this is a very good album. Considering my idealistic, somewhat naïve bent, I bought into his sentiment straight away, and have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this as many times as I have done this year. 'Long Live the Queen', incidentally, has made me cry on at least four separate occasions, not that I'm boasting.
Key Track: 'I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous'.

8: Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Regardless of the plaudits, this remains an album typical of Elbow's output (their first two albums are just marvellous – third one has its moments too), but with one vital exception – it's generally quite happy. The naïve (spot the trend here) optimism of some of the lyrics may nark the cynics, but it's a beautiful listen. Contains the best song of the year, and a handful of other contenders, notably 'Mirrorball' and 'Grounds for Divorce'. Oh, and the final word on the Mercury win? They got it not for this album alone, but their collective body of work, and their 'nearly-men' status.
Key Track: 'One Day Like This'.

7: My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
This album defines the term slow-burner. With the exception of the odd track here or there, I've never really been taken in by their previous efforts, to be honest. But this one, which, I'm told, has alienated many a long-standing fan, just grows and grows and grows. It's more mainstream, certainly, but all 14 tracks impress, as does the use of the word 'Interweb' on one of them ('Librarian'). And the Prince-like 'Highly Suspicious' sounds bostin' loud. Great for listening to in the sunshine.
Key Track: 'Touch Me, I'm Going To Scream'.

6: Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Curse the BBC – they go and take one of Sigur Ros' best tracks ('Hoppipolla') and proceed to plaster it all over their Planet Earth plugs. To the heathen, at least, that's all this band are known for. But the heathens are missing a trick. This year's effort, Icelandic for 'With Buzzing in Our Ears We Play Endlessly', is the band's most accessible album. Granted, one can't really sing along, unless one knows Icelandic, but this is, simply put, classical music for the 21st Century – there's so much thought, so much effort, so much intricacy in these tracks. To seal the deal, their mesmerising headline slot this summer on the middle night at Latitude left this punter, along with thousands of others, with his chin on the floor.
Key Track: 'Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur'.

5: TV on the Radio - Dear Science
They've cracked it, finally. Previous album 'Return to Cookie Mountain' was way too much hard work, but TV on the Radio opened the door a little wider with this album. Much has been made of the band's 'innovative' sound, but that's missing the point somewhat. The tracks are tighter, leaner, and don't outstay their welcome. They're also funk-addled, in the best possible way. Clever-clever to have this in my ten, I'm sure, but 'Love Dog' alone would get this in the chart.
Key Track: 'Love Dog'.

4: Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off the Lavender Bridge
A real shame that this didn't make any published charts of the year, as this is a wonderful album – I even told the man himself so, when I saw him at Hyde Park watching Morrissey this summer. Dev Hynes, formerly of the Test Icicles, put down his... whatever he played, and picked up a guitar for this, his debut solo album. Released way back in January, this has done really well to see off the competition for a place in this chart. This album is very much 'this year's' album - It'll always remind me of 2008. The ten-minute-long 'Midnight Surprise', by the way, is career-definingly brillliant.
Key Track: 'Midnight Surprise'.

3: Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Where the hell did this lot come from? A real shame that they didn't really break big this year, but this is an excellent guitar-pop album from this Scottish four-piece. Intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics, beautiful harmonies with guitars that aren't set too quiet, to boot. Thanks have to go to Scott for bringing this album to my attention – he's good. In fact, this album is so good that it would have been even higher, had they not let themselves down with a shaky performance supporting...
Key Track: 'Keep Yourself Warm'.

2: Death Cab for Cutie - The Narrow Stairs
The problem facing users of slightly suss download sites for albums (that's me) is that you can never be 100% sure that, when downloading a new album, you're getting exactly what you 'paid' for. With this album, which I got early in the summer, only one track was actually by Death Cab, the rest was unlistenable swill. Thankfully, I have some sympathetic friends on hand to help me out (thanks, Scott - again). When I finally got hold of the album proper, I was hooked. Enough to see them live in November (supported by Frightened Rabbit, no less), and that sealed the deal. An example of a band at their peak: The musicianship is consummate, the lyrics sublime. A huge step forward from what was already a pretty good predecessor ('Plans').
Key Track: 'Grapevine Fires'.

1: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
The first time I listened to this, I was walking on Ipanema beach, in Rio de Janeiro, in May (their autumn), on my own. Its impact was so great, I listened to it four times consecutively, beginning to end. Indeed, it's not been more than a fortnight that I haven't returned to this since then.

Much has been made of the back story to the album, but strip that away, and what is left here is simply a beautiful album, that maintains the highest standard from beginning to end (even when we discovered, a week later, that there was an extra track right at the end). Justin Vernon (who is Bon Iver) is an eccentric loon, of that there's little doubt. But, if his grief results in an album as sweeping as this, here's hoping he has a crappy 2009.
Key Track: Impossible to pick one. The first one, through to the last one.

Tracks of the Year

10: Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
9: Nada Surf - See These Bones
8: Keane - Spiralling
7: TV on the Radio - Love Dog
6: Lightspeed Champion - Midnight Surprise
5: Frank Turner - Long Live the Queen
4: Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart
3: Frightened Rabbit - Keep Yourself Warm
2: Death Cab for Cutie - Grapevine Fires
1: Elbow - One Day Like This

Emperor's New Clothes 2008

Coldplay – Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
REM – Accelerate
Stop, stop, STOP. The best track on the Coldplay album is an instrumental ('Life in Technicolour'). It's when Chris Martin opens his fathead mouth that the illusion of goodness is shattered. Awful, awful lyrics (“There was snow, white snow” - Really? WHITE snow, you say?) throughout. And their attempt at a Paranoid Android-a-like three piece suite of a track ('42') is, frankly, risible.

As for REM? Not their fault, I know, but all the talk of a return to form served only to belittle 'Reveal' and 'Around the Sun', both of which had the occasional moment of brilliance ('Imitation of Life' and 'Leaving New York' are excellent). So they were on a sticky wicket before I even listened to it. Then I listened to it. If you're tempted by this, save yourself some money and get 'Life's Rich Pageant' instead – 'Accelerate' is a lazy, sub-standard remake of a superb album.

It's Good But Not That Good 2008

Kings of Leon – Only By The Night
Don't get me wrong, this is quite a good album, especially considering their previous fare, which, quite frankly, left me cold as. The opening four tracks are all pretty good - indeed, 'Crawl' sounds marvellously crunchy, but the album tails off thereafter. Q's album of the year? Come on, let's not get carried away here.

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Keane - Perfect Symmetry
In years gone by, I've included Keane's first two albums in my top tens, and argued (minority-style, I concede) that there was no guilt on my part in confessing I really liked them. Their third effort, however, certainly has an element of cringe-factor about it ("Whooo!" - need I say any more). In spite of this, 'Spiralling', 'The Lovers are Losing' and the title track are all very good pop music - simple as. The rest of the album, however, I can live without. First time I've said that about Keane, which must make me guilty anyway in many people's eyes.

Innocent Pain 2008

The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement
There's just something a bit chin-stroking about this. About ten years ago, Elvis Costello released an album of similar-sounding stuff with Burt Bacharach, which worked brilliantly. This, however, has been rated highly by many, purely because it SHOULD be good. Doesn't mean it actually is, though.

Not Worthy of a Mention in Any Way 2008

Oasis – Dig Out Your Soul
No, no. It really is better to burn out than to fade away.

Andrew Leighton

Albums of the Year

10: The Charlatans - You Cross My Path
I'm an unashamed "Madchester" fan - I grew up with the scene for crying out loud. I've always hoped The Charlies would get their mojo back again - and they've almost got it here. Their best release since their eponymous album. Much of the album is a blatant rip-off of New Order, by the way, and they admit to it in the sleeve notes, but that's a good thing in my book.

9: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
An addendum to The Great American Songbook? Maybe, or maybe Mojo-hyped. Either way, it's got a great sound.

8: Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
It's good, but it's not up there with Asleep In The Back. Still, one of my faves of the year.

7: Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Well, it's another Coldplay album. I haven't got much more to add than that. And I like Coldplay albums.

6: Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
I must confess to this being my only Goldfrapp album, but it's the only one that appeals to me. She's a nutter but the melodies in this album are sublime, at times.

5: Paul Weller - 22 Dreams
He should have made this after Wild Wood, then packed it in. Pastoral, jazz, folk, blue-eyed soul. It's all here.

4: The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely
Better than anything I've heard by The White Stripes. Makes you wonder why Meg doesn't just join this band, or at least help out around the studio for the lads. You know, making tea 'n stuff...

3: The Aliens - Luna
Listen to some of The Beach Boys, Syd Barrett and of course, The Beta Band. Then listen to this album in full and you'll be hooked.

2: Young Knives - Superabundance
Modern indie with a hint of Blur's Leisure for good measure. Gang Of Four-style pop with plenty of tunes.

1: MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Two NY freaks laying down the sounds of the beach, the city and the kids. Not quirky, annoying synths at all.

Tracks of the Year

10: Coldplay - Violet Hill
9: MGMT - Electric Feel
8: Paul Weller - Echoes Round The Sun
7: Elbow - One Day Like This
6: Goldfrapp - A&E
5: Young Knives - Rue The Days
4: The Raconteurs - Consoler Of The Lonely
3: The Aliens - Theremin
2: MGMT - Of Moons, Birds & Monsters
1: Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Duffy - Rockferry
I bought it for my wife - honestly, I did. But it's very good. Bernard Butler helps. So does Steve Cropper. It's got some kudos then.

Joe Ayling

Albums of the Year

10: Foals - Antidotes
Strong album with lots of experimental sounds, great drums and quite euphoric. This album carries the mantle on from last year's breakthrough by The Klaxons, who mastered the art of integrating dance with rock. We all know dance is dead but Foals and The Klaxons seem able to bring it back to life in a better form.

9: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Best thing to come out of New York since The Strokes, and I really want to see them live, but it will be interesting to see the next album and if they can keep up with great songs like 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' and match lines like "who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma". Sorry, couldn't resist it.

8: The Verve - Forth
Eagerly anticipated comeback album that definitely lived up to expectations. Ashcroft's solo career was plagued by some kind of early mid-life crisis, I think, but his fellow Wigan band mates obviously 'complete him'. Songs like 'Judas' and 'Rather Be' signal a return to form. The first time time I heard 'Love Is Noise' on the TV live from Glastonbury I wondered whether it was old material - it sounded that good. However, this was eventually overplayed and the "aha aha aha" bit grinds more than an annoying ringtone now. In short, having originally thought 'Love is Noise' would be the making of Forth, it turned out to be the breaking of The Verve's comeback.

7: The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement
Polished album that defies Alex Turner's age once again. The first two songs of the album - 'The Age Of The Understatement' and 'Standing Next To Me' - flow seamlessly into each other and the orchestral feel continues as the album goes on. On the downside, the epic horror movie notes are a bit too much at times. A nice one-off album but Turner should probably resume Arctic Monkeys business until he can fill that suit out properly.

6: Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
Maybe it's because I give them ten more listens than anything new, but Oasis always get me hooked eventually. 'Shock of the Lightning', 'Way Over The Line' and 'I'm Outta Time' are all great tracks, and other songs on the album are quite blues-y. Probably their second best album since Morning Glory, because Don't Believe The Truth was epic too. Oasis have their critics in abundance but let's face it, they've rediscovered what they're good at and they always deliver.

5: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Written in a log cabin by a heartbroken hippy, this album is a real grower and also a thinker. The lyrics are cold but also very reflective and close to the bone. Honest songwriting is something to be applauded, as is anything that makes you ask why. If I'd discovered this sooner, it may have been further up the chart.

4: Pete And The Pirates - Little Death
Really excited about these guys. They don't really come with a reputation but have very catchy and likeable songs like 'Knots', 'My Understanding' and 'Doesn't Belong To Me'. The lyrics have frequent mentions of sleep, drinking and relationships and communicate adolescence/student life perfectly. Lyrics like "get out of bed and it's the wrong one" remind me of funny lines used by Lennon on Revolver.

3: Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
Deserved prize winner, and the first album by Elbow that's ever really caught my imagination. Quite climatic, and a consistently good album without too many stick out singles, which helps it flow. 'Grounds For Divorce' will obviously go down in history, but there are much better-written songs on the album in my view. For example, in 'The Bones of You', when Guy Garvey sings: "When out of the doorway the tentacles stretch of a song that I know, and the world moves in slow-mo, straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day." Quite a varied album and 'Weather to Fly' sounds like The Eurythmics!

2: Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
So The Kings of Leon are back to their best, but there is a catch. Their pop following, KOL abbreviation and songs like 'Sex on Fire' are enough to make any dedicated follower of Youth and Young Manhood want to be sick! For this reason I ignored Only By The Night's release for weeks, unworried I might be missing out judging by the mediocrity of their previous few albums and frightened to further dent my wonderful memory of four bearded hillbillies giving it their all for the love of the game.

As the weeks went by though I started to hear singles, live tracks, interviews and hype in the background, and could resist no longer. On my first listen I was instantly hooked, and had to take their commercial success on the chin like a dinner party with your best mate and his annoying girlfriend.

Highlight of the album is 'Cold Desert' and the line: "Jesus don't love me, no one ever carried my load, I'm too young to feel this old”. 'Use Somebody' and 'Crawl' are also awesome tracks.

1: The Courteeners - St. Jude
A moody band from Manchester with a lead singer called Liam... Let's face it I was always going to love these guys! The songs are less Oasis and more like The Smiths though and lead singer Liam Fray is obsessed with Morrissey (see the line "do you know who I am I'm like a Morrissey with some strings"). You'll smirk at the harsh one liners and descriptions of mad nights out he gives on St. Jude. 'Not Nineteen Forever' was their main single but other top songs on this album include 'Cavourting' and 'No You Didn't, No You Don't'. This album moves seamlessly from rock to ballad to rant, and is about as edgy as they get. You're not nineteen forever, but my musical taste will be as long as there are bands like The Courteeners around.

Tracks of the Year

10: Oasis - Way Over The Line
9: MGMT - Time To Pretend
8: Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
7: Doves - Grounds For Divorce
6: The Last Shadow Puppets - Standing Next To Me
5: Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma
4: Pete And The Pirates - Doesn't Belong To Me
3: The Verve - Rather Be
2: Kings Of Leon - Cold Desert
1: The Courteeners - What Took You So Long?

Emperor's New Clothes 2008

TV On The Radio - Dear Science

It's Good, But Not That Good 2008

Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Take That - The song that goes "sha la la la"

Innocent Pain 2008

Glasvegas - A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss)

Jessica Harvey

Albums of the Year

10: Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt
9: dEUS - Vantage Point
8: Unkle - End Titles... Stories for Film
7: Beck - Modern Guilt
6: I am Kloot - Play Moolah Rouge
5: Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
4: Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
3: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
2: The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
1: Death Cab for Cutie - The Narrow Stairs

Tracks of the Year

10: Beck - Chemtrails
9: American Music Club - All My Love
8: I Am Kloot - At The Sea
7: Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
6: The Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely
5: Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart
4: Bon Iver - Stacks
3: Unkle - Cut Me Loose
2: Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Something to Believe
1: I Am Kloot - Only Role in Town

Toby Castle

Albums of the Year

10: Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads
Britpop is back. Hurrah. It’s obvious what you’re going to get from this their third album, right? Wrong. They’re out of their comfort zone and what you get is the unexpected – Kaiser Chiefs in musical adventure shock. Would you have expected a duet with grime rapper Sway? Seeing them live you realise this album avoids the formula, experimenting and it works. Much, much better than anything they’ve released before.
"What do you want for tea? I want crisps."

9: Santogold - Santogold
She’s been described as the female breakthrough act of 2008. It’s a fine record with the single 'L.E.S Artistes' summing up this great cross-over album. Rock & hip-hop in perfect harmony.

8: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
'He Doesn't Know Why' and 'White Winter Hymnal' – on the basis of these tracks, it’s hard to believe that up until this debut the most famous musical export from Seattle was grunge. It’s also hard to write anything about this album without mentioning the Beach Boys. Bugger, I just have.

7: Hot Chip – Made in the Dark
"Half nelson, full nelson, Willie Nelson." Hot Chip have concocted a great accompaniment for any journey – either running or driving. I can close my eyes as I type and visualise me driving the Merc – engine purring, windows down and ridiculously large, old-skool glasses firmly in place.

6: Glasvegas - Glasvegas
I needed some translation advice on this album from my colleague who works for The Daily Record. Problem is, he’s not from Scotland. This is very black Scottish indie with a surprisingly large number of memorable quality tunes that are worthy of any boozy sing-along. Gritty. Poetic.

5: Foals - Antidote
Serious haircuts. You either love his voice or hate the music. Or both.
'Red Sox Pugie', 'Balloons' and, of course, 'Cassius' are all stand out tracks that will undoubtedly stand up to critical scrutiny for long time to come. Also, they played one of the best gigs of the year.

4: MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
'Time to Pretend' – easily a contender for single of the year. I don’t think this has any real long-term prospects of being hailed as a seminal record. It probably won’t be remembered as one of the great albums, but, in 2008, this hits all the right spots. Fresh, new electro with a big dollop of fashionable pomp.

3: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
I thought these guys were from Oxford. They keep going on about the place…. This Yankee foursome are part of the “new crop of afrobeat bands”. My problem is where’s the afrobeat? In fact, what exactly is afrobeat? I’m not really bothered, I’ve missed the afrobeat – I’m just happy to drink their brand of intoxicating indie pop.

2: Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster
'Death to Los Campesinos' - Great lyrics and harmonies. Nice ditties. Pity they’re Welsh. Been criticised for not being an album but more a collection of singles. I disagree. I get quite giddy and stupid listening to this. And sometimes even dance. Heavy, heavy ipod rotation.

1. Does It Offend You Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
Based on my iTunes plays count this is my most listened to album of the year and on that basis my top album of 2008. Not given the critically acclaim it deserved but hits all the right electronic dots and dashes. The tracks 'Epic Last Song', 'We Are Rockstars, Let’s Make Out' – fine, fine records. MIDI-tastic

Tracks of the Year

10: Scarlett Johansson - Falling Down
9: The Streets - The Escapist
8: Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart
7: Black Kids - I’m Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend
6: Neon Neon - I Lust You
5: Love is All - Ageing Had Never Been His Friend
4: The Kills - Last Day Of Magic
3: We Are Scientists - After Hours
2: Noah And Whale - 5 Years Time
1. Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked

Emperor's New Clothes 2008

The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement

Super group – my arse. Two words - The Coral.

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Single: Mystery Jets - 2 Doors Down

Colleague at work thought this was The Cure. Enough said. Anything that's good enough to grace the charts in 1983 can get in my 2008 list 25 years later.

Album: Keane - Perfect Symmetry
A very close run thing between this and Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours. Cut Copy brought back the '80s New Order/Thompson Twins synth and Keane brought back the handclap. I prefer the handclap (copyright - Pretend That You’re Alone).

Innocent Pain 2008

Duffy – Rockferry
I must confess that Bernard Butler goes to my gym. I wanted to like this record. Jools Holland implored me to love it. I can’t. It’s her. She annoys me - particularly her voice and that matters. Why? Cos that’s what’s supposed to be great about this record. Bernard, you’re not Phil Spector I’m afraid.
Close run with The Ting Tings.

Kristan Reed

Albums of the Year

10: Portishead - Third
A difficult, challenging record to get into, which plunges into even darker territory than the fearsome, self-titled, second album 11 years ago. In some respects, the most ambitious 'Fuck You' record of the year, with absolutely zero concession to the warm coffee table cosiness of their debut. Nevertheless, a little investment of time reveals Third to house four of the band's most satisfying songs, and listened to as a whole, it works like albums used to work.

9: David Holmes - The Holy Pictures
The record Primal Scream wish they could make. With Holmes taking vocal duties for the first time, this hugely cinematic set leads off with the blissed-out 'I Heard Wonders' and never looks back. From a man who's made a living out of making film music, by the time you reach 'The Ballad of Jack and Sarah', you feel like you've been taken on a trip. And it is a trip.

8: Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
Easily the nerdiest band that's ever lived, 'Made in the Dark' is a revelation after the curiously overhyped and overrated debut. Chock full of ridiculously catchy pop songs alongside poignant, darker numbers, it's a deceptive record which merely grows in stature with every listen. Barely a weak link, and the perfect standby record while we await the next LCD Soundsystem effort.

7: Eastern Conference Champions - Ameritown
A lovely, angry noise from the US alternative scene, this startling set of shattered gems sucks up the best of the '90s and carves its own identity with a handful of standout tracks on an already strong album. When you take the best bits of Pixies, Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins, you're evidently going to be onto a good thing, and so it proves.

6: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Easily the coolest record of the year to namedrop, this exquisite, fragile set of confessional campfire songs is captivating and beautiful, and, again, even better in a live context, where Justin Vernon's voice is the definition of angelic. Moving and involving without cloying sentiment, this post break-up album is THE night-time record of the year.

5: The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Whenever people wearily think they've heard enough rock music to last a lifetime, along comes an album that completely blows your head off and restores your faith in what's actually possible. Jack White's generally been a bit over-rated over the years, but since he teamed up with Brendan Benson in 2006, his stature has grown tenfold. It's no exaggeration to say that this is among the finest rock records there has ever been - a staggering number of tunes muscle for attention in this 14-song masterpiece. And it's even better in a live context.

4: MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
If the charts hadn't been hijacked by marketing people 20-odd years ago, this lot would be top of the nation's hit parade. Another effortlessly stunning debut album from what looks like a dodgy synth duo, but is actually a vehicle for some kind of amazing prog-pop renaissance. If their amazing Glastonbury showings were anything to go by, this is what pop records are going to sound like for the next few years.

3: Dr.Dog - Fate
If The Beatles had grown up in California, they'd have probably sounded like this lot. Name-dropped by Wilco, and yet completely unheard of over here, 'Fate' has the lived-in sound of a band destined for cult status if they keep releasing records with the consistent quality on display here.

2: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Few debut albums have ever emerged with a vision so fully-formed and breathtakingly assured. With the richest harmonies possible, and songwriting talent to die for, this is a contender for album of the decade, never mind this year. There are almost too many highlights, and if this leads people back to CSNY, then all the better.

1: The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Communion
A late entrant to this list by virtue of this 24-track double album arriving last knockings via mail order from the band’s own website. Following on from the staggeringly overlooked genius of the band’s previous four albums (particularly 2002’s 'Behind The Music'), the fact that this is crammed with so many highlights should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been following the Swedes over the past ten or so years. The album itself is yet another trawl through the finest moments of classic rock, delivered with the usual effortless prowess of a band at the peak of their powers. Despite the lengthy tracklist, nothing feels indulgent, flabby or pointless, and when their astonishing cover of Nick Drake’s ‘Fly’ leaps out unexpectedly for the first time, it’s like being manhandled by god. Standout tracks include the marauding 'Universal Stalker', the blissed-out 'Everything Beautiful Must Die', the fragile 'Pictures of Youth' and every gamer’s theme tune, 'Second Life Replay' (with it’s wry “I killed myself today” nod) but there are too many to choose from. Even initial throwaways like 'Mensa’s Marauders' grow into the fabric of the album, while the likes of 'Without Warning' and 'Flipside' feel like songs you’ve known all your life. Don’t be fooled by the clinical sleeve, with clean cut, smiling individuals gazing out healthily from beneath their bathrobes. This is dirty rock by dirty old men with a supernatural ear for tunes.

Tracks of the Year

25: Revere - The Escape Artist
24: Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked
23: The Dears - Dream Job
22: Elbow - The Bones of You
21: Supergrass - Bad Blood
20: Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
19: The Trash Can Sinatras - Oranges and Apples
18: British Sea Power - No Lucifer
17: Paul Weller - Black River
16: Oasis - Shock of the Lightning
15: R.E.M. - Living Well's The Best Revenge
14: Eastern Conference Champions - Single Sedative
13: The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Fly
12: Hot Chip - One Pure Thought
11: Beck - Chemtrails

10: Polly & The Billet Doux - I Don't Know
9: Portishead - The Rip
8: The Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely
7: David Holmes - I Heard Wonders
6: Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
5: Bon Iver - Flume
4: Dr. Dog - Hang On
3: The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Pictures of Youth
2: MGMT - Weekend Wars
1: Vampire Weekend - A Punk

Emperor's New Clothes 2008

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Blanket acclaim and huge radio support for a bunch of stodgy Bruce Springsteen wannabes. Stay Positive? I tried, but this made me want to Stay Away, frankly.

Guilty Pleasure 2008

Can’t think of a single thing I’m guilty about liking. Why be guilty? If you like it, you like it. Fuck what other people think. If you want something old which I’ve recently realised I love after all, it’s Devil Woman by Cliff Richard. Corker.

Innocent Pain 2008

It’s always Muse or The Killers with me. I cannot seem to get to grips with either. I don’t want to criticise other people’s tastes too much, I just don’t get them, ok?