With each passing year, we find ourselves closer to the future. In fact we are so close that I can smell it (like chip shop vinegar, in case you are wondering). Before we get there, I feel strangely compelled to make lists, to document just what it was that made 2008 so uniquely rich with records that were released between the years 2007 and 2009. Here goes…
1. GROUPER, DRAGGING A DEAD DEER UP A HILL (TYPE): Type returned to form in 2008 with Liz Harris’s masterpiece of murky and maudlin mumblings. Nothing this year moved me as much as the track “Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping”; this is an astonishing piece of work. Read Listen Buy
2. FENNESZ, BLACK SEA (TOUCH): Finally! Some complained that his long-awaited new album sounded too much like Fennesz. Those people are fools, and shouldn’t be trusted around kitchen implements. Black Sea is a dense and richly-rewarding piece of work. Read Listen Buy
3. KEVIN DRUMM, IMPERIAL DISTORTION (HOSPITAL): I’m not sure how Kevin Drumm managed to record the void that will be left behind after the world has ended. That must have taken some pretty fancy equipment. Imperial Distortion is a compelling trip into the abyss. Read Listen Buy
4. ALVA NOTO, UNITXT (RASTER-NOTON): Unitxt is so different from last year’s Xerrox Vol.1, it is hard to believe that these abrasive rhythms were hewn from the same source. Just like the last album, however, this goes straight into the top five of the year. Read Listen Buy
5. PHILIP JECK, SAND (TOUCH): Two for Touch in the top 5 then. The finest record of Philip Jeck’s career (which is really saying something), Sand had an extraordinary emotional resonance buried deep within the layers of vinyl crackle. This was a powerful musing on mortality. Read Listen Buy
6. RICHARD SKELTON, MARKING TIME (PRESERVATION): The sparseness of this in comparison to his A Broken Consort work only served to further highlight the sheer quality of Skelton’s compositions. Marking Time is magnificent, wider recognition for Skelton should follow. Read Listen Buy
7. GANG GANG DANCE, SAINT DYMPHNA (SOCIAL REGISTRY): When this site decides to let its hair down and gyrate as vigorously as its aching bones will allow, Gang Gang Dance get the call. Saint Dymphna is the funnest, and that’s not even a word. Read Listen Buy
8. WILLITS AND SAKAMOTO, OCEAN FIRE (12K): Impressive impressionism from the collaborator’s collaborator Ryuichi Sakamoto, here alongside Christopher Willits. Like the ocean itself, this shimmered serenely and broke belligerently. The best of a fine bunch from 12k in 2008. Read Listen Buy
9. PORTISHEAD, THIRD (ISLAND): Third is no doubt destined to sit somewhere near the top of a million list such as this, and only a churl could sniff at the way Portishead returned, reinventing themselves with near-miraculous swagger and aplomb. Read Listen Buy
10. MACHINEFABRIEK, DAUW (DEKORDER): It was business as usual for Rutger Zuydervelt Industries during 2008. Amongst several thousand releases of assorted shapes and sizes, Dauw was the one which showed him at his most restrained, and also at his very best. Read Listen Buy
11. KINGDOM SHORE, AND ALL THE DOGS TO SHARK (BLACK BOUGH) Read Listen Buy
12. EARTH, THE BEES MADE HONEY IN THE LION’S SKULL (SOUTHERN LORD) Read Listen Buy
13. SAWAKO, BITTERSWEET (12K) Read Listen Buy
14. GAVIN BRYARS, ALTER EGO AND PHILIP JECK, THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC (TOUCH) Read Buy
15. TOUMANI DIABATE, THE MANDE VARIATIONS (WORLD CIRCUIT) Read Listen Buy
16. AUTECHRE, QUARISTICE (WARP) Read Listen Buy
17. JACASZEK, TRENY (MIASMAH) Read Listen Buy
18. ARVE HENRIKSEN, CARTOGRAPHY (ECM) Read Listen Buy
19. HIGH PLACES, HIGH PLACES (THRILL JOCKEY) Read Listen Buy
20. EVANGELISTA, HELLO VOYAGER (CONSTELLATION) Read Listen Buy
The next twenty : Murcof, The Versailles Sessions (Leaf) Tindersticks, The Hungry Saw (Beggars Banquet); Xela, In Bocca Al Lupo (Type); Nico Muhly, Mothertongue (Bedroom Community); Tape, Luminarium (Hapna), Lawrence English, Kiri No Oto (Touch); Stray Ghost, Losthilde (Highpoint Lowlife); James Blackshaw, Litany Of Echoes (Tompkins Square); Jacob Kirkegaard, Labyrinthitis (Touch); Dark Captain Light Captain, Miracle Kicker (Loaf); Peter Wright, Pretty Mushroom Clouds (Archive), Nemeth, Film (Thrill Jockey); Birchville Cat Motel, Gunpowder Temple Of Heaven (Picadisk); Chris Watson, Cima Verde (Sound Threshold); Lothar Olmeier/Isamabard Khroustaliov, Nowhere (Not Applicable); Huntsville, Eco, Eras and Arches (Rune Grammofon) Bleeding Heart Narrative, All That Was Missing We Never Had In The World (Tartaruga); Rudi Arapahoe, Echoes From One To Another (Symbolic Interaction); Sonic Youth with Mats Gustafsson and Merzbow, Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth (SYR)
Lest we forget: the top 20 of 2007 the top 20 of 2006
25 comments
Comments feed for this article
December 20, 2008 at 12:14 am
Alex Barkett
Excellent. Definitely similar to my list. Especially throwing Gang Gang in the mix. I’ve heard so much about the Grouper album but for some reason have avoided it. This settles it. I’m getting it. I’d love to hear what you think of mine: http://staticfix.blogspot.com. Keep up the good listening!
December 20, 2008 at 4:03 pm
mapsadaisical
Thanks Alex, a cracking list you have there (although given the similarities, I’m bound to say that!). The bouncers have been instructed not to let you back in here until you’ve rectified that Grouper oversight though.
December 21, 2008 at 2:05 am
joselbaez
I’m one crazy about these lists, “collecting gems” I miss through the year and I was waiting for yours of course. Lately I have been also in love with tiny masterpiece “Heavy Water…”. I listen to it average 4 times a day, seriously. By far, song (and also album) of the year.
I have my own which shares a few ones with yours. Although, mine is a bit more “indie” oriented than yours.
The only thing I would dare to suggest you, is an album called “Field Rituals” by Koen Holtkamp (also Type). Mostly sweet drones with hardly any bad moment on it.
Regards.
December 21, 2008 at 11:30 am
mapsadaisical
Saludos José – I hope, as I turn the central heating up another notch, that you are having a lovely summer in Chile. I missed the Koen Holtkamp one, but after your recommendation I’ll have to go and check that one out. Gracias!
December 22, 2008 at 12:43 am
Colin
I love your list – particularly as it’s so different from my own one. I particularly like your placing at number one something that you describe as “murky and maudlin mumblings”! Entirely forgot that the Willitts/Sakamoto was this year and have yet to check the Jeck out, but will. Wishing you vintage shindigs…
December 22, 2008 at 6:06 am
sean
Great list, and great year. Without mapsadaisical, I never might have heard Kingdom Shore (didn’t make my list though, I thought it was 2007), Richard Skelton, or enjoyed the Touch label as much as I have this year. Haven’t published my own list yet, but have Grouper down as my number three album, with Evangelista up top.
Checked out Alex’s list as well, and saw a few albums I hadn’t listened to yet. I’ll poke through the rest in this thread eventually.
Thanks again. I don’t know how you find the time to produce so much material, but keep up the incredible work.
December 22, 2008 at 7:05 am
Sam
Four top ten picks in common and yet Last FM still says our musical compatibility is low. Stupid robot!
December 22, 2008 at 9:29 am
mapsadaisical
Colin – yours is an excellent list as ever, but we do have 6 in common (and a few more of yours just missed out on my list too – Box, Terje, Byetone…and Gas fell foul of reissue byelaws), so perhaps not all that different.
Sean – was it? Oh dear. Still, it can’t hurt to give a record with such ambition a bit more publicity! Get on with the rest of your top 37!
Sam – it tells me that our compatibility is high. Maybe because I listened to your album, but you haven’t listened to mine. Although, to be fair to you, there isn’t one.
December 22, 2008 at 10:30 am
Daniel Paton
A great list – and a reminder that I’ve yet to hear that Grouper album properly and should have mentioned it in my list of omissions. I’ll make it a priority to check it out. Agreed on ‘Black Sea’.
Links to my top 100 below – all over the place as usual:
http://inleaguewithpaton.blogspot.com/2008/12/albums-of-year-2008-part-1-100-51.html
http://inleaguewithpaton.blogspot.com/2008/12/albums-of-year-2008-part-2-50-1.html
December 22, 2008 at 12:09 pm
nickinko
Great list – I’m still agonising over the final draft of mine, but Jacaszek and Machinefabriek are both in top two. The Willits & Sakamoto has been a very durable favourite this year too.
I couldn’t get into Unitxt though, I’m afraid. Just too chaotic and noisy for me. I liked Xerrox Vol.1 a lot (oddly it became my wonderfully incongruous summer holiday Greek poolside headphone music) and I really liked his Aleph-1 album this year.
One other album which I loved to pieces this year and which I’m a tad sad not to see on anyone’s lists at all, was Rameses III’s Basilica.
Anyway, thanks for the great work on this blog. It’s basically the only one I read and along with boomkat and the odd forum thread here and there, my main source of information and inspiration.
December 23, 2008 at 3:57 pm
mapsadaisical
Nick – thanks for that, much appreciated. I do my best. Even the bits that were rubbish were designed specifically to be rubbish.
I see you have published your list over at last.fm now. I’ll certainly give the Rameses III record another listen on the back of your rec.
December 23, 2008 at 7:56 pm
themilkman
You will have to explain yourself about Arve Henriksen just scrapping in the top 20, but quite a nice list otherwise. I’ve really liked the Gan Gang album but haven’t managed to review it. There’s just not enough time in the life of a milkman If you ask me. I’ve Ali managed to completely missed the Fennesz album, which is crap.
Best Christmas and NY wishes to Maps and Daisy
December 24, 2008 at 12:21 am
mapsadaisical
Daisy was about to send her love, but then she read “the Fennesz album, which is crap”. You’ve got some explaining to do there.
And she wants to know who Ali is. Although she claims she “isn’t the jealous type”. Yeah, right.
December 25, 2008 at 5:14 pm
jeredunn
I thought my list was left-field! Seems like a great ambient/electro-acoustic spring-source which I’ll have to dive into. I’m glad Autechre got some deserved love, and I’ll have to re-listen to that Fennesz album which apparently has more layers than I initially thought. (And I wondered what Sakamoto was doing these days.) Here’s my loud and dancey list: http://feedbackloop.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/best-25-albums-of-2008-with-downloads/
December 27, 2008 at 10:54 am
themilkman
Daisy should have gone to Specsavers and I should have gone to typing school.
December 27, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Jeremy B
Just a quick note to “nickinko”—I loved that spectacular Rameses III album too, it was my #3 of the year: . More commentary on the full Mapadasical list coming soon~
December 27, 2008 at 5:16 pm
nickinko
Ah Jeremy – good, good. Nice description of that album too.
December 28, 2008 at 9:37 am
Lend Me Your Ears
maps, a doff of the cap from LMYE – for your thoughtful, tasteful list (as always, inspiration in spades…) & more generally for your incredible diligence & adventurousness & even (rare commodity out on the bleeding edge) humour! Looking forward to more in the new year.
December 28, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Lend Me Your Ears
That’s more of it all, by the way – not just the jokes :-)
December 28, 2008 at 8:30 pm
futurestar
check out http://www.textura.org/reviews/2008top10s.htm for similar thinking and results. cut out the commercial stuff and certain albums shine. thankfully there’s no cut copy on either list.
December 29, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Jeremy B
My full top ten, with MP3s, is here. No direct overlap with your top ten, but similar aesthetic principles at work. (I do disagree with your assessment of Philip Jeck’s Sand, which was one of my bigger disappointments this year: I prefer both Stoke and 7.)
January 15, 2009 at 3:51 am
Scrap
Cracking list, I’ve blogged 4 of your top 10 myself so we’re almost in sync.
Nice to see Tape and Birchville Cat made it into the bottom half too, those fellas have been in heavy rotation on the ol’ ipod.
January 15, 2009 at 4:47 am
Scrap
Oh yeah one more thing, Ocean Fire helped me get through a night shift a few days back so thankee for the heads-up on that one
February 1, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Is It Really Broadcasting If There Is No-one There To Receive? « NarcoAgent
[...] as opposed to those un-annotated lists which I myself was guilty of. This is one I like, or this… (and for group-compiled, consensus-based lists you could do worse that check this one [...]
October 29, 2009 at 3:00 pm
A Personal Miscellany » Blog Archive » Looking back at 2008. Part The First, being recordings released this year
[...] Mapsadaisical, Milkfactory, Boomkat [...]