The Best Of 2008: Brad Kelly's Top 10

2008 was sort of like the year that no one will remember but everyone will refer to. It had absolutely nothing for the charts and held absolutely everything for the weird kids in the corner, playing with their Rubik's cube.

The amount of music that slipped through the fingers of many is astonishing and even now, I'm continuing to catch up on names that I just couldn't fit in throughout the year.

Looking down at my personal top ten of the year, i can't help but think one thing upon first glance...Indie Kid. I urge you to look further than just the names as the music itself runs much deeper than the popularity a lot of the bands have got over the past year. Most of the music I've chosen has a lot to do with production values and passion which I feel can make or break an album as a whole so keep that in mind as you judge me like a criminal on the electric chair, as you snigger at my choices like a patient on laughing gas or as you politely agree and move on...

1.) Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

2008 saw Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver propelled into the lime light with his solo album For Emma, Forever Ago. After quitting his band and leaving his girlfriend, Vernon abandoned City life and moved into his dads hunting cabin in the wilderness of Wisconsin. It is here that he wrote and recorded the album that is now no doubt a favourite amongst critics and fans alike. Filled with emotion, passion and some truly astounding moments, this album deserves a place in everyone’s heart.

2.) Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

After playing a fantastic show at Latitude, scooping up the coveted Mercury Prize and winning peoples hearts all across the country, Elbow can do no wrong this year. The Seldom Seen Kid is their fourth album and is a poetic send off to one of their recently deceased friends. From start to finish this album breathes eloquence and genius and lyrically and instrumentally the record plays on both the grandiose and the fragile, moving between the two at any given moment. To have not already bought this album three times over is a sin.

3.) Why? - Alopecia

Garnering instant cult status and taking the trip-hip-hop-geek-rap one step further, Alopecia is a genuine work of abstract brilliance. Yoni Wolf (main member of Why?) has made countless records for his label anticon. but none of them as structured and deep as this.  Popping up in a surprising amount of critics end of year lists, this album is a display of how to do the whole “alternative rap” thing flawlessly.

4.) TV On The Radio - Dear Science,

Possibly one of the most anticipated albums of the year, TV On The Radio’s 2008 release Dear Science, did not disappoint. On Metacritic it was given an 88/100 collated over 40 reviews and yet only managed to squeeze in at 36 on the charts. Who needs charts and ratings when the music is as good as this though? Dear Science, is 11 tracks of funk, soul, love, pain and fun mixed into one to create an eclectic behemoth of genius song-making.

5.) Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

Flying Lotus is Steven Ellison, DJ, Producer and music maker extraordinaire. Los Angeles is his second LP released earlier this year and it managed to pick up its fair share of compliments along the way. Filled with hip-hop beats for people that don’t like hip-hop and a little bit of dub thrown in for good measure, L.A is a sensory overload of sweaty, electric beats with tinges of darkness surrounding its edges.

6.) Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Whatever you were expecting next from Death Cab, I bet it wasn’t a seven minute single with an instrumental intro some four and a half minutes long. I’m talking of course about Narrow Stairs first single I Will Possess Your Heart. The track displayed a new direction for Death Cab, darker and more melodic. The album was released to mainly positive reviews and although some cursed its new direction, it was no doubt a brave move after the radio-friendly Plans. Packed with some of the best Death Cab songs to date, Narrow Stairs was a left hook out of nowhere and is an all out joy to listen to.

7.) Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

After releasing their debut album Sing The Greys back in 2006 to quiet success, no one expected them to return two years later with the fantastic Midnight Organ Fight in their barrel. The album has sent them spiralling upwards in the music world, opening for the likes of Death Cab For Cutie and ending up in many critics end of year lists. A lot like this one actually.

8.) Sigur Rós - Meo Suo I Eyrum Vio Spilum Endalaust

After being featured on every single commercial ever made for TV, Sigur Ros returned in 2008 with Meo Suo.. A delicate, somewhat more accessible album than previous efforts, it kept everything that’s charming about their sound and took it in a similar but poppier direction. A few found the sound too far removed from their previous, post-hardcore-esque roots but underneath all of its layers its still a beautiful, cold, hypnotic album and a brilliant addition to 2008.

9.) The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale

The Cool Kids are duo Chuck Inglish & Mikey Rocks and in 2008 they became one of the most talked about bands in music. The Bake Sale is their second EP and has so far gained much acclaim critically and culturally. The rap duo deliver swift, self-referential flows to old-school beats akin to their heroes Eric B. & Rakim and by the looks of things, the sky is the limit. So far they’ve done a Black Cab Session, had their tracks featured in numerous HBO shows and video games and have just struck a deal with Mountain Dew to feature a new track for their commercials. They haven’t even released an LP yet…enough said?

10.) Minus The Bear - Acoustics

Coming out of nowhere, Acoustics was a delight for Minus Of The Bear fans in 2008. Six of the seven tracks were drastically minimalistic re-writes of previous Minus The Bear songs and also included a new track entitled Guns & Ammo. Hearing Minus’s complex structures recomposed to play acoustically is a delight and however brief the EP is, the material makes up for it. They’ve always been a pretty laid back band but this takes their relaxed tone to another level altogether.