Hello there,

Some of you may be aware that pitchfork media has just recently released it's picks of what they considers to be the best albums of 2008. You are all encourage to have a look here -> The 50 Best Albums of 2008.

While reading through the list, I was amazed to find that I had only heard two of the 50 albums they named. Those two being:

• Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!" (# 32)
• M83 - Saturdays=Youth (# 8)

I was shocked because its been such a great year of music for me, and I though I had listen to a lot of fantastic albums during the year... that being said, I tend to forget that some of the albums I have discovered in the last twelve months are actually a few years old, and thus cannot be featured on the list.

M83's 2008 offering is one of my favourite albums at the moment. It feels light and fluffy, while maintaining a wonderful texture throughout its sometimes moody, sometimes playful set-list. It sounds very French. In fact, some songs could easily be by AIR. When I think about it, I most French bands sound like AIR :-) It's hard to pick favourite tracks from it, but I will name 'Kim & Jessie', 'Couleurs' and 'We Own The Sky' as standouts at the moment.

In regards to Nick Cave - I bought the album quite a few months ago, and even though I like it a lot, I don't feel familiar with it. I don't think its as good as 'Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus', but I still think its a great album with some fantastic lyrics. Nick Cave loves the English language, which really shows in his song writing. He's use of words in some of his songs is just so damn clever and witty :-)

Today I bought "Portishead - Third" (# 2) in an effort to increase my knowledge of the great albums of 2008, and I am certainly not disappointed. I'm a believer that ever bit of music has a place and a time for when it is best heard.... Portishead is a little hard to place for me, but I certainly loved blaring "Machine Gun" while driving home from the city :-)

In regards to their list of The 100 Best Tracks of 2008 - I've fared slightly better, having heard 11% of the named tracks.

• Empire of the Sun - "Walking on a Dream" (# 97)
• Justice - "DVNO" (# 76)
• Goldfrapp - "A&E" (# 73)
• Sigur Rós - "Gobbledigook" (# 71)
• Rihanna - "Don't Stop the Music" (# 70)
• Portishead - "The Rip" (# 69)
• M83 - "Graveyard Girl" (# 46)
• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! (# 42)
• MGMT - "Time to Pretend" (# 30)
• Portishead - "Machine Gun" (# 9)
• M83 - "Kim & Jessie" (# 5)

Pitchfork bagged the crap out of Goldrapp's Seventh Tree albums, so I'm quite surprised to see A&E on the list. Seventh Tree is one of my favourite albums of the last 12 months, though it did take me quite a long time to get to like it... it appears the pitchfork guys had a similar experience with it :-)

Looking at the Top 50 Albums of 2007 is actually quite interesting as well. I own:

• Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (# 29)
• Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (# 27)
• Justice - † (# 15)
• Battles - Mirrored (# 8)
• M.I.A. - Kala (# 3)

I would have liked to have seen UNKLE - War Stories on the 2007 list, though I am more than aware that it was a critical failure :-) Furthermore, 'Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy' by múm was a 2007 favourite which I still listen to now.

Incidentally, while I am on topic - I am yet to listen to the new Flaming Lips Album/movie 'Christmas on Mars'. If anyone HAS listened/watched it, please let me know what its like.

Stretching the topic a little further - mom had a great time playing Guitar Hero for the first time over christmas. Markus (after turning on the 'left handed' option) became a instant Hendrix :-)

Cheers

aussiepoida