Top Ten 2008 (Runners Up)

The following 29 albums made my life that wee bit sweeter in 2008 and will, no doubt about it, continue to impress me in the days, months and years to come...



Top Row - (from left to right)

• 50:50 An Earth Monkey Productions Compilation - Various Artists *
  
• Batman :: The Dark Knight OST - Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard
  
• Little Dreamer - Beth Rowley ^
  
• Narrow Stairs - Death Cab For Cutie ^
  
• Nothing To Undo : Nothing To Redo - Dep *
• Do You Like Rock Music? - British Sea Power ^
  

Middle Row - (from left to right)

• The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow ^
  
• Made In The Dark - Hot Chip ^
  
• hydrophobia - entertainment for the braindead *
• Sunday At Devil Dirt - Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan ^
  
• Sleep Through The Static - Jack Johnson ^
  
• Pastoral Pioneer - Koen Park *

Bottom Row - (from left to right)

• Alas, I Cannot Swim - Laura Marling
• Oracular Spectacular - MGMT ^
  
• The Mystery Of Spyglass Hill - Pandacetamol *
• Jukebox - Cat Power ^
  
• Consolers Of The Lonely - The Raconteurs ^
  
• The Bewildering Light - So Elated

Top Row - (from left to right)

• Intelligent Toys vol. 5 - Various Artists *
• Youth Novels - Lykke Li
• In Silico - Pendulum
• The Slip and Ghosts - Nine Inch Nails
• 19 - Adele ^
  

Bottom Row - (from left to right)

• Fordlandia - Johann Johannsson
• Santogold
  
• Ladyhawke
  
• Friendly Fires
• Seventh Heaven - Goldfrapp ^
  

29 albums:

• 6 netlabel releases (marked with a "*"),
  
• 12 borrowed from my local library (marked with a "^") and
  
• 11 bought (1 was an actual CD... the other 10 were downloads from iTunes, Amazon or NoiseTrade).

29 rather eclectic... kind of leftfield albums. A mix of bleeding edge electronica, raw rock and blues, Americana, jazzy vocals, classical soundscapes, delicate folk and an eclectic electropopunk vibe.

Its been a good year for music... and all the artists above deserve recognition for their quality of creative expression.