In no particular order
Grace Jones - Hurricane
This is my Voice - This is my Weapon of Choice ... She's baaaaaccckkk!!! Dubby as ever!
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Its not scottish .. its Donna Karan!! No seriously ... heavy scots accents aside, head straight to the track Ice Cream Vans and then I defy you make me take this off my list for 2008.
Leila - Blood Looms and Blooms
The girl and her bicycle riding through a fairytale landscape with pixies and fairies and talking animals ... but be careful .. teeth can bite and claws are sharp - wonderful wonderful electronica!!
Sigur ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
The love affair continues - this time round the band loosens up on the heartstrings but the result still delivers the right emotional punches even with pappy brass and sprightly strings. Buy Buy Buy!!!
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
Restoring my faith in the UK scene - "indie" popsters with the right attitude, tunes and grooves. Not quite as exciting as the early 90s but getting there!!
Late of the pier - Fantasy Black Channel
Starts off with the retrometal and then slips haphazardly into Nu-rave territory - soon to fizzle out in emo-hating disgust. In the meantime lets shout and dance!!
Lindstrom - Where you go I go too
Where Lindstrom channels Klaus Schulze's Audentity but manages a cleaner modern streak in what veers dangerously close to an outright steal! A must for electronic fans!
Quiet Village - Silent Movie
Its the return of lounge-core ... did it ever go away in some households? Crater Digging samplists from UK ... chilled beats and your mum and dad's record collection ... strangely it works\
Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
I can't pronounce it and Finnish is a strange language, the album cover is a photo of a group of domestic african tribespeople - its IDM of the Norsk variety but there's a certain charm in these quasi-pastoral vignettes ..
The Mae Shi - Hllly
You like the chanty histrionics of Animal Collective, Panda Bear et al ... but you also like the punchy cbgb sound circa stooges, television et al .... well this is for you
Rachel Unthank & the Winterset - The Bairns
These Sirens of the Sea have taken up residence at your local pub where they charm you with their brew and tales of salt sea and spray. You listen in rapture not realising that they have bound you in their cheesecloth and nailed your balls to the chair!
Four Tet - Ringer
I've seen Kieran live, slouched over his laptop gradually slipping into a techno groove - this is Fourtet stripped off the whimsy, all algorithms and functionality like an ultra modern piece of white-cube architecture but overlooking blue sea and palmtrees
Matmos - Supreme Balloon
Head straight for the 24 min title track and bask in the warmth of the analogue synth sound. Like those sound testing records of yore with sci-fi and horror movie sound effects ... brilliant!!
Vampire Weekend
This is like the summation of college rock, literary, erudite, peppered with in jokes and pop-culture references, 1st general academic year at the local Uni. But the music is so infectious, the preppy jumper brigade on safari!!
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Like the best 80's and 90's mix ever - but without irony just pure musical celebration. Fun.
M83 - Saturday=Youth
Soundtrack to a lost John Hughes movie. Spiral perms, candy colours, stirrup pants, deconstructed jackets with shoulder pads, pastel, hair gel, clunky bracelets and dangly earrings, and electronic drum pads!!
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
Playboy is still the best song evah!! And after the backburning heat of The Warning, Hot Chip return with mor party treats. Great SOH, slammin white boy beats .. play this loud!!
Black Mountain - In The Future
What is it about early 70s metal - all that cosmic mythology, murky drums, sword & sorcery, mordant guitars, long hair and tight pants. well if you're going to go all headbangin and beardy, might as well update the template RAWK!!
El Guincho - Alegranza
The Spanish version of The Avalanches. World music has never been this much fun. Like taking speed in a dusty charity opp shop amongst the mouldy boxes housing someone's vinyl outcasts from Sth America!
The Black Ghosts - Mixtape
If I was still in my "Youth!" and definitely more hip than I am now and you asked me what kind of dance music I was into ... this would be it!!! Teriyaki Anarki Saki anyone??
Portishead - Third
Definite contender for album of the year - the emotional timbre of Beth's voice and lyrics can only be described as heart wrenching, and with the musical muscle to back it all up. Crank it!!! Absolutely delicious!!
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
You know the wierd girl on your street who reads about fairies and serial killers and dresses in patchwork but with the killer boots and is fascinated by golden showers? No? Well meet Alison Goldfrapp
Foals - Antidotes
Post-punk for the noughties. Plenty of bands out there pulling this shtick, but these guys manage it with grace and elan, in spite of all the shoutiness and obfuscating one-liners. There's a definite indie groove here and great cover too!!
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
I hate the fact that I love this so much. MGMT remind me of my classmate Josh who used to tip me into the bin and throw my bag in the mud - he was highly intelligent, super cool and articulate - but what an arsehole!!! Maybe album of the year?
