It’s been a mighty-big year for albums. Much like my Top 208 Songs of 2008 list which I published the other day, this list of Top 75 Albums of the year was incredibly hard to compile, particularly from about Numbers 20 onward. There were so many GREAT albums this year and the shortlist initially sat at just under 100. So I chopped it down to 75.

Below are the albums I’ve loved, in chart form, for 2008. If you click the album title, you will be redirected to a link which will give you the ability to purchase the album online. I urge each and every one of you to buy at least one of these records because they’re all incredibly special. There are also links provided to actual reviews of the albums at the end of each blurby bit, should I have one already pre-written up and ready to go here on the site.

Enjoy…

01. VAN SHE – V
No surprises here; I declared this as my Album of The Year back in July when I initially reviewed it (read here). It took a bit of a beating (both my opinions on the record itself and also its position at the Number #1 spot), but, at the end of it all, Van She’s “V” came out on top, bigger and brighter than ever. I’ve had many-a-debate with people across the board as to whether my feelings toward this record are biased. But who are those people to pass judgement on what I think is an excellent record? At the end of the day, it’s called a musical opinion for a reason, and my opinion on “V” is that there was no other album quite like it in 2008. The fact that some have questioned my integrity as a writer in regards to this long player has truly baffled and infuriated me over the year; why on earth would I say I liked an album so much just because I have a history with the act? I have a history with Madonna (or at least her work) that transcends that of Van She’s and yet I can still sit there and tell you when something of hers is not done correctly. Luckily (particularly for Van She), there was nothing to complain about on their debut record.

And that’s the thing about “V”. There isn’t a moment on here that sounds wrong or forced. It’s sonic perfection. It is exactly how I’d imagined this long, long, very long awaited album to sound like, yet it completely blew my mind at how fierce it really was. Well known tracks like “Strangers”, “Changes” and “Kelly” continue to inspire, whilst fresh slices of pop in the form of “The Sea”, “Virgin Suicide”, “A Sharp Knife” and the epic “So High” have cemented the band in place as my favourite Aussie act of all time. An incredibly well deserved placing; Van She’s “V” will forever be my absolute highlight on a musical level for the year of 2008. [Read my original review of the album.]

02. GIRLS ALOUD – Out Of Control
Girls Aloud storm through with their fifth studio album and prove why they’re still THE absolute pop music force in the world of song. “Untouchable” is a precious disco-romantic’s anthem, whilst moments like “Love Is Pain” and their Pet Shop Boys collaboration “The Loving Kind” accelerated The Aloud into legendary status. The second greatest record of 2008 from the greatest pop group of all time. [Read my original review of the album.]

03. KANYE WEST – 808s & Heartbreak
The ego himself - less than a year after his disappointing third album “Graduation” was released - Kanye West, delivered what was undisputedly his greatest long player to date. Classic West fans may have balked at the change of pace “808s & Heartbreak” took in comparison to his previous efforts; all vocoder, no real rap. Some of the tracks even took on an epic Phil Collins-esque approach which, in recent interviews, seems to be exactly what West had set out to achieve when making the long player. Such a recipe involving Kanye sounds like disaster on paper, but when placed into method, it’s soul-clenching art. Haunting album opener “Say You Will” based itself around a lonesome piano melody, interlaced with the eerie sound of what (quite fittingly) seems to be a heart monitors life-line. The goosebump-inducing remaining 90 seconds set the tone for the majority of the album; a break up record, one that deals with love and its losses. There is a thick air of incredible pain and sadness through most of “808s”. The true standouts sit with the records first single, “Love Lockdown”, and the poptastic “Paranoid”. The former leads off with a deep drum blow and piano riffs, before exploding into an all-out percussion love-fest for the powerful chorus. The latter, which owes a lot to New Order’s “Blue Monday” and some of the more poignant Italo-house moments of the 80’s, boasts 808s most powerful and single-worthy chorus.

Away from the self promotion, his self-assuredness, there truly IS something remarkably special about Kanye West. His talents shine through in the brightest of ways on 808s, and may just be the release that finally propels him out of the hip hop world and into his ever-so-lusted-for pop star territory.

04. LADYHAWKE – Ladyhawke
There were so many personal moments within this outstanding debut record that it’s almost too much to go through them all. Ladyhawke’s eruption into the world of solo pop-dom was one of my most treasured records of the year. Listen to “My Delirium” and try telling me you can’t feel what she’s saying. [Read my original review of the album.]

05. LATE OF THE PIER – Fantasy Black Channel
Bonkers. Just bonkers. And exactly the sort of fresh, exciting and innovative record we needed in 2008. [Read my original review of the album.]

06. CUT COPY – In Ghost Colours
Propelling the brilliance of their debut effort, 2004’s “Bright Like Neon Love”, Cut Copy returned with their long awaited sophomore album a near four years later. As clichéd as it is to say, the wait was well and truly worth it. It may have been the year of The Presets, but it was Cut Copy who gave us the (marginally) better record. [Read my original review of the album.]

07. COLDPLAY – Viva La Vida Or Death & All His Friends
Chris Martin (or as I accidentally typed in a published review of this album, Christ Martin) took the time to sit down with his band and make a proper, epic pop record. The results were exactly that; epic. Epic, and by far the bands greatest achievement. There is something so deliciously special about this long player from start to finish… its aura is almost haunting in places. A stellar, stellar welcome back party. [Read my original review of the album.]

08. SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM – 2
After the success of their self-titled first album (which, let’s face it, had a number of ropey moments), the arrival of Sneaky Sound System’s “2″ was more than just a celebrated affair for me; it became a bit of an obsession. As my listenership of the record grew, the more I was convinced the band were Australia’s own complex and exciting answer to Girls Aloud. “16″ and “When We Were Young” are some of the most innovative moments to happen to this countries pop climate in years. [Read my original review of the album.]

09. t.A.T.u. – Happy Smiles
After the disappointment of their last record, I was quite anxious about the release of t.A.T.u’s follow up this year. However, from start to finished, I was truly awe-inspired. Incredible production, magnificent songs and some seriously momentous vocals, there is no denying this is the greatest thing they’ve put their names to.

10. LINDSTROM – Where You Go I Go Too
Broken into three parts, Lindstrom’s epic soundscape of musical splashings served as not only the perfect Sunday afternoon treat, but something I found myself dissolving into when things got a little bit much in life. Calming disco; who would have thought.

11. THE PRESETS – Apocalypso
What much can I say about this album all these months on? The facts and figures do not lie; 2008 was THE year of The Presets, and this album deserved ALL the adoration (and money) it had thrown at it. [Read my original review of the album.]

12. MADONNA – Hard Candy
The first time a Madonna album has not made my Top 10. The quality of the previous 11 entries though were just so magnetic, it just didn’t feel right to place this record anywhere other than where it is. Hard Candy was played a lot since its arrival though and, regardless of all the flack it’s gotten since it appeared, I still think it’s a pretty rock-solid effort. It may not have been what people wanted from Her Madgesty, but it hit the spot (and still does) with me fine. [Read my original review of the album.]

13. HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR – Hercules & Love Affair
From start to finish, the Hercules & Love Affair debut delivered an impressive range of musical goods. From the incredibly special single “Blind” to the seductive snake-charming qualities of “Athene”, it was hard to resist this pulsating beatmaster of a record in 2008.

14. LAST OF THE SHADOW PUPPETS – Age Of The Understatement
Epic. Proof that my darling Alex Turner, no matter who he works with, is a bonafide musical visionary. One of the greatest (if not THE greatest) lyricists of the 21st century.

15. LADY GAGA – The Fame
I completely went GaGa for GaGa this year, and even compared her to Madonna at points. Whether such comments were hastily made reactions or not is really not the point here; this album was strong enough for me to take notice and feel that the Lady has some serious longevity running through those ambitious veins of hers. [Read my original review of the album.]

16. MERCY ARMS – Mercy Arms
The full-length debut effort from this Aussie band comes complete with some incredibly sonic shoegazing moments, tasty slices of prog-pop and even an out-of-place, yet surprisingly welcome rap sequence. One of the many local bands I wish I’d blogged about.

17. METRONOMY – Nights Out
Well crafted, bizarre pop music. Everything from the heartbreaking “Heartbreaker” to the zippy “Holiday” provided me with some serious goosebumps through the year.

18. SANTOGOLD – Santogold
So much has been said about this album, I’m not sure whatever I have to add about it hasn’t already been chanted. Love Santi, love her album. Nuff said.

19. MR. OIZO – Lambs Anger
One duff track (the boring “Bruce Willis Is Dead” - something LA Style did much better over 15 years ago with “James Brown Is Dead”) stood out amongst a collection of absolute thumpers. If you can get that on any given record - only the one song that ruffles you up the wrong way - you know you’re on a winner.

20. NADIA OH – Hot Like Wow
I’m genuinely surprised this album wasn’t mentioned more across the board. It is a special kind of fierce. “I Got Your Number” is the sort of 80’s homaging Danceteria pop music I’d like to see in the clubs again.

21. GOLDFRAPP – Seventh Tree
Although I first heard this in 2007, it remained a solid favourite right through the year when eventually released in 2008. “Caravan Girl” and “A&E” still have the ability to induce a tear or two from me, and when I saw Alison perform the former at Parklife this year, it was more a river.

22. DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? – You Have No Idea…
Bit of a duff name for a band really. Thankfully, the music spoke for itself; this is a world class album. “Epic Last Song” does exactly what it says on the tin, whilst “Dawn Of The Dead” really brought on kilos of fun.

23. GRACE JONES – Hurricane
With an exciting blend of reggae and Massive Attack-esque big-beats, Grace Jones’ return to music in almost 20 years was truly triumphant, and of the biggest happenings of 2008. From the haunting choirgazm of “Williams Blood”, to the force-of-nature title track “Hurricane”, there was absolutely no denying the Divine Miss Jones was back and in absolute fine form.

24. CRYSTAL CASTLES – Crystal Castles
Electronic blips-and-blops served on a fine platter of musical goods. Whether you think these guys steal sound bites from all over the shop or not is besides the point; this, their official debut album, was top shelf stuff. “Air War” was my clear favourite but, obviously, I’m a big fan of “Vanished”, the track which samples (i.e.: uses 90% of) Van She’s “Sex City”. Just don’t go around saying Van She covered them because I will actually bite your head off.

25. TAKE THAT – The Circus
It’s 2008, and Take That’s second album after their successful comeback in 2006 (without Robbie Williams) is a sweet as their last. Unfortunately, Australia just isn’t as interested in this pop force as they used to be during the 1990’s. Commercial radio in this country are more than partially responsible for this. Frustratingly, if these songs were performed by Coldplay, they’d be all over Oz radio. First single “Greatest Day” is a euphoric builder that paints the band in one of their strongest moments and would, quite comfortably, sit on a Nova or Fox FM playlist. “Circus” is a perfect example of a band who are, right now, in their absolute musical prime. Listen to any of their first three albums and you’ll find a handful of dud moments. But on the last two since their comeback, there’s not a single terrible moment to be found; solid songwriting, incredible production. Pretty typical we’d turn off something in this country just as it gets good, isn’t it?

26. THE TEENAGERS – Reality Check
Cheeky cunts. [Read my original review of the album.]

27. THE DIRTY SECRETS – The Dirty Secrets
If you haven’t heard this album by now, get onto it. One of my favourite Aussie bands of the year that I really should have made an effort to cover on the website more.

28. SOLANGE – Sol-Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams
I love Sunlounge Knowles. She’s batshit crazy and refuses to hide it. It’s a part of her personality, something her vacant sister Beyonce has spent an entire career trying to hide, manage and control. Tracks like “God Given Name” see Sunlounge promise the listener she’s “not high. I promise I’m not high!”, whilst the general bonkers-blend of pop she throws forth continues in the ballad-spack-attack “Cosmic Journey”, which turns into a full-on, balls-out, poppers o’clock rave anthem by tracks end.

29. SHINICHI OSAWA – The One
Yeah yeah, I know; it’s technically from last year. But I only discovered it in January so that still counts, right?

30. SIA – Some People Have Real Problems
There’s been a lot of love for this record all over the interwebs of late; I’m actually a little surprised as I thought I was only one of a very small handful that even liked it. “Buttons” is still the best moment on here, even if it was just a bonus-gone-single track.

31. CLOETTA PARIS – Secret Eyes
If you were a fan of that classic Italo-disco sound that infiltrated the club culture of the mid 80’s and early 90’s (remember Fancy and his “Chinese Eyes”?), then placing Cloetta Paris’ debut album onto the shelves of your music collection is somewhat imperative. Right up there with the talented likes of Sally Shapiro, this record is an absolute future classic, with more than enough quality production elements and vocal spunk that sees this long player earn its placing on my top albums list.

32. MAX TUNDRA – Parallax Error Beheads You
Another album filled with my very-much-loved bonkers blend of music.

33. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
As grand as this album is, I still think first single “Time To Pretend” shits all over any of the other singles taken from it, regardless of what the general public may think. That Soulwax remix of “Kids” still rocks though.

34. KAISER CHIEFS – Off With Their Heads
The Kaiser Chiefs took all the bad energy they’d left with me after their last album and replaced it with a lot of warmth. This Mark Ronson produced long player grew from strength to strength with each listen. [Read my original review of the album.]

35. AXLE WHITEHEAD – Losing Sleep
I have no idea why this record didn’t do as well as it did. This should have been mega-huge; there wasn’t a dull moment on here and it showcased just how much of an incredible talent our sexy little Axle really is. He also gave me what was probably my favourite interview of the year. Whether that had anything to do with how much we talked about his cock or not is a whole other issue.

36. ADELE – 19
From zero to fin, this was a remarkable debut from a remarkable talent.

37. THE KILLERS – Day & Age
It took about 5 listens for me to get into this, but when I finally did, boy did it all click. Stuart Price proved once more his best work sits within pop music.

38. WALTER MEEGO – Voyager
A nice, eclectic surprise from the United States. An absolute treasure.

39. KINGS OF LEON – Only By The Night
Their greatest achievement to date? I’ve been a big fan of theirs from the start, but this record was something else, wasn’t it?

40. THE JAPANESE POPSTARS – We Just Are
Bonkers techno. Amazing.

>>> and the rest: Numbers 41 - 75… After the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »

2008 has definitely been one of my favourite years music-wise for quite some time. Not since 2005’s Golden Year of Pop was I as excited about some of the stuff my ears were experiencing. At the start of each year, I open up a new MS Word document and, as the months go by, I enter in the songs I’ve heard through the year that I’ve loved. This years list saw a staggering 700+ songs make it to my ears as loveworthy, but only 208 of those have made it to the final cut.

I must stress that, the songs in the top 30 I wish I could have crammed all into the top 10. Those from 30 - 50, all in the top 20, and those from 50 - 208 all into the top 50. This was such a hard list to put together; possibly the hardest I’ve compiled yet. There are so many glaring omissions that, at the end of the day, just didn’t make it through the final hurdle. That doesn’t mean those songs weren’t loved though!

Here, in a countdown fashion, are my Top 208 songs of 2008, with miniature commentary provided for the first 30. I hope you enjoy reading through the list even half as much as I’ve enjoyed listening to the songs on it. And, for your enjoyment, if you haven’t already heard any of the songs I’ve listed, click on the respective title for a YouTube-esque link which will give you an opportunity to hear why I love the track so much. As you can imagine, that bit took me almost as long as putting the bloody list together.

My Top 75 Albums of 2008 and Top 25 Remixes of 2008 are also on the way…

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01. VV BROWN – Crying Blood
Now THIS will be a surprise to anyone who’s not travelled with me in my automobile this year (or, you know, those of you expecting to see another V-related act at Number 1). VV Brown’s debut single “Crying Blood” was HUGE around these parts (and by that I mean “my ears”) shortly after it surfaced on the interwebs, and not much of a break has been given to it since. Easily my most played, most enjoyed and loved song of 2008, VV Brown’s exciting, modern and fresh re-imaging of “The Monster Mash” will forever be etched into my heart and ears as 2008’s greatest pop classic. And that video clip is pretty darn special too, innit?

02. VAN SHE – Strangers
The suspected Number 1! And the first Australian entry. For 70% of 2008, Van She’s “Strangers” was my solid (and only) choice for Song Of The Year. Listening to its insane catchiness and glorious chorus, it’s not hard to understand why. But then again; was it? My beloved Van She delivered one of the most exciting and promising Australian pop songs for well over a decade, and yet no one seemed vaguely interested. Whether this has anything to do with how poorly the CD single campaign was handled (let me guess; you couldn’t find the single stocked anywhere you looked? Join the queue - I had over 100 emails from people in the first two weeks of this singles release saying they couldn’t find it anywhere), or how stupid our nations commercial network radio stations are, I guess we’ll never really know. It’s such a shame though; because this is pop perfection at its finest and should have been Number 1 for years.

03. ADELE – Hometown Glory
The very first time I heard this song, I remember being gripped by how powerful it was. Discovering this track at the end of Adele’s debut album “19″ was one of the most rewarding musical moments of not only this year, but of any. Listen to that chorus; feel those lyrics. I crumble almost every time I hear this song.

04. BAG RAIDERS – Shooting Stars
Australian-made stuff here (the second of many in this chart), this epic Bag Raiders track was immense already in its own regard as an instrumental track when it dropped across the internets most loved electronic blogs over the year. Then, out of nowhere, they threw in the subtle vocals of Rhys from Ted & Francis; and those lyrics just sucked me in. This is another one of those special lyric moments; there isn’t a single line in this track that didn’t resonate with me on levels beyond belief. Magic happens… this song is a testament to that.

05. GIRLS ALOUD – Untouchable
More lyrical attachment here, Girls Aloud’s near-7-minute NU-NRG disco-ballad stomper “Untouchable” needs very little description. Without any meaning, we’re just skin and bone, like beautiful robots dancing alone… My heart just welts whenever I think of that line.

06. HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR – Blind
New Yorkers Hercules & Love Affair teamed with Antony (minus his Johnsons) for this, the biggest disco cut of the year. Venturing on 6 minutes, there isn’t a single dull moment within this floor-filling monster.

07. MADONNA – Give It 2 Me
Regardless of what you thought of Madonna’s “Hard Candy” project this year, there’s no denying that this, the second single to be lifted from the album, was one of her most fresh and exciting ideas in the last 10 years. That disco-seizure chorus! That whole retarded get-stupid bit! That dodgy horn! All very, very good things. Pity the video clip gave me bloody heartburn though.

08. THE JEZABELS – Disco Biscuit Love
These guys are a Sydney band and they deserve to be bigger than Jesus. I love their musical output, love their look, and just love them. They are my first really big thing of 2009, and I hope everyone else follows suit. I’m not going to say much about this song. You know when a song hits you so hard lyrically that the thought of discussing it could tear you in half? Listen to the lyrics in this track and you’ll get a feel of a rather personal situation I’ve gone through in the last few months. On paper, it sounds like an incredibly brilliant idea for a song (and, perhaps, even a little bit funny, which is exactly what I thought of it until it all sort of happened to me), but in theory, when you’re listening to the song and experiencing it on such a level it could have been written about you (in places), it’s so, so much more. If I didn’t have so much emotional baggage in relation to this song, it may have been my choice for song of the year. These guys have a debut EP out in February next year and I can guarantee it’ll be bloody amazing.

09. LADYHAWKE – My Delirium
Another one which fits with the above description. Lyrically, it was like Ladyhawke had ripped a page out of my 2008 diary circa April and written a song about what she’d read. The biggest moment on her self-titled album, and also her biggest live number.

10. VAN SHE – A Sharp Knife
More lyrical heartbreak. This was one of two tracks performed by Van She’s bassist Matt Van Schie on their debut album “V”, and is a fairly great reason as to hope he gets a couple more tracks to croon on come the sophomore effort. Beautiful and tragic, each time I see them live, I sincerely hope I get to hear this.

11. THE PRESETS – This Boy’s In Love
When I first heard this song, it made me believe that one day, I’d too fall in love with someone who felt exactly the same way for me as I do for them. And every time I’ve heard it since, it fills me with hope. Those keys and that chorus are unexplainable… but it really is all about that final 30 seconds isn’t it? Gets me every single time.

12. KANYE WEST – Love Lockdown
Kanye goes Cher! I really dig how experimental Kanye got with music in general for this albums campaign, and “Love Lockdown” was a prime example of just how experimentation didn’t necessarily mean you had to throw away all pop sensibilities.

13. SANTOGOLD – L.E.S. Artistses
I don’t see all the pit-up’s against M.I.A. Santogold is an artist with her own special blends to offer popular culture in her own right. This song is momentous; a building tiger with a memorable growl come those final 60 seconds. And that video clip… wow…

14. LITTLE BOOTS – Stuck On Repeat
Sometimes internet-hype artists just aren’t worth anyone’s time, and you’re often left wondering why they’ve taken up so much valuable blogging space. Thankfully, the stellar Little Boots was one of those acts whose actual talents surpassed any hype given to her. Watch this space in 2009; if all goes to plan, those boots of hers will be quite big very, very soon.

15. METRONOMY – Heartbreaker
Metronomy’s “Heartbreaker” is an exciting collection of popular bleeps-and-bops that take all the special levels of funk music and crank their impact to about 9 on the rector scale. And, once again, 2008 is a year about lyrics for me, and the lyrics in this one were mega-powerful.

16. LADY GAGA – Paper Gangsta
Gaga left quite an impression on me this year. But it was this album bonus track which really nabbed my attention and secured itself as my favourite moment from her incredible debut “The Fame.” This could have easily been a single rather than just some last-minute bonus moment; Gaga sounds like Uffie in places and that chorus is out of this world.

17. GIRLS ALOUD – The Loving Kind
More lyrics, more resonating. Girls Aloud, Xenomania and the Pet Shop Boys team up and concoct this magical piece of disco romance. Heartbreaking and beautiful.

18. VAN SHE – Changes
There was some time I was unaware if this or “Stranges” would be my favourite Van She single of the year. After many months of deliberation, I (obviously) chose the former, but that’s not to say “Changes” is any less special. There are double hand claps, lines about orange and apple juice, and a middle-8 sent from pop music heaven. I listen to this song and am genuinely baffled as to why these guys aren’t bigger than they are. I’ve pimped them enough through 2008 (and since 2006), but there’s an obvious reasoning behind my forceful fanways. This song, their music, these guys; they are the greatest Australian band of recent years. Maybe even of all time. Listen to this song and tell me you can’t hear it?

19. THE SATURDAYS – Up
After initially disliking these UK broads when that first single of theirs, “If This Is Love” (or whatever it was called, I cannot be bothered to remember) dropped, I reluctantly took a stab at this, their follow up single. Thank god I did. “Up” provided me (and anyone travelling in my car as I played it) with many-a-fun sing-a-long as I drove from destination to destination. And as it turns out, their album wasn’t that bad after all either.

20. COLDPLAY – Viva La Vida
Chris Martin decided it was time to focus on making good, quality pop music again, and I thank him for it. This is, by far, the bands greatest single to date, from their most accomplished and stunning long player.

21. JUSTICE – Planisphere
This track almost makes it to a 20 minute running time. BONKERS!! “Planisphere” takes Justice’s musical output - for me - to a completely new level. I thought they were musical geniuses before, but this proved they were more like musical visionaries instead (though perhaps that’s the same thing, just with a different word thrown in the mix?) This pushed their dark sound boundaries further than “Stress” or anything from their excitingly dark debut album did. It was almost like an electronic socialist movement being made, rather than just a musical piece for a Dior fashion show.

22. ANNIE – Songs Remind Me Of You
More lyrics that resonate. Annie and Richard X team up for what is arguably the best piece of music either of them have had anything to do with. Plus, can you hear the subtle Visage/Mel & Kim references throughout? What a bloody corker of a song.

23. GIRLS ALOUD – Love Is Pain
Some people have said that THIS sounds more like a Girls Aloud/Pet Shop Boys collaboration than “The Loving Kind” does, and I can definitely hear why. This, what is obviously more of a homage to the duo, rather than something they created together, is classic Girls Aloud stuff. A bonza chorus, it all comes to a wondrous halt as Cheryl coos “love is pain, woah-oh-oh-oh” as the track draws to fade. Amazing.

24. ANTIGONE – Promiscuity
One of the most experimental, exciting and zippy tracks the year brought, Antigone’s “Promiscuity” is one of those very few songs you can actually classify as Avant Garde Pop Music. Combining a gorgeous blend of light-and-dark shades, “Promiscuity” presents itself as a stalky little minx that takes a little bit of shoulder-nudging to understand in the first minute or so, but once its got you, it’s all incredibly special to deal with and you cannot help but crave more.

25. LA ROUX – Quicksand
Another blog-hype artist that is most certainly worth all the net-scribblings she’s been getting. I’ve heard some of her other material and she really is the bees knees. Magnificent song, this, one that’s coming with me right into the cruel Summer Australia has planned for me over the next three months.

26. KATY PERRY – Hot N’ Cold
Whatever you think about Perry herself, you cannot deny this song is FIERCE. And that ace video clip almost made my vid-top 10 too, you know…

27. SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM – When We Were Young
Floor-destroying song with a generally quite terrible video clip, this was the first REAL sign of Sneaky Sound System taking themselves seriously as a proper pop act. There isn’t much within this bonkers piece of music you can’t enjoy - in particular that magnificent and gorgeously placed operatic finish. Wonderful stuff.

28. SOLANGE – Sandcastle Disco
2008 was the year I chose Solange (or Sunlounge) as my Knowles of choice. Forget that ego-driven sister of hers, the batshit crazy Solange was the right choice to make don’t you think? And this song; ohhh, what heaven! I’d make sandcastles with this crazy broad whilst listening to disco music any time of the year.

29. t.A.T.u – Snegopady
This is t.A.T.u’s greatest song ever, from what was their greatest album. No idea what they’re banging on about in the lyrics though, but the title sort of reminds me of Snuffleupagus.

30. VAN SHE – It Could Be The Same
This is SUCH a big live favourite, and I’m surprised the boys haven’t pushed for it to be released. Another Matt-fronted track, there is an exciting and raw sexual energy about this monster that ignites the musical devil within. An astonishing moment to listen to in its audio originality or to watch live.

Numbers 31 - 208 after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

And so it begins; the obligatory list season. As usual, I’ll kick it all of with my 10 favourite video clips of the year. Whether or not these songs are released in 2008 or 2009 doesn’t matter; the clip surfaced in 2008 (excluding #7, which surfaced after I’d compiled my list last year), and that’s all that matters to me.

01.  GIRLS ALOUD - The Loving Kind

Finally! They’ve given us something worth watching. After years of still-quite-good but cheap-looking video clips, Girls Aloud have blown me completely out of the water with this, the latest for their upcoming single “The Loving Kind.” This is proper, pop star territory, and the clip alone is solid enough to launch them properly in other countries, don’t you think?

02. LILY ALLEN - The Fear

Everything feels right in the world now that Lily’s making music again, doesn’t it? And this clip is a million levels of adorable. Naturally, it all comes complete with that infamous Allen bite you either love or hate. No matter what she does, or who she slags off, I just cannot hate her. There’s something very special about Lily…

03.  JUSTICE - Stress

This caused a bit of a ruckus when released earlier this year, so much so I had emails from people condemning me and the website for hailing it as a piece of brilliance. Whatever. The clip is still gold, and you can read whatever it was I crapped on about in regards to it by clicking here.

04.  MIAMI HORROR - Don’t Be On With Her

Miami Horror wanted to make an authentic 80’s looking video clip for his televisual debut, and I think it’s safe to say he’s hit a bloody home run with this. An absolute corker and a rock-solid throwback to an era when video clips were important, and not relegated to a tiny screen on YouTube.

05.  VAN SHE - Changes

There’s something quite charming about this clip, which is essentially a bunch of photographs put together as a film from one of the boys many tours of Japan this year. It’s just really, really cute, and looks rather mindblowing on a HI-DEF big screen TV.

06.  THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS - The Age Of The Understatement

Epic.

07.  ASHLEE SIMPSON - Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)

Simpson does Salvador Dali, whilst still retaining all of her pop credentials. Jessica Who?

08.  ROISIN MURPHY - You Know Me Better

Subtle brilliance. And how’s about those divine costumes?

09.  ROISIN MURPHY - Movie Star

Anyone that pays homage to John Waters and Divine deserves a pat on the back in my books. But when that someone is Roisin Murphy, well, a pat turns into a gigantic hug. Something I got from the woman herself earlier this year.

10.  MUSCLES - The Lake

Even if he doesn’t appear in the clip (boo!), this is still a stunningly pieced bit of music video. That sequence at the end with the disgruntled old man clasping onto the woman’s foot reminds me, strangely, of Kristin Davis’ death scene on Melrose Place. Bravo!

TAME IMPALA
ANTARES MIRA SUN
(MODULAR) A

The debut EP from Perth newcomers Tame Impala (who, if you take a look at some of their publicity shots, you’ll see aren’t exactly the ugliest of men in rock now are they?) is one of those rare delights when it comes to songs that are founded on a musical throwback to another era. These kind of throwbacks in popular music have, in the past, brought on a swagger of hit and miss, and — quite unfortunately — it’s usually a miss. Antares Mira Sun and Tame Impala are defiant in their actions against being a miss though; this hits all the right spots. A truly majestic collection of songs that buzz into your psyche, have their way with your charkas and leave after a very satisfying 20 minutes of sonic brilliance.

“Desire Be Desire Go” wraps itself in a swirl of intricate sounds and incomprehensible lyrics, whilst “Skeleton Tiger” – purposely – is the musical equivalent of a delicate garment being sent through the washing machine on the heavy duty cycle. It’s got this charmingly aged sensibility about it, this worn, lo-fi approach to its presentation that makes you believe the song is much (much) older than it actually is. The Cream-esque “Half Full Glass Of Wine” erupts with a deceiving and rip-snortingly-fast introduction, before settling itself back into the general stoner-rock feel of the EP. The rollicking riffs on offer are exhilarating, the verses; schizophrenic and exciting. There’s one hell of an all-out drum-fest in the last 40 seconds as well which is a pretty inspiring listen.

It’s the final two tracks though which really make Antares Mira Sun the audible delight that it is. “Forty One Mosquitoes Flying In Formation” and “Slide Through My Fingers” offer up sensational lyricism with some clever production tricks and killer riffs, particularly the latter which ventures off into similar psychedelic states found throughout Jefferson Airplane’s epic “White Rabbit.” All in all, this is seriously immense stuff; a cosmic journey into the past, with generous dashings of the present to preserve the bands originality.

Listen to more Tame Impala here. My interview with Kevin from the three-piece is coming this week. According to ModBlogular, there is a Tame Impala EPK “coming soon”, so I’ll keep you posted when that flies through the ol’ inbox as well.

I was lucky enough to have a chin-wag with the lovely Ben from Miami Horror (the one that isn’t me in the above photo) a couple of weeks ago in the lead up to his newly released debut EP Bravado (my review here). We discussed the history of the EP, his upcoming debut album, being shafted for OneLove DJs at an Alan Braxe gig, Michael from Van She and the future of Gameboy/Gamegirl. Read on…

Hello Ben Miami Horror, how are you?
Good how are you Adem?

Very well thank you Ben. What are you doing right now?
Well, me and Ooh Ee are setting up the live set today.

Wonderful! First of all, congratulations on the fantastic EP; good to finally have it out there?
Yeah. (Laughs) But I’ve been waiting so long, it just doesn’t make a difference to me now (laughs). It’s good though, from everyone else it’s getting a really nice reaction.

So how long have the tracks on the EP been knocking about for? I remember seeing “Don’t Be On With Her” on Discodust back in February last year…
(Laughs) Yeah, that was the only track that I had put out, and then I had a demo version of “Summerfest” that some people had ripped from MySpace, but that sounds nothing like the original…

Oh really?
Well… it is, but, not for me production wise. Most of it’s fairly new, the last three songs are new. And I spiced up “Don’t Be On With Her” quite a bit.

Yes you did spice it up a bit, the original version was without vocals before; was that always the plan, to turn it into a vocal stomper?
(Laughs) I think I always planned to have vocals on it, just that back at the start of last year when Discodust posted the track, Alex had just emailed me and said he really liked the stuff I’d done with Gameboy/Gamegirl and wanted to know if I had any demos that he could post, of course I was excited and really keen for it… it gave me a real kick to get things happening. For me, I was just in my bedroom you know? I couldn’t just whip up a vocal on my own, and I finished it how it was. But looking back on it six months later I saw… what it needed, I guess.

Completely happy now?
Well, looking back at it now, I would have liked to have put even more work into it, but I knew that I just had to let go of it eventually (laughs). I’ve kind of been touching it for two years.

Let’s talk about the video, which is full of lo-fi brilliance. This was your first video clip, yes?
Yep.

How was the formation of all that? I understand you had this particular clip dreamt up quite some time ago?
Yeah, it was a concept I had wanted to do since the track came out, I thought it was kinda most appropriate for it. Just to really have a really authentic film clip, something that people would see and wouldn’t know if it was new or old (laughs). It’s actually on video, the recording. You can’t really tell on YouTube and things like that because it all gets blended together, but if you watch a high quality version it’s got lots of nice video grain and artifacts through it. And it’s all kind of bleeding and smoothed over. Once we ran it through the video it looked much better. We’re really happy with it.

Michael from Van She was supposed to play keys in it wasn’t he… what happened there?
It was obviously hard to organise the two schedules…

I can imagine…
I just thought, we’re good friends and he was in Melbourne, so if he could come down for it that would have been good. But we moved the date on him a couple of times and then it turned out he was in New York when we went to finally shoot it so, we just used the actual band from Miami Horror now.

Obviously there’s a thick air of 80’s and italo influences through the EP; who were the formative artists you listened to as you honed your musical ear?
I think the one that’s most obvious on the EP, but won’t show through on the album as much, is Prince. Coz I actually did grow up listening to Prince on repeat, there was something about the music that got me.

Has anyone said to you that “Don’t Be On With Her” sounds quite a bit like vintage Madonna?
(Laughs) No, only you Adem!

(Rapturous Laughter) Fucking Typical eh?
(Laughs) Nah, I think I have heard it once before. I know that it sounds more like Prince, I never really had the Madonna thing put on it… It’s definitely, I know exactly what you’re talking about though. There was a period where that whole production sound crossed over between Madonna and Prince, a few tracks with similarities.

“Make You Mine” features Alan Palomo from Vega on vocals. How did that collaboration come about?
Well I’d always been looking for vocalists, and then I came across this track in my iTunes, it wasn’t even Vega back then, it was from another project. And I though, geez, this guy has so much potential to fit to the kind of voice that I wanted.

Did you record together?
No, he recorded in Austin, that’s where he lives, and he’d be sending me stuff daily, back and forth, and tell him, “Oh, that’s not good enough, go do it again”… it was very hard, so much harder than I thought it would be, but we pulled it off!

So now that the EP is out there, are you seriously thinking about a full album release?
Yeah…

When is releasing that a possibility?
I hope by the middle of next year, but we will be dropping a couple of singles before then anyway, so it kinda will be able to hold off that long, if not a bit longer. I think about three singles or so before the album. Hopefully it’ll be ready by then, but yeah, it’s full steam ahead on that.

And just that?
Yeah, no more remixing, I’ll do the occasional good one, not much production for other people. I’ve just really gotta focus on this now, especially because it’s working and I can!

So how long ago did you start working on the album?
It was just an evolving concept for, about a year and a half now, once I’d started thinking about putting an album together and what I would want and how it should sound. But one of the tracks on it is almost as old as “Don’t Be On With Her”…

Oh wow.
Yeah. But, most of it’s new stuff, and some is using parts of old things that I’ve made all joined together. So, all up, I’ve got about six to twelve songs ready for that. Not entirely finished but definitely on its way.

Any interesting vocal collaborations you can share with the readers?
Um, not just yet (laughs). We might be hooking up some through EMI because they have France and the UK. It’s been suggested that I work with Yelle…

That’s interesting.
It’s not as fitting for my album though. I’d be happy to produce her a track, but my album, it’s got a different vibe.

When did the EMI signing happen?
I only officially signed late August or so. But we’d been talking about it since June, I think… actually, maybe a bit earlier. Obviously Sweat It Out was the other option, and I was actually really prepared to go with them, but EMI seemed to have more faith…

And a better deal?
Yeah definitely, so I took that.

You’re about to go on tour for the EP launch with a full live band; is this the first time Miami Horror will be a fully-loaded band on the stage?
Yep, it’s the first time, and it’s definitely been confusing people (laughs).

(Laughter) How so Ben?
Where the people came from, and whether it’s permanently a band, that kind of thing. But they’re all people I’ve worked with, one’s someone who I worked very closely with on the tracks, and then there’s Ooh Ee who also helped out with a few tracks and has writing credits on the EP and album, then Josh, who’s the guitarist and singer; he sang on “Don’t Be On With Her” and a few other tracks as well.

People are quite confused as to whether it’s just you, or a band, or a duo, aren’t they? Because at Parklife there were two of you up there…
Yeah (laughs). I’m kind of working with Dan (DJing partner) on a side thing, sort of like a live DJ set. We’ll be mixing up a few other influences, loops and hooks from other older tracks, in amongst remixes and originals that will make it less of a club experience, and more of a party vibe. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while but because of the clubs I’ve been playing in, I’ve been limited. There’s gonna be the two live sets now; the band and the live DJ set.

Now, the name. Did you pull it from the 1985 movie also called MIAMI HORROR?
(Laughs) No I hadn’t even heard of it! I even did a search before I decided on it, and then suddenly six months later I found it! I dunno, I think maybe coincidently someone had written a review on it, just some kid had written about it, and it was now much easier to locate it.

Because the original title of the movie is actually Miami Golum.
Oh really?

Yes. It was only Miami Horror in some countries so really, they should stop being greedy and just stick with the one name, shouldn’t they?
(Laughs)

Is there anything ELSE to the name other than that?
There’s a little bit of a story, but I’m going to save it for the album.

Oooh, concepts!
(Laughs) Yep…

Recently you were billed to play alongside Alan Braxe in Melbourne but, for some reason, your name – alongside Ooh Ee’s – was left off the lineup at the last minute. What happened there?
Well, yeah, they sold all the tickets with my name on it and had my name on all the posters, and then when it came to organising set times, Future and OneLove decided to put their own DJs on, to save on a bit of money they were paying for Alan I guess.

Bit of a joke really, how unprofessional…
Well it is really, I was obviously really disappointed not supporting Alan – my favourite producer ever, and at first I didn’t kind of realise, it didn’t hit me that I was playing with him, but as soon as it was taken away I thought, how could I have let this go? I pushed harder but there was no success. They wouldn’t even let me play for cheaper…

What?!
Yeah. They just wanted to put themselves on.

Let’s move on to the digital age. Music is accessed in a vastly different way these days than going back 15 – 20 years ago, particularly with the emergence of blogs like discodust et al. But the digital age of downloading seems to be doing dance and electronic music more favours rather than hindering it, don’t you think?
Yeah for sure, it’s really good for developing artists, artists that are small and have good music can get their stuff out. And dance wise, it’s just the way it’s happen, it’s growing. It started out, for our scene at least, as very indie, and there’s still a lot of indie tracks posted, it kind of seems the poppier and dancier stuff worked on these blogs and took off a bit more. It’s been really good.

We as a country are certainly being recognised as one of THE places for that kind of sound don’t you think?
Well it’s between us and France pretty much. French music is a bit harder now though, we kind of do our own thing, it’s always been happier, it’s always been more light-hearted and synthier, that’s why, for our population size, we really are kicking arse (laughs). And the amount of really good music we can produce is incredible.

So what’s the plan regarding overseas?
Yeah, the problem with that is, most of the people that would know me would be off blogs, and they would already hear it or get it by the time it’s released over there. It just depends on if [the label are] confident with it, they can push it to a less internet-based audience which would be good, and the deal with that is, they’ve got three or four months to do so that is. EMI that is. Otherwise we can source our own. But four months later is pretty late… so I’m not sure how that’s gonna work. But we’ll just see how it goes, I mean, it IS officially a worldwide deal, it’s just their job to source it all internationally now and convince the other EMI’s I’m worth releasing.

You’ve worked with Gameboy/Gamegirl in the past so I’m curious to know if you’re doing anything new with them in the future?
I wanna take this album project a lot more seriously, it’s a priority for me to get it done, and I think that if I get these tracks out when they’re done they’ll work better. But Gameboy/Gamegirl are actually in talks about their future today. One of them is going back to school so…

At this point, the operator rudely interrupts to notify me we’ve hit the 19 minute mark in the interview and I need to wrap it up, which throws me completely just as I start getting a bloody scoop happening and, naturally, I forget to press further.

Well. Thanks so much Ben for chatting, it’s been a blast…
Cool thanks man.

See you soon mate.
Bye Adem!

MIAMI HORROR

BRAVADO

(EMI) A+

The arrival of Melbourne production whiz Miami Horror’s debut EP Bravado has been a long time coming. The new single, “Don’t Be On With Her”, surfaced in a reasonably similar format on the interwebs well over a year and a half ago and yet, in its vocalised and marginally tweaked reincarnation on the EP, sounds as fresh and, more importantly, vibrant, as it did the very first time.

There’s an obvious appreciation of Prince’s earlier work throughout this EP, in particular the aforementioned single which also digs itself into the Jellybean Benitez, Reggie Lucas and Nile Rodgers styled production found within Madonna’s historical first two albums. In its three minutes and forty two second duration, “Don’t Be On With Her” does more than just pay homage to the some of the greatest synths of the 80’s; it recreates them in a modern musical landscape. “Summerfest ‘86” relies on an exciting electric-guitar riff that pulses through a slappy bassline, whilst highlight “Make You Mine” gives off shades of Wham!’s “Club Tropicana” as it melds into some chic French house and an alarmingly catchy chorus. “Bellevue” is the kind of track you could very easily have heard as you raced cars on your Atari in the 1980’s; check out those big, enormous synths, with a euphoric build up toward the tracks final 30 seconds. It really is all about “Illumination” though, the records closer, which is a an absolute masterpiece. Displaying a Transylvanian cosmic-feel within its intro, “Illumination” bases itself on the kind of score you’d hear in some of the greatest of classic horror movies. There is an eerie deliciousness about this particular epic-monster that seeps into your ears and toys with your endorphins. It’s bonza-brilliant, Bravado’s absolute pinnacle and Horror’s greatest achievement to date.

Miami Horror is already working on material for his debut album, one he’s hoping to have out over 2009, and if this introduction into his work as a producer is anything to go by, we’re in for more eclectic and exciting sonic treats in the months to come. An enthralling glimpse into the promise of your new favourite artist.

I urge you all to go out and buy this; whether it be the physical copy through JB HiFi Online or the downloadable package over at 7digital or Aussie iTunes. Visit HorrorSpace to check out some of his work in full before forking out the goods if you must.

The lovely folk down at auspOp broke cover on this release today, which I guess means press has ‘gotten out’ about the folks tinkering behind its production.

Rhys was the runner up in the first Australian season of So You Think You Can Dance, and now he is set to become a pop star, with a little help from Monrose… and Van She.

Rhys’ debut single, “Hot Summer”, produced by Nicky and Michael from Van She, is a cover of the incredible 2007 Monrose hit I clearly remember enjoying quite a bit last year. Rhys’ cover is pretty bloody darn good, and further cements my belief in Van She as another of Australia’s finest pop hopes. The video is not online yet, but a small snippet of the making of is, which you can watch below.

This Will Sell Quite A Few Units.