Barry's Albums of the Year 2008

A new year is about to begin so here at Middleboop we’re all selecting our favourite albums from the last year. Hope you enjoy them

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Indie –folk from a bunch a beardies from Seattle and it’s filled with excellent choral vocals and Neil Young style guitars. Essential Tracks – He Doesn’t Know Why, White Winter Hymnal, Sun It Rises

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
Indie-folk from another beardy this time from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This album is full of heart-breaking songs about a girl called Emma. It’s just one man and his guitar writing rich folk music, I love it. Essential Tracks - The Wolves, For Emma

Mr Oizo – Lamb’s Anger
Bearded Frenchman Mr Oizo returned late in 2008 with a more vicious offering than his previous releases. Once again filled with strange vocal samples and thumping drums that feel like its going to burst your eardrums. Viva la France! Essential Tracks – Hun, Positif, Pourriture 7

Octopus Project – Hello Avalanche
It now time for my first non-bearded selection! Although released in 2007 I didn’t discover this band until 2008 after seeing perform an amazing live show at the ATP festival and has become key feature in my listening this year. Mixing electronica with indie they have come up with songs to relax you and make you dance. Essential Tracks – Bee’s Bein’ Strugglin’, Mmaj, Ghost Moves

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
They certainly have had a massive year and rightly so. These electro-pop stars have reached levels of ubiquity that only X-factor winners seem to get, only they have talent and if they do a cover version they wouldn’t butcher it and ruin everyone’s Christmas! Essential Tracks – Kids, Time to Pretend, Of Moons, Birds and Monsters, Electric Feel

and now the best of the rest –
Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke
Boys Noize – A Bugged Out Mix
Soulwax – Part of the Weekend Never Dies
A-Trak – Say Whoa
Land of Talk – Some Are Lakes
Sebastian – Remixes
Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue
School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms
The Grates – Teeth Lost, Hearts Won
Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty
Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Utah Saints – Finger Lickin’ 3
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
In Flagranti – Business Acumen