My first top 20 of the year wasn't as painful as I thought it might be.

1. Third - Portishead
2. The Midnight Organ Fight - Frightened Rabbit
3. The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow
4. Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants - Metaform
5. A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed - Oh Laura
6. We Brave Bee Stings And All - Thao
7. Sleight Of Heart - Malcolm Middleton
8. Velocifero - Ladytron
9. Autumn Fallin - Jaymay
10. Bring Me Your Love - City And Colour
11. Parc Avenue - Plants And Animals
12. Staying In - Diskjokke
13. The Ghost That Carried Us - Seabear
14. Changing Of The Seasons - Ane Brun
15. Everything's The Rush - The Delays
16. Angles - Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
17. Doppelganger - The Grid
18. Instant Coffee Baby - The Wave Pictures
19. Rising Down - The Roots
20. Attack And Release - The Black Keys

Lots of shake ups with my list.

1. Sam Roberts (Love at the End of the World)
2. Fleet Foxes (S/T)
3. *Wolf Parade (At Mount Zoomer)
4. Bon Iver (For Emma, Forever Ago)
5. Dodos (Visiter)
6. Death Cab For Cutie (Narrow Stairs)
7. The Tallest Man on Earth (Shallow Graves)
8. Man Man (Rabbit Habits)
9. Langhorne Slim(S/T)
10. Dosh (Wolves and Wishes)
11. The Accidental (There Were Wolves)
12. Sun Kil Moon (April)
13. Raconteurs (Consolers of the Lonely)
14. Fleet Foxes (Sun Giant)
15. Why? (Alopecia)
16. Annuals/Sunfold (Wet Zoo)
17. Mountain Goats (Heretic Pride)
18. Vampire Weekend (S/T)
19. Ruby Suns (Sea Lion)
20. Black Keys (Attack & Release)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ANinBC,

I've given you know what approximately eight listens over both days. Cryptograms was disarmed in 2007 by artists that aren't likely to release successive records this year - it is therefore highly probable that Microcastle will remain at the summit of my compilation or at least in very close proximity to it. I previously stated that Nouns was unbeatable. You won't catch me repeating a similar error again.

1 Deerhunter ~ Microcastle
2 Bon Iver ~ For Emma, Forever Ago
= No Age ~ Nouns
= The Microphones ~ The Glow Pt. 2 [Reissue]
5 The Dodos ~ Visiter
6 Pluxus ~ Solid State [Reissue]

I'm listening to a serious quantity of material from previous years, and am extracting more joy from The Microphones, Sufjan Stevens and of Montreal back catalogues plus a host of formidable 00's Prog Rock than majority of what this year has offered me so far. There are no additions to my unorganised section, just omissions and shifts from my high to low quadrants and vice versa.

Atlas Sound ~ Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Fleet Foxes ~ Sun Giant [EP]
The Notwist ~ The Devil, You + Me
The Ruby Suns ~ Sea Lion
Sun Kil Moon ~ April
Titus Andronicus ~ The Airing Of Grievances
Vampire Weekend ~ Vampire Weekend

-------------------

Cut Copy ~ In Ghost Colours
Fleet Foxes ~ Fleet Foxes
Fuck Buttons ~ Street Horrrsing
High Places ~ 03/07 - 09/07
The Kills ~ Midnight Boom
Times New Viking ~ Rip It Off

I apologise for the long post and the fact that the latter two sections are basically Pitchfork Best-Ofs.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JP,

quote:

Originally posted by Borachon:
My first top 20 of the year wasn't as painful as I thought it might be.

1. Third - Portishead
2. The Midnight Organ Fight - Frightened Rabbit
3. The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow
4. Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants - Metaform
5. A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed - Oh Laura
6. We Brave Bee Stings And All - Thao
7. Sleight Of Heart - Malcolm Middleton
8. Velocifero - Ladytron
9. Autumn Fallin - Jaymay
10. Bring Me Your Love - City And Colour
11. Parc Avenue - Plants And Animals
12. Staying In - Diskjokke
13. The Ghost That Carried Us - Seabear
14. Changing Of The Seasons - Ane Brun
15. Everything's The Rush - The Delays
16. Angles - Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
17. Doppelganger - The Grid
18. Instant Coffee Baby - The Wave Pictures
19. Rising Down - The Roots
20. Attack And Release - The Black Keys

The Ghost that carried us away was a 2007 release...
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=289973

quote:

Originally posted by Liberalkid:
The Ghost that carried us away was a 2007 release...
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=289973

Not in the UK, according to:

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetail...+Us+Away-794058.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-That-Carried-Us/dp/B000RP...id=1212531617&sr=8-1

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=702910

http://www.zavvi.co.uk/-music-/794058//p.jsf

http://www.tesco.com/entertainment/product.aspx?R=794058

Has it been re-released, perhaps? I'll need to further research this matter. Meanwhile, it stays. If there remains a single enclave of the world where it was first released in 2008, I'm having it!

Yeah, release dates are kind of iffy.

I know the people from across the pond get albums at different times than we do. The main rule we go by is that if it was released where you live and you had access to it, then you can use it. It's not fair/best to choose an album simply because you want to include it, even if you heard it last year or something. Again, we go by the start and end of the year, not when you posted your list.

Also, re-issues don't count as their albums had proper releases way back. We had separate lists for these last year and I’m pretty sure we can carry it out again.

Other than that, I don’t think I have forgotten anything. But I am sure this will be brought up again in the fall when we begin to discuss end-of-year lists’ criteria.

1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago // 9.1
2. Subtle - ExitingARM // 9.0
3. Camille - Music Hole // 8.9
4. The Kills - Midnight Boom // 8.7
5. Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair // 8.6
6. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive // 8.6
7. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight // 8.5
8. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes // 8.4
9. Errors – It’s Not Something, But It Is Like Whatever // 8.4
10. Santogold - Santogold // 8.3
11. Ladytron - Velocifero // 8.3
12. Zeigeist - The Jade Motel // 8.1
13. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles // 8.1
14. Ratatat – LP3 // 8.0
15. The Dodos – Visiter // 8.0
16. HEALTH – DISCO // 7.9
17. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster... // 7.8
18. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend // 7.7
19. Lykke Li - Youth Novels // 7.7
20. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours // 7.7

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
Also, re-issues don't count as their albums had proper releases way back. We had separate lists for these last year and I’m pretty sure we can carry it out again.

Cool. I understood this was the case beforehand; a vote of reassurance if nothing more.

Well I mean you'd have to define access to .

today:

1. Sam Roberts - Love at the End of The World
2. Black Mountain - In The Future
3. The Roots - Rising Down
4. Plants & Animals - Parc Avenue
5. Hot Chip - Made in The Dark
6. Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead...
7. Portishead - Third
8. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
9. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
10. Benga - Diary of An Afro Warrior

11. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons...
12. Cat Power - Jukebox
13. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
14. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
15. Sasha - The EmFire Collection
16. The Kills - Midnight Boom
17. Why? - Alopecia
18. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing

Still listening - Crystal Castles, Elbow

Portishead should move up as I listen more (only couple of listens)

Anticipating: Beck, Spiritualized, Stereolab, Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade

quote:

2. Black Mountain - In The Future

Yeah, this one's been a real grower for me...first few listens, all that really stuck out was the kick ass opener, and it made me want to assess as a riff album, but it's really more about the grooves, and once I had made the adjustment, a number of the tracks, particular the awesome middle stretch from Wucan to Queens Play really came to life.

quote:

Originally posted by Liberalkid:
Well I mean you'd have to define access to .

Usually, people are pretty good about leaks and stuff. I am sure people will hear leaks from albums that won't be out until 2009, in December, but it wouldn't make sense to add them on there. You would like your favorite albums to get as many votes as possible so you would go by the release date.

The iffy part is release dates from different countries. We had an issue with the Peter Bjorn & John album from last year/year before for people in the UK, and will have a few like that this year (Super Furry Animals, Dizzee Rascal). For the most part, just stick to the "I had this album/heard this album on this year, so that's when I can use it" philosophy and be honest about it. Of course, that doesn't mean you can include something like What's Going On if you just heard it this year for the first time.

I am sure you know what I mean, I hope.

quote:

Originally posted by Illiniq:

quote:

2. Black Mountain - In The Future

the awesome middle stretch from Wucan to Queens Play really came to life.

the middle stretch is the only that i listen off the album personally

Release dates annoy me. Technically I could add Robyn to my list because not only was her self-titled album released in North America this year but also it wasn’t till this year that I heard her album. But it just seems so wrong adding an album that has technically been out for 3 years to my list.

Some people might be confused that I added Bov Iver to my last year’s year-end list, but it was self-released and I did listen to it in 2007.

I have the same problem with Samamidon. I heard him about a month before I published my best of 2007 list and he made the top 10 (Bon Iver was in there too). Can I put Samamidon on both my 2007 and 2008 lists or should I be the only one with him on my 2007 list only? Dilemmas, dilemmas...

quote:

Originally posted by DrAwesome:
Can I put Samamidon on both my 2007 and 2008 lists or should I be the only one with him on my 2007 list only?

Probably not; I show a release date for that one as October 2007. I am guessing it wasn't available in the U.S. until this year. Either way, the honesty factor plays a part here. It's just silly to have repeated albums and if you had an album on your list from last year, no, I don't think that'd be right.

is all this debate about lists that are compiled into a corporate list, or personal lists for an individual's own sake? i would think that if you wanted to just post your own best of list you could do it however you pleased. for a corporate list i'd think that if something like a bon iver or samamidon didn't make much noise last year then it'd be ok to use it again. why punish an album for a quirky release?
then again, what do i know? i'm just a silly little n00b.
*oh snap, make that a participant! lol

quote:

is all this debate about lists that are compiled into a corporate list, or personal lists for an individual's own sake? i would think that if you wanted to just post your own best of list you could do it however you pleased.

amen

quote:

Originally posted by kalibtweli:
is all this debate about lists that are compiled into a corporate list, or personal lists for an individual's own sake? i would think that if you wanted to just post your own best of list you could do it however you pleased. for a corporate list i'd think that if something like a bon iver or samamidon didn't make much noise last year then it'd be ok to use it again. why punish an album for a quirky release?

Feel free to post your list however you want. I am just explaining what will/won't count.

We've had the same general guidelines for the past three years and will continue to.

I'm still keeping Seabear.