2008 - Top 12

Top 10 in 2006, top 11 in 2007, why not a top 12 for 2008? This year was full of good music better than the previous one and it was not so easy for me to select 10 records amongst all that I heard in 12 months… and I didn’t have the chance to listen to everything. So this is only the best of what I choose to purchase.
Number One? MGMT. I was right in May when I reviewed the show of MGMT in Cologne, as I said, Oracular Spectacular will be first on most of year-end music lists, why not in Leaky Sparrow’s list... Radiohead is not mentioned? It’s a mistake and should be #1 - I bought the album the 1st of January - but I didn’t know what to do, in or out?... Some records were released before 2008? Yes, but for me they were all new. So why not In Rainbows? I don’t know…

Please do enjoy the last days of 2008 and see you next year. In peace.

1 – Oracular Spectacular – MGMT (Columbia)
Web: whoismgmt.com
Music: MGMT - Destrokk .mp3
Show review: May 2008

2 – Third – Portishead (Island)
Web: portishead.co.uk
Show review: April 2008

3 – Against The Dying Of The Light – Avrocar (Make Mine Music)
MySpace: myspace.com/avrocar
Music: Avrocar - Our World Is Their Heaven .mp3
Album review: September 2008

4 – Ghost Repeater – Jeffrey Foucault (Signature Sounds)
Web: jeffreyfoucault.com
Music: Jeffrey Foucault - Americans In Corduroys .mp3
Show review: February 2008

5 – The Hawk Is Howling – Mogwai (Matador)
MySpace: myspace.com/mogwai
Show review: October 2008

6 – Rest – Gregor Samsa (Own)
Web: gregorsamsa.com
Music: Gregor Samsa - Jeroen Van Aken .mp3
Album review: May 2008

7 – Dark Undercoat – Emily Jane White (Double Negative)
Web: emilyjanewhite.com
Music: Emily Jane White - Hole In The Middle .mp3
Show review: October 2008

8 – Rook – Shearwater (Matador)
Web: shearwatermusic.com
Music: Shearwater - Rooks .mp3
Show review: September 2008

9 – Glasvegas – Glasvegas (Columbia)
Web: glasvegas.net
Album review: later in 2009!

10 – The Last Side Of The Mountain – Chris Eckman (Glitterhouse)
MySpace: myspace.com/chriseckmanmusic
Album review: December 2008

11 – Heavens Above – Joseph Parsons (Blue Rose)
MySpace: myspace.com/josephparsons
Music: Joseph Parsons - Falling.mp3
Album review: August 2008

12 – Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
MySpace: myspace.com/fleetfoxes
Music: Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal .mp3

Album review: August 2008

A Top 10 for 2007...

A Top 10 for 2007, you really want it… just like for 2006? Ok, what I think is that 2007 was far from being a great vintage for music, maybe one of the worst since… ever. I always tried to be positive here on Leaky Sparrow but come on 40 years ago you had to choose 10 records among 60 masterpieces, now, you have to buy 60 records or more to find 10 who are at least acceptable. Sure, I didn’t listen to everything – who could? – but it doesn’t seem that I missed something, I don’t think so, unless you tell me. Ok, here are the records that I enjoyed the most.

Next year will be a better one, of course, and I’m looking forward to hearing the new Portishead.

1 - PJ Harvey – White Chalk (Island)
Web: pjharvey.net
Video: PJ Harvey - The Piano
Read: PJ Harvey - The White Album

2 – Low – Drums And Guns (Sub Pop)
Web: chairkickers.com
Music: Low - Breaker .mp3
Read: Low Waves

3 – Tegan And Sara – The Con (Sire)
Web: teganandsara.com
Video: Tegan and Sara - Back In Your Head
Music: Tegan and Sara - Back In Your Head .mp3
Read: Tegan And Sara - Live In Cologne

4 – Kevin Ayers – The Unfairground (Tuition)
Web: kevin-ayers.com
Music: Kevin Ayers - Friends & Strangers (excerpt) .mp3
Read: Kevin And Robert - The Soft Brothers

5 – Yoko Ono – Yes, I’m A Witch (Astral Weeks)
Web: a-i-u.net/witch.html
Music: Yoko Ono with Cat Power - Revelations .asx
Read: The Witch And Cat

6 – Vic Chesnutt – North Star Deserter (Constellation)
Web: vicchesnutt.com
Music: Vic Chesnutt - You Are Never Alone .mp3 via Indie For Bunnies
Read: Vic Chesnutt - Keeping It On The Road

7 – Blonde Redhead – 23 (4AD)
Web: blonde-redhead.com/index2.html
Music: Blonde Redhead - 23 .mp3
Read: Blonde Redhead - 23: The Key Number

8 – Trentemoller – The Trentemoller Chronicles (Audiomatique)
Web: audiomatique.com/index2.html
Music: Trentemoller - The Forest .mp3
Read: Trentemoller - The Archives

9 – Terry Lee Hale – Shotgun Pillowcase (Borderdreams)
Web: terryleehale.com
Music: Terry Lee Hale - Hearts .mp3
Read: Terry Lee Hale - Shotgun Pillowcase

10a – Suzanne Vega – Beauty & Crime (EMI)
Web: suzannevega.com
Music: Suzanne Vega - Frank & Ava .asx

10b – iLiKETRAiNS – Elegies To Lessons Learnt (Beggars Banquet)
Web: iliketrains.co.uk
Music: iLiKETRAiNS - Terra Nova .mp3
Read: iliketrains - Hystory Repeating