In the tradition of the following threads...

'07 Mid-Year Report Card

'07 Year-End Report Card

'08 Mid-Year Report Card

... it seemed time, or even past time, to revisit this tradition. Each year I find an album or two worth checking out thanks to the impressions in these threads by those here at the -Case.

Unfortunately my preliminary list has 30 titles released in '08, and countless others that are a year or two old but are new to me. So I'm going to need to make some time to sit down and go through them, slap a grade on each and follow up with the appropriate comments. Despite tales of the downfall of good music, I found this year to be better than decent (even if a few stinkers managed to sneak through). I hope everyone else was as fortunate.

So while I don't have anything right now, I figured I'd at least get the ball rolling so people could start putting some thoughts together...

Let's hear what you think, be it or or even

For me:

lostage - Nou niwa Beat Nemuri niwa Ai wo

VELTPUNCH - Paint your life gray

But I am a J-Indie whore.

Boris - Smile. Southern Lord version (Japanese one is good too, but I Michio Kurihara)

Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Metallica - Death Magnetic

Ryan Adams - Cardinology

Opeth - Watershed

I give the new Killers album my highly coveted "Presto: Instant Whale Shit" award. Two thumbs way-the-sweet-mother-fuck down.

Nik Bartsch's Ronin late 2008 release, "Holon" is my best-of-08. Though I only recently discovered it. Still, I was skeptical going in, and it just reached out and bitch slapped me all up and down the street. Its got everything going for it that "the perfect" rock album would have, but its fucking jazz. Its definitely going to be a weekly listen for me (at minimum), for a long time.

Right behind that is Ryan Adams/Cardinals with "Cardinology", which has, to me, the perfect balance of immediacy, country tinge, and acoustic rock without over-doing the southern drawl.

Fleet Foxes "Sun Giant" e.p. is great, but not up to the same level as Cardionology. But you can't go wrong for $5.98 for it. Its a no-brainer.

Good call, Ian, better late than never, I'll start putting my thoughts together.

I discovered a few cool bands I hadn't heard before.

Moloko

Minoo

D.Coding

Supreme beings of leisure

Strapping young lad

Geomatic

Mercan Dede

A few Mushroomheads I hadn't heard before.

and more. Pretty good variety overall

I didn't listen to very much new music

But...

BORIS - SMILE (Japan version... something about the Southern Lord one doesn't work for me)

Perfume - GAME (Fine work of pop music)

Okay, just to get me started:

Portishead, 3 (or Third) -- still reigns supreme as likely being my number one album of the year. It's so bizarre, it's nothing like anything they've ever done before, but they've found a way to make the unlistenable not just listenable, but repeatedly, enjoyably listenable.

Opeth, Watershed -- yup, as predicted, this is my favorite Opeth release, EVARR!!!1!(sparta)

Kaki King, Dreaming of Revenge -- just really like, can't explain, don't want to.

One more that is most probably going in my top X:

Matt Elliott, Howling Songs -- disturbing, I didn't see this as the logical conclusion to Drinking Songs and Failing Songs, but there's something in there that just demands attention. No-one uses noise musically the way he does. Except maybe Portishead.

The only album that I really enjoyed from 2008 was Monolith Deathcult's Trivmvirate...