Toad Top 20 Albums 2008: 16-20
16. Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
This is far from Elbow’s best album, in my opinion, but it’s bloody good nevertheless. There’s a definite confidence about Elbow these days – a swagger almost – that is pretty much the defining characteristic of this record.
Elbow – Starlings
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17. Devotchka – A Mad & Faithful Telling
It’s slightly amazing to think that these guys started off as a novelty cabaret band, considering that they’ve now released two bloody great albums of their own. It’s more indie rock and a bit less world music, and I think I’d say it was the better for it actually.
Devotchka – Transliterator
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18. Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit – A Larum
I am not sure why this album finds itself so far down my list. Maybe by the time it was released I was already so familiar with most of the songs that it failed to register quite the impact it might have made had I been hearing it all for the first time.
Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit – Brown Trout Blues
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19. Honeytrap – Follies in Great Cities
I’ve been waiting some time for this, and it didn’t disappoint. I don’t know if it’s the tortured wail of the vocals or the demented screech of the fiddle that does it for me, but they’re both amazing. It’s got a sightly old-fashioned sound about it as well – something of the early nineties that I can’t quite put my finger on.
Honeytrap – Eleven
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20. Ghostkeeper – Ghostkeeper and the Keepers of the Great Northern Muskeg
It’s plain-jane indie rock, this stuff, but for some reason this album really grabbed me. It’s not earth-shattering, just really really enjoyable from beginning to end.
Ghostkeeper – Cruisin’ the Chev
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Ah. There you are. Welcome back and happy new year. Once again, these are some fine selections for the bottom of the list. So have you completely managed the switch over to self-hosting?
Yes, it’s all done. Just have to sort the site design out now.
Happy New Year hun!
and as C&B said, welcome back from the brink. I finally listened to that Elbow album on the flight over to London from Chicago (they actually had it streaming on British Air!) and I have to say it was fabulous.
It’s been wonderful reading your blog this year (well the half of it that I knew you for) and here’s hoping that 2009 brings us more music, more laughs, more love and many many more arguments, er discussions :-p
xoxoxo,
Tart
oooh and I had ALL sorts of chutneys whilst in England this week, I’m seriously hooked now lol!
See, chutney is the way forward. Tom and Dylan will be delighted that you have finally seen the light.
I got A Larum for Christmas and have been enjoying it thoroughly. “Shore to Shore” is such a pretty, pretty song. I keep meaning to listen to that Elbow album…Tart, I may follow your lead and see if Virgin Atlantic has it on their audio thingy.
By the way Matthew, when are you free during the coming week?
HNY, old bean.
Howdy Toad. Forgot to mention earlier – found this whilst trawling Hype Machine. Seems EMI are being force fed a bit of their own medicine:
http://beckermanlegal.com/pdf/?file=/Lawyer_Copyright_Internet_Law/capitol_mp3tunes_081230OppositionRobertsonDeclaration.pdf
Here’s to a fun 2009.
That should be fun. Well I am backing everything up constantly and will have a full copy of every website I host ready to switch hosts, should anyone get nasty. I worry about the podcasts though, which are hosted on libsyn. It would be annoying to see those start getting deleted.
The new diggs are looking good, Mr Toad. And good album choices all. I was really taken with that Johnny Flynn record for some reason.