Best Albums of 2008 - Part 1

Numbers 10-6 of my (cross-genre) best albums of 2008. I'll get to Part 2 in the New Year:

10. Johnson & Jonson (Blu & Mainframe) - Johnson & Jonson

Conscious, soulful, everyman lyrics from LA's Blu (who delivers the fitting follow up that Below The Heavens deserved... we'll give him a pass for the C.R.A.C. project) and music with warmth that compliments the rhymes, courtesy of new beatsmith Mainframe resulted in one of the years best Hip Hop albums.

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9. Portishead - Third

After a 10,000 year break from the sharp end of the music industry, I was slightly worried that a new album from Portishead wouldn't be anywhere near as relevant or interesting as their important duo of LP's from the 90's. Then I heard the mind melting 'Machine Gun' and my fears were put to rest.

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8. White Denim - Workout Holiday

The Austin, Texas garage/blues-rock trio rode the crest of the wave created by their lead EP 'Let's Talk About It' and toured their high energy show extensively. They must be shattered. Punky, soulful, always raucous, often psychedelic but always technically excellent, White Denim provided a spiky and progressive alternative to the White Stripes or the Black Keys.

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7. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

The lads from Bury struck gold in 2008, after years of digging, by winning the Mercury Music Prize ahead of my personal tip, Burial (who doesn't feature in this list on account of his Untrue album having been released in 2007). The Seldom Seen Kid is a soaring, beautiful album that can lift you up and carry you away. What more can I say...

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6. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago...

After the breakup of a band, relationship, and a bout of sickness, Justin 'Bon Iver' Vernon left Raleigh, North Carolina and moved back to Wisconsin, spending three months alone in his father's cabin in the woods. The result is this gentle, atmospheric, heartbreaking and heartwarming folk album. Recorded entirely in the log cabin, Vernon plays all instruments, sings all backing vocals and presses the record and stop button himself (as his footsteps across the floor at the end of the standout 'Re: Stacks' will attest). Perfect listening whether you are up or down.