My Year In Lists

Twelve days overdue, I know, But better late then never. Here was my favourite music of 2008...

>ALBUMS

1. LATE OF THE PIER - FANTASY BLACK CHANNEL
By far my favourite album of the year was and still is Fantasy Black Channel. Its leaks energy, talent and not giving fuck effortlessly in every beat. Inspired by a depthy cross section of bands from Joy Division to Devo (say’s it all really) it’s a really open album. I first caught Late Of The Pier in a pantry-sized room at the top floor of the now deceased Hammersmith Palais during my first year at Uni, even then they were raucous, and now they're tenfold that standard!

2. LAURA MARLING - ALAS, I CANNOT SWIM
On a completely different end of the spectrum, 2008 opened me up to folk a lot more, I'd been waiting for this album for a long time after seeing Laura play some of her earliest material at a tiny bar in Brentford in February, 2006. Two years of myspace clicking paid off and when it was finally released she played an absolutely amazing showcase gig at Union Chapel, for nada! Although the album was propelled by Mercury fame, I love how Alas, I Cannot Swim hasn’t been pulped by the masses, its remained the same, and still raises hairs the same way, its just been given the nod its rightfully owed.

3. FOALS - ANTIDOTES
Yannis promised an album full of "solid drones" and Foals delivered, along with driving studio versions of 'Cassius', 'Baloons', 'Red Socks Pugie', and 'Olympic Airwaves' to demonstrate their danceability and chart credentials. Meanwhile tracks such as 'Electric Bloom’ and 'Two Steps Twice' confirm that Antidotes boasts the bands ability to make an album full of staying power at the same time.

4. BLOC PARTY - INTIMACY

5. LOS CAMPESINOS! – HOLD ON NOW, YOUNGSTER.../WE ARE BEAUTIFUL, WE ARE DOOMED

6. MGMT – ORACULAR SPECTACULAR

7. LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION – FALLING OFF THE LAVENDER BRIDGE

8. VAMPIRE WEEKEND - VAMPIRE WEEKEND

9. METRONOMY - NIGHTS OUT

10.FRIENDLY FIRES - FRIENDLY FIRES

11. THESE NEW PURITANS - BEAT PYRAMID

>GIGS:

*BLACK LIPS/KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW - HEAVEN - SEPTEMBER 16TH
Hazy rock and roll, a crowd surfer every 8 or 9 seconds (no, really!), pissy security guards, on stage nudity, red stripe. For about an hour it felt like we were in the 60's!

*AFRICA EXPREZ - KOKO - OCTOBER 22ND
7 hours of non-stop African inspired music, most of which improvised, curated heavily by Damon Albarn. I don’t need to say much more.

>DVD:

* JUSTICE - A CROSS THE UNIVERSE
Filmed by Romain Gavras, it follows Justice on tour around the US earlier this year. I wrote a whole fucking essay piece on this movie, I can't really describe it bluntly, maybe I’ll post it soon!

Anant x