Album Of The Year

Well, I've done all the work I absolutely had to do today; time for the obligatory AOTY thread.

For me it has to be Neon Bible by Arcade Fire. I'd not heard Funeral at all so this madcap Canadian ensemble were completely new to me; I've not been so excited about discovering a new band for years.

And for a change, it seems I'm not in the minority: The Arcade Fire have been the darlings of the music press this year, with outstanding and esoteric performances televised from Glastonbury and BBC's Maida Vale. Hell, Radcliffe and Maconie have barely stopped going on about them...

Outstanding stuff.

I think it's actually been a bit of a poor year for music. I've bought virtually nothing this year.

I found the foo fighters were to my liking.
I like their newest album but cannot remember the name of it (:

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

There's been a lot of good/very good stuff but little that is amazing with a definite lack of 'loud, shouty' music.

If I went off most listened to then either Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger or Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

I don't think I've played anything newer than about 25 years old this year!

/listens to pet sounds, whos next, wish you were here.

New music? Pffft..

I've been mostly listening to old stuff too Bill, although Mastodon's Blood Mountain did make its mark with me.

\o/

Nice choices!

Add The Shins and you have my top three.

Edit: er, forgot the wonderful Plant / Krauss collaboration. That's #2, after the Shins.

Yeah the Shins are indeed the awesome and loving the new Foos too.

As a big hijack, I am also listening to some Ash's back stuff, forgot how many songs I really liked of theirs. Couple I remembered but had no idea it was them...

/resurrects

Although I seem to have bought dozens of albums this year, not many of them were new releases. My most listened to (by a long way) has been "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots" by the Flaming Lips, but that was released in 2002.

So for me, it's an unfashionable and popularist choice: Viva La Vida by Coldplay.

ELBOW!!!!

Just bought the Seldom Seen Kid for the song "Grounds For Divorce" after hearing it on the Burn After Reading trailer... looking forward to hearing the whole thing.

It's my most listened album this year by a long chalk. Really really good. Just wish they'd stop using "THAT" riff for everything on telly at the moment :((

Hm, new Kings of Leon album maybe? Other than that I've mostly been listening to really old blues and jazz albums, barely bought any new music this year, unfashionable old git that I am.

Tough call. This has been the first year in a long time that I've only bought a couple of albums - but one of 'em - Portishead's '3' was utterly superb and didn't disappoint in any way shape or form.

So I guess that then...

It's either been a slightly disappointing year or I haven't been paying as much attention as usual. I would have to go with James - Hey Ma or Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinology.

Portishead was definitely my gig of the year - that said most of the other gigs have been mandatory (the missus) New Model Army - and very fine they were too. Missed Seasick Steve at Rock City due to illness but enjoyed the album. Come to think of it that may be the only 'new' album I've bought all year.

The Elbow CD is for once a deserving yet populist winner of the Mercury prize. It's a fucking good album, and definitely a contender for album of the year in my book.

I haven't bought that many new albums this year. I've enjoyed Mr Scruff's new one, but in all honesty, I couldn't rate it above Elbow (even though I've probably listened to it more, bizarrely).

If the MGMT album was this year, then that's definitely up there. Astonishing stuff.

Gig of the year is probably CSS at Shepherd's Bush. Oodles of energy - just infectious.

My gig of the year was also at Shepherd's Bush: Sparks playing the last night of their 21 albums in 21 nights tour. The 'Lighten Up Morrissey' shirt I bought always raises a smile.

In April I'm going to see Ultravox... :P

i've got a big love in with the albums "collateral damage" and "smile" by ted poley. awesome feel-good cheesy 80s rock. released in 2006 & 2007 respectively, so they don't _really_ count as albums of this year, but this is the year i first heard em, and this is the year i lurrrved them.

O_O_O

You WHAT? They're coming back?

Hmm, really like King Blues: Save the world, get the girl. Or the relatively new Rise Against album. Add to that the new Gaslight Anthem album and Streetlight Manifesto.

Hmm I suppose if I mention Regina Spektor here people will laugh me out of the thread?

if it makes you feel any better, I can pull a blank "and who the fuck is that" face instead.

Regina Spektor

New York lass with attitude and in my opinion well written songs. Begin to Hope is very pleasant listening.

I bought one album this year, so its going to be the TingTings for me.

Fuck y'all haters.

Difficult for me - really liked Death Magnetic for a while, but when I got over the shock of a new Metallica album being half-decent, I realised that's all it was.

Kings Of Leon probably.

The Ting Tings album was great.

I'd say Neon Neon or Elbow top the list for me.

I agree with oneiros, Coldplays latest is awesome.

I also like the trad folk album by the annoyingly named Noah and the whale too.

/reminds self he is a metal head

I have to agree that the Coldplay album is quiet good.
Don't know if it is my album of the year as I don't usually bother with buying albums.

Interesting.

If you like that, you might like Fiona Apple too (another New Yoik lass with a very similar style at times)