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2008 in albums
Looking back, it appears that I haven't posted since before Christmas. Oops.
Christmas was fun - just me and Sue, chilling out at home for two days with plenteous beer and roast beef. We received a great deal of presents from Sue's dad, which were much appreciated. I have a love of pre-1980 vampire films, and my collection was significantly augmented at Christmas!
Christmas money was spent on the 27th at Selectadisc (the only remaining independent record shop in Nottingham) and Fopp; this was mainly filling up holes in collections.
Back to work for 29th-31st, where I seem to have got quite a lot of work done. On Monday there was only me and Chris in software, out of a 16-strong department, so it was nice and quiet!
We went to a New Year's party at Jennie's gaff last night, but I was getting so tired that we left by 10.30. Back home, I had a relaxing beer, and then saw the new year in with a large glass of Lagavulin.
So, the year in music. As usual, I haven't bought many albums in 2008 which were released in that year which aren't live albums or Peel sessions or similar. Consequently, the list is short!
4. Metallica - Death Magnetic
Hailed as a triumphant return to form by large swathes of their fanbase, Metallica's latest leaves me cold, frankly. There are some fine moments, and a few nice touches, but every song wanders on for far too long, and it seems like a Metallica-by-numbers effort, aimed to please the fans which were alienated by the previous album St. Anger.
I'm in a minority amongst Metallica fans, as I think that a boiled-down amalgam of 1996's Load and 1997's Reload would make their best album. I like a band to progress, and not be trapped in a style that it has long outgrown. I'm still looking forward to the tour, though, as I've never seen the band live. In the studio, though, I think that the band is a spent force.
3. The Cure - 4:13 Dream
Strange one, this. Lots of songs, not unusually for the Cure, and it could probably do with a little filler trimming, but generally a good album. Sleep When I'm Dead is catchy, and has spent a lot of time in my head! The problem with the Cure is that when they are on form, they produce such blinding work that their less good work is usually not under consideration when choosing an album to play. This stems largely from the boundaries of their style, I think. If they were a little more diverse, the less-often-played albums would get more of a look-in.
2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig! Lazarus, Dig!
Yet another consistently great album from Mr. Cave and his accomplices. The title track, Today's Lesson, Midnight Man and More News from Nowhere stand out as firm favourites, but there really isn't a below-par song.
1. Marillion - Happiness is the Road
Another year, another contentious album from the Aylesbury boys. This album is a very well-crafted follow-up to last year's underrated Somewhere Else. It sprawls over two discs; Essence is a themed moodpiece plus an annoying bonus track, and The Hard Shoulder is more of a collection of songs.
Of Essence, I have very little bad to say. I would personally not have bothered with the Half Full Jam at all. It doesn't fit with the rest of the disc, as the band must be aware as they have inserted a separating silent track. The rest of the disc is lightweight, but a great mood album. Lyrically, it doesn't say anything that Steve Hogarth (Marillion's lead singer and lyricist) hasn't been saying for years, but when the lyrics are good, they are excellent. Steve Rothery (guitars) is at his subtlest, and the rest of the band are on top form. Hogarth's vocal talents are still waxing, which is amazing considering the high standard of album performances we have had from him in the past.
The Hard Shoulder carries some dead weight, in all honesty. Older Than Me, Throw Me Out and Half the World do zippo for me, and are fairly throwaway pop Marillion-lite, firing on three cylinders. In my opinion, Marillion can sleepwalk through writing stuff like this, and it sounds as if they did. The rest of that disc is fine. Thunder Fly is a nice warm rocker with a catchy riff, something that Marillion frequently aim at but usually miss. The Man from the Planet Marzipan is Separated Out's [from 2001's Anoraknophobia] prog bastard son. Asylum Satellite #1 is a huge guitar workout with a well-laid-out song in it, covering topical ground. Whatever is Wrong With You is a guitar-led pop song with a fistful of hooks, quirky lyrics and some tastefully busy instrumentation. Real Tears for Sale is a story of the dark side of celebrity, selling shame and pain. It's a great song.
If taken as most of the first disc, it's a masterpiece. Ultimately, however, Happiness is the Road is a little too airy to punch at the weight of my Marillion top shelf of Brave, Marbles and Afraid of Sunlight. That being said, I predict that it will remain firmly in my personal top ten for the band for some albums to come.
In all, a slow year for music. I did, however, manage to finish off my own album Pacific Highway, and in all other aspects, it's been a manically busy year!
Next post will cover the gig highlights of 2008.
Christmas was fun - just me and Sue, chilling out at home for two days with plenteous beer and roast beef. We received a great deal of presents from Sue's dad, which were much appreciated. I have a love of pre-1980 vampire films, and my collection was significantly augmented at Christmas!
Christmas money was spent on the 27th at Selectadisc (the only remaining independent record shop in Nottingham) and Fopp; this was mainly filling up holes in collections.
Back to work for 29th-31st, where I seem to have got quite a lot of work done. On Monday there was only me and Chris in software, out of a 16-strong department, so it was nice and quiet!
We went to a New Year's party at Jennie's gaff last night, but I was getting so tired that we left by 10.30. Back home, I had a relaxing beer, and then saw the new year in with a large glass of Lagavulin.
So, the year in music. As usual, I haven't bought many albums in 2008 which were released in that year which aren't live albums or Peel sessions or similar. Consequently, the list is short!
4. Metallica - Death Magnetic
Hailed as a triumphant return to form by large swathes of their fanbase, Metallica's latest leaves me cold, frankly. There are some fine moments, and a few nice touches, but every song wanders on for far too long, and it seems like a Metallica-by-numbers effort, aimed to please the fans which were alienated by the previous album St. Anger.
I'm in a minority amongst Metallica fans, as I think that a boiled-down amalgam of 1996's Load and 1997's Reload would make their best album. I like a band to progress, and not be trapped in a style that it has long outgrown. I'm still looking forward to the tour, though, as I've never seen the band live. In the studio, though, I think that the band is a spent force.
3. The Cure - 4:13 Dream
Strange one, this. Lots of songs, not unusually for the Cure, and it could probably do with a little filler trimming, but generally a good album. Sleep When I'm Dead is catchy, and has spent a lot of time in my head! The problem with the Cure is that when they are on form, they produce such blinding work that their less good work is usually not under consideration when choosing an album to play. This stems largely from the boundaries of their style, I think. If they were a little more diverse, the less-often-played albums would get more of a look-in.
2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig! Lazarus, Dig!
Yet another consistently great album from Mr. Cave and his accomplices. The title track, Today's Lesson, Midnight Man and More News from Nowhere stand out as firm favourites, but there really isn't a below-par song.
1. Marillion - Happiness is the Road
Another year, another contentious album from the Aylesbury boys. This album is a very well-crafted follow-up to last year's underrated Somewhere Else. It sprawls over two discs; Essence is a themed moodpiece plus an annoying bonus track, and The Hard Shoulder is more of a collection of songs.
Of Essence, I have very little bad to say. I would personally not have bothered with the Half Full Jam at all. It doesn't fit with the rest of the disc, as the band must be aware as they have inserted a separating silent track. The rest of the disc is lightweight, but a great mood album. Lyrically, it doesn't say anything that Steve Hogarth (Marillion's lead singer and lyricist) hasn't been saying for years, but when the lyrics are good, they are excellent. Steve Rothery (guitars) is at his subtlest, and the rest of the band are on top form. Hogarth's vocal talents are still waxing, which is amazing considering the high standard of album performances we have had from him in the past.
The Hard Shoulder carries some dead weight, in all honesty. Older Than Me, Throw Me Out and Half the World do zippo for me, and are fairly throwaway pop Marillion-lite, firing on three cylinders. In my opinion, Marillion can sleepwalk through writing stuff like this, and it sounds as if they did. The rest of that disc is fine. Thunder Fly is a nice warm rocker with a catchy riff, something that Marillion frequently aim at but usually miss. The Man from the Planet Marzipan is Separated Out's [from 2001's Anoraknophobia] prog bastard son. Asylum Satellite #1 is a huge guitar workout with a well-laid-out song in it, covering topical ground. Whatever is Wrong With You is a guitar-led pop song with a fistful of hooks, quirky lyrics and some tastefully busy instrumentation. Real Tears for Sale is a story of the dark side of celebrity, selling shame and pain. It's a great song.
If taken as most of the first disc, it's a masterpiece. Ultimately, however, Happiness is the Road is a little too airy to punch at the weight of my Marillion top shelf of Brave, Marbles and Afraid of Sunlight. That being said, I predict that it will remain firmly in my personal top ten for the band for some albums to come.
In all, a slow year for music. I did, however, manage to finish off my own album Pacific Highway, and in all other aspects, it's been a manically busy year!
Next post will cover the gig highlights of 2008.
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