Favourite discovery's (old and new) of 2008

I haven't quite finished with my best of 2008 yet. I've still got tracks to go (which is really fucking difficult to work out!) but this one didn't take me long to figure out at all. Here's a list of 10 bands i discovered in 2008 and have now grown to love. It includes both old and new bands as you might've guessed:

Nick Cave And the Bad Seeds

I'd heard some old songs by this rabble of gentlemen, but never properly listened to them before. Then in January I got the Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheous double album and suddenly it all clicked. Nick Cave's amazing lyrics, the ramshackle and often noisey music just came together to form a perfect whole that has sundtracked my entire year. I now own all the studio albums and am determined to get more stuff by them.

Here's their classic song 'The Mercy Seat' from their masterpiece 'Tender Prey':



Los Campesinos!

7 boys and girls who met at Cardiff uni making irresistable pop songs. There wasn't anything I couldn't love about them. I downloaded their debut 'Hold On Now, Youngster' after hearing 'Death to Los Campesinos!' late night on MTV2. I was blown away immediately, being extremely smitten with their follow up 'We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed' too. They made my year that little bit happier.

Here's that fabled track that started it all for me 'Death To Los Campesinos!'



NEIL YOUNG

I have to thank my housemate Dan for this. He's an obsessive Neil Young fan and saw him 4 times this year. Then during the easter holidays I was wandering into my local music store and saw some Neil Young on sale. I thought 'fuck it I'll get something'. So I picked up 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' and 'After The Gold Rush'. I've not looked back either, I now have all his studio albums between 1969 and 1979. I love his rawness and sensitivity and the directness of his lyrics. I don't know why I never got into him before then. When I saw him perform at Rock Werchter festival (standing with Dan both of us filled with glee) it was one of the highlights of my entire year).

Here's 'The Needle And The Damage Done' from his fourth solo album 'Harvest'



dEUS

I discovered dEUS only because they were playing Rock Werchter. They were headlining so I decided to check them out. Very good thing I did too. I got 'In a Bar, Under The Sea' first, and though it took a while for it to click, it worked its way into my system. The album has so many infulences it's untrue, from indie to punk to metal to jazz to folk and more besides. Eclectic and brilliant I'm glad I found these.

Here's my favourite dEUS song 'For The Roses':



Mclusky

I blame my brother for this one now. I found 'Mclusky Do Dallas' and 'The Difference Between You And me Is That I'm Not On Fire' amongst his cd collection one day and decided to give em a go as I was already a fan of 'Future of the Left' (the band formed after Mclusky split up). Both instantly hit a chord with me, moreso with 'Mclusky Do Dallas' which just didn't seem to have any bad songs on it at all. Dischordant and hilarious, the band definately make me smile like a silly billy.

Here's 'Lightsaber Cocksucking Blues' from 'Mclusky do Dallas'



Johnny Foreigner

Discovered when they supported Blood Red Shoes in March of 2008 and loved them the instant they started their first song. Fun and energetic indie and all their songs are about Birmingham. Really nice people too, they soundtracked my summer with their fun anthems. Their debut became one of my favourite albums of the year too.

Here's 'Salt Pepper and Spinderella' from 'Waited Up Til It Was Light'



Bon Iver

Later with Jools Holland used to be my favourite show, but recently it's not been that great with poor line up's performing poor music. However, earlier in the year Justin Vernon performed 'Skinny Love', solo with just his acoustic guitar, to a stunned audience on the show. It was one of the times when one person performing one ace song upstaged everyone else. A few months down the line and I obtained 'For Emma, Forever Ago', the album Vernon recorded alone in the wilderness, a lonely, raw and desolate exploration of a relationship going sour. It kept me warm during the darker moments of this year.

Here's that live performance of 'Skinny Love' from 'For Emma Forever Ago':



Death Cab for Cutie

The summer got very boring for me at times. In moments of boredom I sometimes go shopping and pick up some new cd's on a whim. Death Cab For Cutie's 'Transatlanticism' was one such whim. I've got some more albums by Death Cab since and their gentle indie ways have made me a happy man. I love how Ben Gibbard seems to write lyrics describing exactly how I feel about relationships.

Here's 'A Movie Script Ending' from 'The Photo Album':



My Vitriol

Again, over the summer I got very bored. So on a whim I downloaded 'Finelines' the debut (and as it stands, only) album from My Vitriol. I've no idea why I've never listened to them before, they mix shoegaze and hard rock perfectly, and remind me of The Smashing Pumpkins in a weird way. On of my most listened to bands of the year.

Here's 'Always: Your Way' from said album 'Finelines':



Hell Is For Heroes

The last band I'll talk about is the last one I discovered which had a big impact on me. My coursemate Andrew is a fan and told me they were touring and that we should go. He played me 'I Could Climb Mountains' and the frustration put across by the track struck a nerve with me. Loud guitars and angry lyrics, it's been done before yeah, but the frustration in the songs set HIFH apart from others and appealed to me. They've since helped relieve my stress a lot now. Sadly, I discovered said tour they were embarking on was their last as they were splitting up. I was a very late comer to the show, but I'm already going to miss these lads.

Here's 'Night Vision' from their album 'The Neon Handshake':



And that folks, is it. Tune in some point soon, when I will discuss some of my favourite tracks of last year.