When I was a kid, I clearly remember my parents telling me that the older you get, the faster time seems to pass. At the time, of course, I had all eternity in front of me, and time was never passing fast enough. I couldn’t wait for school holidays, birthdays or Christmases and dismissed what they were saying with all the contempt I could gather. I have since understood how right they were. It seems like I was putting together my end of year list for 2007 only last week, but it’s well and truly been a whole twelve months, filled with countless pocket-sized tales of blood sweat, tears, re-invention, revival, weird explorations and revived hopes.

Perhaps above all, 2008 has been marked, for me at least by the stunning return of Portishead, once one of the many jewels in the Bristol crown, now a totally revitalised and more powerful than ever formation, and by the faultless first album proper of Norwegian disco lord Lindstrøm. There were also magnificent albums by Arve Henriksen, Paavoharju, Peter Broderick and Nico Muhly, while Leila and Twine both released new albums after years of silence and Dark Captain Light Captain proved to be one of the year’s best newcomers.

1.

PORTISHEAD
Third
Island Record

2.

LINDSTRØM
Where You Go I Go Too
Smalltown Supersound

3.

ARVE HENRIKSEN
Cartography
ECM Records

4.

PAAVOHARJU
Laulu Laakson Kukista
Fonal Records

5.

LUOMO
Convivial
Huume Recordings

6.

TWINE
Violets
Ghostly International

7.

MURCOF
The Versailles Sessions
The Leaf Label

8.

HEADLESS HEROES
The Silence Of Love
Names Records

9.

PETER BRODERICK
Home
Hush Recordings/Bella Union

10.

NICO MUHLY
Mothertongue
Bedroom Community

11.

LEILA
Blood, Looms & Blooms
Warp Records

12.

EIVIND OPSVIK
Overseas III
Loyal Label

13.

AUTECHRE
Quaristice
Warp Records

14.

BENGE
Twenty Systems
Expanding Records

15.

MATMOS
Supreme Balloon
Matador Records

16.

FUNCKARMA
Vell Vagranz
N5MD

17.

FLYING LOTUS
Los Angeles
Warp Records

18.

RUDI ARAPAHOE
Echoes From One To Another
Symbolic Interaction

19.

DARK CAPTAIN LIGHT CAPTAIN
Miracle Kicker
LOAF/Lo Recordings

20.

JUANA MOLINA
Un Día
Domino Recording Co.

THE 2008 REVIEW

David Abravanel
Robert Rowlands
Max Schaefer

Last 5 posts by themilkman

• GARETH HARDWICK: Of The Sea And Shore (Low Point) – September 2nd, 2010
• WILDBIRDS & PEACEDRUMS: Rivers (The Leaf Label) – September 1st, 2010
• LUGANO FELL: Slice Repair (Baskaru) – August 27th, 2010
• NICKOLAS MOHANNA: Transmission Hue (Low Point) – August 25th, 2010
• PROEM: Enough Conflict (n5MD) – August 23rd, 2010