You wanted to see it...

So here it is. There was a bit of interest in seeing what my favourite albums and tunes of 2008 actually were, after I aborted it at some point in January. I'm not going to write something about every entry but here are the lists and there's five links for all the top 100 tunes down the bottom of the post. Hope you enjoy/agree/vehemently disagree...

Yer Mam!'s Top 50 Albums Of 2008

1. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles (Warp)

2. Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling (Environ)
3. Starkey - Ephemeral Exhibits (Planet Mu)
4. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair (DFA/EMI)
5. TV On The Radio - Dear Science (4AD)
6. Portishead - Third (Universal Island)
7. Zomby - Where Were U In '92? (Werk)
8. Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies (Big Dada)
9. Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too (Feedelity)
10. Thomas Function - Celebration (Alive Records)
11. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna (Warp)
12. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (Mute)
13. Man Man - Rabbit Habits (Anti-)
14. Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason (Big Dada)
15. Quiet Village - Silent Movie (Studio !K7)
16. Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls (In The Red)
17. The Night Marchers - See You In Magic (Vagrant)
18. The Bug - London Zoo (Ninja Tune)
19. No Age - Nouns (Sub Pop)
20. Killer Mike - I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II (SMC Recordings/Grind Time Official)
21. Syclops - I've Got My Eye On You (DFA/EMI)
22. Low Motion Disco - Keep It Slow (Eskimo)
23. Osborne - Osborne (Spectral Sound)
24. The Roots - Rising Down (Def Jam)
25. Neil Landstrumm - Lord For £39 (Planet Mu)
26. Morgan Geist - Double Night Time (Environ)
27. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. (4AD)
28. Hatchback - Colors Of The Sun (Lo Recordings)
29. Dan Lissvik - 7 Trx + Intermission (Information)
30. Toby Tobias - Space Shuffle (REKIDS)
31. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer (Sub Pop)
32. Black Mountain - In The Future (Jagjaguwar)
33. Harvey Milk - "Life... The Best Game In Town" (Hydra Head Records)
34. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (Todomundo)
35. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III (Cash Money Records)
36. Black Milk - Tronic (Fat Beats)
37. Koushik - Out My Window (Stones Throw)
38. Young Jeezy - The Recession (Def Jam)
39. JME - Famous? (Boy Better Know)
40. Windsurf - Coastlines (Internasjonal)
41. Deerhoof - Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars)
42. Clinic - Do It! (Domino)
43. Q-Tip - The Renaissance (Universal Motown)
44. Dusk & Blackdown - Margins Music (Keysound)
45. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours (Goner)
46. The Kills - Midnight Boom (Domino)
47. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)
48. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals (Illegal Art)
49. Bun B - II Trill (Rap-A-Lot)
50. 2562 - Aerial (Tectonic)

Yer Mam!'s Top 100 Tunes Of 2008

1. Hercules & Love Affair - Blind (DFA/EMI)

2. The Juan Maclean - Happy House (DFA)
3. TV On The Radio - Golden Age (4AD)
4. Portishead - Machine Gun (Universal Island)
5. Kelley Polar - Entropy Reigns (In The Celestial City) (Environ)
6. Flying Lotus - Parisian Goldfish (Warp)
7. Jay Reatard - Screaming Hand (Matador)
8. Aeroplane feat. Kathy Diamond - Whispers (Eskimo)
9. Kanye West - Love Lockdown (Roc-A-Fella)
10. Thomas Function - Can't Say No (Alive Records)
11. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Strange Overtones (Todomundo)
12. Hudson Mohawke - Polkadot Blues (Warp)
13. Lil' Wayne - A Milli (Cash Money Records)
14. Syclops - Where's Jason's K? (DFA)
15. The Cool Kids - What Up Man? (XL)
16. Osborne - 16th Stage (Spectral Sound)
17. Roots Manuva - Let The Spirit (Big Dada)
18. Watussi - If All We Had Was Love (StickyDisc)
19. Young Jeezy feat. Nas - My President (Def Jam)
20. Janelle Monae - Sincerely, Jane (Bad Boy Entertainment)
21. Joker - Snake Eater (Soul Motive)
22. Hot Chip - One Pure Thought (EMI)
23. Canyons - Apples And Pears (Hole In The Sky)
24. Toby Tobias feat. Kathy Diamond - The Feeling (REKIDS)
25. Cadence Weapon - Julianne Wilding (Big Dada)
26. Mayer Hawthorne & The County - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out (Stones Throw)
27. King Midas Sound - Cool Out (Hyperdub)
28. 6th Borough Project - Planets (Jiscomusic/Five20East)
29. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - We Call Upon The Author (Mute)
30. Mujava - Township Funk (Warp)
31. Mark E - Slave 1 (Running Back)
32. No Age - Teen Creeps (Sub Pop)
33. Gang Gang Dance - House Jam (Warp)
34. Zomby - Liquid Dancehall (Ramp Recordings)
35. Camille - Money Note (EMI)
36. Man Man - Big Trouble (Anti-)
37. Starkey - Gutter Music (Planet Mu)
38. Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (Asylum Records)
39. James Pants - We're Through (Stones Throw)
40. Plastique De Reve - Lost In The City (Supersoul/Death From Abroad)
41. Solange - Sandcastle Disco (Geffen)
42. Vampire Weekend - One (Blake's Got A New Face) (XL)
43. T.I. feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z & Lil' Wayne - Swagga Like Us (Grand Hustle/Atlantic)
44. Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened (4AD)
45. Mickey Moonlight - Interplanetary Music (Ed Banger)
46. Bostro Pesopeo - Falls (Permanent Vacation)
47. The Barbaras - Summertime Road (Goner)
48. Neon Neon - I Told Her On Alderaan (Lex)
49. Chris Brown - Forever (Jive)
50. Robert Owens - I'm Chained (Compost)
51. The Kills - Last Day Of Magic (Domino)
52. Vivian Girls - Tell The World (In The Red)
53. The Muslims - Nightlife (1928 Recordings)
54. Koushik - Bright And Shining (Stones Throw)
55. Padded Cell - Word Of Mouth (DC Recordings)
56. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Which Way To Go (Goner)
57. Max Essa - Back To The Beach (Bear Funk)
58. Runaway - Brooklyn Club Jam (DFA/REKIDS)
59. Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Zarcorp)
60. Mock & Toof - Underwater (DFA)
61. Morgan Geist - Ruthless City (Environ)
62. Pinch - Joyride (Tectonic)
63. Babytalk - Chance (StickyDisc)
64. Shackleton - Death Is Not Final (Skull Disco)
65. White Denim - Sitting (Full Time Hobby)
66. The Rapture - No Sex For Ben (Rockstar Games)
67. Quiet Village - Pacific Rhythm (Studio !K7)
68. Wavves - Side Yr On (Woodsist/Fuck It Tapes)
69. Air France - Collapsing At Your Doorstep (Sincerely Yours)
70. Dam-Funk - Burgundy City (Stones Throw)
71. Black Mountain - Wucan (Jagjaguwar)
72. Yacht - It's Boring/You Can Live Anywhere You Want (DFA)
73. Martyn - Natural Selection (3024)
74. Britney Spears - Womanizer (Jive)
75. Crystal Antlers - A Thousand Eyes (Touch And Go)
76. Crazy Cousinz - Bongo Jam (Bongo Records)
77. Mr Raoul K - Le Cercle Peul (Club Mix) (Baobab Music)
78. Erykah Badu - The Healer (Universal Motown)
79. Ramadanman - Carla (Soul Jazz)
80. The Bug - Murder We (Ninja Tune)
81. Linkwood - R.I.P. (Prime Numbers)
82. Killer Mike - God In The Building (SMC Recordings/Grind Time Official)
83. L.S.B. - Loco Motion (Eskimo)
84. Cheap Time - People Talk (In The Red)
85. Rustie - Zig-Zag (Wireblock)
86. The Night Marchers - In Dead Sleep (I Snore ZZZZ) (Vagrant)
87. Fulgeance - Revenge Of The Nerd (All City)
88. The Dirtbombs - La Fin Du Monde (In The Red)
89. Kode9 Vs. LD - Bad (Hyperdub)
90. Wild Rumpus - Purple Somersault (Bitches Brew)
91. Schwarz, Ame, Dixon - D.p.o.m.b. 1 (Innervisions)
92. Ikonika - Please (Hyperdub)
93. Tiedye - Nothing Else Matters (Italians Do It Better)
94. The Long Blondes - Here Comes The Serious Bit (Rough Trade)
95. Thriller - BBQ (Thriller)
96. Telepathe - Chrome's On It (IAmSound)
97. Invisible Conga People - Cable Dazed (Italians Do It Better)
98. POLLYester - You Are Amen (Love In C Minor)
99. Nas feat. Keri Hilson - Hero (Def Jam)
100. Toddla T feat. Serocee - Soundtape Killin (1965)

Download all 100 tunes in five convenient zips below...

1-20

21-40

41-60

61-80

81-100


Back soon, kids...

JMx

Yer Mam!'s Top 100 Tunes Of 2008: 90-81

90. Wild Rumpus - Purple Somersault (Bitches Brew)

One of those you can file under 'shouldn't work, but it does', Wild Rumpus is a startlingly good collaboration between Bitches Brew head, DJ Cosmo and former Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band guitarist, Gary Lucas. Wild Rumpus make wonderful music, however, that touches on dub, country, surf and disco and 'Purple Somersault' is their outlandish zenith to-date. Essentially an ostentatious guitar freakout, complete with a drum solo (*fist pump*), 'Purple Somersault' eskimo-rolls onto the dancefloor with grace and effortless good-time verve. A balearic classic in the making. Um... gnarly, dude.

Wild Rumpus - Purple Somersault (mp3)

Bonus: Wild Rumpus - Purple Somersault (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) (mp3)

89. Kode9 Vs. LD - Bad (Hyperdub)

In which Kode9 drops The Spaceape, hooks up with LD from Transition and gets on the funky bandwagon. Well, that last part is maybe a little wide of the mark as this is still definably dubstep in nature, but there's no doubting that the soca-fied percussion is a nod to the year's most oddly successful mini-genre. This is a pretty big step outside of the comfort zone for Kode9 but upfront and clubby fits him like a glove. A bit different from his usual half-stepping darkness then but as a marker of the scene's healthy diversification these past twelve months, it's blinding.

Kode9 Vs LD - Bad (mp3)

Bonus: Kode9 & The Spaceape - Konfusion (Dub) (mp3)

88. The Dirtbombs - La Fin Du Monde (In The Red)

To be honest, I thought that We Have You Surrounded, Dirtbombs' latest full-length, was a little of a disappointment. A fun disappointment, but a letdown all the same. Every time they bring out a new album it seems, they get more polished and further away from what made them great in the first place (for the record, my favourite Dirtbombs album is their singles collection, If You Don't Already Have A Look, which probably speaks volumes). However, there are always one or two great moments on a Dirtbombs release and this French-sung closer is as bright and vivacious, yet rueful and apocalyptic as they've ever sounded. A full album of songs like 'La Fin Du Monde' every two years wouldn't be too much to ask would it?

The Dirtbombs - La Fin Du Monde (mp3)

Bonus: 'Wreck My Flow' live in Philly.

87. Fulgeance - Revenge Of The Nerd (All City)

Parisian beatmaster, Fulgeance has emerged, for me, as one of the most exciting purveyors of head-nod glitch around. His Low Club mini-album is on heavy, heavy, heavy rotation 'round these parts but the best track he's put out in 2008 is still this bumptious little beauty, which headed his installment in the magnificent All City beatstrumental 7" series. Skippy as fuck, with about eight different hooks all vying for headspace at the same time, this is attention-deficient future funk at its most fun and lively. Watch this guy take over your headphones in '09.

Fulgeance - Revenge Of The Nerd (mp3)

Bonus: Fulgeance - Absolute Belta (mp3)

86. The Night Marchers - In Dead Sleep (I Snore ZZZZ) (Vagrant)

One of the more unfettered joys of rock 'n' roll is John 'Speedo' Reis Jr. in full flow and this turbocharged rocker from his new band, The Night Marchers finds him in full-on, petrol-gargling, knife-fighting mood. The guitars sound as murderous as ever, while cascading, hard-hitting drums batter away in the background. It's not got a hell of a lot to say but music like this doesn't have to. It's bludgeoning, careening, violent punk-rock at its thrilling best.

The Night Marchers - In Dead Sleep (I Snore ZZZZ) (mp3)

Bonus: 'In Dead Sleep' live in a parking lot.

85. Rustie - Zig-Zag (Wireblock)

Russel Whyte, aka Rustie, has already coined a rather apt term for the music he creates, with 'aquacrunk', as 'Zig-Zag' is a slathering, submerged future-funk beast. This is the kind of music Timbaland would be making if he wasn't to busy manning the boards for AOR dross-peddlers like One Republic. It's about time someone picked up the torch and ran with it and the lusty, frenzied synths and acid lines, coupled with tempo-changing r'n'b beats of 'Zig-Zag' show that it's safe in Rustie's hands.

Rustie - Zig-Zag (mp3)

Bonus: Pivot - In The Blood (Rustie Remix) (mp3)

84. Cheap Time - People Talk (In The Red)

A gloriously scruffy cover of The End's classic bubblegum-punk anthem from Tennessee's Cheap Time here. I try not to put cover versions on this list but this good-time thrill ride is too good not to include. The sound of young, alcohol-fuelled misadventures in little over two minutes. So mood-elevating, they should sell it in pill form, 'People Talk' is a fuckin' riot.

Cheap Time - People Talk (mp3)

Bonus: 'People Talk' live in Arizona.

83. L.S.B. - Loco Motion (Eskimo)

Ah, piano house. Earlier in the year, I tipped the black-and-whites to make an allcomer-smashing return to the genre. It didn't really happen, but a few hardy souls decided to bring the ebony and ivory back in play in the field of four-to-the-floor. L.S.B.'s Pete Herbert and BabyG Fernandez weld a maddeningly upfront piano lick to one of the toughest kick and snare combinations this year. Add in the lairy horns and it's a White Island tour de force. Bring back the summer of love.

L.S.B. - Loco Motion (mp3)

Bonus: Chic - NY Attitude (L.S.B. Edit) (mp3)

82. Killer Mike - God In The Building (SMC Recordings/Grind Time Official)

Killer Mike doesn't do subtle. 'God In The Building' is a powerhouse slab of prime braggadocio (the 'God' of the title is Mike, himself, of course) with choral moans, explosive Dirty South beats and some of the finest MC-ing of 2008 that make Mike's messianic boasts seem not too far off the mark. The top dog in (righteously) independent rap today just got that little bit more fierce.

Killer Mike - God In The Building (mp3)

Bonus: Read a fantastic interview with the man himself over at Hip Hop DX.

81. Linkwood - R.I.P. (Prime Numbers)

From Scotland, via Detroit comes this Moodymann-like piece of modern deep house. Prime Numbers have released some of the classiest, most soulful house music of the last year and this ecstatic little groover is the best thing they've put out yet. Much like their label head and kindred spirit, Trus'me, Linkwood breathe life into a genre that's been missing, presumed done for the most part recently. Deep, but not at all stupor-inducing, house music is in good health north of the border.

Linkwood - R.I.P. (mp3)

Bonus: Linkwood - Hear The Sun (mp3)

Yer Mam!'s Top 100 Tunes Of 2008: 100-91

It's time...

Has it really been a year? I, for one, have been enjoying myself far too much to notice a whole twelve months passing before my eyes, I don't know about you. This year's ton of tunes was hell of difficult to whittle down. In fact, I think I could have easily stretched it to 200. Maybe next year. Anyway, 2008 has been characterised by a lot of cracking one-off singles, great songs from not-so-great albums and fantastic songs from fantastic albums. I suppose you could say that about any year really, but you know what I mean. Right, on with the show. Enjoy!

100. Toddla T - Soundtape Killin' (feat. Serocee) (1965)

Pure ruffneck business from the Steel City's new darling. Is it niche? Bassline? Grime? Bashment? Or just pure soundsystem-wrecking greatness? It's the last one, obviously, as music this fun just laughs at pigeonholes. Serocee gives it some ragga-chat over squishy bass drops and a skippy house-y beat, and a gospel vocal bit chips in for added value towards the end. It's become something of a regular fixture at mine and jonthebeef's night, Dig For Victory!, partly because it winds Jon up no end when I leave him to mix out of it, but mostly because it never fails to put a smile on people's faces. Good times.

Toddla T - Soundtape Killin' (feat. Serocee) (mp3)

Bonus: Watch the cheap and cheerful video on youtube.

99. Nas - Hero (feat. Keri Hilson) (Def Jam)

Let's have it right, Untitled, Nas' 'controversial' 2008 full-length is an almost irredeemable dog. Nasir Jones has been better served by guest spots on other people's records and the DJ Green Lantern hook-up mixtape, The Nigger Tape this past 12 months than his own album. For someone with so much political ire and fire in his belly, most of Untitled felt colourless and phoned-in, coupled with some pretty shit production jobs from the likes of Stargate, Mark Ronson and DJ Toomp. There was one bright, shining beacon amidst the dreck and that was the cacophonous, ridiculously raging midrange of single, 'Hero'. Producer du jour, Polow Da Don is the man behind the desk and his superbly massive backing eggs Nas on to be as in-your-face as he can be. The result is nigh-on spectacular and the only real flash we had this year of Jones being a force to be reckoned with once again.

Nas - Hero (feat. Keri Hilson) (mp3)

Bonus: Watch the video on youtube.

98. POLLYester - You Are Amen (Love In C-Minor)

A luxurious, slow-burning cosmic disco vamp, 'You Are Amen' takes a listen or two before it really gets under your skin. It's almost minimal in design but full-bodied (mainly thanks to the harsh thwack of the live snare) in texture and gets ever more forceful as it creeps towards its deliciously malevolent denouement. Polly's stern, eurotrashy vocals may put some more lily-livered listeners off but underneath the harsh exterior lies an innate warmth that really comes through as 'You Are Amen' builds more and more with each bar. Exquisite stuff.

POLLYester - You Are Amen (mp3)

Bonus: Watch Polly and some other dude covering '24 Hour Party People'. This is how they have fun in Dusseldorf.

97. Invisible Conga People - Cable Dazed (Italians Do It Better)

It's been a bit of a quiet year for Italians Do It Better. Mike Simonetti's label haven't exactly capitalised on the success of 2007 in the way most people would have expected (although something tells me that was never the plan in the first place), but they have unearthed a little gem in Invisible Conga People. The duo of Justin Simon and Eric Tsai make music as hushed as their name suggests, but 'Cable Dazed' is anything but unassuming. A poised, delicately-crafted slice of wintry kraut-disco, 'Cable Dazed' pulses and throbs gently for six minutes but it's only once you reach for the repeat button that you realise how damned addictive it is. ICP are future masters of insidious icy electronics.

Invisible Conga People - Cable Dazed (mp3)

Bonus: Learn more about ICP over at Dusted.

96. Telepathe - Chrome's On It (IAmSound)

When a band is made up of hipster fucks like the ones pictured above I have a hard time warming to them. I mean, look at the cunts. Read any Telepathe interview too and it's all "Yeah, we love avant-garde shit and everything, but we also love Mannie Fresh and Three Six Mafia, so we wanted to combine them both" (not an actual quote), so even before I'd heard one second of Telepathe's music I wanted to punch them both in the face. Not a great first impression. That these two insufferable muso pricks make music as glorious and fulfilling as 'Chrome's On It', makes me feel all dirty inside, as if I'm masturbating to something I, y'know, shouldn't be cracking one off to. Not that I do that a lot, you understand. I'm basically a monk. So yeah, 'Chrome's On It'; a bit like wanking.

Telepathe - Chrome's On It (mp3)

Bonus: Try not to punch your monitor while you watch Telepathe live somewhere in Brooklyn.

95. Thriller - BBQ (Thriller)

Every year, you get the odd 12" that comes out of nowhere, gets a bunch of hype from the right people and then you find out that it's the work of someone already established under a pseudonym. Then, the internet seekers simply must find out who really is behind said 12". 'BBQ' is one of those. It's clear from the outset that it's the work of someone in the blooming wonky subgenre, seeing as it's an awkwardly funky disco cut-up lollop, with bass for days. Turns out it's the work of Luke Blair aka Lukid of Werk Discs. Makes sense as Lukid's 2007 album, Onandon is full of stuff like this. It'd have been nice if it had kept its mystery, but now we know who did it, maybe we can pester him to put out some more shadowy one-offs.

Thriller - BBQ (mp3)

Bonus: Lukid - The Now (mp3)

94. The Long Blondes - Here Comes The Serious Bit (Rough Trade)

The Long Blondes' premature break-up was one of the downers of the year. I don't think we've heard the last from Kate Jackson and the gang and on the evidence of this highlight from this year's sophomore effort, "Couples", hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later. Producer, Erol Alkan is the secret weapon here, as he adds a dance-pop dynamic to their spiky new wave. All the other elements sound so full; rubber band bass, burbling synths and jacknifing lead guitar, plus Jackson sounds as alluring and tart as ever. They'll be missed.

The Long Blondes - Here Comes The Serious Bit (mp3)

Bonus: 'Here Comes The Serious Bit' live at the Bowery Ballroom in May.

93. Tiedye - Nothing Else Matters (Italians Do It Better)

The words 'balearic cover of the Metallica power ballad' shouldn't, by rights, go together. Indeed they don't really, as Tiedye don't so much cover the song as reinterpret its bare rhythmic bones and stretch it out over 7 minutes or so. It's vocal-free, so no-one gets to growl like Hetfield over slo-mo disco (that would not work at all), but there's a bassline that Jason Newsted would be proud of and guitar work that The Het himself would probably proclaim "decidedly un-faggotty" or something. The end result is a sunkissed, scorching discoid groover, the kind of thing maybe Lars Ulrich plays when he's out on his yacht. Probably.

Tiedye - Nothing Else Matters (mp3)

Bonus: Rubies - I Feel Electric (Tiedye Remix) (mp3)

92. Ikonika - Please (Hyperdub)

It's been a pretty monumental year for dubstep. It's as though every mover and shaker in the genre just decided to take a massive step forward this past twelve months. Dubstep has finally pulled its head out of its collective arse and become the thrillingly inventive, fun genre everyone knew it could be. Most of this maturation has come as a product of cross-pollination with numerous like-minded subgenres. We had The Bug crossing dubstep with dancehall, whilst the likes of Quarta 330 melded dark bass with garish 8-bit and Martyn fusing the sound with Detroit techno. Hyperdub's rising star Ikonika looked to the wonky side of things by pushing up the synths and throwing in the odd hip-hop ref. 'Please' was her first shot across the boughs and signalled her as a talent to watch. I, for one, can't wait for a full album of this stuff.

Ikonika - Please (mp3)

Bonus: Check out this Ikonika mini-mix over at the Mad Decent blog.

91. Schwarz, Ame, Dixon - D.p.o.m.b. Part 1 (Innervisions)

Dad-house is such a horrible term, often bandied about when referring to slick, retro house music from scene veterans. Schwarz, Ame and Dixon have been around long enough to land them this tag, but there's nothing pipe-and-slippers about this raw slab of conga-driven, funky diva-sampling insanity. It's a tough, sprightly number that keeps you grooving for its full ten minutes and while some might complain that it doesn't live up to most of what the three principals are capable of, it still beat most other younger house artists' output in '08 into a cocked hat.

Schwarz, Ame, Dixon - D.p.o.m.b. Part 1 (mp3)

Bonus: Henrik Schwarz, Ame & Dixon feat. Derrick Carter - Where We At Version 1 (mp3)

Back soon with the first lot of albums,

JMx