2008 was a pretty memorable year in gigs for me. I saw my favourite band Radiohead a couple times when I was back home in August and tonight I’ll be seeing Underworld for the first time ever. Some Canadians once again made a pretty big splash down here in Australia, while some local Australian and Kiwi acts proved they are among the very best live bands around.

Here are some of my favourite gigs of the 08, in chronological order.

The Drones (acoustic) @ Annandale Hotel
Just as devastating in acoustic mode as they are when they play full-on electric shows.

Sufjan Stevens @ State Theatre
Reminded me why I fell in love with his music in the first place.

Arcade Fire @ Enmore Theatre
Probably the best gig I saw all year. Jaw-droppingly awesome.

Bjork @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt
A magical evening that I have to remind myself actually happened.

Joanna Newsom @ Sydney Opera House
Ms. Newsom with an orchestra playing Ys. Enough said? Thanks for letting us use your seats, National boys.

Broken Social Scene @ Manning Bar
Feist! I still remember how amazing Almost Crimes was.

Feist @ The Metro
We had a little chat.

Broken Social Scene @ Laneway Festival
Stars and Feist and the Broken boys put on a stunning show at Laneway.

Jens Lekman @ Manning Bar
One of the most endearing people making music today.

Baseball @ Spectrum
My first encounter with Baseball is one I won’t soon forget.

Die! Die! Die! @ Oxford Art Factory
Total insanity.

The Polyphonic Spree @ The Metro
Simply joyous.

Radiohead @ Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver
The rain made the quiet bit of Paranoid Android pretty special.

Radiohead @ White River Amptheater, Seattle
Great setlist, some funny moments, and In Limbo.

Sigur Ros @ Hordern Pavilion
Even without the strings, Sigur Ros were as epic as ever.

Goldfrapp @ Sydney Opera House
That voice.

The Drones @ The Metro
If you haven’t yet, you really need to see The Drones live.

Final Fantasy @ The Vanguard
So so so so great.

Photos from most of the gigs here.

2009 is already shaping up to be another memorable one…

While I can totally sympathize with someone who has panic attacks on airplanes (I survive on Xanax when I fly these days), the bright side of Eric Prydz cancelling his Australian tour is that we get an extra 30 minutes of Underworld tonight at Shore Thing in Bondi.

Underworld are the last band left on my Bands I Must See Before I Die list and I still can’t believe I’ll be seeing them tonight. The band will now play a full two hour set, so expect to be blown away by the likes of Born Slippy, King of Snake, Rez/Cowgirl (please!) and others. Amanda and I will be the two people fleeing Bondi the second Underworld come off stage.

Hopefully I am allowed into the event without a southern cross tattooed across my back.

Album #1: Third by Portishead
And to think I wasn’t even anticipating Third. While I’d always kind of liked Portishead, I would not have called myself a huge fan until Third completely blew me away this year. At times the record seems so incredibly fragile (Deep Water) while at other times it comes across as brash and powerful (Machine Gun). But throughout it’s Beth Gibbons’ haunting voice that ties all the disparate sounds together. How crazy is it that after a decade wait, Portishead not only managed to complete a new record, but that it also turned out to be the best album they’ve ever made?

Watch: Portishead – Machine Gun

Song #1: Nail It Down by The Drones
A friend pointed out to me that a lot of the songs on this year’s list are opening tracks off albums so I think it’s fitting that my favourite song of 2008 was yet another. Nail It Down sees The Drones perfectly straddling their two most basic sounds: loud/messy with quiet/gentle. I particularly like the bassline in this one but absolutely everything clicks: the lyrics, those nasty guitars, and Gareth Liddiard’s captivating snarl. The poet laureate of Australia.

Download:
The Drones – Nail It Down (via Polaroids)

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.

And that’s it for the list this year. Have a merry Christmas everyone.

Album #2: Havilah by The Drones
I’ve spent a lot of time this year praising this record and this will be the last time. Havilah is, quite simply, a triumph. Another triumph, really, and I’ve run out of words to describe the world of The Drones. Powerful, moving, harrowing, funny, intelligent, important. The Drones are so good it’s scary.

Watch: The Drones – The Minotaur

Song #2: Willow Tree by Chad VanGaalen
A simple melody, lyrics full of vivid imagery, and a perfect vocal delivery. In Willow Tree, Chad VanGaalen has crafted a nearly perfect pop song and one that I will be listening to for years.

Download:
Chad VanGaalen – Willow Tree

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.

Album #3: Songs In A&E by Spiritualized
Spiritualized are one of my very favourite bands so any album J. Spaceman puts out is pretty much an event for me; and A&E did not disappoint. Once again Jason Pierce contemplates life, death, love, and drugs while backing it all up with a combination of orchestral pomp and garage rock grittiness. The record takes on an especially eerie aspect given that Pierce himself nearly died while in the process of working on A&E’s material; Death Take Your Fiddle is particularly ominous as the percussion is accompanied by the beeps of hospital machinery. Another triumph for the Spaceman.

Watch: Spiritualized – Soul On Fire

Song #3: Sweet Talk by Spiritualized
The first proper song on A&E, Sweet Talk had one of my favourite lyrics of the year. Seemingly pointed at a certain war monger (although I’m sure a more general interpretation was intended), Jason Pierce unloads his anger over top of one of the (appropriately) sweetest melodies of the year.

Well you sweet talk like an angel
But you’re driving this blind
Why don’t you sweet talk like an angel tonight?

And you sweet talk like an angel
But you’re driving this blind
Why Don’t you sweet talk like an angel tonight?

Watch: Spiritualized – Sweet Talk (live on Jools Holland)

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.

Album #4: Dear Science by TV on the Radio
It’s kind of unfair that TV on the Radio possess so many talents and Dear Science puts them all on display: amazing production, innovative vocalists, great lyrics, and the ability to write incredibly sophisticated, yet catchy, songs. I’ve already praised Halfway Home, the album’s opener, but the songs that follow are all of the same calibre. Dear Science cements TVOTR’s status as one of this generation’s most important bands.

Watch: TV on the Radio – Golden Age

Song #4: The Modern Leper by Frightened Rabbit
I’m always a sucker for great opening tracks and The Modern Leper is another one. Perfectly setting up the brutal lyrical focus of The Midnight Organ Fight, The Modern Leper also happens to be one of the finest pop songs of the year.

Well, I am ill
But I’m not dead
And I don’t know which of those I prefer
Because that limb which I have lost
Well, it was the only thing holding me up

Download:
Frightened Rabbit – The Modern Leper

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.

Album #5: Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust by Sigur Rós
I’ll admit that when I first heard Gobbledigook I was pretty worried about what the rest of Með Suð was going to sound like. It’s not that I didn’t like Gobbledigook, I just hoped that Sigur Ros hadn’t completely abandoned their more epic song structures and arrangements. Of course, I had nothing to worry about as Sigur Ros once again delivered a great record. In fact, the band have never sounded looser, more comfortable, or more joyous. And while it certainly isn’t my favourite Siggy record, it is another stellar album in an already dauntingly amazing career.

Watch: Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook

Song #5: Festival by Sigur Rós
The most epic song on Með Suð. And while it seems like the type of song Sigur Ros can write in their sleep, I hope they never stop writing them.

Watch: Sigur Ros – Festival (live)

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.

Album #6: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
I guess I’m pretty lucky that Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! turned out to be a great record as it heralded the beginning of my Nick Cave exploration in 2008. Had it sucked who knows if I would have pursued the back catalogue at all. I’ve always been a fan of proper wordsmiths and Nick Cave pretty much embodies that term. Lazarus is full of stories that would stand on their own as poems so the fact that the Bad Seeds have set these words to some stellar rock music is more than I can possibly ask for from any record. Never a dull moment.

Download
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

Song #6: Halfway Home by TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio have appeared on tons of end of year lists so far this year (with good reason); in most of the blurbs on these lists when a specific song from Dear Science is mentioned, it is either one of the singles or one of the three closing songs (all of which are tremendous). I find it really bizarre that Halfway Home doesn’t get more love as I think it’s an absolutely killer track. From those “ba ba” vocals to the explosive finale, Halfway Home is the perfect opener and a damn fine song on its own.

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.

Album #7: Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. by Deerhunter
I just wrote about Microcastle last month and I don’t really feel like repeating myself so I’m just going to say this: with Mircrocastle and Weird Era Cont., Deerhunter have firmly established themselves as one of the most exciting bands making music right now. I cannot wait to see what else this band has waiting for us.

Download:
Deerhunter – Nothing Ever Happened

Song #7: The Rip by Portishead
Even if Third had totally sucked, it would have been worth the ten year wait just to hear the brilliance of The Rip. Opening with an acoustic guitar, it sounds as though Beth Gibbons is sitting next to you playing and singing gently into your ear. This emotional proximity, combined with the bleak lyrics, makes The Rip one of the most devastating songs of the year. Radiohead even went out of their way to cover it.

Watch: Portishead – The Rip

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.

Album #8: The Horse, The Rat and the Swan by Snowman
No album challenged me as much in 2008 as Snowman’s epic The Horse, The Rat and The Swan, but once it clicked the genius was undeniable. While I’m still trying to work out the “narrative,” what is immediately evident on this record is the time and effort put into the production (that reverb is spot on) and the drums (they beat the life out of you). Along with heavily treated guitars and keyboards, these elements combine to create an intensely haunting atmosphere: if I was listening to this on my iPod in the middle of a forest in the middle of the night I’d probably curl up in the foetal position and pray for morning.

Download:
Snowman – We Are The Plague

Watch: Snowman – Daniel Was A Timebomb

Song #8: Language City by Wolf Parade
I just love the way this one builds to its finale. I have visions of one day seeing this one live and the whole crowd just bouncing along….

Download:
Wolf Parade – Language City

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.