My Top Albums Of 2008:

1. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement [Vid]

2. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours [Vid]

3. Glasvegas - self-titled [Vid]

Runners-up (in alpha order):

Ryan Adams - Cardinology [Letterman: 1-2]

Delays - Everything's the Rush [Vid]

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid [Vid]

Fleet Foxes - self-titled [Vid]

The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead [Vid]

Keane - Perfect Symmetry [Vid]

Nada Surf - Lucky [Vid]

Honorable mentions (in alpha order):

• Air Traffic - Fractured Life [Vid]
• Boy Kill Boy - Stars And The Sea [Vid]
• The Duke Spirit - Neptune [Vid]
• The Enemy - We'll Live and Die in These Towns [Vid]
• Neil Halstead - Oh! Mighty Engine [Vid]
• Longwave - Secrets Are Sinister [Vid]
• Low Vs Diamond - self-titled [EPK]
• My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges [Vid]
• Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off the Lavender Bridge [Vid]
• The Little Ones - Morning Tide [Vid]
• The Republic Tigers - Keep Color [Vid]
• The Rosebuds - Life Like [Vid]
• The Shore - Light Years [MP3]
• Sunny Day Sets Fire - Summer Palace [Vid]
• We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery [Vid]

Previous year-end lists:

• 2007: Ghosts, Thirteen Senses, Editors, The Twang, Travis, Manic Street Preachers, Shout Out Louds, Hard-Fi, The Rosebuds, Sea Wolf

• 2006: Mojave 3, Editors, Keane, The Hourly Radio, Mew, Midlake, Boy Kill Boy, Sean Lennon, Morrissey, Margot & The Nuclear So And So's

• 2005: Youth Group, British Sea Power, HAL, Athlete, Kent, Ed Harcourt, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Crimea, Embrace, Longview

Here's the notable stuff that's out in the U.S. on Tues Nov 17th...

Andy Yorke - Simple [MP3. Solo debut from ex-Unbelievable Truth singer.]

Stereophonics - Decade in the Sun: Best of... [Video commentary. 2CD singles compilation.]

Belle And Sebastian - The BBC Sessions [Stream. 2CD. The second disc is a show from Belfast '01.]

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt [Stream. 2nd album from them.]

Here's the notable stuff that entered the UK charts on Sun Nov 16th...

Albums:

• #2 Stereophonics - A Decade In The Sun: The Best Of... [Vid. 2CD. Includes 2 new songs.]
• #21 The Smiths - The Sound Of... [Stream. 2CD.]

Indie-label album chart:

• nothing of interest

Singles:

• #4 The Killers - "Human" [Vid. 1st single from their 3rd album.]
• #22 Duffy - "Rain On Your Parade" [Vid. New song from the deluxe edition of her debut album.]

Indie-label singles chart:

• #3 The Charlatans - "Oh Vanity" [Vid. Proper release of 2nd single from their 10th album.]
• #26 Exit Calm - "We're On Our Own" [Vid. Debut from South Yorkshire 4-piece.]

Here's the notable stuff that's out in the UK on Mon Nov 17th...

Singles:

Skint & Demoralised - "The Thrill Of Thirty Seconds" [Vid. Debut from Wakefield kid.]

Grammatics - "The Vague Archive" [Vid. 3rd single from Leeds 4-piece.]

Jay Jay Pistolet - Happy Birthday You Ep [No vid? Debut from Hampshire kid.]

The Killers - "Human" [Vid. Great 1st single from their 3rd album. Ugly artwork though.]

The Verve - "Rather Be" [Vid. Incredibly weak 2nd single from their 4th album. This song was written by just Ashcroft and it makes sense since it sounds exactly like any number of the songs on his solo albums, only not as good.]

Also out this week:

• Florence And The Machine - "Dog Days" [Vid. Debut from English chick.]
• Stars And Sons - "In The Ocean" [Vid. Debut from Brighton 4-piece.]
• Howling Bells - "Into The Chaos" [No vid? New song from their upcoming 2nd album.]
• Duffy - "Rain On Your Parade" [Vid. New song from the deluxe edition of her debut album.]

Here's the good stuff that's out in the U.S. on Tues Nov 11th...

Longwave - Secrets Are Sinister [Vid. 4th album from underrated NY 4-piece.]

The Smiths - The Sound Of... [Stream. 2CD. The remastering sounds great, but the tracklist for the 2nd disc is a disaster. Why are there album tracks on a disc of supposed rarities? And if they have access to the Troy Tate sessions, why didn't they just include them all? Also, Rhino, it's called a Peel Session not "Sessions."]

Here's the notable stuff that entered the UK charts on Sun Nov 9th...

Albums:

• #4 Razorlight - Slipway Fires [Vid. Their 3rd album.]

Indie-label album chart:

• #30 Chairlift - Does You Inspire You [Live vid. Debut from female-fronted trio who formed in Boulder.]

These albums did not chart:

• Computerclub - Before the Walls... [Vid. Debut from English 4-piece.]
• The Paddingtons - No Mundane Options [Vid. Their 2nd album.]
• Ash - 1977: Collectors Edition [3 CDs.]

Singles:

• #69 Red Light Company - "Scheme Eugene" [Vid. 2nd single from London-based 5-piece.]

Indie-label singles chart:

• #7 Broken Records - "Lies" [Vid. 3rd single from Edinburgh 6-piece.]

These singles did not chart:

• Bookhouse Boys - "I Can't Help..." [Vid. 3rd single from debut album.]
  
• Golden Silvers - "Magic Touch" [Vid. Debut from London 5-piece.]
• New Education - "Today" [Vid. Debut from Stoke On Trent 4-piece.]
• Stereophonics - "You're My Star" [Vid. One of two new songs from their singles comp.]

Here's the notable stuff that's out in the UK on Mon Nov 10th...

Albums:

Stereophonics - A Decade In The Sun: The Best Of... [Vid. 2CD. Includes 2 new songs.]

Singles:

Exit Calm - "We're On Our Own" [Vid. Debut from South Yorkshire 4-piece.]

Twisted Wheel - "Lucy The Castle" [Vid. 2nd single from Manchester trio.]

Here's the notable stuff that's out in the UK on Mon Nov 3rd...

Singles:

Stereophonics - "You're My Star" [Vid. One of two new songs from their singles comp.]

Red Light Company - "Scheme Eugene" [Vid. 2nd single from London-based 5-piece.]

The Bookhouse Boys - "I Can't Help Myself" [Vid. 3rd single from their debut album.]

• Golden Silvers - "Magic Touch" [Vid. Debut from London 5-piece.]
• Broken Records - "Lies" [Vid. 3rd single from Edinburgh 6-piece.]
• New Education - "Today" [Vid. Debut from Stoke On Trent 4-piece.]

Albums:

Razorlight - Slipway Fires [Vid. Their 3rd album.]

Computerclub - Before the Walls Came Down [Vid. Debut from English 4-piece.]

The Paddingtons - No Mundane Options [Vid. Their 2nd album.]

Ash - 1977: Collectors Edition [Digitally remastered 3 CD edition of the Irish trio's 1996 debut album. Disc One includes the original album plus the Trailer mini-album from '95. Disc Two includes Live At The Wireless (Australian Triple J Radio Session) plus Live at Reading 1996. Disc Three includes rarities and B-sides.]

Here's the notable stuff that entered the UK charts on Sun Nov 2nd...

Albums:

• #2 Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns [Vid. Their 5th album.]
• #8 Bloc Party - Intimacy [Vid. Their 3rd album.]
• #33 The Cure - 4:13 Dream [Vid. Their 13th album.]
• #41 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology [Letterman: 1-2. His first solid album since Love Is Hell.]

Indie-label album chart:

• nothing of interest

Singles:

• #57 The View - "5 Rebbecca's" [Vid. New single from Dryburgh 4-piece.]

Indie-label singles chart:

• #7 Pint Shot Riot - "Holes" [Vid. 2nd single from Midlands 4-piece.]
• #8 The Charlatans - "Oh Vanity" [Vid. 4th single from their 10th album.]
• #9 The Operators - "B-Line" [Vid. Debut from Isle Of Wight 4-piece.]
• #15 Team Waterpolo - "Summer" [Vid. Debut from Preston 4-piece.]
• #16 Keith - "Up In The Clouds" [Vid. New single from Manchester 4-piece.]

Here's the notable stuff that's out in the U.S. on Tues Oct 28th...

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology [Stream. His first solid album since Love Is Hell.]

School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms [MP3. Debut from former member of Secret Machines and On! Air! Library!.]

And then there's a bunch of crappy new albums from bands who used to be good:

• The Cure - 4:13 Dream [Vid. Their 13th album.]
  
• Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns [Vid. Their 5th album.]
• Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads [Vid. Their 3rd album.]
• Bloc Party - Intimacy [Vid. Their 3rd album.]

DVDs:

Billy the Kid (2007) - [Trailer. Perhaps the best documentary of the year.]