The Wire's 50 Records of the Year
 

50. Sao Paulo Underground - The Principle Of Intrusive Relationships
49. Ellen Fullman & Monique Buzzarte - Fluctuations
48. Sic Alps - US EZ
47. Mark Stewart - Edit
46. Alva Noto - Unitxt
45. Peter Rehberg - Works For GV 2004-2008
44. Josephine Foster - This Coming Gladness
43. Murcof - The Versailles Sessions
42. Vajra - Live
41. David Grubbs - An Optimist Notes The Dust
40. Jakob Ullmann - Voice, Books And FIRE 3
39. Toumani Diabate - The Mande Variations
38. Portishead - Third
37. Maryanne Amacher - Sound Characters 2
36. Emeralds - Solar Bridge
35. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
34. Harvey Milk - Life... The Best Game In Town
33. Stereo Image - S/T
32. Christina Carter - Masque Femine
31. Malcolm Goldstein - A Sounding Of Sources
30. Terry Riley - The Last Camel In Paris
29. Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull
28. Scorces - I Turn Into You
27. Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
26. Tricky - Knowle West Boy
25. Robert Ashley - Concrete
24. Jandek - Glasgow Sunday 2005
23. Group Inerane - Guitars From Agadez (Music Of Niger)
22. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair
21. Lukas Ligeti - African Machinery
20. Stephan Mathieu - Radioland
19. Bill Dixon - 17 Musicians In Seach For A Sound: Darfur
18. Luomo - Convivial
17. Dusk + Blackdown - Margins Music
16. Autechre - Quaristice
15. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon...
14. Eric Chenaux - Sloppy Ground
13. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!
12. Ryoji Ikeda - Test Pattern
11. Kevin Drumm - Imperial Distortion
10. The Caretaker - Persistent Repetition Of Phrases
9. The Fall - Imperial Wax Solvent
8. William S Burroughs - Real English Tea Made Here
7. Evangelista - Hello, Voyager
6. The Advisory Circle - Other Channels
5. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
4. John Butcher - Resonant Spaces
3. The Hospitals - Hairdryer Peace
2. Philip Jeck - Sand
1. The Bug - London Zoo

I haven't listened to any of those. YES!

There's a few of my own 'most listened to' records of the year in there, including Emeralds, Sic Alps, The Hopsitals (I really wasn't expecting this one to be so high up), The Bug, and Kevin Drumm.
But having said that, this list defiently seems less predictable in comparison to the last couple of top 50's The Wire have done.

Wow... I have one of those. I am 2% The Wire hip.

i've got 2! I'm twice as cool as you!

I have these:-

47. Mark Stewart - Edit
43. Murcof - The Versailles Sessions
38. Portishead - Third
29. Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull
13. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!



and I'm not cool at all.

I heard some of it but usually hated it. :)

I only have that Philip Jeck (great) and the Autechre (not so great but still ok) CD. I don't even know how to comment on that statement.

I've heard 1/5th of that list. Do I win?

I'm more interested as to how many of the list acknowledged your massive penis in song....

hey hey, i own their #3 and #5 on vinyl... i win? also, those are #5 and #2 on my own list.

i've been meaning to give that arthur russell a listen...

the vampire weekend looks out of place, lol

i like the david grubbs album, and i need to give the Harvey Milk soe more spins

On a slightly more serious note, which 2-3 albums from the above list would you say are essential to check out?

I can only imagine the frenzy over on the Dissensus board right now.

I'll post my final list really soon.

Group Inerane - Guitars From Agadez (Music Of Niger) came out a while back, so I didn't know a reissue would be considered one of the best of the year. But yeah that'd be at the top of the list for me.. if it wasn't a reissue.

I only listened to Earth's album.

London Zoo - it really is nearly as good as the Fall in my estimations, which with 'normal person' re-biasing makes it the best record of the year from the list above.

Toumani Diabate - I only got this the other week, but it's a belter. Astonished to see it in the list above, to be honest, not typical Wire fare in the slightest. Really great recording, no tacky 'world music'-isms, and lovely sleeve notes.

The Fall - continue to be the Fall. They are very much like a part of my body, so anything like an objective opinion is far from me.

Ryoji Ikeda - Probably his best release. The first 'noise' thing I've heard in aeons that caught my interest.

I'd avoid the Tricky one - I only heard it for local obligations (I can see Knowle from my window) and you've probably heard the Portishead one. I heard that because I know a few people playing on it.

Actually, I've heard more of that list than I'd initially thought. I wouldn't recommend the others I've heard particularly.

yeah, on that list, I'd say the following are "essential": Ryoji Ikeda, Group Inerane, Bill Dixon, Kasai Allstars, and perhaps David Grubbs.

imma check out ryoji. i've heard good things, and if glice and atsonicpark are reccing it. then i'll check it

I fucking love that new Mark Stewart record.

All and all, a good list. Out of all the bigger music publications, the Wire generally has pretty good and varied and sometimes unpredictable lists.

Im stoked London Zoo got one, that record totally deserves it. Its not my favorite album of the year (its my 7th) but I can honestly say it is probably the most interesting piece of music created in 2008. Ok, that was overstatement of the century, but its a great record.

london zoo annoys me. am i racist?