Best Of 2008

Posted on 14th Dec 08 by Liam Tyrrell | 1

Artist: Drop"D
Author: Drop"D

Every year at Drop"D we like to put our heads together and go back through the past 365 days to find out what really got pulses racing in the land of music. Unfortunately we can never agree" so with no further ado here are our individual highlights of the past 12 months.

Paul Murphy

Top 3 Irish Albums

Story of Hair " Cheap Rate

Robotnik " Pleasant Squares

Halves " Haunt Me When I"m Drowsy

Top 3 International Albums

Ladytron " Velocifero

Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobious Pip " Angels

No Age " Nouns

Best Irish Male

Chris Morrin aka Robotnik

Best International Male

Nick Cave

Best Irish Female

Gemma Hayes

Best International Female

Lykke Li

Top Song of the Year

Horace Andy " On Tour

Gig of the Year

My Bloody Valentine ay Electric Picnic

Tips for 2009

Mantua

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Robert O'Connor

Top 3 Irish Albums

Jape " Ritual " That is all.

Top 3 International Albums

Def Leppard " Songs from the Sparkle Lounge

Guns N' roses " Chinese Democracy

Metallica " Death Magnetic

Best Irish Male

Richie Egan

Best International Male

Axl Rose "Come on" he"s the greatest commercial Rock star of all time:D "

Best Irish Female

Cathy Davey

Best International Female

I don't like girls.

Top Song of the Year:

Chinese Democracy " Guns N' Roses

Gig of the Year

Bruce Springsteen " RDS

Tips for 2009

Concerto for Constantine

The Brothers Movement

Class of 1984

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Dave Sheehan

Top 3 Irish Albums

Adebisi Shank " This is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank

The Dudley Corporation " Year of the Husband

The Vinny Club " The Rocky IV Reckyrd

Top 3 International Albums

Wolf Parade " At Mt. Zoomer

Islands " Arm's Way

Vessels " White Fields and Open Devices

Errors " It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatever

I know that's 4" but they're all very good.

Best Irish Male

Vinny "Vinny Club / Adebisi Shank". The passion in his playing is infectious.

Best Irish Female

Gemma Hayes" just because out of all the Irish females I can think of" she's the best.

The singer from Howl is great too.

Best International Female

Camilla Wynn Ingr "Sunset Rubdown"

Top Song of the Year

Adebisi Shank " Colin Skehan. Can't stop listening to it" it's stuck firmly in my

head.

Gig of the Year

It's a tie between Paul Gilbert at the Button Factory and "dare I mention them again"

Adebisi Shank at the Boom Boom Room.

Notable mentions: Vinny Club "supporting Ponytail"" Ponytail "Whelans"" Mescalito

"McGruders"" Erik Mongrain "Whelans"" Efterklang "Button Factory"" Dudley Corp "Whelans""

Bon Iver "Tripod".

Tips for 2009

Check out the bands that play at Knockanstockan/Primal Jelly Social Club" there's a load

of great ones there. Mescalito. A Futurist Theatre " their album is great" it's out next

year. Sunset Rubdown's new album. Plus the band that's been mentioned 3 times in this post.

Nancy Elizabeth's 2nd album.

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Adam Lacey

Top 3 Irish Albums

Adebisi Shank " This is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank "rock the fuck out"

Robotnik " Pleasant Square "have you forgotten how good it is""

David Holmes " The Holy Pictures "if it counts"

Top 3 International Albums

Roots Manuva " Slime " Reason "just a stonecold classic"

No Age " Nouns "new new wave psychedelic punk at its finest"

The Walkmen " You " Me "glorious lyrics" beautiful music"

And Times New Viking"s Rip It Off" for good measure.

Best Irish Male

Robotnik " Because he"s ledgeballs. And all of Adebisi Shank.

Best Irish Female

Naomi Off Her Rocker. Her sheer enthusiasm for Irish acts is admirable and profound.

Best International Male

A tie between Jae Golden and Roots Manuva

Best International Female

Beth from Times New Viking. No contest.

Top Song of the Year

Again " Again " Roots Manuva. So good it hurts.

Gig of the Year

Bon Iver"s first night in Tripod. Heartstoppingly good. MBV at Elec Pic too.

Notable mentions: Efterklang in the Button Factory. No Age" all three gigs I saw "2 in

Whelans" 1 in Madrid"" Wilco in Vicar Street "was that this year""" Animal Collective in

Whelans.

Tips for 2009

Ivan Colon. Sufjan/Bon Iver/Jose Gonzales"type of deal and will make big waves next year

but i"m still not sure I like him THAT much but I"ll tip him for bigger things. Vivian

Girls should be bigger too.

All choices are subject to changes on a whim by the temperamental hack who picked

them.

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Naomi McArdle

Top 3 Irish Albums

1. Rocky VI Reckyrd"The Vinny Club

2. TITAOABCAS" AdebisiShank

3. Romance" Romance " Land Lovers

Top 3 International Albums

1. Alopecia " Why"

2. Killec " Marvins Revolt

3. Fucked Up Friends " Tobacco

Best Irish Male

Moutpiece

Best Irish Female

Amy Queen Kong

Best International Female

Sarah Palin

Top Song of the Year

These Ones Lay Eggs " BATS

Gig of the Year

Everything AC30. Legends.

Tips for 2009

BATS album will be amazo but you knew that. Not Squares from Belfast look hawt. Axis Of

might make it down here into the punk. Enemies will explode on Richter but the label's

plans for We Are Knives' debut album will shelve as the band announces a split. Analogue

magazine will fold because all its writers have nervous breakdowns when Urban Outfitters

announce its plans to close the vintage section on the 3rd floor.

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Steven O'Rourke

Top 3 Irish Albums

1. Dudley Corporation " Year of the Husband

2. Republic of Loose " Johnny Pyro and The Dance of Evil

3. Ham Sandwich " Carry The Meek

Top 3 International Albums

1. Vampire Weekend " Vampire Weekend

2. Bon Iver " For Emma" Forever Ago

3. The Walkmen " You and Me

Best Irish Male

Chequerboard

Known to his mammy as John Lambert" this bloke just doesn't get the kudos he

deserves.

Best Irish Female

Roisin Murphy

This woman is a genius and her live show in the Olympia in early December was one of the

greatest gigs I've ever been to.

Best International Male

Bon Iver

I know this seems like an obvious choice but if only 3 or 4 of the Irish singer/songers

would be inspired to make similar lo"fi records the Irish music scene would be a much

richer place.

Best International Female

Laura Marling

Only because she decided to cut most/all her ties with the awful Noah and the Whale

Top Song of the Year

Future Kings of Spain " Syndicate

This song was supposed to be released as a single in July" I don't think it actually

happened but the video for it is amazing. The song itself is 8 minutes of indie"rave and

impossible not to dance around your kitchen in your boxers to.

Gig of the Year

Roisin Murphy " Olympia Theatre" December 1

Having been blown away by her performance at Oxegen" Murphy took it a step further in

the Olympia producing one of the best gigs I've ever been to" never mind this year.

Tips for 2009

The debut albums from Ollie Cole" Pilotlight and Dark Room Notes are all due out next

year and I have a feeling that all three will be well received in Ireland with Dark Room

Notes" based purely on seeing them all live recently and not on any sort of inside

information" being the most succesful.

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Paddy Murphy

Top 3 Irish Albums

Adebisi Shank" This is the album of a band called Adebisi Shank

…And So I Watch You From Afar" This is our Machine and Nothing can stop it

Scary "ire" "but that was 2007"

The Infomatics" Kill or Create

Giveamanakick" Welcome to the Cusp

God Is An Astronaut" God Is An Astronaut

Top 3 International Albums

Rex the Dog" Rex the Dog

M83" Saturdays = Youth

Metallica" Death Magnetic

Best Irish Male

Captain Moonlight" R" R"

Best Irish Female

Rois"n Murphy

Best International Male

Casper from Efterklang"
and Fernando Torres

Best International Female

Portishead's singer Beth Gibbons

Top Song of the Year

Rex the Dog" Maximize 2008 and
R" R"" 25 o clock in the mornin

Gig of the Year

This Will Destroy You" Whelan's

Sigur R"s" Electric Picnic

Captain Moonlight with Infomatics" Sugar Club

My Bloody Valentine" EP

Tips for 2009

A merge of rap and post"rock music that will bring harmony and peace to all us in the

West.

Mary Harney will lose weight and have boom boom for the first time in years.

Obama will be shot.

Captain Moonlight's next album will go triple platnium and will run for seat in local

by"election.

Hunter S Thompson will be canonised.

Hotpress and State will merge and will be called The Theatre's Post

The Rise of China"

Bono will stop" he'll finally realise that he's a cock and he'll give up…forever

musically…..

God Is An Astronaut will get some good Irish press and radio play for a change.

Captain Moonlight" same as GIAA.

Scary "ire play a few shows.

Kerbdog album" get the finger out lads and stop cashing in at christmas"""

O2 customers will stop getting privilege offers for the Point coz I'm gonna take the

bastards to court.

The O2 renamed as the Drop"d Point.

Bon Iver" David Grey" Paddy Casey" Glen Hansard and James Blunt will be arrested as part

of a massive
investigation into the disappearance of Madeline McCann" all will be released without

charge but the shame
and innuendo will force all of them to put down their guitars. Which will lead to the

death of the cult of singer"songwiters
which has" in parcticular" plagued Ireland in recent years.

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Liam Tyrrell

Top 3 Irish Albums

Adebisi Shank " TITAOABCAS "like everyone else on this island right""

Vinny Club " Rocky IV Rekyrd

Giveamanakick " Welcome to the Cusp

Top 3 International Albums

Silver Jews " Lookout Mountain" Lookout Sea

Vile Imbeciles " Queenie Was A Blonde

Night Marchers " See You In Magic

Best Irish Male

Andy Reid" for his continued pariah status and his mean banjo skills on TG4's excellent

Faoi L"n Cheoil

Best Irish Female

Laura Lovejoy the wondrous axe"slinging singer with The Pulpit " Ireland has a new first

lady of rock and roll.

Best International Male

Andy Huxley " former 80s Matchbox guitar wizard turned Death Jazz pioneer with Vile

Imbeciles.

Best International Female

Hayley Williams from Paramore" a friend of mine put it best when he said" "I want to

have sex with her voice." She has the fiery redhead market all sewn up to boot.

Top Song of the Year

Vile Imbeciles " Puncture Me In Touch "Buster"

Gig of the Year

Adebisi's brain"crunching sweatfest in the bosom of the Boom Boom Room.

Tips for 2009

One word: BATS

James Holland

Top 3 Irish Albums

1. TITAOABCAS " Adebisi Shank

2. Ritual " Jape

3. White Lies " Mick Flannery

Top 3 International Albums

1. For Emma" Forever Ago " Bon Iver

2. Dear Science " TV On The Radio

3. The Seldom Seen Kid " Elbow

Best Irish Male

Mick Flannery " My old classmate is doing well for himself" "better than me anyway…"

Best International Male

Justin Vernon

Best Irish Female

Lisa Hannigan " I've been in love with her since O all the way back in 2002 "Don't tell my girlfriend""

Best International Female

Lykke Li

Top Song of the Year

Kids " MGMT

Gig of the Year

Radiohead " Malahide Castle " Aside from technical difficulties ruining The Gloaming and Videotape it was absofuckinlutely amazing " both encores were incredible

Tips for 2009

I should really do a Jamie Redknapp here and sit on the fence until my ass is dead. So" instead of jinxing anyone… okay" fuck it" BATS"