JTM's Favorite Albums, Jan - Apr 2008

I wasn't blogging much for the first part of the year, so I thought I'd play catch-up and quickly reflect back on the first four months to carve out the cream of the crop. No particular order, no commentary (other than the category labels), just a list of hits and misses between January - April 2008. But wow, that's a surprisingly long list. How did I ever find time to listen to all of that? Anyway, like any good bell curve, the majority falls into the middle. At the least, go get those essential picks and avoid the bottom tier.
Happy listening...

Essential:
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
Portishead - Third
Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair
The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Nick Lowe - Jesus Of Cool (reissue)

Recommended:
Man Man - Rabbit Habits
DeVotchKa - A Mad and Faithful Telling
She & Him - Volume One
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Retribution Gospel Choir - Retribution Gospel Choir
Flight on the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant (EP)
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
Autechre - Quarstice
The Dodos - Visiter
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Sun Kil Moon - April
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid
The Breeders - Mountain Battles
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold

Pleasant but ultimately forgettable:
Times New Viking - Rip It Off
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
Beach House - Devotion
Guillemots - Red
Clinic - Do It!
R.E.M. - Accelerate
Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
Foals - Antidotes
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Black Mountain - Into The Future
Sons and Daughters - This Gift
The Big Sleep - Sleep Forever
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion
Kid Dakota - A Winners Shadow
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts

Unpleasant:
Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead

Loathed but memorable:
Murder By Death - Red Of Tooth & Claw
Xiu Xiu - Women as Lovers
Peter Moren - The Last Tycoon