Elbow top critics' album choice of 2008 | News | NME.COM

Elbow top critics' album choice of 2008

Elbow


MGMT and TV On The Radio also make the list

Elbow's 'The Seldom Seen Kid' has been voted the UK music critics' album of the year.

The Mercury prize winning record was voted top in the 'Poll Of Polls' survey conducted by HMV which took in votes from media critics, staff and online customers.

It pulled in 18 nominations in total across 35 publications, sites and organisations that were polled.

Portishead's comeback album 'Third' came second with 17 votes while Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds' 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig', came third and Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend's debut albums came fourth and fifth.

TV On The Radio's 'Dear Silence', which was also voted number two in NME's album of 2008, came in sixth while NME's number one album MGMT's 'Oracular Spectacular', finished seventh.

Elsewhere, Bon Iver's 'For Emma Forever Ago' finished eighth, Glasvegas' self titled debut came in ninth and Hot Chip's third album 'Made In The Dark' finished at number 10.

HMV's Rock & Pop Buyer, Damian Evans, said: "The poll reflects an excellent, eclectic year in music with some exciting new artists featuring prominently.

"Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, MGMT and Bon Iver have really made their mark with wonderful debut albums, underlining how vibrant the music scene is right now.

"Established artists such as Portishead, Nick Cave and Metallica have also returned to great acclaim, although I suspect few people would dispute that Elbow have given us the album of the year.

"They were popular winners of the Nationwide Mercury Prize, and they now deservedly top the HMV Poll Of Polls as well."

The 'Poll Of Polls' albums of the year are:

1. Elbow - 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
2. Portishead - 'Third'
3. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig'
4. Fleet Foxes - 'Fleet Foxes'
5. Vampire Weekend - 'Vampire Weekend'
6. TV On The Radio - 'Dear Silence'
7. MGMT - 'Oracular Spectacular'
8. Bon Iver - 'For Emma Forever Ago'
9. Glasvegas - 'Glasvegas'
10. Hot Chip - 'Made In The Dark'

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"Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, MGMT and Bon Iver have really made their mark with wonderful debut albums, underlining how vibrant the music scene is right now.

How do we feel about these bands? They all kind of have terrible names, including Elbow. Fleet Foxes is okay. I do like their sound, at least upon a few listens.

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The fresh heartbreak was, in a sense, like being in a foreign country; everything seemed alien, brilliant and glinting. It was as if I’d been flayed, so that even the air hurt. When you’re that unhappy, any glimmer of beauty or consolation feels like running into an old friend abroad, or seeing mountaintops through smog. Maybe we mistakenly think we want “happiness,” which we tend to picture in very vague, soft-focus terms, when what we really crave is the harder-edged intensity of experience.

i've always really liked elbow, the mgmt record is pretty good too but i am not a vampire weekend fan at all. i've not heard the fleet foxes record yet but i am curious.

the nick cave and portishead records were good times!

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I like Elbow too, and thought Leaders of the Free World was the best album they've released. Portishead spot is good; Vampire Weekend is overrated; listening to TV right now, and it's so-so, but probably after a few more listens I'll love it.

At least Coldplay is NOWHERE on the list!!

i have most of those albums on my top list. but, MGMT Oracular Spectacular is my choice for album of the year.

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