Toma - 'As We Fall Into the Static Our Hearts Sing'

Toma - 'As We Fall Into the Static Our Hearts Sing'

As a fellow Wise Owler i downloaded this on the very day of release. Beautifully layered, captivating and incredibly evocative. This album has so many stand out tracks, so I will just start from the beginning: "Sins of a Solar Empire" progresses in a way that you would expect from the biggest names in the genre. "This Day" is a triumphant tale of freedom that reaches epic conclusions in a sea of distortion and melody. "This is the End of Everything", a serene and beautiful piano piece narrated with evocative vocals leads into what is arguably the albums best track "Terrorforming". A beautiful down-tempo melody dominates "Fallback Lighthorsemen" and my mind for quite some time after hearing it. "In Perfect Harmony" closes the album in like-minded fashion with a great string section. This is the best album I've heard this year.

Toma – a criminally underrated musician.

Tool - 'Salival'

Tool - 'Salival'

This is probably the most underrated album i own, i never see this receiving the respect it deserves. This album contains live versions and a couple of live covers thrown amongst a reworking of the classic track from Aenima 'Pushit' which is simply mind blowing. Other than the incredible musicianship which shines through this band in their previous albums, Maynard James Keenan's vocals on this album are amazing. One of the most amazing voices in rock/metal music. An absolute essential listen for anybody appreciating intelligent and artful music!

Slowdive - 'Pygmalion'

Slowdive - 'Pygmalion'

Recommended to me by fiveightforums.com i can't believe it took me this long to hear this album. On my first listen it captivated my attention enough to spin this number of times before being finished. The repetition in guitar, vocals and ambience create a dream like sound that you can almost taste it, not to mention Rachel Goswel's vocals which simply destroy me. Fantastic.

Hammock - 'Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow'

Hammock - 'Maybe They Will sing For Us Tomorrow'

Lets start this off with my favorite album from 2008. 'Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow' opens with two of the very best ambient peices that i've ever heard, 'Gold Star Mothers' and 'City in the Dust on my Window' both displaying pure devestation and pure beauty. This beautiful album has stripped me to my bare minimum countless times and stands against no other for 2008. I own this on CD and the artwork is just as beautiful, highly recommended!