What were the 80 most important musical recordings, artists, trends, events, and performances of 2008? What were the eight things this year that broke our hearts—or, at least, our ears? We’re happy to announce 80 ’08 (and Heartbreak), Idolator’s year-end overview. The list is below the jump.
Remixes have been a constant since the late ’70s. Artists have been holding remix contests since at least 1983, when Tommy Boy advertised for a prize to the chancer(s) who best recast G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid’s “Play That Beat, Mr. DJ” and inadvertently birthed unto the world Double Dee & Steinski, the latter of whose What Does It All Mean? overview was released this year to great (and deserved) acclaim. R&B and hip-hop and disco and indie rock and house and techno and dub and mainstream pop with its different mixes for different formats and even country (what’s Up!, Shania Twain): all not only utilize the remix, each genre has its own set of rules for it. And between NIN and Radiohead’s fan-made deconstructions grabbing headlines and cut-up disco ruling clubland, not to mention the usual fusillade of hip-hop mixtape posse cuts, dance producers trading tweaks as normal, and—fuck it—Girl Talk, 2008 is a Year of the Remix if any has been.
Let’s face it: Wonky Pop has not exactly moved mountains in the past year. America has not yet gone down to its collective river to pray to the shiny Nordic purveyors of high quality throwback pop, and at this point it appears as if this country likely never will be saved by scary-good Scandinavian music. (No, not even Annie.) But that certainly doesn’t detract from Alphabeat’s aggressive charm.
Have the Passion Pits of the world stolen our… More »
Supermarket shelves in other parts of the world (and at certain specialty shops in the US) contain a food product called Marmite, which is basically a bread spread made out of yeast extract. I personally tried it when I was 16, after an Australian pen pal sent me a few packets, and my Cool Ranch and Domino’s-trained palate found it absolutely repellent; I haven’t tried it since, because the thought of doing so makes me shiver. But apparently it’s pretty divisive in the UK, to the point that the product name is actually being used by some music-biz insiders to describe certain artists who have a love-’em-or-hate-’em appeal. The musical omnivores at Popjustice explain: “the phrase describes the sort of band or artist which divides opinion as strongly as the disgusting/delicious yeasty food product Marmite. It is not a phrase used to describe how good or bad something is–there’s no value judgment involved.” Popjustice says that Alphabeat, the Scissor Sisters, and Bob Dylan are all “Marmite artists”–although a shitty band being pushed by a publicist to no avail is not, so don’t try it next time, publicists. Confused yet? Well, in keeping with our English-class form, the term is used in context after the jump!
We can attest to the truth and rightness of Time Out New York arts editor Elisabeth Vincentelli about Alphabeat’s new “Boyfriend (Pete Hammond Remix),” which she has an MP3 link for–it really is like a late-’80s time machine, and I say that as someone who actually sat through all of the three-CD… More »
I really, really hope that Danish wonky pop outfit Alphabeat keeps releasing summer jams for the Stacey Q-raised set every month until September. More »
The second half of Idolator’s summer-jam semifinal is ready for tipoff (or whatever the musical equivalent is). Remember: These polls close tomorrow, so to have your voice heard, make sure you vote early and often–especially in this difficult matchup between Estelle’s love letter to American men in baggy jeans and Alphabeat’s ecstatically retro Europop party. Poll after the jump!
New York City may not be in full-on bake mode right now, but our summer-jam journey soldiers on with a battle between the forthcoming single from Long Island’s biggest diva and the wavers of the “wonky pop” banner. Vote after the jump!
When I wrote about so-called Wonky Pop movement and its brightest prospect, the big, goofy Danish band Alphabeat, I said of my summer-jam nominee “…it hits you like a load of laundry just out of the dryer… More »
