Wanky Writer's Wrap Up

Beat Magazine's underwhelming 2008 writer's wrap up (part two) was published today. Dull.

In response, here's my take for starters:

Top Albums of the Year

• Pivot - O Soundtrack My Heart
• Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
• MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
• Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane

Top 10 Live Gigs

• Iron Maiden - Rod Laver Arena, Wednesday February 6
• Band of Horses - Billboard, Monday August 4
• Patti Smith - Hamer Hall, Saturday October 11
• Rufus Wainwright - Hamer Hall, Friday February 1
• Devo - Festival Hall, Thursday July 31
• Goldfrapp - Palais Theatre, Friday September 26
• Jesus & Mary Chain - Forum Theatre, Thursday April 3
• Built To Spill - East Brunswick Club, Tuesday January 1
• Midnight Juggernauts/M83 - Forum Theatre, Wednesday March 12
• David Bazan/Clemente - Northcote Social Club, Thursday August 15

Highlights of the Year

• Burke Shelley from Budgie's passionate performance to an almost empty Forum Theatre
• The Third Annual Golden Plains Festival - Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre (Dirtbombs, Beirut, Ween, Jay Reatard etc)
• The 18th Annual Muddy Meredith Music Festival at the Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre (with Holy Fuck, Ten East, Adam Green, Tame Impala, The Bronx etc)
• Flip Out Festival at the Corner Hotel (with Beaches, Eddy Current Suppression Ring etc)
• The enthusiastic but poorly attended and insanely humorous performance by Grand National at the Prince of Wales
• The sparce but enjoyable V Festival - Royal Melbourne Showgrounds (Jesus & Mary Chain, Duran Duran, CSS etc)

Travesty of the Year

• MGMT live (at both Festival Hall and Meredith Music Festival)
  
• High expectations for Chinese Democracy

Predictions for 2009

• Twitter
• Tame Impala