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album from Fleet Foxes. Bringing together the sound of The Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young has culminated in a harmonically beautiful album which, although poppy in places, creates a distinctive sound to make Fleet Foxes one of the most sought after bands in 2008.

In places, the album almost sounds like a group of five mates who have been forced to listen to the Beach Boys throughout their childhood and gone on to set up a band after living in the wilderness for many years. The harmonies and lyrics of the tracks provoke feelings of a lying in an open vastness, like the scene in Gladiator where Russell Crowe is walking through the fields, maybe even with foxes (please bear with me) playing some soft mellow tones.

The second track, White Winter Hymnal, is where we really see how talented Fleet Foxes are. It starts with main vocalist Robin Pecknold leading in the rest of the band members creating a 5-part harmony which lasts for the duration of the song. The style shows off the fantastic range of each band member as not only exceptional musicians but more than worthy vocalists too, easily holding their own. Although the music is reminiscent to a folk sound of many independent musicians today, there is a hint of Dylan at times with an essence of Simon and Garfunkel.

Fleet Foxes bring a unique style standing on its own in the modern music world. The uplifting and soothing sounding are mightily impressive for a debut album putting some of the better known artists to shame in 2008. Hopefully we'll hear a lot more from Fleet Foxes in years to come and they live up to the potential of this first release.

The third selection for 2008 comes from the ever reliable Radiohead who don't put a foot wrong with their release, In Rainbows. There probably isn't an album that has offered anything like as much controversy as this one after the band decided to offer it their own website, asking fans to pay whatever they felt like for it. Quite a statement I supposes you could say after their contract with Parlophone ended in 2003. Also, a great marketing ploy with the album popping up in the British broadsheet economic sections, reaching audiences that Radiohead never had before.

In Rainbows comes across as a supremely confident album with its seamless flow and impressive experimental moments. You'll be pleased to know that the lyrics are as neurotic as other and you are never far from being eaten by worms or the world collapsing around you. However, the tunes sound dreamy as opposed to dreary with the band sounding like they are genuinely enjoying themselves again since Thom Yorke claimed he was bored of melody' in 1999. Radiohead have made an album equally enjoyable to the likes of Ok Computer and The Bends.

It is probably fair to say that Yorke has never written a more direct love song than All I Need or a better sing-a-long than Jigsaw Falling Into Place and although they aren't attempting to release a world conquering album like Ok Computer, the acoustic tones certainly keep any fan satisfied. In Rainbows is a definite return to form.

In 2008, we have seen the coming of some great new musicians as well as the return of old favourites. A range of styles and personalities have been refreshing after something of an indie alternative revolution in 2007 and hopefully the trend will continue into 2009.

Learn more about this author, Marc Steel.
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