December is list-making season. And for us music journalists, it is a time to look back on scores of albums, reflect upon the music and recapitulate our favorites. But this year, just like the last, we took this opportunity to flip that tradition upside down, asking the artists that influenced us what influenced them. The prompt was not limited to albums that came out in 2008. more ›

The slight air of glockenspiel clinks, modest orchestration and cyclical fluctuations of acoustic guitar has never been so much as a commanding figure. But North London-based Broadcast 2000, the successors to acoustic troubadours Artisan, have successfully employed such delicate forces in the most arresting manner feasible. And, as always, the power lies in front man Joe Steer's ability to stray from not only convolution but also the thick glaze of production which plagues most modern-day recordings. more ›