Best albums
Blitzen Trapper – Furr
Scruffy guys in flannel and denim with plenty of facial hair, Furr saw this hirsute sextet compose a brilliantly bright and twisty art-pop album, compacting lots of little ideas and ornate flourishes into two-and three-minute whimsies.
CSS – Donkey
An affection for the cheesy, synthetic rhythms of 1980s dance pop, the bouncy minimalism of punk, and the pyjama-party empowerment of all-female rock bands like the Go-Gos make CSS something of a guilty pleasure, but electropop confections such as this are mostly an excuse to party – so why hold back?
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
A heady combination of alternative country, gothic Americana and gospel spirituals, these harmonised folksters made a big impression on us this year.
Nicole Atkins – Neptune City
Something of a late starter, at 29, Atkins’ debut was a long time coming, but worth the wait. With a glorious mix of exuberance and melancholy that fills every pore, Atkins’ rich, soulful, voice deftly flits in and out of drifting strings and rolling guitar chords. One of the finds of 2008.
2009 Highlights
January sees Franz Ferdinand return with Tonight and a solo album from Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. Morissey also returns later in the year with new album Years of Refusal, and we’ll also see new efforts from Arctic Monkeys, Wilco, Kings of Convenience, Muse, Maximo Park, The White Stripes, Ben Kweller, The Strokes, Placebo; and whilst there’s still no new Pixies album, former frontman Black Francis returns with new band Grand Duchy.
Best exhibition
Picasso, Emirates Palace
Whilst the sun raged and everything else pretty much ground to a halt, there was only one place to head during the summer – Emirates Palace. Easily the most prestigious art exhibition ever to hit the capital, for those lucky enough to see it, Picasso was an education in itself: the great man’s artistic life laid bare across wall after wall.
Best new hang-out
Pearls & Caviar at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
By its nature and geographical position, Pearls isn’t somewhere that you’re just going to stumble over. Indeed, you have to take a club cart from the hotel just to get there. Nevertheless, this new open-air bar has style, impressive cocktails, a resident DJ and the best view in town.
Honourable Mentions
Left Bank, Qaryat Al Beri Souk; Moodz, Al Ain Rotana
Best book
Peter Carey – His Illegal Self
Peter Carey has always been a safe pair of hands, and whilst recent years have seen a depreciation in output and praise for the two-time Booker Prizewinner, his talent is unquestioned. But in early 2008, the master of the multiple first-person narrator returned with his best work since Oscar and Lucinda, a two-handed tale of a young New York boy and his accidental abductor, who find comfort and security in one another at a commune in the Australian outback.
Honourabla Mentions
Mohammad Hanif, A Case of Exploding Mangoes; Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies; Sebastien Barry, The Secret Scripture.
Building of the year
Sheikh Zyed Mosque
Twelve years in the making, it’s tricky to say when the mosque actually opened (it opened for Ramadan 2007 whilst building was still ongoing), but given that it began official guided tours in February this year, we can safely claim it as one of the highlights of 2008. Building is still ongoing to create parking areas and to improve accessibility, but there is no denying the sheer spectacle of it all. Not for nothing is it known locally as ‘The Grand Mosque’.
Honourable Mentions
The Corniche, Abu Dhabi; Sir Bani Yas Island
Disappointment of the year
Hakkasan
Since August onwards we have been promised the arrival of London’s Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant to the capital. In January, Tasameem, the property arm of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, acquired Alan Yau’s Hakkasan and Yauatcha restaurants. After initial rumours of a restaurant arriving in late summer proved false, we were told December/January ‘09, but now that has been put back. Will it ever happen?
Event of the year
Middle East International Film Festival
There may have been some truly baffling appearances (we’re still not sure why Antonio Banderas was there – presumably to flog his new Dubai ranches), some last-minute pull-outs (Colin Firth please stand up), and they may have made Sir Ben Kingsley sit through Ghandi, in Arabic, without subtitles (enough to make even a pacifist break out the nunchucks), but the festival is really starting to find its feet. With Susan Sarandon on women, Catherine Deneuve on Lebanon and Jane Fonda on her own little planet, the star quotient was a galaxy ahead of last year. At the Circle Conference, Spike Lee told it like it is, McG proved to be as insightful as you would expect a man called McG to be, and given that the festival’s closing night film (Body Of Lies) was heavily censored for its UAE release, it was a sad reminder that this is the only time of the year when we can see some quality, uncut cinema.
Honourable Mentions
Red Bull Air Race (Apr); Art Paris-Abu Dhabi (Nov)
Best film
There Will Be Blood
Daniel Day Lewis doesn’t get out of bed for anything less than an Oscar and brooding drama on a mountainous scale, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s lengthy and brutal tale of oil, greed and family ticks both boxes. Gruelling, moving and stunning in equal measure, for scale, storytelling and direction, Anderson’s epic American saga blew us away.
Honourable Mentions
The Dark Knight just pipped Iron Man in the battle of the comic book heroes; Persepolis showed us that a French cartoon about growing up in Tehran was something to be embraced, and Juno made us happier than at any other time in our lives.
2009 Highlights
Watchmen (Mar) is the hotly anticipated comic book (sorry, graphic novel) spectacular, closely followed by X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Apr). Monsters Vs Aliens (Apr) wins in the CGI cartoon stakes, and James Cameron makes a belated return to popcorn cinema with sci-fi epic Avatar (Dec). We take a trip down memory lane with a film prequel to the original Star Trek series (May) and a remake of Walter Matheau’s classic heist film The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 (July); meanwhile, Sam Raimi remakes The Evil Dead (tbc) – again! Plus there’s a host of sequels, including Night at the Museum 2 (May), Transformers 2 (Jun) and the animated Ice Age 3 (Jul).
Best gadget
Ipod Touch 2g
We don’t care that we’re a slave to Apple. If you’re going to be an obedient lapdog slavering over the latest tech from the biggest boy in town, you might as well pick the best, and Apple make good toys. The original iPod Touch was pretty near perfect, but the 2G is now slimmer, has a dinky little built-in speaker and places a new emphasis on touchscreen games (Nintendo DS watch out!). The ‘Genius’ song categorisation feature is a neat touch, if not vital, but it really was a case of just polishing the best media player in town.
Honourable Mentions
Optomo Pico media projector; iPhone 3G
2009 Highlights
The Asus EeePC gets cheaper with a US$200 model, although we prefer the rumour of the touchscreen version; Amazon’s Kindle e-book is due for an update; the T-Mobile G1 Google Phone will hit shops in the UAE in January/February; the Napkin PC and its E-Paper is the best concept we’ve heard yet, but don’t expect it too soon; and the third gen Zune takes another crack at Apple in 2009.
Best game
Littlebigplanet (PS3)
Whilst the much hyped Spore turned out to be slightly less than we anticipated and the year’s other big hitters were sequels to already classic games, LittleBigPlanet offered us something new: cute button-eyed sack cloth dolls, narration by the brilliant Stephen Fry, the chance to create your own levels, and all the powers of a minor deity. It also reminded us of the old-school joy of the side-scrolling platform gamer. Ahh, blissful nostalgia.
Honourable Mentions
Fallout 3; Gears of War 2
2009 Highlights
The most intriguing rumour for 2009 is the alleged upcoming Beatles game by the people behind Rock Band – what’s the bets you have to defeat Yoko Ono somehow. Elsewhere, God of War III (PS3) and Street Fighter IV (PS3, XBox360) will see light of day, and hopes are high for the new Indiana Jones (PS3, Xbox360) game from LucasArts. No release date has yet been set, but given that it wasn’t simply churned out as a movie tie-in, the omens are good for this one.
Best gigs
Best Rock – Bon Jovi (May)
‘All the hairspray I used, I’m responsible for the hole in the ozone layer,’ JBJ told Time Out back in May. Well, he may have left his locks and tight ’80s spandex at home, but he brought the rock.
Honourable Mention
Desert Rock Festival (Mar)
Best Pop – Elton John (Jan)
George, Alicia and Shakira may well outgun the rocketman in December (too late for this issue), but Elton ‘don’t stare at the hair’ John surely wins the battle of the divas.
Honourable Mention
Christina Aguilera (Oct)
Best Dance – Coma (Nov)
Held on Abu Dhabi’s ‘secret’ island (Al Maya, the one everyone knows about), with ATB and Sandy Riviera particular highlights amongst a revolving rosta of international and local DJs, the 16-hour Middle East Dance Festival’s only setback seemed to be a prolonged wait for a boat over. But we bestow great respect on those who managed to stay through until sunrise.
Honourable Mention
The Secret
Best Classical– Abu Dhabi Classics (Oct ’08-May ’09)
Jeremy Irons (we still don’t know why) introduced the first annual Classics season to the capital back in October, but we’ve still got plenty to look forward to with the Vienna Philharmonic (Feb), Bobbi McFerrin (May) and an Italian Opera Gala (May) still to come.
Honourable Mention
Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Festival (Mar-Apr)
Shocker of the year
Man City Bought By Abu Dhabi Businessmen
Nothing gets football supporters more excited than a big investor, and they don’t come much bigger than when the group fronted by Sheikh Mansour announced its takeover of the Sky Blue half of Manchester. With assets to make even Roman Abramovich reach for the smelling salts, the arrival of Robinho for a British club record and rumours of an outrageous bid for Cristiano Ronaldo pushed the excitement to breaking point back in September. Results on the pitch have been mixed since, but expect speculation to reach hysteria when January’s transfer window opens.
Most exclusive
Brian Eno/Duran Duran
A perfect example of the power of the Media, or should that be Abu Dhabi’s Media Free Zone launch. When you find yourself at an event whereby Brian Eno has been flown in to present a five-hour art exhibition opened by an invitation-only private performance by ’80s pop princes Duran Duran, you are definitely on the top rung of the social ladder.
Best restaurant
Sardinia, Abu Dhabi Health & Fitness Club
Despite its obscure location and relative newness, this culinary gem managed to do the unthinkable and shift our attention away from the capital’s major hotels, walking away with the Best Restaurant, Best Newcomer and Best Contemporary European titles at the Time Out Restaurant Awards 2008 thanks to an imaginative menu and some brilliant cooking.
Honourable Mentions
Bord Eau came a close second; Finz cleaned up in the romance and seafood stakes; Chamas showed us where the beef really was; Cloud Nine served some excellent bar food; The One Café proved a great drop-in spot, Bice took the business lunch plaudits; Marakesh and Wasabi offered a great taste of the Middle and Far East respectively; Indigo took best Indian, Mezzaluna best Italian, and finally Vasco’s scooped best international.
Best shopping
Qaryat Al Beri Souk
Promising a Dubai, Madinat Jumeirah-style experience, after its soft opening at the start of October, all we found to excite our interest was a Dunkin’ Donuts and a fair bit of rubble; but in a short period this souk has pulled itself together with a fair few stylish shops and a host of dining options from The Meat Co, Left Bank and The Noodle House to the new Ushna (open mid-January).
Honourable Mention
Versace Boutique, Emirates Palace
Sport moment of the year
Abu Dhabi To Host Fifa Club World Cup 2009-2010
Back in May, it was announced that the capital had beaten off stiff competition to host the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2009 and 2010, when the cream of the footballing world will descend on Abu Dhabi in search of international silverware. We can’t wait.
Best TV
Pushing Daisies (Orbit)
Currently on its second series in the States (arriving here early 2009), quirky is not normally a complimentary term, but this extraordinary series about a piemaker turned detective who just so happens to be able to raise the dead has undeniable charm. Whilst every other series pushes action or melodrama to the point of hysteria, Pushing Daisies goes its own way and deserves the highest praise for it. Alas, though, this will its final season as it has just been cancelled – proof that TV execs know nothing.
Honourable Mentions
Sarah Connor Chronicles (Orbit); 30 Rock (Show- Comedy); Reaper (Showtime)
2009 Highlights
Prison Break returns in January to ShowSeries, as does Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice; Lost and 24 both return in February on the same channel, but we have to wait until April for the new season of My Name Is Earl and Eli Stone.
