Top 25 Albums of 2008
So, here's my long mulled over list of favorite albums of the year.
Just a couple notes before you read on:
You may notice that in my intro to last year's list I mention feeling bad that I couldn't find room for Bon Iver's debut disc. Well, after a year of satisfying listens (and an official label release), I thought it deserved a spot on the 2008 list.
Secondly, if you've been looking at a lot of year-end best albums lists, it seems like a lot people agree with my #1 choice. I hate being so predictable, but honestly no other album even came close.
50. THE BUG / London Zoo
49. HIGH PLACES / High Places
48. LINDSTROM / Where You Go I Go Too
47. EL GUINCHO / Alegranza
46. WOLF PARADE / At Mount Zoomer
45. DEPARTMENT OF EAGLES / In Ear Park
44. Q-TIP / The Renaissance
43. MAE SHI / Hlllyh
42. ELBOW / Seldom Seen Kid
41. BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY / Lie Down in the Light
40. CRYSTAL CASTLES / Crystal Castles
39. SIGUR ROS / Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
38. SPIRITUALIZED / Songs in A & E
37. WHY? / Alopecia
36. BUN B / II Trill
35. HORSE FEATHERS / House with No Name
34. CRYSTAL STILTS / Alight of Night
33. VAMPIRE WEEKEND / Vampire Weekend
32. ERYKAH BADU / New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War
31. HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR / Hercules and Love Affair
30. CALEXICO / Carried to Dust
29. FUCK BUTTONS / Street Horrrsing
28. SANTOGOLD / Santogold
27. CUT COPY / In Ghost Colours
26. THE DODOS / Visiter
25. PORTISHEAD / Third
24. KANYE WEST / 808s and Heartbreak
23. M83 / Saturdays = Youth
22. MY MORNING JACKET / Evil Urges
21. THE WEEK THAT WAS / The Week That Was
20. SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS / Alpinisms
19. BLACK KIDS / Partie Traumatic
18. MAN MAN / Rabbit Habits
17. BON IVER / For Emma, Forever Ago
16. THE DUTCHESS AND THE DUKE / She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke
15. LIL' WAYNE / Tha Carter III
14. DEERHOOF / Offend Maggie
13. AMADOU & MARIAM / Welcome to Mali
12. JAMIE LIDELL / Jim
11. DEERHUNTER / Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.
10. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS / Dig! Lazarus Dig!
9. QUIET VILLAGE / Silent Movie
8. BLACK KEYS / Attack and Release
7. FOALS / Antidotes
6. SHUGO TOKUMARU / Exit
5. BLITZER TRAPPER / Furr
4. LYKKE LI / Youth Novels
3. NEON NEON / Stainless Style
2. FLEET FOXES / Fleet Foxes
1. TV ON THE RADIO / Dear Science
--
Top 50 Singles of 2008
Top 50 Albums of 2007
Top 50 Albums of 2006
Top 50 Albums of 2005, Part 1 | Part 2
All Year-End Lists Back to 1995
Labels: best of 2008, lists, music
posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 | [permalink] | 0 comments
TOP 50 SINGLES OF 2008
It became very clear to me when I began compiling this list that I spent much of 2008 seeking out good dance music. Luckily, the year was full of great electronic acts and energetic indie bands that I didn't have to search too hard. Dance cuts all but dominated this year's list. But you won't get to #1 without hearing a fair share of dramatic guitar riffs and undeniably catchy pop hooks.
As usual, I've done my best to limit these choices to songs that were actually released as singles, even if that meant axing some really great tracks like Erykah Badu's "The Healer" and Santogold's "You'll Find a Way".
I'll have my Top 50 Albums posted in a couple weeks.
50. TV ON THE RADIO / "Dancing Choose"
(video) (stream)
49. CHRIS BROWN / "Forever"
(video) (stream)
48. THE HELIO SEQUENCE / "Keep Your Eyes Ahead"
(video) (mp3)
47. GNARLS BARKLEY / "Run"
(video)
46. THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS / "The Age of the Understatement"
(video)
45. KARDINAL OFFISHALL featuring AKON / "Dangerous"
(video) (stream)
44. FRANZ FERDINAND / "Lucid Dreams"
(stream)
43. ISLANDS / "Creeper"
(video)
42. SANTOGOLD / "L.E.S. Artistes"
(video)
41. GLASVEGAS / "Geraldine"
(video) (stream)
40. HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR / "You Belong"
(video) (stream)
39. ELBOW / "Grounds for Divorce"
(video)
38. WOLF PARADE / "Call It a Ritual"
(mp3)
37. DUFFY / "Mercy"
(video) (stream)
36. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE / "I Will Possess Your Heart"
(video)
35. DAN LE SAC VS. SCROOBIUS PIP / "Look for the Woman"
(video)
34. LEONA LEWIS / "Bleeding Love"
(video) (stream)
33. LYKKE LI / "I'm Good, I'm Gone"
(video)
32. ANNIE / "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me"
(youtube)
31. BLACK KIDS / "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You"
(video)
30. ATMOSPHERE / "You"
(video)
29. BECK / "Chemtrails"
(stream)
28. TING TINGS / "Shut Up and Let Me Go"
(video) (stream)
27. FLEET FOXES / "White Winter Hymnal"
(video)
26. JAMIE LIDELL / "A Little Bit of Feel Good"
(video)
25. HOT CHIP / "One Pure Thought"
(video) (stream)
24. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS / "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!"
(video)
23. NEON NEON featuring CATE LE BON / "I Lust U"
(video)
22. CUT COPY / "Lights and Music"
(video) (stream)
21. MADONNA featuring JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE/ "4 Minutes"
(video)
20. BASIA BULAT / "In the Night"
(video)
19. FOALS / "Balloons"
(video)
18. PNAU featuring LADYHAWKE / "Embrace"
(video)
17. T.I. / "Whatever You Like"
(video) (stream)
16. ESTELLE featuring KANYE WEST / "American Boy"
(video)
15. SAM SPARRO / "Black and Gold"
(video) (stream)
14. SEBASTIEN TELLIER / "Divine"
(video)
13. HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR / "Blind"
(video) (stream)
12. THE FUTUREHEADS / "The Beginning of the Twist"
(video) (stream)
11. RIHANNA / "Don't Stop the Music"
(video) (stream)
--
10. LADYHAWKE / "Paris is Burning"
(video) (stream)
9. CRYSTAL CASTLES vs. HEALTH / "Crimewave"
(video) (stream)
8. CSS / "Move"
(video)
7. ROBIN THICKE / "Magic"
(video) (stream)
6. KANYE WEST featuring DWELE / "Flashing Lights"
(video) (stream)
5. MGMT / "Electric Feel"
(video) (stream)
4. LYKKE LI / "Breaking It Up"
(video)
3. M83 / "Kim and Jessie"
(video) (stream)
2. HOT CHIP / "Ready for the Floor"
(video) (stream)
1. MGMT / "Kids"
(stream)
--
Top 50 Singles of 2007
Top 50 Singles of 2006
Top 25 Singles of 2005
Labels: best of 2008, indie rock, lists, mp3, music, music videos, streams
posted on Saturday, December 06, 2008 | [permalink] | 1 comments
LIST: LAST.FM BEST OF 2008
Last.fm Best of 2008
If you've been poking around through music blogs lately, you've surely already experienced the glut of year-end lists touting the best of the year. (And yes, I'll be adding to the mess soon enough.) One year-in-review I was particularly fascinated by was the one at Last.fm, which ranks the year's top tracks, albums, and new artists by total number of listeners on the site. The countdown of tracks is dominated by Coldplay and MGMT, but the other two lists include interesting jumbles that just cry for analysis. Katy Perry wedged between Foals and Fleet Foxes? The Kooks have the sixth most listened to album of the year? Statistics hounds, let your reasoning begin.
Labels: best of 2008, last.fm, lists, music
posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2008 | [permalink] | 1 comments