look out, world! {December 14, 2008}

photo by niche hance.

I am interrupting my self-imposed winter break to publish my "best-of-2008" album list. This is a damn great list and I am cocksure as hell about it. I've been listening to these albums over & over for the last few weeks (among others that made the prominent bloggers' top-ten lists), and their placement is careful & deliberate. I will pump my fists into the sky and go down in flames defending their positions!

Initially, I just wanted to put together a top 10 list. After jotting down a few of my favorites, I realized the endeavor was entirely impossible & I could feel an outcropping of stress cold sores just waiting to wage war on my upper lip. Frankly, there were too many good albums this year. It's like being at a Christmas party and only chatting with the ten "coolest" people there. But what about shy Rosemary over there on the couch? She is talented & interesting too, hey, maybe a little less awesome overall, but how can I not say hi? Holy smokes, she plays the xylophone and everything. (and I love xylophones.) 

Anyhow, here is my deliciously fantastic, best-pick album countdown from 2008.

25. El Perro Del Mar's From the Valley to the Stars
Favorite track: "Your Name is Neverending"

24. Santogold's Santogold
Favorite track: "L.E.S Artistes"

23. Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer
Favorite track: "Language City"

22. Los Campesinos' We are Beautiful, We are Doomed
Favorite track: "We are Beautiful, We are Doomed"




21. Mates of State / Re-Arrange Us
Favorite track: "Get Better"
(btw, I wake up to this single every morning. happiest alarm, ever.)

20. Sigur Ros's Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust
Favorite track: "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur"

19. Cut Copy's In Ghost Colours
Favorite track: "So Haunted"

18. Stars's Sad Robots EP
Favorite track: "Going, Going, Gone (Live Version)"




17. Shearwater's Rook
Favorite track: "The Snow Leopard"

16. Vampire Weekend's Vampire Weekend
Favorite track: "Oxford Comma"

15. Ray LaMontagne's Gossip in the Grain
Favorite track: "I Still Care for You"

14. Sun Kil Moon's April
Favorite track: "Lucky Man"

13. I'm From Barcelona's Who Killed Harry Houdini?
Favorite track: "Andy"

12. Hayden's In Field & Town
Favorite track: "In Field & Town"

11. Langhorne Slim's Langhorne Slim
Favorite track: "Colette"

10. She & Him's Volume One
Favorite track: "Sentimental Heart"

9. TV on the Radio's Dear Science
Favorite track: "Family Tree"

8. Frightened Rabbit's The Midnight Organ Fight
Favorite track: "Poke"



7. Los Campesinos!' Hold on Now, Youngster
Favorite track: "You! Me! Dancing!"

6. Horse Feathers's House with No Home
Favorite track: "Father"




5. Benoit Pioulard's Temper
Favorite track: "Brown Bess"




4. M83's Saturdays = Youth
Favorite track: "Kim & Jessie"

3. Okkervil River's The Stand Ins
Favorite track: "Calling and Not Calling My Ex"

2. Brendan Canning's Something for All of Us
Favorite track: "Churches Under the Stairs"

1. Bon Iver's stunning debut, For Emma, Forever Ago.
I cannot imagine a single person not liking this masterpiece by Justin Vernon. I've never experienced something so remote, so snow-cold dirt lonely & yet warm and hopeful―it's o-so forever ago, yet it haunts us still. Favorite tracks: "Lump Sum" and "Re:Stacks"


... & everyone deserves a chocolate log full of candy. Ah, work perks—I plan to devour this holiday confection right now. Merry Christmas & Happy holidays, guys!  xo.

Comments

[Roger]

Great picks, all of them! I think I'll just send people to this list instead of posting my own top 2008.

[Amy]

I love pick 16. It's my fav off the album too! (Just a weird coincidence given our nature of work? Hmmmm? Teehee.)

[me]

Roger, my friend, you have to do a top ten! And whatever - you hate M83, barely care about Brendan Canning and Horse Feathers, and I don't think I've ever heard you mention anything about Los Campesinos. Your top 10 would be totally different & I'm ready for a good debate. Or at least another thumb war battle...

Ah, Amy, glad you like VW. My favorite part is when he says "all your diction dripping with disdain." Holy alliteration!

[Brendan]

Your blog is fantastic first off. I haven't found a top 25 I really really like, but I like this one.

I've only been following the blisslist for a few weeks now so sorry if you have some grudge against them, but where's Fleet Foxes on your list?

[me]

Brendan - I really appreciate your comment & I'm glad you like my blog! Sorry I've been MIA since you've started reading (I'm in mountain-training mode these days), but I hope to post more regularly after the holidays.

Ah, Fleet Foxes. They were a tough omission for me (along with a handful of others bands that are topping my favorite blogger lists). I think "White Winter Hymnal" is a stunning achievement and that particular track would've garnered a prominent spot on my top 10 single list. Believe me, when folks gush about them, I can understand why...

I find myself tiring of them quickly though. I prefer to pluck sparingly from the "vocals-to-the sky, pastoral" genre. Every time I've listened to Fleet Foxes's self-titled debut all the way through, the experience felt a lot more onerous than impressive. Whatever mind-blowing impressions "White Winter Hymnal" make quickly devolve as song-after-song of sun-dappled "oooh-oooing" finally make me holler, "oh my god, enough already!"

I like the majority of Fleet Foxes' songs alone as singles, but as a collective, I am unable to recommend them above the other folks on my list.

Well done though, Brendan! You may have just pointed out my achilles heel. :)

[Brendan]

Fair enough. I respect that your reason isn't just a "they're overhyped and sound like other bands" explanation.

So I've been reading lists for the last few weeks now and the one artist I haven't seen is Delta Spirit. That band put out a tremendously solid album this year and hardly anyone noted it. Have you heard of them?

[me]

I have heard of Delta Spirit. I saw them open for Matt Costa back in February. I remember being very unimpressed when I saw their live set, but the friend who accompanied me (and whose music opinion I'll always respect) liked them. I later read about Ode to Sunshine on a very small # of blogs, and it was universally well-received. I still haven't listened to that particular album though - and I bet a lot of bloggers haven't heard of it. Also, the album was initially released in 2007 (then re-released in August 08). e.g., it made Daytrotter's Best of 2007 list.

Happily, I have more than a few emusic credits left - thanks for the reminder & recommendation! I'm going to download this album right now.