Disclaimer: Years are fairly arbitrary time periods. The only thing that makes a decade is the human conditions’ odometer fetish. Unfortunately, like you, I’m human as well and fall prey to these tendencies. I can’t claim to know everything, I’m just an educated observer; and here are my educated observations. They are not perfect and neither you nor I will completely agree with them in a years time, but that is the fun of lists.
I think I’m the only one, but I absolutely love 808’s & Heartbreaks. It’s a shame because it hit right when the autotune backlash was strongest and that argument completely overpowered what I think is his most complete album. I’ve previously stated that I have a problem with hip-hop albums because they’re too scattershot, being broken up by skits, essentially an incoherent mess outside of a few singles. That can’t be said about 808’s and Heartbreaks, it has a coherent thesis and aesthetic quality. Certainly it doesn’t have the same number of standout singles, but singles do not an album make.
One album from this year that has gotten more and more play for me is Titus Andronicus. Wasn’t a big fan initially but I keep coming back to it and finding more that I like about it. The Bound Stems, which got no love last year when I had it as my top album, has waned somewhat for me, but taken as an album, is still brilliant.
I’d argue this is my strongest list of songs. There are songs that were left off this list which would’ve easily made my previous ones. Make sure to check out Marnie Stern because she can shred, Boris – My Neighbor Satan for some Japanese hardcore, and The Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy because I can’t get that damn song out of my head.
Top 10 Albums of 2008:
10. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
9. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
8. Titus Andronicus – Titus Andronicus
7. Cool Kids – Bake Sale
6. M83 – Saturdays = Youth
5. Air France – No Way Down
4. Bound Stems – The Family Afloat
3. Kanye West – 808’s & Heartbreaks
2. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
1. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
Top 100 Songs of 2008:
100. Marnie Stern – Ruler
99. Cut Copy – Out There on Ice (video)
98. Noah and the Whale – 5 Years (video)
97. Bon Iver – For Emma (video)
96. Goldfrapp – A&E (video)
95. Sebastian Tellier – Kilometer (video)
94. Friendly Fires – Paris (video)
93. Thomas Function – Filthy Flowers (video)
92. M83 – We Own the Sky (video)
91. Gnarls Barkley – Who’s Gonna Save My Soul (video)
90. Plants and Animals – Feedback in the Field (video)
89. Fleet Foxes – Mykonos (video)
88. Fucked Up – Crooked Head (video)
87. The Outrunners – These Girls Are Dressed to Kill (song)
86. Flosstradamus – Big Bills (video)
85. Tobacco – Street Trash (video)
84. Blitzen Trapper – Furr (video)
83. Free Blood – Royal Family (video)
82. The Teenagers – Starlett Johansson (video)
81. Jay Reatard – See Saw (video)
80. Crystal Castles – Good Time
79. The Notwist – Good Lies
78. Titus Andronicus – Upon Viewing Brueghel’s “Landscape With the Fall of Icarus” (video)
77. I’m From Barcelona – Paper Planes (video)
76. The Mae Shi – Run To Your Grave (video)
75. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive (video)
74. The Helio Sequence – Lately (song)
73. Crystal Castles vs. Health – Crimewave (video)
72. Goldfrapp – Happiness (video)
71. Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer (video)
70. Cool Kids – Mikey Rocks (video)
69. Wild Beasts – Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants (video)
68. Okkervil River – Lost Coastlines (video)
67. Brendan Canning – Churches Under the Stairs (video)
66. Hot Chip – Ready for the Floor (video)
65. Man Man – Top Drawer (song)
64. Marnie Stern – Transformer (video)
63. The Mountain Goats – Sax Rohmer #1 (video)
62. Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (video)
61. Titus Andronicus – Titus Andronicus (video)
60. Amanda Palmer – Oasis (video)
59. John Legend & Stephen Colbert – Nutmeg (video)
58. Throw Me The Statue – Yucatan Gold (video)
57. Kanye West – Paranoid (video)
56. M83 – Kim & Jessie (video)
55. Lykke Li – Breaking It Up (video)
54. Cool Kids – Black Mags (video)
53. Horse Feathers – Curs in the Weeds (video)
52. Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead (video)
51. White Denim – Let’s Talk About It (video)
50. Syclops – Where’s Jason K (song)
49. College – She Never Came Back (video)
48. The Sea and Cake – Weekend
47. Scotti Coats – Beautiful Ones (video)
46. Metronomy – Heartbreaker (video)
45. Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy (video)
44. Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma (video)
43. Boris – My Neighbor Satan (video)
42. Animal Collective – Water Curses (video)
41. She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (video)
40. Brenden Canning – Hit the Wall (video)
39. Air France – Collapsing At Your Doorstep (video)
38. Langhorne Slim – Restless (video)
37. Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal (video)
36. No Age – Eraser (video)
35. Eagles of Death Metal – Wannabe in L.A. (video)
34. Flight of the Conchords – Ladies of the World (video)
33. Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes (video)
32. The Futureheads – Walking Backwards (video)
31. Annie – I Know Your Girlfriend Hates Me (video)
30. Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (video)
29. The Hold Steady – Sequestered in Memphis (video)
28. The Dodos – Fools (video)
27. Cut Copy – Lights and Music (video)
26. Jamie Lidell – A Little Bit of Feel Good (video)
25. Matt and Kim – Daylight (video)
24. Bound Stems – Sugar City Magic (video)
23. Ida Maria – Oh My God (video)
22. Yacht – Summer Song (video)
21. The Cool Kids – Delivery Man (video)
20. Of Montreal – Id Engager (video)
19. The Death Set – Intermission (video)
18. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Gardner (video)
17. Born Ruffians – Hummingbird (video)
16. Yelle – Ce Ju (video)
15. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig! Lazarus! Dig! (video)
14. Neon Neon – I Told Her On Alderaan (video)
13. The Teenagers – Homecoming (video)
12. Sebastien Tellier – Divine (video)
11. Wild Beasts – The Devil’s Crayon (video)
10. Crystal Castles – Courtship Dating (video)
9. TV on the Radio – Golden Age (video)
8. M83 – Graveyard Girl (video)
7. Vampire Weekend – A-Punk (video)
6. Lil’ Wayne – A Milli (video)
5. Architecture in Helsinki – That Beep (video)
4. Juvelen – Don’t Mess (video)
3. Kanye West – Love Lockdown (video)
2. Cut Copy – Hearts on Fire (video)
1. Hercules and Love Affair – Blind (video)