That I have left this post to the very last day of 2008 says as much about my tendency to procrastinate as it does about my reluctance to codify my favorites. Note that I say “my favorites” rather than “the best” because this list is nothing if not personal. I am not arrogant nor narcissistic enough to suggest to you that these are the best albums that have been released in 2008. Instead, I offer up a list of the albums that have meant the most of me this past year.
But before we get to the list, a few notes on who didn’t make the list, especially in light of the many other year-end lists that have already been released:
First, I have already apologized in various venues for my dislike of Fleet Foxes and Plants & Animals. I don’t get them, I don’t get the hype surrounding them, and that’s all I have to say on the subject.
Second, I think I should mention that I did enjoy TV on the Radio’s new album this past year, but not enough to include it among my favorites. Just like Return to Cookie Mountain, I found that there were a couple of songs (“Halfway Home”, “Golden Age”) that blew my mind, but the rest was just so-so. An underwhelming live show didn’t help their case either.
Third, this year say the rise of several fantastic pop bands, all cut from the same cutesy cloth: (the overrated, but still good) Vampire Weekend, Born Ruffians, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Sadly, these three groups have become so muddled in my brain that I can hardly tell them apart anymore, which suggests to me that none of them is strong enough to stand on their own. Because I didn’t want to include all three in my list, I have decided to exclude them all.
Finally, there are several albums that came to my attention too late to be included (such as those by Blitzen Trapper and The Gaslight Anthem) but would probably be on the list had I discovered them sooner. Moreover, I should point out that 2008 was largely defined through the heavy rotation of several albums from years past (most notably the last albums by The New Pornographers, Holy Fuck and Wintersleep and most of Rilo Kiley’s back catalogue).
With these caveats in mind, I offer up my humble list (in reverse order, of course!):
25. Into Your Lungs - Hey Rosetta!
24. Saturdays = Youth - M83
23. Re-Arrange Us - Mates of State
22. For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
21. Third - Portishead
20. At Mount Zoomer - Wolf Parade
19. Hideaway - The Weepies
18. Street Horrrsing - Fuck Buttons
17. Rook - Shearwater
16. Stay Positive - The Hold Steady
15. The Stand Ins - Okkervil River
14. Spark Large - Marching Band
13. Tous les sens - Ariane Moffatt
12. The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow
11. Visiter - The Dodos
10. Beat Pyramid - These New Puritans
9. Soft Airplane - Chad VanGaalen
8. Now or Heaven - The Broken West
7. Volume One - She & Him
6. In Ghost Colours - Cut Copy
5. Santogold - Santogold
4. Hometowns - The Rural Alberta Advantage
3. Keep Your Eyes Ahead - The Helio Sequence
2. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
1. The Midnight Organ Fight - Frightened Rabbit
There was stiff competition for position among the top twenty albums, but the top seven were easy and the top three were no-brainers. Frightened Rabbit, Crystal Castles and The Helio Sequence all managed to become significant players in the soundtrack of my life this past year, and I expect them to remain in heavy rotation for the next year at least.
