My Top Ten Albums of 2008

Again, sorry about the delay. First off, I've been very busy. I've been acting in a play, planning a wedding, doing a surprising amount of schoolwork, applying for the bar, watching change come to Washington, and you can fill in whatever else. The second reason this has taken so long is that it has been absolutely agonizing picking my top 10. 2008 was a far better year for music than I gave it credit for last month when I started thinking about the best records of the year. I am already excited for 2009, which has already seen the release of one of the best records I've heard in the past 2 or 3 years.

A caveat to the list - I wasn't really able to set consistent rules. For example, Radiohead's In Rainbows was self-released by the band in 2007 and didn't receive a "proper" label release until early 2008. Due in part to the enormously massive nature of the self-release of the record, I consider In Rainbows a 2007 thing. If I hadn't already thought about it in the context of 2007, it's probably my #1 this year. Another one that was self-released in 2007 but didn't get a label release until this year is Delta Spirit's Ode To Sunshine. I love this record, and thought about putting it on my top ten for 2008, particularly because almost no one heard it in 2007. I say almost, though, because I was one of the lucky ones to get my hands on the record. It, like In Rainbows, made my 2007 list, and I would feel weird including it again. Sounds like a reasonable exclusionary policy, right? Not exactly. You see, yet another record that was self-released in 2007 but did not receive label support until 2008 has made it into this year's top 10. But, I didn't hear it in 2007. I'll stop trying to explain.

So, where are we? Before the big list, a couple of add-ons:

Best Album of 2007 That I Wasn't Aware Existed Until 2008 And Is So Good That I Almost Included It In My List Anyway: The Bowerbirds - Hymns for a Dark Horse

Best Album of 2008 That Was More Miss Than Hit But Was Really Interesting And Had Some Fantastic Production: Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak

Best 2008 Albums That I Am Just Now Getting Into That I May Have To Edit My List For: Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Beach House - Devotion
Sun Kil Moon - April
Q-Tip - The Renaissance

Best Albums of 2008 -Honorable Mention:
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Black Mountain - In The Future
Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life


And now, my favorite albums of 2008, in reverse order. Each one is fantastic. I will let them speak for themselves. If you haven't heard them, they all deserve 45 minutes of your time.

10. Dr. Dog - Fate

9. Sigur Ros - Meo Suo í Eyrum Vio Spilum Endalaust

8. The Killers - Day and Age

7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

6. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

5. Portishead - Third

4. Deerhunter - Microcastle

3. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

2. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago


Discuss.