It has taken a LONG time to get this list made, I’ve spent the last hour alone trying to get it down to 50 songs but I just can’t do it. I wouldn’t want to be without any of these songs and depriving yourself of any one of them just might cause irreparable harm to your already dying soul. This is not something I want so I’m compelled to keep it at 51. These are what I would consider the 51 best songs of the year.
Obviously my tastes lean heavily toward college/indie/blog rock and electronic so please forgive me for missing the best (insert genre here) song. For those of you looking for a place to start, if there is a particular genre you are fond of (or one you hate!) hit me up in the comments and I’ll steer you toward a couple songs you might like.
Check for a podcast featuring the Top 10 in the coming days. For now, take some time to digest some of these and tell me what your favorite songs of 2008 were and tell me which songs on my list suck!
Right click and save as to download any song and of course if you find something you like, buy the album or support the band in some way.
11. The Walkmen – In the New Year
12. Fleet Foxes – Ragged Wood
13. Sébastien Tellier – L’amour et la violence (Boys Noize Remix)
14. White Denim – All You Really Have to Do
15. Grizzly Bear – While You Wait For The Others (live on KCRW)
16. The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name (LA Riots Remix)
17. Frightened Rabbit – Fast Blood
18. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – Bells of Creation (Machete Mix)
19. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Fix It
20. Kid Cudi – Day ‘N’ Nite (Crookers Remix)
21. Born Ruffians – I Need A Life
22. Lykke Li – Dance. Dance. Dance
23. Amadou & Mariam – Sabali
24. We Are Scientists – Chick Lit
25. Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes [XXXChange remix]
26. Atlas Sound – Holiday
27. Why? – Fatalist Palmistry
28. Be Your Own Pet – Becky
29. Blitzen Trapper – Furr
30. Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma
31. MGMT – Time To Pretend
32. Estelle – American Boy (Ft. Kanye West)
33. Kanye West – RoboCop
34. Sebastien Grainger – (Are There) Ways to Come Home?
35. Girls – Hellhole Ratrace
36. Death Cab for Cutie – Cath…
37. Tokyo Police Club – Tessellate
38. Beck – Chemtrails
39. Conor Oberst – Cape Canaveral
40. Fan Death – Veronica’s Veil
41. Arch M – 21st Union
42. Department Of Eagles – No One Does It Like You
43. Vivian Girls – Where Do You Run To
44. Fucked Up – The Chemistry of Common Life
45. Busy P – To Protect And Entertain (Crookers Remix)
46. Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit – Kamphopo
47. Lil’ Wayne – A Milli (Produced By Bangladesh)
48. Port O’Brien – I Woke Up Today
49. Beach House – Home Again
50. Jay Reatard – See/Saw
51. Air France – Maundy Thursday
Unfortunately, those of you listening via podcast/RSS are only going to be able to listen to #11, I can’t figure out how to get all of the files in a single post to play. If anyone can help me out with that please give me some insight!
Download all:
Happy Holidays!
“In the New Year” is definitely one of the best tracks of the year. If I was doing a song list I’d probably have “American Boy” in my top 20. Tough to place a number to these things. I’m interested to hear some of these remixes. Listening to the Santogold one right now. I definitely like the original better, but this is a pretty cool version.
I have to give the Atlas Sound disc a serious listen. Surprised I haven’t yet. The Lykke Li album doesn’t really do it for me, though I do see her getting better. I thought the Air France EP was pleasant, but it didn’t really hold my attention. Could just need a change of environment to appreciate that one.
A few songs probably in my top ten:
“Nothing Ever Happened,” “Sequestered in Memphis” or “Slapped Actress,” any number of songs off the Q-Tip disc, “Soldier’s Grin,” ahh I dunno. There’s too many….
Sequestered in Memphis is one of my least favorites on the hold steady album. Navy Sheets is by far my least favorite on there. I really dislike that song. It screws with the album’s flow and feels totally out of place.
Air France is pleasant but the whole thing didn’t work for me either. I do like that one song though.
On the instrumental tip, have you listened to that Fuck Buttons album? It’s pretty excellent. I just got turned onto it, one of those songs would have made this list for sure. I think it’s track 4 I’m really into.
By the way, that atlas sound song isn’t on the proper LP. It was part of a digital only 7″ thing that he did. It’s my favorite song they’ve put out but its fairly unknown because of the atypical release.
Fuck Buttons may be somewhere on my impending list… I love that album
To the author behind this post, this indeed an interesting post! LivingEars Best of 2008 features different genre of music. I am a music lover and I am fascinated of what you have imparted us.
snap on teeth
I have to give the Atlas Sound disc a serious listen. Surprised I haven’t yet. The Lykke Li album doesn’t really do it for me, though I do see her getting better. I thought the Air France EP was pleasant, but it didn’t really hold my attention. Could just need a change of environment to appreciate that one.
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