2008's top 21, 65 albums

First of all, Bon Iver is not on the list because you're a year late to the party. Secondly, every time someone talks about how great the record is, they talk about one thing: the first track. There are awkward sentences spoken like "All I could listen to all summer was Flume. It's such a great album." You fail. I've even heard people try to extrapolate some sort of metaphor for the current state of the economy from the style of the album, which is interesting, since when the album was actually released in June 2007, everybody thought Google was going to hit $1000. Plus Damien Jurado's been doing the exact same thing since before the last recession. As Eliot would say when her brother tries to eat her cereal in the morning, "Go away, you bother me."

All in all, 2008 was pretty tepid. Like Bon Iver, the year was much better for individual songs than for albums. Blame iTunes if you want, I don't care. The top 10 is pretty good though. Sigur Ros went all Avey Tare on us. The Plastic Constellations went all Brett Favre* on us. Ben Folds made a terrible terrible terrible record.

* How many times have they broken up and put out a new album? Plus just when you think they might be as good as any band, they throw an interception at the exact moment that ruins every thing. Aaron Rodgers looks pretty freaking awesome. I just wish he'd grow that awesome moustache again.

The Dead Science did on this record what they do on every record. It's just brilliant stuff that's criminally underappreciated. The Walkmen came up with a fantastic return to relevance after their disaster of an album last time around. David Karsten Daniels had the best newcomer album, but I was also very very interested in Throw Me the Statue, who might have written the best song of the year, and the Morning Benders, who also might have, although it's been all over their first couple EPs. Parenthetical Girls are getting more consistent, and I like that direction.

One more year.

1. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
2. The Dead Science - Villainaire
3. The Walkmen - You & Me
4. David Karsten Daniels - Fear of Flying
5. The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
6. Cat Power - Jukebox
7. Sigur Rós - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
8. Retribution Gospel Choir - Retribution Gospel Choir
9. The Plastic Constellations - We Appreciate You
10. Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements
11. Tobacco - Fucked Up Friends
12. Mount Eerie & Julie Doiron - Lost Wisdom
13. Shearwater - Rook
14. Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins
15. Peter Broderick - Float
16. Jolie Holland - The Living and the Dead
17. Jeremy Messersmith - The Silver City
18. Devotchka - A Mad & Faithful Telling
19. Throw Me the Statue - Moonbeams
20. the morning benders - talking through tin cans
21. Mount Eerie - Dawn
22. Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees
23. Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash
24. Musee Mecanique - Hold This Ghost
25. Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
26. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
27. These United States - A Picture Of The Three Of Us At The Gate To The Garden Of Eden
28. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
29. Dr. Dog - Fate
30. The Black Keys - Attack and Release
31. Why? - Alopecia
32. Lightspeed Champion - Falling Of The Lavender Bridge
33. Destroyer - Trouble in Dream
34. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lie Down In The Light
35. Inara George & Van Dyke Parks - An Invitation
36. Stereolab - Chemical Chords
37. Neil Halstead - Oh! Mighty Engine
38. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath
39. Hayden - In Field & Town
40. Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim
41. Sun Kil Moon - April
42. Randy Newman - Harps And Angels
43. Mount Eerie - Black Wooden Ceiling Opening
44. Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
45. Aimee Mann - @#%&*! Smilers s
46. Death Vessel - Nothing is Precious Enough for Us
47. Calexico - Carried To Dust
48. The Sea and Cake - Car Alarm
49. Paper Airplanes - Scandal Scandal Scandal Down In The Wheat Field
50. Nana Grizol - Love It Love It
51. Lackthereof - Your Anchor
52. Kayo Dot - Blue Lambency Downward
53. Josephine Foster - This Coming Gladness
54. Haley Bonar - Big Star
55. Elephant9 - Dodovoodoo
56. Cryptacize - Dig That Treasure
57. Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and a sound
58. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
59. A Weather - Cove
60. Vetiver - Thing Of The Past
61. Sydney Wayser - Silent Parade
62. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
63. Meneguar - Strangers In Our House
64. Matmos - Supreme Balloon
65. Kimya Dawson - Alphabutt

Year end mix soon.