“Yeah, this band have almost certainly been taking lots of sugar in the studio.” - Mitchell

#56.




Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
(1138 Points, 18 Votes, One #1 Vote)

US Chart Position: n/a

UK Chart Position: #72

Charting Singles: n/a

Pitchfork Review: "For all its unabashed indie fandom, Hold on Now, Youngster... varies from the music it worships in a very fundamental way. No one will ever call Los Campesinos! "shambling", as John Peel termed the twee-pop set, nor will they be called slackers, like their heroes Pavement, because this debut is unusually taut and polished, with hooks, crescendos, and clever turns of phrase nearly always in the right place. Yeah, they've started recycling a couple of their tricks, like Ballboy-esque spoken-word outros, and their youthful, shouty vocals won't be for everyone. But in the album's highlight, "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks", the guitars jangle in one speaker and squawk in the other, building up to a gleeful chant-- "One blink for yes, two blinks for no!"-- that caps one of the most triumphant indie-pop songs you're likely to hear in 2008. Cynics will no doubt tar the band's admirers as undeveloped, ignorant, or stupid. But we're happy." (8.4)

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: n/a

Ranked Highest By: Midnite_Vulture(#1)

Also Ranked By: scarymuppet (#2), worrywort (#3)

Amazon Link

“I was disappointed to see that they've cleaned up their look. I dug the child molester facial hair.” - Sickpup

#55.




Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
(1175 Points, 22 Votes, One #1 Vote)

US Chart Position: #5

UK Chart Position: #1

Charting Singles: "Sex on Fire" (#56 Hot 100, #1 Modern Rock), "Use Somebody" (#86 Hot 100)

Pitchfork Review: "At its best, Only By the Night at least gives the impression that Kings of Leon is actually an interesting band that would be exponentially and immediately improved with someone even average at the controls (call it the Tavaris Jackson Corollary). Musically, "Closer" sets the bar unrealistically high for the rest of the album, building on squeaking, modulated keys, tricky polyrhythms, and a solid melody unfortunately piledrived by Followill's self-pity ("You took my heart and you took my soul.../ Leaving me stranded in love on my own"). "Crawl" could pass for something off the first Secret Machines record with its hydraulic, distorted bass and hotly mixed percussion, but even before they can seal the deal with some dubious conspiracy mongering (something about the red, white, and blue crucifying you), you get the usual KoL idea of sweetalk: "You better learn to crawl before I walk away." Next thing you know, "Sex on Fire" starts and Kings of Leon's fourth album has peaked after seven minutes. Surely, we can do better for the platonic ideal of a rock band than four guys gunning for a spot rightfully inhabited by My Morning Jacket but instead coming up with the best songs 3 Doors Down never wrote." (3.8)

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: "Aha Shake Heartbreak" (#60 of 2005), "Because of the Times" (#59 of 2007)

Ranked Highest By: Guided By Ohio (#1)

Also Ranked By: qwerty, TSLOW, The Gram (#4)

Amazon Link

i wonder if Accelerate will be + / - 45th place. I am thinking higher.

Accelerate = the Get Behind Me Satan of 2008

“Dude has The Dylan-to-Mountain Goats tip covered nice and fine.” - Meldrick Lewis

#54.




The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Graves
(1178 Points, 16 Votes, One #1 Vote)

US Chart Position: n/a

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: n/a

Pitchfork Review: "Matsson released a self-titled five-song EP in 2007; Shallow Grave is his full-length debut. The production is appropriately scrappy, and it seems relatively safe to assume that the album was recorded live with one microphone-- accordingly, we hear the scratch of fingernails on string (and, on occasion, the chirping of birds in the background), made privy to each tiny exhalation and sigh. Matsson is an adept fingerpicker, and his guitar is easily as central as his voice, which is high, crackling, and rich. Much like Dylan himself, Matsson has mined the American south for inspiration, and his frantic strumming and front-porch poetry recall everyone from the Carter Family to Lead Belly to, most noticeably, country bluesman Mississippi John Hurt.

"The Blizzard's Never Seen the Desert Sands" sees Matsson caw little poems ("And the bells up in the tower they will ring/ And the frightened little choirs they will sing/ They will tremble, all their voices") over plucked banjo; "The Gardener" features a robustly strummed guitar melody and more half-cogent ideas ("I know the runner's gonna tell you/ There ain't no cowboy in my hair/ So now he's buried by the daisies/ So I can stay the tallest man in your eyes, babe"). Matsson's lyrics don't stand up as well on paper as they do in song (some have all the logic of fairy tales), but each of these cuts has a distinct, if muddled, narrative-- sparrows, tranquilizer guns, curtains, unicorns. Road stories, love stories, prayers." (8.3)

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: n/a

Ranked Highest By: jellyfish (#1)

Also Ranked By: solace (#2), washing machine, Ella Isquire (#3), SonicAlligator, The Luscious Phil (#5)

Amazon Link

“I admit I was very suspicious about this chick as usually the more I'd like to sleep with a singer the less there are chances her music might be anything else than utter crap, but I actually dig that album pretty much. I like her voice. (Maybe not as much as her boobs, okay)” - sknot

#53.




She & Him - Volume One
(1183 Points, 23 Votes, One #1 Vote)

US Chart Position: #71

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: n/a

Pitchfork Review: "But Ward and the team he gathered for two Portland, Ore., sessions in Fall 2006 and Winter 2007-- Norfolk & Western/Decemberists/M. Ward drummer Rachel Blumberg, Saddle Creek production mainstay Mike Mogis, Devotchka violinist Tom Hagerman-- are invaluable to Volume One. Deschanel writes old pop songs built around black-and-white, simplistic emotions and dotted with vintage sexual innuendo (see "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" and "Black Hole"). Her precious delivery suggests Loretta Lynn or any number of jazz vocalists minus a bit of brio, and the band-- which either builds gradually into its walls of sound or keeps things spartan and pristine-- helps the songs make sense. Ward provides an anxious staccato string arrangement and a Mellotron hum on "Sentimental Heart", teasing an optimism that, like Deschanel's romanticism, is always denied. Above Mogis' plaintive steel sighs and Ward's indifferent acoustic waltz on "Change Is Hard", her fragility becomes personal and endearing. Blumberg's big drums and Ward's stuttering electric line offer a platform for her elation on "I Was Made For You", and when Ward trails her voice on "You Really Got a Hold on Me", he's the perfect complement, his voice the shadow behind her sunlight.

Deschanel is more convincing when she's on an extreme end of romance-- either losing it or being swept into it-- than when she's trying to rationalize it. She makes that mistake three times on Volume One. The other sense of disappointment here comes from the promise Volume One suggests but doesn't deliver: Deschanel's writing is too canny ("Why do you edit? Give me credit") and her voice too natural (listen for that Feist-like crack on "Change is Hard") to sit on the tribute shelf very long. Granted, the retro exuberance here will be what sells She & Him to those beyond the indie realm. Don't be surprised when Garrison Keillor jumps on board. But with this successful introduction and the admitted homage to influences it entails finished, Deschanel has a solid foundation for building her own classic sound. After all, she's a readymade star who's already found a pretty fantastic facilitator in him. " (7.4)

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: n/a

Ranked Highest By: Alright Still (#1)

Also Ranked By: Rob Gordon, petras (#4), Elemeno P.T. (#5)

Amazon Link

Pretty dire stretch here

the thread still exists and is awesome.
you and i voted "Some Streets Lead Nowhere" very high and i believe we were the only 2 votes

The is the last one for right now. I'll be back around 4 or 4:30 and finish up through #41.

“Considering how old they are, I really think people should be pleased. I mean, really. Combined they're like 500 or something.” - Ella Isquire

#52.




R.E.M. - Accelerate
(1228 Points, 28 Votes)

US Chart Position: #2

UK Chart Position: #1

Charting Singles: "Supernatural Superserious" (#85 Hot 100, #36 Mainstream Rock, #21 Modern Rock)

Pitchfork Review: "Accelerate is the name of R.E.M.'s new album, the band's 14th, and it attempts to port that newfound vigor to the studio, not just by trading longtime producer Pat McCarthy (on board since 1998's Up) for U2 associate Jacknife Lee, but also by paring down the excess and sharpening the focus. Accelerate might as well be called Reverse, as it self-consciously aspires to recapture the spirit (if not necessarily the sound) of R.E.M.'s prime. Throughout its 11 songs and 35 minutes, only two tracks top the four-minute mark, and many run less than three. But velocity is not the same thing as vitality, and brevity is not the same thing as urgency. Accelerate ultimately isn't so much a back-to-basics move as a redefinition of what "basic" even means to an arena rock band. Accelerate's broad strokes, big riffs, and beefy production (the album was reportedly recorded in "just" nine weeks) are admirable, as is the disc's concision, but its success is still more as a step forward than a slam dunk.

Still, the very fact that R.E.M. recognized a problem and made an effort to remedy it is pretty impressive from a band of their stature. You can immediately hear the results on the lead song "Living Well Is the Best Revenge": Jacknife Lee has given the track (and the rest of the album) a refreshing sense of grit that's at odds with McCarthy's fussier studio constructions. Peter Buck's guitar rings and chimes with a layer of aggression one step beyond that of Monster, the band's previous "rock" record. Drummer Bill Rieflin plays with a Ministry-honed power, Mike Mills' backing vocals are absolutely key, and Michael Stipe's vocals are gruff, pissed off, and mixed low enough to make the lyrics tricky to make out." (6.7)

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: n/a

Ranked Highest By: Sam (#4)

Also Ranked By: Ramona (#5)

Amazon Link

good placement

i really enjoyed this album. i ranked it pretty high, too. i guess i'm surprised by that because i've never really been a big fan of motown. and i'm not really a fan of artists trying to fool anyone into thinking their records are out of a time capsule. but this one worked pretty well. though i can't help but think i would've adored it had it been done with a rougher sound closer in line with stax's.

Kings of fucking Leon?

well, at least they're not in the top 50.

I'm surprised by that.

Was hoping She & Him and Dr Dog would finish in the blurb zone. R.E.M. placement seems about right, though the fact that the best song they've produced in at least 10 years, "Man-Sized Wreath" got one vote in the singles poll pretty much solidifies my belief that the singles thread doesn't really amount to anything close to an accurate statement on what were the best songs in 2008.

OTM statement, thankfully though they weren't in the blurb section.

Who are you and what have you done with Mitchell? I don't know you since you left James out of your top 50.

Well, they've only had one studio album (before Accelerate) since 2001, which was before we did an album poll, and that was Around the Sun, so it does make sense.

I didn't leave it out, I thought there were (more) than 50 records better than it.

These albums aren't terrible, just not particularly interesting to me. In a sense that the surely forthcoming Conor Oberst and Beck albums are to me and likely Glasvegas and British Sea Power are to others.

This was just a bunch of OK or terrible albums, I'd preferred a stretch of ten albums I've not heard.



Very peculiar stance. Maybe, people just aren't interested in listening to REM in 2008?

what a weird stretch of albums there.

nothing dire about the tallest man on earth. the others, however...


bring on the top 50.

I don't think it's that people don't want to listen R.E.M. in 2008--the album sold pretty well and has been well received by many critics. It's that "Man-Sized Wreath" is a very good song, but not one most people would think of as a single (it was the third single from Accelerate).

It's not just R.E.M....but a bunch of other solid indie singles getting trumped by some really bad rap ("Live Your Life" for example- do we really need more songs with the "Hey- Ho" chant!?!?) and what passes for radio friendly (Paramore- blah)...don't get me wrong, some of it was good (I like Lil Wayne)-....still the bulk of it gives me the impression that this is as much a board where participants listen to the radio as much if not more than alternative music.

My point was that maybe the belief that a REM song would be considered one of the best of 2008 is the wrong-headed one, not that "the singles thread doesn't really amount to anything close to an accurate statement on what were the best songs in 2008".

Don't think any this is at all true to be honest but don't think this is the place to discuss it further. What is REM if not radio friendly rock music?

I suspect if that Gibbard/Deschanel engagement news had come out sooner, it would have hurt the placement of both this album ("Eh, she's off the market, I'm no longer interested in her singing and pretending it's about me") and Death Cab's ("What the hell are you still moping about?! Go sleep with your hot wife!") and helped Katy Perry ("All right backup-Deschanel, you just got a lot better!").

except for the Katy Perry part. Not even good looks can keep her from being fucking intolerable.

Air France and Max Tundra are the 2 albums I'm a bit intrigued by thus far...the latter I saw someone compare to SELF on rym..makes me hopeful as I became a big Self/Matt Mahaffey fan this year.

Didn't know that there was a rule where we couldn't go off on other tangents, Mitch.

And a better point is that I think we rule out to many artists because of pre-determined views on whether they are relevant.

Don't recall seeing any of those REM singles on the Billboard charts.

Placements for Shugo, Flying Lotus, Parts & Labor and Tallest Man make me happy. Placement for REM makes me confused.

Good list so far. Seems to be plenty that i overlooked this year that ill have to go back to.

Nice placement for TMOE.

Where's Little Joy?!?! Will they be in the top fifty?!?!? Or did they not even place?!?!?!


First time I think I have ever used that many exclamations and question marks consecutively.

Calling The Midnight Organ Fight for #1.

Seriously. What's wrong with people?

Yeah. God knows. What the singles list really needed was R.E.M.

I'm glad so few people vote in that poll.

R.E.M. fucking sucks.

Hip-hop is a MUCH better singles genre than indie. I'm thankful that people didn't just vote their favorite tracks as their singles list.

If you honestly think that any R.E.M. tune deserves placement on that list before the genuine major singles you mentioned from this year, I'm not sure the concept of a singles list is for you.




I wasn't being serious.

X-post to some other people here, but literally half of the singles poll is indie rock. Between 60 and 40 depending on how strictly you want to define indie. There are about 20 rap/R&B songs, and half of those are very indie-friendly things anyway. Indie rock is by far this board's preferred musical genre, and while that's not as explicit in the singles poll as it is in the albums poll, there is no evidence to support this impression.

Yeah, I have to agree with the above. Seems we have the same critism of singles list each year from the same people and there's not much to say new this time round.

As has been mentioned if you think the idea of the singles list is to go through your favourite albums and pick out tracks you hope are singles then that's defeating the point of the singles list. Wear an album hat for the album poll, take it off for the singles one.

I liked their last album bu this new one is fucking horrible. Horrible.

The two records in the bottom half that have excited me the most lately are that Jazacek and the Grouper record.

Grouper is just such a haunting, atavistic listen. So layered and delicate, and present. It's like you're listening to some lost, forgotten, secret song-cycle, but the ghost of the woman who sang it is there with you, humming along. I listened to it while driving across Nevada yesterday and had such a deeply emotional connection to it that I actually stopped the car and just watched the spectral light creep across the snow for a few minutes.

Seriously, people. If you ever dug MBV, Mazzy Star, His Name is Alive, 4AD records...Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill is your new favorite record and you just don't know it yet.

Also- all the Kings of Leon haters can suck it. I placed it and have no regrets. It is in fact possible to listen to and enjoy both elite music (cough cough) and glossy unambitious AOR.

I'm looking forward to reading my blurb on Late of The Pier when it's posted.

and you cried and you cried and you cried and you cried

I think the problem for me and maybe other people is I listened to Accelerate a few times, thought it was fine for what it was, and now I could really give a shit. I have no idea what any of the singles from it were, much less what the third one was. And I'm sure the third one was a lot better than a lot of other singles I put on my list but I just have a hard time caring.

Keep this shit out of here.

I thought Accelerate was much better than the last 2 but still paled against their best 7 0r 8 albums.

I think using R.E.M. as my example was misleading. How about The Week That Was- "The Airport Line"- song is way better than at least half the radio hip hop singles on our list but didn't stand a chance. Mitch- you probably said it best that I am looking at the singles list the wrong way, as I always have. Still wish we had a forum for listing the best songs of the year, because I do think the singles list is misrepresentative of the best tracks of 08.

Really? You hardly ever post anymore, and you can't resist the urge to pile on. Good to see some things never change.

Pavement once again pipes in with his untouchable insight about what does and does not constitute great music.

So your beef is that other people don't like the same music as you? Other voters just thought those radio hip-hop singles were really good. This isn't some design flaw in the poll.


This board has gone through this argument several times already. A tracks list would be boring and serve no purpose. The majority of the voters would just select their favorite tracks from their albums list, and you would it would then mirror the albums list, except probably with even more niche stuff eliminated as votes disperse among tracks. There are other problems with a tracks poll, but the biggest is that you don't have a large enough voting body to open it up to such a vast number of choices.

Glad to see Receivers actually placed. Was a bit worried for a moment there. Cracking record.

Hurray for HANL and TMOE placing respectably. I wonder how high Kanye and MMJ will be. Actually I'm not even sure if Kanye's even gonna make it, which would be fine with me.