I get the feeling that when I finally hang up the music critic hat for good and join ranks with the sector of society that doesn't spend every waking moment obsessing over music, I'll look back at 2008 as the year that Portland made its mark the world over. As the recent influx of bands migrating here still continues, our fair city caught the eye of the national media—from MTV's feature on this city, to an entire issue of XLR8R devoted to our town's musical community—and none of this looks like its going to dry up anytime soon.
So as the piles of records are sorted, and we think back on the last 12 months, it's time for our annual navel-gazing salute to the best music of 2008. We turn the page over to a bevy of local musicians, bookers, writers, and other movers and shakers that make Portland's music scene what it is. Since we ran out of room to list them all, go to our music blog End Hits (endhits.portlandmercury.com) for a more comprehensive list, plus add yours there as well.
Terry Currier (Music Millennium)
1. Derby—Posters Fade
2. David Grissom—Loud Music
3. Alejandro Escovedo—Real Animal
4. The Helio Sequence—Keep Your Eyes Ahead
5. Blitzen Trapper—Furr
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Derby—"Posters Fade"
Colin Meloy (the Decemberists)
1. Bon Iver—For Emma, Forever Ago
2. Peter Broderick—Home
3. Black Mountain—In the Future
4. Vampire Weekend—Vampire Weekend
5. Death Cab for Cutie—Narrow Stairs
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Deerhoof—"Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back"
Curtis Knapp (Marriage Records)
1. Lucky Dragons—Dream Island Laughing Language
2. Valet—Naked Acid
3. White Fang—Pure Evil
4. Lucky Dragons—Dark Falcon
5. Lee Gull—Burn'r
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Valet—"We Went There"
"Adrian Orange and Honey Owens sing a duet on this song that I have listened to more than any other track this year."
Shawn Glassford (Starfucker)
1. Why?—Alopecia
2. Dykeritz—Rearrangerologyistics
3. Talkdemonic—Eyes at Half Mast
4. Deerhunter—Microcastle
5. Ghosty—Answers
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Why?—"A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under"
I would have to choose "A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under" by Why?, mainly the live version, because dude is playing vibraphones and drumming a sick beat all at once, and singing... it's crazy.
Connie Wohn (Stylus503)
1. Santogold—Santogold
2. TV on the Radio—Dear Science
3. Estelle—Shine
4. Jake One—White Van Music
5. Raphael Saadiq—The Way I See It
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down—"Bag of Hammers"
Nick Jaina
1. The Walkmen—You & Me
2. Blind Pilot—3 Rounds and a Sound
3. Musée Mécanique—Hold This Ghost
4. Blitzen Trapper—Furr
5. Lackthereof—Your Anchor
My Favorite Song of 2008:
The Walkmen—"In the New Year"
The way Hamilton [Leithauser] hits the high notes in this song and holds them out longer than you would expect him to is just reliably devastating in a way that few songs ever are. "Oh, I'm just like you, I never hear the bad news... and I neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr willllll." I got to see four songs of their set at Bumbershoot and this was one of them. I was so happy.
Matt Brown (Bladen County Records)
1. Fleet Foxes—Fleet Foxes
2. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson—Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
3. Blitzen Trapper—Furr
4. The Mommyheads—You're Not a Dream
5. Deek Hoi—The Golden Country (reissue)
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Dennis Wilson—"Moonshine" (Pacific Ocean Blue reissue)
Graham Barey (Mercury Freelancer)
1. Josh Martinez—The World Famous Sex Buffet
2. Alphabet Stew—Mentil Soup
3. Gouseion—Nijikon
4. Mic Crenshaw—Thinking out Loud
5. DJ Frane—Journey to the Planet of Birds
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Josh Martinez—"Absinthe Tears"
On an album full of great cuts, the lone Samix-produced joint on The World Famous Sex Buffet is the melancholy-filled star. Samix's incredible production helped make "midriff music" a classic, and if they don't collaborate on another full album in the future then I'm confident that there is no god.
Ben Parrish (Kill Rock Stars)
1. Lil Wayne—Tha Carter III
2. Marnie Stern—This Is It...
3. Blank Dogs—On Two Sides
4. Fabulous Diamonds—Fabulous Diamonds
5. Excepter—Debt Dept.
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Lil Wayne—"A Milli"
Jared Mees (Jared Mees & the Grown Children)
1. Boy Eats Drum Machine—Booomboxxx
2. Super XX Man—Vol. XII: There'll Be Diamonds
3. Nadine Mooney—MouseHouseWormHole
4. The Old Believers—Eight Golden Greats
5. Bark Hide and Horn—National Road
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Super XX Man—"Medication"
Charlie Salas Humara (Panther)
1. The Clean—Compilation (reissue)
2. Howling Hex—Earth Junk
3. The Shaky Hands—Lunglight
4. Various Artists—African Scream Contest: Raw and Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin And Togo
5. Wavves—Wavves (cassette)
My Favorite Song of 2008:
DJ Mujava—"Township Funk"
E*Rock and I would play that song periodically on our tour and it would just make us freak out, dance, and break glass. Seriously, YouTube the video, it's good!
Phil Bauer (Sandpeople)
1. Erykah Badu—New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
2. Jake One—White Van Music
3. Portishead—Third
4. Q-Tip—The Renaissance
5. Heltah Skeltah—D.I.R.T.
Kevin O'Connor (Talkdemonic)
1. Beach House—Devotion
2. Deerhunter—Microcastle
3. Dykeritz—Rearrangerologyistics
4. Horse Feathers—House with No Home
5. Brightblack Morning Light—Motion to Rejoin
My Favorite Song of 2008:
The Muslims—"Extinction"
This song sounds as timeless, era-less, and effortless as it comes. An instant classic.
Ned Lannamann (Mercury Writer)
1. The Golden Bears—Wall to Wall
2. Matt Sheehy—Tigerphobia
3. Chad VanGaalen—Soft Airplane
4. The War on Drugs—Wagonwheel Blues
5. Sleepercar—West Texas
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Frightened Rabbit—"Keep Yourself Warm"
Actually, The Midnight Organ Fight was my favorite record of this year, but I put Frightened Rabbit's debut at the top of my 2007 list, so I figure I can't choose them again. Still, no song moved me or gave me as many shivers as this, a brutally honest look at the mistakes made in the desire to be loved.
Scott McLean (Holocene)
1. Deerhunter—Microcastle
2. Grouper—Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill
3. Gang Gang Dance—Saint Dymphna
4. Evangelicals—The Evening Descends
5. Hauschka—Ferndorf
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Basteroid—"Ducktales" (Ada Remix)
Chris Robley (Chris Robley and the Fear of Heights)
1. Randy Newman—Harps and Angels
2. Goldfrapp—Seventh Tree
3. Rachel Taylor Brown—Half Hours with the Lower Creatures
4. Nick Jaina—Wool
5. Pauseland—Palindrome
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Robyn—"Cobrastyle"
Honestly, who can resist drumming bears? And the way she dances on that Letterman YouTube clip, I think I watched it every single day for the whole month of May.
Ryan J. Prado (Mercury Freelancer)
1. Why?—Alopecia
2. Portugal. The Man—Censored Colors
3. British Sea Power—Do You Like Rock Music?
4. City and Colour—Bring Me Your Love
5. Hanggai—Introducing Hanggai
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Scott Reynolds and the Steaming Beast—"Tracy Hardman's Cheek"
Zac Pennington (Parenthetical Girls)
1. The Dead Science—Villainaire
2. Au—Verbs
3. Abe Vigoda—Skeleton
4. Grouper—Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill
5. John Maus—Love Is Real
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Britney Spears—"Womanizer"
Danny Seim (Menomena/Lackthereof)
1. The Helio Sequence—Keep Your Eyes Ahead
2. The Walkmen—You & Me
3. Deerhunter—Microcastle
4. El Guincho—Alegranza
5. 31Knots—Worried Well
My Favorite Song off 2008:
The Walkmen—"In the New Year"
Greg Glover (Arena Rock Recording Co./94.7 FM)
1. TV on the Radio—Dear Science
2. Oasis—Dig out Your Soul
3. CSS—Donkey
4. The Replacements—(Sire reissues)
5. R.E.M.—Accelerate
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Alejandro Escovedo—"Always a Friend"
Gabe Lageson (East End)
1. Dennis Wilson—Pacific Ocean Blue (reissue)
2. Danava—Unonou
3. Tommy Roe—Paisley Dreams (reissue)
4. Gary Zekley and Don Grady—Complete Recordings
5. Dungen—Satt Att Se
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Leaders—"East End Girls"
Kati Claborn (Mighty Ghosts of Heaven/Blind Pilot)
1. Fleet Foxes—Fleet Foxes
2. Karen Dalton—Green Rocky Road
3. Horse Feathers—House with No Home
4. Hearts of Oak—Hearts of Oak
5. Bob Dylan—The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs
Sasha Coulter Callies (fuckbadmusic.com)
1. Cut Copy—In Ghost Colours
2. Midfield General—General Disarray
3. The Bug—London Zoo
4. Fleet Foxes—Fleet Foxes
5. Santogold—Santogold
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Kid Cudi—"Day and Nite"
Marius Libman (Copy)
1. DiskJokke—Staying In
2. E*Rock—Throwing Shapeless V.1
3. Truckasauras—Tea Parties, Guns & Valor
4. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head—Glistening Pleasure
5. M83—Saturdays = Youth
My Favorite Song of 2008:
M83—"Waves, Waves, Waves"
Benjamin Johnson (The Rainy States)
1. Tokyo Police Club—Elephant Shell
2. Constantines—Kensington Heights
3. World's Greatest Ghosts—Exercising Demons
4. Church—Gold
5. Death Cab for Cutie—Something About Airplanes (reissue)
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Death Cab for Cutie—"Fake Frowns"
Well, I guess this is a bit like cheating, although Death Cab for Cutie did re-release Something About Airplanes this year. I still remember when The Rocket would do a complete issue of album reviews and Ben Gibbard sent in a four-track demonstration of songs he had been working on. As far as I recall the paper's subsequent praise of his music resulted in the creation of the group and Something About Airplanes. In any event, my favorite song off that particular LP has always been "Fake Frowns." So if a song from 1998, re-issued in 2008, can be my favorite song of the year, that's it.
Slim Moon (Shot Clock Management)
1. The Hold Steady—Stay Positive
2. The Raconteurs—Consolers of the Lonely
3. Excepter—Debt Dept.
4. Horse Feathers—House with No Home
5. Of Great and Mortal Men—Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidencies
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Jenny Lewis—"Acid Tongue"
Mike Meyer (Mercury Freelancer)
1. Nachtmystium—Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1
2. Opeth—Watershed
3. Gojira—The Way of All Flesh
4. Sculptured—Embodiment
5. Gigan—The Order of the False Eye
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Disfear—"Deadweight"
Erik Abel (Focused Noise Productions)
1. Mic Crenshaw—Thinking out Loud
2. Serge Severe—Concrete Techniques
3. Copacrescent—So Selective
4. Braille—The IV Edition
5. Animal Farm—The Unknown
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Little Brother (ft. Lil Wayne)—"Breakin My Heart"
Dave Depper (Loch Lomond, Norfolk & Western, and more)
1. Black Mountain—In the Future
2. Portishead—Third
3. Wolf Parade—At Mount Zoomer
4. Bon Iver—For Emma, Forever Ago
5. David Byrne and Brian Eno—Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Nick Jaina—"Winding Sheet"
My favorite song of 2008 was "Winding Sheet" by Nick Jaina. The arrangement is perfect. The chord structure reminds me of "Hungry Heart" by Bruce Springsteen, which is pretty much my favorite song ever. I'm not typically a lyrics guy, but "I danced with you on the cobblestones on the third-longest day of the best year of my life" is a line simultaneously so specific in detail, and vague in meaning, that it could have been written by Prince. One of many peaks on an equally fine album.
Alan Singly
1. Dykeritz—Rearrangerologyistics
2. Talkdemonic—Eyes at Half Mast
3. Blue Cranes—Homing Patterns
4. Point Juncture, WA—Heart to Elk
5. Travis Wiggins—Reading Is a Very Fresh Way 2 Learn
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Point Juncture, WA—"Kings Part 2"
Casey Dienel (White Hinterland)
1. Tune-Yards—BirdBrains
2. Extra Life—Secular Works
3. Bon Iver—For Emma, Forever Ago
4. Alexis Gideon—Video Musics
5. Acoustic Cave Band—Colossal Cave Music (not technically released until 2009)
My Favorite Song of 2008
Tune-Yards—"Hatari"
A Tune-Yards song isn't like other songs, it's the kind of song that feels like your best-kept secret, a world within a world built just for you to live in and carry with you. This song is my favorite, because every new element being introduced is so surprising and joyful—it would be selfish of me to keep this secret all to myself.
Rob Simonsen (Mercury Freelancer)
1. Frightened Rabbit—The Midnight Organ Fight
2. High Places—High Places
3. Los Campesinos!—We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
4. Grouper—Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill
5. Love Is All—A Hundred Things Keep Me up at Night
My Favorite Song of 2008
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart—"Everything with You"
Ingrid Renan (Kill Rock Stars)
1. Blitzen Trapper—Furr
2. Human Highway—Moody Motorcycle
3. Islands—Arm's Way
4. Lil Wayne—Tha Carter III
5. Starfucker—Starfucker
My Favorite Song of 2008
Tune-Yards—"BirdBrains"
DJ Anjali
1. Santogold—Santogold
2. Tigerstyle—Mystics, Martyrs & Maharajas
3. Arash—Donya
4. Enur—Raggatronic
5. Boy Eats Drum Machine—Booomboxxx
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Mr. Vegas—"Oh My Gosh" and K'naan—"ABC's"
Alberta Poon (Reporter)
1. MGMT—Oracular Spectacular
2. No Age—Nouns
3. Santogold—Santogold
4. Dirty Mittens—Pinky Swear
5. Mattress—Heavy Duty
My Favorite Song of 2008:
MGMT—"Electric Feel" and the Killers—"Human"
Dhani Rosa (Doubledutch)
1. Mt. Eerie—Dawn
2. The Red River—Grassblades
3. The Old Believers—Eight Golden Greats
4. The Gathering—Magic
5. Raw Powder—Cyber Tiger
My Favorite Song of 2008:
T-Pain (ft. Lil Wayne)—"Can't Believe It"
Everyone's being a big baby about Autotune, and I'm just going to come out and say it: I'm kind of into it. I'd use it, and then some. The real thing to hate on in this song is that Lil Wayne douche. What a buttwhiff. I'll go 16-for-16 with him any day of the week and make him look like a bitch.
Dawn Pierson (Bigshot Touring)
1. The Walkmen—You & Me
2. The Broken West—Now or Heaven
3. The Helio Sequence—Keep Your Eyes Ahead
4. Sleepercar—West Texas
5. Langhorne Slim—Langhorne Slim
My Favorite Song of 2008:
The Walkmen—"In the New Year"
Em Brownlowe, Mercury Freelancer
1. The Dodos—Visitor
2. The Kills—Midnight Boom
3. Santogold—Santogold
4. Radiohead—In Rainbows
5. Autopilot Is for Lovers—Sore Eyes
My Favorite Song of 2008:
The Dodos—"Paint the Rust"
E*Rock (Audio Dregs)
1. Ratatat—LP3
2. Glass Candy—Deep Gems
3. R. Kelly—Double Up
4. Grouper—Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill
5. White Fang—Pure Evil
My Favorite Song of 2008:
DJ Mujava—"Township Funk"
I feel like I have tons more favorite songs than favorite albums this year. I'm not sure if it's because there are less people making decent albums, or if I was merely feeling individual songs more, but I know that when I was buying albums this year, very few were actually made this year. Honestly, I feel that there's so much immediacy to create and spread music right now that we hear about an artist or a new song long before the artist has time to mature and could possibly create a solid album. That said, this song came out of nowhere, from a completely remote scene, a dance single by a guy that used to live on the streets in a poor South African town and scarcely has any other songs, let alone an album. Runner-up would have to be "Divine (Danger Remix)" by Sébastien Tellier. Again both artists firmly attached to some of the best YouTube music videos of 2008.
Anthony Bayles (Monqui Presents)
(in no particular order)
1. TV on the Radio—Dear Science
2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
3. The Black Keys—Attack & Release
4. Death Cab for Cutie—Narrow Stairs
5. Bloc Party—Intimacy
Chris Hnat (230 Publicity)
1. Jay Reatard—Matador Singles '08
2. Gentleman Jesse—Introducing Gentleman Jesse
3. The Muslims—The Muslims
4. Tweak Bird—Reservations
5. Fleet Foxes—Fleet Foxes
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Teenage Bottlerocket—"Dean's Dream"
I'm gonna go with Teenage Bottlerocket covering the Dead Milkmen's "Dean's Dream." Arguably one of the best bands emerging from the wastelands of the late '90s pop punk overexposure, covering my favorite song from the first punk rock record I ever bought. Fourteen- (to 21) year-old me would be stoked!
Victor Nash (Point Juncture, WA)
1. A Weather—Cove
2. Marnie Stern—This Is It...
3. Joan of Arc—Boo Human
4. Lake—Oh the Places We'll Go
5. Ghostface Killah—The Big Doe Rehab
My Favorite Song of 2008:
A Weather—"Pinky Toe"
We met A Weather in September when we hooked up with them for three shows starting in Salt Lake City. They radioed ahead and asked if they could play on our equipment because they were traveling light. I'd never heard them but someone said they were "quiet," and wouldn't trash our stuff, so it was easy to say, "Yes." We played first and then they took the stage and played this song, on our gear no less, that blew our noggins off and stuck in each of our minds in such a way that you could look over at any one of us for the weeks to come and see us silently nodding and mouthing "bang bang, bang bang" along with the tune in our heads. It was exactly like in Back to the Future when Marty walks off the stage at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance having totally just shredded everyone's faces off with a Van Halen guitar solo and gives the doo-wop guy his guitar back while he just stares at him like, "What the fuck am I supposed to do with this now?"
Aaron Gerber (A Weather)
1. The New Year—The New Year
2. Point Juncture, WA—Heart to Elk
3. Weinland—La Lamentor
4. Exploration Team—We Are Birds, We Are Trees
5. Au—Verbs
My Favorite Song of 2008:
The New Year—"Folios"
We had the supreme honor of being on the West Coast leg of their US tour and getting to hear this song begin their set every night. It contains all the elements that I love about [Matt] Kadane's songwriting: subtlety, restraint, and the feeling of going somewhere and never actually getting there.
Jon Ragel (Boy Eats Drum Machine)
1. Portishead—Third
2. Talkdemonic—Eyes at Half Mast
3. Tigerstyle—Mystics, Martyrs & Maharajas
4. Erykah Badu—New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
5. Cut Copy—In Ghost Colours
My Favorite Song of 2008:
(tie)
The Saturday Knights—"45"
I was driving through Tacoma after a Seattle show around 3 am, just flipping through the FM stations, when I stumbled upon an underground hiphop show spinning this track. I love it! "45" puts a smile on my face every time.
Department of Eagles—"No One Does it Like You"
My friend was balancing his iPod on his right knee and driving across the Manhattan Bridge the first time I heard this song. I was then mesmerized by it a week later while playing cards in my friend's kitchen in Chicago. Not only did its soothing harmonies and bending melody put us all in a nice "mellow," I won the whole damn game of progressive gin! That's the mark of a great cut—sounds terrific and brings good luck.
Laura Gibson
1. Nick Jaina—A Narrow Way
2. The Dodos—Visitor
3. Musée Mécanique—Hold This Ghost
4. Mount Eerie (w/Fred Squire and Julie Doiron)—Lost Wisdom
5. The Old Believers—Eight Golden Greats
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Nick Jaina—"A Narrow Way" and "I Know I'm Your Man"
Nick's songwriting is at its best, and the arrangements are beautiful, but more then anything else, there is a spirit in the performance of these songs that was more moving than anything else I heard this year. They leave me longing to do right in the world, to be better at loving people. That is such a gift.
Aaron Beam (Red Fang)
1. Mitch Hedberg—Do You Believe in Gosh?
2. Earthless—Live at Roadburn
3. Children—Death Tribe
4. Birds of Avalon—Outer Upper Inner EP
5. Grails—Take Refuge in Clean Living
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Starfucker—"Rawnald Gregory Erickson"
It sounds like a Pinback song if you removed the giant pole from its anus. Why is Pinback so uptight? Anyway, I saw Starfucker at the Artistery with Blitzen Trapper, knowing nothing about them except I'd heard their name around. I was hella baked, but this song, along with "Pop Song" and "German Love" really caught my attention. I wish the record were better, damnit!
Kevin French (Bigshot Touring)
1. The Walkmen—You & Me
2. Langhorne Slim—Langhorne Slim
3. Okkervil River—The Stand Ins
4. Blind Pilot—3 Rounds and a Sound
5. Portugal. The Man—Censored Colors
My Favorite Song of 2008:
The Walkmen—"In the New Year"
Sean Whiteman (thepennyjam.com)
1. Mattress—Heavy Duty
2. Dykeritz—Rearrangerologyistics
3. Magic Johnson—Telenovelas 7-inch
4. Boy Eats Drum Machine—Booomboxxx
5. Pink Widower—The Enchanted Realm of the Pink Widower
My Favorite Song of 2008:
New Bloods—"Oh, Deadly Nightshade!"
A creeper of a song. When walking alone at night this has a high probability of tiptoeing sideways into my head.
Hannah Carlen (Mercury Freelancer)
1. Bon Iver—For Emma, Forever Ago
2. Portishead—Third
3. Blind Pilot—3 Rounds and a Sound
4. Horse Feathers—House with No Home
5. The Dirtbombs—We Have You Surrounded
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Fleet Foxes—"White Winter Hymnal"
"Favorite" feels impossible to pick, but Fleet Foxes' "White Winter Hymnal" is the most played in my iTunes. I remember I first heard this song last year, it was on a friend's beautiful old speaker system. The song sounded so wide open and immense, like it was playing off an old, long-lost record instead of a CD burn. Even on dinky little Apple speakers it sounds totally breathtaking.
Zachary Brooks (Mercury Freelancer)
1. AC/DC—Black Ice
2. Cheap Time—Cheap Time
3. Holy Ghost Revival—City Drugs
4. Git Some—Cosmic Rock
5. Annihilation Time—Tales of the Ancient Age
Dave Allen (pampelmoose.com)
1. The Very Best—Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit Are the Very Best
2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
3. Nightmares on Wax—Thought So...
4. Susanna—Flower of Evil
5. Dead Confederate—Wrecking Ball
Rob Jones (Jealous Butcher)
1. She & Him—Volume One
2. Weinland—La Lamentor
3. Land of Talk—Some Are Lakes
4. Blitzen Trapper—Furr
5. Kaia—Godmakesmonkeys
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Nick Jaina—"Winding Sheet"
This song has a blend of hopeful melancholy that I simply adore, and though it speaks to a specific event, it feels like the sentiment behind it could apply to anyone, at any time. It makes me alternately happy and sad in equal parts.
Andrew R. Tonry (Mercury Freelancer)
1. The Tallest Man on Earth—Shallow Grave
2. Lil Wayne—Tha Carter III
3. Sigur Rós—Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
4. Spiritualized—Songs in A&E
5. School of Language—Sea from Shore
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Sigur Rós—"Gobbledigook"
It's like blowing the top off a bottle of champagne, making out naked in the sunshine, falling in love and dancing through a vast rolling field of blooming flowers. A total re-invention by a band not needing one. Immediacy, ferocity and bright, effervescent beauty.
Trevor Solomon (MusicfestNW)
1. Deerhunter—Microcastle
2. TV on the Radio—Dear Science
3. Fucked Up—The Chemistry of Common Life
4. The Helio Sequence—Keep Your Eyes Ahead
5. Deertick—War Elephant
Matt Sheehy
1. Kaki King—Dreaming of Revenge
2. TV on the Radio—Dear Science
3. Antony and the Johnsons—Another World
4. Musée Mécanique—Hold This Ghost
5. PWRFL Power—PWRFL Power
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Holcombe Waller—"Down and Cried" and Beyoncé—"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and Weinland—"Sick as a Gun"
Jeff Urquhart (Satyricon)
1. Broadway Calls—Broadway Calls
2. Mogwai—The Hawk Is Howling
3. Polar Bear Club—Sometimes Things Just Disappear
4. Intronaut—Prehistoricisms
5. Genghis Tron—Board up the House
Manny Reyes (Atole)
1. Black Devil Disco Club—Eight Oh Eight
2. Lindstrøm—Where You Go I Go Too
3. Low Motion Disco—Keep it Slow
4. Galaxy Toobin' Gang—Galaxy Toobin'
5. Max Tundra—Parralax Error Beheads You
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Lindstrøm—"Grand Ideas"
For his debut record Lindstrom put out three songs on CD and then reedited them for the vinyl version. His nine-minute vinyl edit of "Grand Ideas" nails the
Kraut rock/space disco sound that everyone loves these days. Live guitars and drums mix with a variety of synths and found sounds to make a deep, emotional, and sometimes funny song that would make Cluster/Ashra/Kraftwerk ridiculously proud. Sorry Tussle, Battles, Glass Candy... Lindstrøm rules!
Joe Kelly (Panther)
1. Neil Young—Sugar Mountain—Live at Canterbury House 1968
2. Wolf Parade—At Mount Zoomer
3. Ratatat—LP3
4. Lips and Ribs—A Prayer 4 the Awkward
5. Marnie Stern—This Is It...
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Ratatat—"Shempi"
Conrad Loebl (Rotture)
1. Lil Wayne—Tha Carter III
2. The Bug—London Zoo
3. Yelle—Pop-Up
4. Glass Candy—Deep Gems
5. Trash Talk—Trash Talk
My Favorite Song of 2008:
(three-way tie)
Riskay—"Smell Yo Dick"
YouTube phenomenon. Check the Lion King video remix. So amazing. The name of the song kinda explains it all. Mix some old school So So Def with Trina-esque vocals/lyrics. Perfect.
The Bug (Ft. Warrior Queen)—"Poison Dart"
When this song first started getting dropped, kids didn't know what to do. Making dubstep a real household name, it has the best elements of everything to make this a blow-out single, and crossover track that will finally make dubstep into the mainstream.
Lil Wayne—"A Milli"
Dance floor dropper. Hardest beats. The first time I heard this song, I knew this was gonna slay kids. People talk all the shit they want, dude said he was gonna sell a mill, and he sold a mill. 'Nuff said.
Isaac Slusarenko (Jackpot Records)
(in no particular order)
1. Tobacco—Fucked Up Friends
2. The Mohawks—The Champ (reissue)
3. Young Widows—Old Wounds
4. Metallica—Death Magnetic (Yes, I know! Let the debate begin.)
5. Lil Wayne—Tha Carter III
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Lil Wayne—"Mrs. Officer"
Ken Cheppaikode (Dirtnap Records)
(in no particular order)
1. Goodnight Loving—Goodnight Loving
2. Gentleman Jesse and His Men—Gentleman Jesse and His Men
3. Eddie Current Suppression Ring—Primary Colours
4. Tranzmitors—Tranzmitors 12-inch
5. The Pets—Misdirection
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Goodnight Loving—"Junkfire"
Lana Rebel
1. Dramady—Better Forever
2. Various Artists—Life Is a Problem (compilation, Mississippi Records)
3. Songs for the Dead—Songs for the Dead
4. The Black—Donna EP
5. Thee Headliners—New EP
My Favorite Song of 2008:
Thee Headliners—"Sketch City"
Scott Carver (thepennyjam.com)
1. Blind Pilot—3 Rounds and a Sound
2. Starfucker—Starfucker
3. Blitzen Trapper—Furr
4. The Ascetic Junkies—One Shoe over the Cuckoo's Nest
5. Grey Anne—Facts N Figurines
My Favorite Song of 2008:
A Weather—"Spiders, Snakes"
Before their album came out, I randomly saw A Weather at Holocene and instantly became obsessed with their dueling vocals and quiet-but-precise style. I listened to the same three songs they had available at the time and "Spiders, Snakes" really stood out with its simple but awesome drumming.
