Artists Pick Their Top 10’s of 2008
January 6th, 2009 | 6:15 pm est |
Honeyhoney
Black Keys- Strange Times
M.I.A.- Kala
Al Green- Lay It Down
The Kooks- Konk
Michael Jackson- Thriller (25th Year Anniversary)
The Roots- Rising Down
Sonya Kitchell- This Storm
Delta Spirit- Ode to Sunshine
Radiohead- In Rainbows
Sia- Some People Have Real Problems
Parenthetical Girls
Dead Science - Villainaire
Au - Verbs
Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
Abe Vigoda - Skeleton
Grahm Lambkin and Jason Lescaleet - The Breadwinner
John Maus - Love is Real
Pwrfl Power - Pwrfl Power
El Guincho - Alegranza!
Simon Bookish - everything/everything
Seth Nehil/Matt Marble – Eclipses
Philip Dickey (Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin)
The Mommyheads- You’re Not a Dream
Catfish Haven- Devastator
Pete and the Pirates- Little Death
Cindy Woolf- Before Daylight
Drew Danburry- This Could Mean Trouble, You Don’t Speak for the Club
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
31 Knots- Worried Well
Headlights- Some Racing, Some Stopping
Weezer- Weezer (Red Album) (first two songs)
Gentlemen Auction House- Alphabetical Graveyard
Luke Wyland (Au)
Stars Like Fleas - (live @ Pianos, NYC 10/23/2008)
Dodos - (live @ the Summit, Columbus, OH 10/11/2008)
Pattern is Movement - All Together
Boredoms - (live @ the Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR 3/20/2008)
Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements
Abe Vigoda - Skeleton
Dizzee Rascal - (live @ the Pitchfork Music Fest)
The Bug and Warrior Queen - Aktion Pak
Why I Must Be Careful - (live @ a house show in PDX, 8/2008)
Ah Holly Fam’ly - (live @ Valentine’s, PDX, OR ?/??/2008)
Crystal Stilts
V/A - Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days
Randy Newman - Harps & Angels
Eric Copeland - Alien in a Garbage Dump
Comet Gain – “Love Without Lies” b/w “Books of California”
Rail Band - Belle Epoque Volume 2: Mansa
Wooden Shjips - Volume 1
Jack Rose - Dr. Ragtime & Pals/Self Titled
caUSE-coMOTION - It’s Time! Singles & EPs 2005-08
Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series Vol. 8
Henry Flynt - Dharma Warriors
TOBACCO
Longmont Potion Castle - Longmont Potion Castle 6
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Oddities Sodomies
WHY?- Alopecia
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Lunar Testing Lab - Space Program
Dreamend - The Long Forgotten Friend
The Music Tapes - For Clouds and Tornadoes
Boston Spaceships - Brown
Submarine Lone - Lemurian
Dead Meadow - Old Growth
Bell
Pattern Is Movement - All Together
Animal Collective - Water Curses EP
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
High Places - High Places
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
AU - Verbs
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad (Reloaded)
Pierre Laurent-Aimard - Homage a Messiaen
Anthony Gonzalez (M83)
Chairlift - Does You Inspire You
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
No Age - Nouns
Free Kitten - Inherit
James Blunt - All the Lost Souls
Sun Kil Moon – April
Steve Wynn (Baseball Project)
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
Dungen – 4
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig Lazarus Dig
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Real Emotional Trash
REM – Accelerate
Willard Grant Conspiracy – Pilgrim Road
Bonnie Prince Billy – Lie Down in the Light
Eli Paperboy Reed – Roll With You
Patrick Pentland (Sloan)
Cancer Bats - Hail Destroyer
Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Modern Life
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Mother Mother - Oh My Heart
Primal Scream - Beautiful Future
Boys Noize - Oi Oi Oi
Hexes And Ohs - Bedroom Madness
Sloan - Parallel Play
David “Moose” Adamson (Grampall Jookabox)
The Dream - Love Me All Summer, Hate Me All Winter
Ssion - Fool’s Gold
Everthus the Deadbeats - John Kill and the Microscopic Lullaby
Beach House – Devotion
Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (Collectors Edition)
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part 1 (4th World War)
Everything, Now! - Spatially Severed
Dust From 1000 Years - Natives
RZA - Digi Snacks
Chandeliers
Mahjongg - Kontpab
Killer Whales - SXSW tour CDR
Lazer Crystal - Hot Pink BMX
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Icy Demons - Miami Ice
Beat Konducta Vol 6 - Dil Withers Suite
Madvillain - Madvillainy 2
Sun City Girls / J Spaceman - Mister Lonely Soundtrack
Count Bass D - Robbed Without A Pistol
Bronze - Calypso Shakedown
Elizabeth Powell (Land of Talk)
Dodos - Visiter
School of Language - Sea from Shore
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Nick Cave And the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus, Dig!
Bower Birds - Hymns for a Dark Horse
tapes ‘n’ tapes - Walk it Off
Black Mountain - In the Future
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Steve Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Casey Mecija (Ohbijou)
Beach House - Devotion
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
Katie Seltmanis - Join Us
The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain
Forest City Lovers - Haunting Moon Sinking
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Bruce Peninsula – “Lift ‘Em Up, Jack Can I Ride?” & “Rosie”
The D’urbervilles - We Are the Hunters
Basia Bulat - Oh My Darling
No Kids - Come Into My House
Butch Walker
1969 – Maya
Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
She and Him – Volume One
My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
Conor Oberst –Conor Oberst
Lykke Li – Youth Novels
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Lucinda Williams – Little Honey
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals – Cardinology
Peter Morén
V/A - Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds and Nigerian Blues
Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
Frida Hyvönen - Silence Is Wild
Robert Forster - The Evangelist
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Brian Eno/David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Dr. Dog - Fate
V/A - Titan: It’s All Pop!
Håkan Hellström - För Sent För Edelweiss
Tristan Wraight (Headlights)
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping
Evangelicals - The Evening Descends
Grampall Jookabox - Rope Chain
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Little Joy - Little Joy
Portishead - Third
Spiritualized - Songs in A & E
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
Cale Parks
Air France - No Way Down EP
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Icy Demons - Miami Ice
Hot Chip - Made In the Dark
Skeletons - Money
Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
Girls - “Lust For Life”/”Morning Light” 7″
Quiet Village - Silent Movie
Salem - Water EP
Invisible Conga People - “Cable Dazed” 12″
Adam T. Siska (The Academy Is…)
Jack’s Mannequin- The Glass Passenger
Panic at the Disco- Pretty Odd
Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series, Vol. 8
M83- Saturdays= Youth
The Academy Is… - Fast Times at Barrington High
Butch Walker- Sycamore Meadows
Kings of Leon- Only by the Night
Bloc Party- Intimacy
Albert Hammond Jr- Como te Llama
Chris Chu (The Morning Benders)
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
Beach House - Devotion
Deerhunter - Microcastle
The Mumlers - Thickets and Stitches
Coldplay - Viva la Vida
The Walkmen - You & Me
Little Joy - Little Joy
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Animal Collective - “Brothersport”
(LAKE)
Karl Blau - Natures Got Away
Your Heart Breaks - Love is a Long Dark Road (Love is All You Need)
R. Stevie Moore - Meet the R. Stevie Moore
No Kids - Come Into My House
Cryptasize - Dig that Treasure
Arthur Russell - Love is Overtaking Me
Generifus - Solstice Songs
Phil Elverum, Julie Doiron, Fred Squire - Lost Wisdom
Cataldo - Signal Flare
Desolation Wilderness - White Strobing Light
Nicole Atkins
Melvins- Nude with Boots
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
The Parlor Mob - And You Were a Crow
Black Mountain - In the Future
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
Dungen - 4
Last Shadow Puppets - Age of Understatement
Benji Hughes- A Love Extreme
Roger O’Donnell
Efterklang - Parades
The Notwist - The Devil, You and Me
Juana Molina - Un Dia
Ghost Bees - Tasseomancy
Miou Miou - Lala Grande Finale
Tujiko Noriko - Solo
Lykke Li - Youth Novels
Erin Lang - Foundlings and Strays EP
Castle Music - You Can’t Take Anymore
Lettie - Age of Solo
Peter Holmstrom (The Dandy Warhols)
Dead Meadow - Old Growth
Darker My Love - 2
The Raveonettes - Lust, Lust, Lust
The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
Spiritualized - Songs In A & E
The Jesus And Mary Chain - The Power Of Negative Thinking
The Upsidedown - Human Destination
Spindrift - The West
Primal Scream - Beautiful Future
The Duke Spirit - Neptune
Curumin
Buguinha - Vitrola Adubada
Kamau - Non Ducor Duco
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah
Guizado - Phunx
DJ Nutz - Embalo Jovem
DJ KL J - KLJ na batida
Madlib - WLIB AM: King of the Wingflip
Iara Renno - Macunaima
Sonantes - Sonantes
Al Green - Lay It Down
Hercules and Love Affair
Fredo Viola - Red States
M83 – Saturdays = Youth
Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
Portishead - Third
Antony and the Johnsons – Another World
Russian Circles - Station
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
MIA - Kala
Jesu/Battle of Mice – Robotic Empire
Acephalix (demo)
Jeremy Black (Apollo Sunshine)
Ratatat - LP3
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
Beck - Modern Guilt
Stereolab - Chemical Chords
Drug Rug - S/T
Viva Viva- Art Sex Death Time
Obsession - Academy Records
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
White Denim - Explosion
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Colourmusic
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
Other Lives - Other Lives EP
Fripp & Eno - No Pussyfooting (Bonus Disc)
My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything (Remaster)
Metallica - …And Justice for All (Deluxe Edition)
Metallica - Master of Puppets (Deluxe Edition)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River (40th Anniversary Bonus Tracks)
Henry Mancini - Original Album Classics
Terry Riley - The Last Camel In Paris
Conlon Nancarrow - Studies for Player Piano
Daniel Hart (The Physics of Meaning, St. Vincent)
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Pattern Is Movement - All Together
Bowerbirds - Hymns for a Dark Horse
Megafaun - Bury The Square
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Chad Vangaalen - Soft Airplane
Death Vessel - Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us
Blitzen Trapper – Furr
Priscilla Ahn
Benji Hughes - A Love Extreme
Willoughby - I Know What You’re Up To
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Charlie Wadhams - Free Up Your Schedule
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip In The Grain
The Brazilian Girls - New York City
The Bird And The Bee - One Too Many Hearts
Amos Lee - Last Days At The Lodge
Al Green - Lay It Down
Willie Nelson/Wynton Marsalis - Two Men With The Blues
The Uglysuit
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Annuals - Such Fun
Band of Horses - Cease To Begin
Sigur Ros - Me Su I Eyrum…
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
The Notwist - The Devil It’s You and Me
Goldfrapp
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Bon Iver - For Emma
Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
MGMT – “Time to Pretend”
Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal”
Bon Iver – “Lump Sum”
Grizzly Bear – “Reprise”
Yeasayer – “Sunrise”
Louis Philippe
Mari Persen – “Sweetheart”
Testbild! – “En Gang i Stockholm”
The Heart Strings – “Kids”
Bertrand Burgalat – “Grande Remise”
Inara George & Van Dyke Parks - An Invitation
Orwell – “Le Genie Humain”
Belmondo & Milton Nascimento - Belmondo & Milton Nascimento
The Simple Carnival – “Really, Really Weird”
Cause Co-Motion! Top 10 Songs of 2008
Nodzzz - “In The City (Contact High)”
Crystal Stilts - “Sycamore Tree (I Wanna Know Why)”
Papa Michigan - “Obama”
Bandit Teeth - “Encouragement”
Abe Vigoda - “Skeleton”
Frankie Rose - “Where Do You Run To? (Demo)”
Dwizz & DJ Diamond Kuts - “Salt Pepper Ketchup and Hot Sauce (Remix)”
Oxford Collapse - “Spike of Bensonhurst”
Vivian Girls - “Wild Eyes”
Blood on the Wall - “Hibernation”
Max Tundra’s Top 10 Songs of 2008
Ben Butler And Mouse Pad - “Supermotion”
The Chap – “Ethnic Instrument”
Santos Party House - “The Santos Cheer”
WHY? - “Fatalist Palmistry”
Abe Vigoda - “All Night And Day”
Zach Hill - “Toll Road”
High Places - “Vision’s The First…”
Sébastien Tellier - “Divine”
Simon Bookish - Alsatian Dog”
She & Him - I Thought I Saw Your Face Today”
Ingrid Michaelson’s Top 10 Songs of 2008
Coldplay – “Lost”
Death Cab for Cutie – “Twin Sized Bed”
Greg Laswell – “How the Day Sounds”
Flight of the Conchords – “Mutha’uckers”
Vampire Weekend – “Kids Don’t Stand a Chance”
Brett Dennen – “Make You Go Crazy”
Noah and the Whale – “Give a Little Love”
Bon Iver – “Skinny Love”
Meiko – “Girls with Boyfriends”
Joshua Radin – “One of Those Days”
The Ettes’ Top 10 Songs of 2008
Fabienne Delsol - “Villaine Fille, Mauvais Garcon”
The Selmanaires - “Broken Mirrors in the Mud”
Jay Reatard - “Screaming Hand”
The Black Lips - “Bad Kids”
Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs - “Getting High for Jesus”
Girl Talk - “Feed the Animals”
The Black Keys - “Strange Times”
Pete Molinari - “There She Still Remains”
The Branded - “I Do As I Please”
The Kills - “Last Day of Magic”
Moby’s Top 10 Songs of 2008
Silent Servant (Kalon mix) – “Violencia”
Andy Caldwell (Wolfgang Gartner mix) – “Funk Nasty”
Blatta and Inesha (Hijack remix) – “Blow Up”
Hoxton Whores (Tocadisco remix) – “In the Bag”
Kidda (Herve remix) – “Under the Sun”
Machines Don’t Care – “Afro Jacker”
AC Slater – “Turn the Music Up”
DJ Sender(Dabruck and Klein remix) – “Operator”
Sandy W – “Bleep”
Miles Dyson – “Anthem”
Thomas Brenneck’s Top 10 Songs of 2008 (Menahan Street Band/The Dap-Kings/Budos Band)
Snoop Dogg - “Sensual Seduction”
Kanye West - “Love Lockdown”
Naomi Shelton - “What Have You Done”
Phenomenal Handclap Band - “Baby”
Tammi Terrell - “All I Do Is Think About You” (2008 Bootleg)
Lee Fields and the Expressions - “My World”
Eddie and Ernie - “You Make My Life a Sunny Day”
Flight of the Conchords - “Foux Du Fafa”
Nas - “Fried Chicken”
Teddy and the Mainframes - “Everyone’s a Suspect”
Umm is saying the Lil Wayne’s album the in thing for this year. Any artist that has that in his/her list instantly makes me question their taste. There were far better releases than that.
Er, Shouldn’t the title be “Artist’s Pick Their Top 10 of 2008″?
nono kanye west is not among the best, it is the worst album of the year, most definitely. overall the choices here arent great.
Todd, er….no it shouldn’t.
hey, bob-a-needle, this just proves there are more choices than any pair of ears could possibly devour. And if you’re old like me, you have all those FAVs from years gone by that you like to snuggle with.
Plus “all my rowdy friends” have bands and I like to lend them an ear, too.
So for now, and into the forseeable future the motto MUST remain “So Much Music, So Little Time.”
Keep on Rockin in the NEW world.
Were these lists created for All Music or were they culled from other sources?
I listen to everything and ‘Tha Carter III’ was easily the big one for 2008. Well chosen folks. Kudos to REM’s ‘Accelerate’, Duffy’s ‘Rockferry’, Coldplay, Erykah, Macca (Fireman) and Kanye. A fine year in pop music.
Hmmm. . .no Lindsey Buckingham’s Gift of Screws or Teddy Thompson’s A Piece of What You Need?
Tha Carter III is loaded with hits! just because it is not conceptual or experimental or what we music critics like to call “artistic music” doesn’t mean it is not a fabulous realease for what it was intended for which was to make money and have radio hits. It is also especially easy for a album like that to be considered after the lackluster releases of 2008. Hopefully 09 will be a little better. No one appears to mention the new beck album though which is truly underrated just because it does not sound like odelay. Artist’s move on folks and go in different musical directions just because beck isnt repeating the past don’t hold it against him. Modern Guilt track for track is a very enjoyable listen.
I don’t know who these artists are making the list. I’m pretty on top of things and have only heard of about three. What kind of list is this? Amazon does it better. First, they take people more well known. Secondly (and most importantly) the artists say why they like the selections, even if the description is brief.
I guess my comments sounded kind of snotty. It would be nice to have more of a description though, as some of these recordings are so obscure they’re not on the allmusic guide.
1. Dear Science
2. Fleet Foxes
3. Vampire Weekend
4. Viva La Vida.
5. Oracular Spectacular
:). (oh, and “In Rainbows” Would be number one, but i count that as a 2007 release… so yeah)
Yeah…. who is Moby? Never heard of him.
You’re a tool, Joe.
Nicole Atkins should marry me.
Moby happens to be one I heard of, Einstein.
Glasvegas anyone?
i don’t care who these “artists” like because i don’t like their work. why should i care what these people like?
Dear Allmusic: In the future, can you please provide links from the lists to your own reviews or other info? Like a few who have responded, I know only about 10% of the music listed here, and since I’m an old fuddy-duddy, I’d like to research, hear a snippet, and ultimately buy. Without having to copy and paste somewhere else first as I have to do now. Also links to info on the people providing their picks. Thanks.
You guys are so much better than the competing music websites out there.
The dude from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin likes terrible music. No surprise there…
When is this site finally going to give it up and call itself indierock.com?
Hey! When will allmusic as ME to pick my favorite artists of 2008? Well here they are:
1. Orange You Jealous - Dogsnifter
2. 45 Trampolines - Why don’t you get a life Mr. President?
3. TRYU - hi world
4. X/V Factor - bloodmeal
5. Billy Ray Cyrus’ Used Tampon - Et tu Brtual
The others are WAY too obscure for pop-heads like y’all out there, so forget about those…
“Moby happens to be one I heard of, Einstein.”
It would have been a lot funnier if you’d called him Poindexter, Gramps.
“The others are WAY too obscure for pop-heads like y’all out there, so forget about those…”
Good point, Poindexter. After all, who wants to be so uncool as to pick music that people actually enjoy? It’s much more fun to be an effete snob…but why am I telling YOU this?
Woo man, DUH. Jeez.
The obvious winners are Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Vampire Weekend…etc. But no love for Santogold or Ra Ra Riot (Terrible band name i know…but a strong debut none the less) Also, I thought that Sea and Cake, Low vs. Diamond, Portishead, Kings of Leon, and Band of Horses all put out good discs worthy of honorable mention. Agreed?
Dig Lazarus Dig, hands down. Why “Einstein” used as an insult. You people are funny.
So nobody listens to rock music anymore?
My god how could you not have the following in your list…
1. Metallica - Death Magnetic
2. AC/DC - Black Ice
3. GNR - Chinese Democracy
How can you not include gns album - its only the most anticipated album of all time. Instead they all try to be cool and list bands that no ones ever heard of before.
conduit, it cant call itself indierock.com because pitchfork already own that label.
>
here’s how: g’n'r wins for longest wait for least desirable album of all time. also, way to list three bands so mainstream that my grandma’s heard of all of them. people that seek out new and different bands tend to be rewarded for it, and the fact that YOU haven’t heard of many of the other bands listed is quite irrelevant. and p.s. a lot of them ARE rock music.
Kind of cool to see some of these artists’ influences, or at least who they listen to. I was sorry not to see anyone mention Constantines, Shearwater, Okkervil River or the fantastic album that Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene released. These albums certainly make my list.
Someone needs to tell Goldfrapp that Yellow House by Grizzly Bear came out in 2006.
Band of Horses didn’t release an album last year - did they, Jeff D? If you’re thinking of “Cease to Begin” it’s from ‘07. I think they’re forgetting Cold War Kids’ “Loyalty to Loyalty” and Mars Volta’s “The Bedlam in Goliath”. And I agree that Beck’s “Modern Guilt” isn’t represented enough.
The Fireman’s Electric Arguments was my fave rave of 2008…a splendid album!
Glad to see two people put British Sea Power on their lists, but no one mentioned Q-Tip or Elbow.
Having heard nearly all music mentioned in these lists, and about 30 other albums that came out this year, I can say no 2008 impressed me as much as Among Beggars and Thieves, by Falconer.