Great Songs of 2008: 1-10

Tine Casper [from Westerland]

With three rich months of 2009 already in the rear-view, I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't yet formally reflected on what a great year last year was for music. Like all of you, I regularly hear things like "they just don't make music like they used to" or "I didn't really listen to anything new this year" or "last year was so much better" or "throw me the what?" or "everything new sounds like its from a resale shop without the vintage." And I couldn't disagree more. There was so much amazing music during 2008, that I had trouble limiting my annual Great Songs list to only 100 great songs... it totals around 130 here as I begin.

You know the drill - 10 songs a day, lightly ordered only because you'll assume I've ordered from top to bottom, left to right anway... though all were great for usually incomparable reasons. Most were released or made big impact from Jan 1-Dec 31 2008. The list as a whole tastes a little like DIY dance exhaustion settling to hush folk. There are a bunch of songs about winter, some new songs by classic bands, some classic songs by new bands, a few by cute indie girls, some experimental new directions, a bunch of cool things painstakingly plucked from powerful albums, some catchy remains from trips to the top of the pops. Whatever the reason, all were meaningful to me last year - what about to you?

1) MGMT - Time To Pretend (mp3)

2) M83 - Kim & Jesse (mp3)

3) Lykke Li - Little Bit (mp3)

4) Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Swimming Pools (mp3)

5) Shearwater - Leviathan Bound (mp3)

6) Deastro - Michael, The Lone Archer of the North Shore (mp3)

7) Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper (mp3)

8) Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree (mp3)

9) Janelle Monae - Many Moons (mp3)

10) Throw Me The Statue - About to Walk (mp3)

Download 1-10 as a zip file.