Apr 20, 2009

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.


6 comments

At Tuesday, April 21, 2009, Blogger Mike said...

...I knew there was something wonderful missing from my life earlier this year...

 
At Tuesday, April 21, 2009, Anonymous Ry said...

While I can't agree with it as #1 [and you know may or may not remember my #1], it's hard to refute any MGMT being in the top 10.

I can't decide if K+J is my top M83 tune, but it's nice to see it on this list.

I think my fave Shearwater is The Snow Leopard.

Modern Leper = instant FR classic.

One thing: Lykke? Really?

 
At Tuesday, April 21, 2009, Anonymous janet said...

I LOVED the MGMT album, but have you seen them live? They are such duds, it was defintely one of the dullest shows I've ever been to, they should have just phoned it in, cus seriously it was awful- still, great album.

You know that both Lykke Li and Frightened Rabbit are both on Josh Schwartz's new web- series Rockville CA (www.rockvilleca.com), the site has perfomanes and interviews up from both of them, pretty good stuff.

 
At Tuesday, April 21, 2009, Blogger Kyle said...

Mike - You're something wonderful missing from my life.

Ryan - I do remember your #1 and it will be appearing soon. This almost sounds sacrilegious, but Sigur Ros is always so amazing that I didn't find the amazingness of the new album earth-shattering... if that makes any sense. MGMT on the other hand, caught me completely off guard and represents an entirely distinct mindset/tone for me over the last year. As I've mentioned before, the album has moved me on several occasions to cut clothing out of paper bags, smear my face with neon paint, and chase after sea gulls in the street... at least in mind. I think its my childhood breaking against the shore of my adulthood. And the tides couldn't be more perfectly aligned.

 
At Tuesday, April 21, 2009, Blogger Kyle said...

Janet - I haven't seen them live, I don't think they could ever live up to their aesthetic (for me at least).

 
At Saturday, May 02, 2009, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot, this stuff rocks..
Stoned84
Sonoma in the heart

 

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