What I listened to in 2008

Thought I'd wait until 2008 was actually over before doing a 'faves of 2008' list. And some of these aren't new...

What I listened to most
Flight of the Conchords / Flight of the Conchords - "Thnk about it," "Leggy blond"
Heretic Pride / Mountain Goats - "San Bernardino"
The Rhumb Line / Ra Ra Riot -- This is how Voxtrot should have moved from EPs to LP: tweak production but don't overload with instrumentation and increasingly arcane lyrics.The songs remain simple melodically with a gorgeous orchestral pop wall of sound behind it. SEE: every track.
Dear Science / TV on the Radio - "Family tree," "Shout me out"
Live and let ghosts / Jukebox the Ghost - Like Ben Folds & Mountain Goats & TMBG in a delicious enchilada of pop. "Hold it in"
I'll Be Lightning / Liam Finn - Saw him live in Newark, and this guy? Insanely talented. No need to worry about the shadow of Daddy. "Better To Be," "I'll Be Lightning"
Re-Arrange Us / Mates of State - I've never not liked their work, but now that it's more grown up, richer, and more dynamic, I absolutely love it. And there's some bass this time! "The Re-Arranger," "You Are Free"
Swimming / French Kicks
Once soundtrack - "If you want me," "Say It to Me Now"
In Rainbows / Radiohead - "House of cards"

Tennessee Pusher / Old Crow Medicine Show - "Methamphetamine," "Caroline"
Distortion / Magnetic Fields - "Please Stop Dancing," "Too Drunk to Dream"
Repeat When Necessary / Dave Edmunds - "Girls Talk," "Queen of hearts"
Jesus of cool [2008 deluxe reissue] / Nick Lowe - "So It Goes,""Shake and Pop"R
Seconds of pleasure / Rockpile - "You Ain't Nothin' But Fine"
Mamma Mia! soundtrack - "Voulez vous," "I Have a Dream"
Narrow Stairs / Death Cab For Cutie - "No Sunlight"
Into The Wild / Eddie Vedder -Indio cover "Hard Sun"
Firecracker People / Hotel Lights - "Amelia Bright"
American Prehistoric / Warm in the Wake - "American prehistoric"
Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - "More News from Nowhere"
Live in London & Paris / Otis Redding - Fuck it, take your pick...
Terry Tales & Fallen Gates / The Little Ones
Acid Tongue / Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"; Rabbit Fur Coat is still a more solid record, but there are a couple of real gems here including the title track. And her voice is just so damn beautiful.
The Stand Ins / Okkervil River - "Lost Coastlines"
Company (2006 revival) - Oh Raul Esparza, you can do no wrong....
Make me armoured / The Scourge of the Sea - "Goodbye, Darkness"
3 Rounds and a Sound / Blind Pilot - "Go on, say it," "3 rounds and a sound"; This and Bon Iver almost brought me to tears when I listened to them back to back, and I wasn't even PMSing. So much beauty. Note to self: don't listen to at work again.
For Emma, Forever Ago / Bon Iver - Ubiquitous? Yes. Worthy? Absolutely.
Volume One / She & Him - "Change Is Hard"
Living in darkness / Agent Orange
Lily Allen - She had me at "Up the Junction" and now I'm in pop-love. The album won't be out until later 2009, but half the tracks are already out. "The Fear":

A Colbert Christmas - "There are much worse things to believe in"
The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 - Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006 / Bob Dylan - "Mississippi"
Robyn [re-release] / Robyn - "Be Mine"
O / Tilly and the Wall -"Alligator Skin," "Falling Without Knowing"
Promised Land / Dar Williams - "Troubled Times"

...and the rest
Stay positive / The Hold Steady - Doesn't speak too well when the best songs on the album are the three bonus tracks tacked on the end: "Ask Her for Adderall,"Cheyenne Sunrise," "Two Handed Handshake"
Way to normal / Ben Folds - "You Don't Know Me," "Kylie From Connecticut"; Surprisingly, meh. He's lost his storytelling prowess, it seems, and the rest sounds like he's trying too hard be cute.
The Hollow of Morning / Gemma Hayes - "In Over My Head"; Also, surprisingly, meh, as she moves more and more into whispery vocals and atmospheric noodling. Not bad, necessarily, but kinda boring.
Make the Road by Walking / Menahan Street Band / - Wait. There is still new instrumental funk/R&B being made? By hipsters? In Bushwick? Whatever, dude. Whatever... (Seriously, they do the 'Rocky' theme and everything...)
Vampire Weekend / Vampire Weekend - "Mansard roof"; It's fun. It's cute. It ain't life changing, just enjoyable
Moonwink / Spinto Band
Fleet Foxes / Fleet Foxes - Gosh, it's pretty. But the way the songs end abruptly makes it sound like a collection of incomplete thoughts.
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust / Sigur Rós - First one with pop-sounding songs which I like. sue me.
Saturdays=Youth / M83
Consolers of The Lonely / The Raconteurs - "Many shades of black" ; But when is Brendan Benson gonna release a new solo record?
Modern Guilt / Beck
Kala / M.I.A. - "Bird Flu"
Tea Partying with Ghosts / Cloud Cult
Sea Lion / Ruby Suns
Last Light & the FREEP / Matt Pond PA
These United States
Throw Me the Statue
You Me and Iowa
Fumbling Toward Ecstasy reissue / Sarah McLachlan - "Hold on" ; And her duet with Pink (?!) on the terribly overplayed "Angel" was quite beautiful and Sarah looked gorgeous as a new divorcee (looking good is the best revenge, no?)

At Mount Zoomer / Wolf Parade
The Seldom Seen Kid / Elbow
This is Not the World / Futureheads
Evil Urges / My Morning Jacket - that title song is killer the rest is kinda meh
The Diggs
Second Gleam / Avett Brothers
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams / Solange Knowles - "I Told You So"; Sorry, Beyonce, but you're sister kicked your ass with some quality, old school (trite phrase, I know) R&B
As I Am / Alicia Keys - "Superwoman"
Vivian Girls / Vivian Girls
At the National Grid / The Bats
A Hundred Million Suns / Snow Patrol
Alphabeat - The Danish Michael Cera and the Danish Lulu bring the pop video back - dancing! color! snappy choruses! - Debbie Gibson and Wham! together at last! "Fascination":

Ida Maria - "Oh My God"


Haven't heard yet...
Bridemaid's 12" series / Decemberists
Snowflake Midnight / Mercury Rev
All I Intended To Be / Emmylou Harris
22 Dreams / Paul Weller
Harps and Angels / Randy Newman
Missiles / the Dears
Furr / Blitzen Trapper
Carried to dust / Calexico