Best albums of 2008
Released overseas in 2007, but still better than everything on this list: Future of the Left – Curses! (4AD)
Year’s Best
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Max Tundra – Parallax Error Beheads You (Domino)
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My Disco – Paradise (Stomp)
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The Dutchess and the Duke – She’s the Dutchess, He’s the Duke (Hardly Art)
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Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
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Torche – Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
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Black Mountain – In the Future (Jagjaguwar)
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Earth – The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull (Southern Lord)
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Flying Lotus – Los Angeles (Warp)
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Deerhunter – Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. (Kranky)
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Human Bell – Human Bell (Thrill Jockey)
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Endless Boogie – Focus Level (No Quarter)
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Desolation Wilderness – White Light Strobing (K)
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Pivot – O Soundtrack My Heart (Warp)
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Pontiak – Sun on Sun (Thrill Jockey)
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Gang Gang Dance – Saint Dymphna (Warp/Social Registry)
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Oneida – Preteen Weaponry (Jagjaguwar)
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Ladyhawk – Shots (Jagjaguwar)
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Count Bass D – L7 (1320)
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TV on the Radio – Dear Science (Interscope/4AD)
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Koushik – Out My Window (Stones Throw)
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Sian Alice Group – 59:59 (Social Registry)
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Sun Kil Moon – April (Caldo Verde)
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Horse Feathers – House With No Home (Kill Rock Stars)
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The Night Marchers – See You in Magic (Swami)
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Pretty & Nice – Get Young (Hardly Art)
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Grails – Doomdayer’s Holiday (Temporary Residence)
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Growing – All the Way (Social Registry)
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Eagles of Death Metal – Heart On (Downtown)
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Jim Noir – Jim Noir (Barsuk)
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Thee Oh Sees – The Master’s Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In (Tomlab)
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The Donkeys – Living on the Other Side (Dead Oceans)
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Derek Papa – I Will Get to You (Arno)
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Women – Women (Jagjaguwar)
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Madlib –WLIB AM (Rapster/BBE)
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Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling (Matador)
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Jesu – Why Are We Not Perfect? (Hydra Head)
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DJ Signify – Of Cities (Bully)
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Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Say Hey)
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Wilderness – (k)no(w)here (Jagjaguwar)
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The Present – World I See (Loaf)
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My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges (ATO)
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The Black Angels – Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic)
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Howlin’ Rain – Magnificent Fiend (American)
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Cadence Weapon – Afterparty Babies (Anti-)
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Silver Jews – Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City)
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Tussle – Cream Cuts (Smalltown Supersound)
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GZA/Genius – Pro Tools (Babygrande)
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Murs – Murs For President (Warner Bros.)
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British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? (Rough Trade)
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Supergrass – Diamond Hoo Ha (EMI)
Reissues
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Fripp & Eno – Evening Star and No Pussyfooting (Opal)
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Rodriguez – Cold Fact (Light in the Attic)
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Killing Joke – Peel Sessions (Caroline)
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O.C. – Word…Life (Fat Beats)
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Wooden Shjips – V.1 (Holy Mountain)
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Loop – Heaven’s End and Fade Out (Elektra)
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Mudhoney – Superfuzz Bigmuff (Sub Pop)
I’m getting old. Consider myself a Big Music fan, but have heard of maybe 4 or 5 groups on this list, and own just one of these CD’s(TV on the Radio) Lol
Just because you don’t know bands on this list doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting old. Part of the point is to spread the love and inspire people to look a little harder to find sounds that suit them.
Email me at toddk@sdcitybeat.com with some of your favorite bands, and I’ll try to match you up with new stuff you might like.
No Todd, I REALLY am getting old! And thanks for the offer.
I certainly did not expect you to include the latest effort from Steve Earle, Elvis Costello or Neil Young but you can throw me some Arcade Fire, Beck or Jenny Lewis.
C’mon-throw me a Bone here! Just kidding. Will try to learn about some of those names! Thanks
I hear Pitchfork is hiring.
nice list! great to see a broad list with some under-rated, more alternative stuff mixed in with too (e.g. #10, a big favourite of mine)
if you think FoTL (i.e., formerly 2/3rds of Welsh band Mclusky) is better than everything else, you should also check out Shooting at Unarmed Men – the bassist from Mclusky’s other band, that released an outstanding album this year (2007 in Australia I think)
Great list. Here’s mine.
Some good stuff on here I think. A few standouts for me would be Grails, GGD, TVotR. There’s a good amount of indie on here. I thought it was kind of a weak year, would you agree or no? Are you familiar with many of the releases on mine? http://staticfix.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-albums-of-2008.html. Thanks for the post. Keep up the listening.