2008 Year-End Round-Up: Part 1

The Best of 2008 Album List is on the horizon, but until that big reveal, here's the 50 songs, in alphabetical order by title, that I really dug this year. Yeah, I know it's a ton of songs. I tried to whittle it down. Honest. Enjoy the YouTube linkage.



--"A-Punk," Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend)
--"Addicted to Drugs," Kaiser Chiefs (Off With Their Heads)
--"Always Wanting More," Jay Reatard (Matador Singles '08)
--"American Blood," Reckless Kelly (Bulletproof)
--"American Gangster Time," Elvis Costello (Momofuku)
--"Attention," Gentlemen Jesse & his Men (Gentleman Jesse & his Men)
--"Bag of Hammers," Thao Nguyen (We Brave Bee Stings and All)
--"Believe in Me," Sloan (Parallel Play)
--"Carpetbaggers," Jenny Lewis (Acid Tongue)▲
--"Death to Los Campesinos," Los Campesinos! (Hold On Now, Youngster...)

~ ~ ~

--"Dig, Lazarus, Dig," Nick Cave (Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!)

--"Five on the Five," Raconteurs (Consolers of the Lonely)▲
--"Furr," Blitzen Trapper (Furr)
--"Gardenia," Stephen Malkmus (Real Emotional Trash)
--"Graveyard Girl," M83 (Saturdays = Youth)
--"How Was California," Reckless Kelly (Bulletproof)
--"I Wanna Deadbeat You," Night Marchers (See You In Magic)
--"I'm Amazed," My Morning Jacket (Evil Urges)
--"It's a Shame," Hayes Carll (Trouble In Mind)
--"Let's Dance to Joy Division," The Wombats (A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation)

~ ~ ~

--"Mercury," Bloc Party (Intimacy)

--"P.F.F.," Hank Williams III (Damn Right, Rebel Proud)▲
--"Party Barge," Silver Jews (Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea)
--"Pop Lie," Okkervil River (The Stand-Ins)
--"Punch Bowl," Punch Brothers (Punch)
--"Real Love," Lucinda Williams (Little Honey)
--"Right Hand On My Heart," The Whigs (Mission Control)
--"Sequestered in Memphis," Hold Steady (Stay Positive)
--"Sex on Fire," Kings of Leon (Only By The Night)
--"Shiny Hiney," Fleshtones (Take a Good Look!)

~ ~ ~

--"Solo Flights," Eagles of Death Metal (Heart On)
--"St. Joseph's," Avett Brothers (The Second Gleam EP)
--"Strange Times," Black Keys (Attack and Release)
--"Streets of Atlanta," Mother Truckers (Let's All Go To Bed)
--"Stupid Now," Bob Mould (District Line)
--"Supernatural Superserious," R.E.M. (Accelerate)▲
--"Take Me Home," Danko Jones (Never Too Loud)
--"Terminal Boredom," Cute Lepers (Can't Stand Modern Music)
--"The Arm," Islands (Arm's Way)
--"The Easy Way," Old 97s (Blame It On Gravity)

~ ~ ~

--"The Girl You Lost to Cocaine," Sia (Some People Have Real Problems)
--"The Rabbit, The Bat and The Reindeer," Dr. Dog (Fate)
--"The Seus," Frank Black (S V N F NG RS)
--"The Sound," Human Highway (Moody Motorcycle)
--"Trashcan," Delta Spirit (Ode to Sunshine)
--"Waving Flags," British Sea Power (Do You Like Rock Music?)
--"We Call Upon the Author," Nick Cave (Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!) ▲
--"White Winter Hymnal," Fleet Foxes (Fleet Foxes)
--"Whoa Mule," Black Crowes (Warpaint)
--"Wreck My Flow," The Dirtbombs (We Have You Surrounded)