BEST MUSIC OF 2008

The big story in music in 2008 was not just the further dissolution of the ancient distribution model, but also the further demise of the album, not only as a delivery system but also as a complete concept.
I don't attribute this phenomenon to an attrition of talent in the field, but rather to a lack of focus, both on the part of the music makers and the listeners, due in part to the de-evolution of the old music business, as well as to the increasing diminution of the collective attention span in general.
With the collapse of the three-tier distribution system (artist/record company/record store, with radio acting as the advertising agency), the old conceit of building something that would hold a listener's attention for 45-60 minutes went flying out the window with the bathwater. (Oddly though, while CD sales plummeted like a lead zeppelin, vinyl LP sales were up this year, thanks to the release of a passel of 180-gram virgin vinyl audiophile LPs featuring extra tracks and deluxe packaging.)
In today’s portable universe, with music being consumed by end-users constantly on the move -- via phones, digital devices, computers, on planes, trains and automobiles -- not only must the musician make an impact quickly and indelibly, but the music itself must be available on a fluid basis for immediate and continuous access by any number of the technological devices seeking it; audio surfing makes TV channel surfing seem like cryogenic deep sleep.
Radiohead moved toward a solution last year, with the release of IN RAINBOWS, which was in fact a proper album - a consistently solid collection of songs from one end to the other - one which the band presciently chose to release over the internet on their own website on a tip-jar basis (pay what you want), effectively lopping two tiers off the three-tier model. They wound up selling well over a million copies that way (at an average contribution of $8 per download), and an additional three million units later via the more traditional download portals (iTunes, Amazon etc.) and some ancient brick and mortar sales (Radiohead brilliantly decided to add bonus material and sell a deluxe box set and vinyl package).
This year there has been no story that even came close to Radiohead's in terms of melding art and technology, but in its aftermath the distribution platform was expanded globally by degrees in breadth. Artists are now streaming entire albums for free and for pay on their own websites, offering alternative material and live EPs via aol, iTunes and Amazon, debuting new songs on MySpace, performing in-studio radio sessions for download as podcasts, uploading audio of live concerts as bit torrents, and also video elsewhere on the internet.
In keeping up with this shape-shifting new universe, the methods of the music buyer/listener have had to evolve as well. Not only have the days of stopping into Ye Olde Record Shoppe on Tuesdays to check out the New Release board blown away like so much dust in the wind, so has the tradition of waiting for recommendations from your faithful music rags. These days, the way into seeing, and hearing, what’s new in music is through the blog-o-sphere. Every minute of every day, while Facebookers are updating their status and Twitterers are a-Twittering, thousands of music-lovers around the globe are blogging about their favorite music, just like I do here, except with fanatic regularity. And when you hit the music blogs, you get a bonus – bloggers actually post some MP3 tracks for you to hear. Theoretically, that should not be allowed, but the fact is that the record companies (who have yet to come up with a better alternative themselves that will make any money) are passively abiding the practice, hoping that if you like a taste of what you hear, you will invest in buying their product -- hopefully even an entire CD.
As a blogger myself, and a purveyor of as much music as I could possibly find and listen to in 2008, my analysis is that music is not dead, it’s just been diffracted and strewn into smaller bits (and bytes) around the world. The way I see it, the field may have narrowed in depth but has stretched in width; while there may have been fewer consistently excellent albums, there were actually more great new songs, many of those coming from new bands, some not yet even formally signed to a label, and from further reaches of the globe. And while some of these gems are hidden, most are readily available, many from tiny independents, with the slightest bit of research, an open mind and just a few clicks on a keyboard.
In the end, while I was finally able to find 60 noteworthy albums this year, I can only say the Top 15 are truly excellent throughout (with the equivalent of a 95-100 score), from track-to-track, start-to-finish. On the other hand, I found it much more difficult to winnow down the nearly 200 standout miscellaneous album tracks I heard in 2008 to the 50 finalists for the purposes of this list.
While major releases from industry superstars such as Oasis, Guns’n’Roses, Kanye West, Madonna and others all failed to live up to sales expectations in 2008, much of the music that made my Best Of list this year came from the debut or sophomore recording of artists who were new to me, or from an artist who had undergone a sudden and significant growth spurt in terms of musical maturity.
In terms of motif, one trend was worth mentioning. To these ears, it seemed like the majority of the best of music in 2008 was more quiet, more personal, and more introspective than in previous years, perhaps as a reaction to the collective uncertainty of the times, the violence and the general anxiety. With few notable exceptions, music did not seem celebratory or grand or anthemic this year; rather it reflected a return to more personal insights made by artists who looked to nature and into their own souls for sustenance and affirmation. To me, it felt like the music of 2008 moved in gently like a lamb, and stayed there; even some hard rockers and electro-musicians made softer, more listenable and, ultimately, more appealing records. In fact, some of the songs that appeared on those few hard rocking albums I liked best were later reinterpreted in “unplugged” settings and re-released.
What follows is my list.

2008 ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
1. Fleet Foxes – FLEET FOXES and SUN GIANT (EP)
The Fleet Foxes are a new band that arose from Seattle not remotely affected by grunge, but instead influenced by the harmonies of Crosby, Stills and Nash, the folk-rock musicianship of The Fairport Convention and the baroque pop song structure of The Zombies. Their sound is as fresh and clean as the Washington State mountain air, constructed of lush and lilting musical beds onto which they construct rapturous multi-layered harmonies.
Their eponymous full-length debut, which is beautiful from its first gorgeously-woven song to its last, was released on June 3rd, and one week later I first posted here that it was the second best thing I had heard all year. On August 2nd I posted that it had overtaken an earlier favorite as my Album of the Year, and it remained there until this day.
Even before the FLEET FOXES CD was on the street though, word of mouth had spread, and with a summer concert tour booked they needed something to sell immediately, so the band rushed back into the studio to record an EP, dubbed SUN GIANT, which was rush-released in April. Like many, I found SUN GIANT only after I had experienced the full-length CD, but it shows a more mature band and possibly even better songs, including “Mykonos, which may be their best yet. One reason is that the Fleet Foxes had by that time added a ‘secret weapon’ named J (Josh) Tillman, a whiskey and honey-voiced singer/songwriter on the Seattle scene who had indie-released four solo records of his own. Already loaded with chops, the group took Tillman on as their drummer.
A bonus: J Tillman’s own fifth solo album, VACILANDO TERRITORY BLUES, which was slated for release in January 2009, is now available on iTunes, and it also made my Best Albums… list this year.
For a taste of Fleet Foxes’ sheer ability, check out the very cool French website LA BLOGOTHEQUE, which films bands in unusual surroundings and streams them as “Take Away Shows.” Here you can watch the Fleet Foxes perform “White Winter Hymnal” in an empty high school gymnasium, and witness the band’s astonishing harmonies, here performed a cappella (note that this FF performance was filmed before they added J Tillman):
[url]http://www.blogotheque.net/Fleet-Foxes,4532[/url]
I recommend you bookmark this fantastic site. (Also look for their show with The National.)
Recommended tracks: “White Winter Hymnal,” “Mykonos,” “Your Protector,” “Blue Ridge Mountains.”
2. Bon Iver – FOR EMMA, FOREVER AGO
I had mentioned this CD in my year-end column last year as something to listen for in 2008, and once it officially appeared in February, its magic was immediately apparent.
FOR EMMA is the result of a winter spent in isolation in the woods of northern Wisconsin by Justin Vernon, who was contemplating the break-up of his relationship, the demise of his band and his recovery from a lingering illness. The music, recorded on lo-fi equipment with the intention that it be used as a demo for future recording with a full band, is melancholic and moving, and its gestalt of isolation is haunting and nearly overwhelming. It feels like a winter album, like snow falling and firewood crackling, and prior to its issue Vernon, assumed the nom de plume Bon Iver, an Anglicized take on the French term for a “good winter”. He wisely chose to release FOR EMMA virtually as he had recorded it in his cabin, with simple backing tracks and layers of vocals rendered in his trance-induced near-falsetto. This was the record that I had as No. 1 on my list for the first six months of 2008, before the Fleet Foxes displaced it, but I listen to it still, through a second winter.
Recommended tracks: “Skinny Love,” “For Emma,” “Re: Stacks.”
3. The Hold Steady – STAY POSITIVE
The title says it all; this is perhaps the greatest exception of 2008 -- an outstanding American rock record that does champion the power of rock and roll, and extols its eternal truths – filled with stories about losers who just might win by keeping their faith, and outcasts who may even find redemption by staying true to their own ideals. Leader Craig Finn is not a rock star but he is an unlikely rock hero; he looks like Peter Sellers and possesses a singing voice that is marginal at best, but he grew up in Minnesota weaned on the irony and hard edge of The Replacements and Husker Dü, and moved to Brooklyn where he assimilated the rocker-as-preacher of rock gospel, Bruce Springsteen. Finn sings with a burning passion, his is band committed to delivering his message with fire and brimstone fury, and STAY POSITIVE churns with buzzing guitars, swelling choruses and sweeping hooks. The track “Sequestered in Memphis” is the Song of the Year.
Recommended tracks: “Sequestered in Memphis,” “Stay Positive,” “Constructive Summer.
4. Frightened Rabbit – THE MIDNIGHT ORGAN FLIGHT and LIVER! LUNG! FR! (EP)
Frightened Rabbit are a Scottish quartet featuring singer-songwriter Scott Hutchison, who despite being half a world away from Bon Iver, was suffering the same fate and also crafting stunning songs from the painful shards of a broken relationship. THE MIDNIGHT ORGAN FLIGHT, FR’s second CD (first with the current line-up), plays like a modern version of BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, like a dazzling diamond dagger to the heart. For good measure, he followed it several months later with the LIVER! EP, a magical 12-track live “unplugged” version of the full-length.
Recommended tracks: “Good Arms vs. Bad Arms,” “Keep Yourself Warm,” “Poke.”
5. The Last Shadow Puppets – THE AGE OF THE UNDERSTATEMENT
The LSP are a side project of the Arctic Monkeys’ frontman Alex Turner and his mate Miles Kane, frontman for Brit-rock trio The Rascals, and together they have made a record that far is far greater than the sum of their parts. THE AGE OF THE UNDERSTATMENT is a throwback epic, rich with guitars and Sixties–era reverb, and laced with strings muted horns that is as much evocative of cool James Bond themes as it is Sixties-period Walker Brothers records. Also check out their EPs, one of which includes acoustic songs recorded for the “LIVE AT ABBEY ROAD” television series, and another a brilliant cover of David Bowie’s “In The Heat Of The Morning.”
Recommended tracks: “My Mistakes Were Made For You,” “The Age Of The Understatement,” “In The Heat Of The Morning.”
6. GIRL TALK – FEED THE ANIMALS
The most interesting record of 2008 wasn’t even an original recording, but an ingenious mix of hundreds of samples of other songs mashed together by a whacky recording engineer in Pittsburg, PA, named Gregg Gillis who was formally educated as a biomedical engineer!
A head-spinning homage to the history of rock, R&B, rap, metal, hip-hop and anything else Gillis could throw into his audio mixmaster, FEED THE ANIMALS is musical alchemy (of the kind the NY Times magazine called “a lawsuit waiting to happen”). This virtual masterpiece, made available for public consumption on his own website on a tip-jar basis (pay what you want for download), and the thing went viral. How can you not love a single song that mashes Procol Harum, Kanye West, Michael Jackson, Radiohead, The Band, Kenny Loggins, The Beastie Boys, Salt-n-Pepa, Queen and Cat Stevens, or another that melds Rihanna, Vanilla Ice, Radiohead, Mary J. Blige, The Guess Who, Aerosmith, Ice Cube, Grandmaster Flash, The Tom Tom Club, The Spinners, Fine Young Cannibals, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and Eddie Floyd. (Here’s the Wiki link to see the bitmap of the entire crazy affair: [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_the_Animals)[/url].
Recommended tracks: “Set It Off,” “Still Here,” “Hands In The Air," “Let Me See You.”
7. Shearwater – ROOK
Co-founder Jonathan Meiburg left Okkervil River this year to turn his attention full-time to Shearwater, another naturalistic band, in this case literally, as Meiburg has a Masters in Geography as well as a preoccupation with ornithology. He also has a killer voice and writes great songs. The attention he was able to give Shearwater’s new record, ROOK, actually the band’s fifth, is immediately evident, as Meiburg imbued it with poetic songs about sea and sky, flora and fauna imbedded in sumptuous Americana stacked with eclectic instrumentation. When it all locks in, it transcends.
A bonus: Before he left Okkervil, Meiburg cut “Lost Coastlines,” a song about his moving on using a ship at sea metaphor, as a duet with co-founder Will Sheff on OR’s THE STAND-INS record. While that CD was a disappointing collection of leftovers from 2007’s wonderful THE STAGE NAMES, “Lost Coastlines,” an unlikely but infectious combo of Motown rhythm and alt-rock ebullience, was my Number Two Song of the Year.
Recommended tracks: “The Snow Leopard,” “Rooks,” “Leviathan, Bound.”
8. Blitzen Trapper – FURR
FURR is a textbook example of what I was referring to in the prologue; by dialing down the volume and paying more attention on their fourth album to writing words, BT have come up with a delicious and dizzying blend of contemporary alt-country and retro-‘60s pop, a sound which is influenced by Band-abetted Dylan, mid-period Byrds and AMERICAN BEAUTY-era Grateful Dead. The title fantastic track melds Dylanesque lyric imagery with a “Friend of the Devil” vibe. The last band that made records that were this picaresque and this much fun was the Meat Puppets.
Recommended tracks: “Furr,” “Black River Killer,” “Lady On The Water.”
9. The Raconteurs – CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY
CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY is another great American rock album, and while it is not quite as masterful as last year’s inspired debut, BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS, it has a couple key moments that surpass it. CONSOLERS was recorded in a proper studio with a bigger budget, yet it feels sloppier and more experimental, like a merger between Brendan Benson’s love for pop-rock and Jack White’s mission to take blues-rock back from Led Zeppelin and re-establish it as an American idiom. I prefer the songs where Benson takes the lead, his voice straining with color and emotion, but the best moments are those when he and White harmonize and play double guitar leads together; melding into one immense and exuberant kindred spirit in the service of rock and roll, over one of its most solid rhythm sections. Over the course of the year, The Raconteurs re-imagined and performed alternate live acoustic and unplugged versions of several of the songs, which were even more appealing.
Recommended tracks: “Old Enough,” “Rich Kid Blues,” “Salute Your Solution.”
10. Black Keys – ATTACK & RELEASE
The Black Keys, a blues rock duo from Akron who fall into the same groove as Dinosaur Jr. and the White Stripes, finally got into a real studio with a creative producer, Danger Mouse), and made a record that blisters with fuzzy-guitar toned fury. Guitarist Dan Auerbach creates a Junior Kimbough-influenced drone through a stack of tube amps and can wail, but remains true to a post-punk ethic, maintaining a consistently high energy by keeping the all the tracks under five minutes and avoiding unnecessary solo pork.
Recommended tracks: “Strange Times,” “I Got Mine,” “Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be.”
11. Duffy – ROCKFERRY
The leader of the assault of the post-Amy Winehouse British Invaders was Aimée Duffy, a 24-year-old elfin Welshwoman who channeled Motown-influenced blue-eyed Northern Soul on her debut, ROCKFERRY, selling nearly five million copies worldwide thanks to the turbo-charge of the twin hits, “Mercy” and “Warwick Avenue.” A welcome relief from the second-generation BritPop bands the press dubbed “identikits,” Duffy crafted a sound that was casual, cool, catchy and seductive. The fetching songstress proved a welcome relief from Winehouse’s drug-induced histrionics and helped open the door for a new Welch femme neo-soul brigade wave, which included new high quality recordings from the potentially-even more talented 20-year-old Adele, and Sharleen Spiteri, former leader of rock band Texas.
Recommended tracks: “Warwick Avenue,” “Rockferry,” “Mercy.”
12. Elbow – THE SELDOM SEEN KID
Everything fell into place in 2008 for Elbow, the latest in Manchester’s hallowed tradition of producing excellent rock bands. Elbow suddenly found themselves an “overnight success” by winning this year’s Mercury Prize for Best U.K. Album, after having been around for nearly two decades. Lead singer Guy Garvey, his keening voice redolent of Peter Gabriel, and his bandmates take full advantage of the studio, not unlike Genesis, using it as a tool to produce glorious guitar-based rock music that sounds massive. On THE SELDOM SEEN KIND they have reached their apotheosis.
Recommended tracks: “Grounds For Divorce,” “One Day Like This.”
13. Goldfrapp – SEVENTH TREE
Goldfrapp, a British duo fronted by Alison Goldfrapp, was previously known for electronica, extended dance mixes and Alison’s exotic sartorial choices onstage, which included the wearing of horse and deer heads. In a welcome burst of sanity, they decided to turn their interests and energies inward, designing a record that has them not only sounding better than ever, but actually means more. By backing off the synths, adding acoustic instrumentation and strings, and composing songs with swirling melodies slowed- down tempos and writing lyrics flush with mystical imagery, they have achieved a sound that evokes the wind passing through a Renaissance faire in the countryside in the middle of a pleasant summer afternoon. I would love to see them further explore this niche, formerly occupied so brilliantly by Kate Bush.
Recommended tracks: “A&E,” “Happiness.”
14. She & Him – VOLUME ONE
She and Him is an unlikely collaboration between quirky indie-actress Zooey Deschanel (Z. is the “She) and quirky indie folkster M. Ward (M. is the “Him”). VOLUME ONE, which was produced via internet exchanges between Portland and Los Angeles, is delightfully lo-fi and deceptively charming, with a depth that is not immediately apparent. Surprisingly, it was Deschanel who wrote all of the material (Ward produced and brought in the backing band), structuring it as an epistolary to a man with whom she was falling in love and embarking on a relationship. I found her vocals, stylistically a throaty but warm mélange of jazz-inflected textures with country-tinged emotional breaks, stuck inside my head for a good part of the summer. Hopefully on VOLUME TWO they will come up with more than just two or three great songs.
Recommended tracks: “Change Is Hard,” “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”
15. My Morning Jacket – EVIL URGES
Quicksilver Jim James is capable of spectacular and hair-raising moments as both a guitarist and vocalist, and hits several of them here, shifting from awesome crunchy overdrive to quiet beauty with aplomb and grace.
Recommended tracks: “I’m Amazed,” Librarian,” “Evil Urges.”
16. TV On The Radio – DEAR SCIENCE
Nowhere near their stunning debut CD as it lacks a defining rock moment as strong as “Wolf Like Me,” this is nonetheless a record of tremendous depth, color and texture, and TVOTR could very well be the best live band out there today.
Recommended tracks: “Golden Age,” "Crying," “Dancing Choose.”
17. Calexico – CARRIED TO DUST
Another solid work in the remarkably consistent Calexico canon, with help from Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) and others, glitters like the Arizona sand from whence it came.
Recommended tracks: “House of Valparaiso,” "Two Silver Trees.”
18. Lightspeed Champion – FALLING OF THE LAVENDER BRIDGE
Lightspeed Champion (the sobriquet for Devonte Hynes) has followed an itinerant and fascinating path; an African-American guitarist born in Houston, TX, he was raised in Sussex, England, and there founded the thrash-punk band the Test Icicles when he as only 18. After their dissolution, Hynes went to Omaha, Nebraska, to record with an album for Conor Oberst’s label, Saddle Creek, using some of the musicians from the Bright Eyes-extended family. The result, FOTLB, sounds as diametrically-opposed to the sound of Hynes’ previous work as possible – it is gentle, droning and melodic, filled with deft 12-string guitar-picking, acoustic thrumming and odd yet exuberant frills, and belies his lyrics, where his feelings of alienation, isolation and anger remain constant.
Recommended tracks: “Tell Me What It’s Worth,” “Dry Lips.”
19. Beck – MODERN GUILT
A return to the somber tones and slower tempos of SEA CHANGE, but favoring keyboards over guitars, with production by Danger Mouse and a guest appearance by Cat Power.
Recommended tracks: “Gamma Ray, “Orphans.”
20. Vampire Weekend – VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Ivy League quartet from Columbia plays high-spirited Afro-pop they call “Upper West Side Soweto.” Sure Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel and David Byrne did it first and played it better, but they were nowhere near as much fun.
Recommended tracks: “A-Punk,” “Ottoman” (from the NICK & NORA’S INFINITE PLAYLIST soundtrack).

21. Jenny Lewis – ACID TONGUE
22. Portishead – THIRD
23. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – DIG! LAZARUS, DIG!!!
24. Joan as Police Woman – TO SURVIVE
25. Teddy Thompson – A PIECE OF WHAT YOU NEED
26. J Tillman – VACILANDO BLUES
27. American Music Club – THE GOLDEN AGE
28. Adele – 19
29. The Felice Brothers – THE FELICE BROTHERS
30. Sun Kil Moon - APRIL
31. Mudcrutch – MUDCRUTCH
32. Little Joy – LITTLE JOY
33. Plants & Animals – PARC AVENUE
34. Conor Oberst – CONOR OBERST
35. The Walkmen – YOU & ME
36. White Denim – EXPLOSION
37. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – SUNDAY AT DEVIL DIRT
38. Robert Forster – THE EVANGELIST
39. James McMurtry – JUST US KIDS
40. Martha Wainwright – I KNOW YOU’RE MARRIED, BUT I’VE GOT FEELINGS TOO

41. Hello, Blue Roses - THE PORTRAIT IS FINISHED, AND I HAVE FAILED TO CAPTURE YOUR BEAUTY
42. Deerhunter – MICROCASTLE
43. Sharleen Spiteri - MELODY
44. The Raveonettes – LUST, LUST, LUST
45. The Chapin Sisters – LAKE BOTTOM LP
46. Everest – GHOST NOTES
47. Delta Spirit – ODE TO SINSHINE
48. Pierre de Reeder – THE WAY IT WAS
49. Peter Broderick - HOME
50. Apollo Sunshine – SHALL NOISE UPON
51. M83 – SATURDAYS = YOUTH
52. Centro-Matic – DUAL HAWKS
53. Son Ambulance – SOMEONE ELSE’S DEJA VU
54. Earlimart – HYMN AND HER
55. The Dutchess & The Duke – SHE’S THE DUTCHESS, HE’S THE DUKE
56. Silver Jews - LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, LOOKOUT SEA
57. Neil Halstead – OH! MIGHTY ENGINE
58. Kate Maki – ON HIGH
59. Luke Doucet - BLOOD'S TOO RICH
60. David Byrne & Brian Eno – EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS WILL HAPPEN TODAY

BEST ALBUM FROM 2007 THAT I MISSED BUT HEARD THIS YEAR:
Glenn Mercer – WHEELS IN MOTION
Former leader of influential indie-Gods The Feelies returned and quietly created a pure pop gem back in Hoboken while no one was paying attention. Even better, The Feelies reunited in ’08 for some live gigs and are planning a new album.
Recommended tracks: “Get It Back,” “Another Last Time.”

BEST ALBUM FROM 2002 THAT NOBODY HEARD THAT WAS RE-RELEASED IN 2008:
Plush – FED
Plush is actually a singer/songwriter from Chicago named Liam Hayes, who had a brief appearance in the film HIGH FIDELITY. FED is an incredible and eclectic record that sounds as fresh as if it were made last year.
Recommended tracks: “Fed,” “Greyhound Bus Station.”

BEST ALBUM OF PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS RECORDED BETWEEN 1974 and 1990:
Arthur Russell – LOVE IS OVERTAKING ME
Russell was a classically-trained cellist who was an icon in the Manhattan disco scene, recording and arranging dance records. Hen he died in 1990, he left behind over 1,000 song tapes. This CD collects demos and songs showcasing his unknown singer/songwriter side, and several are heartbreakingly exquisite.
Recommended tracks: “I Couldn’t Say It To Your Face,” “Maybe She.”

BEST ACID-FOLK RECORD FROM 1970 THAT NOBODY HEARD THAT WAS RE-RELEASED IN 2008, AND STILL NOBODY HEARD IT:
Linda Perhacs – PARALLELOGRAMS.
If you can find it, listen to it. It’s weird and wonderful.

BEST COMPILATION ALBUM:
Bob Dylan – THE BOOTLEG SERIES, VOL. 8: TELL TALE SIGNS
Rare and unreleased cuts, alternate takes and live takes from 1989 to 2006, covering the recording of OH MERCY, WORLD GONE WRONG, TIME OUT OF MIND and MODERN TIMES. Prime behind the scenes material from post-prime Bob.
Recommended tracks: “Most of the Time” (alternate version), “Mississippi,” “’Cross The Green Mountain.”

BEST LIVE ARCHIVE ALBUM:
Neil Young – SUGAR MOUNTAIN: LIVE AT CANTERBURY HOUSE, 1968
Recorded just days before the release of Neil’s eponymous debut solo album, which was also his 23rd birthday, June 12, 1968. Features pristine performances of several key Buffalo Springfield songs as well as the definitive version of “Sugar Mountain.”
Recommended tracks: “Sugar Mountain,” “I Am A Child,” “Birds.”

BEST OFFICIAL REISSUE OF A LIVE ALBUM PREVIOUSLY ONLY AVAILABLE ON BOOTLEG:
David Bowie – LIVE SANTA MONICA ‘72
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars at their peak, recorded off the soundboard for broadcast in Los Angeles on KMET. Formerly known as the greatest live boot ever made, now digitally remastered by Bowie himself.
Recommended tracks: “Ziggy Stardust,” “Space Oddity,” “Suffragette City.”

BEST DIGITAL REMASTER/REISSUES:
1. Whiskeytown – STRANGERS ALMANAC
With a second disc of studio demos, live tracks and radio performances. Awesome.
2. Nick Lowe – JESUS OF COOL (formerly known in the U.S. as PURE POP FOR NOW PEOPLE).
3. The Replacements’ catalog.
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION series.
All with bonus material added!

BEST COVER ALBUMS:
1. Cat Power – THE GREATEST, along with the bonus follow-up EP, DARK END OF THE STREET.
Chan Marshall turns every song inside out and makes it her own.
2. Vetiver – THING OF THE PAST, along with the bonus follow-up EP, MORE OF THE PAST.
3. Glen Campbell – MEET GLEN CAMPBELL

TEN FANTASTIC ‘WORLD MUSIC’ ALBUMS FROM 2008:
1. Amadou & Mariam – WELCOME TO MALI (Mali)
In my year-end Best Music of 2005 in these very pages, I raved about a stunning album called DIMANCHE A BAMAKO, a stunning achievement by this married Malian duo (she sings, mostly in French, he plays incredible guitar and sings), both of whom are unfortunately blind. This what I wrote then: “Hinting of guitar-inflected African roots music, percussive reggae beats, and Western blues-rock influences, this record is completely mesmerizing, and will have leave you confused about whether to simply listen, sing along or get up and dance. But one thing’s for sure: you will listen to it again and again.” I would say the same now, but would add that while the former record is still slightly better, the newer CD has a more polished production. The world is finally catching up to the aural pleasures of Amadou and Mariam, and they are making many year-end Best Of lists, despite the fact that WELCOME TO MALI won’t be ‘officially’ released in the U.S. until March 24, 2009 (it has been released elsewhere already). They have accepted an invitation to perform at Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration.
Recommended tracks: “Unissons Nous,” “Sebeke,” “Sabali” (produced by Damon Albarn.)
2. Juana Molina – UN DíA (Argentina)
Molina is a former comedienne and television personality who started singing in Castilian Spanish and making records over a decade ago. UN DîA is her fifth album, and her best yet, a weird and wonderful experiment that deconstructs the genres of pop, electronica and regional folk music, then reconstitutes them into a rhythmic trance.
Recommended tracks: “Dar (Que Difícil),” “Vive Solo.”
3. Toumani Diabaté – THE MANDRÉ VARIATIONS (Mali)
4. Shogu Tokumaru - EXIT (Japan)
5. Seun Kuti & Fela’s Egypt 80 – MANY THINGS (Nigeria)
6. Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are The Very Best – THE VERY BEST MIXTAPE (Malawi/Great Britain)
7. Coralie Clément – TOYSTORE (France)
8. Giulia y los Tellarini – EUSEBIO (Spain)
9. The Ruby Suns – SEA LION (New Zealand/Maori)
10. Carla Bruni - COMME SI DE RIEN N'ÉTAIT (France)

BEST R&B/SOUL ALBUMS:
1. Raphael Saadiq – THE WAY I SEE IT
A quintessential soul album, cut from classic cloth, from Saadiq, formerly the lead singer of Tony!Toni!Toné! (as Raphael Wiggins), who dug through research tapes prior to cutting this album. His diligence pays off, as THE WAY I SEE IT is bursting with plush Philly sound and crisp Motown-stylings, with sterling production values. Great record.
Recommend tracks: “Love That Girl,” “Never Give You Up” (featuring Stevie Wonder.
2. Gnarls Barkley – THE ODD COUPLE
Cee-Lo Green has the best pipes in music today, a phenomenally elastic instrument that fluidly moves from smoky soul balladry to funky trip-hop.
Note: producer Danger Mouse has posted ELPUOC DDO EHT, an instrumental version of this disc, in reverse, as one continuous track for free download on his website:
[url]http://www.fronttobackbacktofront.com/signup/index.html[/url]
Recommended tracks: “Run,” “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul.”

BEST HIP-HOP ALBUMS:
1. The Knux – REMIND ME IN 3 DAYS…
Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Nas and T.I. got the props, and the sales, this year, but The Knux, a pair of brothers from New Orleans, gets my vote for REMIND ME…, which is a party in a box, a rouille of witty rhymes pulsing big beats and infectious grooves, with the instruments played by the talented siblings, known as Krispy Kream and Rah Al Millio. themselves.
Recommended tracks: “The True,” “Bang! Bang!”
2. Erykah Badu – NEW AMERYKAH PART ONE: 4TH WORLD WAR
After a five-year hiatus, the shape-shifting Badu exploded back with a genre-bending record imbued with her spirituality and literate lyrics exploring social politics. PART TWO: RTEURN OF THE ANKH is due this year.
Recommended track: “Honey”

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM:
1. Hayes Carrll – TROUBLE IN MIND
Hayes Carrll lives in Austin, lists Dylan, Kristofferson, Prine and Jack Kerouac as his influences, has written songs with Guy Clark, and has been compared to Townes Van Zandt. If that doesn’t sell you, I don’t know what will, but TROUBLE IN MIND lives up to the hype.
Recommended tracks: “Drunken Poet’s Dream,” “It’s A Shame.”

BEST INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM:
James Blackshaw – LITANY OF ECHOES
Blackshaw is a wizard of the acoustic 12-string guitar, and LITANY continues his string of gorgeous sonic pastiches. Dream music.
Recommended tracks: “Infinite Circle,” “Echo and Abyss.”

BEST ALBUM OF HISTORICAL SONGS:
Al Stewart – SPARKS OF ANCIENT LIGHT
Who else but the eBob board’s own Bard of Bordeaux & Burgundy could rock the Shah of Iran, Dwight D. Eisenhower, William McKinley and the Carthaginians with such clever prose and such tunefulness. Tasty guitar work and production by Laurence Juber.
Recommended tracks: “Ear Of The Night,” “Elvis At The Wheel,” “Hanno the Navigator.”

BEST 'NEW BOB DYLAN' THIS YEAR:
Pete Molinari - A VIRTUAL LANDSLIDE
Accepting the mantle from Ryan Bingham, who accepted it last year from Jackie Greene.
Recommended track: "Look What I Made Out Of My Head Ma."

BEST NEW BOB DYLAN-INFLUENCED ALBUM I MISSED IN 2008 BUT AM LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW:
The Low Anthem - OH MY GOD, CHARLIE DARWIN
Recommended tracks: "Charlie Darwin," "To Ohio."

BEST MID-PERIOD STONES RETRO-SOUNDING RECORD OF 2008:
The Dutchess & The Duke - SHE'S THE DUTCHESS, HE'S THE DUKE
Recommended track: "Reservoir Park."

TOP 30 MISCELLANEOUS ALBUM TRACKS OF 2008:
1. Glasvegas – “Geraldine”
Glasvegas’s debut showed a ton of promise and one stunner of a song.
2. Beach House – “Gila”
3. The Duke Spirit - "The Step and the Walk"
4. R.E.M. – “Hollow Man” (Live from London version)
5. Robyn – “With Every Heartbeat” (acoustic version)
6. The Airborne Toxic Event – “Sometime Around Midnight”
7. Ben Folds (featuring Regina Spektor) – “You Don’t Know Me”
8. Pelle Carlberg – “1983 (Pelle & Sebastian)”
9. Of Montreal – “For Our Elegant Caste”
10. The Gaslight Anthem – “Here’s Looking At You Kid”
11. Eli “Paperboy” Reed And The True Loves – “The Satisfier”
12. Randy Newman – “Losing You”
13. Lucinda Williams (with Elvis Costello) – “Jailhouse Tears”
14. Kings Of Leon – “Sex On Fire”
15. Laura Marling – “Ghosts”
16. Blanche – “I’m Sure Of It”
17. Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs - “For All This”
18. Kamila Thompson – “Little Boy Blue”
19. Lisa Hannigan – “Lille”
20. Inara George and Van Dyke Parks – “Duet”
21. Rachael Yamagata with Ray LaMontagne – “Duet”
22. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – “Easy Does It”
23. Lambchop – “National Talk Like A Pirate Day”
24. French Kicks – “With the Fishes”
25. Johnny Flynn – “Leftovers”
26. Joseph Arthur – “Lovely Cost”
27. Department of Eagles – “No One Does It Like You”
28. Jessica Lea Mayfield – “Kiss Me Again”
29. Megapuss – “Adam & Steve”
30. Drive-By Truckers - "Daddy Needs A Drink"

TOP 20 SINGLES FOR A PARTY MIX FROM 2008:
1. The Ting Tings – “That’s Not My Name”
2. Santogold – “Say Aha”
3. The Kills – “Sour Cherry”
4. MGMT – “Time To Pretend”
5. The Killers – “Human”
6. Lykke Li – “Little Bit”
7. Estelle (featuring Kanye West) – “American Boy”
8. Air France – “Collapsing At Your Doorstep”
9. CSS – “Jager Yoga”
10. Those Dancing Days – “Those Dancing Days”
11. Los Campesinos! – “Death To Los Campesinos!”
12. Kate Nash - "Foundations"
13. Love Is All – “Wishing Well”
14. Sébastian Tellier - "Divine"
15. Chairlift – “Bruises”
16. Sam Sparro – “Black & Gold”
17. Kanye West – “Heartless”
18. The Bug & Warrior Queen – “Poison Dart”
19. Hercules & Love Affair – “Blind”
20. Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”

BEST MUSIC FILMS OF 2008:
1. Documentary: YOUNG @ HEART
2. Narrative: CADILLAC RECORDS

BEST SOUNDTRACK ALBUMS OF 2008:
1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
AR Rahman’s helter-skelter score is the perfect accompaniment for Danny Boyle’s film, which was also my Best Movie of 2008. The choice of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” is inspired and though it was heard innumerable times before, still seemed as though it was penned for the film.
Recommended track: “Jai Ho” (used for the fabulous Bollywood-style dance number under the end credits).
2. NICK & NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
Perfectly charming film with a perfectly charming soundtrack that includes Chris Bell from Big Star, Devendra Banhart, Band of Horses, Vampire Weekend, Richard Hawley, Band of Horses, Rogue Wave and the Shout Out Louds.
Recommended track: Vampire Weekend – “Ottoman.”

BEST MOVIE THEME SONG OF 2008:
Bruce Springsteen – “The Wrestler”
One of Springsteen’s best songs, written for the film THE WRESTLER, and to be included on the Boss’s upcoming CD, WORKING ON A DREAM.

BEST MUSIC TELEVISION PROGRAM, COMEDY CATEGORY:
"Flight Of The Conchords." FOTC, 'formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo a capella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo,' wrap satire inside parody. Dry as a bone and funny as hell.

BEST MUSIC TELEVISION PROGRAM, LIVE CATEGORY:
"Austin City Limits," once again. The 34th season featured superb new live performances by REM; Bettye LaVette; Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, Joe Ely and John Hiatt; Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings; Aimee Mann/iron & Wine; Gnarls Barkley/Thievery Corporation; Foo Fighters; and Nick Lowe/The Swell Season.

BEST CONCERT OF 2008:
Van Morrison – ASTRAL WEEKS Live
In its entirety, live at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, November 7, 2008, with full string section and musicians from the original studio recording, including guitarist Jay Berliner. Spellbinding and sublime. To be released on CD and DVD in February, with a possible reprise in New York City in the works.

BEST THINGS I’VE HEARD SO FAR IN 2009:
1. Andrew Bird – NOBLE BEAST
More sophisticated heartfelt pop from Midwestern multi-instrumentalist and intelligent song craftsman, Bird.
Recommended tracks: “Tenuousness,” "Oh No.”
Release date: 1/20.
2. J Tillman – VACILANDO TERRITORY BLUES
See FLEET FOXES section above. I love this record.
Recommended tracks: "No Occasion," "First Born."
Release date: 1/20.
3. Bon Iver – BLOOD BANK EP
Three new songs plus a re-working of the title track, recorded by Justin Vernon along with his full working band. Not as powerfully visceral as his debut recording, but worth listening to nonetheless.
Recommended track: “Blood Bank.”
Release date: 1/20.
4. Mark Olson and Gary Louris – READY FOR THE FLOOD
The Jayhawks co-founders got back together for this unplugged set recorded live in the studio under the direction of longtime fan Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes. Despite not having performed together in a studio since TOMORROW THE GREEN GRASS in 1995, the perfect blend of their vocals, known to Jayhawks fans as the “univoice,” remains intact and sometimes even recalls Simon & Garfunkel. Breathtaking and highly recommended.
Recommended tracks: “Saturday Morning On Sunday Street,” “The Rose Society.”
Release date: 1/27.
5. Bruce Springsteen – WORKING ON A DREAM
The jury is still out on this record, which combines some material leftover songs from the MAGIC sessions with some new songs recorded with the E Street Band, as well as the bonus cut “The Wrestler,” which The Boss composed for the film of the same name, and is the strongest song he has written in years. The lead-off track, “Outlaw Pete,” which at eight-minutes is the longest song Springsteen as recorded since 1980. The album features the final work the late Danny Federici did with the band, as well as a guest appearance by the organist’s son, Jason. Will be available in a Deluxe Edition with a bonus behind-the-scenes DVD. (Note: “The Jersey Devil,” which had been previously released on Springsteen’s website and listed for inclusion in the album has been removed).
Recommended track: “The Wrestler.”
Release date: 1/27.
6. N.A.S.A. – THE SPIRIT OF APOLLO
N.A.S.A. (acronym for North America South America) is a collaboration between classically trained American hip-hop producer Squeak E. Clean (nee Sam Spiegel) and Brazilian DJ DJ Zegon. Their mandate is to “bring the world together through music and art,” building lush musical beds based on Brazilian funk and then layer on superstar vocalists, including Tom Waits, David Byrne, Chuck D.. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs). M.I.A., Santogold, KRS-One, George Clinton, Old Dirty Bastard, RZA, Method Man, Lykke Li, Kanye West, Seu Jorge and others.
Recommended tracks: “Money,” “Gifted.”
Release date: 3/10.
7. Amadou and Mariam – WELCOME TO MALI
See ‘WORLD MUSIC’ section above.
Release date: 3/24.
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MORE NEW RELEASES TO LISTEN FOR IN THE FIRST-QUARTER OF 2009:
The Von Bondies – LOVE, HATE AND THEN THERE’S YOU, 2/3.
Lily Allen – IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU, 2/10.
M Ward – HOLD TIME, 2/17.
Neko Case – MIDDLE CYCLONE, 3/3.
U2 – NO LINE ON THE HORIZON, 3/3.
Pearl Jam - TEN, Deluxe Reissue. Featuring bonus tracks including MAMASAN (Eddie Vedder's original demo tape for the band), a second CD with a live 1992 Seattle show, and a DVD of the band's 1992 MTV UNPLUGGED performance. 3/24
The Decemberists – THE HAZARDS OF LOVE, 3/24.
Grizzly Bear – TBA, April.
Neil Young - ARCHIVES, VOLUME 1 (1963-1972), TBD.

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As always, the intent is to support the music and the musicians. If you like what you hear, go out and buy more songs or albums from those artists about whom you may have learned.