My Favorite Albums of 2008...a top 10 list

10.)

Q-Tip - The Renaissance

The Carter III may be everyone else's favorite hip-hop album of '08 but, song for song, I'll take the Renaissance. Q-Tip is, simply put, more fun. The first four tracks start the album on the right path with a seamless flow of jazzy beats and Tip's laid-back rhymes.

Listen: Gettin Up

9.) 

Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Follow Blindly

Atlas Sound is the side-project of Deerhunter frontman Brendan Cox. The album shares a lot of similarities with Deerhunter's sonic, layered production and late '80s shoegaze/goth sound. Atlas Sound is more personal though, and this reveals itself in the quiet, subtle mood of the album.

Listen: River Cord

8.)

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

Cut Copy does what about 20 other "indie electronica" bands have done in the past two years. They mix a full-band sound with retro synthesizers and 808 drum beats, the difference being the Cut Copy manage to sound original when they do it. This album is clever, fun, and consistently fresh.

Listen: Feel the Love

7.) Jaytech - Everything is OK

House DJs rarely put out good studio albums. The best place to hear new house music is on a mix, whether from a record label or the DJ himself (or herself, I suppose). I first heard Everything is Ok in June and it has been in constant rotation ever since. Every melody, every bass line, and every song structure is just perfect. There is nothing really revelatory about this album. What it does is combine everything that is great about Progressive House and leave out the rest.

Listen: Pyramid

6.) Sun Kil Moon - April
I love Mark Kozelek very, very much. He is one of my favorite singer/songwriters of any generation. April is definitely the most challenging of Kozelek's albums. It took me about four months to get to a point where I really, really liked it. However, songs like "Lost Verses" and "Moorestown" hold some of the most beautifully haunting lyrics and melodies that Kozelek ever wrote. This album is definitely worth the effort.

Listen: Moorestown

5.)
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

Los Angeles is definitely the most original and interesting electronic album I heard this year. Deep, organic, restrained beats create a layer for Flying Lotus' trippy, chopped-up melodies. Unlike most albums, Los Angeles saves the best for last. The final few tracks, some of which are the only ones with vocals, are the best on the album. This also gets my vote for best 'headphones' album of the year.

Listen: RobertaFlack

4.)
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

If Vampire Weekend was the ultra-hyped band of the first half of 'o8, then Bon Iver definitely stole their crown. I first heard this album while sitting in the back of a cramped van in Busan, Korea. It was an album forged in the backwoods of Wisconsin, and that is probably the best place to fully appreciate its beauty.

Listen: Re: Stacks

3.)
Bill Frisell - History, Mystery

Bill Frisell is one of the most consistent artists in American music history. In the past twenty years, he has released an unthinkable amount of near-flawless albums ranging from free jazz to Americana. History, Mystery is a two-disc affair that captures the best of Frisell's Unspeakable Orchestra from the past two years of live shows. The album features the haunting, quirky, and beautifully crafted style found in all if Frisell's work.

Listen: A Change is Gonna Come

2.)
Hercules & Love Affair - Self-titled

Everybody has that one album that ends up being the soundtrack for their summer, and this was mine. I listened to at least half of it every day from June until the end of August. Hercules & Love Affair is pure disco-fueled energy.

Listen: Blind

1.)
Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...

By far the biggest surprise this year, Los Campesinos! popped onto my radar out of nowhere. Two weeks ago, I had never even heard of this band and now I am borderline obsessed. Hold On Now, Youngster...embodies everything that is good about music. It's exciting, fresh, original, beautiful, sad, triumphant, and so much more. Los Campesinos! actually put out a second album this year but I haven't managed to stop listening to this one long enough to hear it. 

Listen: We Are All Accelerated Readers