Justin Vernon. Courtesy New York Press.
10. Lil Wayne. Tha Carter III.
Tha Carter III makes a case for itself from virulent opener “3Peat” all the way to the amusing political piece “Don’t Get It.” The concept is simple: fill an entire album with songs that sound like singles, paired with worthwhile guest-appearances and Lil Wayne’s singular, codeine-laced style. The voice of hip-hop in 2008 was Weezy, not Ye. -Brian Contratto
9. Sun Kil Moon. April.
By now, Mark Kozelek fans know what to expect from his music. The Ohio-born musician makes the case for classic songwriting. April is stripped down, instrumentally sparse–just as, if not more, honest and powerful than anything else in 2008 and as good as anything from his past two decades of music-making. -Andrew Hibbard
8. Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend.
Had Jack Kennedy skipped out on politics and moved to Africa, this could be the soundtrack to his life. Vampire Weekend is marked by its catchy vocals, catchy guitar, catchy drums—hell, even the album cover is catchy. Don’t believe the hype and don’t listen to the backlash; these four gentlemen deserve an honest listen. -Kevin Lincoln
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The Village Voice posted an interview with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) proving that in addition to being a year-end list-topping musician, he is certified hardcore. On living alone in rural Wisconsin:
Well, my dad would swing by every 10 days or so, and he would drop off beer and eggs and cheese–basically things I couldn’t hunt.
I’d like to see how that hunter’s instinct manifests on his next record.
Pitchfork called on some of the most notorious artists in music to assemble their own top 10 lists for 2008. The lists are varied, with some surprising picks. Justin Vernon, an ex-pat of the Triangle, included Raleigh bands Bowerbirds and the Rosebuds plus Vernon’s former DeYarmond Edison bandmates now know as Megafaun from Durham.
But by far the best list comes from Destroyer’s Dan Bejar. It’s probably better to call the list top 10 Dan Bejar probably liked:
5. Cat Power: Jukebox (The band is really really good, the production super-classy, and I’m really starting to get into her singing, the way she throws her voice around, you know, like Bob Dylan…people say this is too adult contemporary or something, but to me that’s just code word for “70s”…don’t really like a lot of the songs, but whatever…)
6. Sun Kil Moon: April
Haven’t heard it, but I generally enjoy this man’s work.
A well researched list indeed. As a side note, in the four pages of lists, not a single artist mentioned Bejar’s Trouble in Dreams from 2008.
The increasingly desperate Rolling Stone just released its top 50 albums of 2008. Bon Iver barely cracked the top 30, and TV on the Radio took the top spot, followed by Bob Dylan, Lil Wayne, My Morning Jacket and John Mellencamp. Yes. John Cougar Mellencamp.
Bon Iver barely cracked the top 30, a clear sign that Rolling Stone’s critics have no taste in music. For better more Justin Vernon-loving year end lists, check the recess top 10 lists.
MGMT. Courtesy gangsounds.com
For more of the Top 10 Tracks of 2008, click here.
10. T.I. ft. Rihanna. “Live Your Life.” Admittedly I’m not crazy about T.I.’s verses, but if you didn’t sing along with Rihanna’s angelic chorus at some point this year, you missed out.
9. Yael Naim. “New Soul.” Sure, it makes for a catchy Mac ad. But Naim’s girl-in-the-Big-City/Garden-of-Eden story of a new soul entering this strange world and her slightly choked confession of “making every possible mistake” (specifically the one following the bridge) are as real as it gets.
8. Vampire Weekend. “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” Any song from this groundbreaking album could be on here; however, “Cape Cod’s” minimalist lyrics paint an iconic picture of sweaters, linens and Louis Vuitton that makes this album worthy of its hype.
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