Lykke Li. Courtesy thefader.com.
For more of the Top 10 Tracks of 2008 series, click here.
10. Noah & the Whale. “5 Years Time.” I worry that this song, with it’s pleasant whistling and tinkling message of love, will get people to buy more Saturn’s. That would be awful.
9. Sigur Ros. “Gobbledigook.” Departing from their previous soft, instrumental work, Sigur Ros reinvented themselves with their first single off of their new album, med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust. The song’s rapid percussion and rhythmic guitar strums build up to a jubilant release. In the case of the Icelandic people, such a release contains a lot of nudity. (more…)
- Yoni Wolf of WHY? Courtesy hiphopcore.net
While I regret not listening to Silver Jews’ Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, Department of Eagle’s In Ear Park, Air France’s No Way Down EP, Portishead’s Third, Neil Halstead’s Oh! Mighty Engine, No Age’s Nouns, Atlas Sound’s Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, Dosh’s Wolves & Wishes, Subtle’s ExitingARM and M83’s Saturdays=Youth as much as I would have liked before assembling this list, I make no apologies.
10. The Magnetic Fields. “Too Drunk to Dream.” Distortion brought new life to the Magnetic Fields, perhaps best evinced by this track. The song’s lyrics are laughable, but the Jesus & Mary Chain influences gives it a distinct feel. And the likelihood that this is how Stephin Merritt actually feels about life paints the song with a true sense of sadness.
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Photo courtesy Department of Eagles
For the first of the Top 10 Tracks of 2008 series, click here.
10. Estelle featuring Kanye West. “American Boy.” Dare I post this too? Rightly so. Estelle’s social commentary of the male specimen in the U.S.A. is definitely worth a shout out (i.e. our boys are 5’7” and wear baggy jeans, but apparently they pack some serious heat). Go America!
9. Hot Chip. “Ready For the Floor.” The British electropop group has perfected the art of repetition with this track. Dancing was hip in 2007, but people weren’t ready to conquer the floor until this song dropped.
8. Department of Eagles. “Teenagers.” Grizzly Bear disappointed with their latest album, but Daniel Rossen more than compensated with In Ear Park. This track in particular stands out; the combination of haunting merry-go-around music and sweeping piano chords captures the dissonant essence of youth.
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