Courtesy men.style.com

Men.style.com‘s week in style for last week is quite a doozy. But  this photo of Jigga himself is a gem. As the writer noted, Shawn Carter looks more TV on the Radio than Rock-a-fella here. What’s most exciting though is this is Jay-Z’s chosen outfit to the Notorious premiere. Notorious–that movie about Notorious B.I.G., the king of east coast rap whose thrown Tha Carter inherited. Way to honor your predecessor, Jay.

Justin Vernon. Courtesy rcrdlbl.

A whole 17 days before the year ends, we did it. We summarized the best our favorite music of 2008 on our humble blog, and its name was Justin Vernon. The Jagjaguwar re-release of Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, our favorite album of the year, made it into six of our nine lists, all in the top five (that was a lot of single-digit numbers, more coming). The lists had three mentions of “re:stacks,” two of “Skinny Love” and one of “Lump Sum.” Some other numbers after the jump.

• Kanye was the second most acknowledged artist, with five appearances-two for “Street Lights” and three for his guest spot with Estelle.
• Vampire Weekend had four nods, each for a different song: “Walcott” and singles “A-Punk,” “Oxford Comma” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.”
• Dan Rossen had four mentions as well, two for Department of Eagles and one for each of the Grizzly Bear singles from the band’s upcoming release
• Mash-up artists the Hood Internet and “Laptop Artist” Girl Talk each grabbed a spot on a list
• Three mentions: Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, Bradford Cox (one as Atlas Sound, two as Deerhunter) and MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” (which had a hard release in 2008)
• Two mentions: the Dodos, Sigur Ros, Okkervil River, Lil Wayne, Beach House and Black Kids
• A total of 62 artists made appearances on our lists (this counts Atlas Sound and Deerhunter as different, Kanye as different from his track with Estelle, Grizzly Bear as different from Department of Eagles, etc.)
• This also means that each list had an average of 6.89 original artists
• “Single Ladies” did not appear on any of the lists.

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

7. The Streets. Everything is Borrowed.

The Streets’ performance on his fourth album, Everything is Borrowed is the equivalent of winning gold in rap’s decathlon. Mike Skinner beautifully mixes both genres and subjects, using jazz and rock influences to discuss everything from his female obsessions to the future of the human race. With Everything is Borrowed, Skinner leaves little doubt that he is one of music’s most versatile (and intelligent) figures. -Jordan Axt

6. Lykke Li. Youth Novels.

Breathy vocals. A spoken monologue. Quirky instrumentation and coos. You’ve heard it before. But Lykke Li has range and can manipulate her airy voice to make it sound electronic, separating her from other artists. Bjorn Yttling injects his chipper sounds (think “Young Folks’” whistling) with eclectic percussion, distorted woodwinds and electronica beats, capturing the minimalistic essence of indie pop. -Baishi Wu

5. The Walkmen. You & Me.

The Walkmen have crafted a masterpiece, a soaring paean to intimacy that builds until the final ride cymbal fades away. The album’s soggy guitars and ancient organs hum under grainy howls about long-lost friends and far-off islands, showcasing booming waltzes, haunting ballads, maraca-and-woodblock stomps, and the furious “In The New Year.” -Nate Freeman

4. The Dodos. Visiter.

The guitar-drum duo of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber combine breakneck strumming and violent drumming to produce Visiter, one of the most beautiful compositions of the year. Aside from spirited singles “Fools” and “Jodi,” Visiter includes folk-y arrangements in “Walking” and “Undeclared,” displaying the subtle harmonies present underneath cacophonous melodies. -Baishi Wu

3. Why? Alopecia.

Genres bend and blur on this release from avant-garde hip-hop collective Anticon. Yoni Wolf sings, raps and waxes philosophical over clanking beats and organic instrumentation, and his lyrics—think a little death, a little yearning and a whole mess of twisted imagery—are in turns wrenching and impenetrable. Like many great albums, Alopecia rewards repeated listens, as every spin reveals a new verse to decipher or a different sound that asserts itself. This is a group that cannot be labeled. -Kevin Lincoln

2. TV on the Radio. Dear Science,.

The Brooklyn band strikes gold on its follow up to the eccentric (read: confusing) Return to Cookie Mountain. Dear Science, is a product of the perfect balance between experimentation and experience: catchy, more accessible and—as Tunde acknowledges—more regular. Their signature syncopation is fully realized in energetic opener “Halfway Home” and “Crying,” but slower songs including ballad “Family Tree” and “Love Dog” are also noteworthy. Simply put, TV on the Radio’s ode to modernity is far from regular and one of the year’s best. -Jessie Tang

1. Bon Iver. For Emma, Forever Ago.

For Emma, Forever Ago is, at its core, a break-up album. But if all break-ups resulted in such beauty, I would want to have my heart ripped out every day. Justin Vernon’s debut charts the course of his catharsis. From the harsher “Wolves” to the inward turn that comes on “Blindsided,” Vernon draws us into his personal life, guiding us as he comes to terms with whoever Emma is, ending not with “realization” but a “lift-away.”

It is not about simply love, but different kinds of love. Musically stunning, the album is more about the feelings it evokes. It transcends music. For Emma, Forever Ago is an experience. And one of the best any of us could have had in 2008. -Andrew Hibbard

Kanye West. Courtesy morethings.com

For more of the Top 10 Tracks of 2008, click here.

10. Bloc Party. “One Month Off.” So Intimacy wasn’t exactly A Weekend In the City, which wasn’t exactly Silent Alarm. But on “One Month Off,” Bloc Party reminds us all that they’ve still got it. Put simply, any song I play so loud on my computer that my speakers break deserves some recognition.

9. TV on the Radio. “Love Dog.” Making a Top 10 songs list without some Dear Science, track is a lot like making it through middle school without having a really awkward encounter at a school dance: it’s possible but not actually believable. There were at least five different Science, songs that could have made it on this list, but I went with the album’s most abstract track and elusive. I would call it “haunting,” but I hate that word. Let’s go with “gripping” instead.

8. The Kooks. “See the Sun.” I am not winning a lot of cool points with this track from what many have described as a formulaic album from a mediocre band. Nonetheless, “See the Sun” is an excellent track that blends together a variety of tempos and conflicting sentiments. Somehow, “See the Sun” shows us that even break-ups have the potential to be pretty good times.

7. Cocoon. “On My Way.” Despite what my esteemed colleagues have claimed, Matt and Kim is not the cutest band making music today. Instead, that honor belongs to the Parisian duo of Cocoon. Although I am not entirely sure what this phrase means, I can only describe “On My Way” as a “pleasant romp.” Listening to this song is like the first three weeks of a relationship: worry-free and full of snuggling. In what has to be the line of the year, lead singer Mark Daumil sings in an impeccable French accent, “I am such a coward/ I should win an award.” Well done.

6. We Are Scientists. “That’s What Counts.” Brain Thrust Mastery was an underrated album. And “That’s What Counts” was an underrated song off this underrated album. From one of America’s most hilarious bands comes a track dedicated to the eventual pitfalls and disappointments of our modern lifestyles. Throw in a little saxophone and you have got one of the year’s best.

5. The Streets. “On the Edge of a Cliff.” People who do not know how to swim should be careful when listening to Britain’s The Streets (aka Mike Skinner). The man is so deep, you might drown. In “On the Edge of a Cliff” Skinner, who devotes much of Everything is Borrowed to reminding us that God does not exist, struggles with finding meaning in this Darwinian world. His answer comes in the simple fact that “For billions of years since the outset of time/ Every single one of your ancestors survived. / Every single person on your mom and dad’s side successfully looked after and passed onto you life. / What are the chances of that like?” Mike Skinner is part rapper, part philosopher and always entertaining.

4. Kate Nash. “Pumpkin Soup.” This list’s British Invasion continues with Kate Nash, whose “Pumpkin Soup” is one of the most hypnotizing tracks of the year. I don’t care if the chorus is “I just want your kiss, boy,” listening to this song always gets me really excited and energized. I could only listen to one track this summer right before taking my GRE’s. “Pumpkin Soup” was an easy choice.

3. Akon. “Right Now (Na Na Na).” If there were ever proof that Akon was a robot sent back in time to make impeccable dance music, this would be it. “Right Now (Na Na Na)”.is so high on my list because not only can I not get the track out of my head, I honestly don’t want to. At this point, I expect Akon to perform this one at my funeral.

2. The Virgins. “Love is Colder than Death.” On their self-titled album, The Virgins have obviously saved the best for last. In a release filled with nonsensical pop musings, (She’s expensive/ I can’t stop myself from chasing”) comes some much-welcomed honesty. The models-turn-rockers sing, “It’s easy when it hurts/ So say goodbye/ We’ll fall in love again/ Just give it time.” For anyone going through a semester like the one our current recess editor just had, this one is an absolute necessity.

1. Kanye West. “Street Lights.” Go ahead and roll your eyes. On “Street Lights,” Kanye West illustrates how less can indeed be more. In a work with a simple beat, no verses and only five repetitions of the chorus, West creates a track that dually reflects his own struggle as an artist while also serving as a soundtrack for anyone in a reflective mood. West reveals, “I know my destination, but I’m just not there. Life’s just not fair.” According to my iTunes, I have listened to this song more than 40 times in the past three weeks and I still feel like I am missing something. Others might call “Street Lights” a collection of platitudes. I call it the song of the year.

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.