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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These guys are *definitely* funky soul brothers...
… in which Your Critic realizes to his horror how little new music he listened to this year. This is perhaps a double-edged sword; on the one hand, I’m sure I’ve missed some great stuff, and some mediocre stuff (Actually, I know I have missed some of both: I have shamefully not yet all of the assuredly mediocre 808s, undoubtedly brilliant Tha Carter III, allegedly interesting Bon Iver, great for sure TVOTR, etc. etc.). On the other hand, it means some respite from the standard hipster-trash picks of the rest of my staff (he says pompously). For those of you not swilling PBR, or even for those who are, here we go:
10. Ratatat. “Shempi.” LP3 is a tad bit weaker for my money than Ratatat or Classics, but there’s still some great toe-tapping (or raving) stuff. This is probably the hookiest track on the record, and since I just listened to it, it will be in my head for the next three weeks now.
9. Whiskeytown, “The Rain Won’t Help You (When It’s Over). The first of three cheats on this list; this track is old, but it was just released on the must-have expanded edition of Strangers Almanac–one of the best records of the ’90s. Despite Ryan Adams‘ prolificacy, this one’s a cover of an Alejandro Escovedo tune. No worries; it’s got all the hallmarks of classic Whiskeytown: Great Ryan vocals, depressing lyrics and tasty Phil Wandscher licks. (more…)
Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste at 2008's Lollapalooza. Courtesy brooklyn vegan
10. Girl Talk. “Play Your Part (Part 1).” Any track off Feed the Animals—the unquestionable album of the summer—could have made this list. Dr. Gillis gets by with a little help from his friends Lil’ Wayne and Sinead O’Connor, a combination that makes for one of the best Girl Talk moments since Biggie rapped about the Twin Towers over “Tiny Dancer.”
9. Grizzly Bear. “Two Weeks.” It’s hard to judge a track solely on a live recording, but I have evidence beyond recording of a performance on Letterman that leaked in July: When Grizzly Bear broke out “Two Weeks” (sure to be a highlight of their upcoming ’09 release) during their show at a synagogue in D.C.’s Chinatown, the infectious piano stomp and soaring harmonies stood up against the rest of their remarkable set. The studio version has a lot to live up to.
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Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. Courtesy Darcy James Argues.
10. Estelle featuring Kanye West. “American Boy.” Leave it to a girl from overseas to sing the best song about Americans this year. And leave it to Kanye to only make it better.
9. Pete and the Pirates. “Knots.” A beautiful piece of guitar pop that will seem longer than its 2 minutes and 14 seconds once it logs a week of playtime inside your head.
8. Jamie Lidell. “Little Bit of Feel Good.” 2008′s best soul track, hands down, from 2008′s best soul album, hands down. Jamie Lidell is single-handedly striving to make Motown relevant in the age of computers.
7. Okkervil River. “Singer Songwriter.” If this song sounds as though it’s about you (or your girlfriend), don’t get mad; just appreciate the incredible perceptiveness of Will Scheff’s lyrics.
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