Top Ten Songs of 2008
by Panopticon on Dec.19, 2008, under Misc. Blogging
Now’s the time of the year where we take a look back, consider the last 12 months worth of experiences in entertainment, politics, food, whatever… and stack them into totally arbitrary lists. Top ten lists are one of my guilty pleasures — and I also feel like, as arbitrary as they are, they can open many doors to new things. This is my first of four top ten lists for the year: TOP TEN SONGS.
 10. Grails – Destination Blues
Startlingly prolific Portland based post-rock band had an amazing year – two fantastic LPS in 12 months. Oddly flavored world music sounds clash with furious guitar stabs on this standout from Doomsayer’s Holiday.
9. Frightened Rabbit – The Modern Leper
This charmingly Scottish band’s album The Midnight Organ Fight can tend toward the melodramatic, but toes the line perfectly on this opening track. The perfect combination of tuneful folk rock verses and dramatically emotive choruses.
Merely a solid record that could have been a classic – Beck collaborating with on-fire producer Danger Mouse – Modern Guilt fulfills its promise on “Chemtrails†— a song in permanent climax (those drums!) with Beck’s soothing vocals melting on top.
Seventh Tree may have been too mellow for many of Goldfrapp’s longtime fans, but I’m all for stylistic shifts if they produce songs like “A&E.†Featuring brilliant production by Will Gregory and a knockout vocal performance by Allison Goldfrapp, the song’s serenity catches you off guard.
6. TV on the Radio – Family Tree
Dear Science may not be the unified classic that Return to Cookie Mountain was – some of the new album’s tracks fail to connect – but its bright spots are worthy of TV on the Radio’s best moments. “Family Tree†is a great synthesis of David Sitek’s sprawling production and Tunde Adibempe and Kip Malone’s offbeat but beautiful harmonies.
The pop song of the year off the pop album of the year, “LES Artistes†boasts top-notch production, a stirring vocal performance by Santogold, and the most infectious pop hook of 2008. If only more top 40 radio sounded like this.
4. My Morning Jacket – Librarian
One of the only bright spots on the disappointing Evil Urges – but oh, what a bright spot. Lead singer Jim James allows that reverb-drenched falsetto to find all the touching/creepy nooks within the narrative about a man crushing on a sexy librarian. This is vintage MMJ – beautiful, catchy and totally off-beat.
3. Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
Fleet Foxes fuse heartland Americana with west-coast harmonies, and never more effectively than on “White Winter Hymnal,†a glorious standout from their solid self-titled album. Galloping drums propel a strikingly simple guitar melody and the Foxes’ soaring, gorgeous harmonies.
The most foreboding song on a hypnotically dark album, “We Carry On†stands out from the rest of the amazing songs on Third because of its sheer magnitude. Previously known for smoky, moody music, Portishead drops “We Carry On†like a bomb – the pulsating synth, guitarist Geoff Barrow’s downward cascading guitar hook and Beth Gibbon’s chilly, frightening vocals.
1. Elbow – The Lonliness of a Tower Crane Driver
The centerpiece of Elbow’s Mercury Prize winning album The Seldom Seen Kid, “The Lonliness of a Tower Crane Driver†somewhat epitomizes the otherwise backhanded compliment that Elbow is the working class Radiohead. Lead singer Guy Garvey’s haunted, echoing performance of the song’s brilliantly evocative lyrics (“I must have been working the ropes/when your hand slipped from mine…send up a prayer in my nameâ€) slow-burn atop a compelling arrangement that crests in an eerie choral blast reminiscent of the best songs on OK Computer. Like much of Elbow’s work, the song creeps into your consciousness (it didn’t catch my ear until I heard the band play it live) and, even after months of listening, the song still gives me goosebumps.
