Top Ten Records Of 2008

Apparently, it's that time. The AV Club list is up, so that's my cue to chime in.

1. Fate, Dr Dog
2. Dear Science, TV On The Radio
3. Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4. Stay Positive, The Hold Steady
5. The Bake Sale EP, The Cool Kids
6. Flight Of The Conchords, Flight Of The Conchords
7. Acid Tongue, Jenny Lewis
8. Narrow Stairs, Death Cab For Cutie
9. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
10. Chinese Democracy, Guns N Roses

As always, there's no accounting for taste. I listened to a lot of great music this year and could easily make a top 20 list, but that just starts to get all-encompassing and takes the fun out. It was a really interesting year too - a lot of bands and artists that I've enjoyed in the past popped up this year with really good new albums: AC/DC, Erykah Badu, Portishead, Metallica, R.E.M., The Magnetic Fields, The GZA, The Breeders, The Tossers ... only the Elvis Costello's Momofuku was really disappointing. Of the nostalgia acts, Guns N Roses was the most exciting for me. I really expected it to be awful and was taken aback by how much I enjoyed it.

Three of my favorite things I listened to this year, I disqualified (mostly to make room on the list for other things): Patton Oswalt's Werewolves & Lollipops (discounted because it's a stand-up record, not music), Nico Muhly's Mothertongue (because it just didn't belong amidst all the pop records) and the NPR concert podcast of Tom Waits' "Glitter & Doom" tour, which is still available for free on iTunes under the NPR: Live Concerts From All Songs Considered Podcast.

Anyway, stay tuned, as I'm sure the Luzar Review will be posting it's annual year-end best-of list soon. And as always, feel free to chime in with a list of your own.