Every year as I compile my Best Of... list a theme emerges. Last year it was percussion (Liars, TV on the Radio, Glenn Kotche). This year seemed to mark a return to good old rock'n'roll peppered with outstanding electronic artists who seem to be at their best when applying their craft to - you guessed it - rock'n'roll. The top two spots were cemented early. The real battle was for the heart of the line up, #2 - 10, and #11-25 weren't much easier. Hope you had a good year of listening, all the best in 2008!
1. The National Boxer A bruised and beautiful punch drunk love letter to lost nights and the normal life.
2. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver Dance and rock make beautiful babies, as smart and soulful as they are fun
3. Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Texas via Motown, Spoon grows and brightens their sound without losing the thread.
4. Radiohead In Rainbows Surpirse! Radiohead is a real band made of real men and they make real songs! What, you thought it was an elaborate technopolitical audio supercomputer managed by the great and mysterious Thom Yorke?
5. Battles Mirrored Score one for mathrock and unintelligible vocoder babble - big, bad, brainy and fun.
6. Band of Horses Cease to Begin The band's move to South Carolina softens well honed Pacific Northwest guitars.
7. Okkervil River The Stage Names Heart exploding rockudrama - amazing stories and characters set to outstanding Americana infused rock'n'roll.
8. Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation Their sophomore album marks huge strides forward. Loose and accessible but still loud, weird and fun - a very pleasant surprise.
9. New Pornographers Challengers Coming off of Twin Cinema's huge critical success in 2005 the bar was raised. AC Newman and Co. turn in yet another solid set of power pop anthems which sounds better every time I listen.
10. Grizzly Bear Friend ep EPs are like soup, often served in prelude to the main course. This soup eats like a meal, maybe an autumn lunch in New England with Brian Wilson.
11. Liars Liars Liars connect the dots between Trench and Drum and points between.
12/13. Panda Bear Person Pitch / Animal Collective Strawberry Jam Animal Collective member Panda Bear's solo outing isolates the larger outfit's parallel atmospheric and pop sensibilities while the full band's effort reins in the former, showcasing an increasingly tighter sound and Avey Tare's leadership as a frontman. Both are still plenty out there, but getting closer all the time.
14. Dan Deacon Spiderman of the Rings Is there such a thing as freaktronica? There is now, and Dan Deacon is its king.
15. Arcade Fire Neon Bible Oh so gloomy beautiful - a Springsteen / Bowie lovechild is born.
16. Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Of Montreal can come off as simply trippy, manic or oddball, but Fauna finally adds some grown up teeth to the sound without dampening the party.
17. M.I.A. Kala Third world rhythms and politics meet western production causing many dance rave-ups along the way. I bet the kids still can't find Darfur on a map.
18. Lily Allen Alright, Still Saucy, grrly brit pop that doesn't slip into some Spice Girls caricature. Catchy and fun with no sticky aftertaste.
19. Iron & Wine The Shepard's Dog They might finally be a band rather than Sam Beam's musical moniker. I&W steps out rhythmically, bumping the tempo and volume ever higher but keeping their roots in Beam's poetic southern snapshots and situational studies.
20. Feist The Reminder Lovely, airy pop vocals from the Broken Social Scene siren. I'm sure this would have ranked higher if I were a nineteen year old girl.
21. Jose Gonzalez In Our Nature Earnest folk balladry gently pleas for better days, instead gets better music.
22. Matthew Dear Asa Breed To quote Greenie, "minimal-meets-electro funk." Dear keeps his vocals on the down-low letting the subtle swagger of his beats do the talking.
23. Justice (cross) Francokrautronica. Dark, big, bombastic and tightly controlled electronic / dance tracks from French kids who hate American kids but want all their stuff.
24. Black Lips Good Bad Not Evil Cheeky, raw, sincere and political, the Atlanta garage band breaks out.
25. Rilo Kiley Under the Blacklight Jenny Lewis' recent solo turn ads confidence to their sound, now sparkling beneath a mirror ball on loan from Debbie Harry.
2. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver Dance and rock make beautiful babies, as smart and soulful as they are fun
3. Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Texas via Motown, Spoon grows and brightens their sound without losing the thread.
4. Radiohead In Rainbows Surpirse! Radiohead is a real band made of real men and they make real songs! What, you thought it was an elaborate technopolitical audio supercomputer managed by the great and mysterious Thom Yorke?
5. Battles Mirrored Score one for mathrock and unintelligible vocoder babble - big, bad, brainy and fun.
6. Band of Horses Cease to Begin The band's move to South Carolina softens well honed Pacific Northwest guitars.
7. Okkervil River The Stage Names Heart exploding rockudrama - amazing stories and characters set to outstanding Americana infused rock'n'roll.
8. Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation Their sophomore album marks huge strides forward. Loose and accessible but still loud, weird and fun - a very pleasant surprise.
9. New Pornographers Challengers Coming off of Twin Cinema's huge critical success in 2005 the bar was raised. AC Newman and Co. turn in yet another solid set of power pop anthems which sounds better every time I listen.
10. Grizzly Bear Friend ep EPs are like soup, often served in prelude to the main course. This soup eats like a meal, maybe an autumn lunch in New England with Brian Wilson.
11. Liars Liars Liars connect the dots between Trench and Drum and points between.
12/13. Panda Bear Person Pitch / Animal Collective Strawberry Jam Animal Collective member Panda Bear's solo outing isolates the larger outfit's parallel atmospheric and pop sensibilities while the full band's effort reins in the former, showcasing an increasingly tighter sound and Avey Tare's leadership as a frontman. Both are still plenty out there, but getting closer all the time.
14. Dan Deacon Spiderman of the Rings Is there such a thing as freaktronica? There is now, and Dan Deacon is its king.
15. Arcade Fire Neon Bible Oh so gloomy beautiful - a Springsteen / Bowie lovechild is born.
16. Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Of Montreal can come off as simply trippy, manic or oddball, but Fauna finally adds some grown up teeth to the sound without dampening the party.
17. M.I.A. Kala Third world rhythms and politics meet western production causing many dance rave-ups along the way. I bet the kids still can't find Darfur on a map.
18. Lily Allen Alright, Still Saucy, grrly brit pop that doesn't slip into some Spice Girls caricature. Catchy and fun with no sticky aftertaste.
19. Iron & Wine The Shepard's Dog They might finally be a band rather than Sam Beam's musical moniker. I&W steps out rhythmically, bumping the tempo and volume ever higher but keeping their roots in Beam's poetic southern snapshots and situational studies.
20. Feist The Reminder Lovely, airy pop vocals from the Broken Social Scene siren. I'm sure this would have ranked higher if I were a nineteen year old girl.
21. Jose Gonzalez In Our Nature Earnest folk balladry gently pleas for better days, instead gets better music.
22. Matthew Dear Asa Breed To quote Greenie, "minimal-meets-electro funk." Dear keeps his vocals on the down-low letting the subtle swagger of his beats do the talking.
23. Justice (cross) Francokrautronica. Dark, big, bombastic and tightly controlled electronic / dance tracks from French kids who hate American kids but want all their stuff.
24. Black Lips Good Bad Not Evil Cheeky, raw, sincere and political, the Atlanta garage band breaks out.
25. Rilo Kiley Under the Blacklight Jenny Lewis' recent solo turn ads confidence to their sound, now sparkling beneath a mirror ball on loan from Debbie Harry.
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