Rate 08: Best of lists

This post will expand as more 'best of 2008' lists and selections appear

ilxor is doing a similar thing, only better and DJ Martian is over this sort of thing, too. Largehearted Boy has just started his year-end lists round-up, too.

Bigger Than The Sound's top albums of the year:
5. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
4. Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
3. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
2. Deerhunter - Microcastle/ Weird Era Cont.
1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

Blender's top albums:
10. Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux
9. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
8. Randy Newman - Harps and Angels
7. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
6. Robyn - Robyn
5. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
4. Metallica - Death Magnetic
3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
2. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
1. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III

Andrew Collins sums up the year, musically:

On reflection, although historic in a geo-political sense and full of financial portent, it's not been a vintage one for stuff. I have been about as underwhelmed by the long-playing record as at any other stage in my music-loving life - but there have been some tremendous songs, so all is not lost.

Dab DeLuca's best Phildelphia releases of the year:
3. Dr. Dog - Fate
2. The Roots - Rising Down
1. The War On Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues

Decibel magazine's top albums:
10. Disfear - Live the Storm
9. Made Out of Babies - The Ruiner
8. Wetnurse - Invisible City
7. Origin - Antithesis
6. Rotten Sound - Cycles
5. The Gates of Slumber - Conqueror
4. Opeth - Watershed
3. Genghis Tron - Board Up the House
2. Nachmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1
1. Torche - Meanderthal

Robert Duffy of DoneWaiting's favourite things:
3. Times New Viking - Rip It Off
2. The Dodos - Visiter
1. Florence & The Machine - Kiss With A Fist (and live at SXSW)

The Duke Spirit's favourite album of the year, via Filter:
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

Estelle's albums of the year, via The Observer:
Santogold - Santogold
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It

Fact Magazine's best reissues:
5. A Guy Called Gerald - Black Secret Technology
4. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
3. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works
2. Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
1. Gas - Nah Und Fern

Faronheit's worst albums of the year:
10. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
9. Ben Folds - Way to Normal
8. Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
7. Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
6. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
5. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinology
4. Jem - Down to Earth
3. CSS - Donkey
2. Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty
1. Scarlett Johansson - Anywhere I Lay My Head

Guardian Critic poll top albums of the year:
5. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
4. Portishead - Third
3. Elbow - The Seldom-Seen Kid
2. Bon Ivor - For Emma, Forever Ago
1. TV On The Radio - Dear Science

The Guardian Guide's best film music moments of 2008:

Can't Smile Without You - Barry Manilow (Helboy 2)
Backing a great buddy moment between two drunk, lovesick monsters. Proof that Manilow can melt any heart.

Eye Of The Tiger - Chiara Mastroianni (Persepolis)
Iran, Islamic revolution: of course a cover of the theme to Rocky III is the obvious choice.

All The Young Dudes - Mott The Hoople (Juno)
You know you're past it when your cheesy nostalgia tracks are the kids' hip new discoveries.

Enola Gay - OMD (Waltz With Bashir)
Putting this 1980s synth-pop classic in the context of the Lebanon war suddenly made it sound doomy and serious again.

Get Back - Ludacris (Tropic Thunder)
Ever wanted to see Tom Cruise bringing his "hip-hop" moves?

Sarah Harding's albums of the year, via The Observer:
Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
AC/DC - Black Ice

Josh Jackson, editor in chief of Paste, best album:
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Ezra Koenig's favourite albums of the year, via The Observer:
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
The Walkmen - You And Me

Steve LaBate, associate editor of Paste, picks his favourite records of the year:
Album: She & Him - Volume One
Single: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig

Lefsetz letter annotates the US best-selling albums of 2008 (correct to 21-11-08):

1. Lil Wayne "Tha Carter III" 2,671,816
Do we want to focus on the Internet marketing campaign (i.e. the steady release of free product), the discounts/free goods to retail, the fact that a hip-hop album is number one or the low total gross. I choose to look at this final fact. There’s not a lot of road business. A 360 deal with most rappers won’t help your bottom line. Lil Wayne’s the king, but it’s not the domain it used to be.

2. Coldplay "Viva La Vida" 1,905,679
Based on the hype, you’d think it did 5 million, wouldn’t you?
Most interesting fact? 579,007 of those albums were digital.

Ladytron's favourite album of the year, via Filter:
TV On The Radio - Dear Science

Laura Marling's favourite albums of the year, via the Observer:
Sigur Ros - Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
Elbow - The Seldom-Seen Kid

MNFTIU.cc's top ten music of the year:
1. Rock ‘N’ Roll
2. Rap Music
3. Country
4. Dance
5. Instrumental
6. Jazz
7. Classical
8. Soundtracks
9. Flip-Flap
10. Singing Music

Mojo's Top albums:
10. Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark
9. The Bug - London Zoo
8. The Week That Was - The Week That Was
7. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
6. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
4. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
3. Paul Weller - 22 Dreams
2. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

MTV News' hottest R&B single of the year:
T-Pain (featuring Lil Wayne) - Can't Believe It

Muzzle Of Bees' best concerts:
5. David Byrne - Austin City Limits, Austin (Muzzle of Bees Review)
4. My Morning Jacket - Riverside Theater, Milwaukee
3. Bon Iver/AA Bondy - Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
2. Bruce Springsteen - Lakefront/Harley-Davidson 105th
1. Tom Waits - Moren Theater, Jacksonville

New York Times best pop and jazz box sets:
Lester Young With Count Basie
Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
Toshiko Akiyosh-Lew Tabackin Big Band - Mosaic Select 33
And This Is Free: The Life & Times Of Chicago's Legendary Maxwell Street
Arabian Prince - Innovative Life
Black Sabbath - The Rules Of Hell
Boots Buckles & Spurs: 50 Songs Celebrate 50 Years Of The Cowboy Tradition
Anthony Braxton - The Complete Arista Recordings
Calypsoul 70: Caribbean Soul & Calypso Crossover, 1969-1979
Cheap Trick - Budokan
D'Angelo - The Best So Far
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
Franco & Le Tpok Jazz - Francophonic: Africa's Greatest
Genesis - 1970 - 1975
The Grateful Dead - Rocking The Cradle: Egypt 1975
The Jesus & Mary Chain - The Power Of Negative Thinking
The Manhattans - Sweet Talkin' Soul
Reba McEntire - 50 Greatest Hits
Willie Nelson - One Hell Of A Ride
1970s Algerian Proto-Rai Underground
Larry Norman - Rebel Poet, Jukebox Balladeer
Roy Orbison - The Soul Of Rock & Roll
Augustus Pablo - The Mysterious World Of Augustus Pablo
Phish - At The Roxy
Otis Redding - Live In Paris And London
Nina Simone - To Be Free
Will C - Down The Dial
Hank Williams - The Unreleased Recordings

NME writer's top tracks:
5. MGMT - Electric Feel
4. MGMT - Time To Pretend
3. Mystery Jets - Two Doors Down
2. Glasvegas - Geraldine
1. MGMT - Kids

Oh Warfair & Therapy's favourite track of the year:
Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook

Paste magazine's 50 Best albums of the year:
10. Deerhunter - Microcastle
9. Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
8. Sun Kil Moon - April
7. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
6. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
5. Okkervil River- The Stand Ins
4. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
3. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
2. Sigur Rós - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust
1. She & Him - Volume One

Q Readers' favourite tracks of 2008:
5. Goldfrapp - A&E
4. Oasis - I'm Outta Time
3. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
2. Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire
1. Keane - Perfect Symmetry

Q Readers' favourite albums of 2008:
[Kudos, by the way, to Q to making the most clunky navigation for any top music list yet uncovered: sure, theoretically you might get thirty page views for a single list, but who really will make it to the end of click-slowload-click-slowload?]
10. REM - Acclerate
9. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of Understatement
8. Sparks - Exotic Creatures Of The Deep
7. Elbow - The Seldom-Seen Kid
6. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
5. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
4. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
3. Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig
1. Keane - Perfect Symmetry

Ra Ra Riot's favourite album of the year, via Filter:
Ceremony - Still Nothing Moves You

Sarah Rodman of the Boston Globe's favourite albums of the year:
She & Him - Volume One
Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
The Roots - Rising Down
Sugarland - Love On The Inside
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Al Green - Lay It Down
Joe Jackson - Rain
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Raphael Saddiq - The Way I See It
TV On The Radio - Dear Science

Britney Spear's 2008, as seen by MTV News:

If anyone is the comeback kid of 2008, it's Britney Spears. That's pretty amazing, considering the fact that in just the first week of the year, she was placed in a hospital for psychiatric observation and lost custody of her two young sons. But over the course of the past 12 months, she seems to have recuperated her losses. She got back to work, showed off her comedic chops on TV, hit the recording and dance studios, won some VMAs, made a tell-all documentary and had a #1 single and album.

Textura's 2008 Best Labels:
12k
Experimedia
Hyperdub
Hypnos
Infraction
Kning Disk
Miasmah
Schole
SPEKK
U-Cover

Uncut's top albums
10. Paul Weller - 22 Dreams
9. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
8. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!
7. Neon Neon - Stainless Style
6. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
4. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
1. Portishead - Third

James Walsh of Starsailor's favourite album, via Filter:
Panic At The Disco - Pretty Odd

Last updated: 26-12-08

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