Best Songs of 2008
This was a crazy and very tough year. When I first sat down to do this list, I thought I wouldn’t have as much to say as I did in 2007. But, as it turns out, there was some good music in 2008 after all!
What’s Going On?: My favorite trend, by far, was the continued return to straight-up, old-school soul and R&B. Raphael Saadiq’s The Way I See It may have been derivative, but it complemented Obama’s Motown campaign soundtrack and subsequent win like no other album this year. There are lots of imitators out there: I’m not an Amy Winehouse fan (she’s too cartoonish), but give me Adele’s “Chasing Pavements,” and I’ll listen to it a thousand times. I also really dug Ne-Yo’s Year of the Gentleman, and Robin Thicke’s “Magic,” which cops Curtis Mayfield in the smoothest way. I loved John Legend’s Andre 3000 Green Light remix. Janelle Monae is great, but I can’t wait to see what she does next. And not related, but oh so good was Spearhead’s smart, funky All Rebel Rockers.
Britpop’s back: Although Oasis’s album was a bore and Travis pretended to be a rock band, the Verve’s Forth had some of Richard Ashcroft’s best material to date. James’s Hey Ma was a pleasant revamp, too, and Damon Albarn’s Monkey Journey to the West project proved to be a welcome distraction from the glut of Olympics coverage. Paul Weller’s 22 Dreams went virtually unnoticed in the US, yet it’s one of his strongest classic-rock-meets-roller-disco concoctions ever. I wore out Keane’s crazy 80s Perfect Symmetry the week it came out; The Kooks’ Konk was panned, but had some choice rave-ups I won’t soon forget.
Hot and Cold: I was indifferent about Coldplay’s Viva La Vida all summer, now I really love parts of it. I worshipped Jakob Dylan’s Rick Rubin-produced Seeing Things last spring but now get sleepy when I hear it. Aimee Mann’s Smilers deserved my great review in Newsweek, but I rarely play it anymore.
Indie fatigue: If I had to sit through one more show by a pseudo-intellectual band of bearded boys who hadn’t bathed in a week, I thought I would puke, so I rebelled against a bunch of “cool” music this year, opting instead to find undiscovered treasures on MySpace (Molly Bancroft’s Love Thieves) or local acts such as Judi Chicago. That said, I couldn’t filter out obviously great records from Cold War Kids, TV on the Radio, the Walkmen, and Okkervil River.
No one believes it: Truly one of the best — if not the very best — album of 2008 was John Mellencamp’s Life Death Love and Freedom. Go ahead and laugh, but this T-Bone Burnett-produced gem is heartbreakingly good.
Unreleased: My two absolute favorite songs haven’t even been released yet (Colin Devlin’s “Refuge” and I Blame Coco’s “Silencio”), so look for those to top my list in 2009.
OK, so let’s get to it:
My Ten Favorite Songs of 2008:
Chasing Pavements by Adele
Love That Girl by Raphael Saadiq
All I Needed by Love Thieves (Molly Bancroft and Adrianne Gonzales)
Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love by Coldplay
Green Light by John Legend
Longest Days by John Mellencamp
A Ride Back Home by John Mellencamp
To Be Happy Now by Copeland
Better Than This by Keane
Magic by Robin Thicke
The COOLEST Songs of 2008:
After Hours by We Are Scientists
Transliterator by DeVotchka
In the New Year by the Walkmen
Fools by the Dodos
Lost Coastlines by Okkervil River
People C’mon by the Delta Spirit
Kenya Dig It by Ruby Suns
I’ve Seen Enough by Cold War Kids
English House by Fleet Foxes
Top Five FUN Songs of 2008
You’ll Find a Way by Santogold
That’s What You Get by Paramore
Solo Impala by the Fashion
Kim & Jessie by M83
5 Years Time by Noah and The Whale
Best moody and/or chill and/or groovy songs of 2008:
Set Me Free by The Heavy
The Contender by Menehan Street Band
Something to Behold by the Foreign Exchange
Many Moons by Janelle Monae
Nobody by Ne-Yo
Best Remake:
Love is a Stranger by Martha Wainwright
Best Top-40 ish Hit Single:
Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield
The Ten BEST Songs from Britain:
Appalachian Spring by the Verve
My Mistakes Were Made for You by the Last Shadow Puppets
Mercy by Duffy
Perfect Symmetry by Keane
Burberry Blue Eyes by Razorlight
Empty Ring by Paul Weller
Down to the Market by the Kooks
One Day Like This by Elbow
The Five BEST Songs released in 2008 that could have sucked but turned out to be really good:
Will It Grow by Jakob Dylan
Jena by John Mellencamp
You Didn’t Have to by the Pretenders
Great Day by Lindsey Buckingham
Seven of Sundays by Curt Smith (former Tears for Fears)
Best Song That Just Wouldn’t Die:
Who Knew? by Pink (from 2006)
Best Comeback Song:
Freeway by Aimee Mann
Honorable Mention/ Best of the Rest:
Don’t Let It Get You by Inara George
It’s a Lot by the 88
Lover’s Day by TV on the Radio
Baby I’m Just a Fool by Spiritualized
Soundsystem by Spearhead
My President by Young Jeezy
Thoughts & Prayers by Ron Sexsmith
Little Bird by the Weepies
Love is Noise by The Verve
The Things I Do by Teddy Thompson
I Don’t Want to Grow Up by Scarlett Johansson
I Still Care for You by Ray LaMontagne
Inside a Boy by My Brightest Diamond
Tomorrow by Ladytron