Alf's Best of 2008

I ain't gonna lie - this year was rough. In real life AND in music. Luckily, a down year for music doesn't mean there wasn't anything good. It just means you have to dig a bit deeper to find the good stuff. And I did quite a bit of digging this year. Usually, when I compile my best-of list, I can think of eight CDs right off the bat. This time, I think I thought of only two. After that, it was going back through the collection and saying "Oh, right. THIS came out this year. Yeah, this one's good." Here's hoping for a better 2009.


M83 - Saturdays=Youth
Passion Pit - Chunk of Change
Sloan - Parallel Play
Monkey - Journey to the West
Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
Heloise & the Savoir Faire - Trash Rats & Microphones
InnerPartySystem - InnerPartySystem
Roe - Letters & Lights
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery

Jason's Best of 2008

It's hard to say why I chose Hank III for my number one pick for 2008... Actually it's more of a three way tie with Madlib & Raphael Saadiq, but all of these albums are super strong, and in my opinion, can be listened to repeatedly the same day. Don't think that the other albums on my list are any less good, it is just that I've devoted more time at work or at home to listen to these three.
On another note, if I had more time and didn't restrict myself to ten items, I would have added Erykah Badu's New Amerykah, Femi Kuti's Day by Day, The Clash's Live at Shea Stadium, The Secret Chiefs 3 Xaphan, and Extra Kool's Creature from the Whack Lagoon. I'm also looking forward to a couple of releases scheduled for next year: P.O.S. - Never Better, MF Doom - Born Into This, and Mastodon - Crack the Skye



Hank Williams III - Damn Right Rebel Proud
Madlib - WLIB AM
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See it
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons…
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Jean Grae & 9th Wonder - Jeanious
Portishead - Third
This Runs on Blood - This Runs on Blood
Rudimentari Peni - No More Pain

Natasha's Best of 2008

My favorite band from the west coast is the virtually unknown group called Loquat. Their latest album called Secrets of the Sea was so indie that I didn't even know about it for my top 10 list! But now that I have a copy I listen to it daily. Check out this sweet band from San Francisco!




Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Santogold - Santogold
Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason
Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
Nick Cave - Dig Lazarus Dig
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Beck - Modern Guilt
Dungen - 4
Dub Trio - Another Sound Is Dying
Porlolo - Meadows
Brazilian Girls - New York City
Woven Hand - Ten Stones
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One
Calexico - Carried to Dust
Bug - London Zoo
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Rose Hill Drive - Moon Is The New Earth
Aimee Mann - Smilers
Portishead - Third
Stereolab - Chemical Chords
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Kasai All Stars - Congotronics 3: In The 7th Moon the Chief Turned Into
A Swimming Fish...
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
Hanne Hukkelberg - Little Things




DVD:
Persepolis (Drama)
Sarah Silverman Program (TV Show)
Control (Drama)
There Will Be Blood (Drama)
Buddha Of Suburbia (TV Show)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (TV Show)
Who Killed the Electric Car? (Documentary)
Pelican - After the Ceiling Cracked (Rock DVD)
Radiohead - Best of Videos (Rock DVD)
Electric Apricot (Comedy)

Mojiferous' (Joe Flores) Best of 2008

After a few rather depressing years of almost losing interest in hip-hop, 2008 redeemed itself completely. By the end of the year I was actually faced with some tough decisions to pare my list down to a manageable

number. Yet it was the amazing Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket that finally captured my top spot, edging out all other competitors, if only because I couldn't stop listening to it!

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Kidz in the Hall - The In Crowd
Gaslamp Killer - Obey Mixtape
C.R.A.C. - Piece Talks
Portishead - Third
C-Rayz Walz & Kosha Dillz - Freestyle vs. Written
Warcollapse - Defy
Plantlife - Time Traveller
Capitalist Casualties - Subdivisions in Ruins (reissue)
Giant Panda - Electric Laser
Defiant Nosegay - Playing the Lonely Trombone

Patrick Brown's Best of 2008

The official top ten are albums I stand by in their entirety, with special mention for the top four, all spectacular and wonderful records that gave me something I was not expecting from their respective artists and got the most spins from me this whole year. Honorable mentions are close to great, certainly enjoyable. Anyone who likes the artists in question will probably enjoy them as much as I did. Those who don't know or like them may not be convinced. Reissues are all things I'll endorse in their entirety as well, noting especially that the Ornette reissue has never been available in the States in a good-sounding non-bootleg - Paul Bley still isn't served well by the recording (ironic that it was originally released under his name), but the rest of the band - especially Ornette and Don Cherry - sound good here. Oh yeah, Steinski too - another thing never officially available because of his sample-heavy construction, but this is the groundwork for a ton of hip-hop, and if you think a DJ and some records can't form meaning, check out his take on the Kennedy assassination, or his 9/11 piece.

Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
Portishead - Third
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
Sonny Rollins - Road Shows Vol. 1
Nick Cave - Dig Lazarus, Dig!
Magnetic Fields - Distortion
Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - Angles
Tricky - Knowle West Boy
Randy Newman - Harps and Angels
Anthony Braxton/Milford Graves/William Parker - Beyond Quantum


Honorable mention:

Moby – Last Night
Al Green – Lay It Down
Mary J. Blige – Growing Pains
Paul Bley – About Time
TV on the Radio – Dear Science
Q-Tip – Renaissance
R.E.M. – Accelerate
Stephen Malkmus – Real Emotional Trash
Spiritualized – Songs in A&E
Walter Becker – Circus Money

Reissue/archival:

Kid Creole – Going Places
Steinski – What Does It Al Mean?
Sir Victor Uwaifo – Guitar Boy Superstar
Sun Ra – Secrets of the Sun
Jorge Ben – Jorge Ben (1969)
Gal Costa – Gal (1969)
Ornette Coleman – Complete Live at the Hillcrest Club 1958

Paul's Best of 2008

A tough year to be sure, but some relief was to be found in the music. Mudcrutch took me back to a very sweet time when Rock music was a lot easier to understand. Somehow I forgot about Portishead, and I hadn’t heard the Byrne/Eno album yet, both of which would have probably made my list. If there is one CD I would say you HAVE to have this year it would probably be the Los Cenzontles album Songs of Wood & Steel. It is at once new and old, modern and traditional, fun and serious. For fans of Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo, this is essential. Also, both the new Dylan Bootleg Series volume 8 and the Neil Young Sugar Mountain live made me feel really good in really bad times. Thanks guys.

Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch
Ryan Adams - Cardinology
Los Cenzontles - Songs of Wood and Steel
Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind
Spiritualized - Songs In A&E
David Gilmour - Live In Gdansk
Black Keys - Attack and Release
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
John Zorn - The Dreamers
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
Dungen - 4
Paper Bird - Anything Nameless and Joymaking
Jason Isbell - Live at Twist and Shout
Calexico - Carried To Dust
The Devil Makes Three - The Devil Makes Three
Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight
Joseph Arthur - Temporary People
Dr. Dog - Fate
Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely
Otis Taylor - Recapturing The Banjo

Reissues:

Neil Young - Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968
Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series Vol. 8
Polk Miller and His Old South Quartette - Polk Miller and His Old South Quartette
Frank Zappa - Wazoo
The Byrds - Royal Albert Hall
Jefferson Airplane - At The Family Dog Ballroom
Various Artists - You Heard It Here First
Grateful Dead - Road Trips Vol. 4
Jethro Tull - This Was (Deluxe)
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection (Deluxe)

Twist & Shout's employee faves of 2008

Our Number One winner for 2008, with 11 votes:
Portishead – Third

Our Number Two placer for 2008, with 9 votes:
Dungen – 4

Our Number Three shower for 2008, with 6 votes:
TV on the Radio – Dear Science

Our Number Four mentions for 2008, tied with 5 votes each:
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Flying Lotus – Los Angeles
Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It

Our Number Five mentions for 2008, tied with 4 votes each:
Black Mountain – In the Future
Eagles of Death Metal – Heart On
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
Santogold – Santogold
Silver Jews – Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea

Our Number Six mentions for 2008, tied with 3 votes each:
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Vol. 1
Beck – Modern Guilt
Black Keys – Attack & Release
Calexico – Carried to Dust
The Clash – Live at Shea Stadium
Devotchka – A Mad & Faithful Telling
Dub Trio – Another Sound Is Dying
Bob Dylan – Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series Vol. 8
Gaslamp Killer – Obey Mixtape

Ladytron – Velocifero
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – Real Emotional Trash
Paper Bird – Anything Nameless & Joymaking
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Sigur Ros – Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Spiritualized – Songs in A&E
Wovenhand – Ten Stones

Our Number Seven mentions for 2008, with 2 votes each:
Benga – Diary of an Afro Warrior
Mary J. Blige – Growing Pains
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Lie Down in the Light
Boris – Smile
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Dig Lazarus, Dig!
Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
Deerhoof – Offend Maggie
Dengue Fever – Venus on Earth
Dr. Dog – Fate
Dr. John & the Lower 911 – City That Care Forgot
Drive-By Truckers – Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
Flaming Lips – Christmas on Mars
Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
Jean Grae & 9th Wonder – Jeanius
Jesu – Why Are We Not Perfect?
Kid Creole – Going Places
Jeffrey Lewis – 12 Crass Songs
Los Cenzontles – Songs of Wood & Steel
Madlib – WLIB AM
Magnetic Fields – Distortion
M83 – Saturdays = Youth
Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride
My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
R.E.M. – Accelerate
Rose Hill Drive – Moon Is the New Earth
Andre Williams & the New Orleans Hellhounds – Can You Deal With It?
Hank Williams III – Damn Right Rebel Proud
Dennis Wilson – Pacific Ocean Blue (reissue)
Neil Young – Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968