Music in 2008

So apparently Google didn't like my original post on music in 2008. I'm guessing that's because it had links to other blogs' mp3s. Most of those were free/legal downloads authorized by the artists. Others weren't. In any case, the fact that Google (the "don't be evil" folks) summarily deleted my content without notice is a little bit troubling. I guess it's only a matter of time before my Angry Dance gets pulled off Youtube for (un)fair use of Mr. Idol's content.

Here's my previously deleted post (minus links). Instead of following the direct links to mp3s, just go to Hype Machine and find the tracks yourself. http://hypem.com/

2008 was a pretty good year for music. It featured a lot of new acts with a few established stars showing up as well. Below are some of my thoughts on music that came out this last year. I counted Bon Iver and M.I.A. as 2007 albums, so they aren't mentioned below (but you should get them).

Albums:

- Fleet Foxes - "Fleet Foxes" - Best album this year. Simply gorgeous songs that sound like Brian Wilson making folk music. "White Winter Hymnal" is simply gorgeous and the songs on the "Sun Giant" EP are equally worth checking out.

- Thao Nguyen - "We Brave Bee Stings and All" - Her backing band is called "The Get Down Stay Down" -- killer. A collection of incredibly sweet, short, and quirky tunes.

- Mates of State - "Re-Arrange Us" - SF husband/wife make a great album of indie pop songs ("My Only Offer" = catchiest song of the year).

- The Last Shadow Puppets - "The Age of The Understatement" - rock music that borrows from Ennio Morricone and 1960s James Bond scores. Brilliant.

- Santogold - "Santogold" - Santi White's album that tackles/borrows pretty much every genre of music. Kickass pop music.

- She & Him - "Volume 1" - M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel create an album of 60s style pop.

- Conor Oberst - "Conor Oberst" - Solo record from the Bright Eyes frontman. More excellent songwriting.

- Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "Lie Down In The Light" - One of Will Oldham's best records in years. That's saying something.

- The Wombats - Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation - guitar driven pop from Liverpool that you can't help but rock out to. (Yes, that sentence ends in a preposition -- deal.) You have to love a band that writes a killer song about dancing to Joy Division.

- We Are Scientists - "Brain Thrust Mastery" - cuz we need more albums that sound like sort of like Depeche Mode reincarnated as an indie rock band.

- Okkervil River - "The Stand Ins" - Followup to last-year's "The Stage Names" is even catchier and has some great tracks.

- Deerhunter - "Microcastles" - Kind of psychedelic indie-pop that sort of reminds me of Doves crossed with Blonde Redhead. That makes pretty much no sense, but it's the best I'm gonna do here.

Others you may already have heard about that I liked:Death Cab, Vampire Weekend, Beck, Calexico, the Black Kids, Cut Copy, The Walkmen, Girl Talk, Los Campesinos, M83, Sigur Ros, Sun Kil Moon, Wolf Parade, Bloc Party, MGMT, Kaki King, Raphael Saadiq