Best of 2008 - Music

Top 15 Singles:
Annie - "I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me"
This song was such a fun summer jam. Use of textspeak in song titles is only permissible for people who can ~work it~ like Annie and M.I.A.

Cut Copy - "Hearts On Fire"
Hearts On Fire is a song that makes you want to dance and makes you want someone to dance with, and that's all you need when this song is playing.

Hot Chip - "Ready For The Floor"
What I really love about Hot Chip is that they're nerdy-looking guys making sexy music. They make dance music with a heart and soul. While I love fun party songs (see MSTRKRFT's "Bounce"), Hot Chip just take it a little bit deeper.

The Kills - "U.R.A. Fever"
A better lead single couldn't have been chosen for Midnight Boom. The whole album is great, but I was completely obsessed with this songs. Jamie and Alison just have this fantastic chemistry in their music that really makes it stand out.

The Last Shadow Puppets - "The Age Of The Understatement"
Once again, Alex Turner makes me feel like I'm wasting my life.

M.I.A. - "Paper Planes"
Does this need any explanation? Well-used Clash sample! Gunshots! And more! If we needed any more proof that M.I.A. is one of the fiercest bitches around, Paper Planes says it all.

Laura Marling - "Ghosts"
I love this girl, she is so talented. She makes me feel like I'm wasting my life even more than Alex Turner does. Her songs are wonderfully honest and well-spoken, and Ghosts is no exception.

MGMT - "Electric Feel"
Yeah, maybe it's not as deep as "Kids" or whatever, but this song is ridiculously hot. (And so is Andrew Vanwyndskjfhedsfkldwisconsin, not even going to lie.)

MSTRKRFT - "Bounce"
If I ever went anywhere exciting, I would put this song on while getting ready to go out.

Mystery Jets - "Young Love"
I really enjoyed Mystery Jets' new stuff. Laura Marling's guest vocals are great.

Noah and the Whale - "5 Years' Time"
Obligatory comment about "Young Folks" and whistling. This was the year of Laura Marling, apparently.

Radiohead - "House Of Cards"
Come on, it's Radiohead. I've loved this song since the first time I heard In Rainbows.

Vampire Weekend - "Oxford Comma"
I, for one, "give a fuck about an Oxford comma."

We Are Scientists - "After Hours"
When I first listened to We Are Scientists' second album, I was apprehensive of everything except for Tonight, which I'd head a bootleg of for ages. When I rediscovered how much I love this band in November, I immediately latched onto this song.

The Whigs - "Right Hand On My Heart"
Through their tours with the Spinto Band and We Are Scientists, I saw the Whigs twice this year. Both times, the bass drum was so intense that I felt like my various inner-ear membranes were going to expel themselves from my skull. It. Was. Awesome.

Guilty pleasures:
Jesse McCartney - "Leavin'"
Britney Spears - "Womanizer"

Most overrated songs of the year:
Kings of Leon - "Sex On Fire"
Lykke Li - "Little Bit"

Top 10 Albums I Was Addicted To:
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Mystery Jets - Twenty One
She & Him - Volume One
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery
Yelle - Pop-Up

Shows Attended, In Chronological Order:
The Whigs/The Spinto Band
I went for the super adorable and lovely Spinto Band and was pleasantly surprised by the Whigs. I don't know why they were touring together, but it was a solid show.

Harry and the Potters' Camp Jump And Yell
The most fun I've ever had at a show. There were s'mores, and quite frankly it's easier to feel comfortable when I'm surrounded by people who match my level of nerdiness.

The Swell Season
Absolutely beautiful. I want to marry both of them. Music doesn't make me cry often, but this was such a moving experience.

MSTRKRFT/LA Riots
My first electronica show. I danced for so long that afterwards I felt like I probably wasn't going to be able to walk properly for two days. Basically it was totally awesome.

Kings Of Leon/We Are Scientists/The Whigs
Once again, the Whigs put on a solid show. It was a lot of fun to see We Are Scientists again. I still desperately wish that they would record an entire album of stage banter. Better yet, they just need to get that TV program. I hadn't heard much of Kings Of Leon beforehand, just their big singles (yet I was still wondering what happened to them when "Sex On Fire" came out), but I really enjoyed seeing them. I didn't really enjoy their crazy fans, though.