were you wondering if i have good taste in music? …don’t worry, i do.

best of 2008!
1. okkervil river: the stand ins – the best band you’re not listening to. seriously. you have no idea.
2. lykke li: youth novels – yay for swedish friends introducing you to amazing artists. that jump up on the speaker at bimbo’s and start RAPPING. like, really well. one of the best moments of live music i’ve ever experienced, period.
3. death cab for cutie: narrow stairs - they just never stop being good. ben gibbard made a deal with the devil, didn’t he?
4. jenny lewis: acid tounge – ok, so i love jenny. i’m one of the jenny lewis super fans that you’re probably super annoyed by and make fun of. and having loved rabbit fur coat as much as i did, i was a little….. i don’t want to say “disappointed” by acid tounge, but…. well let’s just say i was “surprised”.
then i saw her perform it live, and i got it.
the songs on this album just weren’t meant to be recorded in a studio and listened to at home. i think to get the full effect they need to beexperienced. maybe that’s a good thing, maybe it’s not – but it IS a testament to lewis’ talent as a performer. i mean, she WAS in “the wizard”, after all.
5. bon iver: for emma, forever ago – music that makes you want to sit in the dark crying. in a good way.
6. the dodos: visiter – some local flava! …sorry, flavor.
7. magnetic fields: distortion – a perfect band with perfect songs that make me happy. i love you stephen merritt, have my babies?
8. mgmt: oracular spectacular – oh come on, you like this album too.
9. she & him: volume one – the jenny lewis of 2008, since jenny lewis got all bob dylan acidy on us.
10. the notwist: the devil, you + me – viva emotional german techno pop! no, that is not an oxymoron. or like, 5 oxymorons.

honorable mentions:
-juno soundtrack
-the raconteurs: consolers of the lonely
-girl talk: feed the animals (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
-anna ternheim: halfway to five points

misc.:
-cat power: jukebox – um i dropped the ball and haven’t heard it yet, but i wanted to give chan a shout-out. i’m on it, downloading – i mean, buying – the album right now!
-wolf parade: at mount zoomer – ditto what i said about cat =/
-coconut records – new album please? if stephen merritt won’t have my babies, maybe jason schwartzman will. i wanna reproduce a coppola….
beirut – i need me some more beirut, now please.

looking forward to in 2009: morrissey, neko case and other stuff but i’m tired of doing this now.