- Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend I don't think anyone can argue with this one.. the radio didn't know which song the single was, I think every song at one point was getting airplay... Definitely looking forward to their 2009 release including the single "ottoman" which is amazing. It will be interesting to see how the rest turns out seeing as though this album was recorded over a span of 2.5 years.
- Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles This album is a dance party from beginning to end. My only qualm with this band is that I just can't imagine too many spectacular albums like this from a studio band. If Crystal Castles were Moby, then this self-titled album would be "Play."
- MGMT - Oracular Spectacular My rap friends liked "Electric Feel". My techno friends liked "Time to Pretend". My indie friends "Pieces of What." This band is so diverse wikipedia has it listed under indie, pop, electro, and even jam band.. Yet the album as a whole is very cohesive, and i still can't get "Kids" out of my head..
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes Folk rock with vocal harmonies, rounds, and mid-song time signature changes. This album could just as well have came from the first unitarian church.
- Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow and Blue You can't not like the Born Ruffians. They are perhaps the most underrated band in this list, which is why I forgot about them at first. I had a chance to see them this year and they played 3 new songs which makes me extremely excited about their upcoming album in 2009.
- Okkervil River - The Stand Ins If this really is the second-part of 2007's "The Stage Names," its a testament to how on Will Sheff's songwriting ability is right now. I had the chance to see this band in a very small venue this year and they give one of those most intimate performances, I kept forgetting anyone else was even there in the room.
- Tv on the Radio - Dear Science Ranked best album by Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Spin, Consequence of Sound, MTV, Entertainment Weekly, and Pitchfork. I'm not giving it #1, I'm giving it #7.
- Women - Women I heard the single "Black Rice" first, and after a little research found out that lo-fi veteran Chad Vangaalen produced their debut album. With its vocal rounds and harmonies mixed with lo-fi-hear-every-little-gu
- Stereolab - Chemical Chords Chemical Chords is the ninth album by Stereolab. They are also ninth on my list. I think they are finally on to something...
- The Whigs - Mission Control Its hard to say rock is dead when a band like the Whigs come out with this.. Listen to "Like a Vibration" "Production City" and "Right Hand on my Heart" and tell me why its still not cool to like this band. They recently signed to Dave Matthews label ATO (According to Our Records).
- The Walkmen - You and Me "In the New Year" is the best song of 2008 and will be played on New Years Eve, by me, and the rest of this album is pretty good too.
- White Denim - Workout Holiday
- Why? - Alopecia
- Deerhunter - Microcastle
- Miniature Tigers - Tell it to the Volcano
- Little Joy - Little Joy
- Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
- Santogold - Santogold
- Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
- The Dodos - Visiter
- Beach House - Devotion
- Dr. Dog - Fate
- Tapes n Tapes - Walk It Off
- Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
- Oxford Collapse - Bits
- Kings of Leon - Only By The Night Define sell out. Its when the fanbase changes to the point that people who know all the new songs couldn't name one of the old songs, and vice versa. It wasn't that the old songs were all that sophisticated, but now that they play arena shows, got haircuts, and play on mtv, its hard to think they aren't being a little overestimated here.
- Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty Robbers and Cowards was #2 on my 2007 list of best albums, and this is just pale in comparison. Recycled. Maybe if their last album wasn't so good..... maybe.
- Black Kids - Partie Traumatic After 2007's Wizard of Ahhhs EP, fans of Black Kids waited for the better part of a year for the LP, but it didn't quite deliver more than the EP, and by then people were tired of the same songs..
What to look for in 2009
Dent May and his Magnificent Ukeleye
Passion Pit
Glasvegas
Gang Gang Dance
A.C. Neuman
Iran
Matt and Kim
Weird War
Air France
Animal Collective
Born Ruffians
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