Best Music of 2008: Critics' Picks and Bloggers' Lists

by Jarrett Martineau | December 31, 2008 at 11:32 am

3714 views | 10 Recommendations | 14 comments

It's that time of year again, when every music blogger, critic, and media outlet on the internet is releasing their annual list of favourite albums, songs, mixtapes, mixes, remixes and Top 10s.

At NowPublic, we've compiled the 20 most annoyingly catchy songs of 2008 (and I've posted my Top 10 Albums of 2008) but, don't worry, we've got the rest of the internets covered too.

Here's the best of the 'best of 2008' from across the music blogosphere.

The bands and albums that everyone has been buzzing about this year are a handful of indie darlings that includes a fairly limited cross-section of all-too expected hipster bands (or should that be bands formerly known as hipster?)

Herewith, is a top 10 list of the 'most favourited' music of the year.

[Last updated: Jan. 02]

Critical Consensus: Best Music of 2008

TV on the Radio - "Dear Science"
No Age - "Nouns"
MGMT - "Oracular Spectacular"
Portishead - "Third"
Santogold - "Santogold"
Lykke Li - "Youth Novels"
Deerhunter - "Microcastle"
Lil Wayne - "Tha Carter III"
Fleet Foxes - "Fleet Foxes"
Vampire Weekend - "Vampire Weekend"

But now, on to the list of lists!

First off, no meta-music list would be complete without acknowledging the hard work of über-blogger-compilers Largehearted Boy and Fimoculous — both of whom do a superb job at wrapping up the best 'best of' lists on a variety of subjects.

But NowPublic has also done some 'year in review' music research of our own. Here are some of the best and most interesting year-end music lists we've come across:

About.com: Top 28 Rap Albums
The Age of Consent: Top 50 Songs
AllMusic: Top 25 Rock Albums
Amazon: Editor Picks - Top 100 Songs
Amie Street: Favourite Albums
Associated Press: Top 10 Rock Albums
Billboard: 10 Best Albums of the Year (Critics' Choice)
CBC Radio3: 2008 Bucky Award Winners (Best Canadian Bands)
Different Kitchen: Best Hip-Hop Albums, Singles and Mixtapes
Dusted: Editors' Picks - Best of 2008
Elbo.ws: Favourite Songs and Albums (w/ tons of mp3s)
The Fader: Listmania! (all kinds of music lists)
Flickr: Top 10 Records (w/ photos)
F**k the Prom: Top 5 Albums Not On Other People's Lists
Giant Magazine: Best of 2008 Mixtape (download)
Gorilla vs. Bear: Top 50 Songs (w/ mp3s)
Gotham Acme: Best Albums of 2008
Idolator: Top 10 Highest-Selling Albums, Singles, & Digital Artists
Last.fm: 10 Best Albums
MetaCritic: Best 25 Albums
The Milk Factory: Top 20 Albums
MOG: Top 10 EPs (w/ mp3s)
MTV: Top 33 Songs
New Yorker: Sasha Frere-Jones - The Best Recordings of 2008
Nialler9: Top 50 Songs (w/ mp3s)
Nialler9: Top 20 Compilations & Mixtapes (w/ mp3s)
NME: Top 50 Albums
NPR Listeners' Top 25 Albums
NYMag: 10 Best Hip-Hop Mixtapes
New York Times: 10 Best Albums, 5 Best Songs
Passion of the Weiss: 50 Best Albums (w/ mp3s)
Paste: Top 50 Albums
Pitchfork: 50 Best Albums
Pitchfork: Top 100 Songs
Pop Matters: Top 10 Indie Pop Albums
Pop Matters: Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums
Raven Sings the Blues: Top 15 Albums
Rolling Stone: Albums of the Year
Rolling Stone: Top 25 Songs (Readers' Picks)
Sean Orr: Favourite Music of 2008
Simon Reynolds: Top 8's - Albums & Songs
Slate: Top 10 Albums & Top 25 Singles
WFMU: Brian Turner's Top 10 Albums
The Wire: Best Music
XLR8R: Top 25 Albums

What were your favourite albums, bands, or songs of this year? What have these lists missed? Post your comments below.

[ For more year-end lists and 'best of' picks check out NowPublic's Best of 2008 channel.]

152

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend Sign In or Join to post comments

kittyninha

at 12:38 on December 16th, 2008

The photo is not great... My camera is very basic and the light was very dim. But the moment was saved, and that was the goal. A great concert, a great band!
It was the first time I saw Portishead live, the emotion is impossible to describe...

kittyninha has contributed a photo to this story.

scifilullabies

at 12:59 on December 16th, 2008

This was the best show of the year at the Market Hotel in Bushwick.

scifilullabies has contributed a photo to this story.

i98gran

at 13:04 on December 16th, 2008

Amazing... it was amazing...:) I was in the second row and Beth grabbed my from-all-the-emotion sweaty hand... electric!

i98gran has contributed a photo to this story.

Uwe Paschen

at 15:59 on December 16th, 2008

Goodness I do not even know half of them. That can not be a good sign, then again the Japanese Music will most likely never make it up there.

Aussiali

at 18:26 on December 16th, 2008

VP Played an outstanding pre show venue! The acoustics sounded great in the small downtown cd store. The band members were alert and in tune. They happily signed posters and smiled to the large crowd. There was a large line to get into the cd store. I was number 58 of the people who did not have wrist bands to get in. They allowed the extra crowd to watch the show which was much appreciated!

Aussiali has contributed a photo to this story.

jeffluger

at 20:23 on December 16th, 2008

Vampire Weekend @ the Mezzanine.

jeffluger has contributed a photo to this story.

wumpiewoo

at 22:03 on December 16th, 2008

Dr. Dog at Iota Club, Arlington, VA

wumpiewoo has contributed a photo to this story.

Alida Antonia Cornelius

at 14:40 on December 17th, 2008

Growing up in Kentucky, I like bluegrass music the most. My favorite album of the year is by "The Cherry Holmes Band."

Here is their website.

http://cherryholmes.musiccitynetworks.com/

IrmEsc

at 19:32 on December 17th, 2008

Vampire Weekend at Terminal 5 in New York City. It was a great concert, wish I could have seen them all three nights they were playing.

IrmEsc has contributed a photo to this story.

Jordan Yerman

at 12:35 on December 19th, 2008

Favorite albums, in no particular order: Dig!!! Lazarus Digg!!!, by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Those guys really know what they're doing. Also, Attack & Release, by The Black Keys. And Only by the Night, Kings of Leon.

perdido en tierras ignotas

at 11:16 on December 20th, 2008

Best gig in primavera sound 2008, in barcelona. Portishead was great. the 10 years' waiting was worth it.

perdido en tierras ignotas has contributed a photo to this story.

Bubb (not verified)

at 08:28 on December 23rd, 2008

The ‘Best Music’ of 2008 (Part 1)

(1.) TODD RUNDGREN - ARENA
(2.) JEFF BECK - LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTT’S JAZZ CLUB
(3.) STEVE WINWOOD - NINE LIVES
(4.) WALTER BECKER - CIRCUS MONEY
(5.) GUNS N’ ROSES - CHINESE DEMOCRACY
(6.) NADA SURF – LUCKY
(7.) NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - DIG!!! LAZARUS DIG!!!
(8.) DIDO - SAFE TRIP HOME
(9.) PORTISHEAD - THIRD
(10.)BUDDY GUY - SKIN DEEP

* (BONUS) DAVID BOWIE - LIVE IN SANTA MONICA 72

** BONUS (BEST CHRISTMAS CD 08) KARL MORASKI - WHAT IS CHRISTMAS? – This exceptional Christmas cd can be purchased at

http://www.karlssongs.net

Robert Sutherland

at 13:13 on January 8th, 2009

Probably the most diverse top 5.

1. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

2. Dandy Warhols - ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols...

3. The Cool Kids - Bake Sale EP

4. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

5. Matt Costa - Unfamiliar Faces

Fripouille

at 08:46 on January 10th, 2009

My pick was actually released on December 31 2007, but seeing as it has since had over three million hits on youtube and is still going strong (link below), that makes it a contender!

Radiohead's semi-live studio version of the album "In Rainbows". Nearly an hour long but streams direct.

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=ukythkK4EPQ&feature=channel_page