a day late, a dollar short

This year was a rough one, wasn't it? I can't commit to the ranking of any of these, really. Think of the first five as being the top tier, the second five being second tier, and the rest just filling in the blanks. I couldn't even think of twenty-five to list. Yikes!

1) Alphabeat - This Is Alphabeat

I don't care what you haters say. This does NOT nauseate me, but it does fill me with unbridled joy every single time I listen. There are a couple of songs that I skip when I listen, but the rest make up for it.

2) Esau Mwamwaye and Radioclit are The Very Best - The Very Best Mixtape

No words. This is just so good.

3) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

What's not to love? One of the only artists that I've seen live without being familiar first and actually enjoyed-- nay, loved.

4) The Walkmen - You + Me

I listened to this with Chuck this summer on one of our many lazy days about the apartment. I kept looking up in delight, and then masking my interest when he would say from behind his blag-machine, "I mean, it's a Walkmen album." Quickly became one of my favorites in the fall and winter.

5) Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

How can there be this many good and kitschy songs on one album? My body is saying yes, but my heart is saying no. Sitting in a two-hour long traffic jam on the way back from our XXXTREME WEEK: PIZZA PARTY DOES GREAT AMERICA trip, emotionally exhausted from risking my life on the Double Helix and the Pirate Ship (no, really, I cried), this came on very softly from Cait's Clubwagon speakers. AND MY HEART SAID YES YES YES. And I probably cried again.

6) Little Joy - Little Joy

At first I was doubtful. I thought it sounded like a middle-aged band playing at a faux Copacabana luaua or something. I mean, I was really skeptical. And now look at me.

7) Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair

It took some warming up to, but "Blind" is such a wild song to hear late at night, by oneself, in a DJ booth. The cover art, of course, won me over immediately.

8) Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings and All

I love this voice and folkish sass.

9) Santogold and Diplo - Top Ranking

Even better.

10) The Dodos - Visiter

Jangly gems, for the most part. A lot of hot Chicago nostalgia involved, too.

11) The Cure - 4:13 Dream

Duh.

12) Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins

I never thought it would make it, but here it is in the upper-middle eschelons of my list. Way to suck, 2008. Actually, I really like this album, I just am not used to loving Okkervil River. I usually leave that to my bro.

13) Lykke Li - Youth Novels

Good, and she has too many good videos of her dance moves on YouTube to pass her up.

14) Hot Chip - Made In The Dark

Up here for being a pretty good album; down here because I've been comparing it to other Hot Chip albums.

15) Santogold - Santogold

So many good remixes. Santogold is almost my fantasy woman, too.

16) M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Another one lucky to be born in 2008. Sorry, guys, this just isn't my bag, although it is wonderful background music. Like, really beautifully crafted background music.

17) Jamie Lidell - Jim

I can't believe that Sinowitz bought this album when I told him how much I liked it. It still makes me blush. There is no way he could have listened to it all the way through.

18) Air France - No Way Down

Another Chicago nostalgia. Alex Miller would always sing that one song... and by sing, I mean repeat "It's sorta like a dream... no, better," over and over. For seven minutes.

19) Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too

Won a lot of brownie points when it lulled me to sleep in El Salvador while I was experiencing Montezuma's revenge. There was a chicken trying to sit on the tin roof, but it kept sliding down noisily. There was just no hope for me until I slipped this baby on.

20) Deerhunter - Microcastle

Chuck listened to this enough that it stuck.

21) MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

22) HEALTH - Disco

Duh. I used to walk around Humboldt Park listening to this. I tried to run to it, which failed for a number of reasons: a) Glass Leg b) Sloth c) Getting distracted by how gooooood these mixes are.

23) TV On The Radio - Dear Science,

I don't know. Just trying to fill space. I list this because I was one of the only people I know who didn't take a big fat dump on the album when it came out.