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FWFW's Top 50 Songs of 2008

I was going to write an elaborate introduction about the conundrum of making a songs list and about how it doesn’t really represent the best songs, and that it’s just a general survey of a year’s worth of music and good songwriting. But that was a cop-out. Great songs from albums filled with great songs might get shuffled to the back in favour of poorer songs that were stand-outs on the record whence they came. I’m becoming less and less thrilled with the notion of precise music ranking, but since my entire flesh requires it I will continue to force it upon myself. It’s a problem I have. That isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy spending my year listening to music critically and making these lists; I certainly do. It’s just frustrating that the same problem that forces me to make these lists is the one that nags at me about the fact that at any given time any song on this list could be in a completely different position. I spent a lot of time fine-tuning, but no music list can ever be perfect all the time. This list of my 50 favourite songs of the year will probably look different tomorrow. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Was it a weak year for music? I’ve held this view for most of the year and while it’s true that 2008 didn’t give us an abundance of earth-shattering albums like 2007 did (any album from my 2007 top-20 would almost certainly make my 2008 top-10), it’s hard to call it weak when listening through this list of 50 songs, and there’s another truckload that wouldn’t have sounded out of place. As I have become more familiar with some of the bands making the world’s best music today, I have begun to gradually move from discovery to expectation. Many established indie artists wrote and performed their ways onto this list, but 2008 was a great year for new groups, a few in particular who know how to craft near-perfect melodies and brilliant pop songs. Anyway, all of this reading of paragraphs is a waste of time, so get listening.



50

“Hope Mountain”
Antony and the Johnsons


49

“Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ”
Titus Andronicus


48

“Shout Me Out”
TV on the Radio



47

“Teen Creeps”
No Age



46

“Gila”
Beach House








45

“M79”
Vampire Weekend



44

“Paperback Suicide”
Evangelicals



43

“Vox Humana”
Deerhunter



42

"Machine Gun”
Portishead



42

“Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”
Vampire Weekend



40

“Keep Yourself Warm”
Frightened Rabbit



39

“Iris”
Hercules and Love Affair



38

“Oxford Comma”
Vampire Weekend



37

“I Feel Better”
Frightened Rabbit



36

“Run to Your Grave”
The Mae Shi



35

“House Jam”
Gang Gang Dance



34

“Dr. Carter”
Lil Wayne



33

“River Card”
Atlas Sound



32

“In the New Year”
The Walkmen



31

“Re: Stacks”
Bon Iver



30

“A Milli”
Lil Wayne



29

“The Hunter's Star”
Shearwater



28

“California Girls”
The Magnetic Fields



27

“Jodi”
The Dodos



26

“Constructive Summer”
The Hold Steady







25

“Golden Age”
TV on the Radio



24

“Lost Verses”
Sun Kil Moon



23

“Them Kids”
Sam Roberts







22

“An Eluardian Instance”
Of Montreal



21

“Mykonos”
Fleet Foxes




20

“Hearts on Fire”
Cut Copy

Cut Copy - "Hearts on Fire" Music Video





19

“Lump Sum”
Bon Iver


18

“White Winter Hymnal”
Fleet Foxes


17

“Fools”
The Dodos

The Dodos - "Fools" Music Video







16

“Paranoid”
Kanye West


15

“Feel the Love”
Cut Copy


14

“Blind”
Hercules and Love Affair


13

“Ragged Wood”
Fleet Foxes


12

“Kim & Jessie”
M83

M83 - "Kim & Jessie" Live Performance





11

“Cobwebs”
Animal Collective


10

“The Modern Leper”
Frightened Rabbit


9

“Lover's Day”
TV on the Radio


8

“The Rip”
Portishead


7

“Inní mér syngur vitleysingur”
Sigur Rós


6

“Vox Celeste”
Deerhunter



5

“Water Curses”
Animal Collective


4

“Which Song”
Max Tundra


3

“Time to Pretend”
MGMT


2

“Nothing Ever Happened”
Deerhunter


1

“Skeleton Man”
Evangelicals

Labels:

Really?

I'm quite surprised at your selection. Though I am happy you didn't choose any of Kanye's first two singles from 808s

You might think I'm lame, but I really dig Rihana and T.I's Live Your Life. The juxtaposition of the Swinging rap on the first chorus of rap over top of the overly straight beat is unreal. He's so far behind the beat sometimes there its reminiscent of Basie's Band.

I heard it the other day and had to stop my car.

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