fil-ter

Top Albums of 2008

I’m a day late, but here are my top albums from 2008:

1. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals (hip-hop / mix)
2. Diplo/Santogold - Top Ranking (hip-hop / mix)
3. Shugo Tokumaru - Exit: Quirky japanese rock that is hard to explain (rock)
4. Metaform - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Required for fans of DJ Shadow circa ‘96 (instrumental hip-hop)
5. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (electronic/rock)
6. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (rock)
7. DJ /rupture - Uproot (hip-hop/world/mix)
8. The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale (hip-hop)
9. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (folk/rock)
10. Portishead - Third (electronic/trip-hop)

It’s hard to pick just 10, so here’s 10-20 in unranked alphabetical order:

• Beck - Modern Guilt (rock)
• Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (folk / rock)
• Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (folk / rock)
• Flying Lotus - Los Angeles (instrumental hip-hop)
• Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair (electronic / disco)
• Horse Feathers - House with no name (folk / rock)
• Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping (rock)
• Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (rock)
• TV on the Radio - Dear Science (rock)
• The Virgins - The Virgins (rock)

As expected, a few changes from the mid-year list.

Top Albums of the First Half of 2008

We’re just a bit over halfway through the year, so I thought I’d put together my non-binding list of my favorite* albums so far this year:

1. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals: Although it can’t top Night Ripper, this is certainly the best party mix you’ll hear all year (hip-hop / dj mix)
2. Cool Kids - Bake Sale: Upbeat hip-hop in the late 80’s style (hip-hop)
3. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (rock)
4. Joan as Police Woman - To Survive: Female singer-songwriter, fans of Feist will enjoy (rock)
5. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair: New disco (electronic)
6. The Dodos - Visiter: Low-key, folk-tinged rock (folk/rock)
7. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colors (electronic/rock)
8. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (rock)
9. The Virgins - The Virgins: Upbeat rock (rock)
10. Portishead - Third Nothing they released could meet the sky-expectations awaiting them. A new, harsher sound that grows with repeated listens (electronic / trip-hop)

*subject to change, offer not valid outside of the continental US