Best Songs of 2008 - #35 - #31

Here's the latest installment of my annual look back at the songs that wormed their way into my subconscious and dominated my iPod playlists.

35. "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She & Him - This is the musical collaboration of M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel. It's a pleasant little tune and like the way Deschanel says "credit" near the end. The "oooos" and "doot-doots" on the outro almost make me willing to forgive Deschanel for appearing in that god-awful M. Night movie, The Happening, earlier this year.


34. "Valerie Plame" by The Decemberists - This song has Colin Meloy singing about a fictitious love affair with real world outted spy, Valerie Plame Wilson. My favorite part is the reference to a Vespa as a chariot and the Greenzone Marriott. Very clever Mr. Meloy. Musically, this song is very White Album Beatles right down to the "Hey Jude" ending.


33. "Chicago X 12" by Rogue Wave - Admittedly this type of song is usually a little too VH1 for my tastes, but I love some great woodblock work. It reminds me of Remy Zero and some the great songs they had about a decade ago. (Video here)

32. "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" by The Helio Sequence - Good driving beat and I like how the guitars pick up a little edge before the second verse. The spacey breakdown in the middle is pretty cool, too.


31. "Set It Off" by Girl Talk - This is pretty much the kind of song you expect from this mash-up artist. I've got to admit the pairing of "Paranoid Android" with Jay-Z is pretty damn awesome. The Mary J. Blige "Real Love" over top "These Eyes" is almost as brilliant. However, nothing beats the section where Bubba Sparxxx raps over "Come On Eileen".