Best Songs of 2008 - #10 - #1
10. "The Kelly Affair" by Be Your Own Pet - The fact that this song is inspired by the film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is pretty goofy, but BYOP still deliver a fun little rock number. If I was a teenage boy, I would probably build a shrine to singer Jemina Pearl. I love her snotty, sexy growl.
9. "Love Dog" by TV on the Radio - I think the TVOTR is the most important band in America today. They are the U.S. answer to Radiohead. "Love Dog" builds and builds over the course of five and half minutes. Serene and beautiful. Tunde Adebempe's voice is gorgeous and that Rhodes piano and the horns simply kills me.
8. "The Perfect Boy" by The Cure - This is the best song Robert Smith has written in a long, long time. His vocals are great and he delivers a nice little story. I love Simon Gallup's bass slides on the second chorus.
7. "Ready for the Floor" by Hot Chip - In theory, Hot Chip shouldn't work. They make some of the grooviest dance music today and the band is fronted by a little dude in glasses and a big, burly, bearded guy. Like "Playboy" a few years ago, "Ready for the Floor" is further proof that these guys know what the hell they're doing.
6. "Mouthwash" by Kate Nash - What a voice! Kate Nash gets lumped in with the recent British Girl Wave (see Adele, Duffy, Lilly Allen, etc.), but she's a pretty decent songwriter. Kudos to the drummer for taking the ending to the next level. He pounds the crap out of the skins on this number.
5. "My Only Offer" by Mates of State - I had the fortune of seeing Mates of State in concert this past year. They can do so much with just keyboards, drums, and two voices. For some reason I had a habit of singing this song while cooking during the fall. Must be the cute, married couple vibe of the band.
4. "Electric Feel" by MGMT - There's something I just like about MGMT. On the surface, their songs sound pretty irreverence, but there's an undercurrent of sincerity. I had a hard time deciding which of the three MGMT songs ("Kids", "Time to Pretend", "Electric Feel") that rocked my world to put on this list, but "Electric Feel" won out.
3. "Little Bit" by Lykke Li - Simple, sparse, and stripped down. Excellent use steel drums and mandolin. Of course I can't leave out that sweet, pouty, cute voice. The lyrics are kind of goofy at times, but the intent is pure.
2. "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" by Black Kids - There's been a bit of a Black Kids backlash after their full length album failed to deliver on the promise of their four track EP "Wizard of Ahhhs", but there's no denying this song. Pure pop gold. The sheer repetition of the verse and chorus will cause this song to worm its way into your brain. I prefer the EP version over the LP mix.
1. "My Year in Lists" by Los Campesinos! - (How ironic!) Young angst has never sounded so amazing! I raved about this song earlier in the year and it has yet to lose its luster. Where were you when I needed you Los Campesinos! You would have been the soundtrack of my college days! Amazing boy/girl vocals and a second verse that makes me want to laugh and cry simultaneously. Brilliant.
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