Fave 2008 albums, singles & reissues

It's that time of year again! Scribes everywhere are getting pestered by editors to find out what 10 albums were their favorite for their year. Most writers who are heavily into their work complain that they have problems whittling it down to ten (something I always have problems with). Also, as anyone can tell you, your list of favorites is likely gonna change daily or weekly or monthly. Also, you might feel a tinge of regret that you forgot to include some things or that you didn't have time to hear everything you should have. So in that spirit, here's all the music that I've been enjoying this year, with links all over the place. Hope you find something like.

NOTE: a few of these picks (Wussy, Wooden Shjips, Enur) are late '07 relases


CD'S/ALBUM/RECORDS/COLLECTIONS OF NEW SONGS

1. Wussy Left for Dead (Shake It)
2. The Whigs Mission Control (ATO)
3. Hot Chip Made in the Dark (Astralwerks)
4. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Honeydripper (Rhino)
5. The Mountain Goats Heretic Pride (Beggars Banquet)
6. The Heavy Great Vengeance and Furious Fire (Ninja Tune)
7. Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster... (Arts and Crafts)
8. Clark Turning Dragon (Warp)
9. James McMurty Just Us Kids (Lightning Rod)
10. Absentee Victory Shorts (Memphis Industries)
11. Münchener Kammerorchester Haydn, Yun: Farewell - Symphonies Nos. 39 and 45 / Chamber Symphony I (ECM)
12. Paul Westerberg 49:00 (Dry Wood Music)
13. Girl Talk Feed the Animals (Illegal Art)
14. Lil Wayne Tha Carter III (Cash Money)
15. Martha Wainwright I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too (Zoe)
16. Lucinda Williams Little Honey (Lost Highway)
17. TV on the Radio Dear Science (DGC/Interscope)
18. Nine Inch Nails The Slip (nin.com)
19. Okkervil River The Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar)
20. Mavis Staples Live: Hope at the Hideout (Anti-)
21. The Knux Remind Me In 3 Days... (Interscope)
22. GZA Pro Tools (Babygrande)
23. Lil Mama VYP- Voice of the Young People (Jive)
24. Robert Forster The Evangelist (Yep Roc)
25. Nikka Costa Pebble to a Pearl (Stax)
26. The Cute Lepers Can't Stand Modern Music (Blackheart)
27. Jaime Lidell Jim (Warp)
28. Darker My Love 2 (Dangerbird)
29. Ponytail Ice Cream Spiritual (We Are Free)
30. Fannypack Ghetto Bootleg (Tommy Boy)
31. Pat Todd and The Rankoutsiders Holdin Onto Trouble's Hand (Rankoutsider)
32. The Death Set Worldwide (Counter)
33. Raphael Saadiq The Way I See It (Columbia)
34. Tilly and the Wall Tilly and the Wall (Teamlove)
35. Blitzen Trapper Furr (Sub Pop)
36. The Roots Rising Down (Def Jam)
37. Nas Nas (Def Jam)
38. No Age Nouns (Sub Pop)
39. One Day As A Lion One Day As A Lion (Anti-)
40. The Mannish Boys Lowdown Feelin' (Delta Groove)
41. Goldmund The Malady of Elegance (Type)
42. Ezra Furman and the Harpoons Inside the Human Body (Minty Fresh)
43. Eddy Current Supression Ring Primary Colours (Goner)
44. Jay Reatard Matador Singles '08 (Matador)
45. Futureheads This Is Not the Future (Megaforce)
46. Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip Angles (Strangefamousrecords)
47. Santastic 4 (santastic4.com)
48. Group Inerane Guitars From Agadez (Sublime Frequencies)
49. The Ettes Look at Life Again Soon (Take Root)
50. Capstan Shafts Fixation Protocols (Rainbow Quartz)
51. Raglani Of Sirens Born (Kranky)
52. Miko Mika 666 (PPM)
53. Amanda Shaw Pretty Runs Out (Rounder)
54. The Fleshtones Have a Good Look! (Yep Roc)
55. Carla Bley and Their Remarkable Big Band Appearing Nightly (ECM)
56. Ted Leo Rapid Response (Touch and Go)
57. Hot Lava Lavalogy (Bar None)
58. Nodzzz Nodzzz (What's Your Rupture?)
59. Heybale The Last Country Record (Shuffle5)
60. Sons and Daughters This Gift (Domino)
61. The Sight Below Glider (Ghostly International)
62. Thao Nguyen We Brave Bee Stings And All (Kill Rock Stars)
63. Max Richter 24 Postcards in Full Colour (Fat Cat Records)
64. Radar Bros Auditorium (Merge)
65. Derby Posters Fade (Green Submarine)
66. Byetone Death of a Typographer (Raster-Norton)

SINGLES

1. Robyn "Konichiwa Bitches" (Cherry Red)
2. Missy Elliott "Ching-a-Ling" (Goldmind)
3. Devo "Watch Us Work it" (Devo)
4. Gnarls Barkley "Run" (Downtown)
5. Death Cab for Cutie "I Will Possess Your Heart" (Atlantic)
6. Erykah Badu "Honey" (Universal/Motown)
7. Beck "Profanity Prayers" (Interscope)
8. Lykke Li "Little Bit" (Control Group)
9. Fannypack "Hit It" (Tommy Boy)
10. Common "Universal Mind Control (UMC)" (Geffen)
11. Absentee "Boy, Did She Teach You Nothing" (Memphis Industries)
12. Jay-Z featuring Santogold "Brooklyn Go Hard" (Bad Boy)
13. VV Brown "Crying Blood" (Island)
14. Nelly "Hold Up" (Universal)
15. Semi Precious Weapons "Her Hair Is On Fire" (Mute)
16. Izza Kizza featuring Miss Elliott "Walk the Dawg" (Interscope)
17. Vampire Weekend "Mansard Roof" (XL)
18. Angie Stone featuring James Ingram "My People" (Concord)
19. Jenny Lewis "The Next Messiah" (Warner Bros)
20. The Hold Steady "Sequestered in Memphis" (Vagrant)
21. The Muslims "Bright Spot" (1928 Recordings)
22. Raveonettes "Dead Sound" (Vice)
23. Joe Budden featuring the Game "The Future" (Amalgam)
24. Bruce Springsteen "My Lucky Day" (Columbia)
25. The Streets "Heaven For The Weather" (Vice)
26. The XX Teens "My Favorite Hat" (Mute)
27. Master Shortie "Dead End" (Odd One Out)
28. Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip "Beat That My Heart Skipped" (Lex)
29. Dirty on Purpose "Audience in the Room" (North Street)
30. Jay-Z "Ain't I" (no label)
31. Santogold "Say Aha" (Downtown)
32. R.E.M. "Supernatural Superserious" (Warner Bros)
33. Baltic Fleet "Black Lounge" (Blow Up)
34. Chris 'The Falcon' Han "Love Songs" (vimeo.com)
35. Willie Nelson "You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore" (Lost Highway)
36. Tittsworth "WTF (Featuring Kid Sister Pase Rock)" (Rcrd Lbl)
37. Kid Sister "Pro Nails" (Downtown Recordings)
38. M83 "Couleurs" (Mute)
39. Curumin "Caixa Preta" (Rcrd Lbl)
40. Girl Problems "Girl Problems" (myspace.com)
41. Wooden Shjips "Auld Lang Syne" (woodenshjips.com)
42. USA For Affluence "Cash For Chirstmas" (pitchfork.tv)
43. Violent Femmes "Crazy" (The Secret Life of)

REISSUES/COMPILATIONS/ARCHIVES

1. Flipper Generic Flipper Album (Water)
2. Dancehall: The Rise Of Jamaican Dancehall Culture (Soul Jazz)
3. Fairport Convention Unhalfbricking (Water)
4. Nick Lowe Jesus of Cool (Yep Roc)
5. Kelis The Hits (Jive)
6. Mission of Burma Vs (Matador)
7. Pavement Brighten the Corners- Deluxe Edition (Matador)
8. Blue Ash No More, No Less (Collectors Choice)
9. Philip Glass Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective (Nonesuch)
10. Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (Columbia/Legacy)
11. Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter Old Records Never Die: The Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter Anthology (Shout Factory)
12. Birdsongs of the Mesozoic Dawn of the Cycads (Cunieform)
13. Analog Africa No. 3: African Scream Contest (Analog Africa)
14. Jon Hassell Power Spot (ECM)
15. Steinski What Does It All Mean?: 1983-2006 (Illegal Art)
16. Rachid Taha Rock el Casbah: The Best of Rachid Taha (Wrasse)
17. Highlife Time! Nigerian & Ghanaian Sound from the 60's and early 70's (Vampi Soul)
18. Hank Williams The Unreleased Recordings (Time Life Entertainment)
19. Hybrid Kids Hybrid Kids (Cherry Red)
20. Mo-Dettes The Story So Far (Cherry Red)
21. Teenage Jesus and the Jerks Shut Up and Bleed (Atavistic)
22. Hank Mobley Quintet Hank Mobley Quintet (Blue Note)
23. Ornette Coleman The Art of the Improvisers (Atlantic)
24. The Impressions This Is My Country/The Young Mods' Forgotten Story (American Beat)
25. David Johansen David Johansen (American Beat)
26. Howlin' Wolf Rockin' the Blues: Live In Germany 1964 (Acrobat)
27. La Dusseldorf Viva (Water)
28. Titan: It's All Pop! (Numero)
29. Truckee Brothers Double Happiness (Popluxe)
30. Jack DeJohnette Special Edition (ECM)
31. Basic Replay (Basic Replay)
32. Webb Pierce High Gear Daddy (Bear Family)
33. Bullwackies All Stars Black World Dub (Wackies)
34. Curtis Mayfield Curtis (Rhino)
35. Art Blakey and Giants of Jazz Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1972 (Monterey Jazz Fest)
36. David Axelrod Seriously Deep (Dusty Groove)
37. The Mekons The Mekons Story (Buried Treasure)
38. Rosie Flores Rosie Flores (American Beat)
39. Richard Thompson Henry the Human Fly (Fledg'ling)
40. Professor Longhair The London Concert (JSP)
41. French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson Live, Love, Larf and Loaf (Fledg'ling)
42. Bollywood Steel Guitar (Sublime Frequencies)
43. Notwave (Rong/DFA)
44. Mark Kozelek The Finally LP (Caldo Verde)
45. Popguns Another Year, Another Address (Best Of) (Cherry Red)
46. The Nerves One Way Ticket (Alive)
47. Blue Mountain Dog Days (Roadrunner)
48. Harry Taussig Fate Is Only Once (Tompkins Square)
49. Porter Wagoner The Cold Hard Facts Of Life / Soul Of a Convict (The Omni Recording Corporation)

Special mention: Fantasy's reissue of the Creedence catalog and WB's reissue of the late Replacements catalog