Top 25 Songs of 2008

Alphabetical by Artist

1. ADELE - Hometown Glory
ADELE sings with heartfelt nostalgia. This song makes me long for city-life. Her self-titled debut features two other must have's: Right as Rain and Make You Feel My Love.

2. The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight
Instant classic, starting soft and slow and building to complete passion. Everyone’s been driven crazy by love you can't have. From their self-titled studio album released summer 2008.

3. The Asteroids Galaxy - Around the Bend
Made popular by an iPhone commercial, this little ditty is catchy as hell. Great for driving.

4. The Black Ghosts - Full Moon
From the motion picture soundtrack to Twilight (first movie from the book series by Stephenie Meyer), this song is a total throwback to the 60s Folk sound.

5. The Bravery - Believe (Moon Version)
The driving beat and heavy guitar mix well with the lead singers not too emo-kid, emo-kid vocals. The other must-have off The Sun and The Moon Complete? This is Not the End (Moon Version).

6. Coconut Records – Nighttiming
Jason Schwartzman’s solo project, Coconut Records. This song is just plain fun. Also get West Coast.

7. Coldplay – Lost!
I admit, I was so not about the hype of Coldplay’s much anticipated 2008 release, and Viva la Vida is still my least favorite song on the album. Still, this iis one of my top albums of the year simply for its start to finish playability. Other greats to get include Strawberry Swing, Violet Hill, Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love.

8. Death Cab for Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart
Not the radio edit. This 8 minute trek starts with a great bass line and builds instrument by instrument until finally the vocals round it out. A super great running song. From the album, Narrow Stairs.

9. Elbow - Grounds for Divorce
Probably the most overlooked electro-rock band out there, Elbow does it again with their 4th studio album, The Seldom Seen Kid. I love this song. Other greats off this album include One Day Like This and The Bones of You.

10. Estelle – Pretty Please (Love Me) [feat. Cee-lo]
This song makes me want to roller skate. A total throwback to the 60s Motown sound. From the album, Shine.

11. Flobots – Handlebars
Another great song that builds to a fury using a steady beat and smooth, catchy lyrics. Fight with Tools was released late 2007. This single became one of my summer anthems.

12. Gnarls Barkley – Run
I recently saw this band on Austin City Limits and fell even more in love with them than I already was. Another great running or driving song. From the second studio album, The Odd Couple.

13. The Kings of Leon – Crawl
KoL’s 4th studio album, Only by the Night, rocks harder than previous releases and is also in my list of top albums of the year. Caleb Followill’s voice is haunting. Other must-haves? Closer and Sex on Fire.

14. Lady Gaga – Just Dance [feat. Colby O'Donis]
What list would be complete without at least one gratuitous Top 40 club tune?

15. MGMT – Electric Feel
Picture this – top down, cruising the strip with the sun glinting off the Gulf of Mexico. This song has summer written all over it.

16. N.E.R.D – My Drive Thru
Featuring Santogold, this song is pure funk wonderfullness.

17. Pop Levi – Never Never Love
Vocoder-tastic.

18. The Racontours – Top Yourself
Their second studio album, Consolers of the Lonely, is another of my top albums of the year. I like this song best because of its front porch acoustic feel. Other greats off the album include Solute Your Solution, You Don’t Understand Me, Many Shades of Black, and Carolina Drama.

19. The Rapture – No Sex for Ben
This one comes from the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto IV. Great for game play and real life.

20. Rogue Wave – Chicago x 12
Asleep at Heaven’s Gate dropped late 2007. This single is beautiful. It makes me feel nostalgic.

21. Santogold – Shove It [feat. Spank Rock]
This song jams like M.I.A. Other must-haves off her self-titled debut include L.E.S. Artistes and Lights Out.

22. She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
Actress Zooey Deschanel and musician M. Ward team up here and, sadly, this is the only song I like off their debut, Volume One. This one is a total throwback to the 60s Doo-wop sound.

23. The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name
A great indie-pop duo hand picked from Coachella Music Festival by Apple Inc. Their debut album, We Started Nothing, is another on my list of top albums of the year. Also get: Great DJ, Fruit Machine, Shut Up and Let Me Go, and We Started Nothing. I love this song best because of the controlled cacophony of looping instruments and vocals.

24. Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Total throwback to Paul Simon’s Graceland, this tune is a must have. Their self-titled debut album is awesome from start to finish, putting it on my list of top albums of the year.

25. Wojahn Brothers – Oh No You Didn't! (Mercenaries 2 Anthem)
Brilliant. Creative. Incredibly catchy.