Best Songs of 2008 (Part 1)

This week, Stoplight Sleep brings you my humble picks for this years best songs. First, we'll look at my top 10, followed by the 50 best list. So here we go . . .

10. The Dodos  "God" from Visiter

"God" is one of the few tracks where Meric Long's machine-gun precussion and Logan Kroeber's acoustic sprints ease up on The Dodo's Visiter. The duo's music theory seem deceptively simple: a reflection of the melody (and vise-versa). The jingling in the background and the steady downbeat lull you into thinking this one will be easy to digest. Then a simple euphamism ("Oh, god.") turns into a last-ditch plee for order in the universe. "Are you there, listener? It's me, the perfect album closer."

9. Los Campesinos!  "My Year In Lists" from Hold On Now, Youngster

Aside from the obvious relevance to your faithful author's current task, "My Year in Lists" is a perfect example of the energy and density packed in the best Los Campesinos! tracks.  As fun as the twee-pop music is, I can't resist lyrics in which the first verse is an extended metaphor about sex and letter-writting (a la PJ Harvey) followed by a meta-poetic comment on those lines.

8. The Kills  "U.R.A. Fever"  from Midnight Boom

In the last few years, M.C.s have commanded us to do some of the most vexatious acts ever put to music. Thankfully, The Kills, who traded in the garage sound of their last two albums for splashes of raw studio flare, have way cooler intenions for their audience. "Go down to the Rio"? "Go ahead and have her. / Go ahead and leave her"? Finally, a song about something I want to do.