Best Songs of 2008 (Part 2)

Today, we're continuing on Stoplight Sleep's countdown of the best song of 2008. Here's 7 through 5.

7. Single Frame  "Cold Mining" from S F E P

Coming in under 10 minutes, Single Frame's S F E P from January of this year could almost qualify as a song itself. The release is a power punch of post-punk energy for those still interested in that whole dance revival thing. "Cold Mining," riddled with Joy Division, barely sneaks ahead as the stand-out track. The hangover anthem poses the Myspace-survey worthy refrain of the year: "If you don't dream, does that mean / that you have not got one? / Or if you don't dream, does that mean / that you are living it?"

6. Frightened Rabbit  "Fast Blood" from The Midnight Organ Fight

On the surface, "Fast Blood" is standard post-millennial mope rock in the vein of Interpol, The Twilight Sad, and Arcade Fire. It could also be a pedestrian retelling of one sexual encounter. However, Scott Hutchinson's emotional conviction and extended metaphors about hurricanes and resurrection make the track the rock equivalent of impressionist poetry.

5. Crystal Castles  "Vanished" from Crystal Castles

I have a soft spot in my heart for the soundtracks of the Nintendo games of my youth. I've enjoyed covers of NES themes from The Advantage, Minibosses, and Motherbrain!, but those acts could only dictate the actual experience. On their debut album, Crystal Castles capture my remembered impression of playing games like Metroid and Astanyx  by combining an 8-bit aesthetic with a 21st-century worldview. "Vanished" is the moodiest song of the album.