The Year in Music 2008: Top 50 Songs
Writing for a website or two, being a DJ, and doing my own hunting and digging affords me (a.) the opportunity to experience a lot of music and (b.) enough ego to think people who come across my drabblings might actually be interested in -- or even trust -- my opinion about What's Good. With that in mind, read on for some (mostly) one-liners about some of what I considered to be the best music of 2008.

TOP 50 SONGS OF 2008

50. J-Live - The Upgrade - Oddisee and Posdnuos help this backpack hip-hop ensemble cut.
49. Coldplay - 42 - Even blind squirrels stumble upon a prog-rock nut once in a while.
48. TV on the Radio - Family Tree - Soft gem resting amid energetic remainder of Dear Science.
47. Bob Mould - Return to Dust - Openly cops to early, influential Husker Du work.
46. Thievery Corporation - Vampires - D.C. danceteers back Femi Kuti's anti-despot lyrics.

45. Elvis Costello & the Imposters - American Gangster TIme - "Radio, Radio" is this song's salvation.
44. One Day as a Lion - Wild International - Zach de la Rocha rages with machines.
43. Dave P & Adam Sparkles - Sunday Nite in Glasgow - Blog-house epic from Philly's "Making Time" crew.
42. Hate - Darkcore - Early d'n'b sounds use wormhole to travel from mid-1990s, fit perfectly.
41. Common - Universal Mind Control - Pharrell channels Bambaataa for Chicago's "other" rapper.

40. Gnarls Barkley - Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) - Album #2 missed heights of #1; this single came close.
39. Tricky - Council Estate - Trip-hop's prince of darkness as upbeat and "pop" as ever.
38. The Magnetic Fields - California Girls - Twisted take on Beach Boys' harmonies, subjects.
37. M83 - Graveyard Girl - Nothing scary about the music except for our gothic antiheroine.
36. Moby - Alice - Moody atmospheres + old-school rap mumbles = an Evil Ninja Moby sighting!

35. Throw Me the Statue - Lolita - When Microsoft Zune commercials first invaded iPod-land.
34. Infadels - Free Things for Poor People - More was expected from these former dance-rockers.
33. Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked - Norwegian indie-rock girl scores.
32. David Byrne and Brian Eno - Strange Overtones - Addressing life in the bush of suburban neighbors.
31. Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire - No lie: This is the first KoL I didn't hate with a passion.

30. The Holloways - Generator - There's always one dumb, catchy, throwaway rock track out there.
29. Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy - See 04. below, minus gratuitous guy-on-guy action.
28. The Raconteurs - Salute Your Solution - With Brendan Benson's best Jack White impersonation.
27. The Hold Steady - Sequestered in Memphis - Magnificently filthy bar-rock ode to restroom sex.
26. The Verve - Love is Noise - "Atomic duck" sound effect keeps this driving rocker...driving.

25. MGMT - Kids - Connects dots between new psychedelia and the last few years of dance rock.
24. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal - Indie-rock sweetness disguised as backwoods spiritual.
23. Dr. Dog - The Ark - If Kanye can back their trippy video, you can at least back the track.
22. The Gutter Twins - Idle Hands - Music for being cornered in a back-alley shootout.
21. South Rakkas Crew - Mad Again (Jokers of the Scene remix) - Sick dancehall vox, early techno noise.

20. Kid Cudi - Day 'n' Nite - Laid-back Cleveland rhymes addressing indecision.
19. Hercules & Love Affair - Roar - Slow-burning epic with abstract sample hook...and no Antony!
18. The Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You - Backlash what?
17. My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed - Neo-jammers offer a surprisingly soulful, steady melody.
16. Plushgun - Dancing in a Minefield - Brooklynite ratchets up Postal Service electro-twee.

15. Amanda Palmer - Runs in the Family - Queen of cabaret time signatures hates fit of her genes.
14. REM - Supernatural Superserious - Everything good about their 2008 album is found here.
13. Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart - Obsession gone creepy? Sting wants royalties!
12. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig! Lazarus, Dig! - Biblical zombie as NYC recluse.
11. Hot Chip - Hold On - Lyric of the year: "I'm only going to heaven / If it tastes like caramel."

10. Kanye West - Love Lockdown - So much about this gets under your skin the right way.
09. Vampire Weekend - I Stand Corrected - Country-club pop perfection in this deep album cut.
08. School of Seven Bells - Half Asleep - Lilting ladies over a warm yet glitchy backdrop.
07. Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook - Not sure what's so tribal about Iceland, but keep those drums!
06. Nine Inch Nails - Demon Seed - Closes a solid album like "Ringfinger" once did.

05. Santogold - Shove It - Aggression thinly veiled under her feel-good reggae roots.
04. The Presets - This Boy's in Love - Aussie neo-disco with superb falsetto hook, homoerotic video.
03. Portishead - Machine Gun - Industrial drum pads conquer hip-hop cratedigging, world.
02. The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name - A reluctant girl-power dancefloor anthem.
01. The Whigs - Right Hand on My Heart - No clue about staying power, but I hummed this all year.