I’ll start by saying this: Paste‘s Top 50 of 2008 offers surprises. To get a quick glean of what I mean, take a look at number 50, then close your eyes and peer at number one. What happened? Now go back and check out what is or isn’t happening in between. If you recall, last year they awarded the top spot to the National’s fourth album, Boxer. This year it goes to a debut. But not the debut you’re thinking. Give you a hint: You’re not going to guess it. In other news, it’s cool to see Torche in there even if they should be (way) higher. Now see for yourself.
50 TV On The Radio – Dear Science (Interscope)
49 Sandra McCracken – Red Balloon (Towhee)
48 REM – Accelerate (Warner Bros.)
47 Laura Marling – Alas, I Cannot Swim (Astralwerks)
46 Lykke Li – Youth Novels (LL)
45 M83 – Saturdays = Youth (Mute)
44 Kathleen Edwards – Asking For Flowers (Zoë)
43 Amanda Palmer – Who Killed Amanda Palmer (Roadrunner)
42 Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down – We Brave Bee Stings & All (KRS)
41 The Tallest Man On Earth – Shallow Grave (Gravitation)
40 Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords (Sub Pop)
39 The Dodos – Visiter (Frenchkiss)
38 Jamie Lidell – Jim (Warp)
37 Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit – A Larum (Lost Highway)
36 The Bridges – Limits of the Sky (Verve)
35 Colour Revolt – Plunder, Beg and Curse (Fat Possum)
34 Torche – Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
33 Santogold – Santogold (Downtown)
32 Silver Jews – Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City)
31 The Walkmen – You & Me (Gigantic)
30 I’m From Barcelona – Who Killed Harry Houdini? (Mute)
29 Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III (Cash Money/Universal)
28 MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
27 Liam Finn – I’ll Be Lightning (Yep Roc)
26 Lee Ann Womack – Call Me Crazy (MCA Nashville)
25 Mugison – Mugiboogie (Ipecac)
24 Santogold & Diplo – Top Ranking? (Mad Decent)
23 Mates of State – Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk)
22 No Age – Nouns (Sub Pop)
21 The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust (Vice)
20 Hot Chip – Made In The Dark (Astralwerks)
19 Gentleman Jesse and His Men – Introducing Gentleman Jesse and His Men (Douchemaster)
18 Death Cab? for Cutie – Narrow Stairs? (Atlantic)
17 Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Lie Down In The Light (Drag City)
16 My Morning Jacket? – Evil Urges (ATO)
15 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (Mute)
14 Langhorne Slim – Langhorne Slim (Kemado)
13 Ida Maria – Fortress Round My Heart (Waterfall/RCA)
12 of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl)
11 The Hold Steady – Stay Positive (Vagrant)
10 Deerhunter – Microcastle (Kranky)
09 Lucinda Williams – Little Honey (Lost Highway)
08 Sun Kil Moon – April (Caldo Verde)
07 Girl Talk – Feed the Animals (Illegal Art)
06 Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
05 Okkervil River – The Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar)
04 Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
03 Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (XL)
02 Sigur Rós – Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL)
01 She & Him – Volume One (Merge)
The reasoning behind She & Him:
Maybe it’s just a sweet little folk record — a tiny, flawless diamond. Or maybe it’s a pristine distillation of harmony and craft; 50 years of songwriting experience served up on a spinning silver platter. Either way, it’s our album of the year. Produced with touches of girl-group splendor and arranged with a dreamy, old-fashioned vibe, She & Him’s debut couldn’t be more adorable.
Adorable. It’s interesting to note that they’re not so into Brooklyn noise-pop a la Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts. Or fellow Brooklynites High Places. Or, etc. You can read the rest of the write-ups at Paste.
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The She & Him album is really better than all the other great albums listed?
No. R.E.M.’s “Accelerate” is a thousand times better and it’s #48 on the list. Crazy.
Thank you for saying that! It’s true. And I don’t just say that cos I’m the guy who wrote about their whole catalog.
No, it doesn’t. I am a big fan of M. Ward, but I really can’t stand that She & Him album. It is just reused bubble gum pop that has been done so many times before, and it’s not even done well. I get it, “She” wants to be cute, and “Him” must be sleeping with her, otherwise he wouldn’t have compromised his great talent and craftmanship for this derivative rubbish! I’m really just disappointed Paste magazine for rewarding M. Ward for his venture off into lala land.
No Portishead?
I agree. Talk about a necessary inclusion.
No David Byrne & Brian Eno, “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today”?, That one should be in the top 10, for sure.
Where can i go 10,000 short against vampire weekend’s follow up effort? Ian, is that on the pink sheets
She & Him actually was a pretty nice little record, probably a top 25 for me this year. It’s just funny that mood-wise, it’s about as far from “Boxer” as one could get.
#38 on this list is a pleasant surprise.
i’m glad i paid only $2 for this year-long subscription.
me and you both, friend. good grief.
I actually canceled my subscription. I felt bad wasting the paper.
I hate to be the person who writes PASTE SUCKS, but, all opinion and reasoning aside, their writing really is crap. Take this gem from #50 Dear Science: “Dear Science is not the band’s best, but tell that to the glorious beats, funky guitars and epic horns that surround Tunde Adebimpe’s poetry throughout.”
Umm, ok, I’ll tell those things that, wha? It’s hokey, lazy and trite. I got onboard when they did their Radiohead-pay what you want publicity stunt, and got 12 issues (one year) for a dollar… it was a rip-off.
oh, i get it. this list is a joke. it should be followed by:
http://www.instantrimshot.com/
Gee I love it when the end of the year this site becomes Listgum.com
Spiritualized’s Songs in A&E is the biggest omission I see.
But I am glad to see Liam Finn get some love.
DEERHOOF
i would eat the 44 – 42 sandwich, then throw the meat away, then use the following bowel movement to poop on this list… what happened to yr shit list category? use it more liberally, please.
No “Ice Cream Spiritual” (my pick for number one)? No Man Man or Deerhoof or Fuck Buttons (whose releases are all better than the new Sigur Ros album, which is the worst of their career)? And didn’t most everyone hate the new MMJ album? And to think that a friend of mine told me that Paste is better than Pitchfork the other day. LOLWUT!
Oh shit, and how could I (and they) have forgotten the new Grouper album?
what about The Black Keys’ “Attack & Release”? Or Blitzen Trapper, Department of Eagles, The Cool Kids, Gang Gang Dance? Hell, Ryan Adams’ “Cardinology” was better than some on that list…
you guys are missing the point.
sure the list sucks, but you can’t expect to see noise rock on here. that’s not the kind of stuff they cover.
22 No Age – Nouns (Sub Pop)
I agree “Songs in A&E” was a real masterpiece this year. Paste has sold out. can’t believe they put those morons from Vampire Weekend on the list at all.
this will destroy you: s/t? ….anyone?
I second This Will Destroy You…amazing “post-rock” from one of the best out there…
Aimee Mann’s Smilers should’ve been in there somewhere. As should Conor Oberst’s.
I concur on Conor.
Dear Science has some great moments, but not that great overall…it deserves its 50 spot. I don’t think a comedy record deserves to be on the list. Flight of the Concords should be removed to make room for Gang Gang Dance, I am glad Gentleman Jesse got some love, though. That’s a great record!
Paste has always tread on the side of those scared to venture beyond their local coffee shop’s musical tastes. It’s a fitting list for them, if one that’s out of touch with anyone younger than 25. (Coming from someone who isn’t and doesn’t agree with much on the list.)
Its not a bad list. All of the albums listed are good. Sure my list and your lists arent going to look the same as theirs but its still an interesting read, and I believe Paste is one of the best music mags out there.
Now for my useless 2 cents: TVOTR would be WAY higher, and Conor Oberst would get a nod. Gentleman Jesse is the shit!
I’m happy to see some love for Spiritualized’s Songs in A&E. Well, at least in the comments. I think this record was a legitimate top 20 album of the year (Top 5-10 for me), but was looked-over and/or underrated in a lot of circles.
I agree. I guess because it’s a shoegaze band that’s not MBV, nobody cares too much.
Isn’t it still November?
I know year on year comparisons are pretty pointless, but number 5 for the companion album to last year’s number 76?
NO. MORE. LISTS.
This is the first one! Bring ‘em on. I love list season
Wow… I mean, I’m a big Paste fan (and subscriber), and even though they’d fawned over She & Him before, I certainly didn’t see that coming.
Also, Ida Maria at #13? LOVE IT. One of my five favorite albums of the year… and the fact that it hasn’t come to America is straight-up ridiculous. This is not a good list, but that’s definitely a good pick.
I love For Emma, For Ever Ago as much or more than the next guy, but didn’t it come out in ’07???
As #3 would say, I stand corrected. Here, here Bon Iver.
It was self-released in ’07 and then Jagjaguwar re-released it this year
Picks that make me really happy:
Girl Talk, Deerhunter, Hold Steady (underrated), Nick Cave, MMJ (very underrated)
WTF?:
01, 03, 05, 12, 18 and 50 (really? worse than ALL the rest)
damn, I guess there weren’t many good records this year…
I think it’s safe to say that TVOTR at 50 is a political statement (i.e. backlash). We did the same thing to In Rainbows at my college paper.
there’s no way in Hell girl talk deserves that spot- I guess I’m just biased but still! Not before No Age!
I did the packaging for #49
jus sayin…
And fuck Tha Carter III. Indie orgs stop embarrassing yourselves. That was the best hip-hop album this year? Really?? Do you listen to hip-hop?
So true. It’s like indie music sites/magazines feel compelled to add a hip-hop album just so as to seem to be non-biased, diverse, or not racist. The problem is that they clearly don’t do their homework. They choose an album that they think is safe and run with it. But, all that this says about them is that they couldn’t possibly be paying any attention and their listening habits aren’t as diverse as they might portray them to be. I for one would respect the omission of such albums more than I respect adding them just because . . .
Good point. GZA’s “Pro Tools” was definitely the best hip-hop album of the year.
I don’t agree with everything, but I really like this list.
Great to see Langhorne Slim on there, he should be much bigger than what he is.
People really need to start listening to Wax Fang and Colourmusic.
they just have a boner for Zoe and have to justify putting that crappy duo on their cover.
wack choice
she & him is a fine, fine album, nice to see it actually top a list, but where’s The Renaissance? now that should be waaaaay up there
no department of eagles? Paste is retarded. They didn’t include Yellow House and now they nix In Ear Park
and what about Beach House. This sucks!
music is too subjective to dumb down to a number, unless its formulated by a number, like record sales top 50, airplay top 50 etc. if the pasters weren’t business minded, itd be top 50 of the year, in no particular order. but alas, their job is to create, document, circulate and sell hype which numbers help to generate…
That list was nauseating. Pitchfork’s head isn’t even this far up its own ass. wait yes it is
wait, i dont understand why this should be surprising?
The fact that Spiritualized’s Songs in A&E doesn’t even make the list forces me to call into question the people putting the list together.
It seems ridiculous to not include Beach House – Devotion on a list of the 50 best of the year. Beautiful album. I keep coming back to it throughout the year,
Other albums that should be in the best of the year discussion:
Man Man, Department of Eagles, Gang Gang Dance, Little Joy… list goes on
it turns out that i am the only one that thinks okkervil river is terrible…
No you’re not. High five.
I hate how everyone puts Lil Waynes The Carter III on their Indie rock lists. Its the only hip hop record on there, and it makes it seem like they pretend to like rap because everyone else does. 2008 was a great year for hip hop, and all they can come up with is The Carter III???
dude..i need some reassurance…cause as far as i saw this year..or in fact the last maybe 5 years..hip hop has been in a downward spiral into bull shit…commercial artists are retarded…indie hip-hop artists are all babys that complain how rap is poison to the masses..and what do they do..create more bullshit..hip hop is dead!!..nas is a douche..kanye is fucking singing..DOOM is in hiding…i love DOOM by the way…i dont wanna hear it..dont say cool kids, atmosphere, murs..they suck.. who doesnt agree with me?
No Cardinals. Lame.
No way She & Him should be above that Sigur Ros album. Paste came so close to making a repectable choice for #1.
WHERE THE FUCK IS ALOPECIA—WHY? (see what I did there)
yes aaron, yes you are
Cut Copy makes me dance. This list doesn’t dance.
They needed to put a recognizable face on the cover (zooey deschanel) for the newstands hence picking She & Him for #1.
I never knew what The National looked like until after they were on the cover of the year end issue in ’07
they learned from their mistake of putting 5 unrecognizable dudes on the there. they probably couldn’t get arcade fire on the cover hence putting them at #2
I think you need to look at the magazine that is making the list. Paste is a magazine that mostly covers mainstream and soft music with an indie twist. Of course their choice of rap music is going to be bad. However this list really represents their type of music and, in all honesty, is not that bad of a list.
All that being said I think it is criminal that they ignored the Los Campesions! albums. In my mind they were some of the best this year. Anyone else think so?
Yes. Together, Hold On Now, Youngster and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed comprise some of the most solid indie-pop in years. They’re both just excellent records and they work well together – HONY as the exuberant introduction, and WAB, WAD (ha!) as the darker, more sober follow-up that still retains their frenetic energy. Also, they’re a blast live.
Mostly a solid list. I really didn’t like their pick for number one… I love Zooey Deschanel and really wanted to like the She & Him stuff, but I just didn’t. Oh well. Glad to see R.E.M. on there, and also Colour Revolt (they’re from my home town!
). They just gave Anathallo’s Canopy Glow a 92 and would have loved to see that make the list but I guess it’s a little too late in the year. 
I also LOVE Jamie Lidell’s Jim and am glad that made an appearance! I forgot that in my gummy awards voting!
Whoops!
No School of Seven Bells? I absolutely adore that record.
You quiero The Renaissance. Donde esta?
03. Vampire Weekend?!? Are you kidding me?
No Chinese Democracy? This is an outrage, an absolute outrage I tells ya.
Hmmm…all in all the list isn’t that bad, but She & HIm? It’s almost like they just gave up. Talk about an album destined for #51.
ra ra riot should have been on there too. otherwise pretty solid list.
no Dr. Dog? Calexico? Giant Sand? Cardinals? Oasis? Verve?
Where is my homegurl Jenny Lewis? How outraged I am
what a shit list
2008 was a shite year for music. all lists should be trimmed to top 20.
mags make money off ads, not newsstand sales, so that’s not why shim’s on the cover. and half the bands you mention aren’t in paste’s demographic, like portishead or deerhoof or ‘dance’ music. sigh. silly consumers.
bands? no bands? band? why arent there bands? bands? this band? lists?
I have concluded that there are simply some things i will never understand: the “Twilight” phenomenon, the tuck rule, math, Drinkability…
Which is why i’ve stopped trying to understand this need for self-described “indie rock” publications to bow at the altar of Lil Wayne.
haha, a very dr. cox like response. i applaud you.
With all the other folk/freak folk/songwriter albums on their list its surprising to me that they didn’t pick Department of Eagles even in the top 50…
DR. DOG “FATE” IS MISSING
Yes, I agree. Where is “FATE” by DR. DOG ?? It got great reviews, and the band performed live at Paste. Relix magazine did a 10 page spread and put them on the cover as the next greatest American band, Many are very angry that Dr. Dog was left off the lists. Even Rolling Stone wrote great reviews oabout “Fate”, then, just left them out. Looks like all of these lists are copied and just scrambled from the Pitchfork (devil) lists..
bon iver should be #1 in my opinion
Agreed. Like, woah.
Girl Talk and TV on the Radio should swap places. Emliana Torrini’s and Copeland should replace Flight of the Conchords (more comedy than music) and Lil Wayne (just doesn’t fit here). Cheers to Bon Iver & Sigur Ros. My Paste subscription was free, otherwise forget it.
Cut Copy!!!??!??!? Anywhere?!
ah, bland, followed by more bland, followed by predictable. does a pair of slippers come with this list? why is bland considered so good these days?
only three of my top ten are anywhere in this top 50. lack of mountain goats and kaki king are both ridiculous.
It’s almost as if year-end lists are subjective. Good thing there is such a thing as an objectively best album of the year, and that YOU are the one to tell us what it is. Congrats!
Wow. She and Him. Really? Did Paste even listen to the album? I’m a huge fan of M. Ward and I’d have a really hard time putting this in the top 20 albums of the year. Yikes.
i’m just glad this list hasn’t polarized opinions and brought out the list happy freaks on stereogum. i’m also really glad this is the LAST best of list we’ll see this year.
I’m not surprised that Deerhoof, Portishead, and Why? didn’t make the Paste list, but they would be in my top 25. I AM shocked that Spiritualized, both Los Campesinos! albums, Ra Ra Riot, and The Black Keys didn’t make the cut…
No love for the ruby suns?
where is third eye blind? queen w/ paul rogers? reo speedwagon? what year is this? and why am i naked and lying on the hood of my station wagon?
rabble rabble rabble.
glad to see thao and the get down stay down on there.
past magazine, come the fuck on.
I can’t wait to not hear about She and Him anymore. No. 1 over hyped let down of 2008 is more like it.
Wolf Parade?! silver mt zion?
how is everyone getting a free Paste subscription? please share the knowledge
UGGH. White people strike again.
glad silver jews made it on, but no love for the new Malkmus album?
It’s funny to see the token Lil Wayne in there.
“See black people? We’re “down” with yall.”
— Paste
Lil Wayne? Come on. The whole I-like-lil’wayne-because-it’s-ironic thing is getting old. Whoops, You’re soooo unpredictable, Mr.Critic(i.e.Pitchfork,paste,etc.) what will you do next?
please tell me how TVOTR was number 50? And a mixtape beat them!? Paste=balls
*MAKES GENERIC COMMENT, BRIEFLY REFERS TO A RESPECTED INDIE ALBUM, WAITS FOR COMMENT TO BE VOTED UP*
haha m83 #45 …. ok paste – you got us! where’s the real list now?
No Coldplay at all?
Yes they’re extremely popular, but since when was that a fault?
i pass this list and waiting for next year. maybe better…
For all the pressure Coldplay faced when making their followup to X&Y, I think they should be rewarded for succeeding like they did in Viva la Vida. Maybe not a classic like Martin hoped, but succeeding in accomplishing their goals. It’s a top 50 record of 2008 in my opinion.
I thought at the end of November people will actually acknowledge the greatness of the Vampire Weekend-Album and forget about the backlash but it seems we have to wait some more months…
i thought so too, i love that album.
I’m really surprised that the Shearwater album, “Rook”, didn’t get any attention from Paste. It seems up their alley: great songwriting, just a dash of edginess.
Zooey Deschanel is adorable. The album, meh.
The Dodos and The Walkmen should be in the top ten!
No Kings of Leon? Blasphemy. I bet they’ll make it on the NME list, because…uh…you know..they’re big in England.
In all seriousness, no Portishead? Burial? Cut Copy? Lame…
Burial, Portishead, Cut Copy… I must concur… what happened?
i’m surprised by the lack of Abe Vigoda’s ‘skeleton’ which is as good, if not better than ‘Nouns’ also Laura Marling is far better than the albums of a similar genre on the list. she & him shouldn’t be anywhere near the top when laura marlings at 47.
Come on guys, this will probably be one of the better year-end lists out there. I mean seriously, has anyone see Blender’s? At least most of the albums here are listenable.
I love how everyone vents so much- this is all about YOUR opinion. Everyone has different taste, you aren’t SUPPOSED to agree with everything.
Fact is, too many of these albums are fantastic to call this a shitty list.
Why so much Lil’ Wayne-bashing though?
And I am a tad surprised about the lack of Coldplay, I hope Pitchfork makes a statement and places them high, but pitchfork is WAY too pretentious.
And no praise for Panic at the Disco from anyone so far…their album is phenomenal (along with Phantom Planet’s).
You’re right Pitchfork will not put Coldplay anywhere near their list.. But not because they are pretentious.. Its because the are fucking terrible!!!!!!!!!
Lil Wayne is awesome though… Phantom planet?? Panic At The Disci?? HOw many records have you heard this year???? 9??
Most of you realize just how much Pitchfork influences your musical thinking, right? I feel like a lot of people here are talking about this like Paste is the vanilla latte of music magazines, and it’s one of my favorites; with that in mind, I’m sorry I’m not as hip as you are.
With that being said, She & Him shouldn’t be #1, and a number of acts shouldn’t have even been considered for this list (MMJ, Of Montreal, I’m From Barcelona).
But to each his/her own.
Paste is the Vanilla Latte of music magazines…. Its the perfect magazine for people who live earnest, boring music… People looking for something to listen to while waiting for the next Bob Dylan record to come out… Skeletal Lamping is awesome!!!! and BTW ONE of the writers at pitchfork hated it…
Paste is perfect for peopl just getting into good music… But certainly not Bible.. Like it or not, no website has better taste in music than Pitchfork…. And thats just the way it is…
Hey now! I agree with most of what you said, but you should not being using the Lord’s name(Bob Dylan) in vein. It’s blasphemy.
What about Wolf Parade’s ‘At Mount Zoomer’ ?