Three Imaginary Girls

Seattle's Indie-Pop Press – Music Reviews, Film Reviews, and Big Fun

It has now been 2.5 years since I moved out of Seattle for the Golden State. I've slowly drifted out of the NW music culture, so sometimes I wonder if I know what to say on TIG these days.

Combine that with the fact that I was so distracted from music for a lot of 2008, this year's "best of" lists were especially difficult. Heck, I don't even think I can make a Best of NW music list this year, not because there was insufficient music, but because I just missed so many of those important-but-not-well-known releases that make these lists. I did enjoy Fleet Foxes, Common Market, Colin Meloy live, Malkmus and the like, but really, that isn't a "Best of the NW" list but rather a list of albums I liked that happened to be from the NW.

That being said, I did get a last minute music revival for the year. Maybe it was the election being over (and the good guys winning), maybe it was finally getting a faculty position after many years of trying (lets just say Erik will be moving east in 2009), maybe 2008 just didn't mesh with me musically. Who knows? However, there was a lot of great music anyway, and here are my top 20 (for your praise or fist shaking). Feel free to read the full commentary

 

  1. The Walkmen – You & Me
  2. Portishead – Third
  3. Los Campesinos! – We are Beautiful, We are Doomed/Hold On Now, Youngster …
  4. Hercules & Love Affair – Hercules & Love Affair
  5. TV on the Radio – Dear Science,
  6. Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
  7. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
  8. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
  9. Hot Chip – Made in the Dark
  10. Deerhunter – Microcastle
  11. Ratatat – LP3
  12. Xiu Xiu – Women as Lovers
  13. Bloc Party – Intimacy
  14. Silver Jews – Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
  15. Bonnie "Prince" Billy – Lie Down in the Light
  16. Shearwater – Rook
  17. Maus Haus – Lark Marvels
  18. Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak
  19. Coldplay – Vida la Vida
  20. Reefer – Reefer
Here's to 2009!