Everybody's doin' it, why not me? I tried to keep it down to one song per artist, but some artists warranted more. I'll follow this up with a top 10 country albums, top albums overall and possibly a "Best Albums of 2008" album cover day which will not just be a rehash, but quite a few new parody covers. For now, here are my favorite songs of the year. Chime in with your own if you'd like.
Top 50 Songs of 2008
1. Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Once In A While
2. Drive-by Truckers - The Righteous Path
3. The Hold Steady - Lord, I'm Discouraged
4. Ben Nichols - The Kid (technically a 2009 release, but I'm too lazy to redo the list)
5. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
6. Kathleen Edwards - Buffalo
7. Jamey Johnson - The Last Cowboy
8. Mudcrutch - Scare Easy
9. Sun Kil Moon - The Light
10. Blitzen Trapper - Not Your Lover
11. Langhorne Slim - The Rebel Side of Heaven
12. Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Sweetest Waste of Time
13. Hayes Carll - Bad Liver and a Broken Heart
14. Chris Knight - Crooked Road
15. Damien Jurado - Paper Kite
16. Chris Mills - Such a Beautiful Thing
17. Two Cow Garage - Bastards and Bridesmaids
18. Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma
19. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
20. Drag the River - Fleeting Porch of Tide
21. Amber Dust - An Unfamiliar House
22. Lee Ann Womack - Solitary Thinkin'
23. NQ Arbuckle - Marco Polo
24. Sun Kil Moon - Like the River
25. The Tallest Man on Earth - Pistol Dreams
26. Old 97s - Color of a Lonely Heart Is Blue
27. The Moondoggies - Make It Easy
28. Reckless Kelly - Ragged as the Road
29. Travel By Sea - Let It All Lie Down
30. Alan Jackson - Right Where I Want You
31. The Black Keys - Things Ain't Like They Used to Be
32. Jason Boland and the Stragglers - Bottle By My Bed
33. Dead Confederate - The Rat
34. George Strait - West Texas Town
35. Drive-by Truckers - That Man I Shot
36. Hayes Carll - Beaumont
37. AC/DC - Anything Goes
38. Whitey Morgan and the 78's - Sinner
39. The Wrights - Rewind
40. North Mississippi Allstars - Shake
41. The Steeldrivers - Sticks That Made Thunder
42. Tift Merritt - Broken
43. The Low Anthem - To Ohio
44. Jamey Johnson - In Color
45. Kathleen Edwards - The Cheapest Key
46. Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
47. Nada Surf - Beautiful Beat
48. Justin Townes Earle - Hard Livin'
49. The Gaslight Anthem - High Lonesome
50. Ray Lamontagne - Let It Be Me
Kudos on Kathleen Edwards, along with the Kasey Chambers songs that would've made my list as well. Nice list all around. Happy new year!
ReplyDeleteCan somebody explain "Buffalo" to me? For some reason everything about that song (plot, possible themes) goes completely over my head, and I feel stupid.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, awesome list. I especially love that Drive-By Truckers song you stuck near the top.
Thanks guys. Dan, I can't explain the song beyond that it's a lament of lost love. Possibly she lost someone who couldn't deal with her always-on-the-road lifestyle and there's also the symbolism aspect with the storm and a stormy relationship? I dunno, I just like it...it's a beautiful song and the fact that I don't completely know what she's talking about adds to its attraction for me. There's a lot more room for vagueness in alt-country, it seems... and I'm okay with that. I get bored with the cut and dried obvious storlines sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoy "Buffalo" a lot. I was listening to clips of her album and that one stood out the most, so I bought it. Not very country but excellent track. Great production.
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