Now for the songs...2008 edition

Before you lose any sleep, here were my choices for best songs of 2008. Make of it what you will:

1) GOLDFRAPP "A&E"--simple and very beautiful
2) THE PRESETS "This Boy's in Love"--electro heaven
3) THE KILLERS "Human"--did Pet Shop Boys lose a member?
4) HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR "Blind"--Antony kills this track!
5) DUFFY "Rockferry"--her best song by a mile
6) LADYHAWKE "Paris is Burning"--catchy AND innovative
7) BRITNEY SPEARS "Womanizer"--nuff said
8) CUT COPY "Hearts on Fire"--joy in repetition
9) CYNDI LAUPER "Grab a Hold"--Dragonette one-ups themselves!
10) GRACE JONES "Williams Blood"--best song since Slave to the Rhythm
11) SANTOGOLD "L.E.S. Artistes"--I love her manifesto here
12) COLDPLAY "Viva la Vida"--great song, epic percussion!
13) GIRLS ALOUD "The Loving Kind"--so lovely, yet danceable!
14) SAM SPARRO "Black & Gold"--more like this now...
15) KEANE "Spiralling"--Bowie-esque!
16) ABC "The Very First Time"--killer song from overlooked album
17) SOLANGE "Sandcastle Disco"--best song from an album with many
18) AIMEE MANN "31 Today"--her best single in years
19) I AM X "President"--why isn't Chris Corner a household name yet?
20) DRAGONETTE "Jesus Doesn't Love Me"--can't get enough of this!
21) GIRLS ALOUD "The Promise"--one-ups Emma Bunton!
22) LAST SHADOW PUPPETS "My Mistakes Were Made for You"--one-ups Scott Walker!
23) HOT CHIP "Ready for the Floor"--quirky dancefloor fun
24) VAMPIRE WEEKEND "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"--love the Peter Gabriel reference!
25) KYLIE MINOGUE "Do It Again"--Bird & the Bee gone disco! (Thanks Greg Kurstin!)
26) THE TING-TINGS "Shut up & Let Me Go"--dumb fun (sorry XO)
27) BRITNEY SPEARS "Circus"--maybe even better than "Womanizer"?
28) BLACK KIDS "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You"--good times!
29) SUGABABES "Every Heart Broken"--love the murder references!
30) KAISER CHIEFS "Never Miss a Beat"--Mark Ronson brings a new vibe!
31) GOLDFRAPP "Caravan Girl"--more glorious retro pop
32) MADONNA "Heartbeat"--had to namecheck her somewhere--actually a good song
33) JAMES "Hey Ma"--best (and delinquent) post 9-11 song
34) THE WHIP "Frustration"--who needs New Order?
35) THE HOOSIERS "Goodbye Mr. A"--peppy, well arranged tune
36) PRIMAL SCREAM "Uptown"--a whole new side to Bobby Gillespie?
37) R.E.M. "Supernatural Superserious"--they discovered a heartbeat!
38) WALTER MEEGO "Girls"--can Daft Punk still write catchy tunes like this?
39) ADELE "Chasing Pavements"--young girl, big voice
40) ANNIE "I Know Your Girlfriend Hates Me"--oh the debacle--should have been HUGE.


My last comment here is that 2009 will definitely be tougher, as there are already several projects lining up to really clamour for the top. An early fave--Lily Allen's "The Fear", which was actually premiered in mid-2008 on her myspace, but took another 6 months to get a video! When it is officially released stateside in 2009, I will already predict a top 10 placement for the coming year. Everyone else has their work cut out for them!

Next post--assessing the pros and cons of selected 2008 releases!