Great Songs of 2008: 131-140

Kirill Golovchenko - Feld der Wunder

And so it's the end of the Great Songs of 2008 list at last. I've rounded to an even 140 songs because, for some reason, an even multiple of ten seemed important. That's a lot of notable albums in one year. So many that I've been incredibly, and hopefully not inextricably, distracted from the moments of 2009. I have, for a moment, become that uncle of yours who listens only to music from 1967, when the experience of Jimi Hendix in Strawberry Fields with The Velvet Underground and quadaphonic sound just stopped music forever for him. Only I'm that for 2008... a strange year of pop hip hop and electro dance rock and pretentiously fragile indie choruses and punky psychedelia. Flash forward to me still sitting on a lawnchair today mumbling about how there couldn't have been more amazing Mount Eerie songs packed into 2008. Yeah, it's time to move on.

So here's the rest, the end, the sounds of my sentence trailing off. We finish with songs that should've been much higher in the list... mmhm... oooahh... hey... nuff said.

131) Erykah Badu - Soldier (mp3)

132) Ponytail - Celebrate The Body Electric (mp3)

133) The Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations (mp3)

134) South San Gabriel - Emma Jane (mp3)

135) Sun Kil Moon - Like The River (mp3)

136) Jentri Colello - Daisies (mp3)

137) Death Cab for Cutie - Grapevine Fires (mp3)

138) Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened (mp3)

139) Violens - Violent Sensation Descends (mp3)

140) Young Jeezy (ft. Jay-Z) - Put On (mp3)

Download 131-140 as a zip file.

What did I miss? Feel free to add your additions to the list in the comments.

Great Songs of 2008: 121-130

Tunga - Peine [Capillary Xiphopagus Between Us]

I'm sorry and all that. And also I miss you. And I'm asking you to never mention this again, if that's OK, so we'll never have to come back here. Don't make me explain how I doubted you. And list all my justifications. Just hold me really tight for one second and I'll reciprocate for a second. And then I'm asking that - please - we just hug the same, nothing more and nothing less. Always.

Here is the start of the end of the Great Songs of 2008 series... including the latest Iowa corn field rave anthem, the beef jerky vocals of one of the most popular rappers of last year, a Dear John letter, a blatant glamorization of domestic violence, a hypey British cover of Notorious B.I.G., and construction-paper indie single from Iceland.

121) Goldfrapp - Happiness (mp3)

122) Leslie Hall - Blame The Booty (mp3)

123) Lil Wayne (ft Bobby Valentino) - Mrs. Officer (mp3)

124) Noah & The Whale - 5 Years Time (mp3)

125) Dan Black - HYPNTZ (mp3)

126) Florence and the Machine - Kiss With a Fist (mp3)

127) Sin Fang Bous - Clangour And Flutes (mp3)

128) Authur Russell - I Couldn't Say It To Your Face (mp3)

129) Lambchop - Sharing A Gibson with Martin Luther King Jr. (mp3)

130) Plants and Animals - A New Kind of Love (mp3)

Download 121-130 as a zip file.

Great Songs of 2008: 111-120

Venetia Dearden - Arri

Sorry I've slowed nearing the end of this huge list of Great Songs of 2008, but there are just so many... including a broken heart singing for itself, the unexplainable age of a 28-year-old's debut vocal, a song I included purely because I'm addicted to the way the singer re-pronounces "HE-E-EA-ED" (he tried to warn you), a genuine serenade to the resilience of the pinky toe, and a pale Portland woman who swallows her high-pitch deep and dull to quiet it for bed.

111) Shelley Short - Swimming (mp3)

112) Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul (mp3)

113) My Brightest Diamond - Inside A Boy (mp3)

114) Aron Wright - To the Country (mp3)

115) Sia - Soon We'll Be Found (mp3)

116) Why? - The Hollows (mp3)

117) Mason Proper - Fog (mp3)

118) A Weather - Pinky Toe (mp3)

119) Damien Jurado - Caskets (mp3)

120) Dr. Dog - The Old Days (mp3)

Download 111-120 as a zip file.

Great Songs of 2008: 101-110

Tom Stone - Motherless (2006)

My list of Great Songs of 2008 expands past the 100 mark... including the amazing Zoey Deschanel debut, two UK nominees for the 2008 Mercury Prize, the side project of one of my favorite voices of Super Furry Animals, an alternative country singer my sister Kate hooked me on, and an awesome microbiology metaphor.

101) She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (mp3)

102) Grouper - Heavy Water / I'd Rather Be Sleeping (mp3)

103) Laura Marling - New Romantic (mp3)

104) Neon Neon - Luxury Pool (mp3)

105) Goldmund - To (mp3)

106) The Tallest Man on Earth - Where Do My Bluebird Fly (mp3)

107) Kelley Polar - Entropy Reigns (In the Celestial City) (mp3)

108) The Mountain Goats - Autoclave (mp3)

109) Maria Taylor (with Andy LeMaster) - A Good Start (mp3)

110) Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - One More Year (mp3)

Download 101-110 as a zip file.

So Much To Blame

Brad Porter - So Much To Blame [by Zach Vinson] (2009)

I already wrote about Sheboygan native Zach Vinson during my tour of Wisconsin earlier this spring, but he's just released a beautiful new music video for his song "So Much To Blame". Among puddles, vintage suitcases, walls of loose leaf paper, bare lightbulbs, and plenty of Cream City brick; it features the 23-year-old's impressive prowess on the keys. Check it out.

Zach Vinson - So Much To Blame (mp3)

Great Songs of 2008: 91-100

Shannon Taggart - Exorcism 2

After a little break, the current of Great Songs of 2008 continues to flow strong... including a fragile voice from Madrid, the single from Antony's latest masterpiece, the bells and whistles of a remixed Canadian summer anthem, a standout track from a huge Australian new wave trio, the awaited return of a shadowy German indie band, and a funky club hook by Pharrell et al.

91) Kristoffer Ragnstam - Swing That Tambourine (mp3)

92) Nico Muhly - The Only Tune III (mp3)

93) Russian Red - Timing Is Crucial (mp3)

94) Antony & The Johnsons - Another World (mp3)

95) The Notwist - Good Lies (mp3)

96) NERD - Everyone Nose (mp3)

97) Anathallo - All The First Pages (mp3)

98) James Yorkston - When The Haar Rolls In (mp3)

99) Born Ruffians - I Need A Life (Four Tet Remix) (mp3)

100) Cut Copy - Lights and Music (mp3)

Download 91-100 as a zip file.

Great Songs of 2008: 81-90

Dietmar Busse - Lynn Yaeger [Fashion Writer] (2008)

There are more Great Songs of 2008 than I know what to do with today... a piece of a powerful album from Belize with deep West African influence, two bookends from an April 08 JustSayin Show, a crooning UK band and folk singer, a stylish badass and totally crazy bible story, a highlight from a hip "indie" release, and it was nearly impossible to do this list without acknowledging Bon Iver (he was kind of a big Wisconsin deal).

81) Umalali - Nibari (My Grandchild) (mp3)

82) Bon Iver - The Wolves (Act I And II) (mp3)

83) Nick Jaina - Power (mp3)

84) Evangelicals - Skeleton Man (mp3)

85) The Roots (ft Mos Def) - Rising Down (mp3)

86) Headlights - Cherry Tulips (mp3)

87) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (mp3)

88) Jim Moray - Three Black Feathers (mp3)

89) Windmill - Plastic Pre Flight Seats (mp3)

90) The Dodos - Jodi (mp3)

Download 81-90 as a zip file.

Great Songs of 2008: 71-80

Jen Davis - Matt and Kate [Madison, WI] (2008)

There is no shortage of Great Songs of 2008 here at JustSayin... an offensively amazing Helen Keller dance prompt, a brilliant Elvis ode and impersonation, a promising debut EP by an 18-year old with a dream, a suprisingly relevant 8-bit Beach Boys reinterpretation, a piece of songwriting by a soulful cellist from Kentucky, and a weird hip-hop Numa Numa reference.

71) Alessi's Ark - The Horse (mp3) [previous post]

72) 3oh!3 - Don't Trust Me (mp3)

73) Jihae - Hide (mp3)

74) T.I. (ft Rihana) - Live Your Life (mp3)

75) Ben Sollee - It's Not Impossible (mp3)

76) Black Kids - Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo) (mp3)

77) Diamonds - The Waking (mp3) [previous post]

78) PWRFL Power - It's Okay (mp3) [previous post]

79) PDF Format - God Only Knows 64 (mp3) [previous post]

80) Peggy Sue And The Pictures - Pupils Blink (mp3)

Download 71-80 as a zip file.

Great Songs of 2008: 61-70

Jenny Holzer - Washinton DC (2007)

We're almost halfway through my list of Great Songs of 2008 today... including a song from a stellar Minneapolis hip hop album, one of my favourite music videos of 2008, the Beyonce phenomenon that I almost left off the list until my mom sang the chorus incessantly over Christmas, an English band's debut, and a cute song about self mutilation.

61) Architecture in Helsinki - That Beep (mp3)

62) Atmosphere - Yesterday (mp3)

63) Chester French - She Loves Everybody (mp3) [previous post]

64) My Morning Jacket - Highly Suspicious (mp3)

65) Chairlift - Bruises (mp3)

66) Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are Rockstars (mp3)

67) Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) (mp3)

68) Department of Eagles - No One Does It Like You (mp3)

69) Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (mp3)

70) Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool (mp3) [previous post]

Download 61-70 as a zip file.

Great Songs of 2008: 51-60

Jen Davis - What Was Left (2007)

There are tons more Great Songs of 2008 to list today... including a Japanese multi-instrumentalist's pop collage, a fascinating new-wave breakthrough, an anthem that changed a country, a commercial for Apple Bottom Jeans and boots with the fur, an emotive rock debut and the unorthodox layered vocals of a little UK singer.

51) Animal Collective - Water Curses (mp3) [previous post]

52) Shugo Tokumaru - Parachute (mp3) [previous post]

53) Ghostland Observatory - Heavy Heart (mp3) [previous post]

54) Will.I.Am - Yes We Can (mp3) [previous post]

55) Benji Hughes - You Stood Me Up (mp3) [previous post]

56) Flo Rida (ft. T Pain) - Get Low (mp3)

57) Max Tundra - Will Get Fooled Again (mp3)

58) One Little Plane - Lotus Flower (mp3) [previous post]

59) The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight (mp3)

60) Santigold - L.E.S Artistes (mp3) [previous post]

Download 51-60 as a zip file.