Top 50 Singles of 2008: #11 - 20

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20. Amadou and Mariam - "Sabali"; I never really pictured myself as someone who enjoyed worldly music but bands like Konono No. 1 and Amadou and Mariam have gone a long way toward stripping me of any of those reservations. This song in particular knocks down any barrier an African musician might face through it’s powerful vocals and pop like sounds.

19. El Guincho - "Palmitos Park"; Kicking off his album with this tune was a brilliant move by ElGuincho. No sooner does the record start then you are hooked into it thanks to the power of the percussion and the alluring lilt of his voice. This is fantastic indie pop music the kind of which I will never tire of.

18. The Dodos - "Fools"; For just two guys, The Dodos sure do make a racket with all their percussion and other sounds and "Fools" barely contains all the enthusiasm these two pour into their music. It explodes at the scene with sound and it is an absolutely breathtaking song.

17. Hercules & Love Affair - "Blind"; With vocals from Antony Hegarty and an inspired DFA style sound this worked on every bit of consciousness we know of. It got us to move all the while we were just listening to that golden voice.

16. The Mountain Goats - "Heretic Pride"; Lyrics are still an important part to a great song and there are few songwriters today that are as sharp with their words as John Darnielle. This tune in particular about a heretic meeting his great demise is brilliant in its wording and descriptiveness.

15. TV On the Radio - "Golden Age"; TV On the Radio once again tinkered with their sound for their latest record and once again all the tinkering paid off with a record that is light years beyond most musicians. It progresses their funky post-punk sound to something a bit closer to the pop world, but no less exciting then anything they’ve done in the past. This track comes off sounding like something LCD Soundsystem might record, save for a few bits here and there.

14. Antony & the Johnsons - "Another World"; After a couple of years that have been sorely missing Antony’s gorgeous voice just to hear it again on a new tune would have been enough to land a song in the top 20, but this track about the horrors we are doing to our world beautifully meshes the message and the music as one. It also gives Antony all the room in the world to work his magic with the sparse, simple arrangements behind it. Simply inspired music.

13. Los Campesinos! - "My Year In Lists"; Considering how single heavy their debut EP was I thought there would be more singles in their debut full length but it worked as more of a whole album in my mind. This one tune though was off the charts for its twee catchiness and I gotta say I kind of dig the whole idea of making lists to end the year with.

12. Be Your Own Pet - "Becky"; This tune was deemed too violent to be released here in America, a land where The Dark Knight was the top grossing film and some people still watch hockey. Sigh. Whatever caused that foolish mistake didn’t deter us from getting our hands on the revenge track with the 50’s style sound and we are so glad we had Be Your Own Pet’s best song with us for when they called it quits late this year.

11. Vivian Girls - "Tell the World"; Fuck the backlash! The Vivian Girls are more then alright in my book and this song is the whole reason we all know who they are at all. Well, the song and the fact that people were spending hundreds of dollars to get their record on eBay earlier this year. This tune though, it kicks some serious ass right from the get go with a brutal bass line and some kick ass harmonies. If you’re just following the herd to the backlash please jump off now and listen to how great this song is again.