Best albums of 2008 (6-10)

10. Marnie Stern
This Is It And I Am It So You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She I (Kill Rock Stars)

The title sort of sums up this album's sound pretty well - fast and overloaded. Marnie Stern, already my number 1 celebrity crush of 2008, continues to shred face with one of the best guitar records in all of indiedom.

Transformer - Marnie Stern

9. Why?
Alopecia (Anticon)

Anyone looking for a great example of literate indie psych-folk hip-hop need look no further than Yoni Wolf's Why? With Alopecia, a full-band effort, Wolf's tales of hipster alienation are fleshed out to a more accessible degree, but that doesn't take away from the edge of the storytelling.

The Hollows - WHY?

8. She and Him
Volume One (Merge)

The super-duo of Zooey Deschanel and M Ward produced a lovely little album of boppy folk numbers reminscent of the Shangri-Las or Dusty Springfield. Stripped-down to it's sugary core, Volume One is one of 2008's sweetest albums.



7. Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)

Already crowned best album of the year by the heavily influential Pitchfork, Fleet Foxes probably don't need much explaining. And that's just fine, the music is pretty and simple, constantly drawing comparisons to Fleetwood Mac and CSNY. It may be a sign of aging hipsters running the show, but Fleet Foxes have managed, I believe, to write at least one song that is timeless and deserving of the hype. I don't have an mp3 handy, but you can listen to Tiger Mountain Peasant Song for free at Last.fm.

6. TV On The Radio
Dear Science (Geffen/Interscope)



With their most accessible album yet, TV On The Radio are in a strange place. A band that every critic on earth is in love with, yet not many people know who they are. I know, I know...WE know who they are, but even if I mention them to a colleage at work, I still have to go into some sort of fit trying to describe their sound, frustrated that everyone else isn't already a fan. They are Gods among musical artists. Dear Science is an intense, dark, and cumbersome album that begins and ends amazingly - Halfway Home, DLZ, and Lovers Day are 3 of the very best songs of the year. If albums deserved actual awards, than by all means, give those awards to TVOTR for Dear Science.
Their label is a bit nuts about content on the web, so why not just go over to their cool ass website to get yr fill.