Best Songs of 2008
1. “Skinny Love,†Bon Iver- This acoustic ballad is one of the most brilliant, haunting songs you’ll ever hear. While I didn’t love Bon Iver’s complete album as much as everyone else does, this song is a stunner, and the best of the year.
2. “White Winter Hymnal,†Fleet Foxes- The Fleet Foxes did an excellent job of reviving old-school Beach Boys harmonies. This song has the perfect mix of fun catchiness and melancholy sadness. A sweet, quick little tune, but a memorable one.
3. “Walcott,†Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend’s anthem about getting the hell out of Cape Cod is also their best track, with violins, a sing-along chorus, a gradual build, an epic ending, and most of all, that piano chord that will always roll along in your head.
4. “Family Tree,†TV on the Radio- Another beautiful song with a little more production than “Skinny Love.†Gorgeous vocals, strings, and synths make TV on the Radio the unlikely creator of one of the best ballads of the year.
5. “Robocop,†Kanye West- Also unlikely is an epic, string-filled, Stephen King-referencing Kanye West track that cannot be defined by a genre. Kanye’s entire album is gold, but something about “Robocop†places it above all the rest- probably Kanye’s surprisingly strong vocals, which carry the tune throughout.
