Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, MGMT, Fleet Foxes, M83—2008 year-end “best of” music lists have already become numbingly familiar. Not that those artists didn’t deliver some of the best music of the year, which most of them did. But with such uniformity blanketing the music media, we thought it necessary to shine light on equally worthy contenders that are being overlooked.
Air France “Collapsing at Your Doorstep”
This mysterious duo from Sweden creates dreamy, atmospheric instrumentals that recall early St. Etienne, the Avalanches and Bent. Taken from their fantastic No Way Down EP, “Collapsing…” is one of the prettiest dance songs of the year.
Alice Russell, “Hurry On Now”
In the rush to find the next great British soul singer, look no further than Russell. Akin to a UK version of Sharon Jones, Russell’s latest full-length Pot of Gold contains this heart-wrenching gem that runs rings around her contemporaries.
Black Milk “Bounce”
This burgeoning hip-hop powerhouse from Detroit slows the theme from Knight Rider down to a crawl and flips it into a spacey inner city sci-fi trunk-thumper. Taken from the strong Tronic LP, his free Music from the Color Purple mixtape of trippy Prince reworks is a must-hear.
King Khan & The Shrines “I Wanna Be a Girl”
Even though this was part of a reissue compilation (The Supreme Genius of…), it’s still new to most Americans. King Khan’s soulful garage rock is as much Springtseen & the E Street Band as it is the Kingsmen. This lo-fi rave-up surely had Little Steven Van Zandt in tears of joy.
Empire of the Sun “Walking on a Dream”
Tagged as the Australian MGMT, this dynamic duo of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore have crafted this flawless slice of “yacht pop” that sounds like Flight of the Conchords covering Phil Collins.
GZA “Life is a Movie”
Wu-Tang generals GZA and RZA team up over a sick beat flipped from Gary Numan’s new wave nugget “Film.” The ominous synths and mic-melting verses turn it into one of the most menacing rap tracks from a sorely underrated album, Pro Tools.
Kings of Leon “Sex on Fire”
In a year when more bands went for a big, anthemic hit, these Tennessee rockers came up with the gold. Between the ringing, Edge-like guitars and Caleb Followil’s soaring vocals, few rock songs hit such heights in 2008.
Ladyhawke “Back of the Van”
The new queen of ‘80s revivalism direct from New Zealand scores a direct hit with this synth-drenched stormer that remembers when Pat Benetar was on the battlefield of love and Laura Branigan was singing about Gloria. The chorus of “You set me on fire” is one the year’s catchiest hooks.
Sam Sparro “Black and Gold”
This Australian born singer/occasional L.A. resident’s haunting blend of Scissor Sisters dance-happy defiance with genuine faith pits warm soul next to digital technology. The results are gorgeous.
The Verve “Judas”
One of the year’s quieter reunions found these ‘90s Brit-pop pioneers returning with a killer batch of new tunes. This melancholy epic finds Richard Ashcroft still able to ring real emotion out of an ethereal ballad, even adding some falsetto notes for good measure.
BONUS TRACK: Keyshia Cole, "Make Me Over”
There's no more crying as R&B's top contender Cole gets happy on a jump-up big band explosion that should be her big pop crossover hit. Rihanna, Ciara, and the rest of 'em don't have a thing on Ms. Cole. There's ample evidence all over her latest full-length, A Different Me.
Scott T. Sterling is Music editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
