Friday, November 21, 2008

Paste Magazine's Top 50 of 2008


We've always had a love/hate relationship with Paste magazine. It seems they can never decide whether they want to be the leader in AAA music coverage, or the next Pitchfork. We'll say one thing for Rolling Stone, at least they're consistent in their unrequited loving of the baby-boomer generation and all its disciples. While Paste offers up great writing in places (a la Andy Whitman) and does an admirable job of trying to cover new artists, of late, they have consistently fallen behind the curve of up-to-date music coverage.

We hate to say it, but with their #1 pick of this year (after the jump) we are officially OVER Paste Magazine. There are a few nice picks in their list (Tallest Man etc...), don't get us wrong, but their #1 discredits the lot of it. We can't say we're surprised though. It's been a good run guys --Reid Davis, Jason Killingswroth (like your writing too,) Bud Scoppa...you guys still rock, but see ya later Josh Jackson. See the Top 50 list after the jump.

PASTE MAGAZINE TOP 50 of 2008 (via Paste)

50 TV On The Radio - Dear Science (Interscope)
49 Sandra McCracken - Red Balloon (Towhee)
48 REM - Accelerate (Warner Bros.)
47 Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim (Astralwerks)
46 Lykke Li - Youth Novels (LL)
45 M83 - Saturdays = Youth (Mute)
44 Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers (Zoë)
43 Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer (Roadrunner)
42 Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings & All (KRS)
41 The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave (Gravitation)
40 Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords (Sub Pop)
39 The Dodos - Visiter (Frenchkiss)
38 Jamie Lidell - Jim (Warp)
37 Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - A Larum (Lost Highway)
36 The Bridges - Limits of the Sky (Verve)
35 Colour Revolt - Plunder, Beg and Curse (Fat Possum)
34 Torche - Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
33 Santogold - Santogold (Downtown)
32 Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City)
31 The Walkmen - You & Me (Gigantic)
30 I'm From Barcelona - Who Killed Harry Houdini? (Mute)
29 Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III (Cash Money/Universal)
28 MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
27 Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning (Yep Roc)
26 Lee Ann Womack - Call Me Crazy (MCA Nashville)
25 Mugison - Mugiboogie (Ipecac)
24 Santogold & Diplo - Top Ranking
 (Mad Decent)
23 Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk)
22 No Age - Nouns (Sub Pop)
21 The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust (Vice)
20 Hot Chip - Made In The Dark (Astralwerks)
19 Gentleman Jesse and His Men - Introducing Gentleman Jesse and His Men (Douchemaster)
18 Death Cab
 for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
 (Atlantic)
17 Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lie Down In The Light (Drag City)
16 My Morning Jacket
 - Evil Urges (ATO)
15 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (Mute)
14 Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim (Kemado)
13 Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart (Waterfall/RCA)
12 of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl)
11 The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (Vagrant)
10 Deerhunter - Microcastle (Kranky)
09 Lucinda Williams - Little Honey (Lost Highway)
08 Sun Kil Moon - April (Caldo Verde)
07 Girl Talk - Feed the Animals (Illegal Art)
06 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
05. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar)
04. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
03. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)
02. Sigur Rós - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL)
01. She & Him - Volume One (Merge)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What. Fucking. Bull.

1. Deerhunter
2. TVOR Dear Science,
3. Fleet Foxes
4. Bon Iver
5. No Age

Anonymous said...

what did you really expect?

Anonymous said...

There's no WAY She and Him deserves the top spot... let alone in the top 50. The album was cute, but #1? Come on... Paste rides Zooey Deschanel's (proverbial) cock so hard.

Greg said...

That She & Him record is shit. I'm sorry, but it's shit.

Anonymous said...

besides the She & Him - I don't hate this list. TVOR waaaay too low. Vampire Weekend way too high. Glad to see Liam Finn on there.

Anonymous said...

These lists come out earlier every year. Why is Lil Wayne on there? I guess that is their token nod to hip hop. Why even bother?