JDK's Favorite Music of 2008 Part II

Another year-end, and, like most casual hipsters, I try to compile some sort of definitive-for-me playlist of 2008 songs. I've been making twelve-track mixes for the better part of the year, so this is mostly the Best Of those. I'm getting better in my sequencing, though, so, if nothing else, it flows semi-decently. Unless you hate the songs.

Also, this is totally unintentional and not some Anti-Hipster statement, but my favorite tracks off most of 2008's acclaimed albums don't fall in line with everyone else's favorites. For example, I prefer Deerhunter's "Agorophobia" slightly more than "Nothing Ever Happened"; I'm not sick of "Sequestered in Memphis" insofar as to rate "Constructive Summer" higher; I suppose off Retard's compilations, my favorites were his lo-lo-fi demo of "Nightmares" off Singles 06-07 and the hard-to-fit-on-a-mix, gorgeous acoustic number "No Time" here; I legitimately like "Things I Did When I Was Dead" the best off Nouns; ditto for "Family Tree" versus the rest of the album; The Walkmen's "New Country" did more for me than "In The New Year"; and finally, I love most of Crystal Castles' self-titled release, but while the last track "Tell Me What To Swallow" totally throws off the balance of the Ataris-on-fire schizophrenia of the album, it's my favorite piece of semi-shoegaze this year next to Deerhunter's "Vox Celeste" off Microcastle's ugly sister, Weird Era Cont.

Best of 2008 zip
1. Deerhunter - Agoraphobia
2. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
3. The Hold Steady - Sequestered in Memphis
4. Jay Reatard - Always Wanting More
5. Tokyo Police Club - Your English Is Good
6. Destroyer - My Favorite Year
7. No Age - Things I Did When I Was Dead
8. TV on the Radio - Family Tree
9. The Walkmen - New Country
10. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Out of Reaches
11. Weezer - Pork And Beans
12. Wolf Parade - California Dreamer
13. Annie - Take You Home
14. Cut Copy - Strangers in the Wind
15. Marnie Stern - The Crippled Jazzer
16. Los Campesinos! - Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks
17. David Holmes - Holy Pictures
18. Born Ruffians - Kurt Vonnegut
19. Crystal Castles - Tell Me What To Swallow

And here's a 12-track mix mostly of 2006 and 2007 songs that I overlooked in those years, plus a few old classics. Or maybe just the inclusion of some Pavement.

Best Non-2008 zip
1. Joy Division - Transmission
2. Pavement - Cut Your Hair
3. Jay Reatard - Nightmares
4. A Place To Bury Strangers - To Fix The Gash In Your Head
5. The Joggers - Every Other Word
6. Built To Spill - Carry the Zero
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps (Edit)
8. The National - Geese of Beverly Road
9. Spoon - Finer Feelings
10. Cut Copy - Bright Neon Payphone
11. Rogue Wave - Endless Shovel
12. Battles - Race Out