Top Ten from the Sticks

Disc of the Year (but disqualified because it wasn’t new material)
Bob Dylan – “Tell Tale Signs”


The Top Ten of 2008

HM – Raphael Saddiq – The Way I See It
HM – Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst
HM – REM – Accelerate

10. Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads – Shallow as a puddle, but great fun. A pleasant surprise, as I was not a big fan of their previous work.

9. TV on the Radio – Dear Science – A disc that continues to grow on me. Great mix of styles. Props to Fearless Leader for submitting.

8. Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely – Jack White seems incapable of doing anything wrong.

7. The Felice Brothers – The Felice Brothers – These Catskill freaks tried to remake “The Basement Tapes” and somehow succeed.

6. Lucinda Williams – Little Honey – Her best since “Car Wheels”. Band is rocking and Lu loosened up on most tracks.

5. Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs – DCFC is a band hitting their stride, and this was a solid disc full of great stories and good tunes.

4. James McMurtry – Just Us Kids – Perhaps the best lyricist out there at the moment. His band is top notch, and this disc was a dandy.

3. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges – My most listened to disc of the year. Alt-country, funk, classic rock, its all here and done well.

2. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive – Showed significant growth musically and lyrically. Granted, they still sound like E-Street Band Part II, but if you’re going to blatantly imitate a band, there’s no better choice.

1. Drive By Truckers – Brighter Than Creations Dark – Yes, at 19 songs and 70+ minutes, its about 4 songs too long, but so is Exile on Main Street. This is a monster of a disc that has everything that makes music matter. Mix the Replacements’ sloppiness and wit, Springsteen’s social conscience and the defiance and fury of Neil Young and Crazy Horse and this is what you get.