Thursday, January 1, 2009

BEST OF EL OCHO: TOP 100 SONGS OF 2008 (Part Dos)



90
No Air - JORDIN SPARKS AND CHRIS BROWN


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBdQs10FEI


89
California Girls - THE MAGNETIC FIELDS


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2EQxrGU7Yc


88
I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You - THE BLACK KIDS

A little bit The Cure, a little bit hipster pop.



There's something weirdly out of time about this song. It was on a self-released EP in 2007, but I could swear I heard it playing over the credits of some 1980s John Hughes film. But then when I picture the scene where the song's story takes place, I'm seeing a high school gym with streamers out of a sock-hop.

The phrase "he's got two left feet…" is pure Arthur Murray, but "…and he bites my moves" suggests the kids in question grew up in the post-hip-hop era. The references, like the kinda sloppy playing,are all over the place. But there's a thread throughout, and it's an eternal pop aspiration: to transform insecurity into a joyous, world-conquering sing-along.
87
The Day That Never Comes - METALLICA
Don't call it a come back!! It's just another great Metallica song.
86
Lights Out - SANTOGOLD


Rolling Stone compared "Lights Out" to "a lost Pretenders single." NME, meanwhile, said the song "harkens back to the sleek ’80s new wave of The Cars."




"Lights Out" also received comparisons to the Pixies; The Village Voice stated it "channel[s] the Pixies with a punk-pop sound fueled by spare guitar plucks, simple drum patterns, and lyrics delivered in a talk-sing stutter with random falsetto breaks."

For me, this tune is perfect, faultless: a complete peach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwNkuw-YTVo
85
Bruises - CHAIRLIFT


Another song brought to you in 2008 by the self proclaimed cool and smart frenemy of the Windows team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkRBKujSBCo&feature=related
84
On A Day Like This - ELBOW

"One Day Like This" sounds like a glorious song with its faster march and sunnier attitude, buoyed by strings and massed vocals despite a deceptive but welcome surfeit of space in the mix.


83
Handlebars - FLOBOTS

"The song is about the idea that we have so much incredible potential as human beings to be destructive or to be creative and it's tragic to me that the appetite for military innovation is endless, but when it comes to taking on a project like ending world hunger, it's seen as outlandish. It's not treated with the same seriousness. We really know it's just a lame, but catchy song we wanted to do at the same time, I knew there were people at that moment who were being bombed by our own country. And I thought that was incredibly powerful"
Lead Singer MC Jonny 5 a.k.a. Jamie Laurie



82
Dance Wiv Me - DIZZIE RASCAL FT. CALVIN HARRIS & CHROME


One of the most talented and under rated rappers of this new era. This tune was a massive hit in the UK and sadly never made it to the US charts.


81
Blind Mary - GNARLS BARKLEY
80 TIE
Elvis Ain't Dead - SCOUTING FOR GIRLS







Here's a little story for you. One of my good friends from college decided to propose his sweetheart back in December of 2007. He is a great guy, goodlooking turkish guy, probably the biggest fan of Elvis in the world. I remember him singing Love me tender to his girlfriend on a phone conversation.

Months later after the proposal, he found out that she was cheating on him. The wedding was canceled in March of 2008 and she got engaged again to her lover in June.

My good friend was so devastated for a couple weeks. On a phone conversation I remember telling him about this tune from the british band Scouting For Girls. I told him that the song reminds me of him because of the Elvis reference. After he heard the song he told me that he got a great idea. Well, for what I heard from some friends in Turkey, he crashed the wedding party of his ex with his boombox and "lip sync" -ed the song as a wedding gift to the cheater bride.

Listen to the lyrics and picture this story in a different music video. You will be amazed!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0FdJcef8oU


Young Love - THE MYSTERY JETS

http://cereghinology.blogspot.com/2008/04/soundtrack-of-situation-young-love.html


79
Quiet Houses - FLEET FOXES


One of 2 songs included in this countdown from the Fleet Foxes self titled album, one of the best of 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugxXqqGepCU






78
Bubbly - COLBIE CALLIAT


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PWfB4lurT4


77
Lost!/Violet Hill - COLDPLAY






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-RjMRP5IbI


76
Warwick Avenue - DUFFY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhZ5-L9znt8


75
Great DJ - THE TING TINGS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhZ5-L9znt8



The indie-electronic version of the White Stripes (funny fact: The singer's name is Katie WHITE) are my favorite new artist of 2008 and We Started Nothing probably the most played album in my iPod. This is the first of THREE songs of the duo in this countdown. The song samples chords and drum beat from Eddie Money's 1978 hit Baby Hold On.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQjHwnxxDIk
74
Cold Shoulder - ADELE

What a great year was 2008 for Adele. In January Adele topped BBC's new music talent list, which was compiled from the votes of 150 music critics. In February, she was the first recipient of the BRIT Awards Critics' Choice, which was given to artists who, at the time, had yet to release an album. She debuted at number one with her Mercury Prize-nominated debut album 19 on the UK album chart; the disc has since been certified platinum with sales of more than 500,000 copies.
After the album peaked at #54 on the Billboard 200 chart on 8 July, 2008, Adele performed before more than 17 million television viewers on Saturday Night Live, leading to a very strong showing on a couple of notable download charts, and leading the album to leap from #46 to #11 on the official chart.

The #72 of 2008 is the first of 2 songs the british singer includes in this countdown. There's more Adele on the way!!


73
Come On Girl - TAIO CRUZ FT. LUCIANA
72
Infinity 2008 - GURU JOSH PROJECT
This is one of many 90's dance hits remixed for 2008. The original version of this track was released during my last year of high school back in 1990.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9KnuJZkBjg


71
Better In Time - LEONA LEWIS


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrNoDUblAtE
The most popular british singer in the world right now had her glorious moment when she performed the classic Whole Lotta Love with rock god Jimmy Page during the 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony. One of the highlights of 2008.


70
Superstar - LUPE FIASCO FT. MATTHEW SANTOS


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gRVy5jiPcM
69
Piece Of Me - BRITNEY SPEARS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4NayXtzsBo
68
Love In This Club - USHER FT. YOUNG JEEZY
As far as pick-up lines go, "I want to make love in this club" is about two drinks away from, "Let's fuck in the bathroom." But it's not about the line, it's about the delivery, and "Love in This Club"'s delivery is impeccable. Just he like did on Ciara's "Promise", producer Polow da Don creates a musical backdrop that sounds like it's in slow motion, this time thanks to a stuttering synth figure that hangs behind the beat. Like the musical equivalent of a disco ball, the song is shimmering and seemingly suspended in mid-air. For four and a half minutes, Usher almost makes it seem not ridiculous to "get undressed right here," and what higher goal is there for R&B than to make the ridiculous sublime?
67
Something Good '08 - UTAH SAINTS

The number 67 song of 2008 its also THE BEST VIDEO OF 2008!!

http://cereghinology.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-of-el-ocho-music-videos.html
66
Inní mér syngur vitleysingur - SIGUR ROS


There is only 3 songs in this countdown performed in a foreign language.

Juana Molina's Lives Lonely ranked on # 93. Islanders Sigur Ros end up in the #66 of 2008 with the "finally a more optimistic" tune Within me a lunatic sings from their 5th album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (With Buzzing in Our Ears We Play Endlessly).

Get ready for your lesson of Bambara from a Mali's blind couple. Coming up later in the countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAYY_sU3PfM
During the hot and wet summer of 2008 Foo Fighters teamed up with members of Led Zeppelin for a surprise performance in London. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones joined Dave Grohl and his band on the second night of their weekend residency at Wembley Stadium. Although singer Robert Plant was busy on solo duties in America, it was the first time members of the rock legends had united onstage since their legendary O2 Arena show in the UK's capital in December of 2007. The one-night-only supergroup came together at the encore of the Foos' show, performing classics 'Rock And Roll' and 'Ramble On'.
During 'Rock And Roll', Grohl returned to the drums in a switchover that saw Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins taking lead vocals.
As Page and Jones left the stage before a final encore of 'Best Of You', an ecstatic Grohl shouted "Welcome to the greatest fucking day of my life!"
64
Low - FLO RIDA FT. T-PAIN

"The boots with the fur" song was proclaimed by Billboard Magazine the #1 of 2008. Really??
63
That's Not My Name - THE TING TINGS

"I used to work with a girl called Ting Ting. It means an old bandstand in Mandarin Chinese, and it also means the sound of innovation and an open mind. At first we were quite blasé because we thought we'd just be naming our band to play to our friends at parties, so we didn't spend hours and hours deliberating over the name. I like it, though. I'm quite happy with it."

Ting Tings' singer Katie White

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UX0p7uAW2s



62
Love Lockdown - KANYE WEST

"Love Lockdown" was written by Kanye West less than ten days before it premiered live as the finale of the 2008 MTV VMAs on September 7, 2008. West has cited the track as his "favorite to date", saying "go where your heart takes you". The song marks a drastic change for West, standing as his first solo single to feature no rapping, instead sung using the vocal effect of Auto-Tune. Due to negative feedback from fans, Kanye re-recorded the song. In addition to re-recording the vocals, the newer version of the song uses "new taiko drums".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yc3O7Ku_Bo


61
Take A Bow - RIHANNA

The Irreplaceable of 2008. So lame to use the same formula...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8XC7idFyvE


60
Oxford Comma - VAMPIRE WEEKEND





They are by far my favorite band of 2008!!

In January of 2008, Michael Hogan of Vanity Fair interviewed singer Ezra Koenig, regarding the title of the song and its relevance to the song's meaning. Koenig said that he first encountered the Oxford comma when a group of Columbia University students had created a group titled "Students for the Preservation of the Oxford Comma", which prompted the idea of the song several months later whilst sitting at a piano in his parent's house.

He began "writing the song and the first thing that came out was 'Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?'". He stated that the song "is more about not giving a fuck than about Oxford commas."

The video of this song features one my good friends chasing the band at the end of the music clip.

My lovely Clarke, I miss you!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i1xk07o4g


59
Wonder - COLIN MELOY

One of the most beautiful compositions written to a newborn:

"An ankle, an earlobe, an elbow bone
It's weird how it wonderful grows
And it was only me and you
That made this three come out of two..."

This is dedicated to baby Meloy from The Decemberist dad Colin.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oT_UHGgUAA


58
Sexual Seduction - SNOOP DOGG FT. T-PAIN


The godfather of the hip hop went purple and made some doves cry for this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKz-RXSeIYA






57
4 Minutes - MADONNA FT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE


This song scored Madge her 37th Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit, making her the artist with the most Top 10 hits in the history of the chart, surpassing Elvis Presley.
In the UK, she retained her record for the most number one singles for a female artist, this being her 13th.
The video has been one of the most watched videos on YouTube in 2008, and the most watched video of Madonna's career, with over 52 million views in just 6 months, as of October 27th, 2008.
4 Minutes is officially nominated for the 51st Grammy Awards under the category of Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

Not bad for the year that the pop queen turned 50!!

VIVA MADONNA!!!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39beBdWi--o



56
That's What You Get - PARAMORE


At first, I thought this was one more of those crappy emo music bands. But then when I hear the Riot! cd I realized that the Tennesse band has so much potential!!

Their pop punk music sounds like Kelly Clarkson's wildest dreams or a ska-less version of No Doubt, singer Hayley Williams being a younger version of Gwen Stefani.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddrSebcsogE


55
Whatever You Like - T.I.






HOTTEST BLACK MAN ON EARTH!! He is soooo fine!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kteICbq7au4&feature=related


54
Womanizer - BRITNEY SPEARS

It's Britney bitch! And she is back again!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSt_UcJOpJ8&feature=related


53
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2 - MY MORNING JACKET


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blZOs2Yxr68&feature=related



52
Dancing Choose - TV ON THE RADIO

It feels so good to know that you can be considered one of the best bands in the world regardless the amount of album copies sales. You hear that Lil' Wayne?

This is definitely a big achievement for TV ON THE RADIO during this difficult time for the record industry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7mMoc-x_v0




51
Like This - GIRL TALK


Gregg Gillis began making music while studying biomedical engineering in Cleveland, Ohio. He specializes in mashup style remixes, in which he uses often a dozen or more unauthorized samples from different songs to create a new song; The New York Times Magazine has called his music "a lawsuit waiting to happen."

DJ Girl Talk is in my opinion the best live act of this year!! If he ever performs in your town, go see him. His show is INSANE!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zro_jdcbzkU

It was in the summer of 08' that I saw him for the first time in the ALL POINTS WEST show in New Jersey.

Check this out and see what I mean:


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