top beatz ov 2000ATE

Without Further Ado, MY OFFICIAL UNPOLISHED Top 15 Albums o’ tha yeyear. . .

15) Of Montreal "Skeletal Lamping"—I'm incredibly surprised this album made my list. It wasn't until after I caught the amazing Chi set at the Riv this past October that I went back to this record and discovered my newfound love for Kevin's howls and layered eccentricities. "Id Engager" and "Nonpareil of Favor" are stupidly fun—so is this record.

14) The Kills "Midnight Boom"—This is probably the sexiest album I copped all year. The combination of Allison Mosshart and Jamie Hince's sultry vocals and dark guitars were perfect for any listening occasion. Angry, sad, happy, pumped up—"Midnight Boom" just seemed to kick ass no matter what.

13) Cool Kids "The Bake Sale"—Mikey Rocks, Chuck Inglish and V.I. P-jay brought '88 back in '08 with their collection of vintage 80's like swagger. One of the best acts I caught at SXSW, it's impossible not to get pumped checking such tracks as "Bassment Party" and "Gold and a Pager."

12) El Guincho "Alegranza!"—This was a later discovery for me in '08, but Mr. Pablo Diaz-Reixa showed me a good time with this collection of experimental islandic afro-beat pop jams. "Palmitos Park" and "Antillas" are guiltless pleasures, sure to get any day off to the right start. His set at the Empty Bottle in Chicago this past November was also pretty unforgettable.

11) Lil' Wayne "Tha Carter III"—Yes, I am guilty of being one of those hipster elites that sing never ending praises to Weezy. I'll spare you any explanation further than "Let The Beat Build" is more than likely a permanent fixture on my iPod. Guilty as charged.

10) Lykke Li "Youth Novels"—Sugary sweet, simple childlike girly vocals echoing over the tinkering of percussion and layers of keys, Lykke Li reminded me of the precious joys of innocent bubblegum pop, mixed with some sappy love songs. Perfect summer soundtrack.

9) Mates of State "Re-Arrange Us"—Incredible album, Kori & Jason Hammel's best work yet. The addition of strings and replacement of piano from keys took a while to grow on me at first, but numbers like "Now" and "My Only Offer" will take much longer to be forgotten. Catchy, wholesome pop.

8) Vampire Weekend self-titled –Ok, so maybe these prep-rockers were a bit over hyped into temporary overkill, but who cares? The fact remains that this self-titled phenomenon album is a solid piece of work from beginning to end. "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" and "Oxford Comma" are catchy singles and it'd be a blasphemy for me not to include it on this list.

7) Santogold self-titled—"We think you're a joke, shove your hope, where it don't shine." Only Miss Santi White could pull a line like that and get the masses to their feet. This debut album was solid as hell, from start to finish with such stellar numbers like "Say Aha," "LES Artistes" and "Creator." Perhaps my favorite new artist of '08, this record is a permanent fixture to my dance party greatest hits.

6) Atmosphere "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold" –Sean Daley is the man of my dreams—Slug could rap about doing the dishes and I'd still drop twenty bones to check it. The latest album takes a twist away from his personal narrative style into a deeper realm of story-telling, and gems such as "The Dreamer, "Guarantees" and "You" are freaking ridiculously amazing.

5) The Hood Internet "Mixtape 3"— No other artist was played more on my iTunes in 2008 than this Chi DJ duo. Made up of DJ STV SLV and ABX, these bros brought forth numerous solid booty shaking jams—from Lil Kim/MGMT, She & Him/Ludacris to pretty much any/everyone with Lil Wayne, this duo cut it up and fed it to the masses for free, and their 3^rd mixtape installment just summarizes the tip of the iceberg of all things hood.

4) Robyn self-titled—Jodi hearts her some Robyn. This is no secret. Although this technically was released in Sweden back in '05 and UK in '07, this was an official US release in '08. And I played it—a lot, much to everyone around me's constant dismay. This album defines pop music.

3) Bon Iver "For Emma, Forever Ago" – Ok, so technically this was a 2007 release, but I didn't know of Mr. Vernon until this past March at SXSW so this counts as a personal fave for '08. Simply eloquent, this gorgeous album served as the perfect soundtrack to my many ups and downs—the spring set I caught at the Lakeshore Theatre in Chicago was just as mesmerizing. Good job, Justin—Jodi gives you two thumbs up.

2) TV on the Radio "Dear Science," – There's no doubt these guys are talented, and this record just ups the ante from their previous efforts. From the moment I heard opening track, "Halfway Home," I knew I was deeply infatuated—an instant classic.

1) Girl Talk "Feed the Animals"—D-A-N-C-E PARTY!!!! Greg Gillis knows how to throw one effing sweet dance party, so this album was pretty much on repeat from the day it dropped online—Lil' Wayne and Sinead, who knew??