Top 10 Songs of 2008

In keeping with (a new) tradition, here is my 2nd annual top 10 songs of the year chart! 2008 was a weird year for me, musically. I focused a lot on old music, what with the reissues of all the Thompson Twins albums (including the little-known first two) being released, and mining the catalogues of Boy George and Deborah Harry on some whim. Also, the dramatic changes happening within my own band lead to a lot of friction with our new album which we have been recording since December of 2006. Add to that the arrival of the first new studio album from The B-52's in sixteen years, and my being open to listening to some new, current bands this year, and you'll see that the result is an eclectic and varied list.

Honorable Mention: Panic at the Disco - Nine in the Afternoon
I had to cut out a few songs off my initial list to get it down to 10, and while this one ended up being cut, I had to give it honorable mention, not so much on it's own merits, but because of the album it was culled from. "Pretty. Odd" was the second record by Panic at the Disco and, while I never heard their first CD, I had always been intrigued by them. After hearing some positive reviews of the new disc, I bought it and was instantly hooked. The psychedelic-flavored harmonies and all it's little quirks lead to many repeated listens. This song was the first single, which I remember excitedly watching them perform on Saturday Night Live, and I ended up using it in the soundtrack for the "Welcome To Paradise: Glen and Rhonda's 35th Anniversary" DVD that I made from my parent's anniversary party last spring.

10. Hydra Productions featuring Tiffany - Dust Off and Dance
It may seem a little odd that Tiffany would release a song that shared a title with an album released three years prior, but it makes more sense when you know that the track was written and produced by Hydra Productions, one-half of which (Sean Winstian) is a huge fan, and friend, of Tiffany. The song itself is a high-energy dance number with lots of cool keyboard sounds and a great beat, and is actually (in my opinion) a slightly better dance track than most of the ones she has released on her own accord. It's also really easy and fun to sing along to. She also released another dance track, "Just Another Day," in 2008 which is also a great song; however I didn't include it on here since I prefer "Dust Off And Dance" and because I've only ever heard the Dave Aude remix of it - I'm not sure if there even was ever an "original" version of the song.

9. Lindsay Lohan - Bossy
Every list has to have one guilty pleasure, right? I'm not ashamed to admit that I am a Lindsay Lohan fan, despite her often obnoxious public persona. I do think she is incredibly misunderstood and amazingly talented, although her singing may not be her strongest point. That said, she does have a good voice and works hard at it, and has better taste in music and the choices she makes than a lot of her peers. This song is actually a thumping club track, and I really thought it would be a hit for her. I was wrong, but I still love it anyway. Although I prefer to change the lyrics on the chorus to "I'm just a little saucy" as the term "little bossy" always makes me think of cows, since I grew up on a farm.

8. Madonna - Give it 2 Me
I know, I know, how gay can I get? It's not like I'm some huge Madonna fan, and I didn't even buy Hard Candy... In fact I haven't bought a Madonna album since "Music" (I did pick up "American Life" used long after it was released.) I detest her continued obsession with drama in her personal (read: public) life, I think she looks freaky, and I'm completely angry with her for going through a high-profile divorce and possible affair at a time when the gay community (read: her main fanbase) could really have used her help with the Prop 8 battle. And, for what seemed like months, every damn time I drove by Target on Santa Monica and LaBrea, I would look up and see her mug on the jumbotron, promoting her insanely successful "Sticky & Sweet" tour. But still, her job is to churn out catchy pop tunes, and they don't come much catchier than this little ditty. And something weird I've noticed, why do I tend to prefer Madonna's second single from any given album?

7. MGMT - Kids
It's always hard for me to watch some new, young band to come out of nowhere and become underground darlings. I first saw this band on Logo, MTV's gay network, so I may have assumed that they were some gay indie band. Of course, that turned out not to be the case and these two young boys from Brooklyn blew up very quickly. But when you listen to their music it's not hard to see why. Blending lots of quirky synthesizers with delicious harmonies, weird background sounds, and tons of musical influences, their make a whole new kind of music that is textured and very intriguing. This song is a weird one that gets stuck in your head but you still have to keep listening to it to "get" it.

6. Cyndi Lauper - Into the Nightlife
Now, if the gays were disappointed by Madonna's lack of contribution to LGBT rights, by contrast Cyndi Lauper stood up to be one of the heroes for the cause. Organizing the annual True Colors tour (which I was finally lucky enough to see the 2nd time around) and never afraid to speak out in favor of the gays, Cyndi did the ultimate "playing to her audience" move by releasing the larger-than-life dance album "Bring Ya To The Brink" this year. I have always been a fan of Cyndi, and so I was very happy to see that she continues to be a vital and exciting performer. This track was the instantly-likeable, dance-floor filler that was a total standout. I wish I would have heard it in the clubs more, but then I would have had to go to clubs before I could really complain about that, wouldn't I?

5. Lily Allen - The Fear
I never gave a whole bunch of thought to Lily Allen, because a friend of mine had given me her CD which he had illegally downloaded off the internet and burned for me. As many of you know, I'm quite a snob when it comes to pirated music and as a rule I don't usually listen to an album if I can tell it was obtained illegally (such as some tracks being louder than others or of less quality). However, I did like her so it was kind of a shame that I ended up not ever really listening to it. Then, for the brief amount of time where I stupidly read that idiotic Hilton person's blog, his incessant negative remarks about Lily only made me like her more. Add to that the fact that I HATE Katy Perry with a passion (I don't know how many times I have to explain to people that saying something is "gay" as a way of saying it's stupid, or as a way to insult someone who is not actually gay, IS REALLY OFFENSIVE TO GAY PEOPLE!!!) and it seems that Capital records is trying to replace Allen with Perry... it all adds up to Lily being the new underdog, and I love underdogs. So when I heard this track I was blown away by how amazingly good it was! I love the sarcastic lyrics, the full sound, and the way she sings. I can't wait for her new album to be released next month.

4. CSS - Left Behind
A band's second album is always a risky proposition. I fell in love with CSS quite awhile after they had released their debut on Sub-Pop, but before they blew up due to one of their songs being featured in an iPod commercial (the new way to break through in the music industry). While I eagerly anticipated their follow up CD, "Donkey", I couldn't help but be a little apprehensive. Would they try too hard to move in a "mature" direction? Would months of touring around the world lead them to burnout? Luckily, all my worry was unnecessary, as the new material showed a band continuing to improve and expand, while retaining their charm and the things that drew me to them in the first place. This song is an especially good example of their trademark indie-wave, outsider pop.

3. Shitting Glitter - Socially Activist
This song went through so many changes and was the cause of so many arguments and in-fighting within our band. We wanted it to sound just like it sounded live, but a little more developed. Unfortunately, what ended up happening was that we had a bunch of our friends play along to it on various weird percussion and wind instruments and somehow, the results of that session ended up being way to prominent in the resulting mixes. After months of going back and forth, I was pretty much resigned to the fact that we would just have to let it go, whereas other people were not so willing to compromise. In the end, I'm glad that someone kept fighting for it, because it ended up sounding so much better than it ever would have before once everyone was finally happy with it. We are looking forward to filming a video for this song, and giving it a wider release once the whole album is finished, but for now it is available to download from our website.

2. Belanova - Baila Mi Corazon
I found out about this band while Dylan and I were in vacation on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. They were featured on the countdown on MTV with another song. I was immediately mesmerized when I saw them on TV. It was perhaps the first time that a band's music was so completely exciting to me that it didn't matter that the lyrics were in another language. I can understand enough Spanish to at least get the gist of most of their songs. I bought their CD when I got back home (it was released here and they have a large fan base here in the states) and discovered this song, which is simply gorgeous. It was actually released in 2007 but I'm including it on my chart since I didn't know them until this year. I was lucky enough to see the live at the House of Blues this summer and they did not dissapoint. The video is really cute, too.

1. The B-52's - Funplex
There was a point, a few years ago, where it struck me that I had basically stopped listening to The B-52's, and this saddened me. It was, after all, The B-52's that had inspired me so much and brought so much joy to my life back when I was in 7th grade... showing me that there were people out there who loved all things thriftstore kitsch and who considered qualities like "weird" and "unique" as virtues. So even to say that I was ecstatic when I heard that the B's were going to release a new album in 2008 would have been the understatement of the year. They began playing the new songs at their live shows over a year before the album's release, so I was lucky enough to hear many of the songs in advance. The excitement of finally hearing the studio versions was intense and exciting. I thought they did a bang-up job of melding their wacky, southern party rock vibe with their new 2008 sexed-up lyrics and electronified beats and synths. In short, I don't think it would have been possible for this album to have been any better - it's perfect. When I got an e-mail that the band was looking for fans to play "extras" in the video for the first single (and title track), I was thrilled - and believe it or not, it turned out that the filming took place on the street where I work, literally just two blocks north of my office! Although the day mainly involved sitting around waiting (I only ever got to be in front of the camera once!), it was still so much fun to be hanging out with other fans, and having the band walk by us every now and then. In the end, you can only see the top of my head for about one millisecond (and you wouldn't know you had seen me unless I was there to pause it and point myself out!) but it was well worth it just to be involved. "Funplex" was a silly, funny song which, on the surface is a tribute to shopping malls but is actually a satirical comment on American consumerism, which contained perhaps the best line of 2008: "I'm at the mall on a diet pill!"