Fucking in the Streets

Some people around here don’t like year-end best-of lists, but I’m
not one of them. I love year-end lists. Yes, they’re arbitrary
and subjective. Yes, they can theoretically introduce elements of
ranking and competition to artistic endeavors not really benefited by
such hierarchies. (Respect to DJ/Rupture’s “Top 5 Problems with Top 10
Albums of the Year Lists”—a must-read.) But fuck it, year-end
lists are fun. Here, then, are some personally subjective (my faves
don’t have to be yours), nondefinitive (i.e., no token metal albums I
didn’t actually like just because I think I ought to), necessarily
incomplete (for space), arbitrarily ranked (take that, hierarchy!)
lists of Things I Don’t Regret in 2008 (you can find the things
I do regret on page 17):

1. The following albums (in no particular order): Of Montreal
– Skeletal Lamping, Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend,
Max Tundra – Parallax Error Beheads You, Why? – Alopecia,
the Sight Below – Glider, Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules
and
Love Affair, Hot Chip – Made in the Dark, Flying
Lotus – Los Angeles, No Age –
Nouns, diskJokke –
Staying In, M83 – Saturdays=Youth, Cut Copy – In Ghost
Colours, the Hold Steady – Stay Positive, Crystal Castles –
Crystal Castles, Vivian Girls – Vivian Girls, Girl Talk –
Feed the Animals, Low Motion Disco – Keep It Slow, Alter Ego –
Why Not?

2. The following individual tracks (again, in no particular
order): the Juan Maclean – “Happy House,” Lil Wayne – “A Milli,” Matias
Aguayo – “Minimal,” Kid Cudi – “Day & Night (Crookers Remix),” MGMT
– “Kids (Soulwax Remix),” Hot Chip – “One Pure Thought (Supermayer
Remix),” Max Tundra – “Which Song,” Vampire Weekend – “Cape Cod Kwassa
Kwassa (Teenagers Remix),” Hercules and Love Affair – “You Belong,”
Alias – “Well Water Black (featuring Why?),” Cut Copy – “Out There on
the Ice,” Daedelus – “Fair Weather Friends,” T.I. – “Swagger Like Us,”
M83 – “Kim & Jessie,” Why? – “Good Friday,” Of Montreal – “Women’s
Studies Victims,” Wiley – “Wearing My Rolex,” Shinichi Osawa – “Star
Guitar,” Deadmau5 – “Sometimes Things Get, Whatever”/”Complications,”
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik – “La Serenissima,” Pink Skull – “Gonzo’s
Cointreau,” the Death Set – “Selective Memories.”

3. The following local acts, who make me feel lucky to live
in Seattle (repeat caveat re: order, apologies to the many, many folks
I’ll inevitably forget here): Partman Parthorse, Throw Me the Statue,
the Pica Beats, Truckasauras, the Dead Science (still technically
local?), Bow + Arrow, Talbot Tagora, Past Lives, Flexions, the Sight
Below, Jacob London, Emerald City Soul Club, Club Pop, FCS, the
Saturday Knights, the (reunited for ’09) Murder City Devils.

See you in 2009!