Hipster Gold: Dr. Thomas Beckett's Best of 2008

[Photo Credit: Mind Your Do's and Don'ts]

From the bowels of the JFK School of Government, using his own hipster rating scheme.

***ALBUMS***

BLAZERS (21+)
"and put a fucking hooded sweatshirt on underneath!" - TB

21) Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours

BIRKAS (15-20)
"let's give the vets some PTSD!" - Anonymous

20) Vic Chesnutt – Dark Developments
19) Dr. Dog – Fate
18) Devotchka – A Mad and Faithful Telling
17) Shearwater - Rook
16) Jonny Greenwood – There Will Be Blood

FINGERLESS GLOVES (11-15)
"trigger fingers shouldn't be covered by nothing..." - TB

15) Elf Power – In A Cave
14) Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
13) The Dodos – Visiter
12) MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
11) Portishead – Third

STRIPED CARDIGAN SWEATER (6-10)
"and that shit better not fit you" - TB

10) Sun Kil Moon – April
9) Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
8) Mount Eerie – Lost Wisdom
7) TV On The Radio – Dear Science
6) Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold

SKINNY JEANS (1-5)
"if I can't see your balls - you're wrong" - TB

5) The Music Tapes – Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes
4) Cloud Cult – Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
3) The War on Drugs – Wagonwheel Blues
2) My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
1) Okkervil River – The Stand Ins

***SHOWS***

5) Aimie Mann Xmas Show – Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA
4) Cloud Cult – Middle East, Cambridge, MA
3) Radiohead (x3), Verizon Center, Indianapolis, IN
2) My Morning Jacket (x2), Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
1) Elephant Six Holiday Tour (Wasn’t there, but should have been…Jeff Mangum singing Engine live is just as good in my dreams)

Left Coast: Best of 2008

ALBUMS

20. Beck - Modern Guilt [Interscope]
19. Albert Hammond, Jr. - ¿Como te Llama? [RCA/Black Seal]
18. Plants & Animals - Parc Avenue [Secret City]
17. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive [Vagrant]
16. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely [Warner Bros.]
15. Sun Kil Moon - April [Caldo Verde]
14. Black Mountain - In the Future [Jagjaguwar]
13. Boris - Smile [Southern Lord]
12. The Black Keys - Attack & Release [Nonesuch]
11. Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life [Matador]
10. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer [Sub Pop]
9. Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) [Earthology]
8. Shearwater - Rook [Matador]
7. Sebastien Grainger - Sebastien Grainger & the Mountains [Saddle Creek]
6. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins [Jagjaguwar]
5. Foals - Antidotes [Sub Pop]
4. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath [Universal Motown]
3. Portishead - Third [Island]
2. TV on the Radio - Dear Science [4AD]
1. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges [ATO]

TRACKS

50. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "Baltimore"
49. Vampire Weekend - "M79"
48. The Hold Steady - "Sequestered in Memphis"
47. Rihanna - "Disturbia"
46. Shearwater - "Century Eyes"
45. The Black Angels - "Science Killer"
44. Portishead - "Magic Doors"
43. The Killers - "This is Your Life"
42. Glasvegas - "Daddy's Gone"
41. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - "The Power of Myth"
40. The Hold Steady - "Stay Positive"
39. Plants and Animals - "New Kind of Love"
38. Boris - "Statement"
37. Sun Kil Moon - "Lost Verses"
36. Shearwater - "Lost Boys"
35. British Sea Power - "Lights Out for Darker Skies"
34. Foals - "Red Socks Pugie"
33. My Morning Jacket - "Highly Suspicious"
32. Portishead - "Machine Gun"
31. The Mars Volta - "Tourniquet Man"
30. Fucked Up - "Son of the Father"
29. MGMT - "Time to Pretend"
28. Cloud Cult - "The Will of a Volcano"
27. The Black Keys - "Strange Times"
26. Boris - "Flower, Sun, Rain"
25. Albert Hammond, Jr. - "Victory at Monterey"
24. Sebastien Grainger - "American Names"
23. Nine Inch Nails - "Discipline"
22. Boris - "Messeeji" [Diwphalanx Version]
21. Mudcrutch - "Lover of the Bayou"
20. The Raconteurs - "Consoler of the Lonely"
19. Wolf Parade - "Language City"
18. Shearwater - "On the Death of the Waters"
17. The Mars Volta - "Metatron"
16. My Morning Jacket - "Evil Urges"
15. Portishead - "Small"
14. TV on the Radio - "Golden Age"
13. The Black Keys - "Oceans & Streams"
12. Cloud Cult - "Hurricane and Fire Survival Guide"
11. Black Mountain - "Tyrants"
10. One Day As A Lion - "Wild International"
9. Sebastien Grainger - "Map of the World"
8. Boris - "Floor Shaker"
7. Foals - "Heavy Water"
6. Kings of Leon - "Closer"
5. The Mars Volta - "Ilyena"
4. Okkervil River - "Lost Coastlines"
3. TV on the Radio - "DLZ"
2. Portishead - "The Rip"
1. My Morning Jacket - "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part II"

SHOWS

5. Beck, Spoon, MGMT @ Hollywood Bowl
4. Cloud Cult @ Knitting Factory
3. TV on the Radio @ The Wiltern
2. My Morning Jacket @ Greek Theatre [Read]
1. Eddie Vedder @ The Wiltern [Read]

FILMS

Bear with me here. This will develop over the next month. This never feels as easy as the music.

5.
4.
3. The Wrestler, dir. Darren Aronofsky
2. 4 Weeks, 3 Months, 2 Days, dir. Christian Mungui
1. Gomorra, dir. Matteo Garrone

Paste's Top 50

Interesting, to say the least. It's good to see MMJ up there, but I don't quite follow the barely-in-the-Top-50 placement of Dear Science,...

50. TV On The Radio - Dear Science (Interscope)
49. Sandra McCracken - Red Balloon (Towhee)
48. REM - Accelerate (Warner Bros.)
47. Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim (Astralwerks)
46. Lykke Li - Youth Novels (LL)
45. M83 - Saturdays = Youth (Mute)
44. Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers (Zoë)
43. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer (Roadrunner)
42. Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings & All (KRS)
41. The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave (Gravitation)
40. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords (Sub Pop)
39. The Dodos - Visiter (Frenchkiss)
38. Jamie Lidell - Jim (Warp)
37. Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - A Larum (Lost Highway)
36. The Bridges - Limits of the Sky (Verve)
35. Colour Revolt - Plunder, Beg and Curse (Fat Possum)
34. Torche - Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
33. Santogold - Santogold (Downtown)
32. Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City)
31. The Walkmen - You & Me (Gigantic)
30. I'm From Barcelona - Who Killed Harry Houdini? (Mute)
29. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III (Cash Money/Universal)
28. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
27. Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning (Yep Roc)
26. Lee Ann Womack - Call Me Crazy (MCA Nashville)
25. Mugison - Mugiboogie (Ipecac)
24. Santogold & Diplo - Top Ranking
 (Mad Decent)
23. Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk)
22. No Age - Nouns (Sub Pop)
21. The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust (Vice)
20. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark (Astralwerks)
19. Gentleman Jesse and His Men - Introducing Gentleman Jesse and His Men (Douchemaster)
18. Death Cab
 for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
 (Atlantic)
17. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lie Down In The Light (Drag City)
16. My Morning Jacket
 - Evil Urges (ATO)
15. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (Mute)
14. Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim (Kemado)
13. Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart (Waterfall/RCA)
12. of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl)
11. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (Vagrant)
10. Deerhunter - Microcastle (Kranky)
09. Lucinda Williams - Little Honey (Lost Highway)
08. Sun Kil Moon - April (Caldo Verde)
07. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals (Illegal Art)
06. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
05. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar)
04. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
03. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)
02. Sigur Rós - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL)
01. She & Him - Volume One (Merge)