With most of the recent publications to announce their “Best Albums of 2008” located, er, somewhere north of France, the lists have been heavy on stuff Brits like, most notably Elbow and Kings of Leon (i.e., dad-rock and a weird parody of Southern rock that I guess feels exotic to them). Now, finally, we have some American opinions to criticize! Our two big music mags, Spin and Rolling Stone, put out their lists today and yesterday, respsectively, and they’re both okay as lists go, with Spin‘s a step up, naturally. Both New York-based mags put New York-based combo TV on the Radio at their #1 slot, and while I can’t say enough good things about that band, the approaching-unanimous critical adulation is kind of creeping me out. Rolling Stone‘s list gets crazy after that, with the old, old white dudes who work at that magazine asserting their paleness via Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, and Metallica in the Top 10, and Guns N’ Roses hovering just outside it at #12. Blergh! Why do people let them get away with that? Spin gets closer to the truth with Portishead, Deerhunter and Santogold, although how anyone could be tricked into putting Coldplay in their list is beyond me.
Anyway, I’ll post the definitive Best Albums list on Monday, so stay tuned for that! Spin and Rolling Stone‘s Top 10s after the jump.
Spin:
01 TV On The Radio – Dear Science
02 Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III
03 Portishead – Third
04 Fucked Up – The Chemistry Of Common Life
05 Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
06 Santogold – Santogold
07 Deerhunter – Microcastle
08 Hot Chip – Made In The Dark
09 Coldplay – Viva La Vida
10 MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
Rolling Stone:
01 TV on the Radio – Dear Science
02 Bob Dylan – Tell Tale Signs:The Bootleg Series Vol. 8
03 Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III
04 My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
05 John Mellencamp – Life, Death, Love and Freedom
06 Santogold – Santogold
07 Coldplay – Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
08 Beck – Modern Guilt
09 Metallica – Death Magnetic
10 Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
