Best of '08

Dear Readers,

New years eve is nearly here. What kind of pretentious blogger would EN-D be if he didn't provide his own best-of-'08? He presents it to be marveled at and yet discerns that this list may be lopsided towards the latter half of the year. He figured you'd grown tired of Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes (who EN-D would snub in any season). Indeed, this is the list of a blogger "living in the now". December 23rd to be exact. And here are the 31 songs (1 for each day of December) on his external hard-drive that seemed best suited to represent 2008.

EN-D's fabulous best of '08 mix
download it here.

Ponytail-Beg Waves
Would perfectly accompany: a party at some place so hip it makes you feel uncomfortable.
RIYL: Deerhoof, Aids Wolf, Sleater Kinney

Iran-Buddy
Would perfectly accompany: drinking milkshakes at the bowling alley.
RIYL: Fuck, one dude from TV on the Radio, the Beta Band

Abe Vigoda-Dead City/Waste Wilderness
Would perfectly accompany: a party of young dadaists on a trashy beach.
RIYL: Spastic ______, The Talking Heads, the Silver Daggers, Mika Miko

Ghosty-Dumbo Wins Again
Would perfectly accompany: a gathering of Midwestern guys with beards getting all nostalgic about 90's indie rock.
RIYL: Lilys, Big Star, Sun Kill Moon

Let's Wrestle-Let's Wrestle
Would perfectly accompany: getting shitfaced
RIYL: Art Brut, the Breeders, Pavement

The Wave Pictures-Long Island
Would perfectly accompany: bucket deals, feeling jaded about New York
RIYL: Faux British accents, the Kinks, Warren Zevon

Wolf Parade- Soldier's Grin
Would perfectly accompany: an army of guys in girls' jeans and porkpie hats.
RIYL: Yes, Interpol, the Cure

Deerhunter-Angoraphobia
Would perfectly accompany: Sundays on Valium
RIYL: My Bloody Valentine, The Breeders, David Bowie

Shaky Hands-New Parade
Would perfectly accompany: preparing an elaborate practical joke
RIYL: the M's, the Rolling Stones, New Times Viking

Pretty and Nice- Grab Your Nets
Would perfectly accompany: a group of extremely vapid young people readying themselves for a night on the town.
RIYL: Love is All, The Faint, Videohippos

Titus Andronicus- My Time Outside the Womb
Would perfectly accompany: weepy doo-wap kids shoplifting female hygiene supplies.
RIYL: Yo La Tengo, Bright Eyes (if he grew a pair of balls), Jonathon Richman

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks- Cold Son
Would perfectly accompany: aging hipsters with receding hairlines attending the weddings of their more well-adjusted friends.
RIYL: Pavement, taking shit from your girlfriend for enjoying Pavement, sneaking Pavement into the lives of people who don't appreciate them

Fields of Industry- I'm Not Afraid of a Fight
Would perfectly accompany: a gathering of friends who've already played all their Velvet Underground albums
RIYL: The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed at his most macho, Lou Reed before he went soft

Crystal Stilts- Prismatic Room
Would perfectly accompany: trying on black turtlenecks before the 3-sided mirror at Dillards.
RIYL: The Jesus and Mary Chain, the Velvet Underground, the Clean

Gang- Sea So
Would perfectly accompany: someone trying to convince a group of people that an indie-rock band doesn't need a good singer as long as they have a bunch of people who aren't afraid to sing.
RIYL: Fugazi, Broken Social Scene, Dinosaur Jr.

Richard Swift- The Original Thought
Would perfectly accompany: middle-aged perverts perusing the massage oils at the Body Shop.
RIYL: Randy Newman, Elliott Smith, Elvis Costello

Plants and Animals- New Kind of Love
Would perfectly accompany: hipsters communing in some mountainous place, maybe Colorado or Vancouver, where there's fresh air.
RIYL: My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes (P&A are better though), Band of Horses

Obits- Get It In Writing
Would perfectly accompany: anxiously consuming alcohol as you wait for your roommate/significant other to get themselves together to head out.
RIYL: the Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu, Iggy Pop

Zomes- Black Magic Band
Would perfectly accompany: the exploration of psychic landscapes. . .
RIYL: Can, Brian Eno, Krzysztof Komeda

Icy Demons- Centurion
Would perfectly accompany: stepping into the refreshing air conditioning of your new luxury apartment.
RIYL: Cornelius, Stereolab, thinking about the future

The Pillow Queens- Wild Kingdom
Would perfectly accompany: sitting around admiring the best album cover of the year.
RIYL: songs about talking to the neighbor's dog, the Modern Lovers, the Yardbirds

The French Kicks- Sex Tourists
Would perfectly accompany: spreading out on new carpet.
RIYL: the Walkmen, INXS (not kidding), the Joggers

Kurt Vile- Breath Out
Would perfectly accompany: meditation.
RIYL: The War on Drugs, The Magnetic Fields, the Animal Collective

Dykeritz- The Apple is Blue
Would perfectly accompany: futurist soap operas.
RIYL: Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Caribou

Lake- Oh, the Places You'll Go
Would perfectly accompany: a picnic in Olympia, an Old Navy commercial.
RIYL: No Kids, Architecture in Helinski, Bearsuit

Pete and The Pirates- Little Death
Would perfectly accompany: melodrama under rainy conditions.
RIYL: the Buzzcocks, Wolf Parade, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Sky Larkin- One of Two
Would perfectly accompany: a meeting of the Kim Deal Fan Club.
RIYL: Love is All, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Breeders

Surf City- Dickshaker's Union
Would perfectly accompany: Summer in the wintertime.
RIYL: The Clean, Pavement, Tapes'n'Tapes

Forest Fire- Fortune Teller
Would perfectly accompany: drinking alone on the porch.
RIYL: Bonnie Prince Billy, Uncle Tupelo, Little Wings

The War On Drugs- Arms Like Boulders
Would perfectly accompany: drawing female bodybuilders
RIYL: Bob Dylan, Mojave 3, Big Star

Desolation Wilderness- White Strobing Light
Would perfectly accompany: Drawing pictures in the condensation on car windows.
RIYL: Beach House, Galaxy 500, the Beach Boys