Music Under Fire

Just to preface our best of list of 2008: Some songs may deserve a higher spot than others, but the time it took just to compile our list should give each and every song on here enough deserved attention. We did our best to make a list of 100 songs we thought were great and left a lot of songs off we begrudgingly had to remove to abide by the 100 song limit. Our list is as accurate as we could make it, so song 100 all the way to number one represent our favorite songs and artists of this year.

We seperated our list into 5 parts because there was just too much to put onto one post. We hope you enjoy our favorite songs of this 2008!

Part 2: MUF's Top 100 Songs of 2008 (61-80)
Part 3: MUF's Top 100 Songs of 2008 (41-60)
Part 4: MUF's Top 100 Songs of 2008 (21-40)
Part 5: MUF's Top 100 Songs of 2008 (1-20)

100. Keane - Lovers Are Losing (buy)
Why: Spiraling struggled but the personal touch from this track mid-way through helped boost the overall album enough to make it bearable.

99. The Shore - Open Up The Light (buy)
Why: Coming back from a long wait, The Shore delivered a great album. Their most notable song won't be found here, but this one may be as perfectly chilled-out as rock comes.

98. Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart (buy)
Why: Eight minutes and twenty-six seconds of cinematic gusto from a group that really doesn't have too many tracks longer than five minutes. Overall, a well thought-out song considering every instrument in the group grabs some of the spotlight.

97. Department of Eagles - No One Does it Like You (buy)
Why: Bass thumps and clapping ensues as the humble, yet budding group Department of Eagles made their presence known in 2008. Nobody does this like them in this gem with the harmonizing and the eerie playfulness of this song.

96. The Little Ones - Morning Tide (buy)
Why: Hearing The Little Ones and keeping a smile on of your face are synonymous with each other. "Morning Tide" clearly set the Cali natives back on track after their struggle to find a label and get their sound right.

95. Pictures and Sound - 100 Directions (buy)
Why: Luke Reynolds' latest project couldn't please fans more when transitioning from his older work. Now laced with some mild funk, "100 Directions" settles in behind light drum rapping and a heavy bass before slowly building up for a finale worth waiting for. Check out our live video of this song here.

94. Nada Surf - See These Bones (buy)
Why: Opening Lucky with their strongest song set the tempo for another great effort from Nada Surf. Perhaps this song layers a bit much as it goes on, but nothing takes away from the professional and well-timed shown here.

93. The Shore - Lose My Breath (buy)
Why: We doubled up listing the Shore in this section of our top 100, but that's okay since The Shore have so many good songs to list here. Neither this one or "Open Up The Light" could really be picked over the other, so really think of this as just another song you need to listen to and an album to own.

92. MGMT - Kids (buy)
Why: The main five-star songs on Oracular Spectacular flew across the blogosphere faster than the drug-inspired artists could imagine. "Kids" takes the teenage mentality of the duo along the same lines as the other greats on the album while still being incredibly original and addictive.

91. Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire (buy)
Why: The most pop-friendly song on this good effort and most listed throughout the blogsphere. That's not why we listed it however. The boldness of this song earned its place on our list. Saying someone's sex is on fire is quite a compliment to dish out, so kudos KOL.

90. French Kicks - With the Fishes (buy)
Why: Drowned out guitar meets sad, lonely singing. I don't know what does it for me on this song, but the chemistry is perfect, the guitar isn't too much and the vocals kill it every time. Everything down to the drums marks this album a materpiece in my mind.

89. Athlete - Flying Over Bus Stops (Acoustic) (buy)
Why: A song featured on their 2007 Beyond The Neighbourhood album, Athlete topped themselves with an acoustic version on their The Outsideres EP released earlier on this year.

88. The Notwist - Good Lies (buy)
Why: The Devil, You + Me opened with this low-key instrumentally and vocally sound track and the result helped the album as a whole. Seeing this song anywhere else in the Top 100 would be merited as it subtly speaks volumes to every ear that listens to it. Thanks to Pitchfork for the legal mp3.

87. The Republic Tigers - Buildings & Mountains (buy)
Why: Encompassing the ideals the Kansas City crew brought to Keep Color, this track harmonizes, entrances and hooks in like a cult does to its followers.

86. Greg Laswell - Comes and Goes (In Waves) (buy)
Why: Simple melodies and some nice harmonizing was enough to add this to our list. Laswell has sparked our interest this past year and this song was one of his most well-produced pieces.

85. Plants and Animals - Good Friend (buy)
Why: Parc Avenue's ground-work was put down here and the rest of the album benefited from it. "It takes a good friend to meet you in the park in the dark."

84. The Walkmen - In The New Year (buy)
Why: These guys went for a particular sound on thier album this year, and their nailed it with You & Me. "In The New Year" is something like we've never heard before with its rhinestone jangling riffs and slack-jawed singing. Where else could you find a better song with featuring an organ?

83. The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be (buy)
Why: Konk would not be found anywhere near our top albums of this year, but our beloved UK rockers did score one song we couldn't resist to list here. They've once again managed to feature one song bound to be syndicated all over God's creation.

82. Elbow - Weather To Fly (buy)
Why: The Mercury Prize winners in 2008 claimed their spot on our list, particularly with one of their magnificently assembled songs listed here. Elbow didn't just surpass all of their previous albums, they made a name for themselves in 2008. This song shows everything we love and have loved about Garvey and Co..

81. Beck - Gamma Ray (buy)
Why: Beck highlighted this song on his website which promoted Modern Guilt and it fit perfectly for any returning fan as maintains the zany vibe Beck had back when he released Midnight Vultures almost ten years prior. Saying it is the best on the album isn't entirely accurate although it could be the addictive ingredient Beck albums consistently contain.

This week we're celebrating our 300th post! Considering 75% of all blogs don't make it past 3 months (we had 85 posts back then), we think this is a pretty big acomplishment to be where we're at - 300 posts in nine months (that's a little more than a post a day if you're doing the math).

For this small milestone, we compiled the list of ear-catching songs below. This is no ordinary list. Many of the songs below come from groups we've been following for quite some time and a few may be found on our 'best of' lists at the end of the year - the remainder are songs we've stubled upon in our searches for great music, new and old. We hope you enjoy our list below and are even more thankful for all of the visitors and people who have supported our site over the course of the last 9 months!

MP3: Fujiya & Miyagi - Knickerbocker (buy)
MP3: Delta Spirit - People C'Mon (buy) (MUF)
MP3: Low Vs Diamond - This Is Your Life (buy)
MP3: Greg Laswell - Comes and Goes (In Waves) (buy)
MP3: I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - When You Go Out (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: The Walkmen - In The New Year (buy)
MP3: The Stills - Being Here (buy)
MP3: Athlete - Flying Over Bus Stops (acoustic) (buy)
MP3: Kings of Leon - Manhattan (buy)
MP3: CSS - Beautiful Song (buy)
MP3: Does It Offend You Yeah - Whip it (Devo Cover) (buy)
MP3: Anthem In - Down (buy) (Official)
MP3: Arizona - Thimble (buy)
MP3: Black Kids - I'm not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance (buy)
MP3: El Ten Eleven - I Like Van Halen Because My Sister Says They Are Cool (buy)
MP3: Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell Me (buy) (Official)
MP3: The Bravery - Swollen Summer (buy)
MP3: Daniel Gray - In the Morning (readme) (MySpace)
MP3: The Honorary Title - Stay Away (buy)
MP3: The Kooks - Kids (MGMT cover) (buy)
MP3: Radiohead - Down Is The New Up (buy)
MP3: Panda Riot - Paper Planes (live on WOXY) (buy) (Official)
MP3: The New Year - The Company I Get (buy)
MP3: The Uglysuit - Chicago (buy)
MP3: Ladyhawke - Back of the Van (Van She Tech Remix) (Official)

Get your notepad out, this week has some quick hitters that are destined to spice up your music player. Led by The Academy Is and their newest piece, Fast Times at Barrington High, the pop punk boys from Chicago have been gaining speed from album to album.

Perhaps the most flexible of the artists releasing this week, is none other than the Swedish soulful indie groove of Lykke Li. Her song "Little Bit" is so darn catchy.

For fans of an acoustic or stripped-down vibe, The Walkmen, The Honorary Title and Ra Ra Riot fit the bill. With that charming and sometimes maniacal touch, The Walkmen's You and Me meshes well to the palate of Vampire Weekend and even 70's flower rockers.

Delivering some off-collar intrique this week is none other than Sterolab. Their album Chemical Chords comes with the same precision that has made them a mainstay in the experimental ambient scene.

31Knots - Worried Well (Official) (MySpace)
Anarbor - The Natural Way EP (Official) (MySpace)
Brimstone Howl - We Came in Peace (Official) (MySpace)
Caesars - Strawberry Weed (Official) (MySpace)
David Byrne - Big Love OST (Official) (MySpace)
Death Vessel - Nothing Is Precious Enough for Us (Official) (MySpace)
Fiery Furnaces - Remember (Official) (MySpace)
Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today (MySpace)
GZA - Pro Tools (Official) (MySpace)
Hotel Lights - Firecracker People (Official) (MySpace)
Human Highway - Moody Motorcycle (Official) (MySpace)
Jaguar Love - Take Me To The Sea (Official) (MySpace)
Jeff Hanson - Madam Owl (Official) (MySpace)
Jennifer O'Connor - Here With Me (Official) (MySpace)
Jesu - Why Are We Not Perfect? (Official) (MySpace)
Julianna Hatfield - How To Walk Away (Official) (MySpace)
Karina - First Love (Official) (MySpace)
Lindstrom - Where You Go I go Too (Official) (MySpace)
Loudon Wainwright III - Recovery (Official) (MySpace)
Lykke Li - Youth Novels (Official) (MySpace)
MakeUpBreakUp - We Prefer Not To... EP (Official) (MySpace)
Moondoggies - Don't Be A Stranger (Official) (MySpace)
Music Tapes - Music Tapes for Clouds & Tornadoes (Official) (MySpace)
Perhapst - Perhapst (Official) (MySpace)
Pram - The Moving Frontier (Official) (MySpace)
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (Official) (MySpace)
Royal We - The Royal We (Official) (MySpace)
Salme Dahlstrom - The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade (Official) (MySpace)
sBach - sBach (Official) (MySpace)
Shwayze - Shwayze (Official) (MySpace)
Staind - The Illusion of Progress (Official) (MySpace)
Starling Electric - Clouded Staircase (Official) (MySpace)
Stereolab - Chemical Chords (Official) (MySpace)
Straight Line - Stitch When Skies Wash Ashore (Official) (MySpace)
System and Station - A Nation of Actors (Official) (MySpace)
The Academy Is ... - Fast Times at Barrington High (Official) (MySpace)
The Dandy Warhols - Earth to the Dandy Warhols (Official) (MySpace)
The Honorary Title - Scream and Light Up the Sky (Official) (MySpace)
The Ritz - The Night of Day (Official) (MySpace)
The Stills - Oceans Will Rise (Official) (MySpace)
The Walkmen - You And Me (Official) (MySpace)
Todd Snider - Peace Queer (Official) (MySpace)
The Uglysuit - The Uglysuit (Official) (MySpace)
Uh Huh Her - Common Reaction (Official) (MySpace)
Verve - Forth (Official) (MySpace)
Xavier Rudd - Dark Shades of Blue (Official) (MySpace)