In line with tradition, here is my unordered, incomplete list of awesome albums from 2008.  Things seem a bit folk heavy for me.  Interesting.  Do share your thoughts.

Baltimore

Small Sur – We Live in Houses Made of Wood

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MP3: Small Sur – Roots

A subtle beauty, a gentle giant of a release from a local treasure.  Bob Keal is calling us all back to nature; it’s a wondrous journey.

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Zomes – S/T

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MP3: Zomes – Coloured Matter

Warm and addictive melodies make this album glow as Asa Osborne meticulously tinkers with tone and form.

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Arbouretum/Pontiak – Kale Split

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MP3: Pontiak – Green Pool

Two spectacular bands pay homage to the great John Cale, and bring along some of their own material to boot.  Win/win.

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Beach House – Devotion

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MP3: Beach House – Gila

A glittering gem of a release, ornate and lush.  Not to mention all the positive Baltimore PR they’ve been gathering.

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Matmos – Supreme Balloon

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MP3: Matmos – Les Folies Francaises

Our fair city’s resident transplanted experimental superstars.  How can you resist?  You can’t.

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Lo Moda – Replica Watches

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MP3: Lo Moda – Real Real

Never has a band been so hard to pin down, so damn likable and addictive.  The maturity of their songwriting is almost without compare, taut and diverse.

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DC

Imperial China – Methods: EP

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MP3: Imperial China – There is no translation

Picking up where it feels like Q and Not U left off, Imperial China’s EP is a short-but-sweet blast of angular and textured experimentalism that has felt sorely lacking in DC where precious, diabetes-inducing indie-pop and overly ironic rock have prevailed as of late.

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Caverns – Kittens! EP

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MP3: Caverns – Brodown High Noon

A late-comer, sneaking in just under the wire at the end of December, this EP is the visceral punch in the gut and stab at the heart that I was waiting for all year.  For me, instrumental rock doesn’t get much better than this.

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CANNOT BE STOPPED – Mountain

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MP3: CANNOT BE STOPPED – Dull Fangs

I really remained firmly against one-man drum acts.  Until I heard Farley Miller’s CANNOT BE STOPPED project.  Consider me converted.

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The World

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!

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MP3: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

Ah Nick, do you never falter?  Probably my favorite in his catalog, hands down.  And that’s impressive.

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These New Puritans – Beat Pyramids

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MP3: These New Puritans – Swords of Truth

An invigorating, underappreciated album filled with mesmerizing beats, a maelstrom of post-punk guitars, and dripping with the influence of dub and hip-hop.

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High Places – High Places / 0307 – 0907

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MP3: High Places – From Stardust to Sentience

One of those times transcendent actually means something, High Places dropped TWO albums of zen-like beauty and inventive experimentalism.

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Shearwater – Rook

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MP3: Shearwater – Rooks

Achingly melodramatic, at times bordering on histrionic.

And I love every second of it.

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Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet – S/T

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MP3: Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet – Strange Things

Redefining how I view globalized music, truly proving that music is a language with universal aspects that can be tapped into, regardless of your culture of origin.

Probably my album of the year, if I had to choose one.

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Horse Feathers – House With No Name

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MP3: Horse Feathers – Working Poor

Folk meets classical amidst the twirling counterpoint of gentle string lines and gorgeous vocals.

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Nina Simone – To Be Free

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MP3: Nina Simone – I Loves You, Porgy

A timeless talent with a luscious voice with near-limitless range that could woo legions of men.  This 3-CD and DVD box set is probably one of my most valuable purchases of 2008.

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The Bug – London Zoo

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MP3: The Bug – Poison Dart

Bass.  Dub.  Love.

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The Rumble Strips – Girls and Weather

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MP3: The Rumble Strips – Alarm Clock

At first I was slightly non-plussed about this record.  But over time it became one of my most frequently spun all year.  A dose of adrenalized, bittersweet joy.

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