Now that it’s almost December, you’ve no doubt been thinking about the best entertainment offerings of the year. You also probably haven’t cast a vote for anything in weeks! So now is a perfect time for you to make your 2008 favorites official. It’s the third time we’ve turned to our readers to rank the best releases of the last twelve months. This year is more fun because Videogum is on board. So in addition to asking you to rate this year’s musical highlights, we wanna know the best TV show, movie, and Web video.
The categories are…
- Best Album
- Best Music Video
- Best Live Act
- Indie Rock Crushes
- Most Overrated Act
- Best Music Blog — Aside From Stereogum
- Best TV Show
- Best Movie
- Best Web Video
As always, there are no nominees (except for the Web Video category), so the race is wide open. Once you start typing in your choice, the fields will suggest likely candidates based on your spelling. Please use this auto-fill if your desired pick pops up! It will save us so much time tallying, because formatting and spelling will be consistent. (You can vote for whatever you want, even if auto-fill doesn’t suggest it. Once a few people suggest the same thing, it automatically gets added to the auto-fill suggestions.) One randomly selected entrant will receive CDs of the Top 50 Best Album winners, courtesy of Beck’s, as well as a TBD gift from Videogum (UPDATE: Videogum is contributing a one-year 3-DVD-at-a-time subscription to Netflix.). So use your real e-mail address in the form so we can contact you if you win. One vote per person, and voting closes 12/2.
Coming soon: details on our Gummy Awards live event in NYC, which will double as Stereogum’s 5th Anniversary party.
Vote at gummyawards.com now, and feel free to campaign in the comments.
UPDATE: If you experience any technical problems when submitting your votes, please e-mail web@stereogum.com. We’re working on the bugs. Thanks!
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Also, FYI — Third Eye Blind’s album isn’t out ’til February.
Top Albums of the Year (in order):
1)MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
2)Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping
3)Wolf Parade- At Mt. Zoomer
4)Deerhunter- Microcastle
5)Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend
MGMT was last year. The physical release was mid 2007 with the physical coming out in December.
Re: your list,
1)Major label, teen pop band posing as indie rockers (and last year)
2)Kevin Barnes turning to coke, disco and egoism
3)Lackluster sophomore album
4)Yeah, pretty good
5)Are you joking?
Can Helio Sequence win something for the comeback of the year? Brandon Summers is the Kerry Wood of Indie Rock.
http://www.evri.com/organization/the-helio-sequence-0x39ba8.html
chris, right on with helio. i voted for their album in the top 3. nothing revolutionary but it’s extremely solid and i keep going back to it.
can we throw in alice glass as a pop-up for indie rock hotties?
you just have to get a handful of people to enter her name the exact same way and it’ll start popping up
a.) microcastles / weird era cont. + in ear park
b.) why the fuck can’t I choose 30 rock?
you can! just type it in there. there was a very small error that kept 30 rock from popping up, but it should be working now and all the write-ins for it are counted.
After seeing Wolf Parade last week, Dan Boeckner is my indie rock man-crush.
I’m more of a Spencer Krug man myself. But I can respect your choices…
mary pearson from high places would be nice, too.
She got my vote.
EVIL URGES
I’m highly suspicious of that pick.
It would be a peanut butter pudding surprise.
oh this feeling i wonderful, don’t you ever turn it off.
I’m amazed by that pick
Off the record, I would agree…
this is why i love indie music. there is no other genre or scene or whatever that has so much fucking diversity. el guincho, and on the other side fleet foxes, portishead, and of Montreal. Then look at the top forty.
my fave albums are
1) MGMT Oracualr Spectacular(still counts because this got famous this year and would have gotten consideration last year if the album came out in time, plus every single track is amazing)
2) Portishead – Third (after the billionth listen this album still gives me shivers)
3) tie between
She & Him – Volume One (i love her and she is my indie crush)
Crystal Castles (never thought id like electro this much)
Bon Iver (so fucking soulful i’m leaning towards this one)
overrated would be the hold steady too boring
heads up – vivian girls are listed as vivial girls on the gummy site…not sure what vivial is but it sounds like something that happens at the gynocolegist.
ps most over rated band: the v girls
ra ra riot, tv on the radio, dr dog, white denim, okkervil river, dodos, walkmen
You guys — you can vote for whatever you want, even if auto-fill doesn’t suggest it. Once a few people suggest the same thing, it automatically gets added to the auto-fill suggestions.
I tried to vote for mongol and it said i didn’t vote
A vote for Mongol is a vote for nothing!
I’m so excited for year end lists.
I really wish it was more of a profile than a “submit” deal. Then when I make my list and go “oh fuck…what about ___” two minutes later…I could go back and fix it. Sad day.
Best Albums…TVOTR, Fleet Foxes, White Fang, Colourmusic, Vampire Weekend, Langhorne Slim, Deerhunter, M83, The Hold Steady
Fuck this rigged shit. Any best of the year list that won’t let me vote for Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool Doesn’t deserve any votes.
I bet if I voted for some fuck up like lil’ wayne it woud count.
No wonder you have a tough time getting more than 10 comments in a post these days (with the exception of this post, of course).
You can vote for whatever you want, even if auto-fill doesn’t suggest it.
The Cool came out in 2007, though, so you shouldn’t vote for that.
Lupe’s record came out the last week or so of 2007, so I don’t think it was really eligible for last year’s voting. If it was eliglble, it certainly didn’t make its mark until this year.
And no, it wouldn’t let me vote for it. If the auto fill doesn’t show up, then your ballot is marked with an asterix and you are forced to change.
Okay, then why is the form is not letting me vote for Evangalista – Hello, Voyager no matter which of the three blanks I try?
I don’t care for music. I thought this site was about chewing gum.
Life’s the same, I’m chewing in stereo.
All my chewing is on vinyl, which makes me the ultimate hipster.
Best Live Act was easily Tegan and Sara… not many bands these days can sell out 4 nights in L.A. and have half the audience sleeping on the sidewalk every night waiting to get in again. That was pure craziness.
Tokyo Police Club, Destroyer, Wolf Parade, Devotchka, Beck, Vampire Weekend and lets throw in Dr. Dog’s fantastic album.
Also Passion Pits “Sleepyhead” video deserves acknowledgment in the video department
and, as always, Radiohead for most overrated. they are good.. i really liked Rainbows…. But people act like they are gods. they are good. calm the hell down. The Hold Steady belong here too… (Aw who am i kidding, all the indie hipsters are just going to vote for the killers anyways)
- * (Dexter = best show on tv)
a) in rainbows came out in 2007, so no need to campaign against it
b) radiohead is overrated but tokyo police club released one of the best albums of the year? i think you’re confused.
I’m voting for Merriweather Post Pavillion for this year, next year, and the year after that
In Ear Park FTW
Pretty sure that AOTY is Santogold, though the new Q-Tip is making a strong showing on my short list.
Also, Chad VanGaalen – Soft Airplane — pretty tough to beat that or Santogold imo
what the hell should i put for best music video?
Bjork – Wanderlust…definitely! By far my favourite. I couldn’t think of many others either.
Modest Mouse made a hilarious video for “People As Places as People”… was that this year or last though?
Portishead – The Rip
Vampire Weekend gets my vote. I don’t care how many blogs love them and how many blogs hate them- their album is spectacular, and that’s all that matters to me. It came out ten months ago, but for me, it still holds up beautifully.
Also, I don’t care if she doesn’t release a new song for ten years, Karen O will always get my vote for indie rock crush… though it’s awfully hard for her to hold off Feist year after year, as she’s been doing for almost half a decade now.
Karen O, without a doubt, has a look that you either love or loathe. I’m afraid that I fall into the latter when it comes to Miss O. I’ve had this argument too many times and it’s an argument I can’t win. I imagine this view isn’t very popular in the gummy world but that’s ok.
Feist > Karen O in a runaway
In Rainbows came out very late last year, and they toured this year and all the fanboys went nuts this year over them. i dont think a band has to release an album This year to have the title of most overrated band. its band, not album…
Hey guys, make sure to show Why? – Alopecia some love. It came out many blog years ago, but it definitely worth your vote.
Doesn’t seem to be allowing me to submit it if i don’t pick one of the drop-down selections….
(If you try to submit it after leaving any of the areas blank. To fix, just open it again and start over.)
vote anna spence from annuals for indie crush. see her in person and you’ll know why
music in 2007 > 2008. but i must say my album of the year is Thee Oh Sees – The Masters Bedroom… check it out
if you dont vote fleet foxes you dont have a soul
whew, good thing i voted them most overrated then!
1) deerhunter
2) sigur ros
3) of Montreal (had to write this in, wtf)
whatever happens, fleet foxes are winning album of the year on pitchfork, so dont get too worried, and pitchfork is the only thing that matters.
lol, if fleet foxes win any kind of award for anything other than making decent, pleasant, inoffensive music, i’ll be shocked
My top 3 albums were
1.) Deerhunter
2.) Portishead
3.) M83
but there were many that came too close, like Marnie Stern, Sigur Ros, Wolf Parade, of Montreal, Plants & Animals, TVOTR, Lykke Li, and yes, Bloc Party.
I mean, its easy to call fleet foxes overrated, but im sure i speak for everyone who has seen them this past year, that they in fact deserve all the praise. and i like all the helio sequence votes, very good album, they deserve most underrated
I gave Okkervil River’s “Lost Coastlines” my vote for best video, because it’s the only music video I remember seeing this year.
Number one album belongs to Sigur Ros.
And more people need to start watching Supernatural. Seriously, if that show was a women, I would ask it out and be turned down.
Best albums
1. Fleet Foxes
2. White Fang
3. Okkervil River
Most overrated: Wolf Parade, and yes i’ve seen them live
1. Blitzen Trapper – Furr
2. Deerhunter – Microcastle
3. Cloud Cult – Feel Good Ghosts
Overrated: (this album) Islands – Arm’s
Why Langhorne Slim is not the biggest band in America, I’ll never know!
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Alegranza!, El Guincho
Watercurses EP, Animal Collective
Mediocre, Ximena Sarinana
…., Sigur Ros
The Carter III, Lil’ Wayne
Little Joy, Little Joy
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
MTV Unplugged, Julieta Venegas
Hoy A Las Ocho, Hello Seahorse!
are people suggesting that Vampire Weekend does not deserve most overrated act? I find them ok, just plain ok. Nothing to fuzz about.
BEST VIDEO was Bright Tomorrow by Fuck Buttons!
All of these were easy except for Best Web Video. I was torn between – “You Can Drink This Shit And It Ain’t Butter”, Bill O’Reilly Flips Out, and Zach Galifianakis For Absolut Vodka. Touch choice. It doesn’t look good for my other choices…all the ones mentioned here in the comments so far would have filled my “most overrated” section.
hercules and love affair for best album.
and yes, vampire weekend is overrated. fun, but overrated.
T-Pain
Can’t Believe It
Video of the Year
Guys, glaring omission just came to me: for Best Web Video, Akon calls T-Pain.
I forgot about Born Ruffians. Loving that album.
And Tilly and the Wall.
EVIL URGES!
don’t forget those amazing EP’s though.
by Antony & The Johnsons, and by Air France.
do these count?
Have to say that our band wins new category: “Criminally Overlooked Album of 2008″
Top other artists: 1. Portishead, 2. M83, 3. Crystal Castles
myspace.com/microfilmmusic
I tried to vote twice and each time it wouldn’t go through because of a “parse error’ with an “unexpected” semi-colon. I tried to open it a third time and I got the same thing.
goodness! BEACH HOUSE PEOPLE!!!
living things ‘let it rain” is definately best song of 2008 along with evil urges as best album..and indy rock crush would be Lillian Berlin with kate moss in the just cavalli ad..sexy
i agree living things “let it rain”has to be in there for best song!..and lillian berlin with kate moss is totally hot in the just cavalli ad
Portishead needs to get some sort of award somewhere for something. Third is unreasonably good.
Right. ^
1.) Deerhunter
2.) Portishead
3.) M83
There’s some little problem in that I have two different albums in first and second fields, but it tells me that they have to be different when I try to submit. Any way to fix this?
Best Music Video: Gnarls Barkley – Run
This video has everything… Funky music, wardrobe, dancing, strobe lights, seizures… A can’t miss if you ask me.
video of the year, flying lotus parisian gold fish. hands down.
Hey there’s no House of Cards video appearing on the “best music video list”! How can you pass up something that was shot WITH LASERS!?
Easily, because this isn’t 1988 with Dark Side of the Moon in a planetarium.
it’s true, house of cards is in Stereogum’s list of contenders for best music video, yet i was unable to vote for it?
BEST VIDEO: “Call it Off” by Tegan and Sara
Everyone who votes for it will get free maple leaf shaped maple sugar candy delivered to your front door personally by Stephen Harper.
Is it bad that I can’t even bother to rank this year’s albums? There’s only maybe 3 or 4 i’ve actually listened to consistently and will probably continue to listen to down the road. Maybe I’m just too lazy this year, but it seems like last year’s music was 100 times better. Where’s 2008′s Boxer?
I think of The Walkmen’s “You & Me” as this year’s Boxer. It doesn’t surpass Boxer (my fav of 07) in my opinion, but it still delivers the goods. I gave it my 2nd best album of the year gummy vote behind Fleet Foxes.
MGMT definitely came out Jan. 22 of THIS YEAR, fyi. So it’s def. eligible and deserves recognition.
Best album: Deerhunter, Vampire Weekend, Portishead
Best music video: DVNO by Justice. Don’t forget this one, kids. Even if it came out in March
Best Live Act: Radiohead (of Montreal was close, but not close enough to even make it a contest)
Rock Crushes: Feist or Jenny Lewis? Too tough to decide (I went with Feist)
Albums: Hold Steady – SP, Fleet Foxes, Blitzen Trapper – Furr, The Dodos – Visiter
Live Act: Radiohead, with Hold Steady and Grizzly Bear close behind
Rock Crush: Zooey Deschanel! and Beyonce (I mean did you SEE SNL?!?!)
Don’t forget Foals!!! Antidotes was really, really, really good. Even though it came out in, like, February.
deerhunter is the most overrated.
the felice brothers
langhorne slim
jason collett
conor oberst
the tallest man on earth
grand archives
best albums – los compesinos! of montreal and high places
1. Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping
2. The Walkmen- You and Me
3. Cut Copy- In Ghost Colours
Overrated: Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend
Best albums
M83
Langhorne Slim
Conor
The Hold Steady
Fleet Foxes
Vampire Weekend
Blitzen Trapper
Best album- Langorne Slim
Best live act- Langhorne Slim
Biggest crush- Conor Oberst
overrated- Blitzen Trapper
movie- dark knight of course
1.Fleet Foxes
2. Gnarls Barkley
3. The Raconteurs
Why can’t i pick Radiohead’s House of Cards for video of the year? Nothing else comes close.
You can vote for anything.
LANGHORNE SLIM AND THE WAR EAGLES!!!!
Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer is fantastical and my #1 but Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago is tight second. I’d also weight in on the end of the year release, many great albums come out late in the year, resulting in the album being passed over in the year it dropped and the year following.
Bon Iver came out in late November of 2007, only the reissue came out in 2008. But the album is spectacular.
Ehh…mistype. Late November=Early October.
best music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNJLZxwGHxY
Best Video: No Age “eraser”
Most overrated: ironically, No Age
And I have to agree with people mentioning Langhorne Slim. That dude/band is awesome!
David Byrne’s new album and tour have been inexplicably absent from “best of” conversations and from this blog in general. I’m at least calling him best live act of 2008.
That’s true, that Byrne / Eno album was brilliant and extremely underrated.
I didn’t vote for fleet foxes and i feel i should have!! Somebody please vote for them for me!!
This was a pretty good year for music.. There was no Person Pitch, but still a pretty good year..
Top 10:
Beach House- Devotion
1) Deerhunter- Microcastles
2) Lil Wayne-Tha Carter III
3) The Ruby Suns- Sea Lion
4) Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping
5) Bonnie Prince Billy- Lie Down In The Light
6) El Guincho- Alegranza
7) No Age- Nouns
9) Hercules And Love Affair- Hercules And Love Affair
10) TV On The Radio- Dear Science,
BTW: Thank God there was no Boxer this year, that record was really fucking BORING!!
Yay, voting!
How’s Takka Takka’s “Migration” for a change?
Also, The Dodos, The Walkmen, Portishead and Deerhunter.
Best live act should go to Cut Copy.
There was no Person Pitch this year, but still a very good year…
Top 10:
Beach House- Devotion
1) Deerhunter- Microcastles
2) Lil Wayne- Tha Carter III
3) The Ruby Suns- Sea Lion
4) Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping
5) Bonnie Prince Billy- Lie Down In The Light
6) El Guincho- Alegranza
7) No Age Eraser
9) Hercules And Love Affair- Hercules And Love Affair
10) TV On The Radio- Dear Science,
BTW: Thank God There was no Boxer this year.. That record was very boring!!
if pitchfork ever needs a hand job, this list would be up to the task.
MGMT MGMT MGMT!!
I think that Los Campesinos! album is pretty underrated too. It’s sugary, but it’s got some killer punk undertones.
Wait, make that those Los Campesinos! albums, since there’s apparently a new one already.
If MGMT came out this year, I don’t know how I’m going to pick between that and Santogold. Good thing I get three choices….
no love for cold war kids? loyalty to loyalty was amazing and hasnt been mentioned yet the garbage that is carter III was brought up…
the winner is… 1) Deerhunter-microcastles
islands- arm’s way
2) fleet foxes -fleet foxes
3) horse feathers- house with no home
4) the republic tigers-keep color
5) chad vangaalen- soft airplane
6) sigur ros- med sud
7) beach house- devotion
indie rock crushes- ladyhawke, friendly fires.
p.s i’m not sure about this year’s winner but i’m quite sure grizzly bear’s next album will be one of the most eligible winners list in 2009. yippee!
Don’t forget Animal Collective.
Fuck I’ve already almost overplayed Brother Sport.
(like that’s even possible, right? RIGHT?)
don’t you think i have too many animals? i should put them in zoo!
Modest Mouse, Le Tigre, Wolf Parade, Le Loup?
Never too many aminals.
indie rock crush: that girl in beck’s band
I guess maybe it isn’t one of the “auto-fill albums” because it was released at the very beginning of 2008, but Stereogum blogged positively about Thao with The Get Down Stay Down’s album “We Brave Bee Stings and All” and it is definitely one of my choices for album of the year. Everyone ought to listen to it… http://stereogum.com/archives/video/new-thao-nguyen-video-bag-of-hammers_008343.html <–post with a video. (ignore the douchey comment on it)
good call
lykke li!
Not true. Came out digitally in October ’07, but the actual release was end of January ’08
I think Alpinisms by School of Seven Bells is being horribly overlooked. It’s my favorite new album of this year.
And for Girl Indie Crush! Those ladies are gorgeous.
good choice. not in my top three, but a very nice record
Since it would be a stretch to argue that Sufjan Stevens produced much music in 2008, I’m advocating for Scott Reitherman of Throw Me the Statue for indie crush. Dreamy!
1- Evil Urges
2- Dear Science
3- Night Ripper
4- Tha Carter III
5- Fleet Foxes
Who would have thought my #1 album of the year would be something Rolling Stone called the breakthrough album of the year and something Pitchfork gave a 4.7
Best Album – I gotta put in a vote for Helio Sequence
Best Live Act – Of Montreal
Indie Rock Crushes – Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear) – though not surprisingly gay, Jens Lekman, Thom Yorke, and on the girls side, can I nominate my brown sistas Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes) and M.I.A?
Most Overrated Act – This year: Girl Talk, or The Decemberists every year, always
Best TV Show – Mad Men (enough w/ the 30 Rock – it’s funny as hell, but has fallen off recently)
Most overrated: ANYTHING that comes from Baltimore!!!!!!!
I really liked these albums this year:
Man Man – Rabbit Habbits
Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty
Lykke Li – Youth Novels
Bowerbirds – Hymns For A Dark Horse
Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely
The Black Keys – Attack and Release
Tilly and the Wall – o
Taraf de Haidouks – Ma*karada
Devotchka – A Mad and Faithful Telling
I guess Indie Rock Crush is either Karen O or Zooey Deschanel.
She and Him is not that good though.
Best TV show: Always Sunny in Philidelphia.
Season 4 has been amazing.
Prizing update:
Videogum is contributing a one-year, unlimited subscription to Netflix.
I dunno why, it seems, no one has mentioned/joined me in my quest to have Friendly Fires be one of the top albums. Their stuff is pretty rad. It’s much more accessible than some of the other stuff mentioned without a lack in quality.
And 30 Rock should definitely win for best show, though, I do admit, this season lacks the ingenuity that brought us such great moments as MILF Island. However, we did get to see Jenna dressed as a black man, and that was pretty stupendous.
Oh, and I’m sick of Sigur Ros. Get them out of here.
Far be it from me to complain, but not ONE suggestion for blog of the year (which is not stereogum) in the entire comments section?
Thanks, by the way, to those who have clearly already voted for me — it was wonderfully validating to find myself already available on the pull-down menu for the letter “C”, even if I don’t have a popsicle’s chance in hell to win the category.
Boyhowdy, Cover Lay Down
Everyone’s list here looks exactly the same, only a little re-arranged each time.
Most overrated act: The Hold Steady! And you all know it.
Album: Grace Jones – Hurricane. This album is BRILLIANT! Collaborations with Tricky, Brian Eno and Massive Attack + Grace Jones’ brilliance.