Filter's Top 10 Albums of 2008

That special time of year has rolled around again and nestled in between the turkey, yams and various fixin’s, you will find Filter’s Top 10 Albums of the year. Yes, we’ve been able to cut out the fist-fights, name-calling and simmering resentment of years past and put aside our personal predilections for Norwegian speed-metal or modern polka hits to unite together and get our yearly rundown out to you, our gentle readers, before the holiday crush. So make no mistake, these are without doubt the finest records of the year; they all come highly recommended and would look and sound smashing in your collection. 

As well as the Official Filter Top 10, you can check out our individual staff pick breakdowns here to see who else was in the running, and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Filter Top 10 Albums of The Year:
1.  MGMT, Oracular Spectacular (Columbia Records)
2.  Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
3.  Dr. Dog, Fate (Park the Van)
4.  TV On The Radio, Dear Science (Interscope)
5.  Foals, Antidotes (Sub Pop)
6.  Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
7.  She and Him, Volume One (Merge)
8.  M83, Saturdays = Youth (Mute U.S)
9.  Cut Copy, In Ghost Colors (Modular/Interscope)
10  The Dears, Missiles (Dangerbird)

Comments

[Ian]

Personal Top Ten List:
01Vampire Weekend-S/T
02Coldplay-Viva La Vida
03Lyrics Born-Everywhere at Once
04Nico Muhley-Mothertongue
05Death Cab for Cutie-Narrow Stairs
06Fleet Foxes-Ragged Wood
07Kanye West-808's and Heartbreaks
08Blue Sky Black Death-Late Night Cinema
09Portishead-3
10Sigur Ros-Med Sud I Eyrum

Honorable Mentions or stuff that I love, but just can't beat out my top ten:
M83
MGMT
Erykah Badu
Bon Iver
Lucinda Williams
The Killers
Drive By-Truckers
Gojira
Max Richter
Zach Hill

[Sally]

I can't believe nobody had room for Deerhunter!!! Microcastle is my album of the year by an interstellar mile.

[teresa]

beach house got gipped!

[Chris N]

I don't have the whole order figured out, but here's a rough estimate of my top 10.

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
TV On The Radio - Dear Science
Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creations' Dark
Sigur Ros - (yeah, I won't bother)
Marching Band - Spark Large
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Larsen & Furious Jane - Zen Sucker
The Dodos - Visiter

Something like that, anyway. I do wonder sometimes about all the fuss surrounding MGMT.

[ct]

im glad someone put lil wayne. BUT JOHN MAYER? please go away.

[megatron]

MGMT are still a gigantic "meh" for me, but on the whole the list is pretty solid.

[Emma]

Pretty solid, although I would definitely re-order a tad and completely move MGMT from #1 to the "honorable mentions" category.

[Joe]

Evangelicals - The Evening Descends
Spiritualized - Songs In A&E
You & Me - The Walkmen
The Midnight Organ Fight - Frightened Rabbit
Here It Never Snowed - The Twilight Sad
Microcastle - Deerhunter
Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust - Sigur Ros
Saturdays=Youth - M83
Third - Portishead
Begin Civil Twilight - Auburn Lull
Songs for the Broken Hearted - Windy & Carl
Water Curses - Animal Collective
Lust Lust Lust - Raveonettes
Snowflake Midnight - Mercury Rev
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Footnotes: the Best of 1992-1994 - Adorable
Devotion - Beach House
The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow
Dear Science - TV on the Radio
Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel - Atlas Sound
Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill - Grouper
Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow - Hammock
The Coral Sea - Patti Smith & Kevin Shields
Keep Your Eyes Ahead - The Helio Sequence
There Will Be Blood (soundtrack)

[Jeff]

Pretty good list. Still amazed at how high She & Him is landing on everyone's lists. I just figured it was an album everyone liked but few really loved. Guess I was wrong.

[Ashley K]

Personally, I just about completely disagree with your top albums. While you've picked some great artists, here is what I would go with:

(In no particular order)
Wolf Parade- At Mount Zoomer
Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds- Dig, Lazarus, Dig!
She & Him- Volume One
The Magnetic Fields- Distortion
Electric Six- Flashy
Cloud Cult- Feel Good Ghosts: Tea Partying through Tornadoes
Cat Power- Jukebox
PJ Harvey- White Chalk
Devotchka- A Mad and Faithful Telling

[Guest A]

1. Microfilm - The Slingshot Orchestra
2. Portishead - 3
3. Hercules & Love Affair - s/t
4. M83 - Sat.=youth
5. Cut Copy - in ghost Colours

[Megan]

What about Jenny Lewis and The Raveonettes??

[Dexterity]

To Jeff: "White Chalk" is actually 2007 (but still a great album).

My Top 5:

Hercules & Love Affair - S/T
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah
Portishead - Third
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Tricky - Knowle West Boy

[Rylan]

MGMT - very deserved, but I don't think they'll be on top of my list, which I'll post before Christmas...and after I've heard Kanye's Album.

I forgot that Foal's album was released this year too... hmmm

[robyn rock]

my top five:

gnarls barkley- the odd couple
vampire weekend- vampire weekend
santogold - santogold
kid cudi - a kid named cudi
black keys - attack and release

[elle]

Oracular Spectacular doesn't count really.

Skeletal Lamping c'mon?!

[kirin]

Some more standouts...
Lykke Li
Jenny Lewis
Little Joy
Kings of Leon
Born Ruffians
Kanye West

All dents in my 2008 Amoeba budget.

[Robert Jaffe]

1. 'In Rainbows', Radiohead (I know the main album was released online in Oct 07, but the double disk didn't hit stores til the 1st, and that's where "Bangers & Mash" is, which is my stand out pick.
2. 'New Amerykah', Erykah Badu, "Soldier"
3. 'Feed the Animals,' Girl Talk "Set It Off"
4. 'Red Yellow Blue' Born Ruffians "Foxes Mate For Life"
5. 'Way To Normal', Ben Folds "You Don't Know Me"
6. 'Untitled', Nas "Hero"
7. 'Meo sup i eyrum vio spilum endalust', Sigur Ros "Gobbledigook"
8. 'Stay Positive', The Hold Steady "Constructive Summer"
9. 'Flight of the Conchords', Flight of the Conchords "Hiphopopatamus Vs Rhymenocerous"
10. 'Alopecia', Why? "The Vowels Part 2"

[Nick]

People have drastically overlooked: "Frightened Rabbit" and "Tallest Man on Earth!" Someone give them some love.

[daniel]

this is a poor list
these albums are good
but definitely not top ten

this list makes me sad and bored
much like the music itself, I guess

[phans]

Glad to see "Fate" by Dr. Dog.. After all of the great reviews and great, live tour of this album, fans were disappointed that the same mags, that praised them and had them doing live studio shows for them, left them off their lists for some commercial bubblegum bands that can't compare to the great writing and performances of this fun, talented, unpretentious band. And, where's MMJ on your list?? Another band that had a great year of great shows and album.?.

[Jake]

The list is pretty solid, but a big "swing and a miss" for leaving Glasvegas off the list. The original release was solid, but you toss in the EP that's bundled with it and it's album-of-the-year material.

[Pau]

Definitivamente MGMT se merecía el primer puesto con Oracular Spectacular, porque es el mejor cd que he escuchado.
Un saludo

[Machiventa]

To the person above who said MGMT was out in 2007... actually it was released in Jan 2008 on cd. Digital was in 2007. Same with Radiohead's. It's cool to have them both on 2007 and 2008 lists though.

[KBizzle]

in no particular order...

Oracular Spectacular- MGMT
For Emma, Forever Ago- Bon Iver
Tha Carter III- Lil Wayne
Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
Santogold-Santogold
Feed the Animals-Girl Talk
Microcastle- Deerhunter
Viva la Vida- Coldplay
Wolf Parade- At Mount Zoomer
Kings of Leon- Only by the Night

I'd have to say For Emma has a special place in my heart, and that his shows were my favorite of the year for new artists. Fleet Foxes was a close second, and Lil Wayne, appropriately, III on my list of live shows.