Twelve fits better than ten on the page. So, that’s what you have here, my top 12 albums of 2008. I have to say, this list may not be definitive. There are some records from this year that I want to check out in their entirety, but haven’t yet; like “Midnight Boom” from The Kills and “Hungry Saw” from Tindersticks. I’m sure there are some good records I’ve just forgotten about, too. This list will just have to do for now.

They’re not exactly in order, but the first three do top the list for me. “Third” from Portishead has gotten some mediocre to ‘what the hell were they thinking’ reviews. For me, this is their best to date. It’s a beautifully dark record with some aggresive electronica added to Beth Gibbon’s familiar retro vocals and Adrian Utley’s tasteful guitar work. On “The Hawk is Howling,” Mogwai mixes it up with plenty of ambient tracks your mom might even like to punch-you-in-the-face-with-a-rock bits like “Batcat.” This album sounds fantastic too, with spacious, live sounding drums and great dynamics. Mercury Rev’s “Snowflake at Midnight” isn’t for everyone, but it amazes me. The music doesn’t follow normal writing song structure. The band apparently threw out their normal approach to writing and started with a random note generating computer program. Regular instrumentation was replaced, if not fully, with sounds from Reaktor. The result is a dramatic, powerful album that takes many unpredictable turns. It’s a great ride. “Strange Attractor” includes eleven additional instrumental tracks. This companion piece was released on Mercury Rev’s website as a free download and also included as an additional LP in the vinyl package.

From left to right, top down: “Third” from Portishead, “The Hawk is Howling” from Mogwai, “Snowflake at Midnight” from Mercury Rev, “Smile” from Boris, “Weezer (Red Album)” from Weezer, “Station” from Russian Circles, “Attack and Release” from The Black Keys, “Meanderthal” from Torche, “April” from Sun Kil Moon, “Holon” from Nik Barsch’s Ronin, “Narrow Stairs” from Death Cab for Cutie, “The Slip” from Nine Inch Nails.