The You Wildin' Top Sixty Songs of 2008: 24-19

SOrry for the hiatus.
24) TV on the Radio- Golden Age
As you may or may not remember from my review of Dear Science, I don't love TVOTR's last album. I guess I appreciate it though. Golden Age is a good representation at the band's attempt at creating minimalist dance-able pop, without losing their dark and abstract edge.

23) Young Jeezy featuring Nas- My President is Black
Let me start by saying that Jeezy is a genius. He named his album the recession right before mass-media started using the word to characterize our times. Also, he must have written My President is Black in the summer, and was smart enough to save it as post-election single. Jeezy hardly mentions anything about politics, but this chorus is awesome. Nas does his thing too.

22) Adam Tensta featuring Eboi- Dope Boy
The Swedish grasp of English never fails to impress me. Tensta and Eboi sound like somewhat respectable southern rappers. The chorus is cool, and there is still something to be said about songs that are about not selling drugs and being racially and stylistically profiled. The topic is especially poignant for black Europeans, as there has been a resurgence in racism due to an influx in immigration and a growing European Union. Tensta's swag is through the roof, and this beat is crack. But it is the combination of Dope Boy's cutting-edge, club-worthy sound and a conscious and down to earth message which makes this song so spectacular.

21)Black Kids- I'm Not Gonna Teach your Boyfriend How to Dance (The Twelves Remix)
The Black Kids are hardly black kids, but apparently they can dance better than your boyfriend. They also know how to make a good song. The chorus is good, the back up vocals are cool, and lead singer Reggie Youngblood's voice sounds so much like Robert Smith's (the Cure front-man) that I can't help but like it. The original song is a bit too teen-idolish for me, but the Twelves take it and trick it out, turning it into quite an electro-pop anthem.

20) Estelle featuring Kanye West- American Boy
After spending a substantial amount of time in Europe, I have come to realize that European guys just aren't as cool as us (obviously a huge generalization but whatevs). I'm glad Estelle realizes. I don't really like Kanye's parts in American Boy, but they aren't terrible. And Estelle is lovely. The chorus is great, and gets progressively better as it gets later at night. The beat is subtly complex, and I love how Estelle only mentions MIA, Cali, Chicago, and mostly NY. Yeah, you could be my Angleterre girl.

19) Deerhunter- Nothing Ever Happened
Deerhunter hails from the Southern rock mecca of Athens, Georgia, and their thoughtful, wholesome and powerful sounding music is in line with REM and the B-52s: resident hometown heroes. Their sophomore album Grayscale was considered one of the best albums of the year, and with intelligent, intricate, and unpretentious epics like Nothing Ever Happened, it is not difficult to see why.