Tiny Strings’ Favorite Songs of 2008 (Part I)

30. Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman — Whatever It Takes
Turns out the man can still deliver the headbanging riffs. Even if he’s holding a nylon-string acoustic.

29. Metallica — Suicide & Redemption
The best track off Death Magnetic just happens to be an instrumental. Coincidence? I think not.

28. Eagles of Death Metal — WannaBe in L.A.
My pick for the “Song Most Likely to Make Me Dance in My Chair at Work” award.

27. MGMT — Electric Feel
Collegiate hippies poke fun at techno by writing the best techno song of the year.

26. Death Cab for Cutie — I Will Possess Your Heart
Yeah, the lyrics are borderline creepy, but the song has got an ace bass line.

25. Guns ‘N Roses — Madagascar
Of all the power ballads on Chinese Democracy, this one works the best. Could do without the sampling of MLK’s “I Have A Dream” speech, though. Some things are better left untouched.

24. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds — Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!
Nick Cave’s rock kick carries over from Grinderman, and the world is awarded with this tasty nugget about Lazarus’ downfall when he is thrown into our less-than-savory modern times. “Larry made his nest up in the autumn branches, built from nothing but high hopes and thin air.” Genius.

23. Beck — Chemtrails
Mr. Hanson’s meandering space trip is done right with with Danger Mouse at the controls.

22. Coldplay — Violet Hill
Yeah, I know, it’s Coldplay, but I’m giving them a pass since they let weirdo Brian Eno produce Viva La Vida. The stabbing power chords give “Violet Hill” bite, and the soft piano outro makes this the least formulaic pop hit of the year.

21. Black Mountain — Stormy High
As long as these crazy Canucks (of the Vancouvarian variety) are around, Sabbath-style metal is alive and well. Rock on, eh?

20. Nine Inch Nails — Echoplex
Trent Reznor was in a giving mood this year. Not only did he give us a completely free record, but he provided all the goth kids a nice little dance party with “Echoplex.”

19. One Day as a Lion — Wild International
With the help of a trusty keyboard and hard-hitting drummer Jon Theodore, Rage’s Zach de la Rocha returns with a blast of guitarless rap metal. It’s about time.

18. The Moondoggies — Night and Day
While Fleet Foxes got all the acclaim, another Seattle-based outfit quietly put out an excellent record of country-tinged folk rock in 2008. “Night and Day” is a strong representation of the Moondoggies’ sound, starting as a quaint folk song but turning into a moody epic before all is said and done.

17. The Hands — Knife
The last part of a three-song suite, “Knife” shows off the Hands’ penchant for Stonesy blues rock better than anything off their debut album.

16. Mudcrutch — Scare Easy
Winner of the “Song That Keeps Getting Stuck In My Head, Even When I Haven’t Heard It In Weeks” award. Those two guys in Mudcrutch that aren’t also in the Heartbreakers better be sending “Thank You” cards to Tom Petty for filling up the retirement funds.

15. Cold War Kids — Mexican Dogs
The Kids’ literate indie rock wasn’t as on point on Loyalty to Loyalty as it was on their debut, but their usual combination of throbbing bass, jangling guitars and Nathan Willett’s soulful wail is well at work on this one.

14. Flobots — Rise
The perfect example of what the Flobots do. You’ve got rappers Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit trading political yet positive rhymes over heavy guitars, somber viola and a solid rhythm. The revolution might be televised.

13. Gutter Twins — Front Street
The most melancholic song off the most melancholic release of the year. Co-leader Mark Lanegan (aka the coolest man EVER) may house the voice of the devil, but it’s Greg Dulli who sounds the most sinister when he sings that line “We’re gonna have some fun, son.”

12. The Mars Volta — Goliath
The song is full of mind-bending riffs, but nothing hits you as hard as the intro. Just another day at the office for the King Crimson-loving boys in TMV.

11. Jenny Lewis — Acid Tongue
The 2008 folk revival was none more apparent than on Ms. Lewis’ soft number about regrets. The harmonies during the chorus are beautiful, and the lyrics are some of the year’s best. “I went to a cobbler to fix a hole in my shoe, he took one look at my face and said ‘I can fix that hole in you.’ ” That’s deep, man.

We’ll be back tomorrow with the top ten.

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