We listened to a lot of independent releases at MusicZeitgeist in 2008 and not all of it was good. In fact, some of it was incredibly well recorded, but too much of it sounded the same: handclaps, 1950’s be-boppy, lo-fi, Disco-infused, melancholy boy-with-an-acoustic or girl-with-a-piano, Billy Holiday-biting tripe seemed to rule the roost.

But some of it was really, really good.

Tags: 2008, best indie songs, chairlift, emiliana torrini, helio sequence, hello saferide, indie pop, Keram, LA music blog, New Releases, Santogold, Tapes n' Tapes, the displacements, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Walkmen, Top Ten

1. Bug - Album: London Zoo
   
2. Keri Hilson - “Energy”
   
3. Tapes N’ Tapes – “Hang Them All”
   
4. Bon Iver – Album: For Emma, Forever Ago
5. Phoenix – “Run, Run, Run” – Album: Alphabetical
   
6. Television Room – ““Coffee Houses” 
7. Thelonious Monk - “Functional” – Album: Thelonious Himself
   
8. Them, Roaring Twenties - “Harry Caray Frontier Hawkeye”
   
9. The Tiger Lillies – “bad” – Album: Bad Blood Blasphemy”
   
10. The Superimposers – “The Northern Song”
    

Tags: Bon Iver, Bug London Zoo, Keri Hilson, LA music blog, Tapes n' Tapes, Television Room, The Superimposers, THelonious Monk, Them Roaring Twenties

1. Portishead - “Hunter” – Album: Third
   
2. Tapes n’ Tapes - “Hang Them All”
   
3. Cat Power – “Metal Heart”
   
4. Regina Spektor – “Real Love”
   
5. White Hinterland – “Dreaming of the Plum Trees”
   
6. Blue Dog Pict – “W.I.L.I.S.”
7. Radiohead - “Bangers & Mash”
   
8. The Child Ballads – “Cheekbone Hollows”
   
9. Johnny Cash – “The Mercy Seat” (Birthday Party cover)
   
10. Morrisey – “All You Need Is Me”
    

Tags: album songs, best rock album, Blue Dog Pict, buzz, Cat Power, indie artists, indie music, indie pop, indie rock, indie rock bands, Johnny Cash, Morrisey, Portishead new album, Portishead Third, Radiohead, Regina Spektor, Tapes n' Tapes, The Child Ballads, top indie albums, Top Ten Lists, White Hinterland