 | The Acrobats by Helvetia
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $7.40 These moody Built to Spill acolytes can tell you how Randy described eternity, but do it a little more rhythmically.
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 | Long Gone and Nearly There by Julie Ocean
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $0.01 Ex-Velocity Girl members make the best album of the year.
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 | Carried to Dust by Calexico
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $9.98 |
 | Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea by Silver Jews
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $6.89 |
 | Xoxo Panda & the New Kid Revival by Her Space Holiday
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $2.96 Reminds me at times of Beulah, because if the singer's voice and the music's peppy feel.
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 | Worried Well by 31 Knots
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $2.74 Rhythmically complex post-hardcore proggers add a solid dose of melody.
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 | Army Navy by Army Navy
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $3.31 Points off for being a partial compilation of their two prior EPs and new tracks. Otherwise, this is one of the better power/indie pop albums of the year.
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 | The New Year by The New Year
Buy new: $15.99 / Used from: $9.00 |
 | Moonbeams by Throw Me the Statue
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $6.40 Melodic lo-fi is alive and well.
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 | Oracular Spectacular by MGMT
Buy new: $8.49 / Used from: $5.10 Points off, because the two best songs were released in 2005.
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 | Shallow Grave by Tallest Man on Earth
Buy used from: $14.88 Made a lot of end-of-year lists, so I checked it out. Yeah, it's good.
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 | The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $4.73 Radiohead's little brother stays the course with yet another worthwhile release.
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 | Neptune by The Duke Spirit
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $4.88 Fuzz, melody, and attitude.
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 | The Wishes and the Glitch by Say Hi
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $7.28 Say Hi rises above the weenie rock fray once again with solid songwriting and dreamy atmospherics.
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 | We Are Beautiful We Are Doomed (CD/DVD) by Los Campesinos!
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $5.00 Their sound is starting to where a bit thin -- many of the songs here, good though they are, are indistinguishable from their other 2008 release.
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 | The Old Days Feeling by Mirah
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $7.36 A bit hit or miss -- I like the return to Microphones/Elvrum bliss, but a few of the songs go nowhere.
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![Save the Scene [CD on Demand]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51oE9pHLVXL._SL75_.jpg) | Save the Scene [CD on Demand] by King of Prussia
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $0.93 Athens GA still produces catchy, 60's influenced music.
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 | Summer Palace by Sunny Day Sets Fire
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $0.98 New New Pornographers
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 | Alopecia by Why?
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $9.00 Witty rapper goes indie rock.
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 | Western Water Music Vol. 2 by Nobody Presents: Blank Blue
Buy new: $16.99 / Used from: $2.35 Trip hop
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 | Oh, My Darling by Basia Bulat
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $6.90 Half the songs are stellar.
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 | Happy As Can Be Ep
Buy used from: $3.50 Consistently good EP from a New Zealand band on the rise.
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 | The Rhumb Line by Ra Ra Riot
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $6.76 Cello + Franz Ferdinand + emotional indie rock
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 | Beautiful Lie by Ed Harcourt
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $0.66 Ed gets a little too Rufus here, but he's still a great songwriter.
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 | Receivers by Parts & Labor
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $5.54 Lacks the intensity of the previous album
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 | In Field & Town by Hayden
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $1.70 Hayden is always good for wistful folk songs.
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 | Self-Taught Magic from a Book by Je Suis Animal
Buy new: $19.99 / Used from: $42.02 Better than your average indie pop album
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 | After Summer by Pia Fraus
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $6.70 2008 was not a good year for true shoegazer. Unless you count the Autumns, this is the best shoegazer album I heard this year.
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 | Painted Birds Flying in the Orange Mirror Sun
Buy new: $4.45 Great EP -- all five songs are good. Another one that fits that description is Harlequin by La Scala, the band of Balthazar de Ley, formerly of Menthol.
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 | High Five by The Primary 5
Buy used from: $31.76 Ex-Teenage Fan Club drummer beats TFC at its own game. Go figure.
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 | Firecracker People by Hotel Lights
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $1.18 Ex-Ben Folds Five drummer releases a better 2008 album than Ben Folds. Go figure.
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 | Little Joy by Little Joy
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $6.25 Ex-Strokes drummer makes an album that's half Strokes, half sunny quasi-bossanova.
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 | Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $5.50 First Candie Payne and now these guys -- I'm loving the 60's MOR revival going on right now.
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 | Gentleman Jesse and His Men by Gentleman Jesse and His Men
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $10.79 Classic, late 70's-style power pop.
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 | Moody Motorcycle by Human Highway
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $2.42 Did I mention Wistful? Guy from Islands might want to stick with this project.
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 | Take Me to the Sea by Jaguar Love
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $3.49 Includes 3 of the best songs I heard this year, with "My Organ Sounds Like . . ." being one of the top 3 of 2008.
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 | Eight Golden Greats
Buy new: $7.92 This wins for "cheesiest album cover on a quality album" in 2008.
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 | Breakfast in Suburbia by Telepathic Butterflies
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $4.02 At this point I'm pretty burned out on most of what Rainbow Quartz has to offer, but the songwriting here is a cut above most of their labelmates.
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 | Old Home Movies by The Botticellis
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $1.08 Second best SF band (after the Dodos, of course)?
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 | Talking Through Tin Cans by The Morning Benders
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $8.09 Another Bay Area winner.
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Listmania!
