Every year, the staff at Radio Exile and I (previously Broken Dial as well) sit down and piss and moan about what albums we feel deserve the recognition as the best of the best. This year, our bitch fest lead to this bit of awesomeness, Radio Exile’s Top Albums of 2008. It’s weird to sit so many distinct personalities down for a conversation about music, but we did it for your amusement. That and the kids. Kids need something to laugh at.

For all the deliberation, there are always some albums that we just feel underperform come voting time despite their strengths (this is the first year there are no Murder by Death records on our list thanks to some people not getting their votes in!), and many personal favorites just missed out on Top 10 status. Those golden geese still deserve to be mentioned, so without further ado, here are the Top Albums of 2008, numbers 15 through 11, as determined by Radio Exile.

Click to see Radio Exile’s choices for Top Albums of 2008: 15 Through 11 “after the jump”

15. O’Death – Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin [Review]

“Not only is this one of my favorite records of the year, our review of it (by Tom Williams!) was among my favorite things on the site this year. I agree with much of what Tom said: this album is great and is as close to modern punk music as you’re going to see and 2009 and beyond should see O’Death as a strong candidate for touring band o’ the year. If you haven’t seen them live, you are brain dead.” – Shawn M. Smith

“Pixies fans rejoice! The band you love, the band of Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa has returned! What’s that you say? That the Pixies came back four years ago and that they also released three other pretty damn good records? Ah! That is where you are wrong. See, after the release of Surfer Rosa, the Pixies fell victims to an insidious RIAA plot to influence music for the last 15 years. The Pixies as you know them were sent back in time, to nineteenth-century Appalachia via Reagan era Star Wars technology. Then the RIAA, with the backing of Bono, created a fake Pixies, which toured the world and begat Nirvana, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Offspring, and Nickelback. ” – Tom Williams

14. Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaus

“There isn’t a whole lot that can be said about Sigur Ros that hasn’t been said before: they’re amazing. They put on among the most intensely emotional live shows in the world and yet, their stirring intimacy and sonic mastery are never really far from perfection. Not sure how this album managed to slip out rather quietly (maybe the Sigur Ros buzz is starting to die down) but this was a great release in another strong year for music. That Sigur Ros doesn’t make the top 10 in 2008 says a lot about the power of the albums ahead of it on this list.” – Shawn M. Smith

13. Dear and the Headlights – Drunk Like Bible Times

“Regarding the unique title, bassist Chuckie Duff explained ‘it just makes us laugh and people are free to read whatever meaning they want into it. It’s just a good name for what it is – a party record.’ The follow-up to 2007’s Small Steps, Heavy Hooves [Review], was named one of the Most Anticipated of 2008 by Alternative Press and Dear and the Headlights did not disappoint. ” – Shawn M. Smith

12. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive

“Like Cake before them, the formula works and they’re sticking with it for another batch of barroom hard rock and conversational lyrics.” – Mark Hurley

“I think I hate The Hold Steady. Better yet, The Hold Steady make me very uncomfortable and I am not sure why; I always cringe when I hear their name, but here they are in our top 15 and I am completely alright with it. A lot of people had this record on their personal lists here at RE, but I think it was a sexy pick and I doubt we’ve heard the best of them just yet.” - Shawn M. Smith

11. Mother Mother – O My Heart [Review]

“Proving once more that Canada pwns America.” Tom Williams

“Holy effing eff this album was ballsy good. I got the CD from a PR buddy who told me that I would ‘get it’ – he was beyond right and I think that giving this CD to Mark for review was among my smartest moves of 2008. That and finally removing scores from reviews. Hooray cliches!” – Shawn M. Smith

“Completely spurning reviewer objectivity for fanboy nonsense for a moment, this was easily my favorite album of the year, and one of my very favorites of the decade. Having mastered their own quirky pop sensibilities and gorgeous harmonies, the Canadian group turns in a set of adventurous and intriguing indie rock. The baseline tunes, like opening track “O My Heart” are anything but business as usual, hitting all the right nerves. Album tracks like “Ghosting” and “Body” are solid, thought provoking testaments to enduring songwriting. The real treats of the album however (conspicuously absent on their debut) are the startling departures from the genre they have made their own: “Hayloft” is an exciting, heavy patter song, the true centerpiece of the record, and should be noted for its 100% inventiveness; and “Arms Tonight” is sickly sweet pop with morbid undertones, simply gorgeous.” – Mark Hurley

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