Top Albums of 2008


* indicates Canadian Content
** indicates a local artist

1 TV on the Radio Dear Science (Geffen)
2 Ghengis Ghandis** Shack Attack (Ulusulu)
3 Beck Modern Guilt (Geffen)
4 Crystal Castles* Crystal Castles (Last Gang)
5 Eliana Cuevas* Vidas (Independent)
6 Black Mountain* In the Future (Jagjaguwar)
7 The Wet Secrets* Rock Fantasy (Rodeo Peanut)
8 Tom Coles** A Brand New Day (Independent)
9 Pete Soberlak Band** Thrill of the Chase (Independent)
10 Wolf Parade* At Mount Zoomer (Sub Pop)
11 The Pack A.D.* Funeral Mixtape (Mint)
12 The Hives The Black and White Album (A&M)
13 Tickets to Tokyo** Demo (Independent)
14 Sarah Slean* The Baroness (Warner)
15 Sleeps with Matches** Sleeps with Matches (Independent)
16 Bend Sinister* Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers (Distort)
17 Mother Mother* O My Heart (Last Gang)
18 Eric Venables** Stay Afloat! (Bestest)
19 The Creepshow* Run For Your Life (Stomp)
20 The Evaporators* Gassy Jack and Other Tales (Mint)
21 Vancougar* Canadian Tuxedo (Mint)
22 Greenstreak** Greenstreak EP (Independent)
23 Dubmatix* Renegade Rocker (7 Arts)
24 Hilotrons* Happymatic (Kelp)
25 Lindsey White* This is Now (Independent)
26 Sigur Ros Hvarf/Heim (XL)
27 Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (XL)
28 Creature* No Sleep at All (Bonsound)
29 Various Artists Control OST (Rhino)
30 Earthbound** Earthbound (One World)
31 Xavier Rudd* Deep Shades of Blue (Salt-X)
32 Rudeboy* Shut Up and Dance (Independent)
33 The Black Angels Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic)
34 Hot Chip Made in the Dark (Astralwerks)
35 Various Artists* Quebec (Putumayo)
36 Cat Power Jukebox (Matador)
37 Plants and Animals* Parc Avenue (Secret City)
38 Woodhands* Heart Attack (Paper Bag)
39 Ratatat LP3 (XL)
40 Trevor Caswell** Folksinger Blues (Independent)
41 Echo Hunters* Cabin Fever (SheWolf)
42 Videotape* My Favourite Thing (Independent)
43 Stereolab Chemical Chords (4AD)
44 Brazilian Girls New York City (Verve Forecast)
45 The Stills* Oceans Will Rise (Arts and Crafts)
46 Delhi 2 Dublin* Delhi 2 Dublin (Independent)
47 Various Artists I'm Not There OST (Columbia)
48 CSS Donkey (Sub Pop)
49 Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords (Sub Pop)
50 The Organ* Thieves (Mint)
51 The Hextalls** Call it a Comeback (Independent)
52 Pauline Kyllonen** Pauline Kyllonen EP (Independent)
53 Molly Johnson* Messin' Around (Alert)
54 Lo Ra* The Right Path (Independent)
55 The Weirdies* In 3D (Independent)
56 The One Night Band* Hit and Run (Stomp)
57 Chad VanGaalen* Soft Airplane (Flemish Eye)
58 Guppy Tyke** Public Enema #2 (Ulusulu)
59 Light City Fiction* Hey Moon (Independent)
60 God Made Me Funky* Enter the Beat (Independent)
61 Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster (Arts and Crafts)
62 The Trews* No Time for Later (Bumstead)
63 Gnarls Barkley The Odd Couple (Atlantic)
64 The Fratellis Here We Stand (Interscope)
65 The Green Hour Band* The Green Hour Band (Kingdom)
66 Artist of the Year* Wreck la Discoteque (C4)
67 Drowning Girl* Bang! (Puckeye)
68 Ndidi Onukwulu* The Contradictor (Jericho Beach)
69 Slowking* Rival Cities (Independent)
70 Jim Noir Jim Noir (Barsuk)
71 Stretch Alexander** Hole in My Boat (Ulusulu)
72 Various Artists Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump (Strut)
73 Paul Filek** Good to Meet You (Independent)
74 Rabnett 5* Leopardism (Quirk Audio)
75 Jeff Healey* Mess of Blues (Stony Plain)
76 Oldfolks Home* We Are the Feeding Line (Independent)
77 Islands* Arm's Way (Anti)
78 Winter Gloves* About a Girl (Paper Bag)
79 Saint Alvia* Between the Lines (Stomp)
80 The Whitsundays* The Whitsundays (Friendly Fire)
81 Sarah MacDougall* Headed for the Hills (Independent)
82 Novillero* A Little Tradition (Mint)
83 Blu and Kelly Hopkins** Homegrown (Independent)
84 Zooloo Blues Band* Let's Get Hot (Independent)
85 Foggy Hogtown Boys* The Golden West (Independent)
86 Amy Honey* Pioneer Woman (Self Righteous)
87 The Waifs Sundirtwater (Compass)
88 Tokyo Police Club* Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek)
89 Willie Nelson/Wynton Marsalis Two Men with the Blues (Blue Note)
90 Culture Reject* Culture Reject (White Whale)
91 Constantines* Kensington Heights (Arts and Crafts)
92 The Buzzcocks 30 (Cooking Vinyl)
93 Tom Fun Orchestra* You Will Land With a Thud (Company House)
94 Hawksley Workman* Between the Beautifuls (Isadora)
95 The Bicycles* Oh No It's Love (Fuzzy Logic)
96 Red Ants* Omega Point (Urbnet)
97 Zaki Ibrahim* Eclectica (Iqra)
98 Dragonette* Galore (Universal)
99 Primal Scream Beautiful Future (B-Unique)
100 Women* Women (Flemish Eye)

CFBX Top 25 Jazz Albums for 2008

1 Guppy Tyke** Public Enema #2 (Ulusulu)
2 Molly Johnson* Messin' Around (Alert)
3 Shannon Butcher* Words We Both Could Say (Summer Bloom)
4 Bob Brough Quartet* Time Away (Independent)
5 Emilie-Claire Barlow* The Very Thought of You (Empress)
6 Lily Frost* Lily Swings (Marquis)
7 Michael Occhipinti* The Sicilian Jazz Project (True North)
8 Jane Bunnett* Embracing Voices (Blue Note)
9 Sinistrio* Sinistrio (Chronograph)
10 God Made Me Funky* Enter the Beat (Independent)
11 Richard Underhill* Kensington Suite (Stubby)
12 Rabnett 5* Leopardism (Quirk Audio)
13 L'Orkestre des pas Perdus* Projet 9 (Cross Current)
14 Willie Nelson/Wynton Marsalis Two Men with the Blues (Blue Note)
15 Ralf Buschmeyer* Est. 1968 (Chronograph)
16 Greenlaw* Time and Energy (Independent)
17 Mary Barry* These Days (Independent)
18 Tony Wilson 6tet* Pearls Before Swine (Drip Audio)
19 Brad Mehldau Trio Live (Nonesuch)
20 Josephine Biundo* Let There Be Love (7 Arts)
21 Dirty Bottom* Dirty Bottom (Independent)
22 Miles Black Trio* Some Enchanted Evening (Cellar Live)
23 Bill Frisell History, Mystery (Nonesuch)
24 Heather Blush and the Uppercuts* Vice (Independent)
25 The River Pilots* The Unexpected Adventures Of... (Independent)

CFBX Top 25 World Beat/Reggae Albums for 2008

1 Eliana Cuevas* Vidas (Independent)
2 Tagaq* Auk/Blood (Jericho Beach)
3 Ghengis Ghandis** Shack Attack (Ulusulu)
4 Dubmatix* Renegade Rocker (7 Arts)
5 Beautiful Nubia* Kilokilo (EniObanke)
6 Various Artists Latin Reggae (Putumayo)
7 Various Artists Calypsoul 70 (Strut)
8 Various Artists Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump (Strut)
9 Souljah Fyah* Truth will Reveal (Independent)
10 Delhi 2 Dublin* Delhi 2 Dublin (Independent)
11 Various Artists Umalali: The Garifuna Women's Collective (Cumbancha)
12 Various Artists Euro Groove (Putumayo)
13 Jayme Stone/Mansa Sissoko* Africa to Appalachia (Independent)
14 Burning Babylon Beat Beat Beat (Sound Shack)
15 Various Artists Music from Rudy Maxa's World (Six Degrees)
16 Various Artists* Summer Records Anthology (Light in the Attic)
17 Mariam Matossian* In the Light (Independent)
18 Various Artists* Quebec (Putumayo)
19 O'Luge* Movements (Last Gang)
20 Toumani Diabate The Mande Variations (Nonesuch)
21 Various Artists Afrobeat Nirvana (Vampisoul)
22 Various Artists Long Way Down OST (Realworld)
23 Various Artists African Party (Putumayo)
24 Youssou N'Dour Rokku Mi Rokka (Nonesuch)
25 Juana Molina Un Dia (Domino)

CFBX Top 25 Metal/Loud Albums for 2008

1 Bison B.C.* Quiet Earth (Metal Blade)
2 Neuraxis* Live Progression (Galy)
3 Tormentor Allegoria* Blackwine (Skyscraper)
4 Bane The Note (Equal Vision)
5 Gama Bomb Citizen Brain (Earache)
6 Opeth Watershed (Roadrunner)
7 Neuraxis* The Thin Line Between (Prosthetic)
8 Diecide Til Death Do Us Part (Earache)
9 Jucifer L'Autrichienne (Relapse)
10 Hard Charger* Hard Charger (No List)
11 The Last Felony* Aeon of Suffering (Galy)
12 Toxic Holocaust An Overdose of Death (Relapse)
13 Remain* Where Evil Lives (Divirta)
14 Cataract Cataract (Metal Blade)
15 Menace Ruine* Cult of Ruins (Alien8)
16 Fuck the Facts* Disgorge Mexico (Relapse)
17 Down in Ashes* Sexy Machinery (Independent)
18 Cancer Bats* Hail Destroyer (Distort)
19 Brainstorm Downburst (Metal Blade)
20 Fate Vultures (Metal Blade)
21 In Flames A Sense of Purpose (Koch)
22 Austrian Death Machine Total Brutal (Metal Blade)
23 Coldworker Rotting Paradise (Relapse)
24 Alestorm Captain Morgan's Revenge (Napalm)
25 Sigh Gallow's Gallery (The End)

CFBX Top 25 Electronic Albums for 2008

1 Crystal Castles* Crystal Castles (Last Gang)
2 Daedelus Love to Make Music To (Ninja Tune)
3 Hot Chip Made in the Dark (Astralwerks)
4 Chemical Brothers Brotherhood (Virgin)
5 Ratatat LP3 (XL)
6 Stereolab Chemical Chords (4AD)
7 Artist of the Year* Wreck La Discoteque (C4)
8 Woodhands* Heart Attack (Paper Bag)
9 Various Artists* Manouevers 2 (So Called)
10 Gorillaz D-Sides (Virgin)
11 Various Artists Ed Rec Vol. III (Ed Banger)
12 Brazilian Girls New York City (Verve Forecast)
13 Daft Punk Alive 2007 (Virgin)
14 Cut Copy In Ghost Colours (Modular)
15 Chris Joss Teraphonic Overdubs (ESL)
16 Stereo Image* Stereo Image (Normals Welcome)
17 Portishead Third (Universal)
18 Fidgital* Departure (Independent)
19 Pete Samples* The Jumper Cables (Independent)
20 Groove Armada Soundboy Rock (Sony BMG)
21 Zaki Ibrahim* Eclectica (Iqra)
22 Thievery Corporation Radio Retaliation (ESL)
23 Moby Last Night (Mute)
24 Darling A* Darling A EP (Independent)
25 The Orb The Dream (Six Degrees)

CFBX Top 25 Urban/Hip-Hop Albums for 2008

1 Lyrics Born Everywhere at Once (Anti)
2 Mantrakid* Palmflower Black (Neferiu)
3 D-Sisive* The Book/Like This EP (Urbnet)
4 Atmosphere When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that Shit Gold (Rhymesayers)
5 Shad* The Old Prince (Black Box)
6 Gnarls Barkley The Odd Couple (Atlantic)
7 RZA as Bobby Digital Digi Shacks (Koch)
8 Art of Fresh* Back to the Earth/Out of this World EP (Nova)
9 Moka Only* Clap Trap (Urbnet)
10 Dragon Fli Empire* Intermission (Makebelieve)
11 Red Ants* Omega Point (Urbnet)
12 Yell** Trouble at Sundown (War Paint)
13 Deezuz* Soulden Era (MOVE)
14 Various Artists* Election Year (Music for Mavericks)
15 Cadence Weapon* Afterparty Babies (Upper Class)
16 ID* Watch the Real Die (Independent)
17 Braze* Supremacy (Sheik)
18 Jesse Dangerously* Verba Vollant (Independent)
19 Maticulous** Life in a Flask (Broken)
20 Yell** Nativeity (War Paint)
21 Ice Cube Raw Footage (Lench Mob)
22 Peter Project* Peter Project (Fuzzy Logic)
23 Various Artists* 2008 Canadian Rap Future Superstars (Brockway)
24 40 Cal Mooga (Gold Dust Media)
25 Metermaids Nightlife (27 Sounds)

CFBX Top 25 Roots/Country Albums for 2008

1 Pete Soberlak Band** Thrill of the Chase (Independent)
2 Sarah MacDougall* Headed for the Hills (Independent)
3 Tom Coles** A Brand New Dawn (Independent)
4 Xavier Rudd* Deep Shades of Blue (Salt-X)
5 Eric Venables** Stay Afloat! (Bestest)
6 Ben Sures* Field Guide to Loneliness (Independent)
7 Lindsey White* This is Now (Independent)
8 Samantha Martin* Back Home (Independent)
9 Blu and Kelly Hopkins** Homegrown (Independent)
10 Echo Hunters* Cabin Fever (SheWolf)
11 Outlaw Social* Dry Bones (Independent)
12 Pauline Kyllonen** Pauline Kyllonen EP (Independent)
13 The Gruff* A Trail of Missing Thoughts (Independent)
14 The Waifs Sundirtwater (Compass)
15 Foggy Hogtown Boys* The Golden West (Independent)
16 Emma Cook* Hit and Run (Independent)
17 Trevor Caswell** Folksinger Blues (Independent)
18 Sandy Scofield* Nikawiy Askiy (Arbor)
19 Tim Hus* Bush Pilot Buckaroo (Stony Plain)
20 Widow Maker* The Awful Truth (Sadiebird)
21 Erica Knight* When You Go (Independent)
22 Tannis Slimmon* Lucky Blue (Independent)
23 Corb Lund* Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! (Stony Plain)
24 Murray McLauchlan* Songs from the Street (True North)
25 Creaking Tree String Quartet* The Soundtrack (Independent)

CFBX Top 25 Blues Albums for 2008

1 Ndidi Onukwulu* The Contradictor (Jericho Beach)
2 Zooloo Blues Band* Let's Get Hot (Independent)
3 Jeff Healey* Mess of Blues (Stony Plain)
4 Stretch Alexander** Hole in My Boat (Ulusulu)
5 Big Dave McLean* Acoustic Blues (Stony Plain)
6 Rita Chiarelli* Uptown Goes Downtown (Mad Iris)
7 Deb Rhymer Band* Deb Rhymer Band (Independent)
8 Ray Bonneville* Goin' By Feel (Red House)
9 Downchild* Live at the Palais Royale (Linus)
10 JW Jones* Bluelisted (Northern Blues)
11 Carlos del Junco* Steady Movin' (Northern Blues)
12 Moreland and Arbuckle 1861 (Northern Blues)
13 Al Green Lay it Down (Blue Note)
14 Dalannah Gail Bowen* Momma's Got the Blues (Quest)
15 Rita Chiarelli* Road Rockers (Mad Iris)
16 Harry Manx* Live at the Glenn Gould Studios (Dog My Cat)
17 Jack de Keyzer* Blues Thing (Blue Star)
18 Shawn Kellerman* Land of a 1000 Dreams (Flaming Cheese)
19 Wes Alexander* Here Comes the Rain (Independent)
20 Liz Mandeville Red Top (Earwig)
21 Trevor Caswell** Folksinger Blues (Independent)
22 Hot Toddy* Trio (Independent)
23 Amos Garrett* Get Way Back (Stony Plain)
24 Eden Brent Mississippi Number One (Yellow Dog)
25 New Guitar Summit Shivers (Stony Plain)