The music industry calls declining CD sales a shift in the market. But what do you expect in a world in which attention spans are short, a song is better than an album, and a ringtone is better than a song? Thankfully, there are still artists who have something to say and refuse to sing in sound bites.
This year, the cadre of old-fashioned troubadours who wanted more than a hit single included icons such as B.B. King, Willie Nelson and Mavis Staples as well as newcomers like the Black Kids and Welsh chanteuse Duffy. They, as well as a few of rock's strongest bands, delivered some of the most listenable, memorable and influential records of the year, albums that somehow keep finding their way to the top of the playlist.
1. "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends," Coldplay
Play it once and hate it. Play it again, and the music tugs at you. Listen to it through earbuds, and you feel the isolation that Chris Martin (right) often sings about. Then blast the disc's 10 songs through big, badass speakers, and the music blossoms, especially in the songs in which there's prominent drumming and ringing guitars.
Read the rest of 2008’s best of here.
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