What were the 80 most important musical recordings, artists, trends, events, and performances of 2008? What were the eight things this year that broke our hearts—or, at least, our ears? We’re happy to announce 80 ’08 (and Heartbreak), Idolator’s year-end overview. The list is below the jump.
Portishead, GNR, MBV, yadda yadda—the comeback no one much talks about from this year was actually one of the better ones: The B-52’s Funplex, which adapted the group’s classic sound to modern ends with very little strain. My favorite track, “Eyes Wide Open,” even resembled high-end DFA, no small thing. But the album’s relatively quiet aftermath might be due to Fred Schneider completely upstaging it with a short appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
In this fan-recorded clip from a few weeks ago, the B-52’s, Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, and others come together to belt out a gleeful version of Sly and the Family Stone’s inclusive anthem “Everyday People.” More »
Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart enlisted the B-52’s Fred Schneider to turn snippets of Scott McLellan’s audiobook version of What Happened–in which the former White House press secretary makes the shocking claim that the current U.S. president might be something of a propagandist (I… More »
