The great iPod in the sky tells all. Below are the songs I listened to most in 2008, which includes some tracks maybe a little older than 2007, but is mostly from what I downloaded for reviewing and publicity this year. These are not in any particular order, I hasten to add. If I love a song, I love it, and do not construct lists of what I love against each other.

Yes, I am a "song" more than album guy, though I love great albums, and have never downloaded a single song from anywhere. I think full-lengths but my heart belongs to prime cuts. The tracks below are also those that meant the most to me personally — I am not the kind of guy to assess "what's important out there now." Thus, a lot of regional bias because that's much of what I enjoy.

Professional disclaimer: Yes, there are plenty of songs I love from artists I promoted this year. I had to play this music to determine if I wanted to help the artist get it out there, and what plays often stays. If this offends thee, would it be less terrible if I publicized music I didn't love? (And trust me, if you're a publicist who works indie, ONLY promote music you love at this point. There's little reason otherwise.)

This isn't everything, just a selection of what has really stuck to the walls of my brain the past few months:

John Spalding's LoveLand, "Give Me Grace"

John Spalding's LoveLand, "Father" 

Parenthetical Girls, "Young Eucharists"

Parenthetical Girls, "Song For Elle Greenwich"  

H Is For Hellgate, "Blood"

H Is For Hellgate, "Pretty, Pretty Princess"

The Saturday Knights, "Dog Park"

The Saturday Knights, "Mutt"

The Saturday Knights, "Count It Off" 

Damien Jurado, "Coats of Ice" 

Damien Jurado, "Sheets" 

Conrad Ford, "Vampires"

Conrad Ford, "Sinner Street" 

Cancer Rising, "Let's Start Some Shit"

Cancer Rising, "Perseverance"

See Me River, "Wake Up Are You Wasted"

See Me River, "Don't Pray For Blood"

Saeta, "When Will You Find Love"

Saeta, "Promise Me Still"

Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power, "Little Fucker"

Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power, "The Mad Passion of the Stoic"

Transmissionary Six, "I Want To Deprogram You"

Transmissionary Six, "Edison Stare"

The Dead Science, "Make Mine Marvel!"

Baskervilles, "A Little More Time"

Palodine, "Woman Of Cain"

Bearsuit, "Foxy Boxer"

Amadan, "Anchor Tattoo"

Run On Sentence, "The Afterlife, Pt. 1" 

Blitzen Trapper, "God & Suicide" 

Mono in VCF, "Escape City Scrapers"

Viarosa, "The Old Walls"

Gary Murray, "She's Electric" 

Everett True & The Young Liberals, "We Invented 'The Street'"

Mt. Eerie, "Voice In Headphones"

XX Teens, "Round"

As a song guy, I can assure you that there's assloads more single tracks too, but this list suffices as one right off the top of my 'Pod. I'd also like to add that these fully reissued albums are completely essential to your collection:

Rodriguez, Cold Fact

Iceberg Slim, Reflections

Replacements, up to and maybe including Don't Tell A Soul