NPR Music - Our No. 1 songs: 2008

Episode Date: September 8, 2025

What songs take us back to 2008? Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson recall a pretty folk-heavy year with lots of groundbreaking debuts.Note: This is a recurring feature in celebration of the show's 25th anniversary. A shorter version of this episode ran earlier in the year.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It's All Songs Considered. I'm Robin Hilton here with New Music Friday and Pop Culture Happy Hour host, Stephen Thompson. It is so good to be here, Robin. Let's just get right to it. We're looking back at the past 25 years of all songs considered talking about our number one songs from each year. We're up to 2008 on this episode. And I'm going to let you go first here, Stephen, because I know, I know exactly what you're going to pick is your number one song for 2008. I mean, if you just think about the first.

year 2008 and the show all songs considered. And Stephen Thompson. And certainly my, but I was not the only one who loved this song. I know exactly what you're going to pick by the way. Yeah, like there's, there's no question. Yeah, I mean, this record changed, changed a lot of music. Like, this record ushered in a lot of different sounds. I mean, the origin story of this record where Justin Vernon, having experienced this big breakup in his life, retreated to a cabin in the Wisconsin woods. It was a story that felt very relatable. Well, it also became a cliche.

The whole idea of an artist goes away to a cabin in the woods because they're so tortured and to court their moods. Remember when Justin Timberlake released an album called Man of the Woods? I felt like that was the beginning of the end. Yeah, it spawned this whole thing about musicians going away. isolating themselves to make art. Well, and it implies a certain amount of authenticity. Yeah.

But this record was such a statement of purpose. Yeah. You know, it was such a statement of who he is as an artist. And we gushed about this. It was not just me. I know. We all love this. I certainly am a, I can be a very effusive guy when I'm talking about my favorite music.

And we talked about this record so much. And we talked about Bonnie Verre so much. I remember us having a running joke, you, me, Bob Boylan and... Is this the tip jar or whatever? And Kerry Brownstein about having an Iver jar. Yes, that way.

Every time someone mentioned BoniVeer, they had to put a dollar in the Iver jar. And, you know, at the end of the taping, we could all go out for drinks. But, you know, this record is held up so beautifully. I have no issue with you picking that as your number one song for all songs considered for your life for the year 2008. Back in 2016, when we did 16 number one songs

from our first 16 years. when we got to 2008. That is, in fact, the song that we picked for 2008. This is the one that I would pick, though, for 2008. I'll come on, man. You'll know it as soon as the voice kicks in. Oh, Vampire Weekend. Sure?

You know, when bands come along, they put out a debut album, like Vampire Week, and put out this self-titled debut album in 2008. You have this moment where you're like, it's pretty good. This band might be something. You know, one thing that we're talking about when we're talking about the songs that represent each year, you're also talking about where the music industry was at the time those songs came out. And Vampire Weekend, to me, I really think of as one of the ultimate blog bands, kind of one of the ultimate, like, internet hype bands where the internet is freaking out about this.

And, you know, the internet had certainly been around for, you know, more than a decade by the time we're talking about 2008. but I really think of this as like a truly internet phenomenon where by the time they actually put out a record, people were sick of them because people had been talking about them on pitchfork or stereogam or these music blogs so much by the time it came out. And it's sort of interesting to think of Vampire Weekend and Boni Vare. For one thing, they played our South by Southwest showcase. Same show.

Same year, which we picked pretty well that year. But also they're in a way. Also Adele was supposed to play that. Supposed to play that show. Yeah. Shout out loud. Yeah. I mean, that was a phenomenal lineup.

But like, in a way, BoniVeer and Vampire Weekend, they kind of came up at the same time. They both had this huge well of internet support, but they couldn't be more different. Yeah. Like, BoniVare, it's the rustic, authentic man of the cabin. And Vampire Weekend were like a bunch of preppy Ivy League. City. City boys. Yeah.

And the fact that those two roads. goes up together and were embraced by a lot of the same people is sort of fascinating. Okay, we need to take a quick break here, but when we come back, we'll talk about some of the other songs that take us back to 2008. Well, those are our number one picks for 2008, but as always, so much stuff we could play, why don't we just throw a couple other little bonus tracks in here? Yeah, I'll throw one out there. I mean, I remember hearing this song maybe for the first time when Kerry Brownstein picked it

as her as one of her favorites on an episode of All Songs Considered. Fur by Blitz and Trapper. Yes. Yeah, when I was only 17, I could hear the angels whispering. So I drove into the woods and wandered aimlessly about until I heard my mother shouting through the fog. It turned out to be the howling of a dog Or a wolf to be exact

The sound sent shivers down my back But I was drawn into the pack And before long They allowed me to join in And sing their song So from the cliffs and higher still Yeah we would gladly get our fill Howling endlessly and shrilly at the dawn

And I lost the taste for judging right from wrong. For my flesh had turned to fur, yeah, and my thoughts they surely were turned to instinct and obedience to God. I actually remember the conversation that I had with Carrie Brownstein when she played this song, because it reminded me of a song by Queen called 39. And I remember bringing this. I totally remember that conversation. But that album, Fur, and it's F-U-R-R by Blitz and Trapper. Oh, yeah, that was a big one for 2008 for sure.

Yeah, and to me, like, once you put out that song, how do you even live up to that song? Well, they haven't. They're a very good band. But, I mean, 2008 had so much stuff like that. I know, you know, I played Bonne Verra, and then I played Blitz and Trapper, and they're very much. Yeah. of a piece, and we could talk about, we haven't really even talked about Fleet Foxes.

Yeah, 2008 was huge for Fleet Foxes. That was, they released their first album. Yeah. Their debut album was self-titled, and it had that, well, what was a pretty big hit for, at least in our world, called White Winter Hemnal.

Oh, sure. I was following me. I was following me. I was following me. I was following me. I was following me. I was following me. This is so good.

The harmonies, of course, gorgeous, very distinctive. It's what everybody loved about this song. But this was kind of a sound that was going around at the time. There were so many artists kind of in that vein. But the whole year, I mean, God, Laura Marling put out an amazing record that year. Totally. In the Laura Marling record, that was also her debut album. I think she was only like 18 years old when she put it out, Alas I Cannot Swim.

I remember the song that we played from it on the show on Allure, songs considered, was called failure. He used to be your singer in a rock andrope and he would write the songs and I'd tremble at his hand. But oh, la, la, he lost poetic ethic and her songs were pathetic. And Laura Marley, obviously, she's still writing and recording incredible music. Her album from last year, Patterns and Repeat, that was one of my favorites. favorites from 2024.

Oh, yeah. Sigorous put out an amazing record. Portishead put out a record that year. 2008 was a good year. Flight of the Concordes. That's when they dropped their album, you know, with like business time. Also had the most beautiful girl in the room. My favorites may be hip hopopotamus versus Rhymonosaurus.

But yeah, business time was the big one. Girl, tonight we're going to make love. You know how I know. because it's Wednesday Wednesday night is the night that we usually make love Monday night is my night to cook Tuesday night we go and visit your mother

but Wednesday we make it's when everything is just right there's nothing good on TV you haven't had your after work social sports team practice so you're not too tired oh poor it's all on

you lean in and whisper something sexy in my ear like, I might go to bed now, I've got work in the morning. I know what you're trying to say, girl. You're trying to say, oh, yeah. It's business time. It's business time. Oh, God, every song on that record was great.

Let's just do one more, though, and this is the one we can go out on. And I picked this one because it was sort of a milestone moment in my life, because my life in some ways can be marked as before hearing this album and after hearing this album. You might not get it, but it was a super huge moment for me. I can see your gears turning. Yeah, well, I'm eliminating bands from consideration. Hold on, hold on. Oh, Robin.

So this is from the debut album, Bandsome. from Sunlux. Oh, God. How did I not get Sunlux? I'm sitting here, it's like, it's not Grandaddy. It's not that Flaming Lips, the Terror album that you and no one else love.

Oh, come on. I was going to play that album when we get, that album is amazing. And so is this one at war with walls and mazes. This is the song, Rays. Future Oscar nominee.

Yeah, this band, of course, would go on. As you mentioned, they ended up scoring everything everywhere all at once. And they've just entered the whole marvel universe by scoring Thunderbolts. But this was a really huge moment for me because Sunlux music has been very influential in my life. I've gotten to know Ryan Lott. He's been very influential

in my life. We used to just razz you mercilessly about how this poor guy needs to change his address. I knew that he and I could be really good friends if he just gave me a chance. But no, Sunlux was huge, and this song and this album, oh my God, just incredible. Listen to this drop in this song. You're laughing because I just, I can't have to. Got to move! Because he's just, the spirit's stuck in me, standing up, pumping his fist. Oh, so good.

All right, that'll do it for 2008. There's so much more we could play. Oh, man, you know what we're heading into, Robin. We are heading into the stomping clap era. of 2009. Well, that's funny because when I'll just tease it by saying, in fact, the number one song that I will end up playing for 2009 is a big stomp-clap song. So we'll get to it. All right, thanks to you. See you later, buddy. For NPR music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's All Songs Considered.