Music staff picks for 2008

Brent DiCrescenzo, music editor
1. Beck, Modern Guilt (Geffen)
2. Glasvegas, Glasvegas (Columbia)
3. Monkey, Journey to the West (XL)
4. Neon Neon, Stainless Style (Lex)
5. Weezer, Weezer (Geffen)
6. Last Shadow Puppets, The Age of the Understatement (Domino)
7. Hot Chip, Made in the Dark (Astralwerks)
8. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular (Sony)
9. Portishead, Third (Mercury)
10. Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak (Roc-A-Fella)

Areif Sless-Kitain, associate music editor
1. Department of Eagles, In Ear Park (4AD)
2. Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life (Matador)
3. Q-Tip, The Renaissance (Universal Motown)
4. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (Motown)
5. Dungen, 4 (Kemado)
6. Hercules and Love Affair, Hercules and Love Affair (Mute)
7. Estelle, Shine (Atlantic)
8. Black Mountain, In the Future (Jagjaguwar)
9. Beach House, Devotion (Carpark)
10. Count Bass D, L7 (Mid-Life Crisis) (1320 Records)

John Dugan, clubs editor/music writer
1. Portishead, Third (Mercury)
2. Al Green, Lay It Down (Blue Note)
3. Lykke Li, Youth Novels (Atlantic)
4. Hercules and Love Affair, Hercules and Love Affair (Mute)
5. White Denim, Exposion (Transmission)
6. The Black Ghosts, The Black Ghosts (Iamsound)
7. Foals, Antidotes (Sub Pop)
8. Goldfrapp, Seventh Tree (Mute)
9. Friendly Fires, Friendly Fires (XL)
10. Paul Weller, 22 Dreams (Yep Roc)

Josh Klein, freelance writer
1. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours (Modular)
2. Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark (New West)
3. TV on the Radio, Dear Science (Interscope)
4. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! (Mute)
5. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (Motown)
6. M83, Saturdays=Youth (Mute)
7. Titus Andronicus, The Airing of Grievances (Troubleman Unlimited)
8. Calexico, Carried to Dust (Quarterstick)
9. Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life (Matador)
10. David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (Todo Mundo)

Mia Clarke, freelance writer
1. Hauschka, Ferndorf (Fatcat)
2. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
3. Portishead, Third (Mercury)
4. DJ/rupture, Uproot (Agriculture)
5. Leila, Blood, Looms and Blooms (Leila)
6. Shugo Tokumaru, Exit (Almost Gold)
7. Deerhunter, Microcastle (4AD/Kranky)
8. Grouper, Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (Type)
9. Arthur Russell, Love Is Overtaking Me (Audika)
10. Department of Eagles, In Ear Park (4AD)

James Porter, freelance writer
1. Omar Romero, Hog Wild (Wild)
2. Mike & the Ravens, Noisy Boys! The Saxony Sessions (Zoho Roots)
3. Dusty Chance & the Allnighters, Savage (Wild)
4. Byther Smith, Blues on the Moon (Delmark)
5. Mavis Staples, Live: Hope at the Hideout (Anti-)
6. Hacienda Brothers, Arizona Motel (self-released)
7. Dials, Amoeba Amore (No Fun)
8. James Intveld, Have Faith (Molenaart)
9. Figures of Light, Smash Hits (Norton)
10. Waco Brothers, Waco Express (Bloodshot)

Steve Dollar, freelance writer
1. Mary Halvorson Trio, Dragon’s Head (Firehouse 12)
2. Eri Yamamoto, Duologue (aum fidelity)
3. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
4. Terry Riley, Last Camel in Paris—Theatre Edouard VII, Paris, 10 November 1978 (Elision Fields)
5. Ernest V. Stoneman, The Unsung Father of Country Music, 1925–1934 (Long Gone Sound/5-String Productions)
6. Monareta, Picotero (Nacional)
7. Laura Marling, Alas I Cannot Swim (Astralwerks)
8. Andre Williams and the Hellhounds, Can You Deal with It? (Bloodshot)
9. Various artists, The Art of Field Recording Vol. 1 (dust-to-digital)
10. Anthony Braxton, Arista Recordings Box (Mosaic)

Antonia Simigis, freelance writer
1. Nigeria Special Series (including Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife Afro-Sounds, Nigerian Blues, Nigeria Disco Funk Special and Nigeria Rock Special) (Soundway)
2. Good God!: Soul Messages from Dimona (Numero Group)
3. Dengue Fever, Venus on Earth (Birdman)
4. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah, Part 1 (4th World War) (Motown)
5. Adele, 19 (XL)
6. Natacha Atlas & The Mazeeka Ensemble, Ana Hina (World Village)
7. Kasai Allstars, In the 7th Moon, the Chief Turned into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy by Magic (Crammed Discs)
8. Guns N’ Roses, Chinese Democracy (Geffen)
9. Various artists, African Scream Contest (Analog Africa)
10. Black Mountain, In the Future (Jagjaguwar)

For more of the best of 2008, visit timeoutchicago.com/2008lists.