IMP's Top 10 Albums and Singles of 2008

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IMP's real value has always been the inherent diversity of its members' choices. Unlike other music-related websites who strive to be arbiters of taste, IMP's primary mission is to fuel the fire of subjectivity. Accordingly, the annual IMP top ten lists are scattershot and surprising, ranging from Brooklyn indie rock to Bangladeshi folk to Balearic house. So, publishing the cumulative year-end list ends up as a sort of disservice to that subjectivity, muffling the beautiful noise of each member's preferences. Meaning, accept these two lists at face-value, but seek out the individual lists of IMP members—on their blogs, in Facebook positings, and in their monthly mixes. Now, here's a snapshot of the year that was 2008, courtesy of IMP.

IMP's Top 10 Albums of 2008

10. Hercules and Love Affair
Hercules and Love Affair
(DFA/EMI)

9. M83
Saturdays=Youth
(Mute)

8. MGMT
Oracular Spectacular
(Red Ink/Columbia)

7. Beach House
Devotion
(Carpark)

6. Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
(Sub Pop)

5. Portishead
Third
(Mercury/Island)

4. TV on the Radio
Dear Science
(DGC/Interscope)

3. Okkervil River
The Stand Ins
(Jagjaguwar)

2. Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
(XL)

1. Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago
(Jagjaguwar)

IMP's Top 10 Singles of 2008

10. Vampire Weekend
"A-Punk"
(XL)

9. (tie) Hercules and Love Affair ft. Antony
"Blind"
(DFA)

9. (tie) Dodos
"Fools"
(Frenchkiss)

8. (tie) MGMT
"Electric Feel"
(Columbia)

8. (tie) Goldfrapp
"A&E"
(Mute)

7. Portishead
"Machine Gun"
(Mercury/Island)

6. Fleet Foxes
"White Winter Hymnal"
(Sub Pop)

5. Kings of Leon
"Sex on Fire"
(Columbia)

4. M.I.A.
"Paper Planes"
(Interscope)

3. Santogold
"L.E.S. Artistes"
(Atlantic)

2. Estelle ft. Kanye West
"American Boy"
(Atlantic)

1. Hot Chip
"Ready for the Floor"
(EMI)