More Best of '08

6. Blonde Redhead – 23

Their lush sound is calmed down a little bit, but jangly guitars and some subtle electronic influences create a really cool vibe. This is a great disc with brooding lyrics and some diverse musical styles. Fans of The Arcade Fire will dig this as well.

5. Iron and Wine The Shepherds’ Dog

Yes, I kind of miss the stripped down sounds of early Iron and Wine CDs. But, yes, this is still cool and great. There are some artsy escapes here that may be somewhat unnecessary, but Sam Beam gets a bunch of musicians to fill out their sound with great results. This does solidify Iron and Wine's place in the indie-folk world and I imagine they will be there for a long, long time.