poptimists | Poptimists Tracks Of 2008 PART FIVE

Here it is! The ten best tracks of 2008 according to YOUR votes.

10. MJ HIBBETT AND THE VALIDATORS - "It Only Works Because You're Here" (28 points)

I'll let the voters go into more detail on this one, I think.

9. ADDICTIVE ft T2 - "Gonna Be Mine" (29 points)

Mariachi bassline explosion! 2008's most unjust non-hit gets its due.

8. LIL WAYNE - "A Milli" (30 points)

Hip-hop's biggest crossover ripples through to Poptimists.

7. CASSIE ft LIL WAYNE - "Official Girl" (33 points)

That rarest of things, an actual Cassie release!

6. MGMT - "Time To Pretend" (40 points)

MGMT are too hip for embeds. Their other hits picked up a vote each too.

5. SANTOGOLD - "L.E.S. Artistes" (45 points)

A handful of these points were for the XXXChange remix (which is also very good). Santogold. A horse. Rum goings-on.

4. GOLDFRAPP - "A&E" (47 points)

Alison G. cavorts with some leafy otherkin. Benefitted from a late flurry of votes.

3. WILEY - "Wearing My Rolex" (78 points)

featuring N London dance troupe the River Fleet Foxes.

2. JORDIN SPARKS AND CHRIS BROWN - "No Air" (94 points)

The runaway early leader, then flagged a bit in late voting.

1. ESTELLE ft KANYE WEST - "American Boy" (113 points)

"Who killin them in the UK? Everybody gonna say you, K" - it is impossible to find an actual video for this song on YouTube!

Thanks to all who voted - tomorrow I'll put up the full list and appendix (every song mentioned). Now let the debate begin!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"No Air" was my #1 pick. I was hoping it would win obv, but finishing second is a good result I suppose. I like "American Boy" well enough anyway (though didn't vote for it).

My hit rate: 5 out of 10. I don't know if that means I'm further from the hivemind this year or not. Last year 9 of my ten votes made the chart. Tom has previously suggested that there were fewer consensus picks in general this year, so that may explain things. I would be interested in seeing comparative stats between 2007 and 2008 re: (a) total numbers of voters; and (b) total numbers of songs voted for.

The real shocker is that my #2 pick, Flo Rida's "Low" came nowhere. I am sending accusatory looks in the direction of The Lex on this point - especially given all the times in 2008 he (rightly) berated us on

poptimists for not giving enough love to this song.

Also surprised that no-one else voted for Ne-Yo's "Closer".

Less surprised (but still disappointed) that no one else voted for "If A Song Could Get Me You" and - as noted above - "Clowns".

No surprise at all that nobody else voted for Stereolab.

Haha if I'd voted Flo Rida, it'd have been 'In The Ayer'.

I think Ne-Yo might have suffered from vote-splitting - my vote would've gone to 'Single' had it existed (I am so going to lobby for us being allowed to send in a top 20 next year) but yeah, I'm shocked 'Miss Independent' came out on top.

My favorite Ne-Yo is "Miss Independent"* because it's the one that rocks the hardest. I get shivers from that spray-on-the-windshield feel to the synths as they lay down the chords right from the start.

*But it didn't make my top ten.

No.s of voters

2007: I'm not totally sure. "Around 40" I said in the intro post: I think this most likely meant 38 or 39.
2008: 41 (but one only voted for 2 tracks!)

Total #tracks mentioned:

2007: 243
2008: 263

Total #tracks with more than 1 vote

2007: 52
2008: 69

This is where the big difference was - a broader spread of songs getting 2 votes but no more.

I'm actually surprised there's even this much similarity. Ten is such a small number of songs to vote for, I'd expect votes to be spread all out. (I never vote strategically but rather for what I actually think are the ten best tracks, in the order of quality. I'm not sure if others here really vote strategically, but I bet if everything else is equal some will list something that could use the votes rather than something they don't think has a chance. I'd assumed that "Duri Duri" was a waste of 12 points, but I put it first anyway. And lo and behold, it got at least one other person's vote, Xhuxk's for sure, possibly one more person's, though I doubt it and I can't imagine whose.)

I had one strategic vote this year - Miley's "Fly on the Wall" and it was not enough to push it top 50. Almost, though! (My wasted 12 points went to Brooke White's "Let It Be")

I had 4 in the top 50, as well as "Fly on the Wall" in the honorable mention camp.

Ah, I should have known you were the other one!

Poptimists Tracks Of 2008 PART FIVE

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