Countdown to 2009: Jim's Top Ten Best Bands Discovered in 2008

Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2009 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know!

10. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band
I know. Terrible name. But their album 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons has multiple, impressive, multi-layered, prog rock-style, post-rock epics, so I give them a pass. (Click here to read a Phillyist article about this band from earlier this year.)

9. Mogwai
These guys aren't exactly a new band, but I only just listened to them for the first time earlier this year. They've got post-rock, instrumental music with roaring guitars. I'm a fan. (Click here to read a Phillyist article about this band from earlier this year.)

8. The Long Blondes
The Blondes' music features pop phrases, dance rhythms, fun and sexy lyrics, strong beats that get you moving, synthesizers, New Wave and '60s pop influences, and the hot vocals of Kate Jackson. And on my favorite track of theirs ("Round the Hairpin"), they even get dark, dramatic, and foreboding. Impressive! (Click here to read a Phillyist article about this band from earlier this year.)

7. Future of the Left
An alt-rock supergroup with weird lyrics and a punk sound. (Click here to read a Phillyist article about this band from earlier this year.)

6. Hi Fidel
A St. Louis record label sent me a bunch of albums at the end of last year. They were all a lot better than I expected, and one of the best was the rap album The Company of Wolves by Hi Fidel. One of my favorite tracks on it is a ridiculous and hilarious track called "Manther," which tells the origin story of the titular superhero (or supervillain?), who is described as "all man... all panther." Hi Fidel has great writing, great rhymes, and great beats.

5. Shearwater
After I heard a few tracks off Shearwater's album Rook, I was ready to dismiss the band's work as wussy-boy music. But I kept listening, and although I continue to find some of their tracks pretty weak, others are so excellent that it's easy to ignore the few bad apples. It's emotional indie pop rock, backed up sometimes by driving guitars, and sometimes by a quiet piano. The lyrics are literate and moving, with a faint flavor of the fantastic.

4. Killswitch Engage
I recently acquired (in an entirely legal fashion, I might add!) a couple of albums by metal act Killswitch Engage, and even though I haven't even gotten around to listening to either of them in their entirety, I've already heard enough to know I love the band and their music. It's screamy metal with brutal guitar riffs and dramatic lyrics. What's not to love?

3. The Sword
This is one of my favorite bands on this list. The fantasy connection in their music is definite and clear; their song titles and lyrics make direct references to A Song of Ice and Fire. So that puts them on my good side right away. Add to that the fact that their music is brutal, complex, fantastic metal, and you have a recipe for win. (Click here to read a Phillyist article about this band from earlier this year.)

2. 3 Inches of Blood
Of the bands on this list, this is the one with the most five star-rated songs on my iPod. And that's because they put out insane, fast-paced, screamy metal with a fantasy theme. In other words, music that was written specifically for me.

1. The Duke Spirit
An awesomely rocking, catchy, indie pop rock band from England with a female lead singer. And by catchy, I mean totally irresistible. Listen to them once and you will be a fan. (Click here to read a Phillyist article about this band from earlier this year.)

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