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Presenting the 100 best songs of 2008; here's numbers 75 through 51. On with the countdown...

75. Young Love
by Mystery Jets
from Twenty One
[Pop/Rock]
Armed with disarming sunniness and Fountains of Wayne-styled pop hooks, Mystery Jets don’t seem poised to break out as left field superstars any time soon. Instead, their infectious harmonies burrow deep and a smile curls on your face—its effect is cloak-and-dagger without the sinister intent. The only overt surprise in store is the appearance of female vocals halfway through, but that’s fine by me.

74. Jonathan’s Book
by Teddy Thompson
from A Piece of What You Need
[Folk/Pop]
Teddy does to folk what Wilco did to country—filling in the spaces makes for some truly immediate songs. Despite being the son of British folk legends, “Jonathan’s Book” (and most other songs off the album) couldn’t sound more like a slice of Americana. And every beautiful noise Thompson plugs into the gaps of the hammering percussion is perfect. [album review]

73. Accelerate
by R.E.M.
from Accelerate
[Rock]
I was never totally sold on Accelerate (the album)—no doubt, R.E.M. hadn’t released a great LP in many years, but they were better at low key pop than they ever were with hard rock. So I could hardly believe it when the driving title track emerged as my favorite on the record. A few of their other heavy offerings seemed a little warmed-over to me, but this one was the real deal; one that appealed both viscerally and intellectually.

72. Bruises
by Chairlift
from Does You Inspire You
[Pop]
This is the song that Plastic Operator’s “Folder” wanted to be; not quite as impeccably catchy but not verbally idiotic, either. True, the lyrics may be goop, but they’re sung so giddily that you can’t complain—plus, it’s probably tough to collect your thoughts when you feel that way. Pure fizz, but still a lot of fun.

71. Small Wevs
by Ponytail
from Ice Cream Spiritual
[Alternative]
Not for the faint-hearted, “Small Wevs” represents the balanced transition from bliss to friction. It begins with a tuneful polyrhythmic gallop as Molly Siegel squeaks nonsense in the background; it ends with a cacophony of instrumental rampage. The key to its success? You grin foolishly all the way through. [album review]

70. Electric Arc
by Oxford Collapse
from Bits
[Alternative/Rock]
Oxford Collapse couldn’t top their 2006 hit, “Please Visit Our National Parks,” this year, but they came close with “Electric Arc,” balanced between reckless pop verses and more precise harder rock choruses. Any fan of 90s indie rock heroes like Sebadoh, Archers of Loaf, et al will love it. [album review]

69. Fatalist Palmistry
by WHY?
From Alopecia
[Pop/Rock]
The musical arrangements are usually sound, but Yoni Wolf’s lyrics are frequently too bizarre to believe. But in the midst of the weirdness, he’s able to give us an otherwise clear and romantic thought: “I'm lucky to be under/The same sky that held/The exhale from your first breath/Like a ring on a pillow of clouds.” Good enough for this impressionable tune.

68. Hopscotch Willie
by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
from Real Emotional Trash
[Alternative/Rock]
When a song idea is basically a flight of fancy, merging it with an extended jam with prog experiments could result in quite the disaster; the last minute and a half even feels like they just tacked on a Pavement leftover. That Malkmus emerges on the other side with something as fascinating and worthy of repetition as “Willie” is quite the miracle.

67. The Rip
by Portishead
from Third
[Trip Hop/Pop]
The acoustic guitar is a bit alarming (for Portishead), but as the song gains momentum (and destruction), its ominous clout threatens to tear the listener asunder. But those repeated synth arpeggios that take over for the guitar in the second half keep you firmly in the seat, entranced and enthralled.

66. What Up Man
by the Cool Kids
from The Bake Sale EP
[Hip Hop]
The flow of Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish can’t be knocked, but the success of “What Up Man” can be mostly attributed to that genius beat, part thumping bass and part spoken word loops. There’s a reason that The Bake Sale EP was one of the few great hip hop releases of the year—“What Up Man” is all the evidence you need.

65. A-Punk
by Vampire Weekend
from Vampire Weekend
[Alternative/Rock]
In spite of the backlash that hit this band before their first full-length even hit stores, anyone who gives it a chance can’t have much bad to say about them. “A-Punk” emphasizes their Afro-beat skeleton, adds flavor that’s more tropical than jungle, and keeps things jittery and breezy to the last note. [album review]

64. Death Goes to the Winner
by Harvey Milk
from Life…The Best Game in Town
[Metal]
The opening is deceptively quiet, but by the time you pass the first couple onslaughts of that punishing riff and hear the unrelenting pound of the percussion beneath the howling, distorted undulation, you realize that you’re not going to recover anytime soon once this track spits you out the other side. And that “A Day in the Life” conclusion? Totally unexpected.

63. You & Me
by Beggars
from You & Me single
[Rock]
If you’ve grown weary of all the retro revivalists in the past decade, you may want to avoid this snappy little number from the Beggars. It couldn’t sound more like the La’s if it tried, which itself was a band fond of recycling the British Invasion lynchpins. If you can handle the effusive fanaticism, though, this is good stuff.

62. Cover Me (Slowly)/Agoraphobia
by Deerhunter
from Microcastle
[Alternative/Rock]
Two tracks for the price of one, these are inexorably linked together (the lyrics for the first instrumental’s title even show up on “Agoraphobia”). After the sonic boom opens them up, the rest glides by at a dreamy pace, interrupted only by slowly piling shards of fuzz that are inexplicably melodic. The first of many perfectly realized moments on the record. [album review]

61. Francis
by Betty and the Werewolves
from Euston Station
[Punk/Pop]
A lot of Betty and the Werewolves songs sound alike, but then again, they said the same thing about the Strokes. Even if you can’t ignore the fact that their drummer calls himself Sir Dancelot, it’s still tough to resist their sound, exemplified by “Francis,” a straight-out-of-the-garage sparkle-punk gem.

60. Underneath the Stars
by the Cure
from 4:13 Dream
[Rock]
The opening track to 4:13 Dream is a bit misleading, not just because its unfolding scope and rich texture is rarely repeated throughout the rest of the album but also because it promised a full-length fabuloso to come instead of something middle-of-the-road. The Cure used to master the studio expression; their latest songs usually sound better live. This one’s great either way. [album review]

59. Call It a Ritual
by Wolf Parade
from At Mount Zoomer
[Alternative/Pop]
For “Call It a Ritual,” Dan Boeckner steps aside to let Spencer Krug take over on vocals...blessedly. Boeckner’s piercing Brock-ish yelp wouldn’t have served this hazy dream song; instead, Krug’s shadowy warble casts an intriguing spell over the already troubled and portentous tune, making it the most memorable song on the album.

58. End of All Things
by Times New Viking
from Rip It Off
[Punk/Rock]
They may never catch “Teenage Lust,” but Times New Viking is as noisy and visceral as ever before. The impenetrable guitars of “End of All Things” clatter so loud and raucously that only by the stripped-down conclusion do we fully understand that, yes, there was a superb melody all along.

57. Calypso
by Kenny Barron
from The Traveler
[Jazz]
Barron’s trio makes this difficult Caribbean-flavored workout sound as seamless and natural as the best of jazz. While Barron’s piano keeps everything very fluid, it’s the backbeat from Kiyoshi Kitagawa’s thumping bass and Francisco Mela’s syncopated drums that keeps this one lively to the very end.

56. I Got Mine
by the Black Keys
from Attack & Release
[Blues/Rock]
With an assist from Danger Mouse, the Black Keys took their electric blues sound to a whole new level with “I Got Mine.” They’ve been a fierce live band for many years, but “Mine” compacts an epic jam into four minutes—whether in this fiery nugget or enlarged with a lengthy workout, anyone who likes blues with a healthy dose of gasoline will love it.

55. Walk It Off
by the Breeders
from Mountain Battles
[Alternative/Rock]
It probably would have been easier (or even smarter) to name “Night of Joy”’s sinister drone or the candy pop of “It’s the Love,” but I love it when the Breeders lets the bassline take a stroll. And the espionage-happy strut sets ups the catchy chorus perfectly on “Walk It Off.”

54. Swords of Truth
by These New Puritans
from Beat Pyramid
[Alternative/Rock]
The rhythm alone guaranteed this one a spot on the list, but I can’t help but wonder if it might have been even more successful if the vocals synced up better with the beat. Nevertheless, you can’t get this song out of your head: the mark of a great song.

53. In Ear Park
by Department of Eagles
from In Ear Park
[Alternative/Folk]
It seems that most people liked In Ear Park more than I did, but I fully confess I have more than just a soft spot for the title track. The jaunty melody driven by a twitchy acoustic guitar and some piano hammering is fine, but it’s Daniel Rossen’s moving emotion that gets me every time. [album review]

52. Stay with Me (By the Sea)
by Al Green
from Lay It Down
[Soul]
With the exception of the reissue of Wee’s 1977 You Can Fly on My Aeroplane, the best pure soul song of the year came courtesy of old pro Al Green (with an assist from neo-soul star John Legend). Lyrics don’t always have to be imaginative or complex; this one works straight to the point...and from the heart.

51. Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979
by Okkervil River
from The Stand Ins
[Rock/Alternative/Blues]
There were catchier songs on The Stand Ins (“Lost Coastlines,” “Pop Lie”) but this was the best story Will Sheff had to tell. Capping off the tale of an AIDS victim is, “Stars hold him in all around/‘Til he forgets the ground/‘Til he forgets the crawling way/Real people sometimes are.” Priceless. [album review]

Part One (100-76)

Part Three (50-26)

Part Four (25-11)

Part Five (10-1)