They’re the ones responsible for one of our favorite videos of 2008, and now L.A. noise rockers The Mae Shi deliver some good old-fashioned animated bloodshed and carnage in the video for “The Lamb And The Lion”, the latest single from their highly acclaimed album HLLLYH.

The Mae Shi – “The Lamb And The Lion”

The ever-prolific Bradford Cox of Atlas Sound and Deerhunter releases another installment of his virtual 7″ series. Landing the #2 spot on our Best of 2008 list, The Tripwire welcomes any additional material from Cox’s solo project.

Posted last Thursday, March 19, the brief 7″ contains “Solo or the Square” and “Memorial Corridor”. The former features a calypso arpeggio over top Cox’s marked wash production. “I got tired of the good life,” he sings in his token murmur. “Memorial Corridor” patiently follows seemingly directionless synth noises until the bedroom-pop melody kicks in.

Click here to download the 7″ off Cox’s blog.

For the last time, we re-cap our full list of the best records, singles, videos and the biggest news stories of 2008 in one, easy to read list.

Biggest News Stories Of 2008
10. Axl Rose Picks Fight With Dr. Pepper
09. The Meg White Sex Tape
08. Travis Barker And DJ AM In Plane Crash
07. The Jennifer Hudson Family Tragedy
06. My Bloody Valentine Reunites
05. Billy Corgan Being A Prick To His Fans
04. Coldplay Accused Of Plagiarism… Twice
03. Noel Gallagher Attacked On Stage
02. The Election Of Barack Obama
01. Those We Lost

Best Records Of 2008
15. Angel Kalmukia
14. Okkervil River The Stand Ins
13. Asva What You Don’t Know is Frontier
12. Walkmen You & Me
11. Foals Antidotes
10. Ponytail Ice Cream Spiritual
09. Trap Them Seizures In Barren Praise
08. WHY? Alopecia
07. M83 Saturdays=Youth
06. Women Women
05. Parts & Labor Receivers
04. Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster…
03. Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
02. Atlas Sound Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
01. Portishead Third

Best Videos Of 2008
10. Feist “I Feel It All”
09. Charles Hamilton “Brooklyn Girls”
08. The Mountain Goats “Sax Rohmer #1″
07. The Mae Shi “Run To Your Grave”
06. Björk “Wanderlust”
05. Beyonce “Single Ladies”
04. Yeasayer “Wait For The Summer” (Single Edit)
03. Radiohead “House Of Cards”
02. The Acorn “Flood Pt. 1″
01. Sigur Ros “Gobbledigook”

Best Singles Of 2008
10. Lil Mama Featuring Chris Brown And T-Pain “Shawty Get Loose”
09. Xiu Xiu Featuring Michael Gira “Under Pressure”
08. Does It Offend You, Yeah? “We Are Rockstars”
07. Vampire Weekend “A-Punk”
06. Hercules And The Love Affair “Blind”
05. Crystal Castles Vs. HEALTH “Crimewave”
04. Coldplay “Viva la Vida”
03. M.I.A. “Paper Planes”
02. MGMT “Time To Pretend”
01. Pretty Much Any Lil Wayne Song

As previously mentioned, the criteria for our best of 2008 is the accumulated average of our writers and contributors picks. And few chose Third as their absolute favorite, it showed up on more lists than any other record of 2008.

Almost ironically, in a year dominated by beard-folk and synth club bands, Portishead returned with a sound as relevant as anyone. A testament to their innovation, longevity and the fact they were already ahead of the curve when they formed almost two decades ago.

Island

Atlas Sound is Bradford Cox’s individualized catharsis. Irremovable from his art is his physical condition (Marfan Syndrome) and this reality is at the forefront of his work. Recorded at home, Let the Blind is a personal record, one that that challenges criteria for self-worth, and this quality is accentuated by Cox’s knack for letting specific sonic ideas reverberate into something vivid and powering.

“I’m waiting to be changed,” he repeats in “Quarantined” as the lyric gains awesome momentum with each reiteration. With seamless flow, the tracks weave into one another finishing with the instrumental title-track – a hazy, alluring backdrop with a continuous arpeggio. At its heart, Let the Blind is a deeply humanist record that refuses conventional social stigmas, repudiates the superficial, and demands truth and meaning from itself and others.

Kranky

If there was an award for label of the year, it would have to go to Jagjaguwar. With already 3 records on our top 15 list (#5, #6, #14), the fourth and final Jagjaguwar release on our list comes in as our third best record of 2008.

For Emma, Forever Ago is one of the most authentic, original and organic folk albums in recent memory. Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) captured, with staggering perfection, the sound of a cold, isolated winter in Wisconsin. Undeniably, the story of his retreat into solitude has been romanticized to a certain degree, but it is not difficult to hear this landscape in his music. Vernon’s evocative lyricism and minimalist melodies made For Emma feel intimate, even conversational at times (“in the morning I’ll call you”). The album flows with a narrative trajectory and each song tells its own story. From the cathartic yelps of “Skinny Love” to the collected resignations of “Re: Stacks”, Vernon poignantly reflects the universal need for self-reflection. His humility only enhanced the mystique he constantly shrugged off and Bon Iver’s live band incarnation saw every track reaching new heights. For Emma may not be a pioneering effort musically, but the final product is one of extreme integrity and severe beauty. –Michael Cranston

Jagjaguwar

So I’m taking two night classes right now: the history of African American feminism, and the study of cross-cultural sex and gender. Both of these classes have completely inspired me to think about the way my family, my environment, and my surroundings have shaped me. It’s also instilled this sense of egalitarianism: I want equality, sure, but I also want fairness and compromise to come too. So what the fuck is my problem in me putting Weezy at the top? I am a shining example that yep, occasionally, pop culture prevails. Sometimes I guess I just wanna pretend rap about candy and having a lotta money. As my good friend Wendy puts it, “It’s not your fault you have so many interests.” –JENZ

Lil Wayne – “A Milli”

For every wanna-be hippie band that 2008 produced, no one even came close to the free love on display in the video for Sigur Ros‘ “Gobbledigook” [Warning: NSFW]

Closely in line with the cheeky cover art for the LP from which the single comes from; með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (translated “with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly”), both the video and record cover were done by longtime band photographer Ryan McGinley. Say what you will, but whether or not the video for “Gobbledigook” was the best of 2008 is irrelevant, it was definitely the most memorable.

Sigur Ros – “Gobbledigook”
Produced by Ryan McGinley

With our top choice of biggest news story of 2008, we decided to take this moment to honor those whose lives helped shape the music we know and love today.

R.I.P. 2008
Eddy Arnold
MC Breed
Hiram Bullock
George Carlin
Bo Diddley
Mikey Dread
Danny Federici
Jerry Finn
Steve Foley
Mel Galley
Gidget Gein
Isaac Hayes
Robert Hazard
Richard Hickox
Genoa Keawe
Eartha Kitt
Don LaFontaine
Heath Ledger
Bernie Mac
Michelle Meldrum
Buddy Miles
Mitch Mitchell
LeRoi Moore
Frank Navetta
Odetta
Bettie Page
Leonard Pennario
Jerry Reed
Nicola Rescigno
Nick Reynolds
“Weepin’” Willie Robinson
Mike Smith
Jo Stafford
Levi Stubbs
Esbjorn Svensson
Angel Tavira
Studs Terkel
Ira Tucker Sr.
Dee Dee Warrick
Jerry Wexler
Richard Wright
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Overly caffeinated enthusiams abounds on Hold On Now, Youngster…, bombarding your eardrums with shout-along chant-tastic choruses, hand claps and a broad range of instrumentation randing from Glockenspiel to violins. Looking back to their previous EP, Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, I described Los Campesinos!‘ sound as if “Bis had babies with Arcade Fire.” That still remains spot on, although I’d add bits of The Go! Team and perhaps even Belle & Sebastian on a ridiculous sugar high. –Chip Adams

Arts & Crafts

With no rhyme or reason, our editorial staff chooses the top 10 biggest music-related news stories of 2008. Coming in at #2: The election of Barack Obama.

Why is Barack Obama’s election music-related? Maybe it’s because Will.I.Am conducted the world’s first hologram interview on the night of the election. Or because John Williams and Aretha Franklin will be performing at his inauguration. Or maybe it’s because this could prove to be the most important election in the history of our country. One in which many musicians were excited to discuss.

See Barack Obama’s election victory speech here.

A seemingly monumental effort was put into the video for The Acorn’s “Flood pt 1″. With the trippiest animations, which mirror the song perfectly, it’s an absolutely brilliant video! –Zachary Timm

Largely hand-crafted in the winter of 2007 / 08 by a long list of dedicated welders, illustrators, dancers, model makers and animators, the story is told using a bizarre range of life-sized dancing drawings, to raw archival video footage, to puppets made of foam to glaciers made out of wedding cake.

The Acorn- “Flood pt 1″
Production credits below

Credits
Production Company – Number Four Films Incorporated
Producer / Director / DOP / Animation / Post FX – Christopher Mills
Dancer / Puppeteer – Andrea Spaziani
Editor / Post FX – Marc DePape
Assistant Editor – Winston Hacking
Art Direction / Production Design – Geordie Lishman, Nicole Aline Legault
Props Builders / Craftspeople –
Reuben Baker
Cameron Balmer
Kayleigh Bathurst
Shawn Begin
Letisha Crombie
Daniel Flavelle
Anthony James
Kyle Jordan
Ionela Klompmaker
Aaron Lavigne
Nicolee Layne
Daniel Morrell
Chris Neves
Paula Nichols
Patrick Rhodes
Dylan Croucher
Anthony D’amato
Galen Dafoe
Rachel Dormon
Jason Edmunds
Dayna George
Andrew Gilbert
Brett Gosling
Ryan Kitagawa
Carmelo Magno
Peter Mendler
Robynne Meringer
Kennett Morgan
David Newman
Brittany Pap
Shadat Patwary
Laura Pitcher
Michelle Spencer
Ryan Stephens
Julisa Stuart
Rachel Weller
Julisa Stuart
Jennifer Wilson
Kevin Zimny

Browsing through all the inevitable year-end best-of lists and seeing MGMT hanging out at the top of so many of them makes me feel like a bit of a toolbag for putting “Time to Pretend” at the top of my singles list. But this song is everything that a good pop song should be: It is musically innovative while at the same time being easy to listen to and even something you can sing along with. So what if it’s a trend, I can’t help it. I like MGMT. Everyone else seems to, so it can’t be all that wrong.

MGMT – “Time To Pretend”

Another one we’re taking liberties with. Despite being release in Canada in 2007, Women’s self-titled debut didn’t officially hit US stores until 2008. And while many of their contemporaries were taking the pop or strictly nostalgic route, Women were pushing the noise and psych genres in new directions. The result of which was one of our favorite records of 2008 as Women became one of our favorite bands.

Jagjaguwar

With no rhyme or reason, our editorial staff chooses the top 10 biggest music-related news stories of 2008. Coming in at #3: Oasis‘ Noel Gallagher is assaulted on stage in Toronto.

A lot of people might have considered decking Noel Gallagher over the years, but one Daniel Sulllivan actually took it upon himself to do it. While performing “Morning Glory” at Toronto’s 2008 Virgin Festival, Sullivan suddenly appeared on stage and, without warning, pushed the unsuspecting guitarist to the floor causing a halt in the performance for several minutes. Once nerves and microphones were restored, the band resumed performing with “The Importance of Being Idle”, but the band went on to cancel the remainder of their North American stops.

See the rest of the story and video of the incident here.

Like our #6 pick, Radiohead’s video for “House of Cards” is a technical marvel. Without the use of cameras or lights, all of the imagery was captured using 3D plotting technologies, collecting information about the shapes and relative distances of objects. Besides, what year-end list would be complete without the self-loathing charm of Radiohead?

Radiohead – “House Of Cards”
Directed by James Frost

Ok, we’re taking liberties here, because “Paper Planes” was released in 2007, but it exploded to worldwide popularity in 2008. And hell, if the Grammy’s can come calling a year late, so can we.

Officially released as a single in early 2008, “Paper Planes” is the third single from M.I.A.’s second studio album, Kala. With a main riff sampled from the song “Straight to Hell” by The Clash and its chorus lyrics taken from “Rump Shaker” by Wreckx-N-Effect, it became an international hit after appearing in the trailer for the film Pineapple Express. It became so popular that it was sampled in a song by T.I. and Jay-Z, it’s been covered in performances by Rihanna and Built To Spill, and in December the single was nominated for the Record of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.

M.I.A. – “Paper Planes”

With Saturdays=Youth, M83 (aka Anthony Gonzalez) decided to forego the 80s references and instead, just take us back to the decade with an album of nostalgic fondness. Like the soft-focused mythology of eternal summers and young love of a John Hughes movies, Gonzalez dedicates our pick for seventh best album of 2007 to “all the friends, music, movies, joints, and crazy teachers that made my teenage years so great!” Or as contributor Kim Robinson put it, the layered synths of M83’s Saturdays=Youth “made me feel all John Hughes 80s insecure, naïve and happy all at the same time.”

Mute Records

As we get closer to the top of many our lists, we’ve found that the results start to skew a bit on the hippie side. With many a beard and worldly instruments, it’s a place where high-brow, lo-fi animation videos reign supreme. And the first of the crop to show up on our best of 2008 is Yeasayer’s video for the single edit of “Wait for the Summer”.

Yeasayer – “Wait for the Summer”
Produced by Mixtape Club

With no rhyme or reason, our editorial staff chooses the top 10 biggest music-related news stories of 2008. Coming in at #4: Coldplay Accused Of Ripping Off “Viva La Vida”.

Ironically, on the same day “Viva la Vida” lands on our top singles list, this seemingly never-ending saga about Coldplay’s “inspirations” behind the song lands them on our biggest news stories list. Accused twice of plagiarizing the song, the latter of which actually resulted in rock guitarist Joe Satriani suing. Satriani’s copyright infringement suit, filed in L.A. federal court, alleges that “Viva La Vida” features “substantial original portions” of his 2004 instrumental track “If I Could Fly”.

Read the full story and compare the two songs here.

40 Year Old Virgin called them gay and the BBC said they induce narcolepsy, but Coldplay’s triumphant “Viva la Vida” is a current testament to their monstrous fame. From the insistent string section that opens the track to the anthemic “wo-ho-ah-ho!” harmonies that end it, “Viva la Vida” refuses to let go of our attention for even a second. Chris Martin sings loud and firm, better than ever before, telling a story of royalty that might well be his own: “I used to rule the world,” but like all royalty, his Kingdom fell. Not about rebuilding it, the song is about moving away from it. Say what you will about Coldplay or their perpetual mediocre albums, but to deny this song’s prowess is to deny deserving music based on foolish preconceived notions of what is cool, and what isn’t. Oh, and they didn’t steal it from Joe Satriani.

Coldplay – “Viva la Vida”

Before this year, I knew I liked WHY?, but I didn’t realize I loved them. Not only did Alopecia get played on my iPod more times than any other, it spawned a retro-effect in which I began listening to and discovering I loved everything Yoni Wolf has ever done. If that doesn’t deserve a #1 spot, I’m not sure what does. –Jenn Misko

anticon. records

Without any press interviews or even barely a word while they perform, Crystal Castles took the music-world by storm when they released their self-titled debut back in March. And when you add the coolest woman of 2008 to one of LA’s — if not the world’s — preeminent noise-makers in HEALTH, the result is a recipe for a great single.

We have to admit, it’s not our favorite single from the Crystal Castles record. Nor is it our favorite HEALTH-related track, but when two of the best independent music forces collide with such force, we felt we had to give “Crimewave” it’s due. By far two of our favorite artists of 2008, it’s nice to be able to mention them in the same breath.

Crystal Castles Vs. HEALTH “Crimewave”

With no rhyme or reason, our editorial staff chooses the top 10 biggest music-related news stories of 2008. Coming in at #5: Billy Corgan Is Pissing People Off.

Billy Corgan gave new meaning to the term “audience participation” in 2008 on the Smashing Pumpkins’ 20th anniversary tour, leaving a mess of disappointed, confused fans in its wake. You can read about, and see the video evidence here.

Beyonce has had quite the year — an out of body one, if you will. She took on a Prince-esque form when applying her alter-ego “Sasha Fierce,” that never really sounded any different from Beyonce (marketing scheme anyone?). She also took on the brilliant role of Etta James in Cadillac Records, and pulled it off to what seems like, everyone’s surprise.

“Single Ladies” was the video that whether you loved or hated, you couldn’t get it off your mind. Beyonce in glossy black and white, her full legs exposed, and enough lip gloss for the entire cast and crew. Whether these dance moves would actually prove valid on the dance floor is irrelevant, Beyonce could do the gator and look sexy as hell in the process. With its usual pop hooks and hip-hop sensibilities, Beyonce’s stature only grows with every hit single, and “Single Ladies” is no different. I can only hope she performs this at Obama’s inauguration and not “At Last”

If you only read indie rock websites, you might think Fucked Up put out the only good punk/hardcore record of 2008. Yet in truth, this year proved to be a stellar one for heavy indie music across the board, with bands like These Arms Are Snakes, Torche, Genghis Tron, Psycroptic, The Sword and Krallice all putting out records worthy of making any best of 2008 lists. The one that seemed to stay in our rotation the longest was Seizures In Barren Praise by Trap Them.

Maybe it’s because they embody everything we love about the genre. Primarily considered a thrash/hardcore band, Trap Them has the ability to slow it down to a sludge or keep your fists pumping with sing along chants. It’s no secret they’re a band on the rise, but with this Kurt Ballou-engineered gem, Trap Them has established themselves as one of the leaders of the hardcore pack.

Trap Them

With no rhyme or reason, our editorial staff chooses the top 10 biggest music-related news stories of 2008. Coming in at #6: the My Bloody Valentine reunion.

Chances are if you’re a moody 30-something who wore slanted bangs before “emo” made it cool and thinks shoegaze was born and died with the release of Loveless, then undoubtedly My Bloody Valentine’s reunion at this year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties New York installment was your biggest news story of the year.

First reported on The Daily Swarm, with rumors swirling of the reunion, speculation was they would land at Coachella instead.

Is the long wait finally over? My Bloody Valentine, the legendary sonic sculptors of feedback and tremelo who helped define the shoegaze movement only to disband after releasing just two full length albums, is set to make its first live appearance in more than a decade at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA in April, 2008. According to sources in the United States and the United Kingdom who are familiar with the negotiations, the band is close to signing a deal that will see a reunited My Bloody Valentine headline Coachella, scheduled for April 25–27, before embarking on a world tour sometime later in 2008.

Of course that rumor was kind of correct. The band was reuniting and coming to the States, but as updated by NME, Coachella founder and organizer Paul Tollett explained why the legendary shoegazers will not be performing at the Coachella Festival this year.

“I was hanging out with (My Bloody Valentine frontman) Kevin (Shields) over at the Led Zeppelin (reunion concert in December), and he said it was just too early,” Tollett said. “Coachella’s in April and I don’t think they’ll be ready yet.”

Instead, as The Daily Swarm broke, they would be playing and curating the New York installment of ATP. And all it cost lucky waiting fans was $225. Oh, and another $450 – $1050 for accommodations. Hey, MBV never claimed to be a band of the people.

You can read how it all played out here.

I’ve often compared Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons to the late Benjamin Smoke, but I don’t think I could’ve ever imagined Smoke doing a disco track like “Blind”. In fact, the song by Hercules And The Love Affair, aka Brooklyn producer Andy Butler with Antony guesting might be the only time I’ve listed a disco track as the best of anything. But it’s that good, I had to. –Derek Evers

Hercules and Love Affair featuring Antony Hegarty – “Blind”

Always at the forefront of music’s frontier, “Wanderlust” saw Björk pushing the limits of her music videos even further, when she released it in 3D. As beautiful as it is strange, the video for “Wanderlust” might only be #6 on our list of the best of 2008, but it’s our #1 choice for the coolest video of the year.

Björk – “Wanderlust”
Created by Encyclopedia Pictura

If there was an award for nicest people of 2008, every member of the band Ponytail would be on the list. Which makes it even better to be able to mention Ice Cream Spiritual on our list of the best records of 2008. Who would’ve guessed a CD with very few audible lyrics and such intricate guitar and drumming patterns would end up being universally lauded?

We Are Free

With no rhyme or reason, our editorial staff chooses the top 10 biggest music-related news stories of 2008. Coming in at #7: Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew are slain in a horrendous family tragedy.

Singer-turned-Academy award winning actress Jennifer Hudson hit her career high in 2007 when she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie White in the film Dreamgirls. But like our #8 choice, Jennifer Hudson’s place on our biggest news stories of 2008 continues an ominous trend of music-related catastrophes.

From the NY Times: The mother and brother of the Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson were found shot to death inside her mother’s house on the South Side of Chicago on Friday afternoon, and the police were said to be looking for her 7-year-old nephew.

The police confirmed that Ms. Hudson’s mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, was one of the victims, the ABC affiliate WLS reported on its web site. A neighbor reportedly told the entertainment web site TMZ that the other victim had been identified as Ms. Hudson’s brother, Jason S. Hudson, 29.

The police said they were searching for Ms. Hudson’s nephew, Julian King, who had been reported missing on Friday morning. [Julian King was later found slain in the back of an SUV. Read the MSNBC story here.]

According to The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times, the police arrested William Balfour late Friday.

WLS reported that neighbors told the police they heard shots fired on Friday morning.

Read the full story and updates here.

Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut would’ve landed as one of our best records of the year, but just as many of our writers listed it as their most overrated as they did one of their favorites. It seems as though preppy, private-school kids who put photos of frat houses on their CD covers can be quite divisive. Luckily “A-Punk” made our top singles category, so we didn’t have to worry about making the difficult decision.

Vampire Weekend – “A-Punk”

This song could have made our top singles. And the album it’s from; HLLLYH, just missed out on being in our top 15. So it’s only fitting that The Mae Shi’s fun, self-produced video for “Run To Your Grave” landed on our best of 2008.

The Mae Shi – “Run To Your Grave”

In case you were wondering the criteria for our best of 2008, it’s the result of the accumulated average of our writers and contributors picks. So while some records were universally lauded, if they were easily classifiable or polarizing, they seemed to fare worse than those that could be appreciated by a wide variety of people. Thus coming in at #11, the Foals Antidotes.

We also have to give them a nod for having a definitive Brooklyn-psych vibe, with production by TV on the Radio’s David Sitek and guest spots by the horn section from Antibalas on five tracks and Celebration’s Katrina Ford on another. Extra nod for ditching Sitek’s original mix, leaving their first buzz-building singles off the record and creating music that is not easily defined. Proving they are willing to take risks, and it’s paid off.

Sub Pop

With no rhyme or reason, our editorial staff chooses the top 10 biggest music-related news stories of 2008. Coming in at #8: Travis Barker and DJ AM are both critically injured in a plane crash that kills all other passengers aboard.

A departure from the light-hearted nature of our #10 and #9 choices, our #8 pick of the biggest news stories of 2008 starts an ominous trend of music-related catastrophes.

From CBS: [September, 20, 2008] Hours after performing for thousands of college students, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash that killed four people, authorities said.

Two other passengers — Chris Baker, 29, and Charles Still, 25 — died, as did pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, and co-pilot James Bland, 52, according to the county coroner. Baker was an assistant to Barker and Still was a security guard for the musician. Read the full story here.

You & Me was probably the most perfect record I heard this year. It stayed in my stereo the longest, even after ripping it onto the computer and was the only record of the year I bought on both vinyl and CD. It was soft and moody while still managing to rock with seeming reckless abandon, yet The Walkmen had control the entire time. They showed bits and pieces of some classy influences and in doing so, put together the soundtrack to this recent fall/winter, and the most solid album of the year. –Kyle Rother

Gigantic Music

To be honest I’m not a big watcher of music videos, but this video blew me away. Even though Alopecia beat out Heretic Pride in my overall listening this year, The Mountain Goats are still my favorite band, and this video is the perfect visual showcase of John Darnielle’s lyrical genius. –Jenn Misko

The Mountain Goats – “Sax Rohmer #1″

Despite being on a critically panned record, this highly acclaimed single was bumped far and wide by dance and indie kids alike. Along with Crystal Castles, Does It Offend You, Yeah? helped kick off 2008 as a year of raunchy, Justice-inspired, live dance music.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? – “We Are Rockstars”

With no rhyme or reason, our editorial staff chooses the top 10 biggest music-related news stories of 2008. Coming in at #9: The Meg White sex tape.

What started as a funny post on the Hipinion message board spread like wild fire, eventually becoming the 7th most searched phrase on the internet.

From The Daily Swarm: On Monday, September 17, at 6:17 AM, a long time member of the Hipinion forum community started a thread entitled MEG WHITE SEX TAPE with a simple link to a homemade porn video featuring a female sex partner who bore more than a passing resemblance to a certain rock and roll drummer. A brief 8-hour, 40-post debate ensued over the authenticity of its subject — with many of the same jokes that were soon to be made all over the world — before the thread slipped into the archives.

You can see the (obviously pornographic) video in question here.

The hoax became so wide spread that both the poster (Itsmecraig) and The White Stripes‘ publicist were forced to make public statements.

From Itsmecraig: Oh shit dudes, I found this video through random wank mining efforts and put it up here cause I figured you guys would have a laugh. It had nothing to do with Meg White when i found it.

From The White Stripes’ publicist: Some people have a very twisted sense of humor and this prank is in particularly bad taste. The tape circulating on the internet as featuring Meg White is fake. It’s definitely not Meg.