It’s my favorite time of the year – not only is it seasonably appropriate to force plush reindeer antlers on my beloved dog, Sawyer (pictured at right), but it’s also a time to look back on the albums and artists that pushed the musical needle forward in the year that was.

So with that in mind, I thought this the right avenue to get some good old fashioned top 5 banter going between our staff and our community.  Here are my (and Sawyer’s) 5 favorites.

5. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes

Have you ever thought you were cool and liked something super obscure, only to find it for sale on the counter for Starbucks on your way to work?  Yea. It happened to me with these guys.  That said, I can see why it did.  This record is a sweet, sweet combination of accessible and different, and though a certain alternative radio programmer I spoke with this year called them ‘the least edgy band he’d heard in decades,’ that’s all well and good.  Maybe the truth is, I’m not so edgy myself.  I’m wearing boat shoes and a collared shirt, I dig this record, and I’m not afraid to say so.

4.  Darker My Love: 2

This record rules.  It’s versatile. It’s coherent.  It rocks really hard.  I like it more with every listen. The first track makes me feel like I’m actually edgy despite the boat shoes and collared shirt mentioned in the last paragraph.

3.  Spiritualized: Songs in A&E

I would have put this at number two, but I’m kind of ticked off that track 5, Soul on Fire, has been stuck in my head since May.  I secretly liked this record better than the band’s critically acclaimed ‘Ladies and Gentlemen…’ until yesterday when I listened to ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ for the first time in a while and decided I was a moron for thinking anything could ever be better than that.  I stand corrected, but ‘Songs in A&E’ is near perfect in and of itself.

2.  Bon Iver:  For Emma , Forever Ago

I don’t want to talk about this one.  It’s too pretty and I might weep gently if I try to describe it in too much detail.  People in the office would judge me.

1. TV on the Radio: Dear Science

If you don’t own this record, go buy it now.  It’s great front to back, and still innovative while being by far their most accessible.  I saw them live at the Wilbur in Boston this fall and it was my favorite show of the year.  My number 1 by a long ways, and I listen to it at least once a week.

So, all in all a great year for great bands. I hope you’ll reply back with your own so I can poach your musical taste to selfishly expand my own horizons…

The Music Careers section of About.com is doing a feature this month called “The Great About.com Music Careers Website Wrap Up of 2008″ where they’re publishing interviews with music industry folks talking about their favorite music related stuff from 2008.  I had the honor of contributing and sharing the music I’ve been listening to, books I’ve been reading, websites that are shaking up the music business (other than Sonicbids of course), and more.  I also recap some of the exciting things that happened at Sonicbids in 2008.

Click here to read the interview.

Also as a special treat for you Sonicblog readers, here’s a section of the interview that didn’t make the final version where I recap my favorite music related Onion articles from 2008.

“The Onion had some very funny music related articles this year including Bands Don’t Ever All Get The Same Haircut Anymore, Hundreds Of Musicians Removed From Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame For Drug Use, and my personal favorite Soundgarden Inadvertently Reunites At Area Cinnabon.”