2008 was a good year for music – there were a lot of standout albums by some heavy hitters this year (at least one of which is returning to form after about a ten year absence). It was a pretty evenly paced year, every release coming a few months apart. Here are my picks for the five best albums of 2008, not in any particular order:

Death Magnetic – Metallica

A Hundred Million Suns – Snow Patrol

Viva La Vida – Coldplay

The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me – Brand New

Oracular Spectacular – MGMT