The 50 Best Albums of 2008

27

Brian Wilson THAT LUCKY OLD SUN Capitol

This modest treasure has the same warm glow of the Beach Boys' Wild Honey. There is a tender irony in the way Wilson refers to his late brothers Carl and Dennis in "Southern California" — for all of his recent healing, Wilson knows that without them, he can never feel entirely whole again.

28

The Knux REMIND ME IN THREE DAYS... Interscope

Two New Orleans natives busted hip-hop wide open on this hard-rocking debut, a mash-up of old-school rap playfulness, acrobatic rhymes, monster hooks and grimy punk riffs played by the MCs themselves. It's a masterpiece fit for free-thinking heads who prefer Chuck Taylors to bling.

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