It’s that time of year again — the turkey leftovers are long gone and we’re hearing Christmas music in every store in town, so it must be time for best-albums-of-year lists.

After screaming matches, insults and a fist fight or two, the dust has settled and the Stranger Dance staff stands before you united with our humble list of the Top 15 Albums of 2008. We’ve also listed our personal top ten lists below.

As always, please let us know how foolish we were (both collectively and individually) for leaving your favorite band’s album off in favor of our dreck.

For fun, you can also check out our favorite albums of 2007 and see how they hold up a year later.

Without further ado, here are our final picks for the finest records of the year. (Drum roll, please…)

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We have two pairs of tickets to give away for the San Francisco stop of the Converse Century Concert Series featuring The Black Keys and Dr. Dog at the Fillmore on October 30 (this Thursday).

To sweeten the deal, the good folks at Converse also threw in bracelets for a pre-show meet and greet with the bands. Not bad, huh?

The concert is the last in the Converse Century Concert Series, which is “designed to bring intimate gigs to fans at a reduced price.” If you were able to get tickets before they sold out, they were only $10, which you can’t beat with a stick. The series also included shows in Philadelphia featuring Sonic Youth and The Hold Steady; Chicago featuring N.E.R.D. and Bad Brains; and San Diego featuring Social Distortion and the Reverend Horton Heat. Each of those show sound pretty interesting, but I think they saved the best lineup for the San Francisco installment.

To win, simply send an email to stranger@strangerdance.com with your name and a favorite Black Keys or Dr Dog lyric. We’ll pick winners on Wednesday morning and contact them via email. Good luck.

[Editor's note: The contest is now closed. Thanks to all that entered, and congratulations to Katie and Dan. Enjoy the show!]

MP3s:

We’re having a very pirate-themed week here with a Lambchop-endorsed National Talk Like a Pirate Day yesterday and the Treasure Island Festival today and tomorrow.

Here’s a preview of some of the festival’s talent, including a lot of great Bay Area bands.

Saturday:

Sunday:

Anyone notice anything different? Hmmm… Yeah. New name AGAIN. I think this it though, I like the ring of Panther Picks. Don’t you?

This week I’ve got some real good stuff for you. I understand not everyone is as obsessed with Madlib as I am, but he just released a remix of Madvilliany which, of course, is only available for digital download at Stones Throw. To give you a little taste, I posted the original version of “Money Folder” along with its remix “Boulder Holder.” Along hip-hop lines, Kid Cudi’s new Mix Tape is interesting, if for no other reasons than the fact that it samples the likes of Band of Horses, Gnarls Barkley and many, many more. Enjoy “Cleveland is the Reason.”

Once again, I’ve also got to give Adrian over at ipickmynose credit for turning me on to something new – Two Sheds’ 2008 EP is money. And speaking of new music, you best pick up Dr. Dog’s Fate, an album that in the past two days has been playing non-stop on my iPod – Aquarium Drunkard also informs me that they are incredible live.

Another week, another reason to listen to music.

MP3s:

The lineup for Lollapolooza has been confirmed, and it looks like Perry Ferrel & Co. have thrown down the gauntlet, basically taking the Outside Lands Festival lineup, trimming some of the MoR-friendly fat, and mixing in more talent.

Word that Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, The Raconteurs, Wilco and Kanye West would headline the six-day festival in Chicago’s Grant Park came a few days ago. The full lineup was announced today after being leaked by Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times (who Ferrell has since dubbed “Pepe le Pew”).

[Full lineup after jump]
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