The top 10 albums of 2008: No. 9

The Magnetic Fields
Distortion

Tips for distortion: Rewrite the Beach Boys' "California Girls" as a salvo against "The Hills" and its ilk; bemoan mistletoe at Christmas and hit the booze; take a walk in a nun's shoes -- are those stilettos? -- and make mama cry; have sex with a zombie (yes, a zombie); have someone drive you around; envy the courtesans and their unbreakable, gold-plated hearts. And don't forget to throw everything into a giant cochlea with tinnitus.

Read my review of Distortion here.