These are twenty-one songs available as MP3s that we linked to in 2008. They’re all still available (as of today), so download them now and make yourself a mix as a way to remember what you were listening to last year. I hear a lot of people moaning about how 2008 was a terrible year for music, but the list below proves there was plenty of good stuff, and it wasn’t even that hard to find.

• The Mountain Goats – “Sax Rohmer #1” from Heretic Pride. Posted Jan 3.

• Jack Penate – “Second, Minute or Hour” from Matinee. Posted Jan 8.

• Iron and Wine – “Innocent Bones” from The Shepherd’s Dog. Posted Feb 1.

• Vampire Weekend – “Oxford Comma” from Vampire Weekend. Posted Feb 5.

• MGMT – “Time To Pretend” from Oracular Spectacular. Posted March 26.

• Laura Cantrell – “Love Vigilantes” (New Order cover) from Trains and Boats and Planes. Posted Mar 26.

• The Krinkles – “Still in Love”. Posted April 1.

• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – “Country Roads” (John Denver cover) from Have Another Ball. Posted June 4.

• Silver Jews – “Strange Victory, Strange Defeat” from Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. Posted June 6.

• Conor Oberst – “Danny Callahan” from Conor Oberst. Posted July 17.

• Of Montreal – “Id Engager” from Skeletal Lamping. Posted Aug 6.

• Jeff Hanson – “If Only I Knew” from Madam Owl. Posted Aug 11.

• Benji Hughes – “I Went With Some Friends To See The Flaming Lips” from A Love Extreme. Posted Aug 27.

• Robyn Hitchcock – “Bad Case of History” from Luminous Groove. Posted Aug 29.

• Juliana Hatfield – “Shining On” from How to Walk Away. Posted Sept 2.

• The Broken West – “Auctioneer” from Now Or Heaven. Posted Sept 19.

• Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines” from The Stand Ins. Posted Oct 1.

• The Lucksmiths – “Up with the Sun” from First Frost. Posted Nov 26.

• Jay Reatard – “See/Saw” Matador Singles ’08. Posted Dec 1.

• She & Him – “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” from Volume One . Posted Dec 18.

• Eef Barzelay – “Lose Big” from Lose Big. Posted Dec 26.

Previously: The Best Legal MP3s of 2007; The Best Legal MP3s of 2006; 20 Tracks That Can Change Your Life (with liner notes). More MP3s.

Image via the Cassette Generator.