Sean from A Reminder – Australia’s favourite music blogging import – has once again toiled over his spreadsheet software and e-mail client and compiled responses from DJs and bloggers from across Australia to present a collective opinion of what the best bands in Australia and New Zealand are in 2008. I had the pleasure of contributing and had a lot of fun looking over the last year to see what had happened.

The list is largely solid, but there are a few surprises too. Go check out the list and definitely use it as a starting point for discovering some great music if you haven’t heard some of the acts.

Here are the bands I nominated as my top picks:

1. Nick Cave
   I feel like it’s an uber cliché to put him up here, but who else deserves to be? Also, he’s now proved he can write awesome soundtracks too.
2. Machine Translations
   Songwriting that will sneak up on you and completely lure you in. Guaranteed. Seven Seven was wonderful.
3. Snowman
   Brilliant. They deserve much more recognition – can’t wait to see what they do next.
4. The Drones
   I hope it’s not foolish to be putting these guys up this high, with me being so new to them and all. With the songs I’ve been hearing from Havilah and my spins of Gala Mill in the last couple of weeks, I’m quickly realising just how justified their reputation is. Exceptional. And profound.
5. Gotye
   While there’s been nothing new this year, his impact on re-energising the cause of DIY music is *still* being felt, and I think he may well have given it the kick-along it needed to set its sights even higher than it had been.
6. The Brunettes
   I knew they were great live, but I didn’t realise how wonderful this band were until Carly started playing their latest album over and over again when Nazzie was feeling a bit upset. I think I may be hooked. They nail it.
7. The Lucksmiths
   They’re back! They’re baaaa-aaaack. The new album is awesome.
8. Cuthbert & The Nightwalkers
   I just really love what they’re doing. I’m consistently amazed by how many people that normally wouldn’t go make an effort to see music, but are excited every time they hear Cuthbert and his crew are playing another show.
9. The Basics
   They’re still one of those bands that make music for everyone and do it with exceptional flair. I’ve never had someone see a show and walk away disappointed.
10. Pivot
    I think their achievements deserve merit, despite the fact that they’ve perhaps not yet succeeded in creating an album of timeless status.
11. Hermitude
    Similarly to Pivot, they haven’t yet created a legendary work, but they’re still Pretty Damn Good and have (and will) soundtrack many a party that I’ve hosted.
12. Crowded House
    SURPRISE VOTE. Yes, I am pulling out Pop Music That Cool People Don’t Vote For. Their last album may not be receiving ringing endorsements from me, but they still deserve a place in this list for Neil Finn’s songwriting.
13. The Cat Empire
    I was amazed that they didn’t appear *at* *all* in last year’s votes. their last album was a non-event for me, but see this band live and it’s hard to deny that 6 years of being one of Australia’s best known bands has not killed the qualities that made them successful to begin with. Plus, they inspired a resurgence of nation-wide interest in a key slice of Melbourne’s live music scene. 

No I don’t care if you don’t like my last two picks. So there!