BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Its . . .

Honorable Mention

OK GO, Oh No; Built To Spill, YOU IN REVERSE; She Wants Revenge, SHE WANTS REVENGE; The Soundtrack for STRANGER THAN FICTION; The Walkmen, A HUNDRED MILES OFF; Thom Yorke, THE ERASER; Wolfmother, WOLFMOTHER; The Strokes, FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EARTH; The Hold Steady, BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA; Bobby Bare Jr. Young Criminal’s Starvation League, THE LONGEST MEOW; Cat Power, THE GREATEST; Damien Rice, NINE

10. EEF BARZELAY, Bitter Honey

How can I bump Thom Yorke and The Strokes for my resident favorite guy you’ve never heard of? Easy: favoritism. I continue to nurture my hideous manlove for this four-eyed Jewish guy who really doesn’t look like he should be an alt-country headliner.

9. TV ON THE RADIO, Return to Cookie Mountain

I really want to see these guys live. They deserve a lot of the “best upcoming band/best band in the world” press they’re getting.

8. MARK KNOPFLER AND EMMYLOU HARRIS, All the Roadrunning

A joy. The best match since Peanut Butter and Jelly. Here’s hoping this is just the first of many collaborations.

7. JOSH RITTER, The Animal Years

I may be the only person out there who likes his earlier album, GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO, better. But this is still an excellent album. He is the best at what he does. If all singer-songwriters had the same self-effacing heartland swagger as Ritter, we wouldn’t have a problem.

6. THE FLAMING LIPS, At War With The Mystics

Has anyone else heard the rumors that you can play this along with Star Wars?

5. ELF POWER, Back To The Web

If the better psychedelic efforts of the 60's had any kind of hindsight and overview, this would be the album they’d produce.

4. NEKO CASE, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

I saw her at the Hi-Tone and she rocked. When she sings STAR WITNESS, I feel like my heart is going to explode.

3. THE DECEMBERISTS, The Crane Wife

Surprise, Surprise, right? After the hook-y PICARESQUE, my favorite album from last year, Meloy and co. return to HER MAJESTY THE DECEMBERISTS form. Only here they’ve continued to make that ambitious move of turning all their songs about pirates into some unpublished 18^th Century novel that you could have sworn you saw on PBS.

2. BECK, The Information

I think it’s one of Beck's best albums – that incredibly listenable bouncy pop and energy that never tries too hard to be loved. Is anyone working at as high a level as Mr. Odelay? Sadly, this album is being overlooked because of some kind of snobbery.

1. DESTROYER, Destroyers Rubies

Troubadour/Punk/New Pornographer Dan Bejar rocks out this almost ridiculously ambitious album. At once heartfelt and ridiculous, full of a violent passion. It has an emotional power that hangs with you three weeks later. I think this guy loves what he does and it shows. Bejar’s earlier efforts, YOUR BLUES and STREETHAWK: A SEDUCTION, are both really good, but nothing anticipated this.

TEN FAVORITE SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. Demon Valley, Bobby Bare Jr.

2. Your Blood, Destroyer

3. Star Witness, Neko Case

4. Ballad of Bitter Honey, Eef Barzelay

5. Painter in Your Pocket, Destroyer

6. Think I’m In Love, Beck

7. The Spider and the Fly, Elf Power

8. These Thing, She Wants Revenge

9. Goin’ Against Your Mind, Built To Spill

10. Dirtywhirl, TV on the Radio

Strangely, I didn’t buy or steal any albums I didn’t like. I don’t think.

Five Albums I bought this year that didn’t come out this year that I really liked

1. Recent Songs, Leonard Cohen

2. Here Come The Warm Jets, Brian Eno

3. Roy Orbison, Mystery Girl

4. Steely Dan, Katy Lied

5. The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Keep reading, kids!