Other People's Music

The 2011 David Music Poll Results

2012-01-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

The 2011 David Music Poll Results

1. Adele, 21 (42 votes)
2. Bon Iver, Bon Iver (29)
3. Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials (25)
4. The Decemberists, The King is Dead (17)
5. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues (15)
6. M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (10)
Cults, Cults (10)
Radiohead, King of Limbs (10)
Lady Gaga, Born This Way (10)

Runners up: Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys (8), Lykki Li, Wounded Rhymes (8), The Weeknd, House of Balloons (8), PJ Harvey, Let England Shake (7), Feist, Metals (7), The Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart (7)

Notes: We had 89 respondents this year, and two impressive feats for Adele here. Ahe ekes out the highest vote total in the history of the poll (beating 2007’s The Neon Bible by Arcade Fire by one vote). And, for the first time in thirteen years, the collective poll’s top choice matches my own. As many of you say: It was Adele’s year. So how could we resist? Bon Iver, Florence + the Machine, and Fleet Foxes had strong showings for second albums, which is not always the case in the music poll (Arcade Fire notwithstanding). Radiohead hit the list for the fourth time – a first that Death Cab for Cutie would have matched if they’d gotten two more votes.

My choices leave me Rolling in the Deep

I must confess that this was not a particularly great music year for me. Good, yes. Great, no. I think any of my top four from last year would have beat the following for #1 this year. But so it goes. There’s still a lot to be happy about.

(1) Adele, 21

It’s a great album, and I spent the first half of the year listening to it fairly nonstop. And if contains at least three undeniably great songs (hello, “Rolling in the Deep”, “Turning Tables”, and “Someone Like You” – all of which will be played fifty years from now.) If I’m at all hesitant, it’s because Adele fatigue has set in – I’m ready to not listen to this for a while. But for posterity’s sake, it would be ridiculous of me to not recognize this as the album that was most essential to my year.

Best tracks: “Someone Like You”, “Turning Tables”, “Rolling in the Deep”

(2) Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials

Ultimately, this will probably prove more important to me than Adele’s album . . . but it hasn’t quite broken through to that point yet. I imagine I’m being unfair to it, like a parent who is secretly disappointed that the second child isn’t quite as awesome as the first one. Lungs is going to end up being one of my favorite albums of all time; I suspect Ceremonials will end up being (when I look back) one of my favorite albums of 2011. I also don’t know whether or not to count the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of the album, which aren’t nearly as good as the album proper. But putting that aside, it’s still a stunner. And “Shake it Out” came close to being my song of the year.

Best tracks: “Shake it Out”, “No Light, No Light”, “What the Water Gave Me”

(3) Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys

Just as my love for Lungs makes me too critical of Ceremonials, my disappointment in Narrow Stairs probably made me like Codes and Keys more. It’s indie pop at its best, with songs like “Some Boys” adding an edge to the romanticism.

Best tracks: “Some Boys”, “Codes and Keys”, “Stay Young, Go Dancing”

(4) Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes

Although there would be echoes of it in albums that came out later in the year, what struck me most about Wounded Rhymes was its singular sound – merging the Spector touch with indie rock to make music that harkened back to Be My Baby while at the same time feeling very now. Sexy, sad, and Swedish.

Best tracks: “Sadness is a Blessing”, “Youth Knows No Pain”, “Get Some”

Honorable mention:

Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Feist, Metals
Alexi Murdoch, Towards the Sun

The Firework Award for Song That Made Me Happiest This Year: Kelly Clarkson’s “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”

Songs of the Year (not counting those mentioned above):

Matt Nathanson, “Kiss Quick”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Heart in Your Heartbreak”
The Head and the Heart, “Rivers and Roads”
Avril Lavigne, “I Love You”
Fleet Foxes, “Helplessness Blues”
Robyn, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” (Coldplay cover)

Rumor Has Rachel L’s Picks

1. Adele, 21
2. Christina Perri, Lovestrong
3. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto

Elisa votes for Civilians

1. Wye Oak, Civilian
2. tUnE-yArDs, Whokill
3. Light Asylum, In Tension (EP)
4. Shabazz Palaces, Black Up
5. EMA, Past Martyred Saints
6. PJ Harvey, Let England Shake
7. Sons and Daughters, Mirror Mirror
8. Wild Flag, S/T
9. Das Racist, Relax
10. Kate Bush, Director's Cut

So Beautiful, So Sarah W. Says

Most Essential: Paul Simon, So Beautiful, So What

Anna Q Lets It Shake

Adele, 21

Civil Wars, Barton Hollow

Corinne Bailey Rae, The Sea*

Decemberists, The King Is Dead

Feist, Metals

PJ Harvey, Let England Shake

Florence and the Machine, Lungs*

Gaby Moreno, Illustrated Songs

(*- not 2011 releases, but listened to throughout 2011)

Andrew H Stands on Ceremonials

Most Essential Album
Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials
But Most Essential Song
Lana Del Ray, “Video Games”
Other Essential Albums
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Various Artists, The Breaking Dawn Soundtrack (with no apologies – it’s boot-stompingly, heart-chillingly fantastic)

Steven M’s Diamond Life

10. Cass McCombs, Wit's End - not sure how I've missed this guy (this is his fifth record). Singer-songwriter stuff, but pretty sparse, depressing, slow and dark. I find it captivating, and love his voice, although it sort of peters out by the end. Maybe would have been the album Harry Nilsson would be making if he was still around and backed up by The Clientele. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOcnITphyjk&ob=av2e

9. Radiohead, The King of Limbs. Full disclosure - they are my favorite band. I would buy just about anything they put out, no questions asked. Naturally, I eagerly anticipated this 2011 release and devoured it as soon as I got it. I have mixed emotions about it - I love the last four songs, but the first four don't do as much for me. The first four are amazing and a tremendous achievement, meaning I can't imagine any other band being able to play and construct those songs. However, other than "Little by Little," they seem to be missing something, namely a memorable hook or melody line for me. In some ways, they are in another world musically, not needing the typical song constructs to make their point. As for the final four tunes, I love them, they're so complex yet accessible. "Give up the Ghost" sounds like a long lost Neil Young tune, great touch. Here's the last tune on the record, a little disconcerting, the video is backwards, everyone plays left handed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaVylBJQsro Can't wait to see them on tour in 2012 if I'm lucky enough. No band comes close. Still have no idea why they added a second drummer though...

8. Feist, Metals. At first, this didn't grab me like it has at this point. I think things changed after seeing her live on this tour - I understand what she's trying to do a little more - use the vocals instead of other instruments to solo. I was hoping for another "The Reminder," but this is a departure from that. I especially love the background vocals throughout the record, pretty amazing. This could have been at the top of the list if it had a stronger single. With a single on par with "Mushaboom," this could have been a classic record. Still, really well-written and sung tunes, just a little too slow to bring out her best. She's still the best female rock star. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INtvoVTYeGc

7. Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes - I have the record she made before this, which I enjoy, but she made a big step on this record - much more consistent in both quality and as a record as a whole. I definitely enjoy the record more than the concert, which I thought became tiresome. I really like the influences on this record - '60's Rock and roll, heavy percussive drums, never as present as in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7hqiiKwuJE

6. Little Scream, The Golden Record - Wow, when did this list turn into the "Lilith Faire," with three female artists in a row? Not as surprising as my three Swedish artists in a row in '10's list, but interesting nonetheless. As far as I can tell, Little Scream is, like Feist, from Montreal. Some of these songs are really really good, and the performances are great. No telling what the ceiling is for Little Scream, the songs are varied, not formulaic and all hit the mark. My favorite song isn't necessarily the best, but my favorite because its very Townshend/Who-ish, judge for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zafwnCzuO9M My hope for the years to come is for Little Scream to team up with Thom Yorke, what a combination that would be.

5. Dawes, Nothing is Wrong - Solid songwriting from an LA band - nothing incendiary, but a good listen, Americana/roots music-style. Like Lykke Li, the better performance is on the record, they could tighten things up live. Perhaps a little too Jackson Browne/classic rock sounding, but hey one of the great revelations in the Keith Richards' book is that he listened to "Running on Empty" ("We were in the Pathé Marconi studios because they were owned by EMI, with whom we'd just made a big deal. This one was way on the outskirts of town in Boulogne-Billancourt, near the Renault factory; nothing around like restaurants or bars. It was a car ride, and I remember that I was listening to Jackson Browne's Running on Empty on a daily commuter basis."). In fact, this song has him on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdjxDLZrtKQ. Like the harmonies between the two brothers, including the drummer.
4. The Naked and Famous, Passive Me Agressive You: it's about time a Kiwi band made it back on the list. Just a fun record, good time music, a good tonic for just about every record preceding this on the list. What they lack in musical chops they more than make up in energy, sophmoric mostly, but without sounding teenage. Good mostly synth party record. Not the greatest song, but what a great title in "A Wolf in Geek's Clothing." You had me at "A Wolf..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQOwFyGG9Bc

3. Belle Brigade, Belle Brigade - The opener on the now legendary Belle Brigade/Dawes/Blitzen Trapper show this Fall at the Fillmore, I had no expectations. However, the band was hot, performances and vocals spectacular, what a great set. Definitely glad we got there early that night. At that point, I already had the record, and enjoyed it. From the record, I hadn't put it together that the singers are brother and sister. But instead playing Phil and Don, its more of a Nash and Crosby harmony sound, they actually shoot for a CSN sound and pull it off. To credit the vocals for the success of the record is shortsighted - the songs are strong alt.country with inspired performances. Once they get some more tunes under their belt, they could be a force. Quite a debut record. Here's a song with them without the band. In the bath. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1p7EG65tf4

2. Nick Lowe, The Old Magic - I spent a lot of the first part of the year listening to Nick Lowe's back catalog, finding my favorites being the later half of his career. I went to a memorable Elvis Costello this summer and Elvis played "Peace, Love, and Understanding," introducing it as written by England's greatest songwriter - Nick Lowe. From that point on, I was excited about "The Old Magic," and he, as usual, didn't disappoint. Shelagh and I were lucky enough to see him play the record solo at the Great American Music Hall, and the songs and performance were charming and impeccable. He makes songwriting seem so easy. Each song is fantastic, though the 50's songs are probably one too many, but that's nitpicking. What I would do to be able to write a song like "Stoplight Roses" or "House For Sale (at 9:12 of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKhawkQQQmY)." He's also kind enough to throw in "The Poisoned Rose," from my favorite Elvis record, "King of America." He opened up for Wilco this year on tour, must have been a hell of a show.

1. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Diamond Mine - This was one of the last records I heard this year, and am so glad I was able to find it. Just absolutely mesmerizing. When I play it in iTunes, it comes up as "electronica," but I believe its the "folkiest" record I've bought in years. It's a mix of Creosote's stripped down songs and Hopkins' smart production and electronic input, somewhat like Alan Parson's additions to "Dark Side of the Moon." Creosote himself decribes it as a ""soundtrack to a romanticized version of a life lived in a Scottish coastal village, the record weaves in slices of life, bike wheels, spring tides, tea cups and cafe chatter." One of those records I wish was a little longer, just an intense atmosphere of a Scottish world through words, music and effects. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ723RFTe4Q

Best music moment of the year - Without a doubt, the highlight of the year, musically speaking, was getting a chance to meet THE Brian Wilson at Amoeba Records, as he signed a copy of the recently released "Smile" for me. Other than Mozart himself arising from the dead, I can't imagine meeting a bigger musical hero. What a thrill, I couldn't have been happier, and all he said to me was, "your welcome."

My favorite two songs of the year were Mogwai's "White Noise" the (naturally) instrumental opener from the best named record of the year, "Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ovFDMCPoHQ; and Low's "Try To Sleep" from "C'Mon": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXgc0I0zsYs (best use of Stamos since "Stepbrothers").

Ben W Turns Some Tables

1. Adele, 21
2. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
3. Beyonce, 4
4. Jay Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne
5. Lady Gaga, Born this Way
6. Paul Simon, So Beautiful or So What
7. Radiohead, King of Limbs
8. The Decemberists, The King is Dead

Favorite new band is Aunt Martha.

Ned V. Strikes Out for the Riviera

Most essential:

Metronomy, The English Riviera

Other essential:
The Strokes, Angles

Rock on!

Stewart L, Blake Baby

1) Jonsi, Go*
2) James Blake, James Blake
3) Imogen Heap, Ellipse*
4) Kate Bush, 50 Words For Snow
5) Mike Doughty, Yes And Also Yes
6) One Eskimo, One Eskimo, EP
7) Mat Kearny, Young Love
8) Radical Face, Ghost
9) Thom Yorke, The Eraser*
10) Gregory Alan Isakov, This Empty Northern Hemisphere

(*- not 2011 releases, but listened to throughout 2011)

Megan B’s Essentials: DeCoded

So here are my essential albums for 2011:

1. Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys
2. Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
3. Adele, 21
4. Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials
5. Radiohead, King of Limbs
Singles:1. Death Cab for Cutie, Stay Young Go Dancing2. Adele, Rolling in the Deep3. Florence and the Machine, What the Water Gave Me4. Black Keyes, Lonely Boy5. Beastie Boys featuring Santigold, Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win6. Young the Giant, Cough Syrup

Jeff S, Arch Loafer

Here’s my top 10 for the year:

1. Archers of Loaf, Icky Mettle reissue! / Can, Tago Mago reissue! / Superchunk, Foolish reissue!

2. The Weeknd, House of Balloons & Thursday

3. Youth Lagoon, The Year of Hibernation

4. Battles, Gloss Drop

5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Belong

6. PJ Harvey, Let England Shake

7. Iceage, New Brigade

8. Bon Iver, Bon Iver

9. Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost

10. Fucked Up, David Comes to Life

Aimee F. Finds Someone Like You

These are my shameless-pop single picks:

Obvious, but: SOMEONE LIKE YOU (Adele)

It’s sort of terrible, but can’t stop listening: MOVES LIKE JAGGER (Maroon 5)

Ditto: S&M (Rihanna)

THE EDGE OF GLORY (Gaga)

I WANNA GO and TILL THE WORLD ENDS (Britney)

PARTY ROCK ANTHEM (LMFAO)

Clearly I was in a dancing mood this year…

Dan P Rages for the Machine

This one's easy:

1. Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials
2. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
3. Patrick Wolf, Lupercalia
4. Adele, 21

One I missed from last year:
The Naked and Famous, Passive Me Agressive You

And some with future potential:
Katie Herzig, The Waking Sleep
Youth Lagoon, The Year of Hibernation

Corey W, Bon Vivant

My most essential album for the year:

1. Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Best Single of the Year:

1. "We Are Young," Fun, Some Nights

Wye? Because Jon S Loves Them!

The number ten cannot contain my favorite albums for the year!

12. Fucked Up, David Comes to Life
11. Times New Viking, Dancer Equired
10. Wild Flag, Wild Flag
9. Wavves, Life Sux
8. Zola Jesus, Conatus
7. Tom Waits, Bad As Me
6. EMA, Past Life Martyred Saints
5. Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes
4. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
3. Youth Lagoon, The Year of Hibernation
2. tUnE yArDs, w h o k i l l

And my favorite album of the year, from a band who I've always loved and who I have watched mature over the course of several albums into artists I hope will be a lasting influence on rock music:

1. Wye Oak, Civilian

Kate H’s Bon Mots

#1: Bon Iver, Bon Iver

runners up:

Radiohead, King of Limbs

Other Lives, Tamer Animals

The Black Keys, El Camino

Feist, Metals

Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi, Rome

discoveries from previous years:

Gayngs, Relayted

The XX, XX

Doomtree, Doomtree

Four Tet, There Is Love In You

Lucas K Hurries Up His Choices

1. M83, Hurry Up We're Dreaming
2. The Antlers, Burst Apart
3. Cut Copy, Zonoscope
4. The Go! Team, Rolling Blackouts
5. The Mountain Goats, All Eternals Deck
6. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Belong
7. The Decemberists, The King is Dead
8. Jay-Z/Kanye West, Watch the Throne
9. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
10. Sebastian, Total

Michael T is Workng for the Weeknd

Here is a list (in descending order) of my favorite albums and songs of the year.

1. The Weeknd: House of Balloons
2. Cults: Cults
3. tUnE-yArDs: whokill
4. James Blake: James Blake
5. Bon Iver: Bon Iver

Singles:
1. Azealia Banks: 212
2. Fun.: We Are Young
3. Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks
4. Laura Marling: Sophia
5. Cut Copy: Need You Now

Jeff H Rolls Some Stones

Didn't hear alot of the bigger albums this year but I really liked....

Raphael Saadiq, Stone Rollin

Adele, 21

Yeesh, that Adele pick makes me feel so middle of the road. But what can you do? It's good.

Bright Eyes Has the Key to Josh B’s Heart

My essential albums of 2011 are:

Bright Eyes, The People's Key
PJ Harvey, Let England Shake
Wilco, The Whole Love

Bright Eyes is my favorite, even with the weird rambling speeches by a possibly insane person between the songs.

Jinny W Finds Music For a Time of War

Here are my picks:

1. Carlos Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony, Music for a Time of War.

2. Emerson String Quartet, Mozart's Prussian Quartets.

3. Takacs String Quartet, Haydn Quartets Op. 71.

Dissing Places, Kody K Votes for People and Things

Albums:
1. Jack's Mannequin, People and Things
2. The Civil Wars, Barton Hallow
3. Adele, 21
4. All Time Low, Dirty Work
5. Lady Gaga, Born This Way
6. Jessie J, Who You Are

Best Import:
Birdy, Birdy

Best Singles:
1. Fun, We Are Young
2. Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars, Safe and Sound
3. Snow Patrol, New York

Kristen K’s One and Only

1. Adele, 21Favorite songs:Nicki Minaj, Super BassFuck You, Cee Lo Green

...is the same as Alecia’s One and Only

My fave this year was 21 by Adele.

Matthue R Goes Camp

Weird thing: There's not much punk/loud stuff on here. I mean, Wild Flag, but that might be a vote for my past. I think that the most exciting stuff I'm finding is stuff that I'm just starting to give a second thought to? Also, other thing: A lot of the albums here are free mixtapes that the artists give away online. I mean, I love the hip-hop community.

most essential: Childish Gambino, Camp

and:
2. Wild Flag, Wild Flag
3. Frank Ocean, nostalgia, ultra.
4. Shondes, Searchlights
5. Regina Spektor, Live in London
6. Roots, undun
7. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
8. Girls in Trouble, Like You, Like Me
9. The Amy Winehouse uncollected-songs album.
10. House of Balloons, The Weeknd

For Kirsten H, No Poison Iver

but of course, number one goes to:

Bon Iver: Bon Iver

others I adore:

M83: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

TV on the Radio: Nine Types of Light

Lykke Li: Wounded Rhymes

The Joy Formidable: The Big Roar

Tegan and Sara: Get Along

Radiohead: The King of Limbs

Nero: Welcome Reality (...that's right, I included a dubstep album)

The Antlers: Burst Apart

Explosions in the Sky: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Scott T Bangs His Drums

2011 Most Essential Album

The Drums, Portamento - catchiest record of the year for me. In heavy heavy rotation via Spotify until I finally got my Xmas copy

Other 2011 Essentials

Cut Copy, Zonoscope - follow-up to another essential proves equally essential
Ladytron, Gravity the Seducer - another classic from Ladytron
Washed Out, Within and Without - Infectious from first listen

Essentials Discovered in 2011

Bag Raiders, Bag Raiders (2010) - another brilliant Aussie electropop band
Daft Punk, Tron:Legacy Soundtrack (2010) - film was just an excuse for this amazing record. It almost made the movie good.

Patrick C Joins the Cult of Cults

TOP
Cults - Cults. Fell for the 60's vibe!

RUNNER UP
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Sara R loves her Girl Talk

Girl Talk, All Day

in part because of Girl Walk All Day, which is deeply joyous and fantastic.

I could mention other albums but really that is the one which was most essential in 2011.

Elana V Keeps Her Bones

My picks are:
1. Frank Turner, England Keep My Bones -- he's my favorite and best discovery of the year; "I Still Believe" is an essential single

Followed by -- The Decemberists, The Kind is Dead;
And of course, Adele.

Kate W Chooses Her King

King of Limbs, Radiohead
Brothers, The Black Keys
Live at Third Man, White Denim

Matthew U Sets Fire to the Rain

Most essential album:
Adele, 21
It's her year, there's no escaping it...

Other essential albums:
Gillian Welch, The Harrow and the Harvest
The Civil Wars, Barton Hollow
Moby, Destroyed
Brian Eno, Drums Between the Bells
Shpongle, The God Particle (EP, full album coming soon)

Artist I bought this year that I can't believe I wasn't already worshipping:
Neko Case, all her albums

Discoveries from the past:
Groove Armada, Black Light
Deadmau5, 4x4=12

Preeti C Heads Toward a Fall

Essential album of 2011: Gorillaz – The Fall
My favorite 2011 discovery (though it came out in 2010): Kid Canaveral – Shouting at the Wildlife

Dean B.’s Tide is High

Favorite Albums of 2011:1. Beirut - Rip Tide2. Alexi Murdoch - Towards The Sun3. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire4. Radiohead - King Of Limbs5. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake6. Bon Iver - s/t7. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now8. Mike Doughty - Yes And Also Yes9. Feist - Metals10. Eddie Vedder - Ukelele Songs11. Thao & Mirah - s/t

2011 Favorites Mix Tape1. Lotus Flower – Radiohead2. Sad Song – The Cars3. Under Cover of Darkness – The Strokes4. Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win – Beastie Boys f/Santogold5. Discoverer - R.E.M.6. The Trick – Das Racist7. Keep Your Heart - TV on the Radio8. East Harlem – Beirut9. The Glorious Land – PJ Harvey10. How Dare You – Thao & Mirah11. Ashes & Fire – Ryan Adams12. Comfort Me – Feist13. Rational Man – Mike Doughty14. You Are A Tourist – Death Cab for Cutie15. The Broken Places – Moby16. Holocene – Bon Iver17. Virus – Bjork18. Through The Dark – Alexi Murdoch19. One Sunday Morning - Wilco

Josh L’s King David

1. Decemberists, The King is Dead2. Fucked Up, David Comes to Life

Scott D’s Bout That Life

1. Lady, Bout Dat Life2. Lady Gaga, Born This Way3. Rihanna, Talk That Talk

Rob M’s Counting His Days

1. Real Estate - Days
2. Caged Animals - Eat Your Own
3. Bewitched Hands - Birds & Drums
4. Yuck - S/T
5. Cloud Nothings - S/T
6. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
7. Hooray For Earth - True Loves
8. New Animal - S/T
9. Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
10. Hotel Mexico - His Jeweled Letter Box
11. War On Drugs - Future Weather
12. Ume - Phantoms
13. The Horrors - Skying

Fiona S Takes it All

Adele, 21

Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials

The Decemberists, The King is Dead

Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto

Beyonce, 4

Almost Great/Should have been:

Lady Gaga, Born This Way

Jasper D Shakes it Out

Most essential album of 2011:

Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials

Other essential albums of 2011, in no particular order:

Adele, 21
Lady Gaga, Born This Way
Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes
Jessie J, Who You Are
Rachael Yamagata, Chesapeake
Patrick Wolf, Lupercalia
Ellie Goulding, Lights
Bjork, Biophilia
St. Vincent, Strange Mercy

What a fantastic year for music.

Lauren O Rises the Ashes

Ryan Adams, Ashes and Fire!
Incredible writing, driving, and lounging-by-the-fire-doing-nothing accompaniment. :)

Paula M Keys In Her Choices

It was hard to narrow down the list but I think I have finally done it. 1. Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys This was a hard call to make. Death Cab and Florence + the machine were my top choices. If I were being completely honest, I'd tell you Florence had the better album and I let my sick obsession with Death Cab color my decision. But honesty be damned. I decided to pick Codes and Keys because it was most essential to me even if it wasn't the best album of the year. 2. Florence + the machine, Ceremonials Fine, I'll be honest. It was the best. 3. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, BelongI discovered this album because Rhapsody recommended it and I absolutely love it. I've sung it's praises to many people. However, no one seems to have heard of it. I'm not exactly on the cutting edge of the music scene so this leads me to believe that the band may not actually exist. 4. Destroyer, KaputtI have been a long time Destroyer fan and this album does not disappoint. It makes me quite happy. 5. The Head and The Heart, The Head and The HeartI'm not sure if this one actually counts. I loved the album but I only recently learned it was actually a re-release. (Not on the cutting edge, remember?) Do re-releases count here? Probably not but this album was essential to me. 6. Bon Iver, Bon IverI finally caught up and got on the Bon Iver wagon. Everyone was right. It's amazing. 7. Adele, 21I know she has been horrendously over played. My husband is so sick of her he can barely control his verbal assaults each time she comes on the radio. But this album broke my heart. It broke my heart into a hundred pieces and threw them on the floor. Afterwards, it helped me pick up every piece. And what more can you really ask of an album? 8. Real Estate, DaysThis was a late in the year find but it became essential quite quickly. Just listen to "It's Real." 9. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
It's just a good, old fashioned album about love and heartbreak.

10. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Some songs can be skipped but they had me at "Midnight City."
11ish. If number 5 doesn't count, move everything else up and add Alex Turner at number 10.

Honorable Mention
Bright Eyes, The People's Key
Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
Big Talk, Big Talk
Alex Turner, Submarine
Cat's Eyes, Cat's Eyes
Tune-yards, w h o k i l l

Bill K Goes for the Head, Heart

1) The Head and the Heart/The Head and the Heart Perfect chill-out music for an evening drive. Harmonies straight out of the Indigo Girls playbook. If you don't like "Rivers and Roads"
there may be something wrong with you.

2) Foster the People/Torches
Awesome pop music. Listened to it a million times this summer and fall. "Call It What You Want" is my favorite track.

3) Adele/21
'Twas the year of Adele. Did you know that "Someone Like You" was the first number one song in more than a decade to feature just piano and vocal. A fact.

4) Guster/Easy Wonderful
Maybe this is a 2010, but man is it good. I found it in 2011 so that's enough for me.

5) Haley Reinhart
I know. American Idol is over. But this girl is so amazing, I could, as Simon Cowell might have said, listen to her sing the phone book.
Her version of Benny and the Jets was my favorite vocal performance of the year.

Rex O. has the Hundred in his Hands

THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS (self-titled album) is easily my fave new band.
NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB (album: Optimist) comes in as a close second.
CRYSTAL CASTLES(self-titled) in third.
ADELE, 21 in fourth

Eamon T Says This to All The Girls

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
(Each record keeps getting better. Amazing.)

The Kills - Blood Pressure
(How two people can be this cool is beyond me.)

Lady Gaga - Born This Way
(Undeniable.)

Chapel Club - Palace
(Best new English band.)

Blood Orange - Coastal Grooves
(Dev Hynes latest and best project to date.)

Adele - 21
(Also undeniable.)

Beth Ditto - Beth Ditto EP
(She's everything.)

Wild Flag - Wild Flag
(The 90's really are alive in Portland. Rock n' Roll chicks. Yes!)

Hercules and Love Affair - Blue Songs
(Real disco)

Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials
(As much as I don't want to like this...I find myself singing Shake It Off on a daily basis)

Honorable Mentions...
Pj Harvey - Let England Shake
Cults - Cults
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong
The Rapture - In the Grace of Your Heart

Looking forward to in 2012
Scissor Sisters - not in love with the single they just released...but can see it's commercial appeal
Lady Gaga - just announced she'll be putting out another record. Don't know how Mother Monster does it all.
Suede - rumors are that they're working on new material

Alaya J’s Americana Harvest

Most essential album of the year:

The Harrow and the Harvest, Gillian Welch (Welch's first album in eight years. Every song is gorgeous. Her voice is one for the ages.
David Rawlings' guitar gently weeps, and you haven't heard harmony until you listen to them sing together. This album felt like a gift.)

Other favorite albums of the year:

The King Is Dead, The Decemberists (Almost made my most essential, except no one can beat Gillian Welch. But she sings on this album!
Which might be my favorite Decemberists record. The English-major-relaxes-in-the-country thing works for them.)

Cults, Cults (I listened to this a lot. I figured it should get a mention on the merits of play count alone.)

El Camino, The Black Keys (Short, sweet and loud.) The Rip Tide, Beirut (This didn't get much love from the press, but I find Beirut compulsively listenable, and this one is no exception).

So Beautiful or So What, Paul Simon (Paul Simon steps up his game.
"Waiting for Christmas Day" and "The Afterlife" are quirky, classic Paul Simon stand outs.)

Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes (This didn't sweep me away quite as much as their debut, but it's still an immersive, mesmerizing album.)

Bon Iver, Bon Iver (I don't get the last song. It hurts me. Everything else is great).

Simmerkane II, Chadwick Stokes (I stumbled upon this album via the song "Coffee & Wine," which I strongly suggest you download right now.
Catchy, playful, old-new Americana.)

Singles:

Pumped Up Kicks, Foster The People (Have I listened to this song about a hundred times since I first heard it? Yes. Have I danced every time?
Almost.)

Shake It Up, Florence + The Machine (The album as a whole doesn't quite work for me, but I love this track).

Blue Jeans, Lana Del Rey (I love this song! Video Games is all right, but this is the one that's got the embarrassingly high play count. It reminds me of how much I, too, love the "Marlon Brando in Streetcar Named Desire" look).

Albums I'm sorry I missed last year:

The Turista, Josh Rouse (I love this guy. It's sort of like soft rock, except I normally hate soft rock. Just easy and beautiful and unpretentious. This might be my favorite album of his yet).

Be My Thrill, The Weepies (Actually, is this a theme? Another easy, unpretentious band. I read a review that described their music as being like a "warm hug." Who doesn't like warm hugs?)

Steven M Says, Long Live the King

1. The Decemberists, The King is Dead
2. Brave Irene, Self-titled
3. Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations, Self-titled
4. Brown Recluse, Evening Tapestry
5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Belong
6. Chixdiggit, Safeways Here We Come
7. Tenement, Napalm Dream
8. Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, Go Down Under
9. P.S. Eliot, Sadie ________________________________

Bryant P Sings the Blues

Most essential albums of 2011, with most essential tracks for each:1. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues"Helplessness Blues," "Bedouin Dress," "Montezuma"2. Smith Westerns, Dye It Blonde"Imagine Pt. 3," "Weekend"3. Kelly Clarkson, Stronger"Stronger," "You Can't Win," "Dark Side"4. M83, Hurry Up We're Dreaming"Splendor," "Midnight City"5. Cults, Cults"Never Saw the Point," "Walk at Night"6. Craft Spells, Idle Labor"After the Moment," "Scandinavian Crush"7. The Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart"Ghosts," "Cats and Dogs"8. Seryn, This Is Where We Are"We Will All Be Changed"9. Tennis, Cape Dory"Cape Dory," "South Carolina"10. The Drums, Portamento"I Don't Know How to Love," "Money"Honorable mention, but not quite essential: Washed Out, Within and Without; Bon Iver, Bon Iver; Toro y Moi, Underneath the Pine; Thao & Mirah, Thao & Mirah; Charles Bradley, No Time for DreamingTracks I listened to the most this year: "Ghosts" by The Head and the Heart (110); "Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes (107); "Imagine Pt. 3" by Smith Westerns (100)

What the Water Gave Marie R

Most essential:
Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials

Also essential:
Adele, 21
Feist, Metals
The Head and the Heart

Erich N Reaches 21, Drinks It In

1. Adele, 21

The Roots, Undun
Jay-Z & Kanye West, Watch the Throne
The Weeknd, House of Balloons
Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, Rome
Amos Lee, Mission Bell
Lady Gaga, Born This Way
Beyonce, 4
TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light

Anna O Joins the Goat Rodeo

Most Essential Album:
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, The Goat Rodeo Sessions
If you love classical and bluegrass, this is the album you’ve been waiting for.

Other Favorites:
Beirut, Rip Tide
I go up and down on Beirut, but I enjoyed a lot of the songs on this album

Adele, 21
21 was my first introduction to Adele (I still haven’t listened to all of 19). That voice!

Unfortunately that’s about it for albums. Only since 2009-2010 have I gradually been getting into The Decemberists, Avett Brothers, Vampire Weekend, and Mumford & Sons. So I listened to a lot of their albums last year to my great enjoyment. I can’t get enough of the collaboration between Mumford, The Dharohar Project, and Laura Marling. Only 4 songs, but the amount I’ve played them they seem to be an entire album’s worth.

Teri Y Was Born a Wolf

I think this was a pretty good year for music. Often I find an album I love and then a few months later I find myself not listening to it at all any more. This year I kept going back to albums and not just for that one great single.

This year I had two most essential albums:
Patrick Wolf, Lupercalia
Lady Gaga, Born This Way

Then in no particular order:
The Wanted, Battleground
Ellie Goulding, Bright Lights
Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials
Zebrahead, Get Nice!
Avril Lavigne, Goodbye Lullaby
Cobra Starship, Night Shades
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger
I think it's also important to point out that Robyn, Body Talk is still going strong even though it's been out since 2010.

Top Singles:
Blake Lewis, Heartbreak on Vinyl
Travie McCoy, We'll Be Alright
The Good Natured, Wolves
Britney Spears, Till the World Ends
Karmin, Crash Your Party
Many, many songs from Glee

Best find I missed last year:Chromeo, Business Casual

Lonnie M’s Playing By Heart

Jonathan Coulton, Artificial Heart

Josh R’s Bon Voyage

Bon Iver was hands down my top album of the year, and seeing the band perform live, it was an incredible experience.
Here are my top ten albums of the year:

1: Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2: Feist, Metals
3: Bombay Bicycle Club, A Different Kind of Fix
4: The Antlers, Burst Apart
5: Florence & The Machine, Ceremonials
6: Foster the People, Toches
7: PJ Harvey, Let England Shake
8: Radiohead, The King of Limbs
9: Bright Eyes, The People's Key
10: Coldplay, Xylo Myloto

Elizabeth E Makes Me Stronger

MOST ESSENTIAL
Adele, 21 - Duh.

MOST ESSENTIAL: INNER 16 YEAR OLD
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger - beware boys everywhere, Kelly is back and she's been screwed over. And it's so much fun for the rest of us!

ESSENTIAL
Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials
The Black Keys, El Camino
Death Cab for Cutie, Codes & Keys
The Decemberists, The King is Dead
Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
Foster the People, Torches
Blind Pilot, We are the Tide
Oh Land, Oh Land
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Marketa Irglova, Anar
The Jezabels, Prisoner

Kevin W’s Lips Are Unsealed

2011 Albums1. Black Lips, Arabia Mountain -- The best Black Lips effort yet pretty much makes it the best album of the year. I repaired and painted the exterior of my house this summer. I live in Alabama. It's hot in the summer in Alabama, very hot. But this Black Lips album made that a fun experience, truth be told. There are at least six or seven songs on here -- "Raw Meat," "Bone Marrow" and "New Direction" in particular -- that make it impossible to remain in a bad mood.

2. The King Khan Experience, The King Khan Experience -- You know what else is good? Free music. Especially free music by Mr. Supernatural himself. Who cares if this was brought to the world from a car company?

3. The Reigning Sound, Abdication -- Another free album from Scion A/V. Honestly, it's not Greg Cartwright's finest work, but even his B game is better than most people's A game.Top single, 20111. Hunx and His Punkettes, Lover's Lane -- I don't know if this was released under Hunx and his Punx or his Punkettes or what, but it's just a slithering little stunner. I am pretty sure this is what Phil Spector had in his heart of hearts all along.

2. Indian Wars, Tuscaloosa Bar -- Okay, so there are better songs out there, but I'm kind of obligated to list this seeing as I live in T-Town.

Early favorites for best song of 2012
King Khan and His Shrines, Bite My Tongue -- Everybody should see a King Khan show before it's too late. Seriously. If you can't have fun at one of his shows you are likely dead or Newt Gingrich.
Mikal Cronin, Am I Wrong -- This is the flipside to the King Khan track. I know precious little about this guy, but this track's a fine start.

Most disappointing album, 2011
The Ettes, Wicked Will -- Meh. Just meh. I guess she left her best work with The Parting Gifts.

Albums from 2010 that was released too late to make the list:
White Wires, WWII -- Who says I don't appreciate straight-out pop?
Sugar Stems, Sweet Sounds Of -- I mean, really, I like a good pop song.

Annie M Wants Someone Like Adele

Overall the year belongs to Adele, 21
Promising new discovery: Agnes Obel, Philharmonics
Most interesting Sound of Music remix: Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata, The Hills Are Alive
And the Broadway album of the year would have to go to The Book of Mormon

Amanda M and the Big Nine

TV On the Radio, Nine Types of Light

Eugene K Watches the Throne

I don't know that I have an album that I would consider the most essential. It's kind of a toss up between Watch the Throne and Bon Iver and the James Blake.

Kanye West & Jay Z, Watch the Throne
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
James Blake, James Blake
Kendrick Lamar, Seection:80
The Weeknd, House of Balloons
Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes
EMA, Past Life Martyred Saints
Frank Ocean, Nostanlia/ultra
BEBETUNE$, inhale C-4 $$$$$
dj BC, Another Jay On Earth

Emelia Z, 21 at Heart

Adele, 21
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto

Drew L. Prepares for the Jihad

1. Andrew Jackson Jihad, Knife Man
2. Bomb the Music Industry!, Vacation
3. The Horrible Crowes, Elsie

Honorable mention:

Wu Lyf, Go Tell Fire on the Mountain
Girls, Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Jordan S Drinks the Wine

I think I only have one standout for 2011:

Iron & Wine, Kiss Each Other Clean

Ryan C’s Washed Out 2011

1. Washed Out, Within and Without
2. James Blake, James Blake
3. Destroyer, Kaputt
4. M83, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
5. The Weeknd, House of Balloons
6. JJ, Kills
7. How to Dress Well, Just Once EP
8. Cults, Cults
9. Girls, Father, Son, Holy Ghost
10. Drive soundtrack

Sarah DL’s Show of Compassion

Album of the year: CAKE: Showroom of Compassion although I still haven't forgiven the band for playing their New York shows on the nights of the Passover seder so I couldn't have my Cake and eat it too.

Songs: LMFAO - Sexy and I Know It Serious ear worm. Has the added bonus that my teen daughter is absolutely mortified that I downloaded it. I'm practicing singing it in the car so that I can break it out the next time she and I are in the presence of a karaoke machine. Cause I'm evil that way.

I also admit to a strange fascination with DJ RedFoo, who in addition to being Berry Gordy's son, is a former day trader who's appeared on Jim Cramer's Mad Money. AND he cites my favorite band, Led Zeppelin, as an influence. I used to work on Wall Street. We both like Led Zeppelin. It's like we're….soul mates. But seriously, what I REALLY want to know is: What's the deal with the dude with the box on his head?

Don’t Underestimate the Things Cassandra P Will Do With Her Picks

Here's my list, ranked in order (reluctantly):

1. Adele, 21
2. The Weeknd, Thursday
3. The Weeknd, House of Balloons
4. Beyonce, 4
5. Drake, Take Care
6. Rihanna, Talk That Talk
7. Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials
8. Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne
9. Wale, Ambition
10. The Weeknd, Echoes of Silence

Ronnie A’s Favorite Movie Moments

A number of movies this year shunned original scores and used classical pieces to great effect. The two best were Tree of Life (favorite cut: Zbigniew Preisner’s Lacrimosa 2 during the creation sequence) and the opening of Melancholia with Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (the only movie this year to use that music properly). The rest:

Le Havre, Little Bob kicks ass
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Attack the Block, Basement Jaxx
Jane Eyre, Dario Marianelli
Moneyball, “The Mighty Rio Grande” by This Will Destroy You and “The Show,” written by Lenka, performed by Kerris Dorsey
Take Shelter, David Wingo
Carey Mulligan singing New York, New York in Shame
Downton Abbey, the moment Sybil comes down to dinner wearing her bloomers. I can listen to that music cue over and over (Alfie Boe)

Veronica W’s List Bursts Apart

The Antlers, Burst Apart
Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
Adele, 21
Cults, Cults
Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes
The Decemberists, The King Is Dead

Megan S, Fleet of Foot

I'm finding it increasingly hard each year to find albums that 1) I love from top to bottom and 2) I return to again and again, which are my primary criteria for a top 10 list. Thus, my list this year is a very short one. In a very particular order:

1. Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
2. Middle Brother - Middle Brother
3. The Whole Love - Wilco
4. Parallax - Atlas Sound

Top Discoveries From Previous Years (in no particular order):
1. The Monitor - Titus Andronicus
2. Epic - Sharon Van Etten
3. Sam Cooke at the Copa - Sam Cooke
4. Running On Empty - Jackson Browne
5. Let It Be - The Replacements

Julian H, Foxy As Ever

1. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
2. M83, Hurry Up We're Dreaming
3. Neon Indian, Era Extra
4. Beirut, The Rip Tide
5. Hooray for Earth, True Loves
6. Handsome Furs, Sound Kapital
7. Lady Gaga, Born This Way (Bonus Track Version)

Cora K, Rapturous

The Rapture, In the Grace of Your Love
The Vaccines, What Did You Expect From the Vaccines
The Drums, Portamento
Above and Beyond, Group Therapy
Gotye, Making Mirrors
Best concert: The Rapture at The Corner Hotel, MelbourneBest DJ: Above and Beyond, Amnesia, IbizaMost memorable festival experience: Portishead at Harvest Festival, Weribee. They were so dark that free therapy sessions should have been given out afterwards.

\
Rhiannon F Goes with the Flo

Ok best album - Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials.

Also over here in sunny ol' England there was an advert around Christmas time for John Lewis (department store) and they had this really cute kid in it but the song behind I loved. It was Slow Moving Millie with Please, please, please let me get what I want. A cover of The Smiths and also She + Him did a cover of it for 500 Days of Summer but Slow Moving Millie's version is so nice.

Bon Appetit, Melissa W!

My list is short this year, as I didn't discover much, just dove back into my old stuff and basked in nostalgia for the most part. But on the 2011, front...

1. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2. Cults, Cults
3. Wilco, The Whole Love
4. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
And, new to me, but perhaps long-known to other parents around Brooklyn and the world:
5. Various, Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals ("Tess" is a standout)

Kathleen P says Trapper is a Keeper

Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing
Cassettes Won't Listen - Evinspacey
The Dears - Degeneration Street
The Decembrists - The King is Dead
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Kooley High - Presents David Thompson
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers
Oh Land - Oh Land
Rihanna - Talk That Talk
Tennis - Cape Dory

Special Mention For a Most Promising EP - Glass Candy, Warm in the Winter

Maggie S Catches a Cab

Favorite 2011 Albums
1 - Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
2 - Zoe Keating - Into the Trees
3 - Boy & Bear - Moonfire
4 - Florence & the Machine - Ceremonials

Notes: Three of these are by artists I loved so much I didn’t think they could pull off an album I would like as well or —gasp — even better than their previous ones. But Death Cab, Florence, and Zoe delivered three albums that are that Holy Grail of music — songs that are fantastic on their own but make even more sense as an album. Boy & Bear is an Australian newcomer for me. It was what I WANTED the Fleet Foxes album to be.

Favorite Albums I Found in 2011 (Not from 2011)
- Ramona Falls - Intuit (2009)
- Fionn Regan - The End of History(2007)
I’m not sure if I would’ve been sucked into Ramona Falls without their weird and distressing music video for “I Say Fever,” but I DID see the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eqZHvpAbss), and the rest is iPod history. Fionn Regan is an Irish songwriter who is always appropriate to play when you have any sort of company over, even when that company is your mother.

2011 Albums I thought would make it, but didn’t:
- Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (songwriting largely buried by bombastic, big stage production)
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (beautiful but inaccessible, with the exception of “Helplessness Blues” and “The Shrine”)
- Feist - Metals (lovely but missing the whimsy of her earlier work)

Favorite 2011 Singles
Coldplay - “Major Minus”
Gotye - “Someone That I Used to Know”
Shinedown - “The War Inside”
Adele - “Rolling in the Deep”
Imogen Heap - “Lifeline”
City & Colour - “Little Hell”
The Civil Wars - “Barton Hollow”
Foster the People - “Pumped Up Kicks”
Lost Lander - “Cold Feet” & “Afraid of Summer”**Lost Lander gets bonus points for being so new and so small that you get to be the cool person for knowing they exist for at least a few months

Favorite Singles I Found in 2011 (Not From 2011)
The Saw Doctors - “Red Cortina (acapella version)
The Submarines - “1940 (AmpLive remix”)
Arcade Fire - “Ready to Start”
Bell X1 - “Snakes & Snakes”
Woodpigeon - “And As the Ship Went Down . . .”

Thu Says, “Bon’s Away!”

a year of great singles trapped inside mediocre albums:

1. bon iver, bon iver
good but nowhere near as good as for emma, forever ago. too much green, not enough white. best tracks: minnesota, WI and michicant.

2. nicolas jaar, space is only noise
apparently this kid was born in the ‘90s. he’s good at replicating the sound of rain falling infinitely outside a gray window, so, kudos.
especially: too many kids finding rain in the dust, keep me there.

3. feist, metals
i’m just happy this exists. most of all for: the circle married the line.

4. st. vincent, strange mercy
i applaud st. vincent for wanting to get weirder, but remembering the ease and glibness with which she told john to marry her in 2007, i wish her lyrical bravado were still the most important part of her music. alas, girl’s still got plenty of moxie with: surgeon, cheerleader, and cruel.

John A: The Oak’s On Him

11.M83: Hurry Up We’re Dreamers
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: It’s a Corporate World
9. Bjork: Biophilia
8. PJ Harvey: Let England Shake
7. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues
6. Radiohead: The King of Limbs
5. Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid
4. Panda Bear: Tomboy
3. Beirut: The Rip Tide
2. The Decemberists: The King is Dead
1. Wye Oak: Civilian

Best “Metal” Record: Anthrax: Worship Music
Best Reissue: Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream
Biggest Surprise: Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto (it doesn’t suck!)
Best Discovery: Riddle of Steel (from St.Louis; broke up in 2003, two killer albums; for fans of Queens of the Stone Age, The Police and Van Halen!)

Jonathan V is in it, Head and Heart

My Favorites of 2011

1. The Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart
2. F*cked Up, David Comes to Life
3. The Antlers, Burst Apart
4. Destroyer, Kaputt
5. Active Child, You Are All I See
6. M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
7. Kate Bush, 50 Words for Snow
8. Beirut, The Riptide
9. Florence & The Machine , Ceremonials
10. Washed Out, Within and Without

1. THE HEAD & THE HEART - The second time listening through this simple, sweet folk album, I knew it was going to be my favorite of not just 2011, but retroactively 2010, 2009, and possibly 2008. Heartfelt, full of quiet yearning, usually an album needs to be “live” to have this same warm vibe.

2. DAVID COMES TO LIFE – A punk epic that redefines the rock opera, this is a truly great record. The track “Just One More Night” must be heard to be believed--imagine a Green Jelly song that gives you chills up and down your spine. Its final strains will be accompanied by the sound of you weeping openly.

3. BURST APART – Get lost in a forest of falsetto and digital fuzz.

4. KAPUTT – Dan Bejar’s lyrics sound like indie pop riddles, his music is downright gorgeous, and he proves on “Kaputt” that he’s capable of morphing from “Hunky Dory” to “Avalon” without losing his essential Canadianness.

5. YOU ARE ALL I SEE – For a good month, you were all I heard! Active Child's music is increasingly indescribable, like the genes of several genres remixing themselves for fun and profit. Just listen to the first minute of “Hanging On”. You won’t know what the hell you’re hearing, and I mean that in the best way.

6. HURRY UP, WE’RE DREAMING – This is another epic M83 album, full of space and awe and unexpected gorgosity. “Midnight City” was the single of the year for me, with its hyperactive electropop rooster chorus.

7. 50 WORDS FOR SNOW –Kate Bush has concocted another beguiling mystery of an album, with its own arch sense of humor and real gravitas. Where else are you going to hear a song about knocking boots with a snowman? And who else can make that song both erotic and heartbreaking? She’s one of our great storytellers, in any medium.

8. THE RIPTIDE – Consistently brilliant. Music that's inventive and old-fashioned at the same time.

9. CEREMONIALS – What’s even better than a year with a great new Kate Bush record? A year that ALSO features a great new record from somebody working in the same mystical, voice-as-sound-weapon vein.

10. WITHIN AND WITHOUT – Car commercial music mixed with sex scene music, what more do you want?

More Than Honorable Mention:

We Are Augustines for unbridled muppet passion, Feist for a wonderfulness that I have officially taken for granted, Iron and Wine for pretty much the same thing, The Decemberists for their brilliant skin-shedding act, John Maus for his borderline-satire-synths, and The Vaccines for earnestly punky britpop.

Albums of the Year that Weren’t from the Year:

Three of the best albums I heard in 2011 were not from 2011, two of them not even remotely…

The Blue Nile, “Hats”

How can something so understated be so overwhelming? Call it the Zen of Soft Synth.

Genesis, “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”

This album is a proggy odyssey, full of gorgeous instrumentals, batsh*t crazy lyrics, and the brashest performance from Gabriel ever put under a needle.

Kverlatak, Kverlatak

Norwegian metal in Norwegian, not that this matters if you want to rock with them.

Kevin K. Gives 2011 to December

My list:
The King Is Dead by The Decemberists
Middle Brother by Middle Brother
The Double Cross by Sloan
The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch by The Wombats
Nothing Is Wrong by Dawes
Torches by Foster the People
The Sound of His Own Voice by John Wesley Harding
Dye It Blonde by Smith Westerns
International Pop Overthrow by Material Issue (Re-issue)
The Whole Love by Wilco
The Last Place by Army Navy
W H O K I L L by Tune-Yards
The Electromagnetic Escape by The Red Sea Pedestrians
Pickin’ Up The Pieces by Fitz & The Tantrums
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
Sky Full of Holes by Fountains of Wayne
Alabama Shakes EP by Alabama Shakes
21 by Adele
The Go Rounds (2011) by The Go Rounds
KMAG YOYO (& other American stories) by Hayes Carll
El Camino by The Black Keys
Only In Dreams by Dum Dum Girls
We Are The Champions by Jeff The Brotherhood
All Eternals Deck by The Mountain Goats
An Argument With Myself EP by Jens Lekman
Hello Sadness by Los Campesinos!
It’s A Corporate World by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Kiss Each Other Clean by Iron & Wine
The Old Magic by Nick Lowe
Stone Rollin’ by Raphael Saadiq

Andrea C, Throws Her Support to Minnesota, WI

1. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2. Adele - 21
3. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
4. Low - C'mon
5. Foster the People - Torches
6. Cults - Cults
7. Neon Indian - Era Extrana
8. M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
9. Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials
10. Phantogram - Nightlife

May 2012 bring yet more fantastic music. I'm waiting for the National's next album...

Billy M Will Lay Your Shit Bare

21, Adele
Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Anar, Marketa Irglova
Night of Hunters, Tori Amos
Ceremonials, Florence + The Machine
Born to Die (leaked!), Lana Del Rey
Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes
The King Is Dead, The Decemberists
Femme Fatale, Britney Spears
Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Harry S, Aggressively Naked, Famous

Passive Me, Aggressive You, by The Naked and Famous, and Wild Flag's eponymous album

Zack Goes For Flora Over Fauna

Fredrik, Flora

Jonas R Looks into the eyes of a Stranger

Most essential:

Amy Lavere, Stranger Me -- such a great breakup album I wish I had a vindictive heart and someone just broke it.

Filling out my Top 10, in no particular order:

Cake, Showroom of Compassion
Wild Flag, Wild Flag
John Doe, Keeper
Wilco, The Whole Love
Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Snakefarm, My Halo at Half-Light
Thao and Mira, Eleven
Honeyhoney, Billy Jack
Adele, 21

Honorable Mentions:
Shilpa Ray, Teenage and Torture
The Gaddabouts, The Gaddabouts
The Smithereens, 2011
David Lynch, Crazy Clown Time
Ryan Adams, Ashes & Fire
Dum Dum Girls, Only in Dreams
Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling, Dharohar Project EP

Siobhan V Raves On

Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls
Cults - Cults
Out of Love - Mister Heavenly
Strange Mercy - St Vincent
In Heaven - Twin Sister

!Bonus! Rave On - Buddy Holly covers

Brant R Goes Kaputt

My Most Essential Album:
Destroyer/Kaputt

In Range of Most Essential:
James Blake/James Blake
Cults/Cults
Stephen Malkmus/Mirror Traffic
Washed Out/Within and Without

Eventual Essential Potential: Atlas Sound/Parallax; The Black Keys/El Camino; Bon Iver/Bon Iver; Clams Casino/Instrumental Mixtape; Florence + The Machine/Ceremonials; Eleanor Friedberger/Last Summer; Girls/Father, Son, Holy Ghost; Little Dragon/Ritual Union; Frank Ocean/nostalgia, ULTRA; Real Estate/Days; Smith Westerns/Dye It Blonde; Surfer Blood/Tarot Classics [EP]; tUnE-yArDs/W H O K I L L; Youth Lagoon/The Year of Hibernation; Yuck/Yuck

Other Albums I Enjoyed: Adele/21; Beyoncé/4; Blouse/Blouse; Bright Eyes/The People’s Key; Guy Clark Jr./The Bright Lights EP; Coldplay/Mylo Xyloto; Danger Mouse/Rome; The Decemberists/The King Is Dead; Fleet Foxes/Helplessness Blues; Noel Gallagher/Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds; Jay-Z & Kanye West/Watch the Throne; The Joy Formidable/The Big Roar; Lady Gaga/Born This Way; The Strokes/Angles; Tom Waits/Bad As Me; The Weeknd/House of Balloons; Wilco/The Whole Love; Wild Flag/Wild Flag

Some Essential Tracks: Adele/Rolling in the Deep; Atlas Sound/Mona Lisa; Battles with Matias Aguayo/Ice Cream; The Black Keys/Nova Baby; James Blake/Limit to Your Love; Blouse/Videotapes; Cults/Abducted; Destroyer/Savage Night at the Opera; Eleanor Friedberger/I Won’t Fall Apart on You Tonight; Noel Gallagher/I’d Pick You Every Time; Girls/Alex; The Joy Formidable/Austere; Little Dragon/Ritual Union; Stephen Malkmus/Stick Figures in Love; Smith Westerns/Weekend; The Strokes/Life Is Simple in the Moonlight; Surfer Blood/Voyager Reprise; tUnE-yArDs/Bizness; Washed Out/Amor Fati; Yuck/Shook Down

Essential Albums from Previous Years:
Alice Cooper/Billion Dollar Babies [1973]
Beach House/Teen Dream [2010]
The Black Keys/The Big Come Up [2002]
Cut Copy/In Ghost Colours [2008]
Deerhunter/Halcyon Digest [2010]
Electric Light Orchestra/Out of the Blue [1977]
Brian Eno/Before and After Science [1977]
Heart/Dreamboat Annie [1976]
Ke$ha/Animal [2010]
Lynyrd Skynyrd/(pronounced 'lĕh-'nērd 'skin-'nērd) [1973]
TV Girl/TV Girl [EP] [2010]
Washed Out/Life of Leisure [2010]
Ron Wood/Gimme Some Neck [1979]
Neil Young/Live Rust [1979]

Essential Tracks from Previous Years: ABBA/Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (a Man After Midnight); Alice Cooper/Hello Hooray; The Black Keys/I’ll Be Your Man; Cut Copy/Out There on the Ice; Deerhunter/Desire Lines; Electric Light Orchestra/Summer and Lightning; Electric Six/Synthesizer; Brian Eno/By This River; Donald Fagen/I.G.Y.; Fleetwood Mac/Lindsey’s Song #1 (I Know I’m Not Wrong); The Flying Burrito Bros/Hand to Mouth; Heart/Crazy on You; The Hold Steady/Certain Songs; The Human League/Human; INXS/Mystify; Jackson 5/Maybe Tomorrow; Ke$ha/TiK ToK; Nicolette Larson/Lotta Love; Huey Lewis & the News/Walking on a Thin Line; Madvillain/Sickfit; J Mascis/Ground Me to You; Harry Nilsson/River Deep, Mountain High; Pearl Jam/Corduroy; Katy Perry/Hot N Cold; The Rascals/Groovin’; Right Said Fred/Don’t Talk Just Kiss; Johnny Rivers/Secret Agent Man; Semisonic/Closing Time; The Staple Singers/(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay; Mavis Staples/Trippin’ On Your Love; Rod Stewart/It’s Not the Spotlight; Sweet/Fox on the Run; Yann Tiersen/Fuck Me; Alphonse Trent and His Orchestra/After You’ve Gone; TV Girl/If You Want It; The Walker Brothers/No Regrets; Washed Out/Feel It All Around; Steve Winwood/While You See a Chance; Ron Wood/Worry No More; Neil Young/Lotta Love

Nick E is a Holocene-ster

1. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
During a summer overrun with Gaga and Britney and Rihanna, this album was a breath of fresh air. The pop was fun, it served its purpose; but it’s Bon Iver I wanted to come home to at the end of a day. This has earned a permanent place on my iPod.
2. Dolorean, The Unfazed
After several albums that only offered love songs about adultery, self-destruction, and a half-botched suicide pact, this one closes out with an unapologetic, almost saccharine love song. It’s like finally being rewarded with affection from a withholding lover! And the rest of the album is great, too.
3. M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
I want to buy a car just so I can drive around at night listening to this on a dark interstate.
4. Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials
This one might deserve to rank higher, but I’ve only listened to it a few times at this point. There’s something oddly shameless about these songs – totally uninhibited. If I had long hair, I’d have to let it down when listening to this.
5. Stephin Merritt, Obscurities
Something old, something new. A little bit of everything I love about this man’s music and, for the first time in a while, not a single track so weird I have to skip it.

Stephanie S Paints it Black

Here we go...

1,The Black Keys, El Camino
2. Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials
3. Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Best new finds:
Brother by Matt Corby
Seeker Lover Keeper ( Aussie super group with Sally Seltman, Holly Throsby and Sarah Blasko)

Kasia G Shows Some Mercy

My essential album of the year was:

St. Vincent, Strange Mercy

Anica Likes Welch’s Jelly

Most essential:
Gillian Welch, The Harrow & The Harvest
(I mean, come on. It's Gillian.)

Also essential:
The Roots, Undun

Me likey:
The Black Keys, El Camino
Ana Egge, Bad Blood
The Jayhawks, Mockingbird Time (but mostly for sentimental reasons)
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, & Chris Thile, The Goat Rodeo Sessions

Best old albums I bought last year:
John Fahey, The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death The Dillards, Wheatstraw Suite

2010 album I'm still playing the most:
Gorillaz, Plastic Beach
(so good)

The 2010 David Music Poll Results

2011-01-28T06:42:00.000-08:00

The 2010 David Music Poll Results

1. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs (37 votes)
2. The National, High Violet (32)
3. Robyn, Body Talk (28)
4. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (24)
5. Beach House, Teen Dream (16)
LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening (16)
7. Vampire Weekend, Contra (15)
8. Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More (14)
9. Janelle Monae, The ArchAndroid (13)
10. Broken Bells, Broken Bells (11)

Runners up: (10 votes:) Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz; (9 votes:) The Black Keys, Brothers; (8 votes:) Joanna Newsom, Have One on Me; Yeasayer, Odd Blood; Cee-lo Green, The Lady Killer; (7 votes:) Local Natives, Gorilla Manor

Notes: 81 people responded to this year’s DMP – up from last year. The results? We had our first repeat winner in the history of the poll – Arcade Fire, which topped 2007’s poll with their last album, The Neon Bible. It was a tight race again this year, with many people putting three or four of the top five on the same list. For those who track such things, this was the third time Arcade Fire made the top ten, and the second visit for The National, Kanye West, LCD Soundsystem, and Vampire Weekend. Mumford & Sons charted the highest debut. MGMT only got two votes, but if more of you had listened to Florence + the Machine last year, odds are she would have won last year’s poll. Maybe if she releases a new album this year she’ll take the crown.

Me, Dancing On My Own

The top three are rather close together.

(1) Robyn, Body Talk (Parts 1, 2, and 3)

Skip the first song of the first E.P. – great title (“Don’t F***ing Tell Me What To Do”), not so great song. But. man, after that, it’s three albums of pure pop pleasure. Robyn owned my iPod this year, no contest. I was always in the mood for her. And, bizarrely, the songs are just as fun on the 100th listen as they were on the 1st. (With the exception that I now know she’s slurring the word “girl” in “Dancing on My Own” and not saying “guy” – R.I.P. gender confusion.) I will confess that I expected a creative dip on part three, but then she went and hit me with “Time Machine” and “Call Your Girlfriend”. I don’t understand why she isn’t at the top of the pop charts, but at the same time I’m glad she’s not, so there can be a not-so-secret society of us admirers. Pop is at its best when it goes for the honest truths in an honest way. And for that alone, Robyn takes the crown this year.

Best tracks: “Dancing on My Own”, “Hang with Me” (fast version), “Time Machine”

(2) The National, High Violet

Miraculously, The National make a follow-up that’s almost as amazing at Boxer, my album of the year from two years ago. I feel like The National have followed through on all of the feelings I had for R.E.M. when I was in college – absorbing music, lyrics that are cryptic in an interesting way, phrases that crash well on the swell of the tune.

Best tracks: “Bloodbuzz, Ohio” “Terrible Love”

(3) Jonsi, Go

A hard thing to admit: I think I like Jonsi’s solo album even more than any of Sigur Ros’s albums. There’s an element of bright color that’s here that I found utterly captivating – whenever I found myself wandering this year, this was the soundtrack I wanted. One of my big regrets this year is that I somehow managed to be out of town every time he played NYC

Best tracks: “Go Do”, “Boy Lilikoi”, “Animal Arithmatic”

And the other essentials are:

(4) Vampire Weekend, Contra
In a weaker year, this could’ve been a #1. Just as good as the first album. Best tracks: “Horchata”, “Giving Up the Gun”

(5) Katy Perry, “Teenage Dream”, “Firework”, and “California Gurls”

The rest of the album is nothing special, but any collection that includes these three songs deserves some sort of nod. So I am bending the rule a little to include three singles that alone were as good as most albums I heard this year.

(6) Kate Nash, “My Best Friend is You”

Some critics really didn’t like this, but I really did. Granted, one of the songs (I think it was called “Mansions” – I deleted it from my iTunes”) was the most unlistenable thing released by an artist I like who isn’t named Liz Phair. But the rest of the songs held up to many, many listens. Is it much different from Nash’s tart-slice-of-life debut? Not really. But I’m happy to listen to more of the same, with some sonic inventiveness every now and then.

Honorable mention:

Freelance Whales, Weathervanes
Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Local Natives, Gorilla Manor
Rogue Wave, Permalight
Soundtrack, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz
KT Tunstall, Tiger Suit

Album That Last Year I Rightly Labeled “Album That I Bought Late in the Year That Could Eventually Become Essential”:

The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You

Songs of the Year (not counting those already mentioned above):

Arcade Fire, “We Used to Wait”
Sarah Harmer, “The City”
The Hold Steady, “The Weekenders”
Bruno Mars, “Just the Way You Are”
Owen Pallett, “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”
Perfume Genius, “Learning”
The Script, “Breakeven”
The Tallest Man on Earth, “The King of Spain”

Favorite Trend: Female Anthemic (Katy Perry’s “Firework”, Ke$ha’s “We R What We R”, Pink’s “Raise a Glass”), which will no doubt reach its apotheosis with this year’s “Born This Way” from Ms. Gaga.

Looking Through Jen H.’s Kaleidoscope

1. Sara Bareilles: Kaleidoscope heart
2. Michael Franti and Spearhead: The Sound of Sunshine
3. Robyn: Body Talk
4. Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday
5. The Hold Steady: Heaven is Whenever
6. Neon trees: Habits

Kirsten H. is ultra Violet

Most essential album of the year:
High Violet by The National.

Second:
Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene

Third:
Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons

Others:
The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
A Chorus of Storytellers by The Album Leaf
Fields by Junip
Sainthood by Tegan and Sara

Olivia B. Learned the Hard Way

This is hard!

Here are my picks in no particular order:

Robyn—Body Talk  
The National—High Violet  
Kanye West—My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy  
Esperanza Spalding—Chamber Music Society  
Dead Weather—Sea of Cowards  
LCD Sound System—This is Happening  
Band of Horses—Infinite Arms  
Vampire Weekend—Contra  
The National—High Violet  
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings—I Learned the Hard Way

Among many others I wanted to include:
Eminem--Recovery  
Justin Townes Earle—Harlem River Blues  
Mavis Staples—You Are Not Alone  
Broken Bells--Broken Bells

And I always like The Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens, but their albums didn't seem super revolutionary (for them) this year....

Patrick R., Wizard of Adz

Hands-down, the album I was most excited about in 2010 was Sufjan Steven's THE AGE OF ADZ.

Kate H., God Willin’

My essential album for 2010 is Ray LaMontagne - God Willin' And the Creek Don't Rise (even though I just got it last month). My "2010 albums I haven't bought yet but desperately want" are The Black Keys - Brothers and Four Tet - There is Love In You. The "song that I can't not dance to" is definitely "Tightrope" by Janelle Monae, and the "albums that didn't come out this year, but came into heavy rotation at my house in 2010" are Florence + the Machine - Lungs, Grizzly Bear - Vecktamist, Lady Gaga - Fame/The Fame Monster, and The National - Boxer.

I'd better stop there or we'll be here all day.

Andrea C. Goes National

I'm going with Best Album: The National - High Violet with Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More and Broken Bells coming in close second and third.

I can't pick just one Best Single (too much love), but here are some faves: Sufjan Stevens - I Walked (I love this song, but sadly am not a fan of the rest of the album), Jonsi - Boy Lilikoi, The National - England, Cloud Cult - Running with the Wolves, Janelle Monae - Wondaland, Yeasayer - O.N.E., Beck & Bat for Lashes - Let's Get Lost

Nico W., Really Rosie

Top Music Discoveries

1. Coco Rosie: Grey Oceans, Ghosthorse and Stillborn
2. Arthur Russell: World of Echo
3. Little Dragon: Little Dragon
4. Yoko Ono: Yes, I'm a Witch
5. Dirty Projectors + Bjork collaboration
6. Fever Ray: Fever Ray
7. Omar Souleyman: Jazeera Nights
8. Vashti Bunyan: Just Another Diamond Day
9. Karen Dalton: In my own time
10: Toumani Diabate: King of the Kora

Top Songs:

- Stillness in the Move: Dirty Projectors
- Wat Pomp: Die Antwoord (feat. Jack Parow)
- Lily Pond: Vashti Bunyan
- Brandy Alexander: Feist
- Revelations: Yoko Ono (feat. Cat Power)
- Queen Bee - Toumani Diabate
- Fairy Paradise: Coco Rosie
- Werewolf: Coco Rosie
- Lemonade: Coco Rosie
- Horchata: Vampire Weekend
- +81: Deerhoof
- Your Love: Nicki Minaj
- Me and Jane Doe: Charlotte Gainsbourg
- Tone Bone Kone: Arthur Russell
- Twice: Little Dragon

Eugene’s a Big Boi now

Favorite albums:

Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son Of Chico Dusty

After languishing in record label limbo (and perhaps benefiting from the long gestation period), 2010 finally saw the release of the OutKast member's solo record. With rubbery beats and a funk backbone descended from Bootsy Collins and the Godfather (the title references the southern slang phrase "gettin' out on the good foot" and, no doubt, James himself), Big Boi kept bottoms bouncing.

How to Dress Well, Love Remains  

An album that sounds like it was recorded underwater, the sounds just seem to surface before being washed back under the waves. Much has been made of Tom Krell's R&B interests, and this deconstruction of the genre, filtering it through indie rock's lo-fi lens (with echoes of William Baskinski's Disintegration Loops), produced one of the most haunting and haunted records of the year.

JJ, Kills  

A Christmas gift from JJ, this mixtape places Elin Kastlander's ethereal voice over beats by Dre, et al. It's goofy and and somehow a lot more fun than their official release of 2010, No3, which would have made this list if it weren't for this more enjoyable record.

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy  

While there's no ranking on this list, make no mistake. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy tops the charts (as evidenced by the artwork, above). A baroque exploration into West's psyche that proves more is more, this album is relentless in its pursuit of ideas, browbeating one into submission. It didn't quite hit me on the first listen (though my mother actually commented that she liked one of the songs), it grabbed my ears and still hasn't let go after I watched the 30 minute video for "Runaway." Somehow, I love even the songs I don't like. The only album I actually purchased on vinyl this year (even tho it's already on backorder after having dropped on Tuesday).

Nicki Minaj, Barbie World (The Mixtape)  

Before showing up all over Kanye West's album (and releasing an album of her own) Minaj set the stage with this mixtape. Barbie World manages to bring back Aqua and Annie Lennox in the span of the first two tracks. Maybe it's the nostalgia that those tracks garner or maybe that it manages to burnish the reputation of tracks I had all but forgotten when resequenced in this mixtape, but it poised Minaj to take over.

Robyn, Body Talk Pt. 1  

In a year that saw no less than three EPs by pop queen Robyn (plus an LP that cherry-picks tracks from the three), my favorite continued to be the first EP. Driven by the propulsive "Dancing on My Own" (in a version I prefer over that released on the album) followed the rocking "Cry When You Get Older" I found myself returning again and again to this introduction to the pop project that Robyn would be working on through the year.

The Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt  

Kristian Matsson's second album manages to improve on his first as he steps more firmly out from under Bob Dylan's shadow and into his own. The slightly ragged production highlights his voice and the sparse arrangements, leaving space for the sentiment contained therein to burrow into your emotional subconscious.

Wild Nothing, Gemini  

The promise and release of summer run through this album, which manages to hit so many dream-pop touchstones and references that it would take paragraphs to outline them all. High school memories abound. I just want to get in my car and drive on empty roads thorugh wide open spaces, top down, radio up.

++++++++++++++
Favorite tracks of 2010

Drake "Karaoke" from Thank Me Later  An easy-going synth jam that speaks to the difficulties of relationships, I found myself listening to this on those long evening bus rides through the various parts of the world.

The Dream, "Yamaha" from Love King  The type of jam Prince would have tossed off in the 80s (I would die 4 u?, maybe?) it captures the thrill and excitement of street club love.

Iyaz "Replay" from Replay  Before trying to lay claim to an autotuned Chris Brown on his album, Iyaz released this single with a difficult melodic line that winds its way around chorus. The tricky melody hooked me and didn't let me go for weeks. Just ask Karen.

Justin Bieber, "Baby" from My World 2.0  Somehow, when Michael Jackson sang in his pre-teens he already had managed to exhude a certain amount of bass and sex and danger. Not so, Beiber, who is all treble and puppy love. Still, this pop confection managed captivate my aural sweet tooth. The Luda appearance rapping about his 13-year old first love seems, well, ludicrous, but somehow it all adds up to the fun.

Kanye West, "Runaway" from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy  Opening with a single repeated piano note that suggests Terry Riley's "In C" on prozac, "Runaway" builds into an a dark heavy indictment of his own failings. And just when you think it might be over along comes a coda reminiscent of Eric Clapton's "Layla" or B.Fleischmann's hidden cover of "Torn" at the End of Pop Loops For Breakfast. It's over indulgent and over the top but like almost everything else on the album it works magically and majestically.

LCD Soundsystem "All I Want" from This Is Happening  It's just a sliding guitar and a steady beat, but it comes together in such an amazing way that I found myself returning again and again to this song that was more of a "rock song" than the dance music for which they're known.
Mos Dub, "History Town" from Mos Dub  Max Tannone's mashup of Mos Def with dub reggae wasn't a total success for me, but I couldn't resist this combination of Mos with Desmond Dekker.

The New Pornographers, "Moves" from Together  Crunching guitars lead to slightly off-beat keyboard ryhthms in this entry. It's a highly produced track, with a lot of aural tricks sprinkled throughout the track, and I thoroughly enjoyed them all. Unfortunately, the rest of the album didn't prove quite as memorable.

Nicki Minaj, "I Love You" from Barbie World Mixtape  Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for the Annie Lennox sample that brings me back to my first year in NY or maybe it's just the sweetness in the lyrics, but this track managed to keep my heart in thrall and my hopes held high for the coming year.

Rihanna, "What's My Name" from Loud  Remember Ja Rule and Ashanti? Mesmerize? Something about this song takes me back to what I remember being the early days of rappers and R&B singer collaborations. At any rate, there's something about Rihanna's voice that I really love, and this song suggests the warm nights and late night relationships that keep the memory of summer alive in the cold winter months.

Robyn, "Dancing On My Own" from Body Talk Pt. 1  A driving song that commands your attention from the first pulsing synths, Robyn's fraught declarations of herself in the face of lost love are both painful and yet amazingly danceable. I prefer the version on the first Body Talk ep, but I can't argue with the album version either.

Shakira and Freshlyground, "Waka Waka"  This year's World Cup saw Shakira joining forces with South African Afro-fusion band Freshlyground to create an anthem from which you couldn't run. My favorite parts are actually the Freshlyground verses and the highlife-ish guitars.

Tallest Man on Earth, "The Wild Hunt" from The Wild Hunt  The beautiful (and somewhat Dylan-esque) opening track of that sets the stage for his latest album, it suggests the wide open cover art with just enough banjo to scratch that itch I have.

The Very Best "You Got The Love (remix)"  I missed the XX boat last year (though I did see them in concert) but this remix brought them back to me with a Very Best bonus.
Wild Nothing "Summer Holiday" from Gemini

For Fiona S., Life on Mars

No real order

1. Bruno Mars -- Doo-Wops and Hooligans
2. Kanye West -- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. She and Him -- Volume 2
5. The Decemberists -- Hazards of Love and The King is Dead (okay one comes out in 2011 and the first one came out in 2009 but I discovered both end of the year. Love them!)

The rest of what I "discovered" is sort of old and embarrasing -- Like I never listened to Florence and the Machine until late in the year. I guess if it isn't on Glee . . .

Steven M., just Drawn this way

10. Sigh No More - Mumford and Sons: What a strong debut, from this London bluegrassy folk band. I haven't heard a record that sounded like this in a while, totally unique. The playing is great and the songs organically go places. I love the instrumentation, and can be really lyrically, vocally and instrumentally powerful. Love the banjo and upright bass. I'd love to hear them back Springsteen, remind me of a British Avett Bros.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REo7VnlenOA

9 A+B. Release Me - The Like; Pictures - Len Price 3: I couldn't choose between the two retro bands (playing original tunes), and they reminded me of a female/male version of each other, so they share the #9 slot. The Like are an LA all-girl band, not in the Bangles girl-band sense, but the Crystals/Ronettes sounding group. Why has it been so long since we've had that kind of group?
Some of the finest American music are the Phil Spector-produced groups, I miss that! The songs are great - not surprisingly, two of the band members are daughters of Mitchell Froom and Pete Thomas! Very fun record, can't wait to see them on tour. The Len Price 3 are also a revelation, sounds like the Jam if Paul Weller left and was replaced by the combination of Joe Jackson and Dave Davies. Very British Invasion-Kinks era songs. Both are fun records and
consistently tight and good throughout.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUghPiEfd5Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42p2nERiNFkwow, their videos are cool, they deserveanother http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifAU55G92FE&feature=channelIt's

8. The Winter of Mixed Drinks - Frightened Rabbit. This record gets me fired up. Many thanks to Dan Jackson for getting me into this band, who hail from Selkirk, Scotland. The thick accents and damp sound would make this the ideal soundtrack to driving through the Northern UK. In the singer/songwriter's words, "The theme I'm going for is pushing yourself out to the edge of things and being alone, feeling lost and not knowing where you are, which is how I've felt recently. It's not all fun and games, but hopefully it'll just be less obviously personal and brutal than the last record."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzjERZU3wbY&feature=related

7. Big Echo - Morning Benders. Finally, a new local band I'm into. From Berkeley, my favorite local new band since the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. My favorite song of the year: http://vimeo.com/14568195

6. The Ghost Who Walks - Karen Elson: I'm not sure I've ever been as pleasantly surprised as I am with this one from Jack White's British model/musician wife, recorded in Nashville. A real interesting mood, helped and created by the unique instrumentation including organ, pedal steel, accordion and White himself
on drums. Each song is interesting - "old-timey", country, folky, gothic, and rocking, often at the same time. A prime example: "A Thief At My Door" (starts at 4:52, a Sandy Denny song before that) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHqKxNDvxi0

5. History From Below - Delta Spirit. I have to thank my friend Darcy for getting me into this SoCal band, and for her, Stephen and Delta Spirit for getting me into their show at the Bottom of the Hill a few years back (editor's note: I"m a music whore). I was a fan of their last record, but this is a big step up. Musically, they're right up my alley, a bit alt.country, rock, americana. They have improved musically, both in playing and writing. This is the record Ryan Adams had been trying to make, and never was able to, in my
opinion. The first side of the record is great, but I'd say it starts to run out of steam after "Scarecrow" - otherwise, no complaints. Really well paced and the songs go places, the tempos are perfectly chosen, I say that because some of the songs would have been ruined at incorrect pacing.
http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/106301262

4. Black Sands - Bonobo: I've had this record up and down on the list all year, possibly because its sort of rainy-day moody. Bonobo, aka Simon Green, is a British DJ/Producer/Musician, who wisely hooked up with singer AudreyanaTriana, who sings 3 songs, which are all great. She does for this record what Tina
Dico/Robyn/Sia do for the Zero 7 records. Nevertheless, all of the grooves and beats are strong throughout on this, and includes some interesting
instrumentation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wxJu-X0zVo

3. Work - Shout Out Louds: I've been a fan since they put out "Howl Howl Gaff Gaff" (in my 2005 top 10). This record doesn't have the one really strong single, like "Very Loud," used so perfectly in "Nick and Norah's...", however, what it does have is consistently good songs and performances. It's unclear to me listening to their records how strong of musicians they are, since they don't solo. In fact, most of the guitar parts I could probably play despite my meager skills. But that doesn't stop them from having tasty licks and melodies which center the songs and create a ton of emotion. Also, I love how the singer creates so much emotion and passion, he's really skilled despite lacking the classic voice. Something about this band makes me think of a Swedish Cure without the histrionics, and I mean that as a compliment. I love the production choices they make - keeping things simple, but throwing in nice touches here and
there, like horns. http://www.shoutoutlouds.com/walls.html

2. Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook - Bettye LaVette. This record came out early in the year, and I saw the show at the Great American Music Hall in SF and love everything about it. The whole record is British classic rock covers, and because there is no original material, I can't classify this as a "classic." But that didn't stop me from keeping it in my listening rotation all year. Let's face it, these are the songs I was raised on. Whoever picked and arranged these tunes for her did an outstanding job. We all know they are great songs, but they are tweaked when need to be tweaked. Interestingly, during her show, she remarked she wasn't a fan of these tunes when they came out, as she was totally into her own music and soul music at the time. My favorite tracks are Zeppelin's "All My Love," Ringo's "It Don't Come Easy," (in my opinion, a
huge improvement from the original) and McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed." If you've never heard her sing, her voice, through years of gigs and hard work, is a force of nature (and as Shelagh says, like a hot cup of coffee). Apparently, this project came together after her performance of The Who's "Love Reign O'Er Me" at the Kennedy Center Honors, which is included in this set. You can see why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJi6maTueSc&feature=related

1. What I'm Thinking: Photographing Snowflakes - Badly Drawn Boy. I've been a fan of BDB/Damon Gough since I got "Bewilderbeast" and when I saw him dropkick a fan at SF's Bimbo's 365 Club ("I'm from Manchester!") on that tour. I picked
this up after watching "About A Boy" for the umpteenth time recently. His music in that film is perfect. Anyway, I didn't know what to expect, not hearing much from him since that soundtrack. Apparently, this record is the first in a musical trilogy he plans on releasing, all to be released under the title It's What I'm Thinking. There's nothing radio-friendly on this, but I"m a big fan of "records," and this one is consistent throughout, sounds great, with great
songwriting, consistency across the performances and moods, and I'm glad he's back with a big picture idea in an iTunes world. As a bonus, "You Lied" sounds like a 2010 version of "Don't Fear the Reaper," and I mean that as complement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snmv5W9Wxxc

Phil B. rides the Suburbs

Essential Album -- Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs -- Start to finish, the best album of the year.

Runner Up -- Kanye West --My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy -- I really wanted to despise this album, instead I couldn't stop listening to it.

Video Experience -- The Google Chrome experiment with Arcade Fire's The Wilderness Downtown. Using Google Earth, your teen years home becomes the focal point of the video. http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

Music Moment -- Deadmau5 as the resident DJ for the MTV Music Awards. Electronica goes full mainstream.

Gayle F.’s a Teen Dream

In this era of downloads, it is so rare for me to find a whole album that blows me away. Even my beloved Sufjan fell short last year. The only entire record I loved last year is Beach House's Teen Dream (how appropriate, no?). So that is my lone entry. Lots of songs I loved. But not many albums. I'm sure Kanye West will sweep it. Everyone else has gone mad over that album.

Joseph H., the Beach House is on Fire

Here's a few of my favourites from 2010,

Antony and the Jonsons - Swanlight
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Beach House - Tean Dream
Cocorosie - Grey Oceans
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
Jonsi - Go
Sufjan Stevens - Ages of Adz
Yeasayer - Odd Blood

My favourite song off all of those has to be Joanna Newsom Baby Birch, 9 minutes of a wailing woman with a harp!

Reading your email reminded me of when we were just hanging out in your hotel room in Auckland talking about music, and I know if there are any bands on your list that I haven't heard of then I shall be heading straight for iTunes!

I keep trying to think of my 'most essential' album, I can only narrow it down to the most essential 4: Arcade Fire, Beach House, Jonsi and Sufjan.

Strolling the Arcade with Lucas K.

1. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
2. Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot
3. Jukebox the Ghost, Everything Under the Sun
4. Yeasayer, Odd Blood
5. Surfer Blood, Astro Coast
6. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
7. Cee Lo Green, The Lady Killer
8. Robyn, Body Talk
9. The Weepies, Be My Thrill
10. Vampire Weekend, Contra

I have the feeling Yeasayer will have the least staying power of any album on here, but it was perfect for several months.

Scott D: Touch His Body

My album of the year is obviously  Robyn's BODY TALK.

Here’s One on Brian M.

My favorite time of the year. Here's my list of favorites out of the 150 plus releases I heard from this year. (If you're interested, here's my expanded lists along with reviews: Here and Here.)

MOST ESSENTIAL

Joanna Newsom, Have One On Me

OTHER ESSENTIAL ALBUMS

Evelyn Evelyn, Evelyn Evelyn
Karen Elson, The Ghost Who Walks
Portugal. The Man, American Ghetto
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Wu Tang Clan vs. The Beatles, Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers
Menomena, Mines
Midlake, The Courage of Others
Holly Miranda, The Magician's Private Library
Manic Street Preachers, Postcards from a Young Man
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Sparrow & the Workshop, Crystals Fall
Smoosh, Withershins
Electric Wizard, Black Masses

FAVORITE DISCOVERIES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS
The Wooden Sky, If I Don't Come Back You'll Know I'm Gone
Bonnie Prince Billy, Ask Forgiveness
Pink Floyd, The Man & The Journey
Jim Kwesnkin & The Jug Band, Jug Band Music
Brenda Lee, All Alone Am I
Spirogyra, St. Radigunds
Grateful Dead, Wake of the Flood
Fleetwood Mac, The Original Fleetwood Mac
David Bowie, Hunky Dory

FAVORITE SONGS OF THE YEAR
Yeasayer, "O.N.E."
Quadron, "Slippin'"
Fitz & the Tantrums, "Moneygrabber"
Kanye West, "POWER"
Lifeseeker, "Sammy Hagar Rules"
Holly Miranda, "Ex-Factor"

Cora K. is Happening

6. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
PLEASE can they come to Australia in 2011

5. Faithless, Home
They still have it, and can show these new dj's how to do it

4. Yeasayer, Old Blood
I keep playing this.

3. Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record
I was moved to tears (twice) when I saw them in concert

2. The Drums, The Drums
How could you not love these lyrics 'I see a beautiful flower. It was trampled on the ground. And it makes me think of you. How you used to be and how you are now.'

1. LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening
The perfect album. It makes you want to dance, and the lyrics are smart and have heart.

Special mentions:

Best concert: Peaches at Hifi Bar
Best music festival: Splendor in the Grass. Special mention to Scissor Sisters on the Friday night. Lineup: http://splendourinthegrass.com/artist-lineup.html
Best compilation: David Levithan, Spring 2010
Biggest disappointment: Vampire Weekend, Contra. It was just more of the same, maybe they should have made us wait longer.
Most anticipated of 2011: Cut Copy, Zonoscope

Number of concerts / festivals I'm going to between now and the end of March: 12

Matthue R. Used to Wait

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs.  (I'm not even from the suburbs. I've never lived there and have no way, save a few memories of reading The Outsiders, to verify whether  it really is this bleak and beautiful. But this album is.)

And:

Nikki Minaj, Barbie World (or any other non-Pink Friday mixtape)  
The Roots, How I Got Over  
Regina Spektor, Live in London  
Kim Boekbinder, Impossible Girl  
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy  
They Might Be Giants, Here Comes Science

Best moment of music:  Nicki Minaj switches between four different personas and about seven  completely different vocal styles in under a minute during her guest  appearance on Kanye's "Twisted Dark Fantasy." There are so many  distinctive styles of genius in that moment, I can't even begin to  fathom it. I think it's influenced my whole best-of list.

Best album of 2010 that wasn't actually in 2010: The Where the Wild  Things Are soundtrack. Overflow from last year. Only realized it was  awesome this year.

Best new album of 2010, according to my 3-year-old: The B-52's, Cosmic  Thing. It's a new discovery if you were negative 20 years old when it  came out.

Anica R. hits the Beach

Most essential:
Gorillaz, Plastic Beach

Other essentials:
Bonnie Prince Billy & The Cairo Gang, The Wonder Show of the World
LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening
Spoon, Transference
Robyn, Body Talk

Eamon T.’s Night Work

Like I said last year, the era of the album seems to be over...this year was all about the Pop/Dance Hits for me...like...
Rihanna's "Only Boy in the World"
Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream"
Robyn's "Dancing on my Own"
&
Mark Ronson & The Business International featuring Boy George and Andrew Wyatt's "Someone to Love Me"

That said I still managed to discover some great albums too...

Best of 2010
Scissor Sisters - Nightwork
Beach House - Teen Dream
Robyn - Body Talk Parts 1-3
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
M.I.A. - Maya
Crocodiles - Sleep Forvever
Das Racist - Sit Down, Man
Hurts - Happiness
Sleigh Bells - Treats

Disappointments from 2010
Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation...total blah...sounds the same as always even with Kevin Shields on board
Richard Ashcroft's United Nations of Sound...terrible band name...even worse music. Disappointing considering I stuck with him through a spotty solo career.

Over It...Sorry...
Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, and Kayne

Looking forward to in 2011
Sophomore release from Himalaya
PJ Harvey...always looking forward to more
Long overdue one from the Strokes
Beady Eye...if the early tracks being released are any indication, their debut CD should be pretty great.

Cecil C. Whips Her Hair

I can't remember anything. But these came off the top of my head. So i'll just go with it.

Lykke Li, Get Some
Melissa Auf der Maur, Out of Our Minds
Come Gather Round Us, Come Gather Round Us
Coeur de Pirate, Coeur de Pirate
Rufus Wainwright, Songs for Lulu
Annie Lennox, A Christmas Cornucopia
Cee Lo Green, The Lady Killer
Willow Smith, Whip my Hair
Janelle Monae, The ArchAndroid

Kevin W.’s Parting Gift

1. Parting Gifts, Strychnine Dandelion ... Greg Cartwright teams with Coco Hames from The Ettes. As good as you might expect.

Also, of note ... I'm not sure what year this song was released but the best song I heard in 2010 is "M.R.E.s" by Black Sunday. I mean, holy shit. Easily the best thing ever written about Katrina. Not even a close second. Alicja Trout is an evil genius (do you hear me, Brant Rumble?) an evil genius.

Dan Pe. and his Girl Talk

Album of the year goes somewhat begrudgingly to Girl Talk's All Day (begrudging because this was the first year in a while that I didn't have a runaway favorite, and I think it's inferior to his last effort). Additional nods go to Release Me by The Like, Brothers by the Black Keys, The Winter of Mixed Drinks by Frightened Rabbit and The Archandroid by Janelle Monae. I haven't listened to Big Boi, Lil Wayne or Em's albums, so I'll abstain on hip hop rather than give it to Kanye on the strength of Power alone. But I'd probably give him song of the year for it.

Dan Po. shows his Age

Favorite Music 2010: In order of essentiality:

1. Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz
2. Sarah Bareilles, Kaleidoscope Heart
3. Patty Griffin, Downtown Church
4. Robyn, Body Talk Pts 1, 2, and 3

Other Good Stuff: Maybe not Essential

5. Lost in the Trees, All Alone in an Empty House
6. Joanna Newsom, Have One on Me
7. Fanfarlo, Reservoir
8. Local Natives, Gorilla Manor
9. Vampire Weekend, Contra

Favorite Ridiculous Pop Singles:
Eminem ft. Rihanna, Love the Way You Lie
Katy Perry, Firework
Glee Cast, Teenage Dream

Jon S. is Crazy for the Coast

My number one album for 2010 is Crazy For You by Best Coast. Cresting the wave of last Summer's "Chill Wave" beach rock sound, it hit the perfect blend of lo-fi grit and mellow crooning. Lead singer Beth Cosentino has the kind of frank, no nonsense charm that leaves ex-90's grunge boys like me weak in the knees. They'll need to evolve their sound if they want to be more than just the best example of a short-lived fad, but for me, Best Coast was the soundtrack to my Summer of 2010.

Although it's difficult for me to separate Crazy for You from another great Chill Wave album. King of the Beach, sophomore effort from Wavves, was surprisingly smart and catchy compared to their self-titled first album. And yet they still held on to the edgy trickster quality that made me like them in the first place.

But summer can't last forever and another music wave seems to be cresting. Grave Wave, Dark Wave, Nu Goth, or whatever you want to call it, is an interesting blend of classic 80's goth with the more recent indie lo-fi sound. At the top of the list in 2010 for this movement is Zola Jesus's album Stridulum II. Simple yet sprawling, it conjured up the perfect thoughtful melancholy for Fall.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Fang Island's self-titled debut. A mostly instrumental rock band out of Brooklyn, they describe their sound as "everyone high-fiving everyone". It totally is, and if you are in need of an injection of triumphant w00ts, this is the album to pick up.

My guilty pleasure for 2010 was Body Talk Pt. 1 by Robyn. Indie music's dance hall pop darling is at her best on the first volume of an ambitious three volume staggered release. Parts 2 and 3 were somewhat of a let down, but Part 1 perfectly expresses her early Madonna meets Ani Difranco vibe.

My surprise album of 2010 was a tie. Joanna Newsom's Have One On Me was a departure from her usual discordant folk strangeness. She seems to be channeling Joni Mitchell's Blue album, adding her own high concept design and trademark quirk. How I Got Over by the Roots is probably one of the most well made albums I've heard in a long time. It's obvious that playing every day together on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has turned them into a band that knows exactly what they do and how to do it right.

Honorable mentions to some sophomore efforts that I enjoyed a lot but felt had no real growth from the previous album:
The Winter of MIxed Drinks, Frightened Rabbit
Contra, Vampire Weekend
Crystal Castles 2010, Crystal Castles

Alaya J walks the Tightrope

Most essential album:

The Archandroid, Janelle Monae (I thought her EP Metropolis: The Chase Suite was one of the coolest things I'd ever heard and then she just did it one better. Probably the best all around performer--dancer, singer, time-traveling robot--around today.)

Other very awesome albums:

So Runs The World Away, Josh Ritter ("The Curse" is especially amazing)
Contra, Vampire Weekend
The Age of Adz, Sufjan Stevens (so I'm not entirely sure about this one yet, but I feel like I should at least acknowledge its ambition)
Dream Attic, Richard Thompson
High Violet, The National
Odd Blood, Yeasayer

Ryan C. runs Wild

1. Wild Nothing – Gemini
2. Gigi – Maintenant
3. John Adams – I Am Love Soundtrack
4. Sleigh Bells – Treats
5. The National – High Violet
6. Beach House – Teen Dream
7. Vampire Weekend – Contra
8. The Walkmen – Lisbon
9. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
10. How to Dress Well – Love Remains
11. Girls – Broken Dreams Club
12. Girl Talk – All Day
13. Male Bonding – Nothing Hurts
14. Magic Kids – Memphis
15. Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
16. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
17. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
18. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

This is Megan M.

Essential:
This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem

Runners Up:
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West  
The Suburbs, Arcade Fire  All Day, Girl Talk  
Brothers, Black Keys  
Broken Bells, Broken Bells

Matthew U. Dreams of Angels

Apparently I no longer live in the present (or am just getting old)… Literally, this may be the only album I bought this year that was actually released this year:

Black Angels, Phosphene Dream
So I guess that’s most essential

Favorite pop single of the year:
P!nk, Raise Your Glass

Recent artist I’m listening to the most:
Bob Schneider

Legend I can’t stop listening to:
Leonard Cohen

Weirdest group I’ve discovered this year:
Shpongle

Maybe this year I’ll ‘live in the now,’ but somehow I doubt it.

Grease is the word for Ned V.

The best album I heard this year has not officially been released. It's East Bay Grease's demos. They are a side project of Drunk Horse and Red Meat. Drunk Horse is one of my favorite bands of all time (from San Francisco); Red Meat has a guitar player who is as good as Clapton. While East Bay Grease does not have a full length yet, they released an EP "Just Head":
http://classicbarmusic.com/CBMLibrary/CBMLib003/CBMLib003.cfm
Reviewed here:

http://www.terminal-boredom.com/reviews28.html
And their Facebook is here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Bay-Grease/274939302325

Good time honkey-tonkin bar music. East Bay Grease "Just Head" EP is my most essential album of 2010. Hopefully a full-length comes this year.

Megan S., High on 2011

This was an AWESOME year in music. Here are my picks:

1. High Violet – The National
2. The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
3. Have One On Me – Joanna Newsom
4. The Wild Hunt – Tallest Man on Earth
5. Lisbon – The Walkmen
6. Gorilla Manor – Local Natives
7. Sigh No More – Mumford and Sons
8. The ArchAndroid – Janelle Monae

Steph S.’s National anthems

Here are my picks:

1. The National, High Violet
2. Angus & Julia Stone, Down The Way
3. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
4 The Jezabels, Dark Storm (EP)
5. Yeasayer, Old Blood

Best cover- very close tie between Jordie Lane and Jen Cloher's 'Electric Feel' and Boy and Bear's cover of 'Fall at your feet' by Crowded House
Best compilation- David Levithan mix- first edition
Best gig- Florence and the Machine- live at the Melbourne Laneway festival
Best festival- Splendour in the Grass

Brent C. hits the right Keys

While I was moved by a few artists this year, ( LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening & Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) my absolute "essential" album of 2010 was The Black Keys, Brothers.

I've spent this past year writing the third installment of the Carter Series (Carter's Unfocused One-Track Mind). Channeling the heartbreak and lust of a fifteen-year-old boy requires a driving rock blues soundtrack, and this was it!

My favorite song and music video of 2010, also by The Black Keys, Next Girl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_PrT25o8Vs

Ders H. and his Relatives

Without over thinking this one I am going to go straight from the gut this year...

Single: Aloe Blacc "I need a dollar"

Albums:
The National "high violet"
Nas and Damian Marley "Distant Relatives"

Best Remaster: Black Sabath "Digipacks"

Best Record find from another year:
The Refused "the shape of punk to come". FYI...it's fucking awesome if you don't have it!!! Swedish punk/hardcore from 1997...it's sick.

I want to say Broken Bells for best record but it really is a boring...

Sigh no more, Marie R.!

Most essential album of the year:
Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
Favorite songs therein: "Sigh No More," "Roll Away Your Stone," and "White Blank Page."

Other essential albums:

The National, High Violet
This one was a very close second for me, and I love it, particularly "Sorrow" and "Bloodbuzz Ohio."

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs (thanks, David, for the introduction!)
Favorite songs therein: "Modern Man," "City With No Children," "Half Light II (No Celebration)"

The Black Keys, Brothers

Bryant P.’s National-ism

The most essential albums of 2010:

9. Local Natives, Gorilla Manner
8. Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
7. Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
6. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
5. The Tallest Man on Earth, Wild Hunt
4. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Vampire Weekend, Contra
2. Beach House, Teen Dream
1. The National, High Violet

The most essential singles:

5. 10 Miles Stereo by Beach House
4. Little Lion Man by Mumford & Son
3. Diplomat’s Son by Vampire Weekend
2. Sorrow by The National
1. Airplanes by Local Natives

Most Likely to Make My 2010 Most Essential List Retroactively, Because I Picked Up the Album Late in the Year:

Robyn, Body Talk
Deerhunter, Halcyon Digest
The Walkmen, Lisbon

Alex R., perfumed like a Genius

This is a tough one, i felt a bit let down in 2010. Favorite acts released albums that I felt on the whole we disappointments (The National, Arcade Fire). So I can think of many albums with merits/great moments, but as an essential whole I can only think of two. So sorry if this listing doesn't really help you in terms of assigning votes/counts. If you're doing this on some kind of points system, 1 point per album except for the top two, who get a bigger weighting.

Albums of 2010

1. Perfume Genius - Learning
2. Glasser - Ring

Other good 2010 albums, in alphabetical order:

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Beach House - Teen Dream
Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Girl Talk - All Day
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
The National - High Violet
Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
No Age - Everything In Between
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Vampire Weekend - Contra
The Walkmen - Lisbon

Song of the Year not included on any of above:
Real Estate - Out of Tune (single, no 2010 album)

Favorite song of year: Perfume Genius - Mr Peterson

Video of the year: Esben and the Witch - Marching Song

Best New Acts of 2010:
Perfume Genius
Glasser
Esben and the Witch

Most Disappointing Album of the Year:
The National - High Violet

Best Live Event:
Matador at 21 - The Lost Weekend

Put it on Scott T.’s Tab

Essential Album of 2010

Super8 & Tab - Empire (yeah, I'm the only one on your whole list who will vote for it, or even an album in the genre (Trance) but this album was fun and gorgeous)

2010 Essentials

Best Coast - Crazy For You
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
The Hundred in the Hands - The Hundred in the Hands
Gareth Emery - Northern Lights

Essentials Picked up in 2010

School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms (2009) - also released a terrific album in 2010, but this one was better

Cassandra P. is living in a Fantasy world

Most Essential:
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Other Essentials (in no particular order):
Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer 
Diddy Dirty Money - Last Train To Paris 
Miguel - All I Want Is You 
Jazmine Sullivan - Love Me Back 
Rick Ross - Teflon Don 
B.O.B. - B.O.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray 
Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid 
The Roots - How I Got Over 
Drake - Thank Me Later

Elizabeth E., rockin’ the Suburbs

Most Essential:
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

Super Close Runner-ups:
Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
Tired Pony, The Place We Ran From

Other Essentials:
Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Broken Bells, Broken Bells
Iain Archer, To the Pine Roots (came out in 2009, but been playing it non-stop since I got it a couple months ago)
Band of Horses, Infinite Arms
The National, High Violet
Belle and Sebastian, Write About Love
LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening
MGMT, Congratulations
OK Go, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky (while this is my least favorite of OK Go’s albums, still has really good moments)

If I Bought This Album When It Came Out, It May Have Been My Most Essential of 2009, But I’m Sometimes Behind:
Florence + The Machine, Lungs

Quite Possibly One of the Greatest Songs of All Time:
Cee-Lo’s “F*ck You!”

Terra M. hits a High note

High Violet, The National

They are about all I listened to in 2010 it feels like! Other stuff was just bits and pieces

Maggie S. hits the right Keys

This year was a really good year for music, so this is somewhat annoying to narrow down.

Shit. Best album? crapcrapcrap. Okay. The Black Keys. Brothers. Because anything that can make my Camaro more bad ass deserves it. But I have to say that Wakey!Wakey!'s Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said Last Time I Saw You is a runner up because when a friend's brother's suicide made me silent for weeks, they said what I needed to say.

Other fantastic albums from 2010:
1. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More -- I was given this album twice, once by my best friend from college and once by a reader at a signing. Both of them were right. Lovely, understated stuff. Who could've known I'd learn to love a banjo?

2. Broken Bells - Broken Bells -- Aside from some fantastic individual songs from the Shins dude, this album will forever be associated with a fantastic memory of bringing a condescending woman-hater to his knees.

3. Yeasayer - Odd Blood -- Weird as hell. It's like the 80s, but without the white pants.

4. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor -- Great and understated. Drink with a side of Mumford.

Best album no one's ever heard of
Jenny O - Home (EP)

Singles I Can't Stop Listening To:
"New Low" - Middle Class Rut
"When I Decide" - My Terrible Friend
"You Will Leave a Mark" - A Silent Film

Songs no one else will agree with:
"Drive it Like You Stole It" - The Glitch Mob

Songs I loved fiercely for two seconds and now hate just as fiercely:
"Bang Pop" - Free Energy

Best not2010 Songs Discovered in 2010:
"Struggle" - Ringside
"Welcome Home" - Radical Face

Annie M. gives it up for Andy Jackson

I haven’t bought much new music this year so I don’t have anything essential (maybe Robyn will become essential when I finally catch up with her latest compilation…)
But to give Broadway some representation, I’ll cast my vote for the cast album of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

Rhiannon F. speaks because she can

I have two favourite albums of 2010 and they are fairly different from each other :/

Laura Marling - I speak because I can

And slightly embarassingly....

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Beach House makes Jonathan V. feel like a Teen Dream

Only sorta sorted into "favorites first" order. (For scoring purposes though, "Teen Dream" is my #1.)

Beach House - Teen Dream   The first time I heard it, I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t hear anything better all year. Here, Beach House recalls the swanky tones of Getz/Gilberto while moving above and beyond them, to an outer space all their own.
The National - High Violet   They illuminate every lonely nook of city and country both, with deft lyrics and subtle, potent melodies. I think it's safe to put the word "Treasure" after the band's name now.   
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs   Like the suburbs themselves, this album is sprawling, maudlin, and hard to get out of—I wound up listening to it from its August release, straight through to the end of the year, and it's still not quite through with me.   
The Chemical Brothers – Further   The mere idea of anyone finding a way to keep their sound fresh after over ten years is inspiring, especially in a genre so prone to clunk. "Further" even comes with its own album-length (and appropriately trippy) music video, the better to hypnotize you with.
Broken Bells - Broken Bells   I am pleased to report that the operation to merge Danger Mouse with James Mercer was a success. On their "Broken Bells" album, one's style complements the other's in surprising ways--such that you don't need to like either artist to enjoy what they've done here together. (If you need proof, and have not heard their song "October" yet, then get thee to an iTunery!)
The New Pornographers – Together   A.C. Newman, Dan Bejar and Neko Case “form blazing sword” once again, in a band that's even more than the sum of its parts. (And with parts like these, that's really saying something.)   
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles The spirit of punk rock is alive in the body of a killer cyborg! Crystal Castles' music is worth every bit of brain it sends through the back of your skull--epic and handmade simultaneously, and truly brutal.
Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago   Another elemental stunner from Jonathan Meiburg, the choirboy with the bipolar throat. Plus, percussion by Thor. Need I say more?   
Janelle Monae – The Archandroid Old-school sci-fi fandom meets new-school R&B, the theatricality of Judy Garland meets the adventurousness of Stevie Wonder...Janelle Monae is the venn diagram of so many "awesomes" that it’s impossible not to love her.
Wolf Parade - Expo '86 When they are recording as Wolf Parade, Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug enter the same hopped-up groove for a playdate, and their music practically hurtles. Do not have your blood pressure checked after listening to them, unless you want to prank your doctor.
Johnny Flynn – Been Listening   Johnny Flynn's voice has personality to spare, shaping every song he sends your way into a story worth hearing. I've been a fan since "A Larum" but this one sealed the deal for me.
Clinic – Bubblegum "Bubblegum" continues the evolution of Clinic's woozy trademark sound into something even more mysterious and distinctly theirs. If you haven't heard them in a while, it's time to check back.
SPECIAL MENTION...
The Knife collaborated with Mt. Sims and Planningrock to produce the score to a Charles Darwin opera, and I'll be dipped in the gene pool if their track "Colouring of Pigeons" was not great workout music!
FROM PREVIOUS YEARS...
Destroyer This year I decided (finally) to get into Dan Bejar's solo-project-cum-band Destroyer, though needless to say, there was no heavy lifting involved. With the impending release of their Roxy-inspired 2011 album "Kaputt", it's safe to say my ears will belong to them for some time to come. And speaking of Roxy...
Roxy Music - Roxy Music Having heard nearly every other one of their albums (save the universally-reviled "Manifesto", which I'll probably like anyway) I settled down to the first, and probably best, in the Roxy canon. Listen to them... Eno and Ferry... Children of the seventies... What music they make...
Kent – Rod Sweden's power-pop supergroup has at last perfected the nineties.

Scissors beats rock for Teri Y.

There weren't that many full albums that I really fell in love with in 2010, which is rather unusual. There were a lot more singles that I ended up enjoying.

Top Albums:
1. Night Work - Scissor Sisters
2. Body Talk - Robyn
3. Tourist History - Two Door Cinema Club
4. The Family Jewels - Marina and the Diamonds
5. Aphrodite - Kylie Minogue

Honorable Mention Albums:
Pieces - Erik Hassle
Real Blasty - Kyle Andrews
Interpreting the Masters Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates - The Bird & The Bee
The Dark Leaves - Matt Pond PA

Singles (in no particular order):
The King and All of His Men - Wolf Gang
Pieces of You - Wolf Gang
Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars
Marry You - Bruno Mars
Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
Teenage Dream - Glee Cast Version (because the world needs more boys serenading boys)
When You Walk in the Room - Fyfe Dangerfield
End Love - OK Go
Club Called Heaven - Black Cards

Erich N. thanks Drake now

Here's my list from twenty-ten:
1. Drake - Thank Me Later
2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
3. Sleigh Bells - Treats
4. Vampire Weekend - Contra
5. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

And 2009 albums I was late to, but loved last year:
1. Alicia Keys - Element of Freedom
2. Metric - Fantasies

Oh, and didn't know about Florence + Machine till 2010, and at the moment I'm absolutely addicted. (I see she made last year's music poll. I feel so behind!)

Dean B., Afraid of Everyone?

Favorite Albums of 2010:

1. The National - High Violet
2. The Walkmen - Lisbon
3. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
4. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
5. Pete Yorn - s/t
6. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
7. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
8. Spoon - Transference
9. Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown
10. Liars - Sisterworld

Favorite Songs of 2010:

The National: Afraid of Everyone, England, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, Sorrow
The Walkmen: Lisbon, Angela Surf City
Kanye West: Lost In The World (f/Bon Iver), Runaway, Blame Game (f/John Legend)
LCD Soundsystem: You Wanted A Hit, All I Want, Can Change
Big Boi: Turns Me On, Hustle Blood
Arcade Fire: Sprawl II, We Used To Wait
Ryan Adams: Dear Candy
Pete Yorn: Stronger Than, Precious Stone, Rock Crowd
Brandon Flowers: Only The Young
Weezer: Memories
Spoon: Nobody Gets Me But You, Out Go The Lights, Who Makes Your Money
Magnetic Fields: We Are Having A Hootenanny
Liars: Proud Evolution
Gorillaz: Rhinestone Eyes
Kele: Everything You Wanted, On The Lam
Eminem f/Lil Wayne: No Love
Broken Social Scene: All To All
Hot Chip: One Life Stand
David Gray: Forgetting

Paula M. loves her little lion man

1. Mumford and Sons - Sign No More
2. Jonsi - Go
3. She and Him - Volume 2
4. Mgmt - Congratulations
5. Teenage Fan Club - Shadows
5. Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

Discoveries of the Previous Year
Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk (2009)
Lay Low - Farewell Good Night's Sleep (2009)

Singles
Cee Lo Green - Fuck You

Lauren S. has got a bloodbuzz

Most Essential Album of the Year:
1. The National, High Violet
2. Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
3. Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks
4. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
5. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, I Learned the Hard Way

Most Essential Songs of the Year:
1. Cee Lo Green - F*** You
2. Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man
3. The National - Conversation 16
4. Arcade Fire - Ready to Start
5. The Black Keys - Chop and Change / Sia - My Love

Most Essential Soundtrack of the Year (That I Am Almost Embarrassed to Admit)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack

Best Album I Wish I'd Discovered Last Year
Florence + the Machine, Lungs

You can hang with Steve S.

ALBUMS

1. Robyn - Body Talk Parts 1-3

2. Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels

3. Plan B - The Defamation of Strickland Banks

4. Bryan Ferry - Olympia

5. Sade - Soldier of Love

6. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More

SINGLES (no particular order)

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

MIA - XXXO (Jay-Z Remix)

Mark Ronson and Business International (feat. Q-Tip & MNDR) - Bang Bang Bang

Far East Movement - Like a G6

Groove Armada (feat. Will Young) - History

Coma Cat - Tensnake

Martin Solveig and Dragonette – Hello

Zack C. walks a strange Landscape

Hauschka, Foreign Landscapes
Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
I’d add Sufjan, but I’m still ambivalent about him. Something tells me he’ll be well-represented, anyways. If he needs a tie-breaker, you can pretend I included him at the end of this list.

Jack M. writes about Love

Here ya go:
1. Belle and Sebastian--Write About Love  
2. Kanye West--My Beautiful Twisted Fantasy  
3. The Arcade Fire--Suburbs  
4. Deerhunter--Halcyon Digest

Top 10 Records on my floor:
The Chills--Kaleidoscope World
 Orchestral Manouevers in the Dark--Architecture and Morality  
The Orchids--Unholy Soul  
Nancy Sinatra--Nancy in London  
Kitchens of Distinction--Gorgeous Love EP  
The Durutti Column--LC  
Dislocation Dance--Midnight Shift
 Altered Images--Pinky Blue
 Close Lobsters--Foxheads Stalk This Land  
Fra Lippo Lippi
Orange Juice, Coals to Newcastle

Jonas walks a lonely Avenue

2010 was only a so-so year for new music for me -- though there are a  few near the top that I love.
1. Ben Folds/Nick Hornby, Lonely Avenue
 2. Ray LaMontagne, God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise  
3. Jenny & Johnny, I'm Having Fun Now  
4. Matt & Kim, Sidewalks
 5. Sarah Harmer, Oh Little Fire  
6. Hole, Nobody's Daughter  
7. Richard Barone, Glow  
8. The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street  (reissue)
9. The New Pornographers, Together  
10. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

Cindy D. thinks you’re not the king of anything

Sara Bareilles. Kaleidoscope Heart

and

Music to drink at the Tiki Bar by:
Michael Franti & Spearhead. The Sound of Sunshine.

Siobhan V. is ready to start

Most Essential: ARCADE FIRE, The Suburbs

Other Awesomeness:
BROKEN BELLS, Broken Bells
GORILLAZ, Plastic Beach
BEACH HOUSE, Teen Dream
ROGUE WAVE, Permalight
THE RADIO DEPT, Clinging to a Scheme

Glenn B. is a Modern Man

Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
Spoon- Transference
of Montreal- False Priest
Broken Bells- Broken Bells
The National- High Violet
Vampire Weekend- Contra
Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Yeasayer- Odd Blood
Cee-Lo Green- The Lady Killer
The Bird and the Bee- Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 1 (A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates)

Drew L. slings the Slang

The most essential, most impossible-to-live-without album that God sent us as an emblem of His love in 2010 was (obviously) --

1. The Gaslight Anthem, "American Slang"

The next bunch of essential stuff, IN THIS ORDER:

2. The National, "High Violet"
3. Titus Andronicus, "The Monitor"
4. Sundowner, "We Chase the Waves"
5. Brendan Kelly's half of the "Wasted Potential" split
6. John K. Samson, "Provincial Road 222"
7. Jim Bryson, "The Falcon Lake Incident"
8. The Weakerthans, "Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre"
9. Alkaline Trio, "This Addiction"

Nico M. gets himself together

#1: Robyn - Body Talk  (I'd've said "Body Talk Part 2" but Part 2 didn't have "Time Machine"  or "Get Myself Together")
Then...
Goldfrapp - Head First  
Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite  
Kelis - Flesh Tone

Andrew H. wizardly chooses Adz

Essential is such a weighty word. I don’t know if there was any new music last year that felt essential to me.
But! Let’s go with:
1. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz (because this was my favorite)
2. Robyn – Body Talk Pt. 1 (because this was my favorite to dance to)
3. Vampire Weekend – Contra (because this was my favorite to dance to alone in my room)

Jason G. doesn’t want to be anyone’s ghost

1. The National – High Violet

2. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
3. Laura Marling – I Speak Because I can
4. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
5. Vampire Weekend - Contra
6. The Black Keys – Brothers
7. Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
8. Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown
9. Grinderman 2 – Grinderman 2
10. John Mellencamp – No Better Than This

Christopher P.’s Monae shot

Best Albums:
1. Janelle Monae “The Archandroid”
2. Findlay Brown “Love Will Find You”
3. Hawksley Workman “Milk” and “Meat”
4. Robyn “Body Talk” LP & EPs
5. Kelis “Flesh Tone”
6. Magic Kids “Memphis”
7. Liz Phair “Funstyle”
8. Delorean “Subiza”
9. of Montreal “False Priest”
10. Eels “End Times” and “Tomorrow Morning”
11. Morcheeba “Blood Like Lemonade”
12. Owen Pallett “Heartland” and “Lewis Takes His Shirt Off” EP
13. Marina & the Diamonds “The Family Jewels”
14. The Bird and the Bee “Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates”
15. Goldfrapp “Head First”
16. Admiral Radley “I Heart California”
17. Beach House “Teen Dream”
18. Kate Nash “My Best Friend Is You”
19. Ed Harcourt “Lustre”
20. Scissor Sisters “Night Work”

Honorable Mentions (aka you would’ve placed if I listened to you more):
§ Chromeo “Business Casual”
§ Sufjan Stevens “The Age of Adz”
§ Vampire Weekend “Contra”
§ Yeasayer “Odd Blood”

Biggest Disappointments:
Sheryl Crow “100 Miles From Memphis”
Patty Griffin “Downtown Church”
Cyndi Lauper “Memphis Blues”

Biggest Surprises:
Macy Gray “The Sellout”
Travie McCoy “Lazarus”
Sarah McLachlan “Laws of Illusion”

Wish I Met You Earlier (older albums enjoyed this year):
V.V. Brown “Traveling Like The Light”
Paloma Faith “Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful”
Vandaveer “Divide & Conquer”

Most Listened Albums:
1. Janelle Monae “The Archandroid”
2. Findlay Brown “Love Will Find You”
3. Hawksley Workman “Milk”
4. Hawksley Workman “Meat”
5. Marina & the Diamonds “The Family Jewels”
6. Magic Kids “Memphis”
7. Eels “End Times”
8. Owen Pallett “Heartland”
9. Eels “Tomorrow Morning”
10. Kate Nash “My Best Friend Is You”

Best Songs (one per artist, no particular order):
The Bird and the Bee “Heard It on the Radio”
Findlay Brown “Love Will Find You”
Chromeo “Night by Night”
Delorean “Stay Close”
Kelis “Acapella”
Magic Kids “Superball”
Janelle Monae “Cold War”
Robyn “Hang With Me”
Scissor Sisters “Fire with Fire”
Hawksley Workman “Chemical”

Best Concerts:
1. a-Ha! @ Club Nokia, May 16
2. Slow Club @ Spaceland, March 11
3. Robyn, Kelis and Dan Black @ Music Box, July 23
4. Justin Bond @ Upright Cabaret, January 30
5. Janelle Monae @ Viper Room, March 24

Zachary H.’s owl eyes

For me, this year was very much about re-discovering old favorites than it was about downloading new albums. But anyway, here's my 2010 list:

1. Owl City - Ocean Eyes
I saw the music video for "Fireflies" the other night, and it was my first time hearing Ocean City. I immediately downloaded the full album and fell in love. It's Death Cab meets Hellogoodbye with a little bit of Sherwood adorableness thrown in. The whole album is sort of whimsical and magical, and the music carries this innocence that makes me want to believe in true love and magic.

2. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
I was drawn to this first for the song "Tightrope" and then, as I listened to the rest of the album, I was just amazed at the sheer range of styles she uses to tell the stories of her science fiction world.

3. Robyn - Body Talk
Fun dance music, "Dancing on my Own" is a song I can identify with. 'Nuff said.

4. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
Ah, Katy Perry. So inspiring, so fun to listen to and watch. Who else would come up with a Candy Land music video? Or one with fireworks shooting out from her boobs? I joke, but seriously. I really find her music fun.

And that takes care of all the albums I own that came out in 2010. Now, as for old favorites whose awesomeness I rediscovered, I'll give your four of those as well:

1. What Made Milwaukee Famous - Trying to Never Catch Up
They sound so earnest! I'd heard one of their songs years ago and then found it again in a dream, and downloaded the rest of the album along with it. Their music is somewhere between hopeful and sure, with such clear notes of yearning to belong and find comfort with another. This album is magnificent rainy day music, especially if you're traveling. It's thoughtful, and lends itself well to thinking.

2. Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
Dear gods, I need to be friends with this woman. She crazy. Fun to dance to, and chock full of great anthems - whether it's an anthem for a night ("I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked and I Like Me So Much Better When I'm Naked") or an anthem for a year ("Queen of the World"). I love this band, this album. They will never grow old for me.

3. The Darkness - Permission to Land
Do I even really need to explain myself on this one? I don't think I do. Rawesome.

4. Murder By Death - In Bocca Al Lupo
I love string instruments, but especially I love the cello. It isn't used enough, I don't think. A lot of the songs on this album are incredibly reminiscent of old sea shantys, telling mournful stories of mankind. Wonderful background music, fantastic mood music. I so highly recommend them.

Melissa W.’s got the Power

Essential: Kanye West, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"

More:
Beach House, "Teen Dream"
http://www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic
The Thermals, "Personal Life"
http://www.thethermals.com/home.html
The Young Veins, "Take a Vacation!"
http://www.myspace.com/theyoungveins
Band of Horses, "Infinite Arms"
http://stream.bandofhorses.com/

Singles:
Kanye, "Blame Game"
Beach House, "Zebra"
Rihanna, "Only Girl in the World"

Bonus: A 20-year-old guest writer for I Heart Daily's top 5 songs of 2010, really well explained, just in case you want to check it out.
http://www.iheartdaily.com/2010/12/red-hearts-top-five-songs-of-2010.html

Billy M.’s trip down to Hades

My picks for 2010 are:

1. Hadestown, Anais Mitchell
2. Age of Adz, Sufjan Stevens
3. Downtown Church, Patty Griffin
4. Body Talk, Robyn
5. Flesh Tone, Kelis
6. Oh Little Fire, Sarah Harmer
7. Have One on Me, Joanna Newsom

Discovered favorite in 2010: Fixin to Thrill, Dragonette (2009)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something obvious, but I don't have all my albums in my computer, so it gets weird.

Go Hadestown Go!

Chris H. gets along like a Suburbs on fire

Actually didn’t get to listen to much music last year—so I’ll be playing catch-up. But in the spirit of trying to get you to your #100, here are my top ten:

1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
2. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Vampire Weekend - Contra
4. Drake - Thank Me Later
5. The Black Keys - Brothers
6. Best Coast - Crazy For You
7. Sleigh Bells - Treats
8. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
9. Beach House - Teen Dream
10. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening

Nancy M., local native

Small caveat: In 2010 I pretty much exclusively listened to Jonny's band (The Loom) and the bands that they played with or are going to play with. I'm not complaining. They played with some kick ass people and I was lucky to see lots of live music in 2010 which is not something I can usually say!

In no particular order:

--Local Natives; Gorilla Manor

--Breathe Owl Breathe; Magic Central (The weirdest, most interesting show I've seen in a long time. The album is pretty darn quirky but I can't stop listening to it on repeat.)

--Rural Alberta Advantage; Hometowns

--First Aid Kit; The Big Black and Blue (The two girls made famous by their youtube video singing Fleet Foxes a capella.)

--Lost in the Trees; All Alone In An Empty House

-Forest City Lovers; Carriage

-The Loom; At Last Light (not yet released); Teeth EP

Nick E. is indestructable

Oh man, there’s a part of me that just wants to give Belle & Sebastian the top slot every time they have something new. But as much as I like the new album, it can’t match Robyn for pop perfection or Sufjan for mad genius. And though Sufjan’s album feels more like, well, an album... it’s Body Talk that’ll still be on my iPod in 5 years. Or wired directly into my brain, if technology allows!

1. Robyn, Body Talk
2. Sufjan Stevens, Age of Adz
3. Belle and Sebastian, Write About Love
4. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
5. Band of Horses, Infinite Arms

Robyn also gets my vote for best live show of the year (Webster Hall) and best single (Hang with Me).

Ronnie A. likes that Creep…

I only have a couple of best soundtrack choices this year. I don’t know if that says something about me or the movies released this year. Probably both.
Red Riding Trilogy
1974, Adrian Johnston
1980, Dickon Hinchliffe
1983, Barrington Pheloung
The Ghost Writer, Alexandre Desplat
Let Me In, Michael Giaccchino
The music used in the trailer for The Social Network, Radiohead’s “Creep” by Scala and Kolacny Brothers. Brilliant.

Kathleen P., Lost and found

Raashan Ahmad - For What You've Lost
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love
Girl Talk - All Day
Beach House - Beach House
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Miscellanea:
Best Single on an almost-made-it album: Baby Lee on Teenage Fanclub's Shadows. It's so adorable!
Best Single to dance to that I listened to over and over and almost made myself sick of: Dynamite by Taio Cruz (close tie with Britney Spears' Toxic)
Worst Song of the year: Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are. Just typing it makes me sick.
Best Dance Single that needs to be more popular and should be downloaded rightaway: Satellite by Lena

Veronica goes West

This is me scrolling through my iPod in 5 minutes and trying to remember which albums were released this year ... hope I'm right!

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Owen Pallett, Heartland
Belle and Sebastian, Write About Love
Robyn, Body Talk
Arcade Fire, Suburbs
Girl Talk, All Day

That’s Brett W. in the corner…

1. Robyn - Body Talk
Tough call between numbers 1 and 2. Robyn had some misses, but she is making the most exciting pop music today. I've loved her since I heard "Be Mine!" back in 2005. She made it worth the wait. Best Song: "Dancing On My Own." Duh.

2. Jonsi - Go
Flawless--every song. And like Robyn, he was one of the best live shows of 2010. Best Song: "Grow Till Tall" or "Sinking Friendships."

3. Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite
Kylie returns to what she's best at, and every sassy gay strutting down 5th Ave is listening to "Get Outta My Way" (also Best Song).

4. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
The thing is, I love (and sort of miss) the less-accessible, more squeaky Joanna of "The Milk-Eyed Mender," but no one can deny this epic album, especially "Good Intentions Paving Company" (Best Song).

5. Beach House - Teen Dream
Nothing against Katy Perry, but this is the real teen dream. "Norway" got a lot of deserved attention. Close to perfection.

6. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Never has saying "Fuck You" been so fun, but it's his voice on "Old Fashioned" that sealed the deal for me.

7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Finally, Arcade Fire! It's been long enough. Best Song: "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

8. Laura Veirs - July Flame
Like Joanna, she's a poet whose words I linger on long after her songs are over. Best Song: "July Flame."

9. Stars - The Five Ghosts
Not my favorite album of theirs, but I love them too much to not give them a spot. Plus "We Don't Want Your Body" is way too much fun.

10. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
Listen, I didn't care for this album (there are a few gems, like, say, "I'm The Best"), but everyone should be aware of her mix-tapes, which I listened to enough in 2010 to put her on the Best Of list.

Yay! Now I'm going to go back and listen to each of these albums again and again. :)

Blake N., king of the beach

Favorite singles (in order):

"King of the Beach" Wavves
"Solitude is Bliss" Tame Impala
"Me me me" Lars and the Hands of Light
"Chinatown" Destroyer
"Shake me Down" Cage the Elephant
"Bushwick Blues" Delta Spirit
"Pumped up Kicks" Foster the People
"When I Grow up" Fever Ray

John A.’s Halcyon days

Album of the Year: Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter

A list of more great music from 2010 in no particular order:

Beach House: Teen Dream
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: Horse Power EP
Panda Bear: Tomboy, You Can Count on Me, and Last Night at the Jetty singles
Local Natives: Gorilla Manor
Mogwai: Special Moves
Ra Ra Riot: The Orchard
Suuns: Zeroes QC
Tame Impala: InnerSpeaker
Teenage Fanclub: Shadows
The Twilight Sad: The Wrong Car
The Unwinding Hours: The Unwinding Hours

Kevin K. shows us the Monae

1. The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae
2. This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
3. Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
4. The Winter of Mixed Drinks by Frightened Rabbit
5. River Blues by Justin Townes Earle
6. Together by The New Pornographers
7. The Lady Killer by Cee-Lo
8. Body Talk by Robyn
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Motion Picture Soundtrack by Various Artists
10. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
11. Contra by Vampire Weekend
12. False Priest by Of Montreal
13. How I Got Over by The Roots
14. The Guitar Song by Jamey Johnson
15. Adrift by The Red Sea Pedestrians

2010 was a great year for music compared to 2009

Sarah D.L. is full of Joy

Robert Plant Band of Joy - because it's a great album and also because I so enjoyed posting the song "You can't buy my love" on a political blog I write for after a certain Republican wrestling executive dropped $50 million of her own money to run for Senate here in CT and LOST.

Anna C. joins the Club

TOKYO POLICE CLUB, "Champ" I didn't like TPC before this, but a 13-hour car ride with just "Champ" to listen to made me a convert. I love so much about this record. It's a fantastic road trip album & is my takealong for going home even after that 13-hour drive, you can dance to it, you can curl up on a cold day with cocoa and listen to it, you can sing it with your friends. My only gripe with them is that I wish the lyrics were better--parts are very accessible, but a lot sounds like a collage of random lines of…journals? Newspaper headlines? I couldn't tell you. But for something with such an accessible tone--the opening "Favourite Food" invites you in with a vulnerable voice & delicate pace, then kicks in for you to dance to--I wish I could understand a little more where they're going with what they're saying with their mixed metaphors, almost-narration then incoherent line collages. But! Aside from that, I love love love love love this record. Hooray!
THE RED RIVER, "Little Songs about the Big Picture" I shared the stage with The Red River a few months ago & was immediately swept off my feet by "Milk & Honey," an upbeat, folk-tale singalong (which can be viewed on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts). The songs on "Little Songs" are nostalgic, honest & precious, without being too precious. They're almost religious, yet very grounded. NPR rated it one of the top 10 of 2010. Rightfully so.
SALLIE FORD & THE SOUND OUTSIDE, "Not An Animal EP" Originally from Asheville, NC, the first time I heard Sallie on WNCW I thought the track "Not An Animal" was straight out of the 40s. It's Ella FItzgerald by way of the Blue Ridge Parkway. They have an album due out within the year I believe.
ORYX & CRAKE, "Oryx & Crake" Atlanta-based band getting love from Paste among other publications. What I loved about O&C off the bat was the Margaret Atwood reference, but then the way that name & aspects of the book play into the songs--the organic sounds of the singing saw & coffee-grinder (yes, as an instrument)--then the electro elements of the keys & drum loops.
JAMISON MURPHY, "Shape & Recollection" Jamison Murphy is 14 years old. He plays an array of instruments, from 6-string guitar to dulcimer to cigar-box instruments handmade by Southern jazz musicians, and incorporates them all into his literature-inspired songs. Homages to the Glass family, Nietzsche, Flannery O'Connor, & Faulkner are penned with a well-rounded understanding & interpretation of, and reflection on, the material. "Shape & Recollection," his second album, shows him growing exponentially as a musician & a writer.

Michael T.’s sound system

1. LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening
2. The National, High Violet
3. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
4. Robyn, Bodytalk
5. Sleigh Bells, Treats

Steve M.’s roused by Rouse

If we're talking strictly 2010, here are a few:

1. Josh Rouse -- El Turista 
2. Goodnight Loving -- Goodnight Loving Supper Club 
3. The Riverdales – Tarantula
4. The White Wires -- WWII 

Brant R. Rings dem Bells

Most Essential:
Broken Bells/Broken Bells

Other Essentials:
Surfer Blood/Astro Coast
The New Pornographers/Together
Vampire Weekend/Contra
Spoon/Transference
Cee Lo Green/The Lady Killer
Arcade Fire/The Suburbs
Katy Perry/Teenage Dream
Kanye West/My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Das Racist/Shut Up, Dude

Perhaps Essential:
Das Racist/Sit Down, Man
Sleigh Bells/Treats
She & Him/Volume Two
Belle & Sebastian/Write About Love
LCD Soundsystem/This Is Happening
Janelle Monáe/The ArchAndroid
Gorillaz/Plastic Beach
Big Boi/Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son Of Chico Dusty

Essential Songs (Mix Order):
Broken Bells/Vaporize
Vampire Weekend/Giving Up the Gun
Kanye West/All of the Lights
God Help the Girl/Baby You're Blind
Gorillaz/On Melancholy Hill
The New Pornographers/Crash Years
Surfer Blood/Floating Vibes
Ted Leo/Bottled in Cork
Sean Bones featuring Norah Jones/Turn Them
Belle and Sebastian/I Didn't See It Coming
Best Coast/Crazy for You
Das Racist/You Oughta Know
Big Boi featuring Janelle Monáe/Be Still
She & Him/Thieves
Free Energy/Psychic Lighting
Arcade Fire/Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Katy Perry/Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
Cee Lo Green/Fuck You
Weezer/Trainwrecks
Spoon/Out Go the Lights

Essential Discoveries from Previous Years:
Al Stewart/Year of the Cat [1976]
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young/Déjà Vu [1970]
Daft Punk/Discovery [2001]
Florence + the Machine/Lungs [2009]
Guided By Voices/Earthquake Glue [2003]
Larry Norman/Only Visiting This Planet [1972]
Lay Gaga/The Fame [2009]
Lou Reed/Coney Island Baby [1976]
Matt & Kim/Matt & Kim [2006]
Neil Young/Harvest Moon [1992]
Ra Ra Riot/The Rhumb Line [2008]
The Call/Let the Day Begin [1989]
The Psychedelic Furs/Talk Talk Talk [1981]
The Undertones/The Undertones [1979]
Yo La Tengo/Ride the Tiger [1986]

The 2009 David Music Poll Results

2010-02-10T05:38:00.000-08:00

The 2009 David Music Poll Results

1. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (23 votes)
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz (20)
3. Florence + the Machine, Lungs (19)
4. Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster (17)
5. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone (11)
6. Regina Spektor, Far (10)
Animal Collective, Merriweather Post (10)
Passion Pit, Manners (10)
The XX, XX (10)
10. Camera Obscura, My Maudlin Career (9)
Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca (9)

Runners Up: (8 votes:) Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest (7 votes:) La Roux, La Roux; The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You; Royksopp, Junior (6 votes:) Miike Snow, Miike Snow; Fever Ray, Fever Ray; Karen O and the Kids, Where the Wild Things Are; The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart; Jay-Z, The Blueprint III (5 votes:) Metric, Fantasies; Various Artists, Dark Was the Night; Muse, the Resistance

Notes: This year there were seventy-three respondents, up from last year. It was the tightest race in years. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Regina Spektor, and Neko Case all make their second appearances in the top ten, while Florence + the Machine has the highest debut. Lady Gaga was strangely absent last year, but has made up for it this year. The XX might be the biggest surprise. As for misses: Previous winner Franz Ferdinand didn’t garner much support, Lily Allen was probably hurt by coming out early in the year, and Grizzly Bear didn’t get quite as many votes as its hype might have merited. Next year’s big question: Will Vampire Weekend keep its crown from 2008?

My List, a Lungful

David’s List of Essentials, 2009

Florence + the Machine, Lungs

I’m finding it harder and harder to hear an album and feel that all-powerful wow. I don’t know whether it’s too easy to get new music, whether indie is turning in on itself, or whether I’m just getting older. Whatever the case, Florence + the Machine gave me back my wow this year. Not just on this album, which is pretty amazing. But live, and in clips on YouTube, whether amped up or acoustic. There are plenty of influences here – Kate Bush, British folk, maybe even a little Fiona Apple – but Florence damn well transcends them and creates something startling and new. And her voice is just incredible. I genuinely have no idea where she goes from here; this very well may be the debut that tops everything that follows. But I’m hoping against that.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz

A surprisingly close #2 to Florence + the Machine. Confession: Although I think “Maps” is one of the greatest songs of the past decade (easy), I’ve never been a YYYs devotee. Not until this album. It’s great indie pop, powered by some kick-ass tunes and some heartbreaking ballads. “Hysteric” comes close to “Maps”, and “Zero” and “Heads Will Roll” still require blasting, almost a year in. And their concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg was my favorite of the year.

Tegan and Sara, Sainthood

Maybe not quite up to the intensity and excellence of their previous album, The Con, but this is still a damn good record. I wish I lived in a world where “Hell” was a Top 10 hit – and “Northshore” is even better. Grows on me with every listen – and there have been a lot of listens.

Ingrid Michaelson, Everybody

Probably the album I’ve listened to the most this year, because it is fantastic comfort music. (And I don’t mean that in a belittling sense.) Even though the lyrics are full of sadness and confusion, the music is so listener-friendly that it lands just the right way. “Are We There Yet” (no relation to the novel of the same name) is easily one of my favorite songs of the year.

Plushgun, Pins and Panzers

It’s like the soundtrack to a John Hughes film set in 2009. And who can argue with that?

Swell Season, Strict Joy

It doesn’t have a movie behind it, but the first album since Once from the Swell Season certainly has enough drama. Breakup ballads and regret abound, but it’s all rather beautiful.

Close-to-Essential Debuts:
Fanfarlo, Reservoir
The Low Anthem, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (not technically a debut, but still…)
White Lies, To Lose My Life

Close-to-Essential Returns:
Patrick Wolf, The Bachelor
Regina Spektor, Far
Various Artists, Dark Was the Night

Album That I Bought Late in the Year Which Could Eventually Be Essential
The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You

Albums That, In Retrospect, Should Have Made My List of Essentials Last Year:
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
The Gaslight Anthem, The ’59 Sound
(in fairness, both were listed as near essential)

Singer-Songwriter Discovery of the Year:
Greg Laswell

Essential Songs:
Florence + the Machine, “Dog Days Are Over”
Greg Laswell, “What a Day”
Metric, “Help, I’m Alive”
Ingrid Michaelson, “Are We There Yet”
Plushgun, ‘Just Impolite”
Royksopp featuring Robyn, “The Girl and the Robot”
The Swell Season, “In These Arms”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Zero” and “Hysteric”

Alice H, Feeling (Musically) Moody

My vote is
Ben Moody
All for This

Steven M, Living the Swede Life

Here's my $0.02 from 2009, with comments:
In short, I thought the best music came from Sweden, in fact the majority of bands I listed to were Swedish. I'm not sure what American bands were doing this year, but I don't feel it measured up to Western Europe at all.

My favorite video was Sigur Ros' "Heijma." If you like them or want to see what Iceland is like, you must see this film.

My favorite records of 2009

10. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue. This record is an interesting and catchy electro-acoustic mash. I can't say there's anything groundbreaking in it, and I have no idea how much of this is playing v. sampling. The melodies and feel are simple, but very memorable, a record you could put on anytime of day and enjoy. I guess the guy is a Brit who's into both electronic and English folkie tunes. I like the mix, it works.

9. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career. I'm not familiar with their previous work, but I enjoy this poppy, 60's-esque collection. The arrangements and production definitely enhance the songs, sung with her Glaswegian accent. My favorite song, "Honey In the Sun," really is improved by the horn arrangement, leaving me wonder why they didn't make more of an effort to include that in their sound. I find it interesting (and sad) that a band from Scotland has made my favorite Spector-influenced record of the year (likewise with Hawley's British Orbison-influenced record). This seems to be a true collection of songs that fit together great and sound better as a group.

8. Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter. Richard Hawley is a familiar face on my lists, and rightfully so. I hope his inclusion on my lists year after year has helped make him more of a household name, he deserves it. I've been singing his praises since I first heard him. What he does, he does best. If you're looking for a post-modern rock record, this isn't it. The 50's-era (and late-model Nick Lowe era) quiet vintage songs, moods, guitars and voice are second-to-none. I love the decision to give space to instrumental passages to showcase Hawley's guitar playing more so than previous records. There isn't much separating any of his records musically, but I love them all. Hawley performs and writes timeless tunes, impeccable collections.

7. The Clientele - Bonfires on the Heath. The Clientele remind me of what kind of music I imagine John Lennon would be making if he were alive today. Either way, I always enjoy their records, and this is no exception. The tempos are slow, the mood melancholy (though not overbearingly so) and nice vocals. Perfect British rainy day music.

6. Loney dear - Dear John. I think this is one guy, as opposed to a band. I consider this a sort-of Swedish "Something Anything." Singer-songwriter songs of gloom and doom, with catchy hooks, heartfelt lyrics and a unique sound.

5. The Temper Trap - Conditions. It's about time I got an Aussie (Melbourne) band back on the list. I need to get back to listening to Triple J radio on a regular basis. The one thing I love about Aussie bands is that they use the electric guitar better than American bands do. I imagine the lead guitarist probably spent his days playing along with "The Unforgettable Fire," versus earlier generations playing along with "Houses of the Holy." Sad, we've lost the motivation to spend our adolescent afternoons practicing instruments after school. In my opinion, rock and roll has suffered and will never recover from this sociological change. "Conditions" is well-produced, with good performances and good tunes. And, the singer has a nice voice (with falsetto), some skills. It's not equally great from top to bottom, but when its good, its great. I just saw 500 Days of Summer, and they wisely used the best songs on this record in it.

4. Brendan Benson - "My Old, Familiar Friend." As usual, Benson has made an incredibly catchy, up-tempo, well-written and performed collection of power pop. But this time, I'd say it's his best effort. Each song is equally great and I could listen to him sing all day. Unfortunately (for me), there aren't many artists putting good power-pop out these days, thank goodness for Benson. Can it be that this is the only U.S. recording in this list?

3. The Veils - Sun Gangs. Man, the lead singer's voice sounds great on this. I'd like to catch them play live, they have the ability to play a variety of styles, without diminishing the lead singer's power and strengths. Not a totally consistent offering, but the majority of the tunes are really strong.

2. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today I'm Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories The World Is Grey I'm Tired Let's Wash Away. I've probably listened to this record more than any other this year because I enjoy it, but also because I'm trying to figure out how they did it. I think Mew are Danish, for what that's worth. This record sounds totally unique and has so many different things going on in it, musically, vocally and production-wise. I caught them live and they weren't unable to pull it off, quite frankly. I like the first half much more than the second, but based on the total effort, I really like this record.

1. The Soundtrack of our Lives - Communion. Wow, who else has the chops, cajones, and gravitas to release a double album in the ipod/single era of 2009? And it's just not a few songs and filler. Each song is impressive on its own and served with ample gusto. Can't wait to hear them perform this live in February. The first "side" is more bombastic (is "Mensa's Marauder's a cover of Austin Powers' "BBC?"...) and the second more restrained. We're talking over 20 strong tunes, a throwback release to my youth. How this record slipped under the radar is anyone's guess - perhaps the classic rock leanings (see: "Lifeline"), or merely the fact they're from Sweden. Who knows, who cares. Always a great band, I feel this is their crowning achievement, defining them as the great band they are. I wonder if this release will influence radiohead back in this musical direction? Lyrically and in terms of ambition, they two bands are on par, but radiohead leads in terms of virtuosity and originality. Looking forward to hearing something new from them in '10.

Francesca Lia B. Snows Us

miike snow/miike snow
metric/fantasies
loney dear/dear john
lady gaga/ the fame monster (sorry but)
pj harvey, john parrish a woman a man walked by (because it's pj!)

Chris V. Doesn’t Stop Believin’

Really the only album that mattered in 2010 was: Glee, The Music, Volume One.

Charles B. Performs Parades

A longish list, but then no numbers were mentioned, so...

Black Tambourine - The Complete Recordings (re-issue)
The Clientele - Bonfires on the Heath
Florence + the Machine - Lungs
Miike Snow - Miike Snow (best new artist)
tUnE-yArDs - Bird-Brains
Efterklang & The Danish National Chamber Orchestra - Performing Parades
Cold Cave - Love Comes Close
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
WarPaint - Exquisite Corpse
Fever Ray - Fever Ray
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
Death - For The Whole World To See (re-issue)
Connie Converse - How Sad, How Lonely (re-issue)
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
James Yorkston - When the Haar Rolls In
Danny Norbury - Light In August
Imaad Wasif - The Voidist
IO Echo - +++
Klimek - Listen The Snow Is Falling
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love
Swimming In Speakers - Swimming in Speakers EP
Desire - II
We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
Passion Pit - Manners
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Most Essential - tie - Efterklang or Florence + the Machine

OH, SNAP!!!

I forgot to add one of my favorite albums of the year -- maybe the favorite: Loney Dear - Dear John. Totally essential.

biggest total surprise [single] "The Gnashing" from Baroness - Blue Record

best collection of Lullabies: múm - singalong to songs you don't know

least-cursed sophomore album (though many of these are sophomore albums): Imogen Heap - Ellipse

act to watch: WarPaint

best re-issue: Connie Converse - How Sad, How Lonely

most deserving of its hype: Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

best album featuring a relative: Miike Snow - Miike Snow

Pete S., What Will We Be, Will Be

Okay! Here goes nothing'...

[These lists are hard to do!]

1. Devendra Banhart: What Will We Be
2. Vetiver: Tight Knit
3. Q-Tip: The Renaissance
4. The Growlers: Are You In or Out
5. Bon Iver: Blood Bank
6. Amos Lee: Last Days at The Lodge
7. Girls: Girls
8. Karen O and The Kids: Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack
9. J. Tillman: Cancer and Delirium
10. Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique 20th Anniversary

Gabe B. Declares His Dependence on Gaga

Oh jeez, I buy/listen to so little new music anymore... If I had to think of a few, I'd say:

Gaga-- The Fame (this seems so obvious)
Kings of Convenience -- Declaration of Dependence
La Roux -- La Roux

oh, and essential singles, obviously:
Kesha -- Tik Tok
Britney – 3

Ned V. Likes Ike’s Hard Luck

Most Essential:

Ike Reilly HARD LUCK STORIES

Also Essential:

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros S/T
Alec Ounsworth MO BEUATY
Flaming Lips EMBRYONIC
Felice Brothers YONDER IS THE CLOCK
Lady Gaga THE FAME MONSTER
Dinosaur Jr. FARM
Girls ALBUM
Julian Casablancas PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG
Weezer RADITUDE

Jennifer S. and I and Love and You

My favorites this year:

I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers
Wilco - Wilco
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix
Miike Snow -- can't remember if that album was this year, but if it was, it deserves to be on the list!

Jon S.’s Got the Fever

After much deliberation, here's my list of essential 2009 releases.

My essential album of 2009 is unquestionably:
1. Fever Ray - Fever Ray

The rest, more or less in order of playcount:
2. Soap & Skin - Lovetune for Vacuum
3. Wye Oak - The Knot
4. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
5. Wavves - Wavves
6. Metric - Fantasies
7. Miike Snow - Miike Snow
8. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Black Moth Super Rainbo
9. Anthony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
10. Passion Pit - Manners
11. Yeah Yeah Yeah's - It's Blitz
12. Florence and the Machine - Florence and the Machine

with honorable mentions to:
Eels - Hombre Lobo (not their best, but I found the stripped down sound refreshing)
Regina Spektor - Far (nowhere near as good as Begin to Hope, but I'm happy she's finally breaking into some sort of popular scene)

And I know 2008 was a killer year for new music, so it must have been tough to narrow it down. Here's my "Should have made the 2008 List" category:
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Lykke Li - Youth Novel
Man Man - Rabbit Habits
She & Him - Volume One
Why? – Alopecia

Brett Was Hit By a Cyclone

1. Neko Case -- Middle Cyclone

The rest:

Bat For Lashes -- Two Suns
Dirty Projectors -- Bitte Orca
Grizzly Bear -- Veckatimest
Phoenix -- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Various Artists -- Dark Was the Night compilation (best compilation)
Florence + The Machine -- Lungs (best new discovery)
Camera Obscura -- My Maudlin Career
La Roux -- La Roux (best dance album)
Royskopp -- Junior
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart -- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Here We Go Magic -- Here We Go Magic
Thao With the Get Down Stay Down -- Know Better Learn Faster

Lucas Finds Passion in the Pit

1. Passion Pit, Manners
2. Royksopp, Junior
3. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
5. Mika, The Boy Who Knew Too Much
6. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!
8. Regina Spektor, Far
9. The-Dream, Love vs. Money
10. Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca

Jonathan V.’s Ray of Light

My top 12 for the year, with associated justifications listed just below each album title...

1. FEVER RAY - Fever Ray

"Fever Ray" is loaded with slowburn soundscapes, creepy pitched-down vocals, and wall-to-wall electrofweep. From exactly 1/2 of The Knife, the album plays like a colder, more implacable "Silent Shout". Download the closing track "Coconut" for a set of chills.

2. DRAGONSLAYER - Sunset Rubdown

Every song on this album is something between an imbroglio and a rollercoaster, with music that changes shape and gains momentum while Spencer Krug's fairly-yelped lyrics jolt and spasm to beat the band. Physicians advise that you avoid having your blood pressure checked immediately after listening to DRAGONSLAYER.

3. VECKATIMEST - Grizzly Bear

The tracks on VECKATIMEST play by their own rules, with gorgeous vocals and a constant air of mystery. "Two Weeks" is so majestic, I fell in love with it before the first eight bars were up.

4. MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION - Animal Collective

I generally think of Animal Collective as The Most Important Band That Makes Me Want To Claw My Eyes Out. They take the sounds cartoon characters make when electrified, and fashion them into songs. This time around, however, they took a new tact, and latched their gator-clamps to The Beach Boys instead--that has made all the difference.

5. XX - The XX

Fair warning: If your significant other puts this album on, they mean business. A continuum of tracks that verge on spoken (in-your-ear) word, it's the sexiest set since "Avalon".

6. IGNORE THE IGNORANT - The Cribs

The ignorant, in this case, being anyone who mistook this album for a Junior Year slump. Sure there's a noticeable change in tempo and tone on The Cribs' latest offering, with the songs digging in deep and the hurt cutting deeper, but I don't see how that's a problem--especially with Johnny Marr's guitar bouncing all over the proceedings like the Peanut Butter Jelly Time banana.

7. JOSEPHINE - Magnolia Electric Company

Jason Molina's lyrics return again and again to the same images--the highway, the owl, the moon. The symbols begin to connect over time, forming a kind of inner vocabulary, an open diary written in code. It's some the most deeply personal work you'll ever hear.

8. CRACK THE SKYE - Mastodon

A mystical firework display of gutsy guitars and sneered vocals--starring Rasputin! More intricate and melodic than earlier Mastodon albums, but don't hold that against them.

9. THE MOUNTAIN - Heartless Bastards

Every song on this album seems aimed at teaching the listener to beat their way out of a spiritual bar brawl.

10. MARCH OF THE ZAPOTEC / HOLLAND - Beirut / Realpeople

The first half of this album comprises MARCH OF THE ZAPOTEC, a series of songs that Beirut (Zach Condon) composed with a team of funeral musicians. The second half of the album comprises HOLLAND, an old EP of electronica tracks that Condon wrote (under the name Realpeople) before founding Beirut. Oddly enough, it's the second set of tracks that landed this album on my hit list--Condon's voice blends so effortlessly with electronic music, it's a shame he doesn't do the Conor Oberst thing, and two-time on his accordion with his Mac.

11. WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX - Phoenix

Effervescent without being stupid, which ain't easy to pull off.

12. DARK WAS THE NIGHT - Various Artists

It feels like cheating to put this album too high on the list, because it's a compilation. But truth be told, there are some of the best tunes of the oughts hiding on these CDs--and with a collection of talent this diverse, it's fair to say that everybody will choose a different set to call their own. For me, The National's "So Far Around the Bend", Feist & Grizzly Bear's "Service Bell" and Feist & Ben Gibbard's "Train Song" did much to make my year.

BEST ALBUMS I GOT INTO THIS YEAR THAT WERE NOT FROM 2009:

YS - Joanna Newsom

Joanna Newsom is a riddle in human form...and armed with a harp besides. The tripped-out madrigals on her album "Ys" worm your way into your soul, then smuggle it off to a Renfair orgy.

IN GHOST COLOURS - Cut/Copy
PLEASURE PRINCIPLE - Gary Numan
SANTOGOLD - Santogold
MICROCASTLE - Deerhunter
DEAR SCIENCE - TV on the Radio

Nancy M. Gives Rural Alberta the Advantage

most essential: the rural alberta advantage (to see them live is to love them)
also most essential: neko case, middle cyclone
essential: local natives, gorilla manor
from a year or two ago, but just discovered this year:
the national, boxer
essie jain, the inbetween
dark dark dark, snow magic
festival, come arrow come
she and him, volume one

Eugene Can Encompass Ella and Gaga

Antony and the Johnsons-The Crying Light I have yet to encounter an Antony album I haven't liked, and their third full-length record is no exception. Beginning with Antony's plaintive vocals, accompanied by his piano and a cello, the album unfolds with beautifully sparse arrangements in support of plaintive melodies. At times, the album comes across almost like Nick Cave's The Boatman's Call, but with greater fragility. This year I also had the opportunity to see Antony and the Johnsons perform live. The band was tight and played magnificently, shedding new light on the material. I could barely believe my ears.
Au Revoir Simone-Still Night, Still Light Still Night, Still Light captivates me with its occasional strange shifts in key and harmony, and the dreamy pop tunes that preside over the recording. While this Brooklyn-based, Casio-centric synthpop trio has delivered a melancholy album, the overall downcast pallor is leavened by occasional bursts of energy that leaven the proceedings and propel the album forward.
Ella Fitzgerald-Twelve Nights in Hollywood I tend to fall on the Billie Holiday side of the Holiday/Fitzgerald divide, but there's something about her energy and exuberance that wins me over during the holidays. This new live recording sees her in fine form, as she makes her way through a series of standards on these loose 1960 and 1961 club dates. She sounds amazing; her vocal lines are incredibly agile and rhythmic timing is impeccable.
JJ-JJ N° 2  An enigmatic Swedish duo, JJ's bubbling synths and delicate harmonies conjure references to everyone from Paul Simon and Toto to Lil' Wayne and the Cowboy Junkies with a dash of the Postal Service. And that's a poor description. When I returned to New York from China, these 27 minutes of music were all I could handle. It was the soundtrack of my decompression and re-emergence into the city.
Lady Gaga-The Fame I came late to Lady Gaga but once I heard the album I couldn't stop. It's been a while since I've been so taken with a pop/dance record, and while I may not like a song when I first hear it, she always manages to blow open a song with the chorus so that I want to be completely encompassed by it.
Major Lazer-Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do In the absence of a genre-hopping tropical infused album by the likes of, say, MIA, Diplo teams with Switch to bring forth Major Lazer, a genre-hopping reggae-infused album by an alter ego who "a Jamaican commando who lost his arm in a secret zombie war in 1984. He supposedly fights vampires and various monsters, parties hard, and has a rocket powered skateboard." Sometimes you just have to go along for the ride.
Pastels/Tenniscoats-Two Sunsets A collaboration between a band from Glasgow and one from Tenniscoats, the album emerged when the Tenniscoats suggested the two bands book some time in Glasgow to see what might happen. It's a pastoral album that feels like summer sunlight collected for a frigid winter afternoon. I shudder at the comparison (and the somewhat cheesy turn of phrase), but here something has definitely been found in translation.
Roll Deep-Street Anthems A collection of sides from the grime/hip hop collective that brought us Dizzie Rascal, this compilation collects the hits that demonstrate why they're considered the forefathers of the grime scene. As fresh as it must have sounded when it first emerged onto the scene, the music continues to sound fresh, and it's great to have this record to look back on the development of this subgenre of music.
Vijay Iyer-Historicity I wasn't immediately taken by this recording of Iyer's piano trio, but as I found myself returning to it again and again for his interpretations of recent pop songs (MIA's "Galang"), 70's hits (Stevie Wonder's "Big Brother"), Broadway tunes ("Somewhere"), and Andrew Hill ("Smoke Stack"). A muscular player, Iyer demonstrates his understanding of a wide range of music and musical styles on this record, and he's a pianist I'll be following in years to come.
Pink Mountaintops-Outside Love The Raveonettes-In & Out of Control Crystal Stilts-Crystal Stilts I'm a sucker for bands with a strong kinship to the Jesus & Mary Chain, and this year posted the above three albums that scratched this itch. The Pink Mountaintops tackle the walls of sound from a country bent, the Raveonettes emphasize the 60s girl group aspect, and the Crystal Stilts (on their EP) from the stanpoint of a lo-fi echo-chamber.

Erich Gives Us His Greatests

Oh God—I'm so behind on these things. I'm just discovering albums that came out in 1996 that I think are amazing. Then I try to talk them up with my friends, ant they're like, Uuuuhh—duh. Where have you been??

But—here are the categories where I saw clear award winners in '09:

Greatest Reason to Still Believe in Indie Rock:
Grizzly Bear—Veckatimest

Greatest Living Legend (Dept. of Still Got It):
Jay-Z—Blueprint III

Greatest Hometown Heroes [Doing Bklyn Proud]:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs—It's Blitz

Greatest Supergroup Formation (Creating, in the ears of this listener, "the sound of Fall 2009"):
Monsters of Folk—Monsters of Folk

Greatest Tragedy (Dept. of Voices Gone to Seed):
Whitney Houston—I Look To You

Greatest Discovery (Dept. of Where Have You Been?):
Nico Case—Middle Cyclone

Greatest Bafflement (Dept. of Please Explain)
Bob Dylan—Christmas In The Heart

Garth N. Supports a Fellow Australian

Upon looking at my iTunes collection I see that I am old and only play music from the past, with the single exception of Sarah Blasko's "As Day Follows Night", which is a great album from 2009.

Marie R. Gives it Up for the Goats

Most essential: The Mountain Goats, The Life of the World to Come
Also essential:
Franz Ferdinand, Tonight
Regina Spektor, Far

Melissa W. Got Married, But Still Loves Her Bad Romance

Albums:
MOST ESSENTIAL: Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster (don't judge!)
Tahiti 80 - Activity Center
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Eisley - Fire Kite
ASH - A-Z Series
Metric - Fantasies
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
Jay Z - The Blueprint 3

Singles:
"Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga
"You Belong with Me" - Taylor Swift
"Lisztomania" -Phoenix
"True Love 1980" - ASH (YOUTUBE the great video!)
"Hitten" - Those Dancing Days (YOUTUBE)
"Everything With You" - Pains of Being Pure at Heart
"My Girls" - Animal Collective
"Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z
"Battlefield" - Jordin Sparks

Jason B. Feels it in His Lungs

THE album: Florence and the Machine - Lungs
also:
Band of Skulls - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Pree - A Chopping Block (ep)
Telekinesis - Telekinesis
The Gossip - Music for Men
Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon
Zero 7- Yeah Ghost
The Cave Singers - Welcome Joy
K'naan - Troubadour
Songs:
Little Pieces - Gomez
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Rain Dance - The Very Best feat. MIA

Matthue R., So Close to Far

hey! again, as always, apologies if half of these are totally obscure  and half are totally beyond obvious. this is my brain.
so: most essential: regina spektor, far
and:
it's blitz, yeah yeah yeahs
matisyahu, light
danger mouse & sparklehorse, dark night of the soul
where the wild things are soundtrack
the sway machinery, hidden melodies revealed
girls in trouble, girls in trouble
the love bubble, mista cookie jar

Nick B. Loves That Atlas Sound

1. Atlas Sound - Logos
2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. Animal Collective - Meriweather Post Pavilion
4. DOOM - Born Like This
5. The XX - s/t
6. Real Estate - s/t
7. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
8. Japandroids - Post- Nothing
9. Lotus Plaza - The Floodlight Collective
10. Woods - Songs of Shame

Jason G.’s Big Blitz

Jason Gordon (aka Productshopnyc.com)
50. Velvet Underground & Nico Record Club  49. Elvis Perkins in Dearland Elvis Perkins in Dearland  48. Dark Was the Night Various Artists  47. Catacombs Cass McCombs  46. Album - GIrls  45. Time to Die The Dodos  44. Actor St. Vincent  43. A Brief History of Love The Big Pink  42. Popular Songs Yo La Tengo  41. God Help the Girl God Help the Girl  40. Grand - Matt & Kim  39. Beware Bonnie ³Prince² Billy  38. Hold Time M Ward  37. Sainthood - Tegan & Sara  36. Hospice - The Antlers  35. Reservoir - Fanfarlo  34. Backspacer Pearl Jam  33. The Eternal - Sonic Youth  32. Horehound - Dead Weather  31. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane - Elvis Costello  30. Middle Cyclone - Neko Case  29. Journal For Plague Lovers - Manic Street Preachers  28. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart  27. Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear  26. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons  25. Art Brut vs Satan - Art Brut  24. At the Cut Vic Chesnutt  23. Manners - Passion Pit  22. 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day  21. Crack the Skye - Mastadon  20. Humbug - Arctic Monkeys  19. Where the Wild Things Are Karen O and the Kids  18. The Life of the World to Come Mountain Goats  17. BLACKsummernights - Maxwell  16. Primary Colours - The Horrors  15. March of the Zapotec/Holland EP - Beirut  14. The Blueprint 3 - Jay-Z  13. Wilco (The Album) - Wilco  12. Outer South - Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band  11. The First Days of Spring - Noah & The Whale  10. Phrazes For The Young - Julian Casablancas  9. Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective  8. Bitte Orca - Dirty Projectors  7. The XX - The XX  6. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix  5. Far - Regina Spektor  4. Warm Heart of Africa - The Very Best  3. I And Love And You - Avett Brothers  2. Lungs - Florence & The Machine  1. It's Blitz - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

David O. is a Fame Monster

LADY GAGA! The Fame Monster.

Best Euro Singles: Evacuate the Dancefloor (Cascada) and Ella Elle l'a (Kate Ryan)

Liz S. Finds One from Last Year

My best discovery of 2009 -- Bon Iver.

Teri’s Blitzed Out

I know that the second I hit the send button I'll think of something else.

#1 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

The rest in no particular order:

Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor
La Roux - La Roux
The Builders and the Butchers - Salvation is a Deep Dark Well
Calvin Harris - Ready for the Weekend
Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
Muse - The Resistance
Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom
Regina Spektor - Far
Florence and the Machine - Lungs

Unreleased in the US, do they count?

Frankmusik - Complete Me
V. V. Brown - Traveling like the Light

Lauren S. is Majorly Into 3EB

Most essential: Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major

Other essentials, in no particular order:
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
William Fitzsimmons - The Sparrow and the Crow
Muse - The Resistance
Regina Spektor - Far
Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
The Veils - Sun Gangs
White Rabbits - It's Frightening
(500) Days of Summer - Music from the Motion Picture
Athlete - Black Swan (Import--does this count?)

Honorable Mentions:
Erin McCarley - Love Save the Empty
Civil Twilight - Civil Twilight

Most Essential Singles:
Trent Dabbs - Inside These Lines
Kingsfoil - Love is a Carnival Goldfish
Matt & Kim - Daylight
Foo Fighters - Wheels
Death Cab for Cutie - Grapevine Fires

Bryant P. Shows His Manners

6. Lady GaGa, The Fame Monster
5. The XX, XX
4. JJ, JJ N° 2
3. Gossip, Music for Men
2. M. Ward, Hold Time
1. Passion Pit, Manners

Jen H. Knows Too Much

1. Mika: The Boy Who Knew Too Much (most essential!)
2. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. Tinted Windows: Tinted Windows
4. Kelly Clarkson: All I Ever Wanted
5. 500 Days of Summer soundtrack

Jinny W. Brings Some Class(ical) to Our List

Most essential album of the year:

Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio From Symphony No. 10
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Ragnar Bohlin, Kevin Fox & Susan McMane, choir directors; Andreas Neubronner, producer;
Peter Laenger, engineer/mixer; Andreas Neubronner, mastering engineer (Laura Claycomb, Anthony Dean Griffey, Katarina Karnéus, Quinn Kelsey, James Morris, Yvonne Naef, Elza van den Heever & Erin Wall; San Francisco Symphony; Pacific Boychoir, San Francisco Girls Chorus & San Francisco Symphony Chorus)
[SFS Media]
-------------

Next most essential album of the year:
Intimate Letters
Emerson String Quartet
[Deutsche Grammophon]

------------

Best discovery from years past:

Beethoven, the Late String Quartets
Emerson String Quartet
[Deutsche Grammophon, 1996]

Despite Misfortune, Paula M’s Grand

My ipod broke this year and I think my music tastes have suffered as a result. I'm looking forward to seeing what other people liked this year so that I may get back into 'the loop'. I'm only putting 5 this year. I don't want to fill up on fluff.

1. Matt and Kim - Grand
2. 30 Seconds to Mars - This is War
3. Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
4. Asobi Seksu - Hush
5. Where the Wild Things Are - Karen O and The Kids

Siobhan V, Rocked By Amadeus

1. Phoenix -- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. Passion Pit -- Manners
3. The XX - xx
4. Matt & Kim - Grand
5. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

BONUS! Most amazing new band I discovered (that you might not know, but absolutely, positively should) - Apollo Ghosts. Please check them out! They are amazing. Seriously. I would have put them as my number one, but it would have been their only vote.

Sean K.’s Got the Blueprint

My most essential album for 2009 is likely Jay Z -- The Blueprint III.

Honorable essential mention goes to Fever Ray -- Fever Ray.

It’s Not Me, It’s Eamon T.

2009 was a crap year for multiple reasons (loss of jobs, break-ups, deaths, etc.)...and I am sad to say this is the first year I actually feel that the album is dead...or at least I've stopped listening to new bands in album form. In any case here's what I've been listening to in 2009...

Yeah Yeah Yeah's - It's Blitz
Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
Girls - Album
The XX - XX
Morrissey - Years of Refusal
School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
Lily Allen - It's Not Me It's You
Yo La Tango - Popular Songs

Ones to Watch...
The Joy Formidable
Trailer Trash Tracys
The Big Pink

Favorite rediscovery of the year...
Manic Street Preachers

Hotly anticipated for 2010...
Paul Weller's new one with Kevin Shields (MBV)

Sadly looks crap...
United Nations of Sound (Richard Ashcroft's new thing)

Still overrated...
Vampire Weekend

Here's to 2010!!!

Elizabeth E. Rises Like a Phoenix

Most Essential:
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – I was counting down the days for this album to come out and love every song on it. Out of any release in 2009, it still holds up for me every time I listen to it. (I will have to admit that I was disappointed in their live show, they didn’t really add anything in person, but I’m willing to give them another chance live. I’m generous like that.)
Pretty Darn Close:
The Temper Trap, Conditions – I only got this CD right before Christmas, but I’ve been listening to it non-stop.
Passion Pit, Manners – If you ever want to see me dance around like a maniac, put on “Little Secrets.” Plus, they are pretty amazing live – seen them twice in two months!
Other Essential Albums:
The Swell Season, Strict Joy
Empire of the Sun, Walking on a Dream
Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
La Roux, La Roux
Metric, Fantasies
Green Day, 21st Century Breakdown – American Idiot is one of my favorite albums of all time, so this had huge expectations for me. It had some great moments. Didn’t match AI, but still pretty dang good.
Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer (great Belfast duo who opened up for OkGo a few months ago – really unique and fun band)
Owl City, Ocean Eyes
Gomez, A New Tide
Franz Ferdinand, Tonight

Special Honors go to:
Most Played Album on my iPod:
Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted – it took me years to be comfortable enough to admit it, but dammit, I love me some Kelly Clarkson. I had this as my favorite album of 2009 on my blog because of how much I listened to it (and more appropriate for my teen reader audience). My Top 25 Most Played Playlist on my iPod is dominated by this album. I have to listen to about five K.Clark songs will working out. It is a must. Plus, she is awesome in concert. So there. My name Elizabeth and I’m a Kelly fan!

How Can You Not Smile whiling listening to:
Glee Cast, Soundtracks – Seriously? How can you NOT be in a good mood listening to these songs? I’ll admit there are a few songs I’m not in love with (sorry Quinn, I’m not feeling you), but “Defying Gravity,” “Don’t Stop Believin,’” “Jump” and the mash-ups are awesome. And OF COURSE, “My Life Would Suck Without You” K. Clark AND Glee – I’m in pop heaven!

Holly B. Gives it Up for the Boys

Beyond Dull Care - Junior Boys
Who Killed Amanda Palmer - Amanda Palmer
It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Maggie S., Down the Rabbit Hole

I'm not sure I'm doing this right. But it was fun to listen to all these again anyway. Over and over and over and over and it was annoying how many songs from '08 I found in '09 and thus didn't mention.

Also, it is like choosing between children. Some of these albums will never speak to me again for picking between them.

Mighty Finest Songs of 2009

1) White Rabbits - "Percussion Gun"
This song makes me want to burn buildings, jump on cars, start revolutions, build museums, and make love when I listen to it. Every time I listen to it. When I put it on repeat, I basically start saddling the elephants and heading for the Alps.

2) Guggenheim Grotto - "The Dragon"
This song should be used by freelance demon hunters. If someone manages to not crack a smile while listening to this song, they're possessed and can be staked without guilt.

3) Oren Lavie - "Her Morning Elegance"
Technically this baby is not an '09, just an '09 in this country, but since when did rules particularly apply to me? Since never. Aside from having the best music video since A-Ha's "Take on Me", this song makes me feel classy and like a girl who might, one day, drink expensive coffees.

4) The Sounds - "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake"
Something about this song just says rock and roll life to me. The video is slice-of-life, which I think is appropriate, because this song just feels like oily streets, street lights, smoky bars, and greasy stages stomped by the passionate feet of one thousand amateur bands and one Bono.

5) Imogen Heap - "Canvas"
In an album otherwise fluffy and cheery -- no good for an emo angst puppy like myself -- this moody piece is like the Imogen I fell in love with and played constantly while writing SHIVER.

6) Matias Aguayo - "Koro Koro"
Say you find yourself in traffic on interstate 95 with unhappy housewives in sky blue minivans blocking your way at every mile marker. Arm yourself with your trusty middle finger, chuck this in the CD player, blare it loud, and you're good to go.

7) Phoenix - "1901"
I hate myself for loving this one, because everyone does, and it pains me to be so mainstream. But damn, people. Damn. Those French people.

8) Living Things - "Oxygen"
More driving music. I just don't get tired of it.I need a soundtrack for my speeding.

9) Plushgun - "Just Impolite"
This one is David's fault. I had a mix with this on it and while fumbling to make it repeat for the 14th time on the way to bookstore gig, missed my exit and ended up somewhere in Alexandria when I was supposed to be in Springfield. Rock is dangerous.

Best Album Put Out By Someone You've Never Heard Of Because They're Welsh
The Gentle Good - While You Slept I Went Out Walking

Best Song That Proves I Actually Have Estrogen
"Sort Of" - Ingrid Michaelson

Best Song That Is Not From 2009 But Ought to be Friggin' Famous, What is the Problem Here, People?
Sound Team - "No More Birthdays"

Best Music to Beat a Car With A Stick To
Paper Route - "Gutter"

Music I've Discovered Scares Relatives and Polite Company
Of Montreal - "Id Engager"

Song I Hate Myself the Most For Liking
The Big Pink - "Dominos"

Song Most Likely to Cause Me To Go On A Homicidal Rampage That Will Be Difficult to Clean Up
Jordin Sparks - "Battlefield"

Top Two Albums
White Rabbits - It's Frightening
Coconut Records – Davy

Joe M.’s Strict Joy

So, a short list, partially because of fatherhood, partially because of finances.

Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown (Can't wait for B'way!) Political Rock! Sweet.
Swell Season - Strict Joy Thank the gods I'm over the need for the breakup album; still heart-wrenching at times.
Abney Park - Aether Shanties Steampunk music. Love it. More kitschy than last CD, which was awesome.
Tom Waits - Glitter & Doom

Disappointed by a lot of favorite artists, so a short list due to that too.

Anna C’s List Takes Us to Hospice

1. Hospice - The Antlers. A week ago when I started this list, it was slightly different...so I hope this isn't cheating. But over the weekend I've been sitting doing homework and listening to this album beginning to end nonstop...for some reason it took me eight-ish months to realize how incredible it is. I've never heard anything so tense & haunting, yet delicate with this electricity...I can't quite compare it to anything else I've heard as of late, but it's changing the way I write & listen to music as I type. Standout track is awfully hard to pick, but I think I've listened to "Bear" about 36 times today. Something about the line "We're too old/we're not old at all" being howled repeatedly toward the end...can't stop listening to it. Truly a gem that's going to last.

2. Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective. Not going to lie, I'd tried to get into Animal Collective before this album, but found myself seeking shelter Panda Bear's gentler, steadier Person Pitch; Feels and everything else pre-2009 has this tendency to make your heart race and just make you frantic (or me, at least). Thank goodness for a better lead-in. MPP is the perfect gateway to the rest of their discography--it's digestible yet not compromising their previous records. Also gets a nod for best soundtrack for summer--so much joy! They've become a favorite band now, standout track, I think, being "Brothersport."

3. Signal Morning - Circulatory System. Odd that the album I and many an Elephant 6 nerd have been pining for for years now ended up at #3. This second album was well worth the wait, with a more Olivia Tremor Control-like pulse and a new kind of vibrancy that replaced the self-titled album's sleepier psychedelic nature. With more orchestration than the previous, this album's sense of bold experimentation is its strength. Standout: "Overjoyed." It will make you dance.

4. It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs. YYYs were one of the few bands that went "Hey, let's make a dance record" this year who actually pulled it off. Could have done with a few more gut-wrenching Karen O yelps, but we still have Fever to Tell & It's Blitz for that. Favorite is "Dull Life" with that sick driving guitar riff...love it.

5. Ruth - Nana Grizol. Infectious folk-tinged pop that just makes you bounce, Theo Hilton sounds a little less like his Defiance, Ohio roots on this release that seems to favor the more melancholy horn segments than last year's "Love It Love It". It's really neat to hear more unique instrumentation (and strictly instrumental tracks) alongside Theo's wonderful odes to hometowns, travel, and love. Before the release of this album, 'Black Box', then unreleased, would have been the favorite track--and it still bears my favorite lyrics--but the album version is just too slow. The surprising instrumental 'Alice & Gertrude', teetering on ragtime + The Microphones + Nana + an autoharp really struck me on my first listen and I consistently return to it.

6. Up From Below - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. If you haven't watched them perform, look it up on Youtube now and brace yourself for something equally adorable and delightful. They make the music fun and have what, 12 people in the band? Pretty neat.

7. Wind's Poem - Mount Eerie. Phil Elvrum will keep making music, I will keep buying it and listening to it and loving it.

8. Fame Monster - Lady Gaga. Oh, come now. "Telephone." All I have to say about that.

9. ...and I know this is dorky, but making my band's demo was really the most special musical experience this year! We, General Oglethorpe & the Panhandlers, just began writing together this summer, and by Christmas, we had a little homemade folk rock demo to share with the world on our myspace (http://www.myspace.com/generaloandthepanhandlers)!

Matt de la P. Shows Us His Antlers

I only had two albums that really hooked me this year. The Antlers and J Tillman.

Andy P. Will Not Rage Against the Machine

1. Florence & The Machine -- Lungs (I can't stop playing this)
2. Adam Lambert -- For Your Entertainment (After he kissed that boy on ABC I bought his album - and I kind of love it)
3. Owl City -- Ocean Eyes (Because we all know that The Postal Service is never making another album)
4. Regina Spektor -- Far (Always loved her)
5. Bishop Allen -- Grrr... (Probably biased here because I saw them in concert... uh, with you)
6. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band -- Outer South (Not my favorite work ever of his, but I quite enjoyed it and it's on my list)
7. Glee Cast -- Show Soundtrack (Fun covers of songs I usually don't like or wouldn't listen to)

Jonathan F. Goes to School

Most essential album:
School of Seven Bells – High Places

Other Essential Albums:
Band of Horses – Everything All the Time
Redwing Blackbird – That River Skinned a Bear
The Brother Kite – Waiting for the Time to be Right
Dawn Landes – Sweetheart Rodeo

Mentions:
Johann Johannsson - Fordlandia
Klessa – Aloha Demons
Throwing Muses – House Tornado

Rotem is Batty!

My one contribution is biggest discovery from previous years: Fruit Bats / Mouthfuls
Amazing!

Thu Goes for the Animal Instinct

bah! what a disappointing music year.
1. animal collective, merriweather post pavilion (truly as good as the hype)  2. bon iver, blood bank (an ep, I know, but WHAT an ep!)  3. the dirty projectors, bitte orca (has anyone else noticed that a lot  of the dirty projectors’ lyrics just make no sense?)
most disappointing: wilco, wilco (the album)  most outrageously overhyped: grizzly bear, veckatimest

Sarah D.L., Rated XX

I'm afraid my GOOD music listening is seriously curtailed these days by the fact that my daughter has bullied me into over ruling my Z100 ban in the car. All I ever did was play great tunes for my kids and one ends up liking Z100 and other liking Trash Metal. Oy Vey, where did I go wrong?!

Anyway, here is my rather sad list:

Album which I'm most embarrassed to admit I like but I can't help it because it makes me want to dance (much to the mortification of my 13 year old daughter, which makes it even more gratifying) even though I'm getting really sick of it already:

Lady Gaga The FAME

Best Albums:
The XX XX
The Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D
Moby Wait for me

Songs:
Wavin' Flag Knaan from Troubador
One Day Matisyahu
No you girls Franz Ferdinand

Cecil Shows Us What's Going on in the Attic

Catherine Feeny - People in the Hole
Auf der Maur - OOM 3 song sampler
VV Brown - The Attic
Florence and the Machine - Lungs

from the end of 2008 that I didn't get around to finding out until 2009:

Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?
Anya Marina - Slow and Steady Seduction Phase 2
Beyonce - All the single ladies

Steve S., Sunny Side Up

Okay, I’ll just list a few records that come to mind . . .

Muse — The Resistance
La Roux — La Roux
Florence and the Machine — Lungs
Paolo Nutini — Sunny Side Up
Empire of the Sun — Walking On A Dream

Guilty pleasures: Dizzee Rascal, Alexandra Burke, Alphabeat

Kevin W.’s Reigning Sounds

1. The Reigning Sound, Love and Curses ... first listen had me thinking this was a step back, but this one was a grower. Greg Cartwright can blast away or deliver a country ballad with the best of them, but sometimes he's best when he's writing pop songs Phil Spector would kill for. Like, say, "Is it True?"

2. King Khan & BBQ Show, Invisible Girl ... Super, super fun. But since other people may in fact read this I should warn any who are curious that these guys always insist on putting one or two incredibly tasteless tracks on each record. Those easily offended beware (and know that these guys got their start in a band called "The Spaceshits" who managed to get banned in Montreal.). Also, it's worth searching youtube for "Spaceshits."

3. Black Lips, 200 Million Thousand ... Okay. Not as good as their last effort. But still better than most efforts. "Drugs" instantly became one of my favorite car songs ever.

4. The A-Bones, Not Now! ... I'm biased because the sax player lives and raises chickens in Coker, AL. They're fun as hell. The song "Shallow Grave" (penned by an old Dictator) is fine, fine work.

5. Jay Reatard, Watch Me Fall ... A sadly prophetic title.

6. The Almighty Defenders, Almighty Defenders ... Not all it's cracked up to be, but anything that combines Black Lips, King Khan, and BBQ -- with a song called "Jihad Blues" no less -- demands a spot on this list.

Album I haven't heard but would probably love: Obits, I Blame You

Dan P. Reaches Far

I've been hemming and hawing... But I'm trying to think about what will hold up over time, so here's my picks:

Most Essential:
Regina Spektor, Far

Others I'll probably listen to a whole-bunch:
Ingrid Michaelson, Everybody
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz
Karen O and the Kids, Where the Wild Things Are
Muse, The Resistance

Kathleen P. Supports the Brothers

Album of the Year (close race): Avett Brothers, I and Love and You
Best of the rest:
A C Newman, Get Guilty
The Bird and the Bee, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future
Camera Obscura, My Maudlin Career
Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3
Jaydiohead, Jaydiohead
Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster
Miike Snow, Miike Snow
Monsters of Folk, Monsters of Fold
Wilco, Wilco (The Album)

Scott T. ‘Sopps it Up

Essential Album of 2009

Royksopp - Junior (best electronica outfit in the world these days. nothing but brilliance.)

2009 Essentials

Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light (my fave synth-pop female trio from brooklyn)
IAMX - Kingdom of Welcome Addiction

2009 Essential Best of

Best of Bent - amazing electronic duo, with a full album of rarities to go with the "hits"

Essentials Picked up in 2009

New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playground (2007) - catchy and fun
B.I.G. - Mindscapes (2005) - DJs from Greece creating amazingly lush soundscapes
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (2008) - my fave synth-pop band from australia

2009 Best Singles

IAMX - Think of England
Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls
Royksopp - The Girl and the Robot
Pet Shop Boys - Love, Etc
Editors - Papillon

Jonas Makes It Through the Preliminaries

2009 Top Ten

Iggy Pop, Preliminaries
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson, Break Up
Eileen Jewel, Sea of Tears
John Doe and the Sadies, Country Club
Exene Cervenka, Somewhere Gone
Eleni Mandell, Artificial Fire
Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
Rosanne Cash, The List
Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
M. Ward, Hold Time

I've got a few additional categories to mention:

2009 Best Album Title (which only narrowly missed my top 10 list):
Brandi Shearer, Love Don't Make You Juliet

2009 Best Children's Album (and a great live show):
Gustafer Yellowgold, Mellow Fever

2 Albums That Should Have Been on my 2008 List:
Whispertown 2000, Swim
Amy Lavere, Anchors and Anvils

Annie Shows Her Glee

Most Essential:
Glee Pt 1 soundtrack
The Eels, Hombre Lobo

Somewhat Essential or Notable:
Florence and the Machine, Lungs
Landon Pigg, The Boy Who Never
Glee Pt 2 soundtrack
Camera Obscura, My Maudlin Career
(500) Days of Summer soundtrack
XX, XX

It’s Zach P!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs — It's Blitz
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros — Up From Below
Beirut — March of the Zapotec
Dirty Projectors — Bitte Orca
Neko Case — Middle Cyclone
Phoenix — Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
PJ Harvey and John Parish — A Woman A Man Walked By
Sonic Youth — The Eternal

Julia R Showers Us with Singles

Top of the Pop 09: The Singles Life
Most essential of 2009:  Animal Collective's "My Girls".
9 more:  Phoenix "Lisztomania"  Camera Obscura “French Navy”  The Clientele "Bonfires on the Heath"  High Places “I Was Born”  Atlas Sound "Walkabout" (The main riff made me revisit the song "He’s  A Rebel" by The Crystals )  Lionel Richie featuring Akon “Just Go”  El Perro Del Mar "Change of Heart"  A Sunny Day in Glasgow "Shy"  Beach House "Norway"
In addition:  Favorite LP Reissue:  The Monks “Black Monk Time/The Early Years 1964-65″
Not new, but new to me:  Artists: Timi Yuro, Dee Dee Warwick  Single: Jennifer Warnes sings "P.F. Sloan" produced by John Cale.

Anica R. Likes Her Music Dirty

Most essential:
*Emily Wells, Dirty
(if you download just one song, choose: Whiskey and Rags)

Also essential:
*Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
(song to try: Cannibal Resource)
*Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
(song to try: Two Weeks)
*Harper Blynn, Loneliest Generation
(song to try: Loneliest Generation)
*Wilco, Wilco (The Album)
(song to try: I'll Fight)

Not essential, but nice to have:
*The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You
(song to try: Kick Drum Heart)
*Dave Rawlings Machine, A Friend of a Friend
*Florence + the Machine, Lungs
(song to try: Dog Days Are Over)
*The Mountain Goats, The Life of the World to Come

Yes, I am also listening to:
Animal Collective, St. Vincent, Phoenix, Andrew Bird, The Decemberists, Jay-Z, and Savoir Adore.

Sherri L. Joins the (Wolf)gang

1. Phoenix / Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. Pains of Being Pure at Heart / s/t
3. Camera Obscura / My Maudlin Career
4. The Mountain Goats / The Life of the World to Come
5. Mew / No More Stories
6. Ravonettes / In and Out of Control
7. The Reigning Sound / Love and Curses
8. Royksopp / Junior
9. Yo La Tengo / Popular Songs
10. Pants Yell! /Received Pronunciation

Erin C. Goes for the Maudlin

Camera Obscura — My Maudlin Career.

John A.’s Grizzly Fate

9. The Raveonettes: In And Out Of Control
8. Pelican: What We All Come to Need
7. The Twilight Sad: Forget the Night Ahead
6. Jason Lytle: Yours Truly, The Commuter
5. Mew: No more stories Are told today I'm sorry They washed away No more stories The world is grey I'm tired Let's wash away
4. The Big Pink: A Brief History of Love
3. Neko Case: Middle Cyclone
2. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
1. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

Nick E., The Girl, and the Robot

A lot of talented artists produced new albums in 2009. Unfortunately, I was too busy listening to Lady Gaga to notice! Here’s the new stuff that HAS gotten some play.

1. Royksopp, Junior
2. Iron and Wine, Around the Well
3. Mika, The Boy Who Knew Too Much
4. Various, Dark Was the Night
5. Fischerspooner, Entertainment

And my pick for favorite “Pop Mix” track that I hadn’t heard before the “Pop Mix”: Cobra Starship w/ Leighton Meester, “Good Girls Gone Bad.”

Brant R. Goes With What’s Popular

My Most Essential:
Yo La Tengo, Popular Songs

My Other Essentials:
Matt & Kim, Grand
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Wilco, Wilco (the album)
Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Various Artists, Dark Was the Night
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz
Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
Passion Pit, Manners
The Very Best, Warm Heart of Africa

Perhaps Essential:
The xx, XX
Miike Snow, Miike Snow
Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
Japandroids, Post-Nothing
The Fiery Furnaces, I’m Going Away
The Swell Season, Strict Joy

My Essential Songs:
Yo La Tengo, “If It’s True”
Matt & Kim, “Daylight”
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”
Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Zero”

Beyond Essential:
Wilson Rumble, Wilson Performs [EP]
Wilson Rumble, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”

My Essential Discoveries from Previous Years:
Joe Walsh, “But Seriously, Folks…” [1978]
Doug Sahm and Band, Doug Sahm and Band [1973]
Otis Redding & Carla Thomas, King & Queen [1967]
Dave Brubeck, Jazz Goes to College [1954]
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago [2007]
The Feelies, Only Life [1988]
Jimmy Cliff, Struggling Man [1974]
Stevie Wonder, Music of My Mind [1972]
The Flaming Lips, At War with the Mystics [2006]
B.B. King, Live at the Regal [1965]
Miles Davis, A Tribute to Jack Johnson [1970]
Janet Jackson, Control [1986]

Kimberly P. Parties Like It’s 1901

favorite album of the year:

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Runners-up:

Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D.
Pearl Jam, Backspacer

although... my favorite song of the year is PJ's Just Breathe -- one of my least favorite is PJ's The Fixer. Go figure.

Flinn Goes with the Flo

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The Avett Brothers
St. Vincent - Actor
Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Most Essential: Florence and the Machine – Lungs

Ronnie A. Takes Us to the Movies

SONGS
Inglourious Basterds “Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)” David Bowie
500 Days of Summer “You Make My Dreams Come True” Hall & Oates
A Serious Man “Somebody to Love” Jefferson Airplane
Fantastic Mr. Fox “Just Another Dead Rat in a Garbage Pail (Behind a Chinese Restaurant)” Alexandre Desplat
Cast of Glee “Don’t Stop Believin”

SCORES
Where the Wild Things Are Carter Burwell
Moon Clint Mansell
Broken Embraces Alberto Iglesias
A Single Man Abel Korzeniowski
The Informant! Marvin Hamlisch

Drew L. is Up in Arms
essential album for 2009 is, naturally and without a doubt...

The Lawrence Arms - "Buttsweat and Tears"

Lauren M. Takes Us to Vienna

Vienna Teng. That's all I have to say. But she's just new to me; not new to 2009. ;)

Jordan S. Goes for the Mariachi

throw in my vote for Mariachi El Bronx, by Mariachi El Bronx.

Jason B. Likes to WAP

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Billy’s Extraordinary Machine

Billy's favorites 2009!
Florene + the Machine - Lungs
Various - Dark Was the Night
Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
IAMX - Kingdom of Welcome Addiction
Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted to Sin
The Swell Season - Strict Joy
Karen O and the Kids - Where the Wild Things Are
La Roux - La Roux
Metric – Fantasies

Nico, You’re a Monster!

Hrm ... I'm so predictable I disappoint myself.

#1: Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster

Pardon the tired old cliche, but this bitch breathed new life into pop
music (and pop culture) last year ... and then reinvented herself with
the 8-track follow-up EP in '09. I'm blown away ... can't wait to see
what she does next. And I have to say, it's nice to have a little bit
of the Marilyn Manson I knew and loved in the late nineties
reincarnated in a 23-yr-old pop star who sets pianos on fire, hangs
her bloody self onstage, and dances in arm braces. Pure theater.

Notables....

Metric: Fantasies
(They're just getting better and better!)

Tori Amos: Abnormally Attracted to Sin
(She'd been getting worse and worse, until this welcome surprise!)

Muse: The Resistance
(Chopin solos, French symphony shout-outs, anti-imperialist anthems ... EPIC!)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz!
(YYYs do dance-y techno---heaven!)

La Roux: La Roux
(Excellent newcomer who brightened up so many of my commutes -- thanks
for the album, DL, you know what I need!)

Kevin K. Rises Like a Phoenix

Overall 2009 will be known as “The Year of the Reissues.” In addition to the Beatles, Neil Young, Beastie Boys and The Housemartins, there were a ton of fabulous reissues. My list also leans to the more “twangy” or alt-country side of music. I am looking forward to 2010!

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend
Big Star – Keep An Eye On The Sky (Reissue)
Roman Candle – Oh Tall Tree in The Ear
John Wesley Harding – Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead
The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
Death - ...For the Whole World to See (Reissue)
Justin Townes Earle – Midnight at the Movies
Passion Pit – Manners
Wilco (The Album) - Wilco
Todd Snider – The Excitement Plan
Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
Leonard Cohen – Live In London

2009 Mixtape

“Lisztomania” - Phoenix
“Top of the Bottom” - John Wesley Harding
“Can’t Hardly Wait” - Justin Townes Earle
“Kind of a Girl” - Tinted Windows
“Slight Figure of Speech” - The Avett Brothers
“A Whole Lot Better” - Brendan Benson
“Lust for Life” - Girls
“Why Modern Radio is A-OK” - Roman Candle
“Hell” - Tegan and Sara
“Little Secrets” - Passion Pit
“Say Please” - Monsters of Folk
“Liquid In, Liquid Out” - The Thermals
“Zero” - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“Blood Bank” - Bon Iver
“You Never Know” - Wilco
“Send My Fond Regards To Lonelyville” - Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Rob's Big Pink List

1. Big Pink - A Brief History of Love2. Pomegranates - Everybody, Come Outside!3. Sonic Youth - The Eternal4. Mean Creek - The Sky (Or the Underground)5. Japandroids – Post-nothing6. Cold Cave - Love Comes Close7. The Answering Machine - Another City Another Sorry8. Boat – Setting the Paces9. The xx – xx10. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart11. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career12. French Miami - French Miami13. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix14. We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls15. Royal Bangs - Let It Beep16. Silversun Pickups - Swoon17. Built to Spill - There is No Enemy18. Islands – Vapours19. Pants Yell! – Received Pronunciation20. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion21. Girls – Album22. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain23. The Antlers - Hospice24. The Soft Pack - The Muslims25. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains26. LoveLikeFire - Tear Ourselves Away27. Real Estate – Real Estate28. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More29. Bad Veins - Bad Veins30. Doves - Kingdom of Rust31. Dinosaur Jr - Farm32. The Horrors - Primary Colours33. Generationals - Con Law34. You, You're Awesome - You're My Superhero35. Fanfarlo - Reservoir36. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms37. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Up From Below38. The Drums - Summertime39. Darlings - Yeah I know40. Princeton - Cocoon of Love41. Passion Pit - Manners42. Atlas Sound – Logos43. Kings of Convenience – Declaration of Dependence44. Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years 45. VDSQ 002 Solo Acousic - Mark McGuire

The 2008 David Music Poll Results

2009-02-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

The 2008 David Music Poll Results

1. Vampire Weekend -- Vampire Weekend (30 votes)
2. Bon Iver -- For Emma, Forever Ago (18)
3. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (15)
4. Sigur Ros -- Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (12)
Soundtrack – Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (12)
6. Portishead – Third (11)
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (11)
8. Okkervil River – The Stage Names (9)
TV on the Radio – Dear Science (9)
9. Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs (8)

NOTE: There were sixty-six respondents to this year’s music poll – lower than last year, but higher than average. For the first time ever, all three top slots were taken by new bands, with some longtime poll favorites (Aimee Mann, Coldplay, The Magnetic Fields, Bloc Party, Ben Folds, Conor Oberst) hovering outside the top ten. Other newcomers with multiple mentions include Los Campesinos, Adele, Santogold, and Ra Ra Riot. Time will tell which of these acts will make a return trip to the music poll.

Now, for the lists….

I’m biased, but stand by my top choice of the year

David’s Essentials for 2008

1. Soundtrack, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Yes, I am hardly objective on this one. I didn’t have anything to do with the song choice … but somehow it came out right around where I would have wanted it to be. I will never be able to think about 2008 without hearing “After Hours” in my head – and, I imagine, I won’t be able to ever hear “After Hours” without thinking of the rush of 2008. Add to that Vampire Weekend’s “Ottoman” – their best song, in my opinion, because it taps into something universal rather than local – and the Submarine’s remarkable “Xavia”, especially with its fake-out non-ending, as well as more familiar tunes from Band of Horses and Takka Takka. And, my goodness, there’s even a Devandra Banhart song I like! So, yes, I genuinely thing this album would be near the top, if not at the top, even if it was the soundtrack for, say, City of Ember. But I’m damn glad it’s the soundtrack for Nick & Norah.

2. Colin Meloy, Colin Meloy Sings Live!

A live album? At number two? It’s not just good memories of Colin Meloy’s excellent Brooklyn concert at the start of the year that are putting this here. It’s really a fantastic album, with “On the Bus Mall” being one of my most played songs of the year (as a certain former intern of mine can attest).

3. Kate Nash, Made of Bricks

Came out in the UK in 2007, but here in 2008, and since it wasn’t on my list last year, I’m putting it on this year. Partially because I spent the first few months of the year listening to it nonstop. It’s pretty much the musical equivalent of a teen movie, but that only makes me love it more. And “The Nicest Thing” is one of the bittersweetest love songs I know.

4. Sigur Ros, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust

I dare you to find anything more joyous than the song “Gobbledigook” and the accompanying video. And this is not a band known for its joyousness. On this album, though, they really bring out the color instead of leaving you on the ice.

5. Coldplay, Viva La Vida

It feels like they threw it all to the wind and ended up with one of their best albums yet. And the title song is brilliant.

6. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

It’s a bit strange, to have an album that sounds like a bunch of college students appropriating Paul Simon appropriating African musicians. But if it’s not singular for world music, it’s pretty singular for indie rock, and it works incredibly well. For sheer enjoyment, it makes the list.

7. Alanis Morissette, Flavors of Entanglement

Some of the lyrics are just as clunky as the album’s title. And Alanis certainly hits some syllables in ways that should count as abuse. But, foibles aside, she gets right to the truth of the matter – which is that she’s just been through the emotional wringer of a big break-up, and she has some stories to tell. Now, I don’t believe that one has to suffer to make great art, but the break-up certainly gave her the knife with which to cut to the bone. And it works. For every lyrically awkward song (“In Praise of the Vulnerable Man”), there are two or three that are painfully honest and honestly beautiful (“Tapes”, “Torch” – maybe Alanis should stick to songs with one-word titles?) One gripe: some of the best songs are on the bonus edition, not the standard CD, which is annoying. Because, really, no matter what your age, the song “It’s a Bitch to Grow Up” should have you nodding.

Very Close to Essential for 2008:

The Gaslight Anthem, The '59 Sound

Mates of State, Re-arranger
Augustana, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
The Hold Steady, Stay Positive
Jack’s Mannequin, The Glass Passenger

Would Have Made my List if I hadn’t bought it in Sweden three years ago:

Robyn, Robyn

Essential Songs for 2008:

We are Scientists, “After Hours”
The Gaslight Anthem, “The 59 Sound”
The Hold Steady, “Slapped Actress”
The Stills, “Everything I Build”
The Submarines, “Xavia”
Coldplay, “Viva la Vida”
Pink, “So What”
Vampire Weekend, “Ottoman”
Fleet Foxes, “White Winter Hymnal”
Colin Meloy, “On the Bus Mall (live)”
Bon Iver, “Skinny Love”

10 Most Essential Albums (1999-2008)

1. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism (#1, 2003)
2. The Postal Service, Give Up (#2, 2003)
3. Patty Griffin, 1000 Kisses (#1, 2002)
4. The Killers, Hot Fuss (#1, 2004)
5. Fiona Apple, When the Pawn… (#3, 1999)
6. Aimee Mann, Magnolia soundtrack (#4, 1999)
7. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife (#2, 2006)
8. Beth Orton, Central Reservation (#1, 1999)
9. Soundtrack, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (#1, 2008)
10. The National, Boxer (#3, 2007)

Special mention (for the album that I’ve listened to the most on my iPods over the past three years):
Jack’s Mannequin, Everything in Transit (not ranked, 2005)

10 Most Essential Songs (1999-2008):

(in alphabetical order, because ranking is too hard):

Aimee Mann, “Save Me”
Ben Folds, “Still Fighting It”
Coldplay, “The Scientist”
Death Cab for Cutie, “Transatlanticism”
Patty Griffin,”Rain”
The Postal Service, “Such Great Heights”
Rachael Yamagata, “Worn Me Down”
Regina Spektor, “Samson”
Sia, “Breathe Me”
Wolf Parade, “I’ll Believe in Anything”

Special mention (for the songs most played on all the iPods I’ve ever owned):
Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone”
Robyn, “Handle Me”

Jen H-S Sucks the Blood of the Music (but only on weekends)

Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend (most essential)

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist soundtrack
Ben Folds: Way to Normal
Black Kids: Partie Traumatic
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: Cardinology
The Pretenders: Break up the Concrete
The Hold Steady: Stay Positive
Los Campensinos: We are beautiful, We are doomed
Robyn: Robyn
Sugarland: Love on the Inside

Bill K Sings, Dances, Steal Things

Essential albums of the year (2008)

1 = We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, Jason Mraz

Yes, it's poppy. It's still song for song my favorite CD this year. And I don't feel guilty about that.

Others:
The Glass Passenger, Jack's Mannequin
Rockferry, Duffy
@#%& *! Smilers, Aimee Mann
Time the Conqueror, Jackson Browne
Sam Sparro, Sam Sparro

Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008
1. Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters
2. Want One, Rufus Wainwright
3. Rockin' The Suburbs, Ben Folds
4. Bachelor No. 2, Aimee Mann
5. Life in Cartoon Motion, Mika
6. MP4: Days Since a Lost Time Accident, Michael Penn
7. The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, Ben Folds Five
8. We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, Jason Mraz
9. The Ego Has Landed, Robbie Williams
10. Lost and Gone Forever, Guster

Top Ten Songs of 1999-2008
1. Go or Go Ahead, Rufus Wainwright
2. The Luckiest, Ben Folds (my wedding song, after all)
3. I Don't Feel Like Dancin', Scissor Sisters
4. Still Fighting It, Ben Folds
5. A Beautiful Mess, Jason Mraz
6. Grace Kelly, Mika
7. Supreme, Robbie Williams
8. You Do, Aimee Mann
9. Speak Slow, Tegan & Sara
10. Everything is Everything, Lauryn Hill

Hidden Gems, or Songs I Love on Albums that I Don't Like (or Don't Have)

1. G.P.T., Martha Wainwright
2. They Say Vision, Res
3. H.W.C., Liz Phair
4. Won't Give In, The Finn Brothers
5. Walter Reed, Michael Penn
6. Don't Let Me Get Me, P!nk
7. Fortress, Pinback
8. Love Me Like the World is Ending, Ben Lee
9. Come on Get Higher, Matt Nathanson
10. O Divina, Terence Trent D'Arby

Krist S. Wakes it on Up

OUR FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2008.
Rosetta - Wake / Lift
This band, almost singlehandedly changed my taste in music this year. Like I have said in the past, metal with the vocals far back in the mix, creating a beautiful atmospheric noise. Amazing music to walk around new york city to.

31knots - Worried Well
Consistently one of the most underrated bands that we love here on this website. This record is what 1998 indie rock would sound like if it kept progressing in strange and interesting ways. His voice is great.

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Like I even need to write about this album. Anyone who reads this site knows how much I love this album. if you like nature based pretty ethereal music with a bluesy voice, this ones for you.

Lil’ Wayne - tha Carter 3
Like I even need to tell you who this is. Let me just say this, I am not sure if it’s the Codeine with Promethazine talking but Lil’ Wayne is pretty genius. I know I know, he looks ridiculous and seems pretty ignorant but anyone, and I mean anyone who writes rhymes yeast infection with geese erection, has to be some kind of prodigy. Either way, listen to the humor and metaphors below.

Horse Feathers - House with No Name
More soft acoustic, pretty backwoods type stuff. A pretty voice with some really nice instrumentation.

ASS - My get up and go just got up and went LP
ASS is the initials for Sweden’s Andreas Söderström and also a ridiculous band name. He’s plays all the instruments on the record and occasionally sings. Think folk without the vocals (most of the time). Not to mention he does a kick ass version of the title track from Escape from New York

Russian Circles - Station
By far my favorite instrumental record of the year. Just so calculated, so intricate without sounding soulless. Not too mention a great live show. For those who like instrumental music to be atmospheric and complex. Oh yea and they get metal occasionally too.

Portishead - Third
After a long wait, Portishead finally delivers. Third sounds like Portishead’s KID A if that makes any sense. I really liked it.

This Will Destroy You - s/t
Maybe my 2nd favorite instrumental record of the year. This one is like Russian Circles a little less complex, less metal but a bit more cinematic. Think Godspeed without 30 people in the band and huge crescendos. I do love it.

the Mars Volta - Bedlam in Goliath
A pretty good release from one of the band featuring members of my favorite band of all time. If you know them, you probably already hate them or love them. The singles are great.

The Grey Daturas - Return to Disruption
Like Neurosis without the singer, the Grey Daturas is noisy and dissonant in the same way

Explosions in the Sky is. The kind of music that would accompany the end of the world.

Detektivbyrån – Wermland
This Swedish band sounds like the theme music to a children’s TV show or maybe to a psychotic circus. Either way, this is great soundtrack music and a real fun listen.

The Jimmy Cake - Spectre and Crown
Does anyone get the feeling that all I listened to this year was instrumental music?? Weird, I know. The Jimmy Cake from Dublin, is a nice instrumental indie rock band with some classical instrumentation. Occasionally think, a voiceless Fugazi with strings. Sometimes.

The Black Angels -Directions to see a Ghost
This Texan Psychedelic band is just good old rock n roll. Think if A Band of Horses was around in like the 60’s. Must be a great band to see live.

Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum end
I always thought of Sigur Rós as the Icelandic Radiohead. What do you think about that? I am a total late bloomer when it comes to Sigur Rós but maybe it was my trip to Iceland that did it or what but finally I love this band. And this is a beautiful record.

Asher Roth - The Greenhouse Mixtape
Next year’s Eminem, this mixtape shows a ton of potential with some great songs with a ton of stolen mixtape beats. The mixtape MC is totally annoying but if you can get over that check out the download.

Jonathan V = Youth

2008

Essential albums of 2008 for me…

MOST ESSENTIAL: VAMPIRE WEEKEND by Vampire Weekend

I can’t pretend that this album in particular didn’t make a huge difference in my attitude and outlook all year long. And I share their sentiment about the bears out in Provincetown.

OTHER ESSENTIAL ALBUMS:

SATURDAYS = YOUTH by M83

If the 80s sounded the way the “Beyond Infinity” sequence of 2001 looked, they would have sounded like this. And if Andrei Tarkovsky directed THE BREAKFAST CLUB, this would have been the soundtrack.

ROOK by Shearwater

Another fantastic CD in the vein of the multiple-chill-inducing PALO SANTO. Genuinely haunting, with amazing (and subtle) musicianship. FYI: If you can see them live, you must. They’re like a jam band of elementals from The Plane of Ice.

FEED THE ANIMALS by Girl Talk

The first time through, this album is like having a music stroke: Too many familiar pop clips patched over too many swatches of hardcore hip-hop, all reconstituted into something like a guilty-pleasure-paste. But on repeated listens, the genius (and flat-out mischief) of the mash-up become apparent. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to listen to The Carpenters again without wishing Mims were in the background—or without feeling disappointed when a Metallica riff doesn’t kick in right after Karen’s done singing.

THIRD by Portishead

2008 had a lot of unexpected comebacks up its sleeve, but out of all of them, Portishead’s seemed to be the most engaging and mature. An album made for night-driving through industrial wastelands. And it’s even got a scary ending…hopefully, the kind that leaves things open for a sequel.

THE STAND-INS by Okkervil River

Originally recorded to be the second half of a double-album set (which would have been released alongside THE STAGE NAMES in the Summer of 07) this is by no means a B-side collection—and it’s a little disturbing just how much good music there is packed into these two releases. Buy one album and be impressed, buy both and be kinda scared.

VIVA LA VIDA by Coldplay

And you know what? I hate Coldplay. HATE them. But I can’t deny that they’ve scored a hit with this one. And sure, I could wimp-out on that admission, and say that it had a lot to do with Brian Eno’s furry little paws being ALL OVER the production…but that hasn’t helped U2 crawl out of the suck-gutter lately, now has it? So touché Coldplay. This round goes to your grating, clunky earnestness. I’ll get you next time.

METROPOLIS: THE CHASE SUITE by Janelle Monae

It may just be an EP, but it totally blew my mind. It’s an R&B/pop opera about a girl robot on the run from the law. Repeat: It’s an R&B/pop opera about a girl robot on the run from the law. Stevie Wonder meets…Rush?

STAY POSITIVE by The Hold Steady

Compelling, anthemic.

BRAIN THRUST MASTERY by We Are Scientists

Just plain fun, no aftertaste.

DAY & AGE by The Killers

Cheesy fun with a touch of genius.

TO SURVIVE by Joan As Policewoman

Soulful and stirring.

DISTORTION by Magnetic Fields

Woefully underrated. It takes what Jesus and Mary Chain were attempting with PSYCHOCANDY, and perfects the experiment.

Biggest Re-Discoveries From The Past:

With the downturn this year, I started buying less and revisiting more. Two artists stood out as the unsung heroes of my disc-binders…

Kate Bush

She didn’t just open the door for your quirkier lady songwriters of later generations; she built the mansion, moved in, and added a new wing. Her music alone would be remarkable if it weren’t for her voice. Her voice alone would be remarkable if it weren’t for her lyrics. And her lyrics…let’s just say she’s the only songwriter besides The Davids Bowie and Byrne who could conceivably win the Hugo or Nebula.

Robyn Hitchcock

The melodies are lovely, the wit is befuddling, the charm is downright antagonizing. He’s a Grade A songwriter who doesn’t have to be a kook; the kook part, to quote the man himself, is “just plumage”.

Favorite New Song of The Whole Year:

A&E by Goldfrapp – And I still have no idea what it’s about.
KIM & JESSIE by M83 – Sounds like Jose Gonzalez being attacked by a bird from another dimension.
UNTRUST US by Crystal Castles – Magic Eye for your ears. First you think something is wrong with your speakers…then you’re in love.
FREEWAY by Aimee Mann – Like Elvis Costello at his best, she makes spite sound transcendent.
BROKEN by Tift Merritt – Warm like a good sweater.

Favorite “New To Me” Songs of Previous Years:

YOUR LOVE by The Outfield – The most depraved lyrics to ever grace a pop song.
DO YOU FEEL ME? by Anthony Hamilton – A pitch-perfect soul track from 2007 that’s really from 1972…in spirit, anyway.
WORLD AS LARGE by Parlour Steps – A standout track from their thoughtful, bop-along sleeper AMBIGUOSO.
THE EMERGENCY by Gileah and The Ghost Train – A country track with a hint of darkness at the edges.
BULLY THEME by Shawn Lee – I like to play it on repeat and pretend I’m in the game, alright?

Favorite Ten Songs of 1999-2008

1. HEARTBEATS by The Knife
2. BLACK CAB by Jens Lekman
3. MOUNTAIN LAUREL by Shearwater
4. DAWN CHORUS by Boards of Canada
5. ALL I NEED by Radiohead
6. REBELLION (LIES) by Arcade Fire
7. FAREWELL TRANSMISSION by Songs: Ohia
8. LET IT LIVE by Haven
9. SOCCER by Kent
10. BLOOD AND THUNDER by Mastodon

Favorite Albums of 1999-2008

1. SILENT SHOUT by The Knife
2. KID A by Radiohead
3. MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC COMPANY by Songs: Ohia
4. FUNERAL by Arcade Fire
5. CASTAWAYS & CUTOUTS by The Decemberists
6. THE CREEK DRANK THE CRADLE by Iron & Wine
7. HOT FUSS by The Killers
8. THE LIFE PURSUIT by Belle & Sebastian
9. WINGED LIFE by Shearwater
10. IS THIS IT by The Strokes

And can I just say…I really liked VESPERTINE too. Okay. I’m done.

Paula M has no trouble in dreams, or in being a destroyer

Ahhh, the music poll. I love this time of year. At the risk of "nerding myself out," I have to admit I keep a running list of my favorite albums in the 'notes' section of my cell phone.

Essential Albums of 2008

Destroyer, Trouble in Dreams
I love Destroyer. They never disappoint.

Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs
Is it their best album? No, I don't think so but when you date Zooey Dechanel work probably falls by the wayside.

Atmosphere, When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold
Everything that is good about hip hop and it comes with a children's book!

Adele, 19
If I drove, I could drive around all day listening to this album. It's mellow but catchy.

Xiu Xiu, Women as Lovers
I might be alone here but I really love breathy, tortured and disturbing lyrics.

Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst
Fine, I'm emo.

Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
Not as good as what she does with Rilo Kiley but I love her voice.

She and Him, Volume 1
All of the songs kind of sound the same but it's still nice.

The Magnetic Fields, Distortion
If you can get past the distortion, it's pretty good.

I guess my most essential would be Destroyer, Trouble in Dreams.

Top 10 -1999 to 2008, in no particular order
Once, Soundtrack
The Sounds, Dying to Say This to You
The Postal Service, Give Up
Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism
Brandnew, Deja Entendu
Bright Eyes, Lifted or The story is in the soil, keep your ear to the ground
Dashboard Confessional, The Swiss Army Romance
Destroyer, Your Blues
The Get Up Kids, Something to Write Home About
Saves the Day, Through Being Cool

Songs
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Falling Slowly
Destroyer, It's Gonna Take an Airplane
Postal Service, Nothing Better
Saves the Day, Sell My Old Clothes, I'm Off to Heaven
Get Up Kids, I'll Catch You
Underoath, Reinventing Your Exit
Xiu Xiu, I Love the Valley, OH!
Death Cab for Cutie, A Movie Script Ending
Bright Eyes, Nothing Get Crossed Out
Atmosphere, Shoes

I don't feel these lists are comprehensive or exactly right. It's just a really big task to compile a list of favorites from the last ten years. These are just some definite essentials.

Dean B’s Modern in his Guilt

Favorite Albums of 2008

1. Beck – Modern Guilt
2. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
3. Aimee Mann – Smilers
4. Portishead – Third
5. Sigur Rós - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
6. Devotchka – A Mad And Faithful Telling
7. TV On The Radio – Dear Science
8. The Walkmen – You & Me
9. Bloc Party – Intimacy
10. Ryan Adams – Cardinology
11. Frightened Rabbit – Midnight Organ Fight
12. Estelle – Shine
13. Santogold – S/T
14. Ray LaMontagne – Gossip In The Grain
15. Ben Folds – Way To Normal

Honorable mentions:

The Dodos – Visiter; Conor Oberst – S/T; R.E.M. – Accelerate; Girl
Talk – Feed The Animals; Counting Crows – Saturday Nights & Sunday
Mornings; Jay Reatard – Matador Singles '08; Grand Archives – S/T;
Neil Young – Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968

Album cuts from 2008 that're worth checking out on
youtube/last.fm/pandora/myspace/etc:

> Hot Chip "Ready For The Floor"
> Thao Nguyen "Beat", "Feet Asleep"
> Conor Oberst "Cape Canaveral"
> R.E.M. "Living Well Is The Best Revenge", "Supernatural Superserious"
> Jay Reatard "Screaming Hand"
> The Dodos "Fools"
> Lil Wayne f/Jay-Z "Mr. Carter"
> MGMT "Time To Pretend"
> Dido "Grafton Street"
> Death Cab For Cutie "I Will Possess Your Heart" (radio edit) Jakob
> Dylan "Up On The Mountain"
> Counting Crows "On A Tuesday In Amsterdam"
> Beck "Profanity Prayers", "Modern Guilt" and "Volcano"
> Bloc Party "Ion Square", "Biko"
> Aimee Mann "Phoenix" and "True Believer"
> Ben Folds "Before Cologne", "You Don't Know Me"
> Bon Iver "Skinny Love", Flume"
> Devotchka "Undone", "New World"
> Frightened Rabbit "Backwards Walk", "Poke"
> Portishead "The Rip", "Nylon Smile", "Magic Doors"
> Ray LaMontagne "Let It Be Me", "Gossip In The Grain"
> Ryan Adams "Like Yesterday", "Crossed Out Name"
> Santogold "You'll Find A Way", "Creator"
> Santogold f/M.I.A. & Gorilla Zoe "Get It Up" (Radioclit Mix on Top
> Ranking
> album)
> Sigur Rós – "Med Sud I Eyrum", "All Alright"
> The Walkmen "The Blue Route"
> TV On The Radio "Lover's Day", "Love Dog"

Mainstream/Pop Guilty Pleasures:

> Secondhand Serenade "Fall For You"
> Chris Brown "Forever"
> Matt Nathanson "Come On Get Higher" & "Car Crash"
> Ne-Yo "Miss Independent"
> Gavin Degraw "Love Remains The Same"
> Carolina Liar "I'm Not Over"
> Miley Cyrus "See You Again"
> The Killers "Human"
> Staind "Believe"
> Alicia Keys "Like You'll Never See Me Again"
> Jason Mraz "I'm Yours"
> The Ting Tings "Shut Up And Let Me Go"
> Leona Lewis "Run" (Snow Patrol cover)
> T.I. "Whatever You Like" & "Live Your Life"
> Britney Spears "Womanizer"
> Colbie Caillat "Realize"
> Chris Brown "With You"
> Jordin Sparks f/Chris Brown "No Air"
> Nickelback "Gotta Be Somebody"
> Black Kids "I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance"
> Weezer "Pork N' Beans", "Troublemaker"
> Taylor Swift "Love Story"
> John Mayer "Say"
> Estelle f/ Kanye "American Boy"

Daphne’s Wicked

I am excited to be part of the poll because I have no musical taste at all and will learn things! My one vote for best album in the last ten years is the soundtrack to Wicked, which tells you just how lame I am musically :-)

Alaya, nearly slayed, but in her Golden Hour

Well, this was exciting. Top ten songs nearly slayed me, but here you go :)

My most essential album: Firewater, The Golden Hour
I saw them live for the first time this year and went nuts. Amazing, amazing album.

Little Jackie, The Stoop
Janelle Monae, Metropolis: The Chase Suite (an EP, but whatever, it's awesome)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
TV on the Radio, Dear Science
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Nat Baldwin, Most Valuable Player
Raffael Saddiq, The Way I See It
Evangelicals, The Evening Descends

Top ten albums of last ten years (this doesn't include tons of things I've loved, but okay):

Gorillaz, Demon Days
Sufjan Stevens, Come On Feel the Illinoise!
T-Bone Burnett, The True False Identity
Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Kate Bush, Aerial
Imani Coppola, The Black & White Album
Loudon Wainwright III, Last Man on Earth ("White Winos" one of my favorite songs ever)
Outkast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Seu Jorge, The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
The Real Tuesday Weld, The London Book of the Dead

The songs (even more ridiculous than the albums...this was painful to cut down):

Outkast (from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below), Hey ya!
Loudon Wainwright (from Last Man On Earth), White Winos
Imani Coppola (from the Black & White Album), Springtime
Gnarls Barkley, Crazy
Sufjan Stevens (from Illinoise), Chicago
Richard Thompson (from Sweet Warrior), Dad's Gonna Kill Me
Camera Obscura (from Let's Get Out of This Country), Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
T-Bone Burnett (from The True False Identity), Zombieland
Les McCann and Eddie Harris (from Swiss Movement), Compared to What
The Real Tuesday Weld (from I, Lucifer), Bathtime in Clerkenwell
(alternate 11th: Gorillaz (from Demon Days), Feel Good Inc.)

For Brian Merrell, Forever 2008

2008 in order of how much time I've spent with them

Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Annuals, Such Fun
Ray LaMontagne, Gossip In The Grain
Death Cab For Cutie, Narrow Stairs
Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
Conor Oberst, Connor Oberst
Mike Doughty, Golden Delicious
The Faint, Fascinatiion
The Breeders, Mountain Battles

1999 - 2008 in rough order of amazingness

Bright Eyes, Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground (2002)
Radiohead, Hail To The Thief (2002)
Sufjan Stevens, Come on and Feel The Illinoise (2005)
Iron & Wine, The Creek Drank The Cradle (2002)
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)
Self, Breakfast with Girls (1999)
David Poe, The Late Album (2002)
The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002)
The Postal Service, Give Up (2003)
Rufus Wainwright, Poses (2001)
I don't remember 2002 being especially cool, but it may have been.

Nick B Cuts n’ Copies

Essential albums of the year (2008), choosing one as the most essential and the others you consider essential.

1. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours.

Also up there (no particular order) Swimming by the French Kicks, Microcastle by Deerhunter, Third by Portishead, Temper by Benoit Pioulard, s/t by Hercules and Love Affair, You & Me by the Walkmen, and Dear Science, by TV On the Radio, 4 by Dungen

Your Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008

In Rainbows by Radiohead
In Ghost Colours by Cut Copy
Alligator by the National
Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
Person Pitch by Panda Bear
Madvillainy by Madvillain
Kid A by Radiohead
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
Businessmen and Ghosts by Working for a Nuclear Free City

Your Top Ten Songs of 1999-2008

"All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem
"So Far We Are" by the French Kicks
"Star Witness" by Neko Case
"Festival" by Dungen
"Fumbling Over Words that Rhyme" by Edan
"Take Pills" by Panda Bear
"Finer Feelings" by Spoon
"The Worst Taste In Music" by the Radio Dept.
"Quiet Place" by Working for a Nuclear Free City
"The Companion" by the Mary Onettes

Sherri L., Indiepop Girl

Essential:
(but only if you love indiepop!)
MiniSnap // Bounce Around

LPs

Los Campesinos! // Hold on Now, Youngster...
Of Montreal // Skelatal Lamping
Deerhunter // Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.
Hello Seahorse! // Holy A Las Ocho
Atlas Sound // Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Vivian Girls //Vivian Girls
MiniSnap // Bounce Around
The Lucksmiths // First Frost
Girl Talk // Feed the Animals
Fuck Buttons //Street Horrrsing

Singles

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart // Everything With You
My Teenage Stride // Theme From Teenage Suicide
The Secret History // It's Not The End of The World
Jonah Je Suis Animal // Painted In My Face
M83 //Kim & Jesse
The Faint The Geeks Were Right
The Ting Tings // Shut Up and Let Me Go
MGMT //Time to Pretend
Adele // Chasing Pavements
Black Kids //Look at Me (When I Rock Wichoo)

Marie R’s long Weekend

Most Essential Album of 2008
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

Other Essential Albums of 2008
Coldplay, Viva la Vida
The Ting Tings, We Started Nothing
Bjork, Volta

Essential Albums 1999-2008
Ranked, #1 being most essential.

1. Moby, Play (1999)
2. The Postal Service, Give Up (2003)
3. Bjork, Vespertine (2004)
4. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (2007)
5. The Mountain Goats, The Sunset Tree (2005)
6. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend (2008)
7. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism (2003)
8. The Killers, Hot Fuss (2004)
9. Thievery Corporation, The Richest Man in Babylon (2002)
10. Coldplay, Parachutes (2000)

Essential Songs 1999-2008
Ranked, #1 being most essential.

1. Dixie Chicks, “Not Ready to Make Nice” (Best Anthem for the Bush Administration Years)
2. The Postal Service, “Such Great Heights” (Best Love Song about Soulmating)
3. Death Cab for Cutie, “Transatlanticism” (Best Love Song about Yearning)
4. Bjork, “Mouth’s Cradle” (Most Innovative)
5. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army” (Most Rockin)
6. Amy Winehouse, “You Know I’m No Good” (Best Set of Pipes)
7. Bright Eyes, “Lua” (Best Song of the Anti-Hero)
8. The Mountain Goats, “Pale Green Things” (Best Musical Narrative)
9. Franz Ferdinand, 40’ (Best Use of a Theremin)
10. Andrew Bird, “Imitosis” (Best Use of Vocabulary)

Matthue R Sways Machinery

THIS YEAR

The Sway Machinery, self-titled
Mirah, (a)spera
Tender Forever, Wider
Jeremy Jay, A Place Where We Could Go
Y-Love, This Is Babylon
Nine Inch Nails, The Slip
The Roots, Rising Down
TV On the Radio, Dear Science
Northern State, Can I Keep This Pen?

TEN YEARS

Amy Winehouse, Back to Black
Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
Regina Spektor, Begin to Hope
Ani Difranco, Knuckle Down
CocoRosie, La Maison de mon Reve
OutKast, Love Below/Speakerboxxx
Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose
Kanye West, College Dropout
Architecture in Helsinki, Fingers Crossed
Liz Phair, Liz Phair (i know. i know. but it just keeps showing up.)

Bon Hiver, Thu

1. bon iver, for emma forever ago
2. portishead, third
3. dungen, 4
4. department of eagles, in ear park

Fiona S. makes some Electric Arguments

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová -- The Swell Season (while it was released in 2006, it's one of those albums I just kept going back to all the time)

The Fireman -- Electric Arguments

Bruce Springsteen -- Magic

Seal -- Soul

George Michael -- Twenty-Five (come on, just try staying in you seat while listening to some of those old Wham songs or to "Faith")

Carla Bruni -- Comme si de rien n'étai

Bruce Springsteen (again) -- The Rising (thanks Obama, I had to go back and listen again and again!)

Kathleen P dives into the Submarines

From a children's librarian in North Carolina, and in no particular order:

Best Albums of 2008

1. The Submarines, Honeysuckle Weeks
2. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
3. Raphael Saadiq, The Way I See It
4. Solange, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
5. Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer
6. The Killers, Day and Age
7. Adele, 19
8. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
9. Al Green, Lay It Down
10. Britney Spears, Circus

Steven M goes all Icelandic on Us

My Favorite records of 2008

10. Vampire Weekend; Vampire Weekend

9. Marah - Angels of Destruction

8. Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine

7. Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead

6. Dr. Dog - Fate

5. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

4. Pacific! - Reveries

3. Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree

2. Drive-by Truckers - Brighter Than Creation

1. Sigur Rós -Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust

My Favorite Records of the Last 10 Years

Moon Safari - Air

The Last Broadcast - Doves

When It Falls - Zero 7

7 Worlds Collide - Neil Finn

Destroy Rock and Roll - Mylo

Back To Black - Amy Winehouse

Costello Music - The Fratellis

Brighter Than Creation's Dark - Drive-By Truckers

The Great Destroyer - Low

Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

My Favorite Singles of the Last 10 Years

New World - Bjork

The Origin of Love - Hedwig and the Angry Inch

La Femme d’Argent - Air

Valerie – Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse

Pounding - Doves

When I Go Deaf - Low

A Certain Romance - Arctic Monkeys

Baby Fratelli - The Fratellis

Sea Groove - The Thievery Corporation

Black Cherry - Goldfrapp

Rotem joins the Eagle Dept.

I’d say my essential album of the year is

Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

That’s all I got!

Anna C Has an Affinity for Music with Capital M’s

[for the record, I have a broken m key and have to copy-paste all of them. apparently I have an affinity for music with capital m's. apologies for inconsistency.]

The essentials of 2008:

1] The music Tapes, music Tapes for Clouds & Tornadoes
2] Nana Grizol, Love It Love It
3] mount Eerie, Lost Wisdom
4]The Kills, midnight Boom
5] Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
6] Girl Talk, Feed The Animals
7] Love Is All, A Hundred Things Keep me Up At Night
8] Dr. Dog, Passed Away, Vol. 1
9] mGmT, Oracular Spectacular
10] Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008

1] Circulatory System, Circulatory System
2] Radiohead, Amnesiac
3] Rilo Kiley, The Execution of All Things
4] Panda Bear, Person Pitch
5] The music Tapes, 1st Imaginary Symphony For Nomad
6] Ys, Joanna Newsom
7] Cocorosie, Joanna Newsom
8] The Gerbils, Are You Sleepy?
9] The Apples in Stereo, New magnetic Wonder
10] The magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs Vol. 1

Top Ten Songs of 1999 - 2008 (according to my iTunes most played playlist, mind you, because it's nearly impossible to choose!)

Julian Koster [The music Tapes] -Takashi & Elijah
The music Tapes - manifest Destiny
Rilo Kiley - Spectacular Views
Radiohead - Idioteque
Joanna Newsom - Sawdust & Diamonds
Andrew Bird - Tables and Chairs
modest mouse - Grey Ice Water
Cocorosie - Armageddon
Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Happy
Okkervil River - John Allyn Smith Sails

OTHER LISTS

most Likely To Be Sung and Danced To Out Loud Accidentally In Public/While Partially Nude and Walked In On/Guaranteed Humiliation

Of montreal - Plastis Wafers
The magnetic Fields - Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits
Brazilian Girls - Good Time
Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes
Tilly & The Wall - Nights of the Living Dead
manu Chao - Rumba de Barcelona
Nina Simone - Feeling Good
Tal Bachman - She's So High
Everclear - I Will Buy You A New Life
Katy Rose - Vacation
CSS - music Is my Hot Hot Sex
Amy Adams - That's How You Know (Enchanted Soundtrack)

Great Covers. In general. Or the ones I listened to most this year.

muse (covering Nina Simone) - Feeling Good
Ben Kweller (covering The Beatles) - Wait
Jenny Owen Youngs (covering Nelly) - Hot In Herre
The Shins (covering the Postal Service) - We Will Become Silhouettes
Regina Spektor (covering John Lennon) - Real Love
Tilly & The Wall (covering Outkast) - Hey Ya!
Jeff mangum (covering Phil Spector) - I Love How You Love me
Andrew Bird (covering Bob Dylan) - Oh Sister

Beatles 2008 Playlist (because every year is a different year in your Beatles library)

Tomorrow Never Knows
Golden Slumbers/
Carry That Weight
Yer Blues
All my Loving
Baby It's You
Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
With A Little Help From my Friends
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Because

Best Live Performances of 2008

Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour (Circulatory System/The Olivia Tremor Control/The Gerbils/Elf Power/The music Tapes/Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't, major Organ and the Adding machine) [October, Athens] - We were the first stop on the tour and the FIRST to see all of these bands back together! Preceded by the much-anticipated film "major Organ and the Adding machine". Which ruled.

Julian Koster (The music Tapes) [November, Caroling Tour, right down the road in my friend Robby's apartment, Savannah, GA] - Okay, we are Elephant 6 geeks. You could write Julian a letter and he would show up on your doorstep with his banjo, singing saw and miniature organ and play you Christmas carols on your doorstep and in your home. And he did. And it was excellent.

Radiohead [June, Atlanta] - Best eco-friendly light show I've ever seen.

The music Tapes/mount Eerie (Phil Elvrum of The microphones/Thimble Circus) [September, Athens, GA] - Phil Elvrum had a fog machine. Awesome. And we played a game called St. Nicholas's Game for the Lamplighters that "came to Julian in a dream" in a field until 4 in the morning.

Ben Folds [march, Savannah, GA] - He put peanut tins inside the piano on one side so he was playing piano with one hand and percussion with the other...need I say more. Also, you can hear the heartcries of our Savannah audience on the first track of his new album.

Don Caballero [December, Brooklyn] - Everything it needed to be. Awkward, hilarious, and quite a spectacle packed into about a 45 minute - one hour set.

Dig, Jonas R, Dig!!!

Jonas' Mostly Mellow Year in Music, 2008:

1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
2. Amelia, A Long, Lovely List of Repairs
3. Star Anna, Crooked Path
4. Kris Delmhorst, Shotgun Singer
5. Sons and Daughters, This Gift
6. Sagasso Trio, Burnin' Burnin' Burnin'
7. David Byrne and Brian Emo, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
8. R.E.M., Accelerate
9. HoneyHoney, First Rodeo
10. Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue

Other New Releases that Barely Missed the Top 10 List:

Dash Rip Rock, Country Girlfriend
The Watson Twins, Fire Songs
Laura Cantrell, Trains and Boats and Planes
She & Him, Volume One
Joan Baez, Day After Tomorrow
Natalia Clavier, Nectar

Sexiest Album by a First Lady:

Carla Bruni, Comme Si de Rien N'Etait by

Two I Regretting Missing Last Year:

Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat
Amy LaVere, Anchors & Anvils

Eamon T Lusts three times over

Eamon's Favorties of '08 (in order)

The Raveonettes, Lust Lust Lust
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Kings of Leon, Only by Night
The Verve, Fourth
Glasvegas
The Breeders, Mountain Battles
Foals, Antidotes
Hercules and Love Affair
Santogold
Lightspeed Champion, Falling Off the Lavendar Bridge

Honorable Mentions:
Duffy, Rockferry (The new Winehouse)
Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul (A welcome return to form)
Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger (Another welcome return to form)
Vampire Weekend (Most Overrated, but undeniable)

Here's my favorite songs of the last 10 years...

1998 Garbage, Special
1999 Suede, She's In Fashion
2000 The Dandy Warhols, Bohemian Like You
2001 The Strokes, The Modern Age
2002 Kylie Minogue, Can't Get You Out of My Mind
2003 The Postal Service, Such Great Heights
2004 Scissor Sisters, Take Your Mama
2005 Arcade Fire, Rebellion (Lies)
2006 Lily Allen, LNDN
2007 Klaxons, Golden Skans
2008 MGMT, Kids

Danielle T Predicts a Riot

David,

You are right. I have taken some time, and realized that there are a few albums I want to make sure are represented on your list, despite the agony of cutting others. So here I go!

A. Essential Albums of 2008 (I think I might have been too depressed in 2008 to find new music)
1. Ra Ra Riot – “The Rhumb Line” [Most Essential!]
2. Los Campesinos! – “Hold on Now, Youngster…”
3. Britney Spears – “Circus”
4. Adele – “19”
5. Mariah Carey – “E=MC2” [This is more in recognition of past accomplishment than present work]

B. Top Ten Albums of 1999 – 2008 (in no particular order, and I am sorry, but I went over – CUT ME AT 10 IF YOU MUST, but I had a short 2008 list!)
1. Shout Out Louds – “Howl Howl Gaff Gaff” (2005, U.S. release)
2. Jaymay – “Autumn Fallin’” (2007)
3. Jaguar Wright – “Denials, Delusions, and Decisions” (2002)
4. Beth Orton – “Daybreaker” (2002)
5. Alexz Johnson – “Songs from Instant Star, Season Two” (2006) (Seriously, Alexz Johnson is AMAZING – please check her out!)
6. The Comas – “Conductor” (2004)
7. Ed Harcourt – “Here Be Monsters” (2001)
8. Hem – “Rabbit Songs” (2001)
9. Lauren Hoffman – “Choreography” (2006)
10. Jill Scott – “Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (2000)
11. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins – “Rabbit Fur Coat” (2006)
12. Cheese on Bread – “The Search for Colonel Mustard” (2007)
13. Damien Rice – “O” (2002)
14. Floetry – “Floetic” (2002)

C. Top Ten Songs of 1999 – 2008 (in no particular order, except maybe number one)
1. Kelly Clarkson – “Since U Been Gone” (2004)
2. Arcade Fire – “Keep the Car Running” (2007)
3. Stars – “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” (2005)
4. Le Tigre – “Deceptacon (DFX Remix) (2001)
5. I’m From Barcelona – “Oversleeping” (2006)
6. Mates of State – “Goods (All in Your Head)” (2004)
7. Bloc Party – “This Modern Love” (2005)
8. Mariah Carey – “Crybaby” (1999)
9. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – “In This Home on Ice” (2005)
10. Sufjan Stevens – “Chicago” (2006)

OK, this was exhausting, I am going to think of a million issues later – LIKE THE GENERAL LACK OF MARIAH CAREY – but until then, THANK YOU

Michael T Feeds the Animals

Best album of 2008:

Girl Talk, Feed the Animals

Runners Up (in no order):

Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs
Hot Chip, Made in the Dark
Adele, 19
Lykke Li, Youth Novels
Glasvegas, Glasvegas

Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008

Belle and Sebastian, Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
Say Anything, . . . . Is a Real Boy
Death Cab for Cutie, Plans
Gillian Welch, Time--The Revelator
New Pornographers, Twin Cinema
Soundtrack, O Brother Where Art Thou?
Decemberists, The Crane Wife
The National, Boxer
Spoon, Gimme Fiction
Moby, Play

[It turns out that 1998 was really the seminal musical year for me: most of the important records that still matter most to me seem to have been released that year, and to a certain extent it is my Golden Age, frozen in time: Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road; Belle and Sebastian, The Boy with the Arab Strap; Garbage, Version 2.0; and Elliott Smith, X/O. 1998 was truly a great year for music, or at least for my music.]

Top Ten Songs of 99-2008

Not really my thing but here are the songs that seem in the heaviest rotation on my Itunes, and I'd have a hard time finding stuff I'd rather listen to:

Missy Elliott, Work It
Regina Spektor, On the Radio
Blink-182, What's My Name Again
The Postal Service, Nothing Better
Coldplay, Yellow
Aimee Mann, Wise Up
Damien Rice, Older Chests
Martha Wainwright, BMFA
Walkmen, The Rat
Paul Oakenfold, Starry Eyed Surprise

Careful on those stairs, Zac

Most Essential Album of 2008:
Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs

Other Essentials of 2008:
2. Right Away, Great Captain!, The Eventually Home
3. Bloc Party, Intimacy
4. The Gay Blades, Ghosts
5. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
6. Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Animal/Not Animal
7. Gregory and the Hawk, Moenie and Kitchi
8. Jay Brannan, Goddamned
9. Ingrid Michaelson, Be OK
10. Her Space Holiday, XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival

Most Essential Song of 2008:
Death Cab for Cutie, "Your New Twin Sized Bed" (from Narrow Stairs)

Other Essential Songs of 2008:
2. Jay Brannan, "On all Fours" (from Goddamned)
3. Right Away, Great Captain!, "Down to Your Soul" (from The Eventually Home)
4. Original Cast/Soundtrack, "Were the World Mine" (from Were the World Mine)
5. Death Cab for Cutie, "Bixby Canyon Bridge" (from Narrow Stairs)
6. The Gay Blades, "O Shot" (from Ghosts)
7. Gregory and The Hawk, "Oats We Sow" (from Moenie and Kitchi)
8. Margot and The Nuclear So and So's, "The Ocean (is Bleeding Salt)" (from Not Animal)
9. Bloc Party, "Better than Heaven" (from Intimacy)
10. The Decemberists, "Valerie Plame" (from "Always the Bridesmaid: Vol. 1")

Most Essential Album, 1999-2008:
The Decemberists, Picaresque (2005)

Other Essential Albums, 1999-2008:
2. Regina Spektor, Begin to Hope (2006)
3. Damien Rice, O (2003)
4. Girlyman, Little Star (2005)
5. Belle and Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)
6. Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, The Dust of Retreat (2005)
7. Rilo Kiley, More Adventurous (2004)
8. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife (2006)
9. David Gray, White Ladder (2000)
10. The Weepies, Say I am You (2005)

Most Essential Song, 1999-2008:
Damien Rice, "The Blower's Daughter" (from O, 2003)

Other Essential Songs, 1998-2008:
2. The Decemberists, "The Engine Driver" (from Picaresque, 2005)
3. Rilo Kiley, "Portions for Foxes" (from More Adventurous, 2004)
4. Girlyman, "This is Me" (from Little Star, 2005)
5. Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, "Skeleton Key" (from The Dust of Retreat, 2005)
6. Feist, "1234" (from The Reminder, 2007)
7. Yael Naim, "New Soul" (from self-titled, 2007)
8. Elliott Smith, "Whatever (Folk Song in C)" (from New Moon, 2007)
9. The Weepies, "Gotta Have You" (from Say I am You, 2005)
10. Bloc Party, "On" (from A Weekend in the City, 2007)

Kevin W gets poetic

Once I was e'er bearded and bourboned, quite the excitable boy,
A lad who thrashed and smashed on stage, howling "Search and Destroy."
I counted as influences Johnny Thunders, Nina Shock, Bon Scott,
Kept company with T-Town Communists and other assorted sots.
But goodbye bassist, goodbye band, adios to ears a-ringing;
Hello acreage, country home, starlit sky for dreaming.
No more does my name appear on the flier above the urinal
I quietly submit instead to the land's respected journals.
And though we all if happy be must finally leave the gutter,
the gutter remains home to rock and roll strutters.
I don't regret what I now must say; I don't hesitate; I don't stutter.
This word is nothing new beneath the sun, not guarded by troll or sentry:
Tis true the pleasures are myriad to be of the landed gentry
but when the question comes – Whereth rock? – you forfeit right to make an entry.

(Or it could just be that I spent 2008 digging on the back catalogs of King Khan, Swamp Dogg and the Eccentric Soul series. Oh, and while not "essential" The Baby Shakes' "First One" is kinda cool. Plus Gentleman Jesse and His Men put out a full-length album which is probably stellar.)

My top 10 of the last 10, though:
1. Dirtbombs, Ultraglide in Black – There are certainly more original albums. More "important" albums, I suppose. But this album nails the only "concept" that a band should ever have: make sure the people who put this on have a goddamn good time. And Mick Collins is the only man alive that can cover a Barry White song and not get laughed out of the room.
2. The Paybacks, Knock Loud – Wendy Case = #$!*#%!@. Wow, she turns it loose on here.
3. The Star Room Boys, Why Do Lonely Men and Women Want to Break Each Other's Hearts? -- Is there a sound sadder than that lonesome whippoorwill? Maybe not. But this one comes close.
4. The Reigning Sound, Time Bomb High School – Greg Cartwright is the greatest living American songwriter and I'll stand on Steve Earle's coffee table and say it to his face.
5. Black Lips, Good Bad Not Evil – Black lights. Bad kids. Wasted youth. Bless you.
6. Exploding Hearts, Guitar Romantic – Brant Rumble was the first to tell me about these kids.
7. The Compulsive Gamblers, Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago – Greg Cartwright is the greatest living American songwriter and I'll stand in Steve Earle's cowboy boots and tell Bob Dylan.
8. The Reigning Sound, Too Much Guitar – Greg Cartwright. Seriously.
9. King Khan, Three Hairs and You're Mine – If you go to youtube and search for The Spaceshits on Canadian TV, you can see a young King Khan when he was known as Black Snake. He went on to make this and other albums. It's good.
10. The Coup, Pick a Bigger Weapon – "Bush and Hussein together in bed / giving H-E-A-D head / y'all motherfuckers heard what we said / billions made and millions dead."

Annmarie N’s Music Tapes

Might as well not waste time, there’s a lot of ground to cover:

Most anticipated, longest-awaited, most essential by default:
The Music Tapes, Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes

It was a good year for music, I could go on and on:
Nana Grizol, Love It Love It
Jeffrey Lewis, 12 Crass Songs [yeah, I know, I know, technically this is from 2007, but I didn’t do a list last year and damn this album is great]
Dark Dark Dark, The Snow Magic
Hurray for the Riff Raff, It Don’t Mean I Don’t Love You
The Black Angels, Directions to See a Ghost
Spindrift, The West
Laura Stevenson, A Record
The Great Northwest, The Widespread Reign of the Great Northwest
First Communion Afterparty, Sorry for all the Mondays and to Those Who Can’t Sing

And, for good measure, New York bands I want everyone to love as much as I do: The Beets, Air Waves, No Courage, Arliss Parker, Archipelago, Never Heard of Zeppelin, Laura Stevenson & the Cans, She Keeps Bees, The Vultures, The So So Glos, The Toothaches (half Boston / half New York), The December Sound (ditto), Silver Rockets, A Place to Bury Strangers

A Decade of Awesome, Album Edition:
2008: The Music Tapes, Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes
2007: A Place to Bury Strangers, s/t
2006: The Black Angels, Passover
2005: A Hawk and A Hacksaw, Darkness at Noon // Jack Rose, Kensington Blues
2004: The Out Crowd, Then I Saw the Holy City
2003: Jeffrey Lewis, It’s the Ones Who’ve Cracked That the Light Shines Through
2002: The Lollies, Taste
2001: Brian Jonestown Massacre, Bravery, Repetition, and Noise
2000: The Music Tapes, The First Imaginary Symphony for Nomad // Smallstone, s/t
1999: The Olivia Tremor Control, Black Foliage

And, well, I am gonna cheat on this song business. A mixtape-exchange-club I’m in recently introduced the theme of Best of the 2000s, so I hope you’ll excuse the recycle:

Spindrift, Titoli
First Communion Afterparty, The Mini Apple
Morning After Girls, Hidden Spaces
Sarabeth Tucek, Something for You
Mariee Sioux, Bravitzlana Rubikalva
Jack Rose, Kensington Blues
The Black Angels, Black Grease
The Warlocks, Shake the Dope Out
Air Waves, Broken Tides
Dark Dark Dark, Trouble No More
The Music Tapes, The Minister of Longitude
The Stevenson Ranch Davidians, Getting By
The Soft Explosions, Sister Come On

Brandi D Parades with Wolves

Essential Albums of 2008:
Most essential:
Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer
Other essentials:
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Okkervil River, The Stand Ins
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Cardinology

Top Ten Albums 1999-2008
2008: Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer
2007: Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
2006: Bonny Prince Billy, The Letting Go
2005: Death Cab for Cutie, Plans
2004: Arcade Fire, Funeral
2003: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell
2002: Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights
2001: The Strokes, Is This It
2000: Radiohead, Kid A
1999: Beck, Midnight Vultures

Top Ten Songs 1999-2008 (in no particular order or year):
Bonny Prince Billy's performance of R. Kelly's Ignition
Spoon, Stay Don't Go
Shout out Louds, The Comeback
Ryan Adams, If I am a Stranger
Beck, Debra
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phenomena
Arcade Fire, Ocean of Noise
The Postal Service, Such Great Heights
Radiohead, Idioteque
The National, Fake Empire

Flinn G, Foxy!
(Most Essential) Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes

Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
She and Him, Volume One
Santogold, Santogold
Sigur Ros, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Amadou and Mariam, Welcome to Mali
Lykke Li, Youth Novel
Kate Nash, Made of Bricks
Okkervil River, The Stand Ins
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular

Sandy breaks the block

Okee Dokee.

I didn't get a lot of new music this year, but here's three of my most essential albums released in 2008. I used these three to break writer's block. I admit, they are a bit insane, which is helpful when you're trying to hack open a resistant mind. I'd send more, but i have to turn in my revised manuscript by Friday. So it's back to the Sigur Rós.

1. Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust by Sigur Rós,

2. Spectrum, 14th Century EP by Final Fantasy

3. Daniel Variations by Steve Reich & Steve Reich Ensemble

Lauren M’s Gonna Save Your Soul

I'm ashamed to say the only album I bought this year was Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple, but hot damn it's good. Especially, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul." Oh wait and one more. Super indie musician Dare Dukes'
debut album "Prettiest Transmitter Of All." Utterly wonderful. Check it out. I'll wait for your results so I know what else was worth listening to. I need some new music. I've been listening to Bach for the last 6 months.

Drew L’s ’08 Sound

Best album of 2008:

The Gaslight Anthem, The '59 Sound

Other essential albums:

Elliot Brood, Mountain Meadows
Okkervil River, The Stand-Ins
Blitzen Trapper, Furr
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

Top Ten 1998-2008

1. The Lawrence Arms, The Greatest Story Ever Told
2. The Weakerthans, Left and Leaving
3. Okkervil River, Down the River of Golden Dreams
4. Alkaline Trio, Goddamnit
5. Bright Eyes, Fevers & Mirrors
6. The Falcon, Unicornography
7. The Gaslight Anthem, the '59 Sound
8. Propagandhi, Less Talk More Rock
9. Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
10. The Distillers, Coral Fang

I'm only doing one album per band ... and Greatest Story Ever Told isn't even my favorite Lawrence Arms album of the last ten years, I just chose it because I feel like it, more than any other album, shows what a great punk album can be. I don't know. Everyone should listen to The '59 Sound though. It's like Bruce Springsteen with a little punk influence and lots and lots of nostalgia.

Catherine’s big So What

PINK'S FUN HOUSE rocked.

Rachel G and friends offer a topic of discussion

Okay, so I’m musically retarded, and rely on the guidance of friends. The friends would not fill this out individually, but it was the topic of discussion at a dinner party, and here’s the dinner party list (in no particular order). I have one more straggler friend I’m hoping to get, but they are as flaky as I am musically retarded…

Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Ting Tings, We Started Nothing
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Santogold, Santogold
Animal Collective, Merriwether Post Pavilion
Gang Gang Dance, Saint Dymphna
Portishead, Third
Lykke Li, Youth Novels
Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes

Virginia E. W. introduces strings (and more) to the mix

8 items, some older than 2008.

1. Brahms Piano Quintet: Leon Fleisher and the Juilliard String Quartet. Sony 2008.

2. Fiesta: Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. Deutsche Grammophone 2008.

3. Gang He Chen, Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto: Gil Shaham, with Lan Chui conducting the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Canary Classics 2007.

4. Beethoven, the Late String Quartets: Guarneri String Quartet. BMG Classics 1990.

5. Brahms String Quartets: The Emerson String Quartet. Deutsche Grammophon 2007.

6. Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4: Paul Lewis. Hamonia Mundi 2008.

7. Shostakovich, Piano Quintet in G-minor, Piano Trio in E-minor: The Beaux Arts Trio with Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton. Phillips 1998.

8. Schoenberg and Sibelius, Violin Concertos: Hilary Hahn, with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the Swedish Radio Symphony. Deutsche Grammophon 2008.

Iain S. goes into a Cave

This gets ever harder. Less time to listen to music, 40 year old's tastes finding less to like out there (it all sounds like inferior versions of stuff I like from the olden days, grumble, moan), and lazy skinflint iTunes usage means I don't really DO albums any more.

Essential albums this year:

Most (by a country mile): Dig!! Lazarus!! Dig, Nick Cave

Others:
Imperial Wax Solvent, The Fall
Third, Portishead
Do You Like Rock Music, British Sea Power

Albums of last 10 years

Knock Knock - Smog
Ease Down The Road - Bonnie "Prince" Billy
The Unutterable - The Fall
The Real New Fall LP - The Fall
Van Occupanther - Midlake
KC Rules OK - King Creosote
Tromatic Reflexxions - Von Sudenfed
Dig!! Lazarus!! Dig, Nick Cave
Ghost Dog - RZA
Sea Change - Beck

Tracks of last 10 years

Footsteps - Bricolage
The Red - Jaylib
James - Josh Rouse
Grand dark feeling of emptiness - Bonnie "Prince" Billy
The Rat - Walkmen
Klutz - King Creosote
River Guard- Smog
Today's Lesson - Nick Cave
Xralothep - The Fall
Raise Your Swords - RZA

Ronnie A. Lets the Right One In

Essential Soundtracks of 2008

Most essential: Let the Right One In

The rest in alphabetical order:

Ashes of Time Redux
Che
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
The Fall (for the use of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7)
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Pushing Daisies
Slumdog Millionaire
Tell No One
Wall-E

Top Soundtracks of 1999-2008

Moulin Rouge
Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Once More With Feeling
Donnie Darko
Far From Heaven
Birth
The Incredibles
Garden State
Brokeback Mountain
Across the Universe
Zodiac

Lucas K looks good in ghost colours

Sorry I've been slow on this. Cataloguing my decade-al tastes is kind of an intimidating challenge, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to wimp out.

Here are my choices for 2008, though!:

10. Jukebox the Ghost, Let Live and Let Ghost
9. Mates of State, Re-arrange Us
8. Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs
7. M83, Saturdays = Youth
6. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
5. Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreak
4. Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line
3. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
2. Nada Surf, Lucky
1. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours

Terra M has a suggestion

Ugggh I was so out of it this year for music. Like, utterly and completely. And I may be getting too old for this list, anyhow. :) I will say that my own personal most essential was Daniel Clay, "The Protestant." It is lovely and you would like it a lot. He is a local guy but you CAN get the album on iTunes. (What did we all do before iTunes I don't know. Mix tapes?)

David Levi’s dear Science

Top Ten Albums of 2008

1. TV on the Radio, Dear Science
2. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
3. Vampire Weekend (self-titled)
4. Fleet Foxes (self-titled)
5. The Dodos, Visiter
6. The Walkmen, You & Me
7. Hercules & Love Affair (self-titled)
8. Sigur Ros, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
9. Le Trio Joubran, Majaz
10. Portishead, Third

Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008

1. Radiohead, In Rainbows (2007)
2. Sigur Ros, () (2002)
3. Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator) (2001)
4. Radiohead, Kid A (2000)
5. The Walkmen, Bows + Arrows (2004)
6. Andrew Bird, The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)
7. Sufjan Stevens, (Come On, Feel the) Illinoise (2005)
8. Devendra Banhart, Rejoicing in the Hands, (2004)
9. Mos Def, Black on Both Sides (1999)
10. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism (2003)

Top Ten Songs of 1999-2008
1. The Walkmen, “The Rat”
2. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army”
3. The Postal Service, “Such Great Heights”
4. LCD Soundsystem, “Tribulations”
5. Amy Winehouse, “Back to Black”
6. The Futureheads, “Hounds of Love” (adapted from Kate Bush)
7. Franz Ferdinand, “Take Me Out”
8. Hercules and Love Affair, “Blind”
9. Modest Mouse, “Float On”
10. M.I.A., “Paper Planes”

Albums 1999-2008: Honorable Mentions

TV on the Radio, Dear Science (2008)
Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)
The Roots, Things Fall Apart (1999)
The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
Fleet Foxes (2008)
Kings of Leon, Aha Shake Heartbreak (2005)
Wilco, Summerteeth (1999)
Futureheads (2004)
The Decembrists, Picaresque (2005)
The Arcade Fire, Funeral (2004)
Sigur Ros, Takk (2005)
Thom Yorke, The Eraser (2006)
LCD Soundsystem (2005)
Vampire Weekend (2008)
Amy Winehouse, Back To Black (2006)
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (2007)
Outkast, Stankonia (2000)
The White Stripes, Elephant (2003)
Radiohead, Amnesiac (2001)
The Notwist, Neon Golden (2003)
The Postal Service, Give Up (2003)
Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
My Morning Jacket, Z (2005)
The Streets, A Grand Don’t Come for Free (2004)
The Killers, Hot Fuss (2004)
The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema (2003)
Radiohead, Hail to the Thief (2003)
Gillian Welch, Hell Among the Yearlings (2003)
The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
Rage Against the Machine, The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004)

a couple more honorable mentions:

Bjork, Vespertine (2001)
Wolf Parade, Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)
Aimee Mann, The Forgotten Arm (2005)
Sufjan Stevens, Seven Swans (2004)
Bonny “Prince” Billy, The Letting Go (2006)
Nitin Sawney, Beyond Skin (1999)

Josh A.’s Day and Age

Top Albums of 2008
The Killers - Day and Age
Coldplay – Viva la Vida

Top 10 Albums of last 10 years
Coldplay – Rush of Blood to The Head 2002
The Killers – Sam’s Town 2006
U2 – All that you can’t leave behind 2000
Eminem - Marhsal Mathers 2000?
Amy Winehouse Rehab 2007
Green Day American Idiot 2005
Coldplay Clocks 2003
U2 All that you can't leave behind 2001
Limp Bizkit Significant Other 1999
Nsync no strings attached – not a fan, but was a good album

Top 10 Songs (I only could come up with 7)
Hurt by Jonny Cash Metallica remake
When you were young by The Killers
Fix You by Coldplay
What it's like by Everlast
Nookie by Limp Bizkit
Move Along by All American Rejects
Crazy in love Beyonce

Erin C.’s Spectacular list

Essential Albums of 2009:
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008 (no particular order):
Badly Drawn Boy, Hour of Bewilderbeast
Amy Winehouse, Back to Black
Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand
The Strokes, Is This It?
The White Stripes, Elephant
The Doves, Last Broadcast
Daft Punk, Alive 2007
Libertines, Libertines
Belle & Sebastian, Life Pursuit
LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver

Top Ten Songs of 1999-2008 (no particular order):
Hives, Hate to Say I Told You So
MIA, Paper Planes
Amy Winehouse, Back to Black
Postal Service, Such Great Heights
Morrissey, First of the Gang To Die
Black Kids, I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You
Franz Ferdinand, Take Me Out
MGMT, Time to Pretend
Peter, Bjorn & John, Young Folks
The Streets, Fit But You Know It

Laura D loves them Vampires

Most Essential for moi

Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

These guys are my favorite new discovery last year. I just love their sound. With extra points for a band from my NYC alma mater CU & for having a tune on Nick & Norah soundtrack (that's a nod to you, Mr. David)

Also Essential for moi

Aimee Mann, @#%&*! Smilers
Coldplay, Vida La Vida
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Santogold, Santogold
B-52s, Funplex (for me, anything Kate Pierson is essential and has been since 9th grade)
The Submarines, Honeysuckle Weeks (saw them @ Aimee's concert for first time and the lead singer has a contagious joy that sucked me in!)

Most Essential Albums

2007: Radiohead In Rainbows
2006: KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope
2005 Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Fiona Apple Extraordinary Machine
2004 The Killers Hot Fuss and Elliot Smith From the Basement... (RIP)
2003 The White Stripes Elephant
2002 Norah Jones Come Away With Me
2001 Ryan Adams Gold
2000 Aimee Mann Bachelor No. 2
1999 Moby Play

Most Essential Songs

2007: Feist "1234"
2006: Regina Spektor "Fidelity"
2005: Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Girl"
2004: The Killers "Mr. Brightside"
2003: Coldplay "Clocks"
2002: Norah Jones "Come Away With Me"
2001 John Mayer "No Such Thing"
2000: Aimee Mann "Red Vines"
1999: Beth Orton "Central Reservation"

Stephenie M.’s Season of Poison

Essential Album of the Year:
1. Shiny Toy Guns – Season of Poison

Other Essentials:
2. Carolina Liar – Coming to Terms
3. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
4. Coldplay – Viva la Vida
5. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
6. Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger
7. R.E.M. – Accelerate
8. The Twilight Soundtrack

Top Ten Albums of the Last Ten Years:
1. Muse – Absolution
2. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
3. Gomez – How We Operate
4. The Strokes – Room on Fire
5. Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory
6. My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
7. Blue October – Foiled
8. Ok Go – Oh No
9. Elbow – Leaders of the Free World
10. Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head

Top Ten Songs of the Last Ten Years:
1. Muse – Hysteria (Absolution)
2. Arcade Fire – Intervention (Neon Bible)
3. Refused – New Noise (The Shape of Punk to Come)
4. Jack’s Mannequin – Dark Blue (Everything In Transit)
5. Stars – Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Set Yourself on Fire)
6. Rhinocerose – Cubicle (Rhinocerose)
7. Phoenix – Consolation Prizes (It’s Never Been Like That)
8. Motion City Soundtrack – Hold Me Down (Commit This to Memory)
9. Brand New – The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot (Deja Entendu)
10. Marjorie Fair – Empty Room (Self Help Serenade)

Best Songs by Artists That I Wasn’t Previously Aware Of That I’ve Heard in the Last 6 Months:
1. The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name
2. Too Many Sisters – When I Get My Confidence Back
3. Asteroid Galaxy Tour – Around the Bend
4. Pink Spiders – Gimme Chemicals
5. Fol Chen – Cable TV
6. Glasvegas – Geraldine
7. Pendulum – Propane Nightmares
8. Greg Laswell – Days Go On
9. Hot Springs – Tiny Islands
10. The Waking Eyes – Keeps Me Coming Back

Chris S.’s golden age is upon us

2008:

Most Essential: TV on the Radio, Dear Science

Still Essential:
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Eef Barzilay, Lose Big
Ben Folds, Way to Normal
Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs
Sun Kil Moon, April
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst

Top Albums of 1999-2008

1. Sufjan Stevens, Illinois
2. Radiohead: In Rainbows
3. Outkast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
4. Elliott Smith, Figure 8
5. Iron & Wine, The Shepherd's Dog
6. The National, Boxer
7. TV on the Radio, Dear Science
8. Belle & Sebastian, If You're Feeling Sinister
9. Arcade Fire, Funeral
10. M. Ward, Transfiguration of Vincent

Top Songs of 1999-2008

1. Iron & Wine, The Trapeze Swinger
2. Outkast, Hey Ya!
3. Radiohead, Jigsaw Falling into Place
4. Sufjan Stevens, Casimir Pulaski Day
5. The National, Slow Show
6. Feist, Mushaboom
7. Bright Eyes, First Day of My Life
8. Elliott Smith, Twilight
9. The Arcade Fire, Rebellion (Lies)
10. M. Ward, Post-War

Annie M will be OK

Essential album of 2008:
I didn’t really buy much music this year, so nothing stands out as essential. Classified more as “enjoyable” than “essential”

Dr. Horrible soundtrack
Ingrid Michaelson, Be OK

Essential songs of 2008:
Leona Lewis, “Bleeding Love”
Will.i.am, “It’s a New Day”

Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008 (in no particular order except for #1):
#1 Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Once More with Feeling
Eels, Daisies of the Galaxies
Eels, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
Eels, Shootenanny
Liz Phair, Liz Phair
Liz Phair, Somebody’s Miracle
U2, All That You Can’t Leave Behind
Beck, Sea Change
Sinead O’Connor, She Who Dwells…
Madonna, Music

Overflow from the Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008 that are essential enough to be included too (it was hard enough to whittle it down to this!):
Ben Folds, Rockin’ the Suburbs
Shins, Wincing the Night Away
Jill Sobule, Pink Pearl
Feist, Let It Die
Jem, Finally Woken
Magnetic Fields, i
Sinead O’Connor, Collaborations
Joseph Arthur, Redemption’s Son
The 6ths, Hyacinths and Thistles
Nellie McKay, Get Away from Me
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Garden State soundtrack
The O.C. soundtracks (multiple volumes)
Grey’s Anatomy soundtracks (multiple volumes)

Top Ten Songs of 1999-2008 (in no particular order):
If a song (like U2’s “Beautiful Day” or “Stuck in a Moment”) were on an album on the top ten list above, I didn’t include it here ‘cause there would have been too much crossover. These songs are ones that make me happy singing along with the radio, or the standout song that makes me pick up a CD that didn’t quite make the top ten album list.
OutKast, “Hey Ya”
Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone”
Green Day, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”
Pink, “Just Like a Pill”
Bree Sharp, “David Duchovny”
Lily Allen, “Smile”
Magnetic Fields, “Buzby Berkeley Dreams”
Nelly Furtado, “I’m Like a Bird”
Kim Richey, “Hello, Old Friend”
Scrubs musical episode, “I’m Going to Be OK”

Since Broadway has to represent, here are Top Broadway/Off-Broadway Cast Albums of 1999-2008 (in no particular order):
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Urinetown
Bat Boy
Suburb
High Fidelity
The Full Monty
Avenue Q
Hairspray
The Producers

Anica gives us some Time

Ack--I wish I'd done this weeks ago. If I'm near a computer this weekend, I will send you both lists...but that likely won't happen, so I'm going to cast my vote now for the Single Most Essential Album of 1999-2008:

Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator)

Karen gives Billie Joe a shout out

Pretty much the last artists I recognize are from about 2003. However I look forward to seeing the list. Green Day American Idiot is my best of decade.

Andrew P, Infinitely playlisting

Ok, so put my vote in for the N&N soundtrack, because, aside from Coldplay's latest (which I also quite liked), it's the *only* album I bought this year. I know, sad, right?

I was working so much, and listening to NPR when I wasn't. It wasn't a huge music year for me... unless I can add Terry Gross / Fresh Air to the list...

Bryant P’s Skinny Love

Bryant's Most Essential Album of 2008:
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago

Other Essential Albums of 2008:
Thao, We Brave Bee Stings and All
Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line
Okkervil River, The Stand Ins
Bloc Party, Intimacy
Girl Talk, Feed the Animals
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
The Morning Benders, Talking Through Tin Cans
Panic at the Disco, Pretty. Odd.

Essential Guilty Pleasure of 2008:
E=MC2 by Mariah Carey

Best Concert of 2008
Thao Ngyuen with the Get Down Stay Down at the Empty Bottle, Chicago, August 9

Bryant's Top Ten Albums, 1999 - 2008
10. Bloc Party, Weekend in the City
9. Bon Iver , For Emma, Forever Ago
8. Camera Obscura, Let's Get Out of This Country
7. The Decemberists, Picaresque
6. Bloc Party, Silent Alarm
5. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism
4. The Roots, Things Fall Apart
3. Okkervil River, The Stage Names
2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
1. Death Cab for Cutie, Plans

Bryant's Top Fifteen Songs, 1999 – 2008
15. Andrew Bird, Imitosis
14. Rufus Wainwright, 14th Street
13. The Decemberists, The Sporting Life
12. Death Cab for Cutie, Your Heart Is an Empty Room
11. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood
10. Ryan Adams, Come Pick Me Up
9. Beyoncé, Irreplaceable
8. Kelly Clarkson, Since U Been Gone
7. Modest Mouse, Float On
6. Bloc Party, This Modern Love
5. Jason Mraz, I'm Yours (original demo, 2005)
4. Elliott Smith, Pretty (Ugly Before)
3. Mos Def, Ms. Fat Booty
2. Okkervil River, Black
1. Death Cab for Cutie, I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Andrew F gives us just a Little Lovin’

Very quiet music year for me. I only bought five albums, so these must be my Essential for 2008:

Most Essential:
Shelby Lynne, Just A Little Lovin'

Essential:
Emmylou Harris, All I Intended To Be
Aimee Mann, @#%&*! Smilers
Tift Merrit, Another Country
Lucinda Williams, Little Honey

Essential in 2007, but Most Essential in 2008:
Lori McKenna, Unglamorous. I thought it was great last year, but this year it has become my go-to album. Nearly all of the cuts are great, but the title song is about a loving couple with five young kids and one t.v. set. What are the odds?

My Top Ten Albums of 1999-2008, in Alphabetical Order:

Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine
Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Once More With Feeling
Dixie Chicks, Taking The Long Way
Green Day, American Idiot
Shelby Lynne, I Am Shelby Lynne
Aimee Mann, Bachelor No.2
Lori McKenna, Unglamorous
Liz Phair, Liz Phair
Bruce Springsteen, The Rising
Lucinda Williams, Essence

Christopher O, Standing In

Essential album of 2008:
=========================
The Stand Ins - Okkervil River

Some other notables that came out in 2008:
Ane Brun - Changing of the Seasons
Anna Ternheim - Leaving on a Mayday
Calexico - Carried to Dust
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

Top ten albums of 1999 - 2008
=============================
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Editors - An End Has A Start
Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
Lambchop - Is A Woman
Ryan Adams - Gold
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Tori Amos - Scarlet's Walk
Coldplay - X & Y
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Top ten songs of 1999 - 2009
============================
Radiohead - All I Need
Travis - Sing
Editors - When Anger Shows
Iron & Wine - He Lays in the Reins
Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek
Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill
Woven Hand - Blue Pail Fever
A Perfect Circle - Weak and Powerless
Radiohead - No Surprises
Bright Eyes - No One Would Riot For Less

Glenn B, of Montreal (but not Canadian)

I found it hard to compile the list this year as I felt there was a dearth of good stuff out there...
Here's what I ended up with:

1) of Montreal, Skeletal Lamping (Bonus points for being the best live act I saw this year)
2) Beck, Modern Guilt
3) Santogold, Santogold
4) MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
5) Snow Patrol, A Hundred Million Suns
6) Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
7) Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul
8) Flight of the Conchords, Flight of the Conchords
9) The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely
10) Deathcab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs

Oh! Mighty Nick E
TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2008

Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
Neil Halstead, Oh! Mighty Engine
Sun Kil Moon, April
The Magnetic Fields, Distortion
Soundtrack, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

TOP 10 ALBUMS 1999-2008

1. The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
2. Radiohead, Kid A
3. Bright Eyes, Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground
4. Iron & Wine, The Creek Drank the Cradle
5. Trembling Blue Stars, Broken by Whispers
6. Sun Kil Moon, Ghosts of the Great Highway
7. The 6ths, Hyacinths and Thistles
8. Dolorean, Not Exotic
9. Jens Lekman, When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog
10. Calla, Televise

TOP 10 SONGS 1999-2008

1. The Magnetic Fields, I Don't Want To Get Over You
2. Jens Lekman, Your Arms Around Me
3. Trembling Blue Stars, Maybe After All
4. Dolorean, Morningwatch
5. Belle and Sebastian, The Model
6. Doves, There Goes the Fear
7. Iron & Wine, Upward Over the Mountain
8. Enio, We Sabotage Ourselves
9. Vermont, Bells of Saint Alcohol
10. Sun Kil Moon, Carry Me Ohio

Dan E hits some Black Ice

Essential album of 2008: AC/DC "Black Ice" Have to say, best AC/DC album since "For Those About to Rock."
As always, my other essentials are 2008 remastered reissues, but they reflect my catholic tastes:
* The Stranger, Billy Joel
* The Smiths, The Smiths
* Murmur, REM

Top 10 albums 1999-2008 (Only 3 reissues, okay!)
How the West was Won, Led Zeppelin
Sea Change, Beck
Return to Cookie Mountain, TV on the Radio
Humpty Dumpty LSD, The Butthole Surfers
Something Deeper than These Changes, Stew
Motor Booty Affair, Parliament
Fishscale, Ghostface Killah
To the Five Boroughs, Beastie Boys
Steady Groovin', Soulive
The Singles, The Clash

Top 10 songs are too hard...cop out I know...

Nico climbs that Tree and finds a Swede

This is admittedly rushed, so I may regret some of these choices later... But this is my gut feeling.....

Most Essential Album(s) of 2008
------------------------------------------------
A Tie btwn
1. Goldfrapp: Seventh Tree (so soothing and utterly gorgeous)
~and~
1. Robyn: Robyn (such beautifully done, slick, modern pop music--"modern" by US standards, since this actually came out in Europe in 2005)

Tied @ 2nd are
2. Lady Gaga: The Fame (my GOD, this album is so fun that it makes me feel like a lame old geezer for listening to it)
~and~
2. Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours

Honorable Mention
Portishead: Third

In the "I Bought It in 08 But It Came Out in 07 Category" is:
Radiohead: In Rainbows (probably my favorite of theirs, ever, and that's saying a lot)

Top 10 Albums of 1999-2008
-------------------------------------------
1. Nine Inch Nails: Year Zero
2. Goldfrapp: Supernature
3. Madonna: Confessions on a Dance Floor
4. Placebo: Sleeping with Ghosts
5. Garbage: beautifulgarbage
6. Kylie Minogue: X
7. Marilyn Manson: Holy Wood
8. No Doubt: Rocksteady
9. Fiona Apple: When the Pawn...
10. Christina Aguilera: Stripped

Top 10 Songs of 1999-2008
------------------------------------------
1. Garbage: Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
2. Madonna: Get Together
3. Goldfrapp: Ride a White Horse
4. Nine Inch Nails: The Great Destroyer
5. Christina Aguilera: Dirrty
6. Robyn: Cobrastyle
7. Britney Spears: Toxic
8. Rihanna: Don't Stop the Music
9. No Doubt: Hella Good
10. Radiohead: Exit Music (For a Film)

***
In the "Thank Goodness I Didn't Have to Factor in the 1998 Albums" Category:
Garbage: Version 2.0
Marilyn Manson: Mechanical Animals
Tori Amos: From the Choirgirl Hotel
Madonna: Ray of Light
***

Brian Masino Says Definitively That It Was Worth the Wait, and Thus After a Ten Year Stretch, The Music Poll Can No Longer Taunt Him On This Point

MOST ESSENTIAL of 2008:
Guns N' Roses, Chinese Democracy

ESSENTIAL of 2008
O'Death, Broken Hymns, Limbs & Skin
The Mars Volta, Bedlam in Goliath
Blue Sky Black Death & Jean Grae, The Evil Jeanius
Portugal. The Man, Censored Colors
Lightspeed Champion, Falling Off the Lavender Bridge
Okkervil River, The Stand-Ins
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
Dr. Dog, Fate
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular

HONORABLE MENTIONS of 2008:
The Verve, Forth
Cool Kids, The Bake Sale
The Roots, Rising Down
The Dears, Missiles
Johnny Flynn, A Larum
Dead Meadow, Old Growth
Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple

TOP 11 ALBUMS 1999-2009 (in no particular order)
Guns N' Roses, Chinese Democracy
Sunset Rubdown, Shut Up...I'm Dreaming
Murder By Death, In Bocca Al Lupo
The Dears, Gang of Losers
Mars Volta, Amputechure
Elvis Perkins, Ash Wednesday
Bonnie Prince Billy, I See A Darkness
The Icarus Line, Penance Soiree
John Frusciante, Curtains
Nirvana, With the Lights Out
The White Stripes, White Blood Cells

ALBUMS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS THAT I DISCOVERED THIS YEAR AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED
Boards of Canada, Music Has the Right to Children
Hawkwind, Warriors on the Edge of Time
Drop Nineteens, Mayfield
The Family of Apostolic, The Family of Apostolic
The Microphones, The Glow Pt. 2
Alamo Race Track, Birds at Home
Beefeater, Need a Job
Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs
A.A. Bondy, America Hearts
Okkervil River, The Stage Names
The Jayhawks, Tomorrow the Green Grass
Gliss, Love the Virgins
Smoosh, Free to Stay
Jack Starr, Born Petrified
Brenda Lee, Sweet Nuthin's
Lucero, The Attic Tapes
Mudhoney, Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles
Tappi Tickerrass, Miranda
Those Poor Bastards, Songs of Desperation

I couldn't even begin to think about 10 songs, but I'll put a vote for Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy"

O’ Sarah-Maria

2008 top 10

O’death - Broken Limbs, Hymns and Skin
Fratellis - Here we Stand
Dr dog - Fate
Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Raveonettes - Lust, Lust, Lust
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Kaizers orchestra - Maskineri
Madrugada - Madrugada
The Duke Spirit - Neptune

2008 Honorable mentions:

Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely
Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha
Johnossi - All They Ever Wanted
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
Dears - Missiles
Fleet foxes - Fleet Foxes
Figurines - When The Deer Wore Blue
Murder by Death - Red of Tooth and Claw
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Kooks - Konk

Biggest Discoveries of 2008:
-Shout out Louds - I can listen to "Impossible" at least 5 times in a row
-Admiral James T - he's Swiss and he rocks

Top 10 albums of the last ten years

Blur - 13
The Good, the Bad and the Queen - The Good, the Bad and the Queen
Madrugada - Grit
Kaizer's Orchestra - Oompa Til Du Dor
The Kills - The Kills
The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
HIM - Dark Light
Placebo - Black Market Music
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
Mando Diao - Never Seen the Light of Day

Erin B’s got a new soul

Most essential 2008 album that I actually bought in 2008: Yael Naim
- also, the Nick & Norah soundtrack, which goes with most fun movie of 2008
- also Vampire Weekend, which I don’t own but listened to a lot with our friends because their 4-month-old likes it. I do too, though I actually am a big fan of the Oxford comma.

Most essential recent albums/artists that would have been perfect if I’d discovered them earlier:
- Feist
- Rachel Yamagata
- Casey Dienel
- Regina Spektor

Scrolling through the previous polls, it seems that not enough people who’ve responded have spent much of the past 10 years learning to drive, and then proceeding to do so around New England, NY and NJ. Because if they had, they would need good driving-on-highway-during-the-summer-with-windows-down music (or sitting in traffic on the way to the shore music), and would agree that the most essential albums 1999-2008 are:

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Californication, By the Way, and Stadium Arcadium

Billy M is Fleet, AND he’s a Fox

1999 - 2008
-----------
Reveling, Reckoning - Ani DiFranco
Radiohead - Kid A
Fiona Apple - When the Pawn…
Poses - Rufus Wainwright
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 - Lauryn Hill
For the Birds - The Frames
Now It's Overhead - Now It's Overhead
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Bright Eyes
1000 Kisses - Patty Griffin
Runners Up
Greetings from Michigan, The Great Lakes State - Sufjan Stevens
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
All of Our Names - Sarah Harmer
Supernature - Goldfrapp
Wincing the Night Away - The Shins
Wet From Birth - The Faint
Kala - M.I.A.
To Venus and Back - Tori Amos
Give Up - The Postal Service
Lost in Space - Aimee Mann
Vespertine - Bjork
Once Soundtrack
In Rainbows - Radiohead
Alanis Unplugged - Alanis Morrissette
Odessey - Fischerspooner

2008
----
***Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Annuals, Such Fun
Portishead, Third
Goldfrapp, Seventh Tree
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist soundtrack!

Wilson May Be Two Years Old, But He Has His Opinions

My Only Essential Album of 2008:
1. Dan Zanes & Friends /¡Nueva York!

My Top Albums of 1999-2008:
1. Dan Zanes & Friends / Family Dance
2. Dan Zanes & Friends / House Party
3. Genevieve Goings / Choo Choo Soul
4. Dan Zanes & Friends /¡Nueva York!
5. Dan Zanes & Friends / Catch That Train!
6. Dan Zanes & Friends / Night Time!
7. Randy Kaplan / Five Cent Piece
8. Dan Zanes & Friends / Rocket Ship Beach

My Top Twelve Songs of 1999-2008:
1. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Jump Up”
2. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Wonder Wheel”
3. Dan Zanes & Friends / “House Party Time”
4. Dan Zanes & Friends / “All Around the Kitchen”
5. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Colas”
6. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Malti”
7. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Hello”
8. Genevieve Goings / “ABC Gospel”
9. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Catch That Train!”
10. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Pay Me My Money Down”
11. Dan Zanes & Friends / “The Hokey Pokey”
12. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Let’s Shake”
13. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Down in the Valley”
14. Dan Zanes & Friends / “Shining Star”

Kristin is related to Wilson

2008 Essential
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (far too finite in my opinion)
Dan Zanes & Friends Nueva York

The Most Dear of the Decade
Yo La Tengo And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
Dan Zanes & Friends Family Dance
Blur 13
The Go! Team Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Mali Music Mali Music
Aimee Mann Bachelor No. 2 Or, Remains of the Dodo
Badly Drawn Boy About a Boy
Mojave 3 Excuses for Travelers
The Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs
Ted Barnes Short Scenes
Beth Orton Central Reservation
Stars Set Yourself on Fire
Gotan Project La Revancha del Tango

Tunes That Claimed Many Moments and Memories
Yo La Tengo “You Can Have It All”
Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc.”
Clem Snide “Happy Birthday”
Feist “Feel It All”
Zwan “El Sol”
Moulin Rouge Cast “Come What May”
Sukpatch “Stuck On Me”
M. Ward “Poison Cup”
Ryan Adams “Nuclear”
Belle and Sebastian “Wrapped Up in Books”
We Are Scientists “After Hours”
Yann Tiersen “Le Valse d’Amelie”
Ben Folds “Still Fighting It”
Drive-By Truckers “Outfit”
Wilco “California Stars”
The general sound of The Shins
Any Dan Zanes song … absolutely any one

Brant Forsakes Dan Zanes for Vampires

My Top Ten Most Essential Albums of 2008:
1. Vampire Weekend / Vampire Weekend
2. Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist
3. Sigur Rós / Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
4. Mates of State / Re-Arrange Us
5. Los Campesinos! / Hold On Now, Youngster…
6. She & Him / Volume One
7. Santogold / Santogold
8. Deerhunter / Microcastle
9. TV on the Radio / Dear Science
10. Aimee Mann / @#%&! Smilers

Track Listing for My Most Essential Songs of 2008 Mix:
“After Hours” / We Are Scientists; “Jigsaw” / Mates of State; “I Stand Corrected” / Vampire Weekend; “Kids” / MGMT; “Never Stops” / Deerhunter; “Lights Out” / Santogold; “Lost Coastlines” / Okkervil River; “Gobbledigook” / Sigur Rós; “New York” / Cat Power; “Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)” / Los Campesinos!; “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” / She & Him; “The Beat Dies” / The Raveonettes; “Lost!” / Coldplay; “Freeway” / Aimee Mann; “He Doesn't Know Why” / Fleet Foxes; “The Turning” / Oasis; “Gardenia” / Stephen Malkmus; “Crossed Out Name” / Ryan Adams; “The Nun's Litany” / The Magnetic Fields; “Sing a Song for Them” / Jenny Lewis; “Chemtrails” / Beck; “Black President” / Nas

My Top Ten Most Essential Elder Albums That I Didn’t Focus On Until 2008:
1. The Who / Sings My Generation
2. Paul McCartney / Band on the Run
3. Spoon / Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
4. Nick Lowe / Jesus of Cool
5. The Kinks / Arthur (or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
6. Lou Reed / Transformer
7. Benny Goodman / B.G. in Hi-Fi
8. Goldfrapp / Supernature
9. Jason Isbell / Sirens of the Ditch
10. The Mountain Goats / The Sunset Tree

Above the Next List:
The entire output of Belle & Sebastian. The first three albums were originally released prior to 1999, and nothing they’ve recorded since has quite reached those heights, but that hasn’t kept them from being my favorite band for the past ten years. Two of their albums could have easily made the list below, but I’ve decided instead to put them all, along with the EPs, live sessions, bootlegs, soundtracks, compilations, and guest spots above the list. Seems fair.

My Top Twenty Albums of the David Music Poll Era:
1. Yo La Tengo / And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
2. Aimee Mann / Bachelor No. 2 Or, The Remains of the Dodo
3. Badly Drawn Boy / The Hour of the Bewilderbeast
4. The Go! Team / Thunder, Lightning, Strike
5. Ryan Adams / Demolition
6. Weezer / Weezer [Green Album]
7. The Strokes / Is This It
8. The Magnetic Fields / 69 Love Songs
9. New Pornographers / Electric Version
10. The Exploding Hearts / Guitar Romantic
11. M. Ward / Post-War
12. Stars / Set Yourself on Fire
13. Mojave 3 / Excuses for Travellers
14. Japancakes / The Sleepy Strange
15. Cat Power / The Covers Recordthe who sing my generthe who
16. Lambchop / Aw C’mon; No You C’mon
17. Ambulance Ltd / LP
18. Drive-By Truckers / Southern Rock Opera
19. Dan Zanes & Friends / Family Dance
20. The National / Boxer

My Top Twenty Songs of the David Music Poll Era:
1. M. Ward / “Poison Cup”
2. Yo La Tengo / “You Can Have It All”
3. The Magnetic Fields / “The Book of Love”
4. The Go! Team / “Bottle Rocket”
5. Aimee Mann / “The Moth”
6. Bright Eyes / “Easy/Lucky/Free”
7. The Exploding Hearst / “Throwaway Style”
8. Belle & Sebastian / “I’m a Cuckoo”
9. Ambulance Ltd / “Heavy Lifting”
10. Sukpatch / “Stuck on Me”
11. Weezer / “Island in the Sun”
12. Blur / “Sweet Song”
13. Stars / “Reunion”
14. The Raveonettes / “Uncertain Times”
15. The New Pornographers / “The Laws Have Changed”
16. Cat Power / “I Found a Reason”
17. Fiest / “I Feel It All”
18. Ben Folds / “Still Fighting It”
19. Drive-By Truckers / “Heathens”
20. The National / “Apartment Story”

Michael S. Gets Better With Each Listen, Too

Here are the few albums I loved from last year, in the most random order:

1. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
—My favorite record in a long, long time. Gets better with each listen.
2. Vampire Weekend, [eponymous]
—Kind of unassailably great.
3. Fleet Foxes, [eponymous]
—Has grown on me. Also, their EP is terrific, too.
4. Duffy, Rockferry
—I expect to hear from the haters about this, but I actually thought it was more than a sixties girl singer reboot post-Winehouse. And played it more than I care to admit.
5. Okkervil River, the Stand-Ins
—Love these guys.
6. Mike Doughty, Golden Delicious
—A mixed record, but man, I could not stop playing "Fort Hood" and found it an emotional touchstone for a time.
7. R.E.M., Accelerate
—They're not back in top form, no, but this is the closest they've come in a long, long time.

And then a grab bag of three not-quite-perfect-but-still-weirdly-lovable-to-me albums:
8. Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
—Nowhere near as good as Rabbit Fur Coat, but ... so what? Still good.
9. Shelby Lynne, Just a Little Lovin'
—I have had a love/hate relationship with Ms. Lynne since the superb I Am Shelby Lynne. This one logged on the love side of the equation.
10. Sharleen Spiteri, Melody
—Lead singer from Texas goes out with an often mediocre collection of sixties inspired pop songs. Lame. And yet I kind of sort of guiltily loved it.

Anton’s intimate bloc party

TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF 2008:

There were so many albums this year that I loved, that I simply couldn’t choose a favorite. Don’t make me! It’s like picking a favorite child. So for that reason, I’m just going to list six of my essential albums for 2008, in no particular order, and you can take it from there….

BLOC PARTY — “Intimacy”
There’s no question that Bloc Party is one of the most original and exciting bands around. Their music is super-charged, powerful and emotional, and like nothing else out there. They have one of the most fascinating and intriguing lead singers, and they perform some of the most electrifying and memorable shows. Plus, they know how to keep their fans continually pumped, from one album to the next. The delivery of “Intimacy,” their third studio album, was no exception. While on a live, fan-interactive web video chat, the band simply announced that their new album could be pre-ordered right then, and would be released digitally later that week. The anticipation for “Intimacy” was like nothing I’ve ever experienced with a band before. Having already heard new tracks like “Flux” and “Mercury,” it was clear the band was heading in an exciting new direction while still staying true to their unique sound. I was on a high all week, and when the digital tracks were finally ready to download, the band did not disappoint. Even better, more tracks kept coming in the weeks to come — including my favorite, “Talons,” a song that hits you like a twister and leaves you craving for more. This band intrigues me like no other, and my obsession has no signs of fading any time soon.

THE DEARS — “Missiles”
The Dear’s have been on a slow and steady rise to stardom, starting with 2004’s “No Cities Left” and continuing with 2006’s “Gang of Losers.” So when their next album was getting ready to hit, it was surely going to become their most commercially successful album yet.
However, when they did NOT deliver that radio-friendly hit-machine with “Missiles,” it almost seemed like a step back for them. Not only that, the band was falling apart behind the scenes, to the point that all that was left was lead singer Murray Lightburn and his wife Natalia Yanchak. It did not look good for my favorite Canadian band. On first listen of “Missiles,” even I — one of the most devoted Dears fans I know — was a bit disappointed. But then I realized the band wasn’t necessarily planning to be “the next big thing” anyway. All they wanted was to deliver a beautiful and soulful album of songs, and that’s just what “Missiles” is. From the breathtakingly beautiful opener “Disclaimer” (“See I’ve come back, from almost death…”), to the jazzy mellowness of closer “Threats” (“It’s going to be all right…”), The Dears know exactly what they’re doing — and that’s all right with me. If you haven’t given it a listen, or if you have and had written if off, I implore you to give it another go, and another, and another. The more you listen, the more the music enters your soul and simply won’t let go.

JAMES — “Hey Ma”
James is one of the most underappreciated bands in modern music history, and they should really be MUCH bigger than they are. But I kind of like that they’re not — otherwise how else would I have been able to enjoy their amazing show at the legendary (but extremely tiny) Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ? Unfortunately they’re remembered as a band with a string of hits in the early ‘90s, but not much else going for them. Some people don’t even realize they’re still around. True, they hadn’t released anything since 2001’s amazing “Pleased to Meet You” (sadly, not a single song of which was played at their Stone Pony show). So it’s not surprising that no one was expecting much from their latest album, “Hey Ma.” Well, except for me — I knew the band could do no wrong. What I didn’t realize was that this would be their best album yet — containing songs both fun and uplifting, and others powerful and emotional.

BEN FOLDS — “Way to Normal”
This was another great way for a new album to be delivered. Ben and his band decided to make “fake” versions of the songs from their upcoming album, where the song titles were the same, but everything else was different — and then they “leaked” the album onto the web, for anyone to find and download. Written in one night, these songs had a fresh spontaneity to them, while the lyrics were deliciously absurd and silly. The album was so unlike the rather boring-in-comparison “Songs for Silverman,” that some had thought Ben had lost his mind, while many other fans actually thought the fake album was better than the real one that eventually debuted later. Which is surprising — since “Way to Normal” is easily his best album since “Rockin’ the Suburbs” in 2001. “You Don’t Know Me,” featuring Regina Spektor, was an early, unexpected surprise. And of course, there’s not a single person who hasn’t fallen in love with “Cologne” upon first listening. But it’s the quirky songs, like both versions of “Bitch Went Nutz,” and the amazingly kinetic “Brainwascht,” that prove just how much a genius Ben really is. All together, the fake and real albums combined, along with a fantastic tour, made 2008 Ben’s best year yet.

R.E.M. — “Accelerate”
I was seriously ready to write off R.E.M. for good. Ever since the departure of drummer Bill Berry, they’ve been off their A-game. “Up” was their first fall down, in my opinion. And while “Reveal” garnered a couple of gems, “Around the Sun” made me completely rethink my love for this band. They were almost approaching deadly dull “adult alternative” status, which many other once-favorite bands — like U2 — had seemed to go. Basically, no longer musically relevant. So when I got an early hold of “Accelerate,” I almost didn’t bother giving it a listen. But a music-loving friend of mine, with almost identical tastes and the same attitude about R.E.M.’s latest output, said that I had to give it a chance. The R.E.M. he loved was back again, and the new stuff ROCKED.
And rocked it did, indeed — at first listen it was almost TOO intense, and something I wasn’t quite ready for. But by the second go-around, I was deep, deep in love.

BLACK KIDS — “Partie Traumatic”
Black Kids are hands down the most promising new band of 2008, delivering an incredibly impressive debut with “Partie Traumatic.” The band members are so young, and yet already their first album is lightyears ahead of the output of other bands who’ve been around the block for a while.
Though the album is also unabashedly NOT “mature.” It’s fun, energetic, and full of poppy, catchy, danceable tunes but with a decidedly indie edge. It makes me seriously want to listen to every future album of theirs RIGHT NOW. Hurry up kids!!

PLAYLIST FOR 2008
Every year I make a playlist of my favorite songs, making sure they all fit onto a single, 80-minute CD. Here’s mine for 2008:
THE DEARS — “Disclaimer”
THE STILLS — “Don’t Talk Down”
THE KILLERS — “Human”
THE VERVE — “Love is Noise”
BLOC PARTY — “Talons”
MORRISSEY — “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris”
R.E.M. — “I’m Gonna DJ”
TRAVIS — “Something Anything”
EARLIMART — “Teeth”
BLACK KIDS — “Look at Me (When I Rock Wichoo)”
BEN FOLDS — “Cologne (Piano Orchestra Version)”
THE CURE — “Only One”
KEANE — “Spiraling”
STARS — “14 Forever”
WOLF PARADE — “Call it a Ritual”
DEATH CAB FOR A CUTIE — “I Will Possess Your Heart”
JAMES — “I Wanna Go Home”

TOP TEN ALBUMS OF THE LAST TEN YEARS:
BEN FOLDS — “Rockin’ the Suburbs” (2001)
TRAVIS — “12 Memories” (2003)
ARCADE FIRE — “Funeral” (2004)
THE KILLERS — “Hot Fuss” (2004)
MORRISSEY — “You Are the Quarry” (2004)
METRIC — “Live it Out” (2005)
THE DEARS — “Gang of Losers” (2006)
THE STROKES — “First Impressions of Earth” (2006)
BLOC PARTY — “A Weekend in the City” (2007)
GLEN HANSARD & MARKETA IGLOVA — “Once (Soundtrack)” (2007)

TOP TEN SONGS OF THE LAST TEN YEARS:

SUEDE — “Can’t Get Enough” (1999)
BEN FOLDS — “Not the Same” (2001)
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE — “Lover’s Spit” (2002)
DOVES — “The Sulphur Man” (2002)
ELLIOTT SMITH — “Coast to Coast” (2004)
FRANZ FERDINAND — “Take Me Out” (2004)
THE KILLERS —“All These Things That I’ve Done” (2004)
MORRISSEY — “Ganglord” (2004)
THE DEARS — “Ballad of Humankindness” (2006)
ARCADE FIRE — “No Cars Go” (2007)

Cecil is so Eno

Top albums of 2008

David Byrne & Brian Eno / Everything that happens will happen today
Jolie Holland / The Living and The Dead
Adele/ 19
Jill Barber / Chances
Herman Dune / Next Year in Zion
She & Him / Volume One
The Weepies /Hideaway
Lykke Li / Youth Novels
Title of Show / Original Cast Soundtrack
Auf der Maur / OOOM (this is my bff, and I am so throwing a shout out!)

Sub Category Best Comedy Album of 2008:

Sean Cullen / I Am A Human Man

Fave song of 2008:

Oh My My / Jill Barber

Best Rediscoveries this year -

Archers of Loaf / Icky Mettle
The Muppet Movie Soundtrack
Thompson Twins / Into the Gap
Yaz / You and Me Both
NOFX / Punk in Drublic

Best new discovery from 2004
Joel Plaskett Emergency / Truthfully, Truthfully

Top Ten Albums of the last Decade ( just a sampling!)

Ben Lee / Awake is the New Sleep
Elliot Smith / Basement on the Hill
Joanna Newsom / Ys
Feist / Let it Die
The Killers / Hot Fuss
Rufus Wainwright / Poses
Nouvelle Vague / Nouvelle Vague
Coco Rosie / The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
Explosions in the Sky / The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place
Dean & Britta / L'Aveventura

Some essential songs of the last decade (so totally not complete, consider a girly tasting and it's 15)

Let it Die / Feist
Remember me as a time of day / Explosions in the Sky
Stronger/ Kanye
Beautiful Life / Anna Waronker
Gamble Everything for Love / Ben Lee
First Day of My Life / Bright Eyes
Hurricane Glass / Catherine Feeny
Knives From Bavaria / Dean & Britta
Not Ready to Make Nice / Dixie Chicks
You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man / Okkervil River
Peace and Hate / The Submarines
Say So / Uh Huh Her
Joanna Newsom/ Sprout and the Bean
Nine Things / Title of Show Soundtrack
Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole (BFMA) / Martha Wainwright

Med Sud I evr… Dan P

Most Essential:
Sigur Ros, Med Sud i eyr...

Others:
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Adele, 19
Robyn, Robyn
Laura Marling, Alas I Cannot Swim

Oh gosh... and now the most essential from the past 10 years???

Patty Griffin, 1000 Kisses
Madonna, Confessions on a Dancefloor
Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position
The Postal Service, Give Up
Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters
Sarah Harmer, You Were Here
Rufus Wainwright, Poses
Radiohead, Kid A
The Killers, Hot Fuss
Sufjan Stevens, Illinois

And now for some essential songs:

Kelly Clarkson, Since U Been Gone
Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism
Rihanna, Umbrella
Coldplay, The Scientist
Robyn, Handle Me
Madonna, Hung Up
Kylie Minogue, Can't Get You Out of My Head
The Arcade Fire, Rebellion
Franz Ferdinand, Take Me Out
Beyonce, All the Single Ladies

Tricks are for kids, and Rabbits are for Joe P

15. Robyn
What in Holy Hell is this? In what can only be described as Best Comeback Ever, Robyn, the tweeny pop tart of 1998, rises like a veritable phoenix from the snowbanks of Sweden and unleashes a dizzying eponymous collection of tracks that are guaranteed to inspire grooving. It’s what pop music should be: fun, catchy, and a little too smart for its own good – which means it will be outdated soon, so enjoy it while you can.
Peaks: Dream On, Eclipse, Handle Me, Who’s That Girl?

14. Ray LaMontagne “Gossip In The Grain”
In what is perhaps The Greatest Fake-Out Of Modern Music, LaMontagne kicks off his third album with the sexy, Motown-infused “You Are The Best Thing”. For 3:55, you think, “Wow, look at Ray go! What a great change of style!” The nine tracks that follow, however, are typical LaMontagne: tender and sad love songs, all sung in his glorious teddy bear of a voice, and all of which are better than the fake out.
Peaks: Sarah, Winter Birds, Gossip in the Grain, I Still Care For You

13. Bloc Party. “Intimacy”
Equally ironic titles for this album would be: Warm Fuzzies, Love & Cuddles, and Puppies Are Awesome!. Tongue-in-cheek or not, Intimacy is anything but. Jarring and aloof schizophrenic dance beats mash up against jabbing guitars that razor frenetic melodies while rousing mantras collide with unholy choirs. All the while frontman Kele Okereke bleats along like the excitable goat he is.
Peaks: Flux, Ion Square, Zephyrus, Talons

12. Aimee Mann “@#%&*! Smilers”
Many critics grouse that Aimee Mann churns out album after album of similar but likable and competent pop. I say there’s something to be said about consistency. With Aimee Mann, there are no surprises: expect melodic, beautifully written songs with wrist-slashing lyrics about dead end people in their dead end lives. With @#%&*! Smilers, that’s exactly what you get; except Mann adds synthesizers to the mix just for giggles.
Peaks: 31 Today, Ballentines, Freeway, Phoenix

11. Greg Laswell “Three Flights From Alto Nido”
A good pop song is like a love letter: simple and a bit predictable while being memorable and sweet. With his sophomore album, Three Flights To Alto Nido, Greg Laswell has written eleven perfect love letters, each crawling through the cyclonic prairies of relationships, bleeding and exhausted, but undeniably hopeful. I want to send this man a Valentine every day of the week.
Peaks: I’d Be Lying, The One I Love, Not Out, Sweet Dream

10. Goldfrapp “Seventh Tree
Allison Goldfrapp can be accused of many things, but resting on her laurels is not one of them. After dabbling in one album of psychedelic-fused trip hop and two albums of sex-kitten electrotrash, the woman makes the most brilliant move of her career: electronica-tinged folk. In lesser hands, it would have been a wreck. In Goldfrapp’s hands, it is unforgettable poetry: Seventh Tree is the most dazzling album of her career.
Peaks: Eat Yourself, A&E, Clowns, Monster Love

9. Snow Patrol “A Hundred Million Suns”
Brrring! Brrrring! “Hello, Snow Patrol speaking.” “Hi! It’s Grey’s Anatomy! We loved the radio-friendly nature of your last album, but it was a spectacularly shitty release! We’d really enjoy an album full of panoramic, sweeping anthems to exploit on our show without the puffy stench of sell-out.” “So you want more of the awesomeness we displayed on our album Final Straw?” “Yes.” “Consider it done.” “Kthnxbye.”
Peaks: Disaster Button, Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands, The Lightning Strike, If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It

8. Coldplay “Viva La Vida/Prospekt’s March EP”
The triumphant French woman rises above the toppled bodies, her fist clenching her nation’s flag, her face defiant. Quite honestly, Coldplay couldn’t have chosen a better album cover. After wallowing in mediocrity, the band collectively decided it was high time to kick ass, to crush their critics and nay-sayers, and release a bombastic record heralding their return to the limelight. Congratulations, boys. I’m friggin’ impressed.
Peaks: Strawberry Swing, Glass of Water, Lovers In Japan/Reign of Love, Death and All His Friends

7. Fleet Foxes
The sunrise gently crests the hills, illuminating the thin layer of fog that carpets the ground and hugs the roots of the trees. In the distance, a flock of starlings alight and fly toward the horizon as dawn dips its way into the moss-scented forest. It is a morning for celebrating the glories of Mother Gaia and the sounds of Fleet Foxes’ ingenious and vaguely granola-hippie-dippy debut grace the valley with their presence.
Peaks: Ragged Wood, Your Protector, Oliver James, Blue Ridge Mountains

6. Amanda Palmer “Who Killed Amanda Palmer?”
Let’s line up the suspects, shall we? 1.) An old flame. 2.) Mental illness. 3.) The constrictive nature of relationships. 4.) A soccer team and sour mash. 5.) Blake 6.) A tormented teenager 7.) A rock star/video game. 8.)Loneliness. 9.) Rogers & Hammerstein musicals. 10.) An abortion. 11.) Depression. 12.) Heartache. Whoever is responsible for killing Amanda Palmer should do it again if it results in albums this brilliant.
Peaks: Astronaut, Have To Drive, Runs in the Family, Strength Through Music

5. elbow “The Seldom Seen Kid”
Definitive proof that they are incapable of recording a lackluster album, Elbow delivers another truly remarkable piece of craftsmanship. Coasting on melancholy tides and adding even more unexpected flourishes, The Seldom Seen Kid grapples with post-millennial ostracism, pays a visit to the pope, and waltzes through pubs of broken dreams before succumbing to contagious joy on the rapturous “One Day Like This”.
Peaks: One Day Like This, The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver, Weather To Fly, An Audience With The Pope, Starlings

4. Vampire Weekend
Thanks to a Pollyanna Mormon and her shitty imagination, American teens can’t get enough of vampires. What they should obsess over is Vampire Weekend. On their wildly enjoyable eponymous debut, four cheeky, too-smart-for-their-own-good Columbia University graduates hammer out eleven gleeful ditties that manage to marry the choppy hooks of The Police with Afro-Caribbean beats and nonsense lyrics. Sickeningly fun.
Peaks: Walcott, M79, Oxford Comma, Bryn, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

3. Portishead “Third”
It’s been a decade since Portishead graced the music world with their presence, and the hiatus has not rusted their talent. The title of their third release is the only unimaginative thing about it, for the record boasts the most creative and creepy music the band has yet written. From the jarring, breakneck pace (for Portishead, anyway) of opener “Silence” to the terrifying, apocalyptic foghorn squalls that wash out “Threads”, Third is the strongest entry in a spotless and illustrious career.
Peaks: The Rip, Plastic, Magic Doors, Hunter, Silence

2. Bon Iver “For Emma, Forever Ago”
Winter descended on the hunting cabin in northwestern Wisconsin. The dusky twilight revealed our disheveled protagonist, depression taking a toll on his bones, a cold cup of coffee in his hands. “I’m sad!” announced Justin Vernon (a.k.a Bon Iver). “My band broke up! I feel desolate!” And like all great artists, Vernon turned his sadness into art: For Emma, Forever Ago, a so-painful-it’s-palpable song cycle of regret, loneliness, and fear. Music this personal comes along once in a decade, and Vernon captures every emotion perfectly in his pining falsetto and battered acoustic guitar. Sublime.
Peaks: The Wolves (Act I & II), For Emma, Re: Stacks, Skinny Love, Flume

1. Frightened Rabbit “The Midnight Organ Flight”
It’s the morning after. The dull ache still remains in your chest and the hollow feeling in your cheeks is the residual effect from crying jags. The sun may be filtering through the curtains, but there’s nothing cheerful on the horizon. There is only an endless, lonely day ahead of you. For anyone who has experienced the gritty ache of a failed relationship, Frightened Rabbit’s sophomore effort will strike almost too close to the heart.

Angry, hopeless, and desperate, but wrapped in anthemic arrangements, the songs that make up The Midnight Organ Flight refuse victimization while turning an uncomfortable critical eye to the hurt we inflict on one another in the tenuous waltz of love. Most striking are the razor-sharp lyrics, which are sung with such conviction (and in an endearing Scottish brogue), that you swear Scott Hutchinson is using your soul as his mirror. It's not the most groundbreaking music you'll ever hear, but it's some of the most affecting.
Peaks: The Twist, Keep Yourself Warm, Poke, Good Arms Vs. Bad Arms, The Modern Leper

The Single of the Year Award
Beyonce “Single Ladies”. Really, though. Is anyone surprised? How could it not be this song?

The Album Cover of the Year Award
Coldplay “Viva La Vida” – Simply because three words one wouldn’t associate with Coldplay are death, destruction, and mayhem. Way to fake us out.

The That’s Not Art! Award
31 Knots “Worried Well” – How To Give Joe A Panic Attack Via Artwork. Seriously. What the hell is wrong with this band?
The Top Five Songs of the Year Award
1. “Slapped Actress” The Hold Steady
2. "Acid Tongue" Jenny Lewis
3. “Astronaut"/"Have To Drive" Amanda Palmer
4. “One Day Like This” elbow
5. “Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" Sigur Rós

The Drive My Head Through A Plate Glass Window Award
The year's top three songs that make me want slice my ears off with a straightrazor.
1. "The Club of Fathomless Love" – Wild Beasts
2. “Incredible” - Madonna
3. “Joy Ride” – The Killers

The Guilty Pleasure Award
Wild Beasts “The Devil’s Crayon" –

Hold on Now, Kevin K…

Top Ten Albums of 2008

1. Los Campesinos! – Hold on Now, Youngster… - The band’s moniker is Spanish for “the farmers” or “the peasants” but they possess a sound that is more fitting for a spastic indie-punk party than a simple, backwoods music circle. It is tough to pinpoint their sound, but I have tried by saying that if you put The New Pornographers, Art Brut, The Decemberists and Architecture in Helsinki in a blender you would get a sound similar to this seven piece band from Wales. It is almost cliché to say that a band is “hyper-literate” but it is a description, along with hilarious, energetic, and talented, that best fits Los Campesinos! Best Tracks – “Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats,” “Death to Los Campesinos!,” “Don’t Tell Me to Do the Math(s),” “You! Me! Dancing!,” “..And We Exhale and Roll Our Eyes in Unison”

2. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend – Early in 2008, the debut full-length CD from this preppy band from New York City was on the verge of being over-hyped. I jumped on the wagon early and never found a reason to jump off. This CD has the feel of early Police with a flavor of Paul Simon’s Graceland which many of the critics called “Afro-pop.” The lyrics are smart and the tunes are filled with exuberant hooks that will keep you bouncing in your seat for days. A CD destined to become a classic. Best Tracks – “Oxford Comma,” “A-Punk,” “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” “M79,” “Campus,” “One (Blake’s Got a New Face),” “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance”

3. Flight of the Conchords, Flight of the Conchords – How could you not love a duo that calls themselves the, "4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" in New Zealand? Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement are not only hilarious but also very talented musicians and songwriters. On their debut CD they pay homage to Marvin Gaye, Pet Shop Boys, Radiohead, and David Bowie without becoming carbon copies. Best Tracks – “Inner City Pressure,” “Think About It,” “Robots,” “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room),” “Business Time”

4. Blitzen Trapper, Furr – The best “campfire” CD of the year. This Portland, Oregon band spins yarns of men turning into wolves and serial killers with music reminiscent of Neil Young recording with the guys from Elephant Six. This is music that could quite possibly define the sound of the early 21st century. Best Tracks – “Sleepytime in the Western World,” “Gold for Bread,” “Furr,” “Black River Killer,” “War on Machines”

5. Nada Surf, Lucky - For most of the year I was claiming that the newest CD from the NYC trio was my very favorite. At first I didn't think it was anything special, but the more it kept popping up on the iPod, the more I became a believer. Lucky is filled with catchy power pop, perfect for the weekend. Best Tracks - "I Like What You Say," "See These Bones," "Beautiful Beat," "Weightless"

6. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago - Justin Vernon spent a winter in Wisconsin, holed up in a cabin to record this amazing debut CD. His voice sounds like a blustery wind and his lyrics stir up feelings of a broken world. Best Tracks - "Skinny Love," "Flume," "The Wolves (Act I and II)"

7. The Mountain Goats, Heretic Pride - John Darnielle is one of the best songwriters in music. He consistently crafts songs about characters struggling with very heavy topics. This CD takes a look at religion. Best Tracks - "Sax Rohmer #1," "San Bernardino," "Lovecraft in Brooklyn"

8. Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line - What happens when you add a string section to a indie pop band? In the case of Ra Ra Riot you get pretty sweet music filled with intelligent lyrics. Tragically the original drummer of the band died while working on this record. This is the first of five debut CDs in the Top Ten. Best Tracks: "Dying is Fine," "Can You Tell," "Ghost Under Rocks"

9. Kaiser Chiefs, Off With Their Heads - The third CD from this band from Leeds, England is Brit pop at its finest. Grammy winning producer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen) has helped the boys craft a winner. Best Tracks: "Never Miss A Beat," "Addicted to Drugs," "Good Days, Bad Days"

10. R.E.M., Accelerate - After the three previous less than mediocre CDs, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills came close to reclaiming their title as indie rock Kings. Best Tracks: "Supernatural Superserious," "Mr. Richards," "I'm Going to D.J."

Best 40 Tracks of 2008
1. Alejandro Escovedo - Always A Friend
2. Army Navy – Right Back Where We Started From
3. The Baseball Project – Past Time
4. Be Your Own Pet - The Kelly Affair
5. Blitzen Trapper – Gold for Bread
6. Bon Iver – Skinny Love
7. British Sea Power – Waving Flags
8. Chairlift – Bruises
9. Conor Oberst – Get-Well-Cards
10. Crystal Castles - Crimewave
11. Cut Copy – Out There on the Ice
12. The Decemberists – Valerie Plame
13. Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
14. Flight of the Conchords – Inner City Pressure
15. Frightened Rabbit – The Twist
16. The Gaslight Anthem – Great Expectations
17. Hercules and Love Affair – Blind
18. Hot Chip – Ready For the Floor
19. Human Highway – The Sound
20. Kaiser Chiefs – Never Miss A Beat
21. The Kills – U.R.A. Fever
22. Los Campesinos! - Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats
23. Los Campesinos! - Ways To Make It Through The Wall
24. Lucinda Williams – Real Love
25. MGMT – Time to Pretend
26. The Mountain Goats - Lovecraft In Brooklyn
27. Nada Surf - I Like What You Say
28. Okkervil River – Lost Coastlines
29. R.E.M. - Supernatural Superserious
30. Ra Ra Riot - Dying Is Fine
31. The Raconteurs - Salute Your Solution
32. Robyn – Cobrastyle
33. Santogold - L.E.S Artistes
34. She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
35. Slow Runner - Love And Doubt
36. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Gardenia
37. Thao – Bag of Hammers
38. Ting Tings – Great DJ
39. Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
40. The Wombats - Let's Dance to Joy Division

Top Ten Albums 1999-2008

1. Belle & Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress
2. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife
3. The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
4. The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema
5. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
6. M.I.A., Kala
7. Sufjan Stevens, Greetings from Michigan
8. Emmylou Harris, Stumble Into Grace
9. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
10. Los Campesinos!, Hold On Now, Youngster...