1) Dr. Dog - o We All Belong
Like a veritable blast from the past, Dr. Dog emerged from the Philadelphia scene with one of this year's most remarkable albums. We All Belong is not only the most focused and consistent of their four records to date, but also their most fully formed lo-fi excursion into '60s sensibilities. Merging an unabashed love of that era's harmony-laden pop with an archaic, self-produced recording technique to match, Dr. Dog radiate a joyously ramshackle charm that channels mid-late era Beatles and Beach Boys while steering clear of outright mimicry.
The band injects a fresh quirkiness into their imaginative and concise pop songs, transforming what might otherwise have been a mere retro exercise into something quite distinct. That's not to say that influences aren't obvious - some of the best moments come in songs like Alaska,"" whose rolling pipe organs and rambling shuffle are reminiscent of the Band, and ""Worst Trip,"" which cops a famous line from the Beach Boys only to take it in a new direction. Dr. Dog's keyboards pound and spiral amid practically ever-present vocal harmonies, gritty guitar work and a complete disregard for polish. We All Belong is unhinged and totally exuberant.
- Ben Peterson
2) Spoon - o Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
The strength of Spoon's sixth studio release lies in its brevity. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga clocks in at a succinct 36 minutes of dirty guitars, atmospheric keyboards and incredibly tight horn arrangements. From the guitar boogie of ""Don't Make Me a Target"" to the haunting four-chord masterpiece ""The Ghost of You Lingers,"" Britt Daniel and company do not miss a single step.
Each track bounces seamlessly into the next, with a confidence that Spoon has been flirting with for years. Much is to be said about the album's singles, ""You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,"" ""Finer Feelings"" and ""The Underdog."" Each of these is ripe with a sprawling verse and melodic chorus, not to mention some of the tightest instrumentation in Spoon's entire catalogue. Without a doubt the strongest and one of the more ambitious tracks on the record is ""My Little Japanese Cigarette Case."" With its almost schizophrenic separation between verse and chorus and ambiguous subject matter, the song is another fearless composition of pop genius. This fearlessness and subtle brilliance has become expected from Spoon. Yet again, they do not disappoint.
- Anthony Cefali
3) Radiohead - o In Rainbows
Whether or not the frenzy of publicity surrounding the anti-hype with which Radiohead's In Rainbows was announced was a cleverly orchestrated move on the band's part (not to mention the album's ""pay if you feel like it"" distribution), the album itself is a separate thing entirely.
No longer pushing out into brilliantly abstracted weirdness as on Kid A and Amnesiac, In Rainbows recombines many elements from the band's varied discography, but with greater consistency than on 2003's Hail to the Thief. Most strikingly, the focus shifts from the global and paranoid to the personal and (relatively) warm for many of its songs, which mix the small-space sounds of electro-pop with the sweeping orchestral grandeur of OK Computer.
Album highlight ""All I Need"" takes this approach most literally, doubling its cuddling, fuzzy bass line with the hollow echo of a grand piano for an aesthetic that's equally attractive and alienating. It's a brilliant move, and like the rest of In Rainbows, it demonstrates that Radiohead do not need to run at the head of the avant-garde to deliver something entirely original.
- Matt Hunziker
4) Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
All Of Montreal listeners out there must agree that this 50-minute trip through Kevin Barnes' mind is by far his most ambitious and personal project yet. Often described by Barnes as a concept album detailing a personal transformation, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? is a huge deviation from their usual indie pop sound of the past. This album is unquestionably dark, while allowing traces of the band's past to come through in the songs ""Suffer for Fashion"" and ""Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse,"" showing the ever present differences do not seem to have affected Barnes' ability to make catchy songs. Add in his recent experimentation with fun beats and bass lines, especially present in ""Gronlandic Edit"" and ""A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger,"" and you have one of the most unique albums of the year, and one deserving of its placement on this list.
- Justin Stephani
5) Feist - o The Reminder
Move over Celine, there's a new Canadian in Pop Music Town and her name is Feist. Leslie Feist. Since her 1999 debut album, Monarch, the Nova Scotian's down-soft, eclectic mesh of indie tunes has gradually percolated American campuses like sap down a maple tree. That popularity went from the trickling of syrup to the gush of shot-gunned beer when ""1234"" - the first single on her 2007 album, The Reminder - showed up on iPod commercials, spinning publicity webs even Charlotte would have admired.
By now, Apple has exposed Feist to millions of listeners, but those who haven't heard The Reminder in full shouldn't judge the singer/songwriter by the now-ubiquitous single whose bubblegum melody and lyrics make it the weak spot on an otherwise vibrant effort. While Feist opens with the track ""I'm Sorry,"" her brief venture into commercialism needs no apology since the rest of the album delivers her usual blend of mellow songs like ""The Water"" and playful ones like ""Brandy Alexander,"" suitable for strolling or snoozing. On ""The Park,"" Feist creates beautiful, hauntingly personal imagery with Northsound-like ambiance, her voice lingering so that, eyes closed, each note seems suspended like hovering dandelion seeds as you drift off to sleep.
- Ryan Hebel
6) Iron & Wine - o The Shepherd's Dog
Iron & Wine's latest release, The Shepherd's Dog can be described in three words: a psychedelic fairytale. Though Sam Beam's entrancing vocals and light acoustics still lull listeners, splashes of jazz, blues and world music beats lift Iron & Wine's music on a multi-dimensional plane.
A natural storyteller, Beam takes us on a trip through the enticing psychedelia of ""White Tooth Man,"" to the folkish rockaby ""Innocent Bones,"" to the bluegrass-jazz fusion of ""The Devil Never Sleeps"" and to the childlike bliss of ""Flightless Bird, American Mouth."" No matter your taste in music, The Shepherd's Dog will strike a chord with any type of listener.
- Eunice Abraham
7) M.I.A. - Kala
When Arular came in near the top of many critics' lists in 2005, M.I.A. (Mathangi Arulpragasam) drastically raised expectations for her sophomore release. Though Kala has similar roots to her debut in grime, party rap, electronica and world music, it would be unfair to call it more of the same. Opening track ""Bamboo Banga"" packs more energy into five minutes than many artists would use in 50, but rather than sounding bloated, the excess just pushes the verve of M.I.A.'s older material into delirious abandon. The song is a microcosm of an album that keeps asking ""What more could we do here?""
- Matt Hunziker
8) Lily Allen - o Alright, Still
So you've taken up a swoop haircut and a Ragstock wardrobe, but you still crave the hooks and flamboyance of Justin Timberlake. Well, if there ever were a detox album for teenyboppers-turned-hipsters, Lily Allen's Alright, Still would fill that prescription.
""Smile"" and ""LDN"" are dangerously catchy but just about every other song on the album uses this same mold, which makes for a draining hour-plus of cutesiness and creative tips on getting back at your two-timing boyfriend. Alright, Still works best in small doses until you're ready to graduate onto more sophisticated songstresses.
- Andrew Dambeck
9) The Long Blondes - o Someone to Drive you Home
As a Pulp devotee, Kate Jackson decided to launch her Long Blondes in Sheffield, incidentally the home to Arctic Monkeys and apparently a breeding ground for Britpop-style social commentary. Someone to Drive you Home sings several one-sided conversations on reflections and revelations from either years of or just a few meaningful weekends of pubs and clubs, and delivers them all in a voice usurping the emasculating power of Elastica's Justine Frischmann. Few bands have so skillfully intertwined the convulsive, manic rhythms of post-punk with the effortlessly cool guitars of garage rock and the unwaveringly wise, wordplay-loving lyrics of Britpop.
- Grady Hunziker
10) The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Two years after Get Behind Me Satan, Jack White must have realized he was staring at the highest expectations he has seen yet when he released Icky Thump, which proves the White Stripes will never lose their signature sound, even as White experiments more than ever with different styles. From horns to bagpipes, he keeps listeners on the edge of their seat, while still presenting some classic White Stripes tunes, especially when messing with the blues.
- Justin Stephani
11) Queens of the Stone Age - o Era Vulgaris
You can always count on a new QOTSA release to remind everyone of what rock is supposed to be. Era Vulgaris is more of the same smart-ass stoner rock the band has always done, but their style never gets old. They're like a box of edgy pop goodness and addictive fuzz wrapped in funk and insubordination. Awesome. Frontman/guitarist Josh Homme is unstoppable and really puts on a show in this one. Era Vulgaris is solid from start to finish, but ""River in the Road"" and ""3's and 7's"" are two tracks you need to hear.
- Mario Puig
12) Animal Collective - o Strawberry Jam
2005's Feels was a spectacular album, but its songs, which tended to fall into either upbeat, melodic pop or mind-bending ambiance, skirted the edges of some unnamed greater territory. On Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective mine this creative ground for a collection of tracks that defy comparison. Whether marrying gorgeous melodies to primal screaming as on ""Peacebone,"" finding catchy hooks in a sea of noise (""For Reverend Green"") or writing ""Fireworks,"" a seven-minute pop song that feels like three, Animal Collective have earned their ticket to the ""Artist of the Decade"" shortlist.
- Matt Hunziker
13) Nine Inch Nails - o Year Zero
Many were chugging the Haterade and declaring Trent Reznor ""washed up"" after With Teeth, but those people should feel silly now. Year Zero crushes the skeptics and teaches a valuable lesson: Trent isn't washed up until he says so. Although you can often expect crap from artists who are substance abusers-turned-sober (I'm talking to you James Hetfield), this is the best NIN since Downward Spiral. Year Zero is so crazy you'd probably think Trent was on tons of drugs instead of none at all. ""The Great Destroyer"" proves he still has an unmatched skill of pushing musical boundaries.
- Mario Puig
14) Rilo Kiley - o Under the Blacklight
While Under The Blacklight has a distinctly more pop sound than Rilo Kiley's previous albums, it's also one of their most consistent works to date. Every song is irresistibly catchy, featuring a smooth electronic sound and Jenny Lewis' voice. Noticeably missing is the singing and writing of former Lewis beau Blake Sennett, who only makes a few vocal appearances on the album. A few hardcore fans may be disappointed, but Under The Blacklight has certainly gained even more for Kiley by catapulting the band into the spotlight. Notable tracks are the twangy ""15"" and the disco-like, infectious ""Breakin' Up,"" both of which showcase Lewis' powerful vocals.
- Kristin Czubkowski
15) Fog - Ditherer
Ditherer shows that even though Fog has adopted a more traditional, band-oriented approach, no eccentricities were lost in transition. While Fog was once essentially a Minneapolis multi-instrumentalist Andrew Broder's self-made brand of electronic, the name now encompasses a whole array musicians he surrounds himself with - including Andrew Bird and Low's Alan Sparhawk - though the music is still driven by Broder's singularly off-beat panache. Ditherer is unpredictable and all over the map stylistically, not really adhering to any one thing for too long. Ultimately, it strikes an inspired pose between trip-hop, post-punk and dream pop - an eclectic blend to say the least.
- Ben Peterson
