By Ben Heller

Thanks to the never-ending graciousness of the World Wide Internet and its many, many users, I was able to, um, “listen” to an inordinate amount of music once again this year. So with apologies to the numerous albums I didn’t listen to more than once or twice, here’s a vaguely brief list of my 25 (or so) favorite albums of the year before I turn 30 and lose any remaining credibility I once had…

25. Teenage Fanclub – Man Made/The Posies – Every Kind Of Light

Nice to know that my two favorite pop bands from High School still know how to make a decent record.

24. The Game – The Documentary

Forget for a second that Brian Austin Green could do justice to these A-list tracks, “The Documentary” is the first “Gangsta Rap” I’ve heard in a long, long time that actually sounds like it was recorded by a “Gangsta.”

23. The High Dials – War of the Wakening Phantoms

Not nearly as trippy as the name suggests, but it’s beautifully psychedelic (though unfortunately lengthy) nonetheless.

22. The Living Things – Ahead of the Lions

Clearly their goal was to sound like The Stooges…and they kind of do. But they’d probably start a fight with you if you told them they also sound like Stone Temple Pilots…and they kind of do.

21. Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary

One singer sounds just like Beck. The other just like Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock (who actually produced this). Some of this album – “Shine a Light,” “This Heart’s On Fire” – is brilliant. A good chunk of it is just merely there.

20. Dr. Dog – Easy Beat

Quite possibly the first band to ever bypass trying to sound like The Beatles and opt for Badfinger instead. And yes, I have a dog named Doc, but he’s not named for this band. That credit goes to “Lost.”

19. Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures

Wussy indie rock. But whatever, I dig the dude’s voice.

18. The Click Five – Greetings from Imrie House

“Just the Girl” is “She Loves You.” “Catch Your Wave” is “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Thus, they were marketed to 12-year old girls, but this music encompasses the sound and spirit of The Beatles way more than Lennon worshippers like Oasis and Olivia Tremor Control ever could. Will they eventually put out a “Sgt. Pepper?” Doubtful. But considering they met at Berklee, you never know…

17. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

With a horrible name and an Internet hype machine working overtime, they came to bat with two strikes against them. But just like the recently deceased Johnny Damon, they managed to come through. Forget fancily produced bands like Interpol and the Arcade Fire. THIS is indie rock. Rough, sloppy and sounding like it was created in someone’s basement. Granted it sounds suspiciously like David Byrne’s basement, but you could pick a worse cellar to hang out in.

16. Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have it So Much Better/The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

Yup, sounds just like ‘em.

15. The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday

There’s nothing I can add about them that hasn’t already been written 10,000 times, so do a google search or something.

14. Kanye West – Late Registration

Probably the first instance of an album being named Album of the Year by numerous publications merely because said artist complained about not getting enough respect. Which is fine and all, but some of this (the song with Brandy, anyone?) just sort of blows.

13. Queens of the Stone Age – Lullabies to Paralyze

Kind of uneven and sloppy – but in a good sort of way.

12. Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise

First of all, I could give a shit about his ambition to make 50 albums and name each after one of the 50 States. I have two of this dude’s albums and can barely make it through either of them. And yes, some of this record is absolutely phenomenal, but it’s WAY too long. And it’s not that it simply is long, it’s that it FEELS long. It makes the new King Kong seem about as long as an episode of Magilla Gorilla.

11. Magnolia Electric Co. – What Comes After the Blues/ Trials and Errors

A small country-rock record and a loud, live, Crazy-Horse like bohemoth made it a very good year for itsy-bitsy Neil Young disciple Jason Molina.

10. Animal collective – Feels

The mid section of this album – featuring one “song” containing little more than mumbling and a harp – shows they still haven’t completely forgotten how to suck, but when they relent and create actual songs, this shit really is bananas.

9. Okkervil River – Black Sheep Boy

A little bit country, a little bit goth and roll.

8. Deftones – B Sides & Rarities

First off, props to them for not titling this record “B-dazzled,” “Cover to Cover” or some other doofusy pun. It tells it like it is. And on top of that, try to name another band that could pull off covers of everything from Sade to Jawbox to The Cure to Lynyrd Skynrd to The Cocteau Twins to The Smiths to Helmet and Duran Duran.

7. New Pornographers – Twin Cinema

Every bit as good as their first two records, only with amped-up production that adds a little bit more power to their pop.

6. Devin Davis – Lonely People of the World, Unite!

Some of the lyrics are pretty cringe-inducing once he starts railing against Starbucks and boy bands, but this is one-man bedroom pop as it should be. And it’s merely A THIRD as long as the new Eels record

5. And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – Worlds Apart

For all the good that Pitchfork Media does in getting the names of new bands into the heads of kids (and, um, older kids) all over the world, they can also do their share of damage. Once their shit smearing review of this album came out – comparing it to Counting Crows and Gin Blossoms, two things it sounds nothing like whatsoever – every internet “critic” started ripping it apart so much that by Spring it had thousands upon thousands of new assholes. But shitting on the Trail of Dead just because they don’t sound EXACLTY like Sonic Youth anymore? I call bullshit. This record is a monster.

4. Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Superwolf

I always wondered what Will Oldham’s stuff would sound like with a little added muscle. Now I know, and in no way is it as depressing.

3. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm

It’s great to hear a band that sound like they give a shit. It’ll be a shame once they “expand their sound” and start singing about fair trade, sex trafficking, and all sorts of other things they know absolutely nothing about.

2. My Morning Jacket – Z

Congrats to you if you managed to somehow make it through one of their last few records from start to finish more than once, but with this one (aside from the silly circusy track) it’s almost impossible not to. See what the wonders of editing can do?

1. Spoon – Gimme Fiction

Without a doubt the best band ever named after cutlery.

Discuss this article in our forum.