TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, The Thermals, and the Futureheads

1. TV on the Radio | Return to Cookie Mountain (4AD/Interscope)

2. My Morning Jacket -| Okonokos (ATO)

3. The Hold Steady | Boys and Girls in America (Vagrant)

4. Band of Horses | Everything All the Time (Sub Pop)

5. The Thermals | The Body, the Blood, the Machine (Sub Pop)

6. The Futureheads | News and Tributes (679/Vagrant)

7. Drive-by Truckers | A Blessing and a Curse (New West)

I can't believe a DBT record came in at #7 on my list...I guess the standard set by their last three discs made disappointment inevitable.

8. Eagles of Death Metal | Death by Sexy (Downtown)

Absurdist humor wins big points in this poll.

9. Neko Case | Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (Anti-)

That voice never ceases to amaze.

10. Less than half of Stadium Arcadium, the excessive, overdone monstrosity of an "epic" double-CD from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Warner Bros.)

Specifically, the portion of the album that channels classic pop and old soul, featuring incredible chord progressions and brilliant layering from John Fruisciante, coupled with deep, soaring melodies from Kiedis. To clarify, I am not talking about the asinine rapping and tired-out funk (we know you can slap the bass and rhyme words like "sauerkraut" nonsensically...enough already), or the recycled, incredibly dull, made-for-MTV singles about the pitfalls of California and other boring subjects.

Honorable Mention: Built to Spill | You in Reverse (Warner Bros.), Silversun Pickups | Carnavas (Dangerbird), Destroyer | Destroyer's Rubies (Merge), The Black Keys | Magic Potion (Nonesuch), The Decemberists | The Crane Wife (Capitol), M. Ward | Post War (Merge) | Andrew Scavotto

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