Writer’s top 25 lists

Keith Hollenkamp’s list:
25. No World for Tomorrow by Coheed and Cambria
24. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
23. Cassadaga by Bright Eyes
23. Is Is EP by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
21. Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird
20. Marry Me St. Vincent
19. † by Justice
18. The Reminder by Feist
17. Icky Thump by The White Stripes
16. The Great Unwanted by Lucky Soul
15. The Magic Position by Patrick Wolf
14. In Defense of the Genre by Say Anything
13. The Shepherd’s Dog by Iron & Wine
12. Good Bad Not Evil by Black Lips
11. Random Spirit Lover by Sunset Rubdown
10. Planet of Ice by Minus the Bear
9. Kala by M.I.A.
8. Person Pitch by Panda Bear
7. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
6. Stage Names by Okkervil River
5. Neon Bible by The Arcade Fire
4. Hissing Fauna Are You the Destroyer? By Of Montreal
3. Boxer by The National
2. In Rainbows by Radiohead
1. Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective

Bonnie Stiernberg’s list:
25. Life in Cartoon Motion by Mika
24.Young Modern by Silverchair
23. At My Age by Nick Lowe
22. Our Love to Admire by Interpol
21. The Fragile Army by The Polyphonic Spree
20. Shotter’s Nation by Babyshambles
19. The Con by Tegan and Sara
18. Have Mercy by The Mooney Suzuki
17. Calling The World by Rooney
16. The Redwalls by The Redwalls
15. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? by of Montreal
14. Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys
13. Cookies by 1990s
12. Kala by M.I.A.
11. Cryptograms by Deerhunter
10. Boxer by The National
9. VietNam by VietNam
8. Person Pitch by Panda Bear
7. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
6. In Rainbows by Radiohead
5. Icky Thump by The White Stripes
4. The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter by Josh Ritter
3. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
2. Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
1. The Stage Names by Okkervil River

Trendy Rende’s list:
25. The Stage Names by Okkervil River
24. Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
23. Person Pitch by Panda Bear
22. Liars by Liars
21. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
20. Wincing The Night Away by The Shins
19. The Shepard’s Dog by Iron and Wine
18. Challengers by The New Pornographers
17. Some Loud Thunder by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
16. The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse by The Besnard Lakes
15. Graduation by Kanye West
14. Desire by Pharoae Monch
13. Myth Takes by !!!
12. Lets Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav
11. Random Spirit Lover by Sunset Rubdown
10. Boxer by The National
9. Places Like This by Architecture in Helsinki
8. Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective
7. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
6. I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead by El-P
5. Mirrored by Battles
4. Kala by M.I.A.
3. Hissing Fauna, Are you The Destroyer? by Of Montreal
2. Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
1. In Rainbows by Radiohead

Anthony Collebrusco’s list:
25. “Kala” by M.I.A.
24. “Cookies” by 1990s
23. “Mirrored” by Battles
22. “Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon” by Devendra Banhart
21. “No World for Tomorrow” by Coheed and Cambria
20. “Music from Regions Beyond” by Tiger Army
19. “Magic” by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
18. “Planet of Ice” by Minus the Bear
17. “Neon Bible” by The Arcade Fire
16. “The Mix-Up” by The Beastie Boys
15. “Finding Forever” – Common
14. “All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone” by Explosions in the Sky
13. “Cassadaga” by Bright Eyes
12. “Myth Takes” by !!!
11. “None Shall Pass” by Aesop Rock
10. “Super Taranta!” by Gogol Bordello
9. “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” by Spoon
8. “Graduation” by Kanye West
7. “Boxer” by The National
6. “The Stage Names” by Okkervil River
5. “8 Diagrams” by Wu-Tang Clan – Yeah, yeah. I know this album just came out Tuesday, which is one thing in itself, but calling it my favorite hip-hop of the year is bordering on insane, right? It’s really better than Graduation??? Oh yes. Wu-tang brings the grit back to hip-hop in a way that no other 8-piece hip-hop group can (not counting a posthumous appearance by ODB). 8 Diagrams is as dirty as it is well-produced and it’s rare to find a hip-hop album that is balanced like that. Or one that has John Frusciante. On an adaptation of a Beatles song. Yeah.
4. “New Wave” by Against Me! – Amidst cries of “sell-outs” from traditionalists, Against Me! have solidified their place in mainstream culture with their fourth full-length studio album. While some credit must be given to the masterful production by Butch Vig, the simple fact is that Against Me! has never been better. They rock as hard as ever musically and lyrically, we see a band with sincerity and devotion to the thing they do best (i.e. rock my face off).
3. “Because of the Times” by Kings of Leon – The three brothers and one cousin that comprise Tennessee Southern rock band Kings of Leon have come a long way after only three albums. Their maturity is evident in this album with songs like the epic seven-minute opener “Knocked Up” and their first single “On Call.” Gone is the sound of an aggressive rock n’ roll garage band that characterized their first album, but it’s not lost – Kings of Leon adapt to the times because of the times.
2. “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” by Modest Mouse – After the mainstream success of Good News for People Who Love Bad News, Modest Mouse reemerge with this gem. It’s no The Moon and Antarctica but it’s aggressive, darker, and equipped with a fuller sound than previous albums, thanks to an newly stacked lineup featuring Johnny Marr, formerly of the Smiths. Modest Mouse may not be the same band we knew three years ago and they are, for sure, not the band we knew five years ago, but they’re still good enough to make number two on this list, so keep it up you crazy mice.
1. “In Rainbows” by Radiohead – The drum beat kicks in on “15 Step,” the first track of Radiohead’s newest masterpiece, and I, foolishly expecting a standard 4/4 beat, trip over the extra beat of a dancey 5/4 and quickly readjust to the time signature. And that pretty much sums up Radiohead – just when you expect a little more of the same, they take their music in a completely new direction. In Rainbows is beautiful, simple, nothing like they’ve ever done before, and, in that sense, pure Radiohead. There is no doubting the potential implications this album has towards future album release and distribution methods either.

Josh Fisher’s list:
25. Rise To Your Knees by Meat Puppets
24. Snakes and Arrows by Rush
23. Friend and Foe by Menomena
22. Fear of a Blank Planet by Porcupine Tree
21. Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective
20. Oh, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by Of Montreal
19. Myth Takes by !!!
18. Fragile Army by The Polyphonic Spree
17. Graduation by Kanye West
16. Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow by Coheed & Cambria
15. The Conch by moe.
14. Challengers by The New Pornographers
13. In Rainbows by Radiohead
12. The Shepherd’s Dog by Iron and Wine
11. The Stage Names by Okkervil River
10. UFOs at the Zoo by The Flaming Lips [MVI format] — Music Video Interactive is cutting edge technology that can potentially revitalize the music industry. The Lips’ live performance at Oklahoma City Zoo is captured beautifully as an album and as a feature film, all in one disc.
9. Alive 2007 by Daft Punk
8. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
7. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
6. Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
5. Wincing the Night Away by The Shins
4. Dream by Keller Williams — This album has more special guests than Graduation!
3. Planet of Ice by Minus The Bear
2. Because of the Times by Kings of Leon
1. Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird — It blew me away to hear a couple recycled motifs from 2003s Weather Systems become fully developed songs on this record. He continues to set the standard with his clever lyrics and vast musical arrangements.

Joe Smyth’s list:
25 Albums That Are Better Than Britney Spear’s Blackout

25. Super Taranta! by Gogol Bordello
24. Shotters Nation by Babyshambles
23. Destroy Their Future by American Steel
22. Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird
21. T.I. vs. T.I.P. by T.I.” — This isn’t as good as King, but the T.I.P. part of this album is great.
20. Once Upon a Time in the West by Hard-Fi
19. Somewhere in the Between by Streetlight Manifesto
18. Finding Forever by Common
17. Made of Bricks by Kate Nash — She’s like Lily Allen, but a lot better.
16. † by Justice
15. Four One Five Two by Sundowner
14. Kala by M.I.A.
13. Living with the Living by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
12. Graduation by Kanye West
11. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? by of Montreal
10. The Reminder by Feist
9. Yours Truly, Angry Mob by Kaiser Chiefs” — This album can put anyone in a good mood at anytime.
8. Eardrum by Talib Kweli
7. A Weekend in the City by Bloc Party
6. Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
5. Voxtrot by Voxtrot
4. Cold and Kind by The 1900’s —These guys are on local label Parasol and not getting nearly enough love.
3. The Black and White Album by The Hives
2. Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys
1. New Wave by Against Me!

Tommy Trafton’s list:
Stop pretending…this wasn’t a great year for new music. I wish Sky Blue Sky didn’t make it on my list (is Wilco starting to sound their age?) but I couldn’t find much else to bump it off. The anticipation for Neon Bible was overwhelming, but not as much as the eternal drone of Win’s new cathedral organ obsession. And I guess Kanye West graduated.
On the other hand, however, these disappointments allowed us the opportunity to recognize new talent. Persistent artists such as White Rabbits, Tunng, and Caribou, after a few tries, finally established themselves as innovators. Feist deservingly broke out into the mainstream as the National calmly and gently reconfirmed their genius. Battles turned the art of recording upside down and Radiohead…came out with an album. Anyways, here is the list:
25. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
24. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
23. Love is Simple by Akron/Family
22. Graduation by Kanye West
21. The Shepherd’s Dog by Iron and Wine
20. Let’s Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav
19. Tio Bitar by Dungen
18. Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
17. Good Arrows by Tunng
16. The Flying Club Cup by Beirut
15. Pride by Phosphorescent
14. The Stage Names by Okkervil River
13. The Reminder by Feist
12. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
11. Neon Bible by The Arcade Fire
10. The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse by The Besnard Lakes
9. Emotionalism by The Avett Brothers
8. Back East by Joshua Redman
7. Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman
6. Andorra by Caribou
5. In Rainbows by Radiohead
4. Organic Warfare by Phronesis
3. Fort Nightly by White Rabbits
2. Boxer by The National
1. Mirrored by Battles

Tom Cyrs’ list:
25. Yours To Keep by Albert Hammond Jr.
24. Some Loud Thunder by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
23. Our Love to Admire by Interpol
22. Tio Bitar by Dungen
21. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
20. Good Bad Not Evil by The Black Lips
19. In Our Bedroom After the War by Stars
18. Kala by M.I.A.
17. Wincing the Night Away by The Shins
16. Friend and Foe by Menomena
15. Cease To Begin by Band of Horses
14. The Stage Names by Okkervil River
13. Cryptograms by Deerhunter
12. The Reminder by Feist
11. Icky Thump by The White Stripes
10. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
9. Boxer by The National
8. Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective
7. Because of the Times by Kings of Leon
6. Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird
5. † by Justice
4. Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
3. In Rainbows by Radiohead
2. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
1. Neon Bible by Arcade Fire

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