My record of the year. This one is and SHOULD be near the top of many lists this year. I’ve been a fan of Phoenix since I heard their previous effort “It’s Never Been Like That” (check it out!), but this record takes them to a whole new level. Its energy is undeniable and these frenchmen know how to make a good song dance. I  have listened to the WHOLE record countless times and songs like “1901″, “Lisztomania”, “Girlfriend”, and “Armistice” have been constants on my playlists. My personal favorite tune is “Fences” (see my 2009 playlist!). I think what works about this is that I can literally play it through at any time. There are several albums I like this year, this is the only one I love. I saw them live and I think my buddy Jim who attended the concert put it best, “These guys should be playing stadiums.” It’s that kind of music, you want to hear it big, loud, and fun. So my summer soundtrack became my record of the year.

Crazy how you come across bands that have been making good records for years. And one day. BOOM. There they are, in your ears. What’s interesting about Camera Obscura is that I feel like they’ve been in Belle and Sebastian’s shadow as Scottish indie pop second fiddlers and while the music shares some similarities it’s definitely not enough to put them behind B&S, especially when they are making some of the best indie pop in the world. These songs focus on lead singer Traceyanne Campbell’s love exploits, positive and negative. One of the better longing songs I’ve ever heard (“Honey in the Sun”), one of the better songs about the honeymoon period of a relationship (“French Navy”), and a great one about devotion (“The Sweetest Thing”) make this one eminently listenable. When I describe this record I use this: it’s like if a great doo wop group had listened to indie pop and grown up in Scotland.

I’m not sure if I like this album more than their previous effort “Yellow House,” but this album does hold some beautiful songs. “Two Weeks” is one of the best songs of this year and “Ready, Able” and “About Face” lend something beautiful to the landscape that Grizzly Bear creates on Veckatimest. I think their melodies just sing and that’s one of the things that you know about Grizzly Bear if you know anything at all. They are melodic, quiet, and grand. “Two Weeks” is such a stunning song because it explores their poppiness a bit more and makes great use of their strengths. I’d love to see them keep moving in that direction, but this album is NOT to be missed.

I am an unabashed old school kind of pop song fan. And this album is full of them. The expansive pop sensibilities explored on this album are extraordinary. I love the happy tone that most songs follow even when the content doesn’t match that vibe. It is a FUN album. Ordered up and executed as such, it’s one of the most accessible records you’ll hear. Some may say it’s a bit childish, but the content belies that childlike nature and pushes this as one of the most unique and exciting albums for me this year. I can agree with the criticism of the level of production put into this record, but I can also say that the material holds up rather well live. I think this is one of the most overlooked albums of the year and is undoubtedly one of the best pop records put out this year.

There seem to be a lot of animal-related bands popping up these days. None took their craft to a level as personal as The Antlers in 2009. This is the most intimate record of the year and is one of the most difficult. “Hospice” is about illness and death so it’s heavy, but the music is beautiful and it feels like you’re listening to a friend work through a serious problem. The songs undulate and move and feel. A great little record about a great big sadness. A must listen.

I am late, late, late on these brothers. They’ve been around for years, I’ve been told to listen and I never heeded the call. I am an idiot. I have not been able to put this album off my recently played list since it released. I am absolutely, unapologetically head over heels for this record. Punctuated by slower meandering down-home folk and folk pop jams, this record may have been my favorite in a year without “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.” Songs like “Laundry Room”, “Kick Drum Heart”, and the title track are standouts, but there are no shortage of standouts. I can listen all the way through because this album is so varied and exciting that you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better listen this year. I invite you to get on this train as I did, it will be worth your while.

A little pop gem. Again, unabashed pop fan here, but these songs hearken back to about 40 years ago. Sunshiny pop for all ages. Songs about rambling and roaming sound better and cleaner than you’d imagine. The songs are fun to listen to and they seem new and familiar at the same time. Lived-in in all the right ways.

The weirdest record I liked this year and one that sounds nothing like any of the rest of these. Swirling electronic beats, chants, and crazy sing-alongs that beg to be repeated. It’s an extremely original record and it may not hit you on the first run, but in short order you’ll want to sing along and dance along to all of these songs. “My Girls”, “In the Flowers”, and “Brother Sport” at the very least will give you something to hit on repeat.

Love this record. It’s full of strong musicianship and catchy hooks. It sounds like a rhythmic force pushing through (“Fables”) and several other top-notch indie pop bands. But it also sounds different because their rhythm and their songs flow well together. It’s a tight, quick album and there are no noticeable lulls. I think that’s one of the things I really love about the album, it doesn’t stop and while its production is often criticized, I think it sounds like a band growing when compared to their previous effort (Visiter).

THERE I did it. This will get my music snob friends up in arms, but this record just plain rocks. They make big stadium-filling anthemic rock in a time when not many people do. Ok not many people do it this well. Their tongue in cheek songs laden with pop culture references and cutesy lyrics hit me right. I can’t deny it. I got so excited the other day when I saw the A.V. Club list this album as one of their best of the year. I can’t agree more. The Boy is back and they’re rocking better than they ever have.

An album that didn’t get published, a lost album perhaps? No just one of folks who love stuff from a time not so long ago. Clever song titles wrap around tunes with fuzz, reverb, and carefully careless hooks. It’s quietly anthemic and again it sounds like it should’ve been spun about 20 years ago. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Listen to the old stuff again, it’s classic for a reason.

(Disclaimer: I am friends with this band) This disclaimer should not preclude you from picking up this album. It is exquisite in its jangly clamberingness. That is a made up word. But it’s the right one for the job. Folk pop? I guess I don’t know, that phrase never struck me as accurate, but people call them that, so I’ll go with it. Clearly someone thinks that’s what it is. I don’t know, what I do know is that these songs match sad lyrics and upbeat rollicking tunes better than anything else this year. Try them on for size. They’ll fit like your favorite hoodie. I promise, I have really good fashion sense.

Those are my favorites. By no means is that all of them. Some leftovers,Tonight by Franz Ferdinand, Popular Songs by Yo La Tengo, xx by The xx, etc. There are a couple more. But focus on these I’ve listed and you’ll be a happy camper. Promise. Or at the very least you’ll like one of them!