By Jim Warkulwiz
1. Muse- "The Resistance"
The ambitious fifth album from Muse shows that the British band is ready to become one of the A-list music acts in the United States. They have taken a cue from Queen by including classical piano stylings and arena-rock guitar solos.
2. Green Day- "21st Century Breakdown"
Even though it's not "Dookie," you have to appreciate frontman Billy Joel Armstrong's ability to weave a story in the band's second rock opera.
3. Dave Matthews Band- "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King"
The loss of the Dave Matthew's Band band's beloved saxophonist LeRoi Moore was indescribable.
But so was Dave Matthews Band's resilience in putting out one of its most balanced and best albums ever.
4. Jay-Z- "The Blueprint 3"
This LP is a monster when it comes to being a hit machine.
The production is solid throughout and it shows a more appreciative side of Jay-Z, truly ensuring Hov's status as the King of New York.
5. Grizzly Bear- "Veckatimest"
Grizzly Bear wrote songs on this album as if the band was magically transported here from some bygone era.
Every song is rich in melodic vocals, technicolor tones and uncommon chords.
Biggest letdown:
Black Eyed Peas - "The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)"
Although this album has some choice tracks, there are few songs that distinguish themselves enough from the others, leaving listeners to wonder if they bumped repeat.
By Nick Weingartner
1. Brand New- "Daisy"
Following up what was perhaps one of the greatest albums of the decade -- "God and The Devil Are Raging Inside Me" -- Long Island's Brand New offers the year's best release, replacing religious metaphors with straight-up angst and beating their instruments into a bluesy-pulp.
2. Mastodon- "Crack the Skye"
Inspired by tales of Rasputin, Mastodon released a metaphysical album that is just about as heavy as you can get without screaming.
3. Manchester Orchestra- "Mean Everything to Nothing"
With Manchester Orchestra deciding to go the way of "Pinkerton" and "In Utero," embracing a rougher live sound in favor of a polished studio feel, the band shut up any critic who was expecting a sophomore slump.
4. Tigers Jaw- "Spirit Desire" EP
Scranton's Tigers Jaw continued its relentless journey towards getting its music to ears with this year's "Spirit Desire" EP, which contained only four songs but was full of everything there is to love about true independent music.
5. Max Tannone- "Jaydiohead"
Mixing the music of Radiohead with the rhymes of Jay-HOVA, Max Tannone crafts this year's premiere illegal album, making the two sound like they were never meant to be apart.
Biggest letdown:
Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band - "Outer South"
What happened to Conor Oberst? After he got happy with "Cassadega," his life has been getting better, but his music is heading the other way.
By Kevin Sullivan
1. Animal Collective- "Merriweather Post Pavilion"
This band pulls a full-on Madonna makeover every time it releases an album. 2009 finds the group simultaneously coupling its most far-out electronic tendencies with its heartfelt pop obsessions.
2. Dirty Projectors- "Bitte Orca"
Another experimental group refined to a pitch with its latest. Bitte Orca takes Yale music grad David Longstreth's complex afro Talking Heads nonsense folk and pits it against an indie rock R&B girl group in the most ingratiating and simplified manner.
3. Grizzly Bear- "Veckatimest"
Grizzly Bear fashions a winning formula out of the obvious: a great record of highly hummable tunes that fill in the cracks of great pop rock with subtle substance.
4. Converge- "Axe to Fall"
Like a fine wine, hardcore's most brutal band only seems to get better with age.
After 20 years of blast beats and breakdowns, Boston's long-proven veterans still manage to spin their sound in new directions while capitalizing on what originally set them, and an entire genre, several levels higher.
5. The xx- "xx"
British post punk group makes brooding, minimalist pop out of the sparest elements. Although simply constructed, the songs reveal a surprising and almost paradoxal depth and emotion.
6. Amadou and Mariam- "Welcome to Mali"
The album may be called "Welcome to Mali", but it is clear it culls its substance from every corner of the world.
Well-arranged African grooves provide a base, but there's enough variety, straightforwardness and dancability to keep any outsider entertained.
7. Baroness- "Blue Album"
Baroness plays an intricate blend of heavy metal similar to Mastodon if it was slowed down a few BPMs.
The occasional use of acoustic instrumentation show a skill that should put every indie folk band working today on edge.
8. Fuck Buttons- "Tarot Sport"
This British duo makes sounds out of everything except traditional acoustic instruments.
This makes for electro noise funk from the depths of a raving hell.
9. The Bad Plus- "For All I Care"
Prominent jazz piano trio creates their first album with a vocalist, showcasing a variety of odd covers.
More mainstreamed, but that's not necessarily bad for a band this ecstatic and irreverent.
10. Sunn O)))- "Monoliths & Dimensions"
In Dante's "Divine Comedy," the final circle of hell is so hot that everything is frozen.
On "Monoliths & Dimensions," Sunn O))) similarly takes the band's doom metal's roughest edges and reassembles it into an album that at times blooms into beauty.
Biggest letdown:
Clipse - "Til the Casket Drops"
At least Lil Wayne isn't on it.
By Alexandra Fletcher
1. Passion Pit- "Manners"
The background music to every cell phone commercial on the air, Passion Pit's beats are infectious.
Every track is its own island of adventure. These guys did everything MGMT tried to do last year ... but better.
2. "Dark Was The Night"- Various artists
It's evident that these music heavy hitters didn't just throw their scraps in for a cause.
Each track on this compilation is capable of standing alone, and everything Aaron Dresner touches turns to gold.
3. Monsters Of Folk- "Monsters Of Folk"
They don't call them monsters for nothing. Folk music moguls Jim James, Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Mike Mogus mutate to form one massive quartet of exquisite harmonies and crafted hooks.
4. Bon Iver- "Blood Bank (EP)"
An EP with one of the most beautiful songs of the decade, Bon Iver's poetic pains are only appeased by his ability to perfect the essence of melancholy.
5. Brand New - "Daisy"
Jesse Lacey, our favorite emotional masochist, does it again. Digging into our dark side, Daisy makes agony ornate. Listeners can only hope Lacey doesn't seek help anytime soon.
6. Sin Fang Bous- "Clangour"
Proving that Iceland can play too, pop-fused folk singer Sindri Mar Sigfusson takes the perfect blend of percussion and electro-distortion and makes "Clangour" a dreamy dance.
7. Cymbals Eat Guitars- "Why There Are Mountains"
Congruent with the band's name, this album is an instrumental feeding frenzy, infused with cinematic highs and equally exquisite calming points.
8. Peter Bjorn and John- "Living Thing"
Right after everyone finally stopped singing the "Whistle Song," PB&J came out with another album of sonic greatness to jive to.
9. Silversun Pickups- "Swoon"
More abrasive than Carnavas, Brian Aubert has a message and he's taking no prisoners.
10. Devendra Banhart-"What Will We Be"
Everyone's favorite folk freak show did the unthinkable and signed to a major label.
Maybe more artists need to "sell out," because the end result turned out to be a groovy mix of psychedelic goodness and the perfect beach tunes for an optimist's vacation.
Biggest let down- Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band-"Outer South"
This album should have been called "The Mystic Valley Band lets Conor Oberst Sing a Few Songs."
Not every artist wants to be commemorated like brooding poet Elliott Smith, but some artists shine far better that way. Conor Oberst needs to go get in another miserable relationship and make another Bright Eyes record, because his new work is far sadder.
By Kristen Karas
1. "Where the Wild Things Are"
A classic story of childhood, this film combines breathtaking visuals with surprisingly good performances to create one of the most affecting and engrossing films of the year.
2. "Inglorious Basterds"
A film like this could have been a complete mess, but the stellar cast and Quentin Tarantino's signature style made this the craziest, most absurdly fun way to end the summer.
3. "The Hurt Locker"
It's tough to make a good movie out of a war that is currently happening, but director Kathryn Bigelowe's intense and intimate film about an elite unit of bomb-diffusing soldiers is the best film about the Iraq War to date.
4. "Bright Star"
Director Jane Campion proves that sexy does not always equal sex with this beautiful period piece about the poet John Keats and the woman he grew to love. Star Abbie Cornish's performance is riveting.
5. "Up"
Pixar is a company that can do no wrong. After a string of quality, well-written animated films during the last few years, "Up" continues the trend with an unconventional, risky tale and gorgeous visuals.
Biggest letdown:
"Public Enemies"
What could be better than the amazing Johnny Depp as a charismatic gangster in a summer thriller?
Sadly, this snooze-fest had no plot, dragged on much too long and drowned in terrible dialogue.
By Ricky Morales
1. "Cockroach" by Rawi Hage
This one took us to Montreal's immigrant underworld, somewhere many have never been. At times, it's offensive, and we don't mind.
2. "The Book of Genesis illustrated" by R. Crumb
Great images for one of the biggest books in literature. Genesis in the form of a graphic novel ¾ who would've thought it?
3. "Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation" illustrated by Tim Hamilton
It revisits a classic, adding illustrations. While the original is always best, this graphic novel is definitely worth taking a look at.
4. "The Owl Killers" by Karen Maitland
This disturbing fantasy story, grounded in history, didn't let go. Maitland even sneaks in a few metaphors for good measure.
5. "Under the Dome" by Stephen King
King pumps out another novel and makes his characters' lives miserable underneath a mysterious, invisible dome. It's long. It's classic King.
Biggest letdown:
"Home in Time for Christmas" by Heather Graham
A romance with no characters, no romance, no plot ¾ books should be edited before they go to print.This is a bad book. Enough said.
