Like bygone years, I have assembled a list of albums released this year that I found to be to my liking. As per usual, here it is in alphabetical order and includes my selection for "album of the year".

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - The Century of Self
Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Built To Spill - There Is No Enemy
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Dan Deacon - Bromst
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Do Make Say Think -The Other Truths
Echo & the Bunnymen - The Fountain
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
Future of the Left - Travels With Myself And Another
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Idlewild - Post Electric Blues
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
Matthew Good - Vancouver
Metric - Fantasies
The Most Serene Republic - ...And The Ever Expanding Universe
The Pains of Being Pure of Heart - The Pains of Being Pure of Heart
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Sunn O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions
Think About Life - Family
The Twilight Sad - Forget The Night Ahead
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

Some honourable mentions:
The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love
Lou Barlow - Goodnight Unknown
Muse - The Resistance
NOFX - Coaster
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
The Tragically Hip - We Are The Same
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker - Questamation
We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

I had hoped for the best of Spiral Stairs' The Real Feel but I simply would rather see the reunited Pavement come to Toronto. And I was really anticipating Mew's follow-up to their excellent And the Glass Handed Kite album, No More Stories, but I found it quite "meh".

Finally, I'm not Pitchfork nor am I some hipster with black-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans, ironic t-shirts and an iPhone in my hand. That being said, I always try to like an Animal Collective album when it's released but I'm ultimately disappointed at how unlistenable (to me) their music is. Merriweather Post Pavilion is no exception. It'll appear at the top of all of the "cool" year end lists, and maybe even some uncool lists too. However, it won't be on mine. Yuck.

Until then, let's carry on with an annual tradition of mine - listing my favourite albums released in the past year. 2008 saw a deluge of albums from indie rockers who were either a) skinny indie rockers from England with tight pants and black-rimmed glasses producing watered-down jangle that would make 1980's R.E.M. puke or b) bearded American indie rockers who look like they could fell you with a single swing with an axe, but instead choose to sing some Belle and Sebastien-inspired twee pop. Thankfully, my list contains none of those. I proudly present my "Album of the Year" award to Scotland's Glasvegas. Their self-titled debut album packs plenty of emotional punch (if "Flowers and Football Tops" doesn't make you pause to reflect on those you care about, you're a prick) and wraps it in glimmering walls of reverb. Voici la liste dans l'ordre alphabétique pour toute le gang:

Bloc Party - Intimacy
The Breeders - Mountain Battles
Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us
Constantines - Kensington Heights
The Cure - 4:13 Dream
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Her Space Holiday - XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Local H - Twelve Angry Months
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight
Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling
Mudhoney - The Lucky Ones
Nada Surf - Lucky
Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
No Age - Nouns
The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
R.E.M. - Accelerate
Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Sloan - Parallel Play
Spiritualized - Songs in A & E
Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
TV on the Radio - Dear Science

2008 had its share of disappointing albums for me, too. I normally love Stephen Malkmus, but Real Emotional Trash did nothing for me; I preferred the deluxe re-release of Pavement's Brighten the Corners. Also, both Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer and Tapes 'n' Tapes' Walk It Off were boring sophomore albums, and Weezer's "Red Album" seems too content to try produce "hits" in the hopes of amassing MySpace and YouTube views it seems.

My hopes for 2009? A new My Bloody Valentine album!

In years past, I've written a thing or two about each album and how it left an impression on me. Due to the sheer volume of good music released this year, I have a longer list than usual and devoting a few sentences to each album would be too long for even the most avid reader. So instead I present to you a much-longer list of albums from 2007 that thoroughly impressed me. Of particular note is this year's winner of my "Album of the Year" award going to The National's Boxer. Enjoy!

A Place To Bury Strangers - A Place To Bury Strangers
Air - Pocket Symphony
Aqueduct - Or Give Me Death
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Band of Horses - Cease To Begin
Battles - Mirrored
The Besnard Lakes - ...Are The Dark Horse
Black Francis - Bluefinger
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If
Caribou - Andorra
Crippled Black Phoenix - A Love of Shared Disasters
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History In Rust
Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
The Fields - Everything Last Winter
Film School - Hideout
Holy Fuck - LP
Idlewild - Make A New World
Interpol - Our Love To Admire
Jesu - Conqueror
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Maps - We Can Create
Menomena - Friend And Foe
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
The National - Boxer
Neverending White Lights - Act 2: The Blood and the Life Eternal
The New Pornographers - Challengers
Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Sigur Rós - Hvarf/Heim
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
The Twilight Sad - 14 Autumns and 15 Winters
Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye
The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
Ween - La Cucaracha
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals

Here they are in alphabetical order:

Alexisonfire - Crisis
Crisis finds Alexisonfire recalling the intensity of their self-titled debut, which is was somewhat absent on their last release, Watch Out. Crisis is a full-on fast-paced assault on your ears. You would think that the success of Dallas Green's acoustic balladeering side project, City and Colour, would have influenced this album by introducing calmer moments, but (thankfully) that didn't happen. Surprisingly, Dallas' vocal duties haven't increased because of the air play that City and Colour got. George still shreds his vocal chords, and Wade has more vocal performances than ever before. And if you still write off Alexisonfire as "that screaming band", I got a lavender-scented pillow, Belle and Sebastian album and cup of chai tea for you.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - So Divided
Reviews of So Divided have been mixed, and I'll admit that it's not immediately satisfying. But after repeated listens, it's sinking in, and doesn't leave me pining for the days when Trail of Dead sounded like blasting dynamite filtered through amplifiers. So Divided's subtleties shine through on "Stand In Silence", "Naked Sun" and "Witch's Web". To add, I actually prefer Trail of Dead's cover of GbV's "Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory" to the original.

Built To Spill - You In Reverse
It took way too long for B2S to release a new album, and thank goodness they finally did. The 9-minute opener, "Goin' Against Your Mind", is a phenomenal way to kick off an album. you In Reverse is loaded with guitar mastery...long live the B2S extenda-jam.

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Listening to the Decemberists conjures images of hip indie kids from Newfoundland who start a great band. And then I'm reminded that they're actually from, of all places, Montana. The Crane Wife takes the Decemberists' formula of prog rock mixed with sea shanties and applies it to a Japanese fairytale over the course of an entire album, and it works!

Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
When Owen Pallett isn't providing strings to The Arcade Fire, he records as Final Fantasy. It's hard to imagine beat-less violin-driven music actually rocking, but Pallett finds a way to make that a reality. He Poos Clounds is complete with references to Toronto real-estate heavyweights and video games; an unlikely winning combination.

The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America
The Hold Steady remind me of another band from Minnesota; The Replacements...and I love those 'Mats. Swaggering indie rock with thought-provoking story telling is The Hold Steady's forte. "Chillout Tent", a love story involving a guy (played by Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner) and a gal (played by The Reputation's Elizabeth Elmore) who meet in the recovery tent at a music festival after pulling whiteys, is my standout favourite track.

Isis - In The Absence Of Truth
Texture. Lots 'n' lots of texture. I hate to use other bands to compare a band's sound, but think Melvins + Black Sabbath + The Cure, and that's where Isis is on In The Absence Of Truth. Sounds weave in and out of the mix and culminate in a loud and heavy burst of distorted guitars. Isis have introduced more subdued sounds and melodies into their repertoire and achieve excellent results.

Mastodon - Blood Mountain
When I listen to Blood Mountain (usually prior to playing hockey), I envision this huge craggy mountain where muscular cave dwellers drink from skulls. With loud, pounding sounds and quick-shifting time signatures, Mastodon are the new Rush.

Mogwai - Mr. Beast
I can never have one of these lists without a Mogwai album, it seems. Mr. Beast finds the band compressing their sound into 4-minute songs for quick consumption. There aren't build-ups to climaxes. What we have are short bursts controlled noise like "Glasgow Mega Snake" and "Travel Is Dangerous", which will make you want to knock down a building with your bare hands. And when the times comes for me to shuffle off this mortal coil, "Friend Of The Night" is the last song I'd want to hear.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
Big guitar and drums rock with a lot of epic drama regarding the end of the world and aliens. Muse have gone down this path before, but this time it's super-sized. Muse even get a little bit sexy, as a change of pace, with "Supermassive Black Hole".

Pavement - Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition
Matador continues the tradition of reissuing Pavement albums complete with all B-sides, outtakes, rarities and live performances. Wowee Zowee was the last of great Pavement albums, and it starts to show. But I'd still pony up for similar reissues for Brighten The Corners and Terror Twilight, if Matador goes that route.

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
This is by the far the best PJ album released in the last 10 years. When PJ experiments, they're hit and miss (mostly miss). This self-titled release is a fine return to form.

Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom
Mike Patton (aka: Peeping Tom), has been quoting as saying that this album is his interpretation of modern pop music. With an array of collaborators like Dan The Automator, Kool Keith and Amon Tobin, this is definitely a pop album sonic-wise. It's a stark contrast from the Mike Patton of Faith No More/Mr. Bungle/Fantômas/Tomahawk that we all know and love. "Mojo" is taylor-made for TRL on MTV. Yet, Mike still managed to surprise me when he managed to convince docile songbird Norah Jones to say 'motherfucker' on "Sucker".

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
By The Way, RHCP's last release, was a snoozer. Actually, most of the Chili's output recently has been pretty tame. Where'd the funk go? On Stadium Arcadium, it's returned! Back in grade 8, Mike Fortin introduced me to the Uplift Mofo Party Plan and I was hooked; the raunchy mix of punk and funk had my 12 year-old ears hooked. Now Stadium Arcadium doesn't exactly hark back to those days. Pussies are no longer partied on, and nobody needs to be knocked down. But the funk is back and John Frusciante puts on one hell of a show.

Silversun Pickups - Carnavas
Love the fuzz. SSPU pick up where they left off on the Pikul EP. This is an extremely hummable album, easily capable of spawning lots of earworms.

Sloan - Never Hear The End Of It
At 30 tracks, it's work to hear the end of Never Hear The End Of It. Stylistically, Sloan cover a lot of territory on this album; indie rock, ballads, punk and chamber pop. There are plenty of immediately catchy but gone-too-soon tracks reminiscent of Bee Thousand/Alien Lanes/Under The Bushes, Under The Stars era GbV.

Sparklehorse - Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain
It's good to have Mark Linkous releasing albums again. Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain is a contemplative album with many references to ghosts and pain; Sparklehorse staples.

Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
Nobody could ever hope to record another Sister or Daydream Nation; not even Sonic Youth themselves. Toward the end of the last decade, I began to doubt that Sonic Youth could be interesting and relevant again. Murray Street and Sonic Nurse gave me hope and Rather Ripped is the crowning achievement of a trio of albums from this millennium that prove that the ol' noise makers still have it. It has all of the trademark elements that make Sonic Youth one of the best bands of all time. Odd guitar tunings? Check. Feedback? Check. Melody? Check. Songs from Kim that are actually good? Check. Rather Ripped was a rather pleasant surprise.

Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
TnT wear their musical influences on their sleeves. With their sleeves covered in Pixies, Pavement, and Modest Mouse, TnT take the sounds from great bands and make it their own.

Tool - 10,000 Days
Complicated and always evolving, Tool have done it again. The one-two punch of "Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)" and "Rosetta Stoned", which could either be about alien abduction or acid trip recounts or a combination of both, is one of my favourite parts of the album.

The Tragically Hip - World Container
The Hip, the best of the accessible rock bands that you've never heard if you live outside of Canada, prove that they still have plenty of fight left in them. Introducing a few new nuances like the highhat trickery on "The Lonely End Of The Rink" that wouldn't seem out of place on a Bloc Party album, World Container is the still The Hip that your Canadian heart knows and loves, but with a new bag of tricks.

TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
Skip "I Was A Lover" and you got yourself a brilliant album. The combination of layered vocals and instrumentation make for a very dense album. There are sounds everywhere; way more subtle and not-so-subtle textures than there were on Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. Turn the corner nonchalantly, and you'll be poked with an unfamiliar sound in the eye. This album is best experienced with headphones.

Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
I love Yo La Tengo; I really do. They've covered everything from folk to blues to noise rock to electro-drone to jazz. Their two most recent albums, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out and Summer Sun, are hushed and gentle. To me, that's fine in small doses, so I was pleased to hear that I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, came back to their all-over-the-map-in-a-single-album ways. Kicking off the album with 10 minutes of noise and guitar on "Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Good Kind", put my mind at ease. The next 14 tracks are a wild ride that cover a lot of territory in much the same way that I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One did, which is welcome to my ears.

Some other notable albums that didn't quite make my list were The Flaming Lips' At War With The Mystics, Pretty Girls Make Graves' Elan Vital , Snow Patrol's Eyes Open and Thom Yorke's Eraser. Of course, there a many other good albums released this year that I haven't had a chance to listen to, yet. So feel free to add to my list, if I've missed any.

AFX - Analord 9, 10 and 11
AFX, Aphex Twin, Richard D. James - which ever name you prefer - put out a collection of analog recordings this year; no computers. Volumes 9, 10 and 11 are my favourites. "Fenix Funk 5", "Xmd5a", "W32.Aphex@mm" and "VBS.Redlof.B" are outstanding.

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Worlds Apart
Not your typical AYWKUBTTOD album with plenty of screaming and feedback. I hate to use the term "mature" but it is a more mature album for them. Mind you, "Caterwaul" is like the best rock song I've heard in a very long time.

Boards Of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
Moody and airy, but now featuring some cool processed guitar sounds. The perfect album for when you're staring out the window, wishing you were outside.

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
I didn't follow the latest trend of UK indie bands sounding like XTC and Joy Division; I heard all of that in my cousins' basement when I was a kid. But these guys are way above the latest crop of those bands with fast melodies and crazy-swift drum fills at seemingly random times.

Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
You Forgot It In People was a great album that was a breath of fresh air in the indie rock world and anything else would pale in comparison. I like this self-titled release much better; it's more fleshed out with hardly any filler. And "It's All Gonna Break" is the cherry on the cake.

Caribou - The Milk Of Human Kindness
The best way to describe The Milk Of Human Kindness is to refer to it as - and these are not gospel but simply my own words - a history lesson in contemporary music. Within a span of eleven tracks, Dan Snaith manages to cover chamber music, 70's stoner rock, hip-hop, folk, shoegazing and electro pop. The eighth track, "Brahminy Kite", is my idea of marching band music that actually sounds good.

Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
If Dena can put "Soul Meets Body" on her iPod, this must be a pretty accessible album. This harks back to DCFC's pre- Photo Album and Transatlanticism era and the change is good.

Fantômas - Suspended Animation
It can only be described as the result of combining Saturday morning cartoons with cheap drugs. Play this album when you don't want to be disturbed by people. Anybody who hears you listening to this will think you're a schizophrenic with Tourette's and will wisely leave you alone.

Idelwild - Warnings/Promises
Another "mature" album full of tight melodies and an excellent album closer in "Goodnight".

M83 - Before The Dawn Heals Us
I totally have an affinity for shoegazers and M83 fit the bill niceley. Dense soundscapes and easy beats are this album's bread 'n' butter. There is a little bit of danger in Before The Dawn Heals Us - Dena woke up from a nap to hear "Car Chase Terror" and she hasn't been the same since

Mogwai - Government Commissions (BBC Sessions 1996-2003)
There aren't any new songs on this, but John Peel recorded perfectly captured Mogwai in these amazing live sets. All of the songs have more punch; especially "Like Herod". And the songs from Ten Rapid sound even more beautiful.

Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift
Let Go was good, but The Weight Is A Gift is much better and more consistant. Pure guitar pop bliss.

New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
This is my vote for Album of the Year. 5 stars. 10 out of 10. Many thumbs. Whatever. It's perfect.

Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze
This is heady rock music for those disciples of Allan Cross who would kick ass on Rock And Roll Jeopardy. There isn't a lot culled from recent Desert Sessions, except for "In My Head". But there is plenty of punk, skronk, funk and more to keep rock nerds happy.

Sigur Rós - Takk
Their last album, ( ), would be the perfect soundtrack for the Apocalypse. The world hasn't ended yet, so Sigur Rós put out an album that's uplifting and actually rocks at times; see "Glósóli", "Hoppípolla", "Meo Blódnasir", "Seaglopur" and "Gong".

Silversun Pickups - Pikul EP
This EP shows that the Los Angeles quartet will be a promising new band when they release their debut LP next year. They have the sounds that give me the warm 'n' fuzzies. Check out an interview I did with them on Earlyfish sometime in early 2006.

Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
S.M.'s gone back to his style on Wowee Zowee when he was in Pavement and it's refreshing to hear. BTW, hey Matador! It's 2005; where's the Wowee Zowee 10-year anniversary re-release?

White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
With the exception of two songs, there isn't any of Jack White's trademark big guitar work to be found. Essentially, every instrument except for the guitar is represented on this album, and it works.

Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
Many may think this is a Modest Mouse sound-alike (Isaac Brock did produce this album) but there's much more to Wolf Parade. They meld raucous melodies with ambient keyboards and plenty of lyrics about ghosts, which makes for erie yet hard-driving rock music.

Bring on 2K6!

Here's the moment that you've all been waiting for. Like I do every December, here's the annual list of my favourite albums from the year that was. It was an excellent year for good music. I mean c'mon, I never thought I'd be able to have Nirvana and Pavement on the same list ever again. I'm in highschool! Anyway, here they are in alphabetical order:

Alexisonfire - Watch Out
To some, Alexisonfire are known as "that screaming band from St. Catharines". If you tune out the screaming for a moment, you'll hear some excellent melodic rock music. But at the same time, if you tune out the screaming, you miss out on one of the band's key instruments. To me, Alexisonfire are a way more agressive version of Sigur Ros, and I like Sigur Ros. Like many Mogwai albums, crank Watch Out realy loud (and thier self-titled one too) when you have some chores around the house to do.

The Arcade Fire - Funeral
If Broken Social Scene were from Montreal instead of Toronto, they might be The Arcade Fire. It should be noted that this album is completely different from any BSS album, so I hope you enjoyed that comparisson Funeral is an emotional album with a unique sound, especially given the lyrical content.

The Cure - The Cure
It's always good to see a new Cure album released. This time Robert Smith is filled with plenty of energy and anger, but not in the manner of any of the Dark Trilogy albums (that includes Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers in case you're not aware). "Us Or Them" and "Alt.End" are good examples of agitated rock 'n' roll ventine against the current goings-on in the world, without the whine of bands like sucky Linkin Park, Papa Roach or Nickelback.

Fantômas - Delirium Cordia
Mike Patton. You can't really say much more. The album is one 74-minute track of, what I believe, to be a surgical procedure gone horribly wrong. Mike never sings a single note. Instead, he's twiddling knobs and using his magical voice to scream, gasp and spit over sparse guitar chords, bells, the wind and any sound that you can imagine hearing on a demented surgeon's operating table. Like Doom3, play this album loudly when you're alone in the dark. Stare at the gorey surgery pictures in the album art, too. I'll come to bail you out of the psych ward afterwards.

Frank Black - Frank Black Francis
On the first disc, to hear the original demos recorded prior to the recording of the Pixies' Come On Pilgrim is a real treat. Listening as Black Francis is pointing out how these songs will take shape and be played in the studio is phenominal. The second disc is Frank Black re-working his masterpieces, or as the liner notes say, "messing with the gospel". While the original songs are works of art that most contemporary rock music is based off of, it's neat to hear them reworked with horns and strings. Sometimes, the lyrics are clearer than the originals and you can hear things you might have missed.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
This is one of those albums that sounds great in the car. I don't think it would be possible to fall asleep while listening to Franz Ferdinand. The reworked version of "This Fire", retitled "This Fffire", makes the re-release of the album worth it.

Interpol - Antics
Turn on the Bright Lights was amazing. Many critics think that Antics is much weaker by comparisson but I disagree, and not just because music critics suck. The heavy Joy Division influence has been shed a little and we're left with ten excellent songs that work well together as a whole, as well as capable of standing on their own. I can't wait to hear what's next from Interpol.

Jimmy Eat World - Futures
Folks expecting Bleed American Part 2 will be disappointed. Futures reminds me of Clarity and that was a great album. There's some excellent rockers on this album but if I could've written a song like "Night Drive" in highschool, I would've had all of the chicks

Local H - What Ever Happened To PJ Soles?
This is the best pure kick-arse rock album of the year, IMO. Period. "California Songs" should've existed a long time ago so we wouldn't have to hear all of those songs about California and New York. "Buffalo Trace" is a wild retro ride. Aw hell, it's all just so rawk-tacular.

Modest Mouse - Good News For People That Love Bad News
This year Modest Mouse made me feel like a fan of a hockey player who finally made the "big team" after paying his dues in the minor leagues. I never would've expected to hear Modest Mouse played on commercial rock radio like the Edge or see them on Saturday Night Live. But it all happened this year. This wasn't their strongest album but it's still excellent. Please release "The View" as a single. <TEARING UP>Our lil' Modest Mouse is moving on to bigger things. I'm so proud of 'em.<SNIFF>

Nirvana - With The Lights Out
It's called a box set but it would be more appropriate to call it a rarities box set for the fans. I love hearing songs as they take shape, as well as the songs that we weren't meant to hear. Even the most obscure tracks are better than anything on the radio or music video channels that passes for modern rock these days. And the DVD is a nice surprise. Hearing Kurt announce "a new song...this is called Smells Like Teen Spirit" at a gig in early 1991, prior to Nevermind's release will send chills up your spine since you know that music as we know it is about to change forever.

Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain: L.A.'s Desert Origins
If Matador keeps releasing these Pavement collection albums, I’ll keep buying them. There are plenty of unplucked gems to be found that never made it onto Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain like “Haunt You Down”, “All My Friends” and “Soiled Little Filly”. Bring on the Wowee Zowee collection!

Preston School Of Industry - Monsoon
More Pavement? Not really. There’s a definite Wilco influence at work here and it’s a good thing. Spiral Stairs has put out an album comprised entirely of actual songs. In the past, some were songs and some were fragments. I still would rather see a worthy Pavement reunion, though

Snow Patrol - Final Straw
Final Straw is an excellent and varied album. Everbody loves “Run” but take a listen to “Wow”, “Spitting Games”, “Chocolate” and “Half The Fun”. Hopefully Snow Patrol will be around for many years to come to release albums during the years when Idlewild doesn’t release an album.

Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
I loved Murray Street, after they kinda got off-track a little, but Sonic Nurse one-ups it. Kim hasn’t had any memorable songs from the last couple of albums but “Pattern Recognition” and the very-rollicking “Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream” totally redeem her. The album as a whole, though, is wonderful and sometimes harks back to the days of Evol and Sister. Brilliant stuff from a veteran band that hasn’t lost their touch.

Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangley Isolated Place
Ulrich Schnauss is an electronic DJ/composer from Germany. But does he really make electronic music? Sort of. He’s heavily influenced by the shoegazing guitar bands of the late 80’s/early 90’s like My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Swervedriver. Coincidentally, I’m a huge fan of My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Swervedriver If "A Clear Day" wasn’t inspired by a combination of "When You Sleep", "I Only Said" and "Come In Alone" from MBV’s Loveless, then I’m a poor excuse for a music geek. Ulrich somehow recreates the wall of guitar noise with electronic sounds and the results are amazing. Play A Strangley Isolated Place when you need some soothing.

Worthy Mentions…I’ve a heard a little of but would love to hear more of Singapore Sling’s Life Is Killing My Rock ‘N’ Roll, TV On The Radio’s New Health Rock, Death From Above 1979’s You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, The Polyphonic Spree’s Together We’re Heavy, The Streets‘ A Grand Don’t Come for Free and The Tragically Hip’s In Between Evolution. I’d even like to take the Deluxe Edition reissue of Nine Inch Nail’s The Downward Spiral into one of those rooms at Future Shop with the surround sound setups. I haven’t listened to U2’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb enough yet to formulate an opinion but I’ll probably love it and I think “City of Blinding Lights” is a wicked song. The same goes for the Blues Explosion’s Damage; I bought it a couple months ago and like it thus far, but it needs further spins. We even got a new Pixies song this year with the iTunes-exlusive “Bam Thwok”. Could more new material be far behind?

And now for the disappointments. Guided by Voices‘ Half Smiles of the Decomposed contains two amazing soon-to-be classics in “Everybody Thinks I’m a Raincloud” and “Huffman Prairie Flying Field” that bookend an entire album of wishy-washy filler crap. I think it’s a good thing that Bob decided to end GbV right now before any more disgrace comes to the GbV name. R.E.M.’s Around the Sun put me to sleep…literally.

Well that’s the way I heard the music in 2004. It’s pretty varied, don’t you think? Hey, I’m no black rim-glasses-and-thrift-store-clothes wearin’ indie rock snob dork Do you want to be? Either way, I have a feeling that 2005 will be just as good or perhaps even better.