Jay-Z once again comes back onto the scene to reclaim his spot as the top dog in the rap game after several years of so much Kanye-hype with this release. He is back in his fine form and delivering on so many levels that really only he can deliver. You have him taking a stand on the rest of the rap game (Death of Autotune) and you also have him generally breaking out tight hits in the way that only he can (Run This Town, Empire State of Mind). With all of the drama of Rihanna and Kanye this year, they both make an appearance and consequently take a back seat to the master on this one, and Jay-Z once again shows that he is on top of his game. Good stuff.
[Buy at Amazon]

The most ballyhooed album of the year by a long shot, and while I maybe don’t buy into it as god among records as a lot of people do, it is still an excellent album by the Collective. That area where the driving electronic synths and beats combine together to make something more than the sum of its parts is really where this record shines. The layering is expertly done and really brings out that great feeling of fun and resilience that marked this year in a lot of ways. ‘My Girls’ has really been the song of the year in terms of being talked about and being the song that everyone knows, but every song on here is really strong. They have really created a world, a sound canvas here where they take the listener on a journey and the ear is always bent one way or another with how they build the electric waves together. Hype can be a bitch sometimes but they did really deliver a good one here.
[Buy at Amazon]
Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes – From Merriweather Post Pavilion

J Mascis and company came back with the second ‘reunion’ album this year as a follow up to Beyond and I think they showed that a little more time and a little more seasoning on the lineup being back together paid off and resulted in ultimately a stronger result and an album that brings more of the modern elements of the later Dinosaur together with the greatness of the original lineup. I thought on the last one they were trying to hard to replicate the ‘old’ sound, but here they don’t really try to fit the sound and the songs into anything, they just let it go and you end up with some great kick ass songs that just rule in that way that Dinosaur songs rule. ‘Over It’ is greatness.
[Buy at Amazon]
Dinosaur Jr. – Over It – From Farm

Unfortunately I ended up missing their show here in Dallas earlier in the month, but this album still continues to amaze and intrigue me every subsequent time I listen to it. These guys certainly draw from a lot of influences out there in indie-rock but manage to keep the sound one of their own and have crafted a great set of songs that are great to listen to from beginning to end. It is soft-spoken, loud and bombastic and really everything in between. They have the soft touch but the heavy hand as well so they pull it all together so well here. Lots of different instruments and a carnival kind of feel on some of the songs where it seems somewhat out of control, but they always have a purpose and a direction. Great album.
[Buy at Amazon]
Fanfarlo – Finish Line – From Reservoir

Definitely one of my favorite discoveries this year. My introduction to him was through a bootleg of his Black Session from much earlier in the year, which was truly awesome, right up there with the Bloc Party and The National Black Sessions that I really look back at as prime examples of the best of those. As I understand he recorded this whole thing basically by himself and just built up all of the backing material around it himself, and it sounds like a full, epic band behind him on all of these tracks really. When we saw him live at SXSW he replicated by way of iPod, which is maybe not ideal, but it still doesn’t take away from the heart and greatness of these songs. Great pop sensibility and a great ear for when to go big and when to tone it down, and it is never wasted here.
[Buy at Amazon]
Loney, Dear – Violent – From Dear John

In a year where so much was about fun and doing what felt good and just basically partying, no one personified or delivered the fun DIY ethic any better than Matt & Kim with their early year dynamite release of Grand. As anyone knows who has seen the duo perform live they have the most infectious happy energy on stage and in performing all of their songs and that really comes across perfectly in this album which makes it such a prime example and cornerstone of that type of music. You really feel like they really love what they’re doing, they love the music, they love playing the music, and they just want to shout it out as loud as they can and bring all of us along for the ride, and again, as we know from their live shows, that’s pretty much how it goes down.
[Buy at Amazon]
Matt & Kim – Daylight – From Grand

This was definitely one of my surprises of the year and one where I knew absolutely nothing going in and this has really stood the test of time and still remains as one of my favorites of the year and one that I will constantly go back and listen to still, never getting old. With help from The Cool Kids and other friends, Ivan Ives has created a listener friendly cool hip-hop album that stands toe to toe with the giants of the genre in terms of style, know how and general quality. Great beats, great rhymes and great stuff song after song. Top to bottom this album really won me over from the beginning this year and all the way at the end it still stands up as one of my favorite, and probably my favorite lesser known discovery of the year (along with Fanfarlo).
[Buy at Amazon]
Ivan Ives – Villain – From Newspeak

The Grizzlies may well have been the artist of the year, releasing this great record early in the year, touring all over the place, gaining new fans and reaching new levels of popularity, and teaming up super-group style with Victoria of Beach House on several different occasions, including when we caught them at SXSW. They put on two of my favorite shows of the year between SXSW and their show at the Granada, and it didn’t hurt that this album they were touring on was totally gold. Mixing very old school sensibilities with crafty songwriting brings all of this together so well in this album. It sounds like an album that could have been recorded years ago, but also feels very fresh as well. They clearly are at the top of their game right now in the indie world, and this album is a supreme example of that.
[Buy at Amazon]
Grizzly Bear – Cheerleader – From Veckatimest

Andrew Bird has of course been around for quite a while, but I think his stylings are in incredibly fine form here in his latest album Noble Beast. Every single song is immensely listenable and catchy, yet he jumps around in styles and feelings throughout the album, with some songs exhibiting an edginess and some songs just driving home that sweet whistling indie-pop that he does better than anyone else. Above all I think it captures a very introspective and thoughtful side of Andrew Bird while remaining incredible accessible to everyone. It is mature and fun all at the same time, and that makes for a great combination here.
[Buy at Amazon]

It was a tough call, but I really think that in terms of creating an album that is instantly a classic and very listenable as well as creating something that will keep you coming back for more and keep you interested, there was none better than Bitte Orca this year. From the opening licks of “Cannibal Resource” you know this is something special and different, and it takes you to so many interesting places on the way from the beginning to the end. The Dirty Projectors really created an indie rock masterpiece here that really seems to be the right record at the right moment, capturing all that is fresh and exciting in the indie world, yet it really strikes me as an album that will not get old and won’t feel dated anytime soon.
[Buy at Amazon]
Dirty Projectors – No Intention – From Bitte Orca