For the Record

Author: Jason Gutierrez

It's that time; time for the "best of" lists to start rolling out. It might be a little bit early for me to jump into this list-making frenzy, but a look ahead at the upcoming album releases tells me I won't be missing out on much if I start early. This might be making a huge assumption, but somehow I don't think the new All-American Rejects album is going to revolutionize the way we, as a society, listen to music. In any case, this is what's been blasting out of my headphones this year.

1. "Rabbit Habbits" by Man Man - Lurking behind the circus-show front this Philly-based band puts up is a wounded showman in the form of Honus Honus. While the music may be bizarre, the lyrics are positively devastating. Songs like the title track and "Easy Eats or Dirty Doctor Galapagos" both paint the portraits of relationships gone wrong in the form of three-minute pop songs of the absurd. What makes Man Man's latest offering truly spectacular is that they present songs that cover a lot of the same thematic territory as other pop songs (admittedly, the eight-plus minute long "Dear Jackie," which imagines being murdered by a female Jack the Ripper, isn't exactly standard pop fare), but do it in a completely original and inventive way. It's a fantastic album that is head and shoulders above everything else that came out this year.

2. "For Emma, Forever Ago" by Bon Iver - Although technically released in 2007, the incredibly poignant debut album from Bon Iver (a.k.a. Justin Vernon) got a proper release from Jagjaguwar Records in 2008. "For Emma, Forever Ago" is largely made up of demos Vernon recorded while in self-imposed exile at a winter cabin in the woods of northern Wisconsin. In an age when emotional lyrics are more a business plan than anything else, there is a lot to be admired in someone who is sincere when he puts his heart on his sleeve.

3. "Feed The Animals" by Girl Talk - I'm almost positive that Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis) loves the fair use clause of American copyright law almost as much as the Film & Media Culture Department. Gillis' latest offering uses a mind-boggling 300+ samples, all in the name of creating the greatest piece of pop art since Warhol started doodling soup cans. Plus, there is a sort of bent appeal to hearing Tom Petty's "American Girl" sped up with Timbaland's "Drop" playing over it.

4. "Stay Positive" by the Hold Steady - "Me and my friends are like / the drums on Lust for Life / we pound it out on floor toms / Our songs are sing-a-long songs," The Hold Steady's frontman Craig Finn sings/speaks on, "Constructive Summer," the opening track of "Stay Positive." It's almost as if Finn has reached through thirty years of recorded music, grabbed Iggy Pop by the throat, and shook him around while yelling, "We will rock harder than you." They do. It's awesome.

5. "Same Old Song" by Greg Baldwin & the Aesthetics ­- Much was made of just-out-of-college bands Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot this year. Nothing was made of this still-in-college band from New York's Westchester County. Baldwin and Co. aren't out to reinvent the wheel; they just want to make you dance a little bit and smile even more. They succeed. Their debut album is chock-full of fantastically catchy (but not saccharine) power-pop ditties that you can't help but love and then replay.

6. "The Stand Ins" by Okkervil River - Conceived as the second half to last year's "Stage Names," Okkervil River's latest offering divided critics and fans alike. I found myself thoroughly enthralled by "The Stand Ins." It isn't as immediately accessible as its predecessor, but it is a more than worthy companion. In "Lost Coastlines" and "Calling and Not Calling My Ex," bandleader Will Sheff has created two of this year's best songs.

7. "Airing of Grievances" by Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus is an emo band for people who hate emo bands. They're also a hyperliterate band for people who hate hyperliterate bands. Such is the contradiction that is Titus Andronicus. Their debut album borrows a bit from The Pixies, Black Flag and Bruce Springsteen, but it's all so convincingly put together that you barely even notice their influences. Lead singer Patrick Stickles has a voice that sounds like Conor Oberst yelling at a bear, which is made not only tolerable but pleasant by the manic energy of his band and the tightly constructed songs. It might sound like a mess, but it's a fantastic mess.

8. Jaguar Love- Take Me to The Sea-When I first heard that ex-Blood Brothers Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato were teaming up with former Pretty Girls Make Graves member Jay Clark to form an art punk supergroup I was beside myself with joy. Finally a super group that isn't god awful! Needless to say, their debut album was highly anticipated (for me at least). Whatever expectations I had were met and then some. It's a very hard to pin down album that is equal parts glam, punk, post and dance rock. Likewise, Johnny Whitney's lyrics are surreal, but have enough sentiment to not make them disposable.