warpaint – “The Fool”
I can’t stop hearing a Portishead/Joy Division mashup when I listen to this one, and I can’t think of a higher compliment to pay them. That’s not to say there aren’t original ideas and thoughts flowing through this. It’s a wild ride at times and I like it more with every listen. Out of everything I listened to this year, this is the one I kept hearing in my head over and over, and NEEDING to hear it again. I love that feeling and can’t get enough this.

The National – “High Violet”
I think we can look at this at the end of an absolutely amazing trilogy of releases from The National. First there was the stunning “Alligator”, then the exquisite masterpiece “Boxer”, and now the expectation smashing “High Violet”. I’m not going to even try to compare these guys to any other band going right now, because it’s mostly pointless. They are without peer at this stage of their career.

Ray LaMontagne – “God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise”
When he digs in to “New York City’s Killing Me” you feel the melancholy dripping off the vocal, and even if you’ve never been there you can relate. “Repo Man” is one of the funkiest rock songs he’s written, a gorgeous old time shuffle in “Beg, Steal and Borrow”, this thing is brimming over with amazing songwriting from start to finish.

The Gaslight Anthem – “American Slang”
Based on the strength of their last release “The ’59 Sound”, it was great to see them take their songs to the next level. A great live act, I was hoping they would capture some of that live” feel” on this. They capture the heart of the group with Brian Fallon’s vocals taking front and center. Not always a perfect singer (but why would someone want that anyway), but so much soul in every note. “The Diamond Church Street Choir” is the perfect example of this and a great throwback to that blue eyed soul.

Black Mountain – “Wilderness Heart”
Always a sucker for a 70’s retro Sabbath throwback, “Old Fangs” is one of the greatest hard rock songs written, period. One song does not an album make though, and there’s no shortage of great songwriting on this. My standard for a great listen is something you can listen to front to back and this passed that test a few times.

Mumford & Sons – “Sigh No More”
I suppose we could call these guys an overseas version of the Avett Brothers, but I liked their release many times more than “I and Love and You”. Delicate at times and raucous at others, this is really the folk album of the year. Terrific playing and oversized songs for the genre. They deserve more acclaim.

Deerhunter – “Halcyon Digest”
This is a group I’ve kept at arms length for a few years as the indie blog hype built and built to the point where I had a hard time taking them for what they were worth. This release wore down my feelings about their hype and I realized they’re immensely talented and capable of writing interesting songs. They don’t lose any of their experimental, atmospheric tendencies, but they blend them with some nice melody which I’m always a sucker for.

Janelle Monae – “The ArchAndroid”
Keeping it more than real, this is the record that’s making me realize there’s life left in R&B. The easy comparisons to James Brown are all over the place, but she’s touching the classics and creating something wholly original and new. A wonderful record and probably my favorite song of the year in “Tightrope”. You hear instant classic too much, but this truly is. The sky is the limit for this girl.

Dierks Bentley – “Up On The Ridge”
By ditching the modern Nashville gloss and going back to his bluegrass roots, Dierks has created his best album to this point. He’s always been good at creating a sellable modern country song or ballad, but here he stretches for a whole album. All the guest appearances work to their strengths (including Jamey Johnson and Kris Kristofferson), and when you hear Kris sing “Bottle to the Bottom” you can’t help but hear the years lived. A great country record and I’m as surprised as anyone to see it in the ten.

The Hold Steady – “Heaven is Whenever”
My Hold Steady love affair continues. Many times better than “Stay Positive”, I was surprised at the critical shrug of the shoulders this one received. Much more in the vein of their earlier work, this should have received better write ups. It’s a terrific Hold Steady record.