6-10

and so we continue down our list...

10

Iron & Wine - Woman King

Sam Beam is unstoppable. He may only have one sound, but I think it might just be the voice of God. It's that intoxicating.

9

Sigur Ros - Takk...

Speaking of bands with one sound... Sigur Ros has been pegged as a band that rarely strays far from their signature style; however, even though Takk isn't a huge transformation, there is definitely a growing maturity in the song writing. People criticized Radiohead for not progressing enough with Hail to the Thief, but I think there is something to be said about taking time to fine tune instead of constantly redefine.

8

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

It feels like years since the first time I heard "Banquet." I remember thinking- my God listen to those guitars. It was like watching a tennis match coming through my speakers. The riff battling back and forth from left to right until finally the chorus is able to unite the two - putting the soul at ease.

7

Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow First off this guy is my hero, and I mean that on so many levels: He is freer than any of us will ever be, he makes beautiful music, and he hangs out with a huge posse of hippies. With Cripple Crow Devendra solidifies himself as one of the major song writers of our generation. Leaving behind his sparse acoustic work for a fresh soulful sound, Devendra preaches words of life and hope inside every verse.

6

Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

My moment of zen at the recent Wolf Parade show came when an extended version of "Runner" merged directly into "Fancy Claps" without a seconds notice. My heart stopped dead in its tracks. That is why I go to shows. Now every time I listen to Apologies I try to skip from the end of track one to track five as quickly as possible to try and recreate the moment, but it is never quite the same. This album was a long time and a ton of hype in the making, but I must say it was well worth the wait.