X out of 10

These days, it seems like the Top Albums of the year list has supplanted the New Year’s Resolution as the most often over-shared bit of personal information. So of course, I wouldn’t feel complete without creating a list of my own.

The ten albums in this list represent the music I’ve enjoyed most this year, and as such is quite a different list than you’d see on other blogs, where critics worry more about their cred than their actual preferences. But that’s just not how I roll, no sir.

Read on for the list.

10. The Beatles, Love (X = 7.5)
Beatles fans who are coming to age in the Era of the Remix (like myself) were excited to hear about Love, the album of Beatles mashups, or as producer Giles Martin (the son of “fifth Beatle” George Martin) preferred to call them, “re-imaginings” of the Beatles’ music. While Martin could have done much more mashing-up, the collection presented here is still very enjoyable, especially the track that combines George Harrison’s vocals from “Within You Without You” with the trippy, drum-heavy beat from “Tomorrow Never Knows,” as well as the playful “Drive My Car”/”The Word”/”What You’re Doing” medley.

Buy Love (CD + Audio DVD) at Amazon.com

9. Tom Petty, Highway Companion (X = 7.9)
Everybody agrees that Tom Petty has never released a bad album; most assume he’s physically incapable of it. On Highway Companion, Petty maintains his streak, with a more bluesy, more introspective collection of songs than we’ve heard from him in a long time. It’s no Wildflowers, but it is certainly enjoyable.

Buy Highway Companion at Amazon.com

8. Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways (X = 8.0)
The Man in Black’s final album was controversial, because Johnny Cash had been gone for nearly three years by the time it was finished. Still, Rick Rubin, a trusted friend of Cash and one of the most brilliant minds (and ears) in the world of pop music, did an excellent job of completing the tracks here, most of which were only vocals recorded by the nearly blind and rapidly diminishing Cash. Standout tracks include the spiritual “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” which conjures chilling images of a fire-and-brimstones sermon, and “Like the 309,” the final song ever written and recorded by the legend himself.

Buy American V: A Hundred Highways at Amazon.com

7. The Raconteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers (X = 8.0)
In the months leading up to The Raconteurs’ first release, music critics labeled the band a supergroup. I’m not quite sure how a band can be a “supergroup” with only one famous member (Jack White of The White Stripes), but I digress. More than just a side project, Broken Boy Soldiers is an excellent collection of songs that reaches from FM radio-friendly power pop to pseudo-psychedelia and back in the space of a half-hour.

Buy Broken Boy Soldiers at Amazon.com

6. Bob Dylan, Modern Times (X = 8.3)
Composed mainly of bluesy numbers that are a definite departure from Dylan’s folkier music (where he is at his best and, it seems, most comfortable), Modern Times is nonetheless a classic Dylan record. A couple of weak, show-tunes-like tracks weigh down this otherwise brilliant album.

Buy Modern Times at Amazon.com

5. Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, Knives Don’t Have Your Back (X = 8.8)
On Knives, the oh-so-sexy Haines changes course from the loud, hip-shaking sound of her other band, Metric, to a slower, more introspective style. Haines has always been a favorite of mine for her ability to change her voice from cute and playful to smoky and sexy at a moment’s notice; on this album, the mostly piano-driven music accentuates this style perfectly. Standout tracks include “Our Hell,” with its tense, driving chorus, and the sardonic “Doctor Blind.”

Buy Knives Don’t Have Your Back at Amazon.com

4. The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America (X = 9.0)
Boys and Girls in America is good, old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. The music is simple, fundamental even; the lyrics aren’t complex, but they are believable and personal, often presenting scenarios to which the listener can relate (especially if that listener has had his or her share of heavy-drinking nights out). You can skip the hokey “Chillout Tent,” but every other song on this album will have you tapping your feet, singing along, and maybe even cracking a knowing smile here and there.

Buy Boys and Girls in America at Amazon.com

3. Sunset Rubdown, Shut Up I Am Dreaming (X = 9.1)
Sunset Rubdown is the latest creation of Spencer Krug, the guy from Wolf Parade with the semi-deranged, warbling voice. While Wolf Parade’s music is relatively straightforward rock and roll, here Krug is given the opportunity to experiment with spacey sonic textures (as in “Us Ones In Between”) and unusual instruments (read: totally un-ironic use of glockenspiel and harmonium, and possibly a musical saw). The result is a sometimes trippy, sometimes exhilarating musical roller coaster.

Buy Shut Up I Am Dreaming at Amazon.com

2. Thom Yorke, The Eraser (X = 9.3)
Some would argue that this album comprises songs from the brilliant, mad-scientist mind of Thom Yorke that his Radiohead bandmates considered too dense, too abstract, and just plain too strange. While that argument is probably correct, it’s also true that these songs wouldn’t have worked as a Radiohead album anyway. First of all, they’re pretty straightforward electronic songs, assembled by Yorke on his laptop. Also, the interplay between bandmates that makes Radiohead so special and so unique is entirely absent. Finally, the songs aren’t connected by any sort of Grand Unifying Idea, which has been a required component of Radiohead albums since OK Computer. At the same time, the album feels familiar, thanks to Yorke’s falsetto and brooding, introspective lyrics, while the complexity and surrealism of the music draws you in further with each listen.

Buy The Eraser at Amazon.com

1. Sufjan Stevens, The Avalanche (X = 9.3)
It’s no Illinois, but it is a wonderful complement to that classic album. The 21 tracks on this album were, believe it or not, those left on the cutting-room floor after Stevens recorded his aforementioned tribute to the Prairie State (which itself weighed in at 22 tracks). That’s not to say, however, that these tracks are rejects, but rather songs that didn’t fit within narrative of Illinois. If you’re just getting into Stevens’ music, this probably isn’t the best primer, but if you’re already a fan, it certainly will not disappoint.

Buy The Avalanche: Outtakes & Extras from the Illinois Album at Amazon.com

Honorable mentions:
Sufjan Stevens, Songs for Christmas
Stevens’ take on the Christmas classics also includes some wonderful original compositions, the best of which recapture the giddy feeling of being a kid on Christmas morning. Still, a Christmas album (or Christmas box set, in this case) has only a seasonal appeal.

Please Step Out of the Vehicle, Sleeping Right and the Best in Homeopathic Magic
This Portland-based lo-fi quartet sounds like the bastard love child of the Shins, Modest Mouse, and Pavement. A great, if hard-to-find, album that is sure to please.

Nas, Hip Hop is Dead
This one isn’t out yet, but from the tracks I’ve heard—not to mention the positive early reviews—it sounds like Nas is back in true form. Definitely a welcome treat in a somewhat bleak year for hip hop.

Oxford Collapse, Remember the Night Parties
Epic, meandering rock and roll that’s both deep and a lot of fun to listen to. “Please Visit Your National Parks” is far and away the best track, and I don’t quite understand why it wasn’t a breakthrough hit for these fellas. I guess that’s why I’m not a music industry exec.

Malajube, Trompe L’Oeil
Poppy, energetic music from a diverse French-Canadian troupe. The music is a lot of fun, but after a while I start to get frustrated because I can’t understand a damn thing they’re saying. Thank you, American Public Education System.