10. Loney Dear – Dear John

Dear John was the first album I heard this year that made it onto this potential list. It also opened a great year for Sweden and all the amazing acts that are calling it home. Emil Svanangen turns a bit more to his darker and depressed side on this album in comparison to 2007′s Loney Noir with lines like “all the times I make it worse with all the devils in my head” and “Tell me I’m good enough, that I could change”. Even with these lyrics the album is welcoming with it’s atmospheric textures.

09. The Mars Volta – Octahedron

When Octahedron was released I sat at my desk and stared at Rhapsody for about twenty minutes before I pushed play. There was potential for this album to go either way. After hearing the first single I must say that I was a bit frightened but in the end Octahedron turned into one of my favorite Mars Volta albums just due to the fact they pulled in the reigns a little bit. There is still the psychedelic instrumentation but at the same time everything sounds well thought out and not completely chaotic as they have been known to do in the past.

08. A.C. Newman – Get Guilty

Taking a break from his primary group, The New Pornographers, Carl Newman found in him the ability to separate himself and write songs that are distinctly all his . Neko Case definitely gets more of the public eye as a side project from the band but in a more fair world Newman would have found himself on far more top ten lists this year.

07. Other Lives – S/T

This goes down as one of the most beautiful and well written albums I’ve heard all year. The tone never really rises above a whisper but the layering of instruments is orchestrated perfectly to comprise an album that from beginning to end won’t let you down. Occasionally it can fall into the background and be forgotten but it also reels you back in to demand your full attention.

06. Beirut – March of The Zapotec & Realpeople Holland

Technically this is a maxi EP but since all the songs are written by Condon I consider it to be a Beirut album just with a side A and a side B. Side A features a mixture of many different countries from Mexican funeral processions, Eastern European/Balkan influences to early 20′s jazz. While side B dabbles in the electronic arrangements a la Postal Service. Between The Flying Cup Club and this years release Zach Condon will have to go down as one of the most under appreciated and brilliant artist that we have today.

05. Mastodon – Crack The Skye

Every top ten list needs a surprise entrant and this year it’s Mastodon. I haven’t enjoyed a metal album in a very long time but one thing that I can’t deny is that I love a talented band with great harmonizing. Stepping aside from the scream riddled songs of Blood Mountain we learn in Crack The Skye that each has a great ability to sing and harmonize with one another

04. BLK JKS – After Robots

I kept hearing about BLK JKS over and over again but for some reason I continually blew them off without even the slightest listen. I’m glad that I finally came to my sense and gave the album a spin and then another spin. The album is rich with culture and the group let’s their South African roots show through. It’s nice to hear a true afro-pop group that doesn’t wear Polo’s.

03. Fanfarlo – Reservoir

I initially picked up this album for $1 when they put it on sale around the fourth of July and since then it has been a staple of mine from day to day. The privilege to see them live last month also helped catapult Reservoir to the #3 slot. The multiple layers that each song is built on only prove the true talent of this bands multi-instrumental skills.

02. Brendan Benson – My Old Familiar Friend

It’s a shame that it took the success of the Racontuers to give Brendan Benson the boost that he needed into a spotlight that is well deserved. Benson is an extremely talented musician with the ability to write and perform songs from all different genres without making it seem awkward or forced.

01. Silversun Pickups – Swoon

An album hasn’t transfixed me the way that Swoon has in a long time. I nearly wore out my copy keeping it on constant replay. Each song comes in around five minutes and not a single minute is one that I would want to omit. The gruff and often strained voice of Brian Aubert is a welcome relief from all the pitch perfect singers that we are told is the way singing should be.