10. David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

One sure sign that a collaboration has worked is when each of the collaborators inspires the best traits of both themselves and their partner(s) while eliminating (or at least minimizing) the most annoying tendencies of each. This Byrne+Eno collaboration succeeds because it does just that. (Tobias)

9. The Brian Jonestown Massacre – My Bloody Underground

The band’s carelessly chosen name and confrontational song titles belie (and help underscore?) their musical importance. A psychedelic drone may give way to a haunting industrial meme. Guitars buzz, but pianos waltz. Muddled spoken word introduces white noise, and only then are the bad dreams are mixed in. (We mean real bad, the kind that find you avoiding sleep from then on, and just watching public access TV until it is time to go in to the office.) Any BJM release is cause for celebration and alarm. This time around it is also cause for acclaim. (Fred)

8. Sia – Some People Have REAL Problems

As Sia’s first release on the Starbuck’s affiliated label Hear Music, Some People Have REAL Problems received national notoriety after her single Breathe Me appeared on HBO’s Six Feet Under. Known best on this side of the pond for her role in Zero 7, Sia puts her voice to good use and shows that she has what it takes to break off as a solo act. (Patrick)

7. The Tallest Man on Earth – Shallow Grave

Interpretations of American and British musical forms by Scandinavians (think ABBA; Kings of Convenience; Peter, Bjorn & John; a-ha!; The Cardigans) tend to be endearingly quirky. I couldn’t begin to tell you why. Perhaps it’s the accent, or the climate, or maybe it has something to do with Shklovsky’s concept of ostranenie. As The Tallest Man on Earth, Sweden’s Kristian Matsson takes on the sound of American folk music. He redeems himself admirably on Shallow Grave by “making strange” the Dylans, the Guthries and the Seegers, forcing us to listen to this well-worn musical form in a new way. (Tobias)

6. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons

Now the lords of the 15-minute postmodern epic, Thee Silver Mt. Zion escapes the orbit of the Black Emperor in this four-track masterpiece. The present reviewer can only wonder if the song count is not three and not five because “four-track” is such a delicious double entendre. Like my first contribution to this list just above, feedback wails, vocals waver, drones build cathedrals, and minimalism reigns supreme. If you buy two 2008 LPs this year… (Fred)

5. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!

Begin by pondering Christ’s greatest miracle from the recently dead man’s point of view, add to that some ruminations about Harry Houdini, whose sole mission in life was to debunk claims of the afterlife. Stir in some gritty characters from The Bowery and the mental institute, sprinkle in equal parts bombast, paranoia and lasciviousness then set it all to backing tracks as varied as the characters (everything from raucous rock ‘n roll to farfisa psychedelia to ambient strings) and the result is the powerful 14th release from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds titled Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (Tobias)

4. The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets is a collaboration of Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane of The Rascals, luckily this doesn’t sound like a side project which normally comes across as an artist’s unlistenable self-indulgence. The album is solid from beginning to end that lands somewhere between a spaghetti western and a Connery era Bond film. (Patrick)

3. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

With their timeless-sounding eponymous debut, Fleet Foxes have instantly surged to the front of the I-wear-my-influences-on-my-sleeve pack. Even though it’s obvious that they’ve lovingly nurtured those influences (The Beach Boys, CS&N, Fleetwood Mac and Buffalo Springfield, to name a few), they pay those artists (and us listeners) the highest compliment: they don’t imitate; they evoke. (Tobias)

2. Gemma Ray – The Leader

In her debut release, the Essex born singer/songwriter uses strong harmonies, simple but poignant percussion and distorted, reverberating guitar lines to revisit the girl group noir sound from the 60′s. The album should be listened to in vinyl in order to truly appreciate the time machine in which Ray is trying to put us. (Patrick)

1. Evangelicals – The Evening Descends

Whence come Evangelicals? And may they never return, lest they forget us here by ourselves. As I wrote earlier in the year, The Evening Descends “delivers both the nightmare promised in the LP’s title and the revelation assured by the band’s name.” Deranged pieces “Skeleton Man” and “Bellawood” are not only the best of the year, they challenge for best rock tracks of the decade. In a year of countless memorable indie releases, this is an unexpected and happy discovery. (Fred)