Digg this storyWell, it’s that time of year again—that time when all the obsessive list-making indie fans turned bloggers like myself go crazy making year-end best-of lists—and this year is no different. The quantity of good albums was way less than average this year (I could barely find 30 to even consider for the top 25), but the quality more than made up for it. Pretty much each album listed here rocked my pants off and the entries near the top are among some of the best albums I’ve ever had the pleasure to listen to. Anyway, to the list we go~!!
EDIT/// This list has been amended. I just recently found out that Vaux’s Beyond Virtue, Beyond Vice was released in 2006 (I had always thought it was 2005). That album jumped to #14, bumping Thom Yorke’s The Eraser off the list.
| On the fringe: The Sounds - Dying To Say This To You; Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass; Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming; Repeat Repeat - Rocket Pack, No Rocket Pack; Mates Of State - Bring It Back; The Black Angels - Passover; Frank Black - Fast Man/Raider Man; The Twilight Singers - Powder Burns; Rock Kills Kid - Are You Nervous?; Captain - This Is Hazelville; Thom Yorke - The Eraser |
 |
025 | The Walkmen A Hundred Miles Off [Record Collection] |
|
Moody New York hipsters’ third album is cool, cocky, and filled with brash moments that recall vintage rock and roll.
High point: Don’t Get Me Down (Come On Over Here) |
||
 |
024 | Two Gallants What The Toll Tells [Saddle Creek] |
|
The second album from this Californian duo is an earnest, booze-laden mixture of folk-punk and good old fashioned Southern rock.
High point: Steady Rollin |
||
 |
023 | Sparklehorse Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain [Capitol] |
|
Esteemed Indie recluse returns with fourth album of bizarre lyrics and morose pop melodies that masquerade as playful and sanguine.
High point: Knives Of Summertime |
||
 |
022 | Uncut Modern Currencies [Paper Bag] |
|
Overlooked Canadian band delivers a luscious and energetic album layered with breathy vocals and shoe-gazy guitars that swirl and sparkle amongst themselves.
High point: Out Of Sight |
||
 |
021 | …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead So Divided [Interscope] |
|
Seminal post-hardcore outfit’s fifth full-length is hopeful, introspective and ultimately a viscerally creative foray into the finer aspects of the genre.
High point: Wasted State Of Mind |
||
 |
020 | Sophia Technology Won’t Save Us [Flower Shop] |
|
Laced with wistful melodies and moody lyrics that fall just short of hopeful, this veteran band’s sixth album hits in all the right places.
High point: Pace |
||
 |
019 | You Should Go Ahead You Should Go Ahead [Chiado] |
|
Portugal dance punks deliver a remarkable debut that combines post-punk and synth-rock influences with a dark, modern edge.
High point: Seventy-One |
||
 |
018 | White Rose Movement Kick [Independiente] |
|
European electroclash revivalists create fusion of frantic paranoia, throbbing beats and dramatic synth-pop that’s entrancing, disturbing and mesmerizing.
High point: Kick |
||
 |
017 | Band Of Horses Everything All The Time [Sub Pop] |
|
Seattle folk rockers’ debut is a gorgeous blend of pensive lyrics, chilling vocals and exuberant reverb that bring images of the Pacific Northwest to mind.
High point: The Funeral |
||
 |
016 | The Draft In A Million Pieces [Epitaph] |
|
Following singer Chuck Ragan’s departure, remaining members of Hot Water Music regroup to write an explosive album of mouthwatering punk bursting with folk-punk melodies and blistering gusto.
High point: Wired |
||
 |
015 | Ratatat Classics [XL] |
|
Instrumental electronic rockers’ sophomore effort combines danceable hooks with vintage synths to form a jawdroppingly stimulating collection of tantalizing beats and erotic melodies.
High point: Wildcat |
||
 |
014 | Vaux Beyond Virtue, Beyond Vice [Vx/Outlook] |
|
Colorado punk band goes all Radioheady on second full-length, resulting in an epic record exploding with moody atmospherics and ethereal melodies.
High point: The Last Report From |
||
 |
013 | Brand New The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me [Interscope/Tiny Evil] |
|
New York outfit’s third album continues to expand its emo-flavored pop/punk with additional texture, neurotic lyrics and a willingness to experiment.
High point: Degausser |
||
 |
012 | Sound Team Movie Monster [Capitol] |
|
Texas band’s major label debut spans a wide gamut of styles and influences, rendering indie rock’s recent past into a tangible, cohesive microcosm.
High point: TV Torso |
||
 |
012 | Sparta Threes [Hollywood] |
|
Former members of At The Drive-In finally find their stride with the addition of ex-Engine Down guitarist Keeley Davis. The result is a cacophonous fusion of haunting vigor and divine melodies.
High point: Crawl |
||
 |
010 | Duels The Bright Lights & What I Should Have Learned [Nude] |
|
Energetic Brits’ debut is loaded with memorable power-pop balladry, occasional synths and vibrant, spirited moxie.
High point: The Slow Build |
||
 |
009 | Rocky Votolato Makers [Barsuk] |
|
Fourth solo album by displaced Texan is a deceptively simple, western-flavored collection of genuine musings backed by melancholy, acoustic folk.
High point: Portland Is Leaving |
||
 |
008 | Benoît Pioulard Précis [Kranky] |
|
Michigan Avant-Gardist’s hypnotizing debut is an unbelievably stunning assemblage of ambient folk rock with an understated delicacy that rides the crest of delusion.
High point: Ext. Leslie Park |
||
 |
007 | Portugal. The Man Waiter: “You Vultures” [Fearless] |
|
Fractured and deliberately ambiguous, these Alaskans offer up an artsy take on dance punk that’s schizophrenic, alluring, and barely avoids pretentiousness.
High point: Elephants |
||
 |
006 | Silversun Pickups Carnavas [Dangerbird] |
|
Californian band’s fuzz-drenched debut is a brilliant overhaul of mid-90s alternative rock that hinges on androgynous vocals and huge hooks.
High point: Well Thought Out Twinkles |
||
 |
005 | The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Show Your Bones [Interscope] |
|
Art school paramours burst back on the scene with a delicious second helping of charming art punk that trumps their debut with brooding, reflective heartache.
High point: Way Out |
||
 |
004 | The Knife Silent Shout [Rabid] |
|
Swedish weirdos combine eerie synths and freakish vocals to produce a beautifully primal dreamscape that’s vicious, haunting and utopian.
High point: Marble House |
||
 |
003 | I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness Fear Is On Our Side [Secretly Canadian] |
|
Austin band’s first full-length is a sinister modernization of post-punk doused in a chilling nocturnal decor that’s every bit as desolate and paranoid as its title would indicate.
High point: Lights |
||
 |
002 | Built to Spill You in Reverse [Warner Bros.] |
|
Doug Martsch and Co. return from five year hiatus with their most accomplished and focused effort to date—a dramatic album that’s simultaneously grandiose, inconspicious and explosive.
High point: Mess With Time |
||
 |
001 | Bears Bears [Carrot Top] |
|
An obvious choice, this unsigned Cleveland band’s self-released debut is a near-perfect collection of psychedelically tinted folk-pop that’s altogether saccharine, vivacious and breathtaking.
High point: Everywhere |
||