1. Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, PJ Harvey: Sublime suite of songs from the greatest female rocker of all time. A case study of how a "difficult" artist can achieve beauty and accessibility without losing integrity.
2. Turn On the Bright Lights, Interpol: The best neo-postpunk album of the decade: a perfect distillation of that early '80s vibe coupled with a distinctly contemporary shimmer and mood.
3. Hail to the Thief, Radiohead: Not as heralded as Kid A, but for my money a more attractive combination of Radiohead's fascinating electronica and rock-oriented songcraft.
4. Isolation Drills, Guided By Voices: The kings of lo-fi go full-throttle hi-fi, giving the stupendous pop more power than ever before.
5. Bachelor No. 2, Aimee Mann: Gorgeous melodies and crisply intelligent lyrics wrapped in ingenious soft rock arrangements. Only flaw is a degree of emotional monochromaticism.
6. Relationship of Command, At the Drive-In: You want over the top? You want a feast of crazy, roaring riffs and furious shouting? You got it.
7. The Obliterati, Mission of Burma: The sequel to the almighty comeback is even stronger, even more intense, even more packed with smart, blistering tracks.
8. Leviathan, Mastodon: The metal Moby-Dick is absolutely exhilarating, even for nonmetalheads (like me). Occasional Rush-style prog touches add spice.
9. Silent Alarm, Bloc Party: British neo-postpunk with strong Gang of Four influence. The superb first four songs justify the entire album.
10. Takk..., Sigur Rós: Slightly more song-oriented than the also excellent Ágætis Byrjun, but still blissfully, beautifully disorienting.
11. Veni Vidi Vicious, The Hives: Stomping Swedish garage-punk that breaks windows, kills cats, and enrages neighbors. And catchy, too.
12. Decoration Day, Drive-By Truckers: Southern rock rides again, but through a darker, more bitterly introspective landscape. Best country-style song title of all time: "Hell No, I Ain't Happy."
13. Kid A, Radiohead: The consensus critics' choice for album of the decade, this brilliant work is the rare experiment in which virtually everything works.
14. ONoffON, Mission of Burma: The reunited art punkers' first LP in 22 years, this surprised even the group's diehard fans with its potency. Greatest comeback album ever.
15. The Back Room, Editors: Interpol sound-alikes hit a similar sweet spot of textured guitar work, but with a slightly higher cheer-to-gloom ratio.
16. A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay: Lessons learned from Radiohead and U2 backed with consistent songwriting and more energy than detractors would expect.
17. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, U2: The choice between this and All That You Can't Leave Behind is a toss-up; I find this one a bit more vibrant.
18. Elephant, The White Stripes: Frighteningly good guitar thrashing and blues belting from Jack White. With a real drummer, this could have been a masterpiece.
19. Is This It, The Strokes: Not the revelation it was first proclaimed to be, but still an irresistible collection of hipster ditties.
20. Bleed Like Me, Garbage: Swan song from slightly twisted mood rockers is actually the band's hardest-rocking effort.
21. Accelerate, R.E.M.: Not quite at the level of the group's mid-80s zenith, but close enough, for a change.
22. Antidotes, Foals: Somewhat freaky mix of dance punk and math rock. You can count to it!
23. Gozo Poderoso, Aterciopelados: Cool music from Colombia blends stylish beats with infectious tunes and spaced-out atmosphere.
24. Good Morning Aztlan, Los Lobos: Classic, genre-crossing Los Lobos, with composing and performing at a gratifyingly high level.
25. Real New Fall Album, The Fall: Another confounding bullseye from Mark E. Smith after several arrow-in-foot attempts. The U.S. mix of "Theme From Sparta FC," here called "Sparta 2XX," is probably the best Fall song of the 2000s or the 1990s.
Honorable Mentions: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco; Songs for the Deaf, Queens of the Stone Age; Electric Version, The New Pornographers
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