Alright, I’m squeaking it in under the wire this year. The annual list of my year’s favourite records. You probably think some of my choices suck. Well, then you suck. So, here’s my faves. I decided to go for the countdown format this year. I feel it adds more drama. This way you don’t get bored after the first couple choices, because you have something to look forward to. I’m shocked I haven’t done it this way in the past. Here we go baby:

10. Tegan and sara – Sainthood

These girls are amazing. They make pop songs like no one else. It’s almost infuriating how good some of their songs are. “Hell” is a perfect pop song. It’s like “Back in your head” on their last record. I catch myself constantly humming it. There’s a couple tunes on this album that lose me, but overall, another stellar effort.

9. Jay Z – The Blueprint 3

Why do I love Jay-Z so? He’s fascinating. The beats and production on this record are just stupidly good and Hova is undoubtedly the elder statesman of modern hip hop. Plus he’s just cool beyond the rest of us mere mortals. He’s like those Gatorade commercials where the athletes are sweating Gatorade, but he sweats cool. But beyond all that, he is fascinating. The first song he says he only wants to talk about “real shit” and doesn’t want to talk about the past, and then the next song he’s bragging about his fancy suits and how rich and famous he is and all his past accomplishments. It’s crazy, and it’s totally charming. How does he do that. How do I think one minute, “Wow, this guy’s totally down to earth,” and then the next I think, “This guy’s the biggest egomaniac alive?” And I just love him more for it all.

8. Ben Lee – The Rebirth of Venus

Ben’s a friend of ours and couldn’t be a nicer man. This album is quite possibly my favourite of his. It’s a tribute to the feminine energy of the planet. That’s something I can totally get behind, especially these days. He begs for Yoko Ono to come save us, and often times, I feel like that’s our best chance to turn things around. There’s a power in the feminine that we need to embrace. We’ve spent thousands of years trying to supress it, to stifle it. We need to embrace it. I think that’s where our future is. Ben does a  great job of putting all that into pop songs. Full of pop gems, hooks, humour, and truths, this album just makes me feel good. Well done Ben, well done.

7. The Swell Season – Strict Joy

Beautiful. These guys are the duo from the movie “Once,” and he’s (Glen Hansard) the lead singer in the band The Frames. He’s amazing. I want to be him. He’s so good, and she compliments him perfectly. There’s a great poem in the booklet with this CD called Strict Joy, and it’s all about how the job of the artist is to take sorrow and transform it into joy. I love that. And FYI: mission accomplished.

6. Pearl Jam - Backspacer

I loved Pearl Jam when I was a teenager, and then they kind of lost me for a number of years. Well, I’m back. Some friends of ours spend their holiday time following these guys around North America on tour. I’ve never really understood that. But after I heard this album, I wanted to hide in their suitcase so they’d take me with them. This record rocks. Front to back it kills. Perfect pop rock songs. Short and sweet, like a bank heist. They get in and out before you even know what hit you. Eddie Vedder sounds so awesome on this album, and there’s a couple slow ones for good measure.

5. David Gray – Draw the Line

Mr. Gray is one of my favourite’s and one of my biggest influences. And this record has everything I like about him. Politics, love, heartache, soul searching, and all of it has life, it doesn’t feel soft or distant. This album has an energy that his more recent albums have lacked. It sounds live, and like he’s singing for his life. It grabs me. I’m in.

4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

It was great to see these guys finally break through to the superstardom they deserve with this record. They nailed everything they are about on this record. Awesome pop songs played really really well. Those first couple songs, “Lisztomania” and “1901″ were enough to make my list alone. I could listen to those songs back to back for well over an hour.

3. Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King

Dave Matthews Band is one of my all time favourite bands. This record is by far their best of the last decade. I think it captures their live energy better than anything they’ve ever done. It certainly rocks more than any of their other records. And it’s laced with tribute to their fallen comrade, Leroi Moore. I love this record. We saw them in September at The Greek Theatre in LA. Beautiful intiimate venue, and we got in for free (that’s another story). It was amazing! I couldn’t stop listening to this record for a week afterwards.

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

This album is perfect. It’s got everything I could ask for. Rockers, dancers, and beautiful emotional ballads. “Hysteric” is probably my favourite song of the year. So beautiful, so melodic, and executed wonderfully. Karen O is the incarnation of some Hindu goddess, I swear. Either that or she is channeling pure divine rock n’ roll power.

1. Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey

Definitely my favourite album this year. Our friend Jared recommended this record to me and I can’t thank him enough. Every song is awesome. Great musicianship. Great soul and groove. And it’s all marinated in 190 proof coolness.Album of the year. Fo shizzle. (I thought I’d use “fo shizzle” one last time in the only decade it will ever be considered cool.)

So there you have it. Those are my faves. A couple honorably mentions are The Dead Weather, Flight of the Conchords and Gomez. All great as well. Happy new year to everyone! And may the next decade be filled with love, compassion and amazing music!