The Symphonies of Agony

It's the end of the year. We all know that. And so does every music/arts publication on the globe. A lot of these "End Of The Year" lists come from trusted and reliable source. Sources like Spin, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, New York Times and the list goes on. What's funny is the subjectivity behind all of it. Where one list (Spin) has Rilo Kiley's "Under the Blacklights" at number 40 of 40, Rolling Stone lists it at a surprising No. 8.

I know there's a lot of different criteria being used to mark albums as best of the year, but I would hope to think that we could see a little more consistency. Now let me qualify that. The lists, as a whole, have a lot of the same albums in their overall list. Most - if not all - of the albums (I would have to say) are the best of the year, but the orders are completely screwed. I'm not sure if some of the list makers truly feel that number 1 is the best of the year or if the list is just an overall compilation of the year's best in no particular order.

It seems to me that there's so much inconsistency. And am I crazy to think that it's so wrong for Rolling Stone to have put Linkin Park, Britney Spears, Fall Out Boy and Maroon 5 on their list? But enough about all that. As usual here are a list of what I feel are the Best of the Year. Unlike most lists, mine will be in no particular order.

Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"
Against Me - "New Wave"
Bright Eyes - "Cassadaga"
The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"
Feist - "The Reminder"
Justice - "t"
Sigur Ros - "Heif/Hvarm"



Now some albums that may not be the 10 best of the year, but ones that I've certainly enjoyed:

As Cities Burn - "Come Now Sleep"
Interpol - "Our Love To Admire"
Travis - "The Boy With No Name"
The Receiving End of Sirens - "The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi"
Ryan Adams - "Easy Tiger"
Minus the Bear - "Planet of Ice"

Oh and the list goes on. I will probably be out of commission for a few days, but will be ringing in 2008 with a bang. Not literally, though.