"$$$"
Mel - Lucero/Gaslight Anthem/Loved Ones
"Well, here’s the thing. The trunk of my sweet green Pontiac Bonneville, within which lies a very ’97-current 10-disc changer, just plumb doesn’t want to open, so one may think that all I listen to is angry political punk. While, yes, it is often my standard go-to, I would have loved to replace mix-disc 3 and mix-disc 6 with some Lucero and some Gaslight Anthem, thus sandwiching my Loved Ones albums, thereby creating a solid 4-disc car punk sing-a-thon. Seriously, if you’re looking for straight up rock and roll, you cannot miss these 3 bands. YOU CANNOT MISS THESE 3 BANDS.
Footnote: Willing to bet my last 2 delectable Lindt white chocolate balls of the season on Chomps picking the Glee soundtrack as her favourite album for the year, followed by some whiney description as to why she may be ‘un-hip’ to think so but then going on to justify why you, the reader, are missing out on one of the most joyous experiences you could ever have by not also choosing to be ‘un-hip’. Let’s read on and find out..."
Cameron - Black Keys
"Not sure why. I've just been diggin' them!"
Chomps - Broken Bells
"These guys kind of snuck up quietly, even though they’re already involved in other major enterprises that have been loved for years. Reviewing music isn’t in my wheelhouse so I’ll just tell you to seek them out if you haven’t already (but you probably have because you’re awesome), and enjoy."
Eric - Gorillaz/Four Tet
"No other album this year has more work put into it than Gorillaz' Plastic Beach. Whether it's the musicians Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett chose to work with, the art direction, or the overall story behind the album. Every fragment of this album is perfectly put together. It's one of the few CDs I've bought that I would've been okay with paying a lot more for. And let me tell you. I steal A LOT of music. (Dear Authorities: No I don't.) And Four Tet? That guy is just consistently awesome."
Andrew - Tokyo Police Club
¶ 4:40 PM 
