Continued Top Ten madness. Music. Indeed.

We're not sure how good a year this has been for the music and truth be told, we are very much looking forward to the coming year and releases from The Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire and Jamey Johnson. That said, it wasn't exactly a bad year either, though please note that we still expect some constructive feedback from the David Masciotra and would in fact be disappointed if we do not receive said feedback.

(1) Ike Reilly - Hard Luck Stories. We love him. Do you hear that Ike? Do you?

(2) Kid Sister - Ultra Violet. We love her too. A lot. Did you hear that Kid Sister? Did you?

(3) Steve Earle - Townes. Steve Earle. Always awesome. Townes Van Zandt. Legend. Steve Earle covering Townes. Quite nice.

(4) Street Sweeper Social Club - Street Sweeper Social Club. Morello and Riley. Slamming.



(5) I Fight Dragons - Cool Is Just a Number (EP). Just. Cool.

(6) Doom - Born Like This. Comic books go hip-hop and we can't help but smile.

(7) Wilco - (the album). If not exactly the Wilco we once fell in love with, they still do Wilco better than anyone else.

(8) Neko Case - Middle Cyclone. Neko Case always brings it. Always.

(9) Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall. Unfortunate moniker, most fortunate tunes.

(10) M. Ward - Hold Time. Old-timey, but in a good way.

Honorable mention: Devo - Are we not men? We are Devo! (Re-issue).

We would add here, that we are noting quite a Chicago-centric slant to our list this year. We would also add, that this makes us very happy.

2008 Top Ten Music list.

2007 Top Ten Music list.

2009 Top Ten Books list.

2009 Top Ten Television list.

TBWCYL, Inc.'s Top Ten Albums of the Decade Will Change Your Life.

Music is as subjective as anything, but we know what we like, music that brings us joy or slams us into a wall, inspires us when we write and moves us when we run. So without further adieu, the TBWCYL, Inc. Top Ten.

(1) Separation Sunday/The Hold Steady (2005). Druggie storytelling awesomeness.

(2) Feed the Animals/Girl Talk (2008). Pinball and fried chicken. And no we don't know what that means.

(3) We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions/Bruce Springsteen (2006). Ebullient.

(4) Yankee Foxtrot Hotel/Wilco (2002). Like an explosion.

(5) Be Your Own Pet/Be Your Own Pet (2006). A wondrous kick to the head. And groin.

(6) The Grey Album/Danger Mouse (2004). Please allow me to introduce myself.

(7) I'll Sleep When Your Dead/El-P (2007). Just because your feeling paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't following you.

(8) We Belong to the Staggering Evening/The Ike Reilly Assassination (2007). Ike Reilly should be much, much bigger.

(9) Kala/M.I.A. (2007). All world.

(10) American III: Solitary Man/Johnny Cash (2000). Like falling in love all over again with someone you never actually fell out of love with in the first place.

The best of the rest (in no particular order): None Shall Pass/Aesop Rock (2007), That Lonesome Song/Jamey Johnson (2008), The College Dropout/Kanye West (2004), Funeral/Arcade Fire (2004), Rabbit Fur Coat/Jenny Lewis (2006), Ultraviolet/Kid Sister (2009), The Shepherd's Dog/Iron and Wine (2007), The Bake Sale/The Cool Kids (2008), Armchair Apocrypha/Andrew Bird (2007), The Black Album/Jay-Z (2003).