Dan Auerbach “Keep It Hid”

This album is of the highest quality in terms of songs, production and bad ass-ness. Dan Auerbach kills with the freedom of a larger band. “Some Desire”, “I Want Some More” and “My Last Mistake” are fucking classics. The whole album is excellent and the show is great too with Hacienda as his band. Dan needs to do more of this and keep producing bands like Buffalo Killers!

Vetiver “Tight Knit”

Great songs, great production and a mellow vibe that keeps me calm.

Deer Tick “Born On Flag Day”

His voice is hard to get used to at first, but behind that crazy, raspy almost Layne Stayley-esque timbre lies an amazing fleet of songs that can be listened to repeadetly.

Devendra Banhart “What Will We Be”

Produced by Paul Butler of UK’s The Bees, Devendra’s production becomes a little rawer. Being a big fan of the Bees, I dig the integration of sounds, especially the addition of those trademark Bees background vocals. Dig “Rats”, “16th & Valencia Roxy Music” and “Can’t Help But Smiling”.

Dawes “North Hills”

Unfortunately I was a little late on this and had to amend this best of list. This is a great album, although a little melancholy. But if you’re in that mood, it is perfect. “When You Call My Name” is classic cosmic american music.

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T Bird & The Breaks “Learn About It”

This is my favorite type of production. Raw, dirty and old school sounding. Soul in a twist of beats. Check out “Juice”, “Blackberry Brandy”, “Esmerelda” & “Two Tone Cadillac”. This shit is a party.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

This is a great album and “Home” is a classic song.

Black Lips “200 Million Thousand”

Another great album from the Black Lips, these guys are fucking legends. “I Saw God” is amazing, listen to it. You learn you some self respect boy!!

The Dead Weather “Horehound”

Rance says this is the best album of the year… but since this is my list he can go fuck himself. The production is phenomanal and Alison Moshart is freaky. And I usually don’t like female singers unless they are fried chicken eatin soul mamas or  Emmylou Harris. But I got to say that this is a bad ass album and Jack White is still the reining king of rock n roll.

Wilco “Wilco the Album”

I love that they made a song and named the album “Wilco”, which is a bitchin song as well a very good album. For the mellow fans, “Solitaire” and ” Country Disappeared” are nice. For the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot fans, you’ll dig “Bull Black Nova”. Not as good as “Sky Blue Sky”, in my opinion, which I thought was a Beatles-esque masterpiece.

The Cave Singers

The Cave Singers have a very enjoyable Pacific Northwest sound a la Blitzen Trapper.

The Black Crowes “Before The Frost” & “After The Freeze”

These two albums could have been combined into one really classic album but they opted for quanity… which is admirable too. I know it pissed a lot of Crowes fans off, but I love the cocaine 80’s Stones inspired “I Ain’t Hiding”, especially the Luther Dickinson solo. It’s a bit of a guilty pleasure.

Steve Earle “Townes”

Can’t go wrong with a tribute album to Townes Van Zandt, the best Texas songwriter of all time. Old Steve especially shines on Lorreta and Lungs (with Tom Morello). I’d like to mention that “Waiting Around To Die” is not offered on this album but is possibly the best song in existence.

Monsters Of Folk

Take out the faggy dude from whatever his name is and you got a really quality project. M Ward and Jim James are the stars of this album and should be encouraged to continue thier partnership.

Pearl Jam “Back Spacer”

Definitely some classic PJ songs on here, especially now that Eddie has been reaching in the bag after the Into The Wild soundtrack. See “Breathe” and “The End”

Lee Fields & The Expressions “My World”

The first guy to reinvent Motown and give it an honest go. Keep an eye on Lee Fields.

Them Crooked Vultures

With Joshe Homme singing, it sounds like a Queens of the Stoneage record, but a really good one no-less.

If anyone would like to chime in.. be my guest!