HONORABLE MENTIONS

The National
"Boxer" (Beggars Banquet)
Love in the time of fake empire ("Fake Empire," "Mistaken for Strangers").

Imani Coppola
"The Black & White Album" (Ipecac)
Think Macy Gray with less voice and no corny side, which she needs more than the voice now that she has some songs ("Woke Up White," "30th Birthday").

The Hives
"The Black and White Album" (A&M/Octone)
Approach the debut's perfectly conveyed and controlled illusion of headlong desperation, then lose their cool ("You Got It All .... Wrong," "Well All Right!").

Noisettes
"What's the Time Mr. Wolf?" (Cherry/Universal Motown)
Conscious punk aspiring to art-rock, and not ruinously ("Don't Give Up," "Scratch Your Name").

The Ponys
"Turn the Lights Out" (Matador)
Echo for echo's sake ("Everyday Weapon," "Maybe I'll Try").

RBX
"Broken Silence" (Phantom Domestic)
Paroled Death Row intimate pours some gravel on poor righteous teaching ("Stop That," "Echoes of My Mind").

Federation
"It's Whateva" (Reprise)
Beyond the token ultraviolence they're dirty frat boys like Digital Underground, which doesn't mean they ever matriculated or anything ("Get Naked You Beezy," "College Girl").

Yeasayer
"All Hour Cymbals" (We Are Free)
Tribal neo-psychedelia as spirit food for the grim times ahead ("2080," "Wait for the Wintertime").

J. Period & Game Rebellion
"Searching for Rick Rubin" (Truelements)
Jay-Z, Run-D.M.C. and G.W.B. dragooned onto agitprop mixtape ("99 Problems," "Divide and Conquer").

The Chinese Stars
"Listen to Your Left Brain" (Three One G)
Electropunks attempt garage guitar, which beats careers in equity management by quite a bit ("Left Brain," "Drugs and Sunshine").

Sonic Youth
"The Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities" (Geffen)
"Washing Machine" having cheaped out on "The Diamond Sea" at 19:35, they concoct an instrumental album to introduce the 25:48 version ("Fire Engine Dream," "Queen Anne Chair").

"Crunk Hits Vol. 4"
(TVT)
A living party music enters its collectible novelty stage (Lil Jon Feat. Three 6 Mafia, "Act a Fool"; Huey, "Pop, Lock & Drop It").

Dennis Brown
"The Best of the Joe Gibbs Years" (Shanachie)
Loving rocker in the conscious '70s ("Coming Home Tonight," "Black Liberation Time").

Jay-Z
"American Gangster" (Roc-a-Fella)
Jay-Z, that's a brand name, like Pepsi, that's a brand name  he stands behind it, he guarantees it, even if you don't know him any more than you know the chairman of Universal Music ("Blue Magic," "Say Hello").

Band of Horses
"Cease to Begin" (Sub Pop)
In a year you'll still remember most of these tunes, and you'll still wish it didn't take 34 minutes to get through 10 of them ("No One's Gonna Love You," "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands").

CHOICE CUTS

Gorilla Zoe
"Money Man"
"Take Your Shoes Off"
"Do Something"
("Welcome to the Zoo" [Bad Boy])

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
"Fight Outta You"
("Lifeline" [Virgin])

Hurricane Chris
"A Bay Bay The Ratchet Remix"
("51/50 Ratchet" [J])

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
"Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
"What's Going On"
("What's Going On" [Shout! Factory])