Franz Ferdinand "S/T" : This record was so good I am not ashamed to put it on my year-end list. Yes, maybe your sister in high school listens to them. Yes, they're getting big. But damn, can these Glaswegians write some great songs. I would listen to it even if my mom bought the album. "Take Me Out" is clearly one of the best singles of the year, and every song on this album is as good as that song. File this under "popular for all the right reasons". Interpol "Antics" : The cover to Interpol's new record sums up the tone of the whole record: stark, angular guitars and dance grooves, stripped of a lot of the atmospherics that defined 2002's "Turn On The Bright Lights". This record also proves that Interpol has one of today's best and most melodic rhythm sections in rock music today, with songs like "NARC" and "Length of Love" showing a sly funkiness not present on the debut. Here's to avoiding the sophomore slump. Pulp "His N Hers" : When you get your heart broken, every friend recommends the perfect breakup record. This is the one that worked. Nothing says new independence like synth-driven Britpop with neurotic lyrics about sex, love, and deceit. "Lipgloss" on repeat, please. Bright Eyes "Lua" (single) - This new song from Oberst's upcoming "I'm Awake, It's Morning" strips away the dramatic arrangements that defined 2001's "Lifted...", replacing it with a drunken desolation that evokes sitting on a bus at three in the morning, looking at the empty streets, thinking about how you drank too much. Q and not U "Power"/"X-Polynation" (single) : where the "X-Polynation" single finds Q and not U making timeless Dischord political rock, "Power" turns Dischord into the year's hottest discotheque. Let's call it "Red Medicine" meets "Purple Rain". LCD Soundsystem - "Yeah (Crass Remix)": This song is for you if you're a person who wished Kraftwerk played "Sister Ray". This song is for you if you're a person who wishes every dance song included 5 minutes of synth self-destruction. This song is for you if you're a person who cannot get enough cowbell. This song is for you if you're a person. Scissor Sisters "S/T": I didn't want to like this record. I didn't plan to like this record. But after a mere solitary listen, I spent the next day and a half humming "Tits on the Radio". So this record is either the best thing I've heard all year or it contains a secret additive that makes it more addictive than heroin. Either way, there's really no use resisting. The Hives "Tyrannosaurus Hives": The Hives' last album, "Veni Vidi Vicious", was a drunk, angry fistfight that was determined to kick your ass. "Tyrannosaurus Hives", it's the same, but it's turned into a robot.. . a robot that likes Devo. Of Montreal "Satanic Panic In The Attic": I love Of Montreal. Kevin Barnes' psychadelic pop was always charming and melodic, but on "Satanic Panic In The Attic", Barnes drops the charm and throws in a healthy dose of glam and electronica. From album opener "Disconnect The Dots", Barnes' songs are dressed with a far more mature sonic backdrop than any other Of Montreal release prior. As usual, Barnes plays all of he instruments, which is incredible, considering the sheer amount of music on "Satanic Panic". A stunning individual statement, "Satanic Panic In The Attic"'s brilliance is matched only by the sheer joyfulness it contains.