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Reagen
They, like, won a Polaris Prize and everything.
It's totally prestigious. No really.

Kim
It's crazy good. Very musically challenging.

Steve
"And the winner is, Fricked Up ... oh, that's just rude, eh?"

Reagen
I'm going perhaps way too conventional with my second pick, for Foo Fighters and Wasting Light, aka, the saviors of Rock. Dave Grohl rediscovered his balls after playing with Josh Homme again and wrote one of the strongest rock records in ages. It's probably not enough to destroy the hydra of Gaga, Perry and Ke$ha, but every swing counts, right?

Steve
Uh oh.

Noah
OH MY GOD. Now you're just baiting me.

Andrew
[Warning: Cliche] Get back behind the drums Dave...

Steve
Reagen, Noah wrote a whole post about how the Foo Fighters are the devil and everything. I think you just ruined his long weekend.

Reagen
I was as bored by Echoes, Silence, Snooze as everyone else, but I unabashedly love this album.

Kim
NOAH SMASH!

Steve
Hey, a lot of people do and there's nothing wrong with that. Noah's just an elitist.

Noah
Okay, I'm going to counter with music that isn't terrible. For my second pick, I'm thrilled to take The King is Dead by The Decemberists. I love the swerve Colin Meloy and company made after the brilliant lunacy of The Hazards of Love. Gillian Welch's voice fits fantastically as they channel Harvest Moon-era Neil Young. Speaking of, I hope everyone bought the new Gillian Welch album this week.

Andrew
Oh man, didn't we argue about this album when we met Steve?

Kim
I haven't gotten the new Gillian Welch and had hoped to have a listen before tonight, but life got in the way. I think The King Is Dead is great, too.

Andrew
I love the Decemberists as a proggy, brit-folk band with stories of getting eaten by a whale and such. I just don't buy them as Americana. Not as much anyway.

Reagen
I'm still sort of frightened that Noah's going to start driving in the general direction of Canada. I think I should alert the border guards to be on the lookout for a wild-eyed ginger.

Noah
It's not a long drive.

Steve
We did discuss this album Andrew, and I'm on board with its place on this list. Proggy only goes so far, and this was a necessary and welcome change of pace that shows The Decemberists have a different gear to go to. Not all bands can say that. Looks at Coldplay**

Andrew
Ha, you know I'm a Coldplay defender too right? You crafty ...

Kim
For my next pick, I'm going with All Eternals Deck by The Mountain Goats. I probably listed to "Damn These Vampires" seven times in a row the first time I heard it on the radio (hooray for the rewind button), but the whole album benefits from John Darnielle's ambitious lyrics.

Andrew
Haven't heard this album. But their Jawbreaker cover on the A.V. Club's video series "Undercover," is a must-watch.

Noah
I too defend Coldplay.

Reagen
Et tu, Noah!

Kim
I am also a Coldplay advocate.

Noah
I'll take Coldplay's overly earnest music over Foo Fighter's overly cynical commercial "rock" any day.

I'm standing at the podium ready to deliver my next pick if Kim doesn't ruin my dream of getting the three top albums on my board.

Steve
I didn't say Coldplay sucked, I just said all they know how to play are Coldplay songs.

Kim
And my swing pick is going to be The Antlers' Burst Apart. I think the album is a grower and needs a few listens to really settle in. I found myself drawn into the all-too-relatable dream analysis song "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out" (I have this nightmare all the time), and the album is bleak, but that's partly because it strips you emotionally bare.

And back to you, Noah.

Andrew
Damn, I really need to hear that. Hospice was so good.

Noah
I have it, I've listened to it, and I don't dislike it. But it hasn't connected with me yet.

Steve
I've been getting to know this album lately and I think I'm going to love it.

Reagen
We are veering dangerously close to a derail but there's nothing about Coldplay that isn't cynical and calculated. You know that Chris Martin finishes every song mentally thinking "Take that, Bono!"

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