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Noah: I can't claim to have given this album the attention it apparently deserves - it was much, much further down on my list and I'll give it another shot.

As we've been discussing this year's albums, I've actually swapped two of them in order. So my #5 album is The King is Dead by The Decemberists, which we discussed in depth nearly a year ago.

But my #4 album is the far more challenging and, honestly, more exciting Sound Kapital by Handsome Furs. 2009's Face Control is a really good album, but Sound Kapital is the fullest realization of their sound and their most consistent work. It's also an impressive evolution for a band with two people, only one of whom is, by trade, a musician.

Steve: I loved their appearance on Sound Opinions, I thought they had a lot of interesting things to say there and on this album. Sound Kapital is a tight record - nine songs only - that contemplates themes of identity, displacement, and protest through a sort of travelogue about the band's touring of Eastern Europe ... or something. Witness songs like "When I Get Back" and "Serve the People"... the latter, one of my favorites on the record. All that said, I had Sound Kapital a little lower on my list at #25, but it's an album I like a lot and would recommend to anyone. It's certainly one of the most unique records I heard this year. They do so much with so little.

Noah: I'll say a quick word about my #3 album of this year, Radiohead's The King of Limbs. They dropped it on us like assassins back in February with less than a week's notice and it's remained high on my list all year - spooky and off-kilter. I'm not remotely shy about my bias for Radiohead, but it's an album that I don't believe got the attention it deserved. Between The King of Limbs and 2007's In Rainbows, it seems like they are building to something. What it is I don't know, but Radiohead seem like they're trying to figure out just where to go next and in terms of bands that evolve, Radiohead is an amazing example. I'll reiterate my hope from our mid-year column that they put out a batshit nuts all out rock album soon. This is another band that could release something every year and I'd never get bored.

That didn't turn out to be a quick word.

Steve: We're getting down to it, closer to our #1 records of the year. I reviewed my #3 album for the blog so I will just say that I loved everything about Iron & Wine's Kiss Each Other Clean, and it's a testament to my top 2 that they top it. My #2 record is from the band Beirut - The Rip Tide. Beirut was almost sliding into the territory some bands get to where it's like, okay, you've said all you're going to say as a creative force, so I'm done with you now - around these parts we call that Son Volt Territory.

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