HONORABLE MENTIONS: Marshal Crenshaw, What's in the Bag? (almost as redundant as the Raveonettes - but way more human); The Go-Betweens, Bright Yellow, Bright Orange (second best folk-rock album of the year); Radiohead, Hail to the Thief (personally wish it was more pissed off, but mebbe this is as far as these choirboy depressives can go); Rooney (the Spirit of Pezband lives!); Travis, 13 Memories (political peevishness doesn't excuse dopey lyrics - but it can prod you out of excess solipsism) and, yes, White Stripes, Elephant (Jack White's a screechy dork, but he can sure do the sputtery blues-rock thing - wish all the tracks were as full as "Seven Nation Army," tho ).