Again, that time of year is rocketing toward us all. It's been a mad and magnificent one. The election. The Red Sox. Phew! Also, it'll be a little weird seeing Regis Philbin filling in for Dick Clark, that's for sure.

Here are the pop, rock & whatever records that have spent the most time in my player.

• Tom Waits - Real Gone

  I think of Waits as my cranky old uncle. With bits and pieces of his voice sampled and turned into percussion, you're gonna have to search far and wide to find anything with this much texture. Americana from the wrong side of tracks.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• Bjork - Medulla

  If Tom Waits is my cranky old uncle, then Bjork is my oddball cousin (probably a kissin' cousin too, but I can't into that now, this being the holidays and all). An album built around the human voice. Spectacular.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• Green Day -American Idiot

  The bratty California punkers branch out with a punk rock opera. Some people were miffed at the political stance. Hey, this is punk. You want conformity? Politics aside, the music is a total blast.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• Norah Jones -Feels Like Home

  The backlash was inevitable. I don't care. This is a voice that melt's the coldest heart.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• U2 -How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

  Those who've given up on U2 have, well...given up on U2. The rest of us can sit back an enjoy one of the finest records they've ever done.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• Loretta Lynn -Van Lear Rose

  Just when the yapping about Jack White hit its peak (the consensus being that White is a guitar god...and that White is a poser), he teams up with Country goddess to produce one of the best country records I've heard in years. Loretta Lynn on Interscope Records? Who woulda thunk it?

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• Ani DiFranco -Educated Guess

  Ani goes lo-fi to come up with a most intimate and powerful album.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• Joe Jackson Band -Afterlife

  Sure, nostalgia plays a big part in my love of this one. But still, these guys can flat out play.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• Guster -Guster On Ice

  On a freezing cold night in Portland, Maine, this pop band just about redefined the extatic musical experience.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

  
  

• Patti Scialfa -23rd Street Lullaby

  Fans of the E-Street Band, in particular those who've been to the shows, know that Patti's got it going on. This record proves it.

  (Original Blogcritics review here)

(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)