For fans of: the Twilight Sad; the National; U2; Bruce Springsteen; Interpol; Pixies; Bloc Party

Roots Radicals
43. (tie) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
43. (tie) Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch)
Yes, frankly, you should be ashamed if these two bands are not on your radar screen. If there are two bands that deserve to be dirty rotten filthy stinkin' rich by now, then you're looking at 'em.

If Spoon would tone down the funk a little bit and get to the point quicker, they might have a chance to sniff the mainstream again, but you can't blame a band who has been so overlooked and misunderstood (relatively speaking) over the years for trying to find the right formula. Once again, there is just that little something missing that makes this a hair short of "essential", or "classic", but the fact that you are even pondering these two words while listening is probably a good sign.

For fans of: Ted Leo; Wilco; Elvis Costello; Dr. Dog; the Hold Steady

Wilco is probably just about fed up with the whole mainstream process, but you wouldn't know it from hearing this wonderful pop record, perhaps their most focused since Summer Teeth. No one does simple, sweet, and somber as lively as Wilco and Jeff Tweedy is a (reluctant) rock hero that everyone should get behind. If they're angry at or worn down by the industry, the aggression is creating some of the most productive and positive sounding music in recent memory and Wilco has re-established themselves as one of the best bands in the world today. If there was ever any doubt...

For fans of: the Band; Spoon; Gram Parsons; Big Star; Neil Young; early Rod Stewart; the Jayhawks

Gets the Red Out
42. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (Saddle Creek)
I always wanted to like Bright Eyes more, but Conor Oberst's voice was always too shaky for me. I liked him, but his somewhat stilted delivery turned me off at times. Well gone is much of the tremble and along with some smooth background music, you get a more level Oberst, too. He sounds like he's really ready to be the next Dylan now (personally I don't think he's in the same league) as his confidence comes more and more naturally which makes all that gravelly pretention unnecessary and now it is all but non-existent. This is a good time for folks like CO to be among our most important voices and while the ultimate torch may never be truly passed, he has begun to build his own fire and the flame has never glowed so effervescently than it is right now.