Here are my picks (in no order)
Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by Of Montreal
- Glam/Indie/Techno/Pop that shows how far Kevin Barnes has come since the old days.
Mirrored by Battles
- Took me FOREVER to like this. But soon it hit me and I enjoyed all the songs, especially the drumming in them.
In Rainbows by Radiohead
- A return to a more organic Radiohead, still not OK Computer though.
Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman
- Almost too sweet pop songs. Sounds like it was lifted out of the 1970's charts.
Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective
- Not as good as "Feels" but is a real step forward into better produced, and polished songs.
La Cucaracha by Ween
- I like Ween okay. You have a problem with that?
New Magnetic Wonder by Apples in Stereo
- The Elephant Six Collective is BACK!
Anonymous by Tomahawk
- Mike Patton still has it 20 years later. Native American Instruments + Metal = Great
Era Vulgaris by Queens of the Stone Age
- The only real hard-rock band that improves on each album. Sounds like power tools on full throttle.
Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
- I have a soft spot for Wilco. This album tones it down from the other releases, but manages to pull it off flawlessly. An almost return-to-roots for the band.