• "Here Comes That Day" - Mantaray, Siouxsie

"Here Comes That Day" is a slinky ode to comeuppance. If you can get past the mixed metaphor in the first line, the song is good fun, full of humor, drama and swing, with dazzling big band horns and a Shirley Bassey-"Goldfinger" flare. Like all good Siouxsie, this song will burrow into your ears and coil itself around your brain on endless repeat. "Here comes the rain on your parade." Read KQED's Mantaray review.
--MT

• "All I Need To Hear" - I Wish I Could Have ..., Candie Payne

What is it about Brits and their love of big-boned, lavishly orchestrated, sixties-style pop? Over the years, the likes of Saint Etienne,Portishead and many more besides have mined this golden era for nuggets of inspiration, and yet still it keeps on giving. Liverpudlian lass Candie Payne is the latest to pick up the baton and swing with it, by releasing her glorious, retro-drenched debut in May. She also toured with none other than Mark Ronson, who found time between his other projects (producing Amy Winehouse records, world domination) to produce a single-release version of another track from this album, "One More Chance."
--KL

• "Between My Legs" - Release the Stars, Rufus Wainwright

I saw Rufus perform at the Masonic this summer and it was one of the best live shows I've seen in ages. He's the kind of performer that gets on stage and just gives his all, which for Wainwright is a considerable amount to give. His band was beyond tight. The set was mostly culled from Wainwright's latest album, Release the Stars, which was a return to form after the disappointing "double record set" of Want One and Want Two. "Between My Legs" is a celebration of something -- freedom? commitment? Who knows? It gets kind of swirly and off-kilter toward the end, but like Wainwright's live show, wherein he does a tribute to Judy Garland as an encore, the song ends triumphantly.
--MT

• "Rhythm and Soul" - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon

Everyone else I know liked Spoon right away. Perhaps I was just being contrary, but I didn't really GET the band until Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga came out this year. They have a stripped back sound that, on most of their other efforts, has seemed a little too sparse for my taste. I don't know what happened, but this album opened my ears. Perhaps it was the addition of just that little something extra that took the songs over the top for me. I especially like "Rhythm and Soul" for the assymetrical carnival organ sound that seems to knock the song's perky beat on its side during the chorus.
--MT

• "Back to Black" - Back to Black, Amy Winehouse

Hands down, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black was my favorite release of the year. The title song is but a sample of what can be found on the rest of the record, which is best played straight through, each song building or commenting on the last. "Back to Black" starts out with a jaunty Motown groove, evoking a bygone era, an age of innocence that is immediately shattered by Winehouse's lyrics. The success of "Back to Black," both the single and the album, comes from the tension created between Mark Ronson's uncanny (re)production of an authentic '60s soul sound and Winehouse's insistent modernism. But then there are flights of freedom, when Winehouse finally gives in and indulges in the true radio melodrama of the girl group sound that she both imitates and embodies. Read Christina Nunez's full Back to Black review.
--MT

• "Horse and I" - Fur and Gold, Bat for Lashes

You gotta love a song that starts with harpsichord, kicks in with an insistent martial drum beat and then soars into upper register vocals and strings, finally swirling to an end. What's going on in "Horse and I?" Some kind of Renaissance Faire fantasy of girls going into battle? Who knows? It's a wonderful gothic, grrrl power dream that hypnotizes while it propels forward. Read Deepthi Welaratna's Fur and Gold review.
--MT

• "No Cars Go" - Neon Bible, Arcade Fire

Although Arcade Fire's new album, released early in 2007, was (whisper it) slightly dissappointing in places, soaring high points such as this one helped to distract from the occasional flat spots. This song is doubly significant in that it first appeared on their 2003 debut EP, and is a firm fans' favorite (the name of leading Arcade Fire fansite, Us Kids Know, comes from its lyrics). And, of course, Arcade Fire continue to sound simply astounding live and deserve inclusion here for that reason alone.
--KL

• "Roll On" - Dumb Luck, Dntel

Dntel's latest album has at its heart an intriguing but pleasing paradox. On the one hand, it has been lovingly constructed from all manner of strange glitches, atonal melodies and seemingly random beats tripping over one another. On the other, all these weird noises combine to create a sound that is lush and surprisingly gentle on the ear. In other words, it is a leftfield indie album unlikely to upset your parents if you happen to drop it during dinner. The brainchild of Jimmy Tamborello (who is probably better known as one half of The Postal Service), this track features vocals from Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, while elsewhere on the album there are vocal contributions from all manner of low-key indie darlings, including Bright Eyes, Lali Puna, and Grizzly Bear. File under: "naughty but nice."
--KL

• "Myriad Harbor" - Challengers, The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers don't know the meaning of half way. I saw them perform at The Warfield this fall and each song was played full force, with the volume control set firmly at eleven. They could basically fill stadiums with their music, but are probably too good and too clever to fill the same with bodies. In places, their music is reminiscent of seventies power pop (The Sweet, Cheap Trick), pure joy, celebration and surprise. I could have chosen any song off Challengers, I love them all equally. "Myriad Harbor" is just a tad bit more humorous than the others, but only by a sliver.
--MT

• "Cold Days From the Birdhouse" - Fourteen Autumns..., The Twilight Sad

The fact that The Twilight Sad hail from Glasgow, Scotland should come as no surprise to anyone who has heard raffish lead singer James Graham's singing voice. His rich baritone is thickly coated with a deep-fried Scottish burr: think Arab Strap meets Joy Division, and you won't be too far off. Elsewhere, north-country meloncholia and teenage angst pervade this deliciously dark debut album. It is the perfect accompaniment for cold winter nights everywhere.
--KL