TBWHTO #'s 11-20

10 more songs and 10 more stupid superlatives...

20. "Dead Man's Will" Iron & Wine & Calexico [I hope that they can play this one at my funeral.]

19. "Engine Driver" The Decemberists ["If you don't love me let me go." 'Nuff said.]

18. "Kiss You" Alaska [Alaska just kicks tons of ass with their music and more people need to start listening to them.]

17. "So Begins Our Alabee" Of Montreal [Not to totally exploit Jay's past as a radio promoter put one of the first bands he turned me on to after he had started that line of work was Of Montreal. I can't believe they've been around that long. I remember one year trying to go see them and someone mistook me for Jay and when I said I was his twin brother she accused me of being just another music industry dick. This happened every year during CMJ.]

16. "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left" Andrew Bird [What a trip. It starts off with very little, a voice and a guitar, and then just blows up into an orchestra of details.]

15. "Circles" Bob Mould [The man behind my cardigan collection, totally back in form.]

14. "Back to Me" Kathleen Edwards [This may be the only track in the top 20 that many of you haven't heard. Kathleen's a young country-rocker from the Great North who has played with Dylan and the Stones and deservedly so.]

13. "Monkey" Low [The first great song in 2005. Who knew they could rock like this? ]

12. "Since U Been Gone" Ted Leo [This is a great song no matter who sings it but when Ted seamlessly busts out with some Yeah Yeah Yeahs halfway in...genius.]

11. "Baby C'mon" Stephen Malkmus [I really didn't like any of the post-Pavement Malkmus until I heard this killer track. He keeps it simple and catchy.]