From the Salmon

• eleven
  

  Spoon - Gimme Fiction

  Gimme Fiction is about as solid as they come. There's no excess here, just taut, muscular rock with a pop sensibility that borders on Lennonist.

  Website | Amazon | iTunes

• twelve
  

  Iron & Wine and Calexico - In the Reins EP

  How will Iron & Wine's now familiar rustic southern whisper fare when plied against the spaghetti western flair of Calexico's Burns, Convertino and company? [ Full Review ]

  Iron & Wine Website | Calexico Website | Amazon | iTunes

• thirteen
  

  Beck - Guero

  The groove of Odelay with the melodic maturity of Sea Change. Beck doesn't break new ground but gives us a complex album that wonderfully plays to his strengths.

  Website | Amazon | iTunes

• fourteen
  

  Anderson - weradioanderson

  Layering Kings of Convenience harmonies over ebullient glitch-pop, this dutch acoustic duo has crafted a radiant delight of an album that is my serendipitous discovery of the year. Dutchboys represent!

  Website | Paste Music | MySpace

• fifteen
  

  Death Cab for Cutie - Plans

  While Plans wasn't exactly the quantum leap forward fans expected with a major label debut, there's nothing not to like here. Gibbard's maturing lyrically, and even if it's not as interesting as Transatlanticism, it's still every bit as enjoyable.

  Website | Amazon | iTunes

Albums 16-20

(This list has been a little flaky in Internet Explorer. I didn't have time to fix that before we left. Use Firefox, already.)