If you missed the intro and the second ten, check them out in yesterday’s post. One thing I failed to mention (although I suppose it’s obvious) is that I have included a clip with each entry so you can hear a little of what the album is like. So, with that, here’s the rest of the list – my top ten favorites of the year.

10. The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me – Brand New   (2006)

The latest from Brand New is, in my opinion, their best by far. I really like Jesse Lacey’s vocals and songwriting here, both lyrically and musically. Several reviews I read invoked the name of Pink Floyd, so I suppose that’s a valid comparison. And the song “Jesus Christ” is one of my favorites of the year. Also, it gets my favorite album cover award this year.

9. Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss   (2007)

What happens when one of the fathers of heavy metal and the reigning queen of bluegrass get together to make a record? Well, Raising Sand happens, and it’s far better than I would have imagined it could be. Plant and Krauss sound magnificent together, and there’s a lot here – country, folk, blues, rock – a little of everything. And it’s all done very well.

8. Emotionalism – The Avett Brothers   (2007)

Bluegrass, rock, country, pop – The Avett Brothers have it all. Scott describes them as “a meld of the Beatles and bluegrass.” That’s pretty much right on. I first heard them via a performance on Conan O’Brien’s show which left me wanting more. I grabbed the album shortly thereafter, and I was not disappointed.

7. The Crane Wife – The Decemberists   (2006)

The title is from Japanese folklore, a story told in three of the album tracks, among other often strange and sometimes dark lyrics. I recently remembered how great this album is as I watched them perform several of the songs on Austin City Limits. I had a hard time placing this one. It’s so good that I hate not to place it higher, but everything above it is also very good, so it lands here.

6. So Much More – Brett Dennen   (2006)

Dennen is a young singer-songwriter sometimes compared to the likes of Bob Dylan. I stayed away from this for a while because something about Dennen’s voice bothered me. But eventually I got over it and this became one of my favorites of the year. This is a great collection of songs, and very impressive considering it’s only his second album.

5. Hope & Other Casualties – Mark Erelli   (2006)

This album was the first I downloaded from eMusic (along with Ty Tabor) during my free trial back in February. Folk music wasn’t what I was looking for when I signed up, but I’m glad I found this one. Erelli is a terrific storyteller and his post-9/11 song “The Only Way” is the highlight of an album full of great songs.

4. The Black Parade – My Chemical Romance   (2006)

This probably doesn’t seem right, considering the other artists/albums in this list. But it is my favorites list, and this was a definite favorite. It’s a Queen-influenced concept album centered around a dying hospital patient, and despite the dark subject matter, I found it an extremely fun album. Granted, it’s not for everyone, but I couldn’t stop listening to it.

3. Magic – Bruce Springsteen   (2007)

I haven’t really paid as close attention to “The Boss” since my college days, but this newest release was one of the few I bought this year that was an instant favorite upon first listen. There is simply not a bad song on this disc, and if you’ve ever liked Springsteen’s work, you have to own this one.

2. The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter – Josh Ritter   (2007)

Early this year I was introduced to singer-songwriter Josh Ritter via The Animal Years, his release from last year. It was outstanding, and so, the day this newest release hit iTunes in August, I went from my bed to my PC that morning to download it immediately. He’s one of the best out there, and proves it yet again with this album. If you’re not listening to Ritter, you need to start today.

1. Noise From Words – Michael McDermott   (2007)

I suppose there are many injustices in the world of music, but the fact that Michael McDermott is not a more celebrated artist than he is may be the greatest. This is one of the best albums in my entire collection (of nearly 1,300 albums.) He can stand toe to toe with anyone out there today, and I defy you not to love this album. There’s not a bad song to be found here and the closing track is probably my favorite song of the year. Get this album today.

Okay. That’s it. That’s the list.

My next list will be my favorite books of the year. Again this year, I’ve read far less than I would like to have (you can see my list here), but I’ll nonetheless produce a favorites list from what I’ve read sometime next week, or perhaps the final week of the year.