Nathan Phillips
Albums
1 tUnE-yArDs w h o k I l l (4AD): Merrill Garbus, the hero we need, stretches herself out with world-saving body music.
2 Das Racist Relax (Greedhead): Good jokes, bad jokes, non-jokes and immensely wry pop smarts.
3 Shabazz Palaces Black Up (Sub Pop): Digable Planets' Butterfly returns under a new name with the most beautiful, overwhelmingly tricky hip-hop record in years.
4 Atlas Sound Parallax (4AD): Bradford Cox gets depressed again, crafts his best and most gorgeous music to date.
5 PJ Harvey Let England Shake (Island): Haunting hybrid of folk and menace exploring the consequences of war.
6 Cut Copy Zonoscope (Modular): "Some people cling to what they know, but I woke up; now it's time to go."
7 Wilco The Whole Love (Anti-) Wilco's full embrace of dad-rock hits the perfect fucked-up emotional notes.
8 Destroyer Kaputt (Merge): Best '80s soft rock throwback thus far, lyrically intelligent and lushly transformative.
9 The Mountain Goats All Eternals Deck (Merge): A great album of eloquent, heartfelt songs from John Darnielle; so what else is new?
10 Radiohead The King of Limbs (TBD): Understated beats rub up against balladry that stares into a blissful abyss; they're the best they've ever been.
Nathan Phillips
SONGS
1 tUnE-yArDs "Doorstep"
2 Cut Copy "Take Me Over"
3 Das Racist "Michael Jackson"
4 Smith Westerns "Dance Away"
5 Wilco "One Sunday Morning"
6 PAPA "I Am the Lion King"
7 TV on the Radio "You"
8 Big K.R.I.T. "Rotation
9 Big Black Delta "Huggin' and Kissin'"
10 Mozart Parties "Black Cloud"
