Kirsty MacColl, Tropical Brainstorm: Could be I'm still indulging in wistful what-might've-beens with this 'un, but to this day it remains my favorite album of 2001. Sexy, funny, inventive in a way so many Anglo attempts at appropriating Latin rhythms have not been, it's a grace note to a career that was criminally ignored in this country;

The Modern Lovers: Can I explain how much this pre-punk classic speaks to me, years after every note and idea has been plundered by the punks and alt-rockers it inspired? Probably not. If you don't know the glory of listening to the power of the rockin' AM sound at nite (something that's all but vanished), then you don't really know what Jonathan Richman's singing about in "Roadrunner;"

Old '97's, Fight Songs: Screw the No Depression purists - this is a great fuckin' album. And "Jagged" ("I would give anything/Not to feel so jagged") describes at least two decades of my life;

The Rattlers: There were several groups and artists I decided not to include in this list (in part because I've devoted whole pages to 'em elsewhere: for the record they're Kinks, Ramones, Frank Zappa and the Mothers, Harry Nilsson & Graham Parker). Which made it easier to add the Rattlers to this list: a more garage-pop-friendly Ramones that included Joey Ramone's kid bro' Mickey in the lineup. Added bonus: a Lester Bangs song that's a glue-sniffer's update to Brian Wilson's "In My Room;"

Linda and Richard Thompson, Shoot Out the Lights: Is there a better album about marital dissolution than this? Listening to Linda's clear and unsentimental vocals on "Did She Jump," I sure can't think of one.

Damn, I'm at ten already.