#421 - Funeral, The Arcade Fire

"Fueled by the loss of family members, Canada's Arcade Fire turned their sorrow into cathartic indie rock for their debut album. Imagine the early energy of the Talking Heads transposed onto a more baroque mixture of Neutral Milk Hotel's inspired folk-psych and New Order's sense of pop dynamics. Good stuff, then!" (real music guide)

#420 - Relish, Joan Osborne

"Osborne's passion for life oozes from the grooves. There's an uplifting fervor to her material and delivery, as if every second, every note was being individually savored. Key track "One of Us" sets the disc's optimistic tone. It's a simple, direct statement of faith, honest and unadorned, one framed in a near-perfect chorus and delectable Neil Young-ish guitar riff. This isn't one of those sugary, superficial, goody-two-shoes Amy Grant kind of deals." (allmusic guide)

#419 - Learning To Crawl, The Pretenders

"With two key members OD'ing, it looked like the Pretenders were finished. Instead, the band came back with its best-selling -- and best -- album. Once again, FM rock, New Wave and punk fans came together for an LP loaded with too many classics tracks to mention. Hell, we can't help ourselves: how great is "Back on the Chain Gang"?" (real music guide)