big post of the top 25 today - I'm going away for a few days to Adelaide for a wedding. Should be tops.

But to business...

15. Bonnie Prince Billy - The Letting Go
Another top notch album from BPB. I like the backing vocals - they sound alarming and jarring at first, but they eventually sound absolutely perfect, which kinda sums up the whole Will Oldham oovra.

16. Laura Imbruglia - Laura Imbruglia
Yes, it's Natalie's sister, and this couldn't be more different. There's quite a few missteps on this album. "Lettuce and Anarchists" is the kind of half smart character study that Darren Hanlon does a billion times better and with a million times more empathy. But the crazy, she'll-try-anything vibe that infects the rest of the album more than makes up for the flaws. "Tearducts" is a catchy pop song with pedal steel guitar, "My Dream of a Magical Washing Machine" is as fun as it is odd (it doubled as a jukebox). You can tell she's having a great time just trying out what ever takes her fancy, and that makes it fun to listen to.

17. Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
This was a real grower, a REAL grower. I think I hated it the first time I heard it, now, I'd say I enjoy every minute of it. My highlight is "St. Augustine".

18. Mogwai - Mr. Beast
A definite improvement over Rock Action and Happy Songs..., it still suffers from a sense of familiarity and complacency on a few tracks. The highlights, like "Glasgow Megasnake", "We're No Here" and "Folk Death 95", are astonishing despite the more mundane sections.

19. Sarah Blasko - What The Sea Wants The Sea Will Have
Probably more beautiful than he last album, but a lot less immediate. I think this is gonna take time, but it's not compelling enough for me to want to put in the effort. I think this'll click in 6 months or not at all.

20. M. Ward - Post-War
I like M. Ward a lot, but his music is settling into a very narrow vein. It's all still very good, but this slips into the background way too easily.