My top albums of the year

It seems like a lot of these lists are coming out right about now, so I figured I'd put mine together now too. I decided to do two lists this year, one for local albums and one for non-local albums. It just seemed like a more fair way to include everything I wanted to include. I'll start with the local ones now and move on to non-local in the next couple of days.

It's also worth noting that there are probably a bunch of things that I haven't heard yet that would probably make this list if I wrote it up after hearing them. So I'm just working with what I've heard so far, if only for the sake of timeliness. Anyway, on to the lists.

Local Albums

Honorable mention: Cecil Otter - Rebel Yellow
This was basically a reworked version of an album he released 2 years ago. Half of it's new and the other half is all updated. I have trouble calling it entirely new though. If not for that, it probably would've taken the 8 or 9 spot.
Best songs: "Rebel Yellow", "Black Rose"

10. Muja Messiah - Thee Adventures of a B-Boy D-Boy
I loved his MPLS Massacre mixtape last year. This is almost as good. A lot of excellent guest appearances (Slug from Atmosphere, I Self Divine, Maria Isa) and the willingness to experiment with a variety of styles makes it hard to pin down exactly what kind of rapper Muja wants to be, but it also makes it hard to not find something to like about the album.
Best Songs: "So Far So Good", "Beautiful"

9. Action vs. Action - Sentimental City
Good straightforward power-pop. Listening to it, you get the feeling that they wanted the music to be something big, and it seems they lived up to that. Very catchy, too.
Best Songs: "The Last Time You Were Here", "Billions & Billions"

8. The Plastic Constellations - We Appreciate You
A fitting curtain call. Every bit as good as their last two albums, and a little more mature to boot. It's amazing how something as simple as adding a couple of horn parts can make a song so much better. Like with AvA, it aspires to be bigger than anything they've done before, and they found ways to do it.
Best Songs: "Floated Down and Flew Around", "Perched on a Porch", "So Many Friends"

7. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
I have no problem with calling this their best album to date. The full band setup works incredibly well, with everything coming together much better than it had on the last couple albums. "Yesterday" and "You" are two of the best songs I've heard all year. The album's incredibly varied, but unlike most of their older stuff, there's not a bad song in the bunch.
Best Songs: "You", "Yesterday", "Dreamer"

6. Roma di Luna - Casting the Bones
They went for a fuller sound, adding a band and moving slightly away from their largely acoustic guitar/violin dynamic. However, the songwriting remains as fantastic as it ever was, which it what allows them to go in a new direction and still seem like the same band. Also, Channy gets bonus points for her fantastic guest vocals on "Puppets" by Atmosphere.
Best Songs: "I Can't Afford to be Broke", "These Tears Ain't Mine (Reprise)", "I'm Gone"

5. Doomtree - Doomtree
Easily my most anticipated album of the year. The fact that it's at #5 isn't so much me saying it was disappointing as it's me saying it was a good year for local music. If I were to make a list of my top ten songs from the year, I'd probably have 3 from this album. It allowed every member of the group to show off their talents collaboratively. The only thing keeping it from the top of the list is that it lacks the cohesiveness of other albums. It's more a collection of great songs than it is a great album.
Best Songs: "Kid Gloves", "Dots and Dashes", "Accident"

4. Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts
Without question, their best album. It's as emotional as anything they've ever done, but it also feels like a more unified album than Meaning of 8 or Happy Hippo. It takes everything I loved about their previous two albums and condenses it down, without losing anything in the process.
Best Songs: "No One Said it Would Be Easy", "The Ghost Inside Our House", "Story of the Grandson of Jesus"

3. Crescent Moon is in Big Trouble - Crescent Moon is in Big Trouble
I always have trouble putting EPs on lists like this. 6 songs hardly seems like enough to qualify for something like this. But it's six brilliant songs. It takes the best parts of Crescent Moon's rapping style and Heiruspecs' affinity for melding jazz and hip-hop. It's bold (hip-hop in 5/4? Why not.), it's original, and it's just really good from start to finish.
Best Songs: "Broken Dishes", "St. James Infirmary"

2. Dillinger Four - Civil War
Six years after their last album, they finally gave us something new. Not quite Chinese Democracy, but definitely a significant wait. But this one actually exceeded expectations. It's their most grown-up album, with lyrics that delve into things deeper than sarcastic social commentary. Beyond that, they actually seemed to give their vocals a little credit for once, bringing them to the forefront and making their message all the more clear.
Best Songs: "A Jingle for the Product", "Clown Cars on Cinder Blocks", "Minimum Wage is a Gateway Drug"

1. Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak - Hand Over Fist
This is what happens when an album comes together. Mictlan has long been the best of the Doomtree MCs at live shows, but his other albums have always seemed lacking in some ways. Lazerbeak has been putting together great beats for years but has never had an album to really showcase his work. This album features both of them at their best. Without question, it's the most cohesive album anyone in Doomtree has put out. The beats are stunning, to the point that you almost feel like you're missing something if you don't focus all your attention on them. And Mictlan finally has a record that shows the talent he's been showing live for years.
Best Songs: "Prize Fight", "LA Raiders Hat", "Shux"