[Reaper16]

Honorable Mentions:
Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster: To be fair this is an 8-track EP of new material bundled with Gaga’s 2008 stroke of genius The Fame. It would make my Top 25 if not for this compilation status. Lady Gaga is genius. She takes the daring, sexually adventurous (and ambiguous) style of Madonna and mixes it with the aesthetic qualities of Bjork. Beyond the danceable electronic sounds and killer hooks there are some sly lyrics. The songs may be waterlogged from red wine but it doesn’t slow down the dancing.



Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Live Anthology: Another compilation that I don’t think should count towards the actual top 25. It is, however, the best musical release of the entire year. 4 discs (5 if you get the ultra-deluxe version) of live Heartbreakers material (and plenty of interesting cover songs). That’s the hard sell and its all you need but I’ll go on for the Hell of it. The songs are scattered from all throughout the 35 year history of the band yet the release feels smooth. The flow from each track works wonders even as the years skip forwards or backwards by decades. The Heartbreakers are the best live act I’ve ever seen. This release proves why.