It smells pretty strongly of pitchfork in here!

Considering that the alternatives are Rolling Stone or Clear Channel, I'm not really complaining.
My favorite CD of the year was probably the Blackstar EP I made by taking the few good songs off of the the new Mos Def and Talib Kweli CDs.
I really liked the new Woven Hand, Sufjan Stevens, Aesop Rock, Madvilliany and RJD2 .
It was good to hear from Tom Waits and Nick Cave again, both with solid if not groundbreaking releases.
And of course the ones I wouldn't have found without pitchfork - Castanets, Air, Arcade Fire, M83, Max Richter, Four Tet and probably a few others.