The Best You've Never Heard...

Faultline, Your Love Means Everything

Of course David Kosten is from North London. The DJ behind this one-man act could only have concocted the breathtakingly melancholy Your Love Means Everything under the thick British gray. Devastating, but not overbearing; stark, but not boring; and gorgeous throughout, Kosten's sophomore effort is the sound of electronic music at its most ambitious. And the guest stars don't hurt either: REM's Michael Stipe, Coldplay's Chris Martin and members of the Flaming Lips offer their support. Martin is the standout here, his plaintive warbling particularly impressive on "Where Is My Boy?"--a song superior to any on Coldplay's own A Rush of Blood to the Head. Elegantly mixing tracks led by big-name vocalists with instrumental ones of his own, Kosten has created an album to slip away to when you wake up on Sunday morning with nobody by your side.

--Greg Veis

 Iron and Wine, The Creek Drank the Cradle 

I've never known of any musical merit to come out of my hometown, Miami. Thank Huizenga that when it finally happened, it sounded nothing like Gloria Estefan--in fact, it might as well be coming from a back porch in Depression-era West Virginia. Iron and Wine consists of schoolteacher Samuel Beam, a couple of barely audible friends and entire bushels of neck beard. It's not the first American act to elicit reference to British folk martyr Nick Drake, but it might be the first to be his equal. The rustic ballads are grounded in the best of folk tradition but never sound like a history lesson; instead, Beam's breathy croon recalls memories of hot summer evenings and cool riverbeds--memories that you might not even really have.

The most acclaimed British release of the year was the Streets' Original Pirate Material, a gritty mix of underground garage, cockney hip-hop and social commentary that is relevant, poetic and sometimes tedious; leave it to our foppish cousins to completely miss 2002's most charming, joyous musical confection, Max Tundra's Mastered By the Guy at the Exchange. Blissful pop diced, sliced, smothered and topped with electronic flourishes, Mastered is astonishing whether as simple melody or mad laboratory experiment. The man behind the Max is Ben Jacobs, who crawled out of his first album's avant-noise cave to enlist his sister's velvety vocal help. Think the White Stripes as phantasmic electrical spirits in an anime funk opera composed by Prince.

--Greg Bloom

OK Go, OK Go

While OK Go have received a modicum of attention this year for their single "Get Over It," they have yet to acquire the mass appeal that their music deserves. The Chicago quartet unites indie rock and pop to create catchy, cathartic songs featuring crunchy, driving guitars and melodious hooks sprinkled with '80's-derived keyboard work. Their seemingly conversational lyrics are peppered with humorous, expressive details. Lead singer Damian Kulash uses bittersweet vocals to convey urgent longing and sarcastic irritation. On their self-titled debut album, OK Go demonstrate that despite their emphasis on instrumentation over heavy-handed lyrics, they are able to articulate powerful emotion, rallying listeners with their toe-tapping, anthemic rock.

--Hilary Lewis

Railroad Earth, Bird in the House

If you like bluegrass, "new-grass", or even--deep breath here--jam rock, and you haven't discovered Railroad Earth yet, it's time to get on board. Bird in the House, their second album on Sugar Hill Records, lives up to the promise of their acclaimed debut The Black Bear Sessions with a solid sound that's a welcome relief from the drone of endless jamming elsewhere in their musical sphere. Todd Shaeffer's songwriting continues to be inspired, and the band behind him brings a layered sound that moves effortlessly from twangy folk to broad harmony. There's an expansive happiness behind Railroad Earth's music that shines through even after repeated listening. Give these boys a hand.

--Macy Parker