#24: "Grab a boy! Grab a girl!"

#24.






The Album: Attack & Release
The Artist: The Black Keys

Scuzzy and dirty, bluesly and rocking, The Black Keys return for a fantastic aural assault. Danger Mouse produces another fantastic record, while not trying to be super-quirky in his production. Down to the roots, this is a rock record... and a really good one.





The Single: 4 Minutes
The Artist: Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland

Riding a beat produced by pop-wizard Timbaland, Madonna and Justin Timberlake form one of the most talented May-December relationships of all time. It's dirty and wrong, which is also what makes it kind of exciting and awesome.

#25: "Y'aint supposed to die on a Saturday night..."

#25.



The Album: Como Te Llama
The Artist: Albert Hammond, Jr.

The second album from the Strokes wunderkind shows that he's broken through the sophomore slump. Tight hooks and smart lyrics make for a fun album of great songs.





The Single: The '59 Sound
The Artist: The Gaslight Anthem

The highlight from a fantastic album finds us rocking out and mourning at the same time. It's like a Killers song... but more insightful and more rocking. In other words, better.