The end of the year is imminent, and that means the inevitable flood of "best-of" lists is about to begin. I'll post at least one, if not more, in this space come December, but until then, there will be plenty of linking to do.

The first comes from Information Leafblower, which posted its fourth annual list of the Top 40 Bands in America. As you can guess, that leaves out anyone who isn't American, which thins the list somewhat. Kyle compiled the list by asking several music bloggers to weigh in.

TV on the Radio tops the list on the strength of the band's Return to Cookie Mountain disc. The group didn't make last year's list, so it's quite a feat. The Hold Steady, the Decemberists, Ghostface Killah and My Morning Jacket round out the top 5.

As with any list, there is plenty of discussion/argument fodder about why certain bands did or didn't make it, but overall it's a fairly solid list that reaffirms just as many of my opinions as it challenges. I was glad to see Shearwater, Midlake and Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos on the list, and intrigued by the presence of Bishop Allen, Man Man and Lavender Diamond. And, as is always the case, it adds to the ever-growing list of bands I want to check out.

Labels: lists, music