Five Favorite CDs of 2008

Peer pressure compels me to make a list of favorite things from the rapidly closing year. I'm not going to do a top ten, though--that's too much work. Instead I'll just do a few top fives.

So without further ado--my favorite CDs of 2008.

1. Pretty. Odd.--Panic at the Disco. Joy in a jewel case, this is the perfect disc to slide into the player when you're in a bad mood. You'll be feeling better before it hits the third track. Favorite tracks: Northern Downpour, Behind the Sea.

2. The Black Parade--My Chemical Romance. Okay, not technically a 2008 disc, but I discovered it this year. With its over-the-top, theatrical anthems to death, dying, bad relationships, and other items of Deep Despair, it still makes me happy. Go figure. Favorite tracks: Welcome to the Black Parade, I Don't Love You, Cancer.

3. Folie a Deux--Fall Out Boy. Barely a 2008 CD, since it just came out this week, but it still counts. Helped along with guest spots by Elvis Costello, Debbie Harry, Brendon Urie and others, Pete Wentz and crew have never sounded better than they do here, happily skewering the pop culture of which they're such an integral part. Favorite tracks: What a Catch, Donnie, I Don't Care, (Coffee's for Closers).

4. Fast Times at Barrington High--The Academy Is... This should be the breakout album for this band, and it just might be, having been listed in the top 50 albums of the year by Rolling Stone. A breezy tribute to high school, Fast Times should have been a summer album but wasn't quite, so give it a listen and let it warm up your winter. Favorite tracks: About a Girl, After the Last Midtown Show.

5. Howl--Empires. A superb album from a label-less group, available for free download at weareempires.com. What are you waiting for? Go get it! Favorite tracks: Believe, I Want Blood.