On to business

So far, this is the best of the year sound-wise:

Fiery Furnaces: Blueberry Boat (best mini-operas since "A Quick One", see "Inspector Blancheflower", "Chris Michaels", holy moly, what a record!)
Arcade Fire: Funeral (I didn't take to this at first, but it grows on me)
Leonard Cohen: Songs from a Room
John Cale: "Halleujah" (best voice since L. Cohen!)
Futureheads: S/T (They do XTC better than XTC ever did!)