The problem with so-called best-of lists, is that they are really just a collection of items organized based on experience and time, in that there will be plenty of albums heard the following year and beyond that will hold just as much weight as these we dub as “Best.” So, as of right now, at this particular time in the tail end of 2010 and the first moments of 2011, these albums are the best. There’s no question about it; it will change. My next list (which …

Elf Power is one of the great leftovers from the epic Elephant 6 collective — you know, bands like Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Essex Green, Beulah, and Apples In Stereo to drop a few names. On their tenth — yes, tenth! — studio album, they go the self-titled route. But don’t think that safe move has lessened any of their creativity as it absolutely has not. Elf Power begins strong with “The Taking Under” and it refuses to quit impressing through the last song.

The release date of Elf Power‘s tenth album, Elf Power, may be a few months out, but hype is growing thanks to the release of the first single from the album. “Stranger In The Window” is just as soft and mysterious as anything off Back To The Web, and hints at their early Elephant 6 and Kindercore sensibilities. It, of course, can be likened more to their recent works, the aforementioned Web and 2008′s In A Cave. With a shuffled percussion, a romantic slide guitar, and lyrical poetry …