1: Twin Cinema (The New Pornographers)

I've listened to The New Pornographers' third album a number of times since its 2006 release, but what struck me this time was its "folding tent" quality: the whole thing could be performed at a circus and packed up right after. Musically speaking, it's a one-act. Its songs emerge from similar themes, and it never lets up. "The Bleeding Heart Show" is a serious achievement, grand and intensely likeable. Carl Newman fronts this band, and he's backed up by, among others, Neko Case on vocals. Bands can go places that individual artists can't, and this work is proof enough.