The list of 25 Albums I Most Enjoy/Enjoy Most concludes:

Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire: As Adam said, it's a tough call between this album and Infirmary. In the end, I chose Fire because 1)Radio is a damn good song and 2)Oddly enough, it doesn't seem as dark to me, in comparison. This is still a dark album, sure, but it's a lighter dark.

As Tall As Lions - s/t: I knew a kid in high school named Richard Meader. Haven't spoken to him since, but, if I did, I'd thank him for introducing me to three bands: As Tall As Lions, Dredg, and Count the Stars. Count the Stars is a pop-punk band I outgrew by junior year of college. However, As Tall As Lions and Dredg are both pretty fantastic. This self-titled album is not actually their freshman effort, it's their sophomore release. And instead of suffering the sophomore slump, they expand their sound from the first album, morph it into something a bit more 60's-inspired, and leave you with a fun, fun, fun album.

The Ataris - Blue Skies, Broken Hearts... Next 12 Exits: It always kind of bugged me that there were 14 songs on this album, but whatever. Here's an instance where I think The Ataris' End is Forever album is a better album, but Blue Skies is the one I enjoy more. This CD pretty much IS my junior year of high school. Yeah, it made the list purely on sentimental value, but there's no denying that this is some of the best pop-punk ever.

Bad Astronaut - Houston, We Have a Drinking Problem: What to say about this iconic album? It's been a staple on my Top 10/25/whatever CDs list since it first came out. It's not simply punk. It's not simply rock. It's not simply indie. It's just what it is. I was a Joey Cape fan before hearing this, but afterward: damn. The other impressive thing about this album: I had exceedingly high expectations for it. Unrealistically high expectations. And yet this album lived up to the hype, then surpassed it.

Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me: Unlike Bad Astronaut, I had written off Brand New. I liked their previous album, Deja Entendu, but it never stuck with me much past the first year or two of college. Fast forward three years. I'm reviewing CDs at the radio station, looking through my stack of CDs, and see this. "Huh," I think. Noteworthy not only because I recognize the name, but also because, since I had stopped following the band, I had no idea they were releasing a new CD. When I put this CD in, I was blown away with how good it was. This is not the bratty pop-punk band they were on their first album. This is not the indie rock band they turned into for their second album, Deja Entendu. This is a new band entirely. They're angry, they're passionate, and they write songs that will knock your socks off. Highly recommended.

Cadillac Blindside - These Liquid Lungs: Another staple on my Top 10/25/whatever CDs list. I keep using the word "dark," and I'd really like to find another word, but this is a dark album. However, Cadillac Blindside doesn't wallow in their dark world. They fuse the dark subject matter with some of the most infectious melodies I've found in the punk scene. I love singing along to this record.

Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most: Once again, this is all about sentimental value. High school, for sure. But goddamn, it's still catchy as hell. This is probably the best bunch of songs Chris Carrabba will ever write.

Dredg - Catch Without Arms: Richard Meader, thank you. Back in high school, he introduced me to Leitmotif, Dredg's first album. It was good, I liked it. But it was only good. It was a little too heavy for me. Kind of a mix of, say, Apex Theory with Pink Floyd. (I have no idea if that's accurate, but it sounds good to me.) I liked them enough, however, to stick with them. Dredg's next album, El Cielo, was more mellow. Less angsty. But very artsy. Seriously. It's like art rock. Some filler songs, but a cohesive album with some complex work. Then they released Catch Without Arms. This is an unabashedly pop album. Gone are the heavy elements of their first album. Nonexistent are the filler tracks from their second album. What's left is twelve superbly-written songs that focus on melody. It's a harmonious album. They shed their pretension and make simple, glorious music. Also highly recommended.