It's not a boycott, exactly-I just didn't listen to all that much American music this year. Or, put it another way, singer-songwriters from home and abroad came on so strong in 2005, my ears were busier with them. Okay, maybe it was a boycott. Mostly, this music was what kept me alive on road trips-even through America, with or without the K.

Luke Doucet Broken
(And other Rogue States) This was the year in which the well-travelled singer-guitarist finally started breaking through. His third solo outing, and first with major production values, documents the breakdown of a love affair and its aftermath-with serious twang and melodic uplift along the way. Indispensable Canadiana.

The Cat EmpireTwo Shoes
If Kid Creole and the Coconuts were a five-piece Australian band from Melbourne recording in Havana, Cuba, they might sound something like this. But would they even be able to carry off such a rambunctious mixture of hip-hop, ska, Stax-Volt soul, and Latin jazz? It would be nice to find out.

Crooked Fingers Dignity and Shame
Eric Bachmann's gothic-folk band from Seattle made its best album ever here, in a waft of seductive arcana that roams from mariachi mysticism to back-porch nostalgia. Best of all is the majestically pissed-off "Call to Love", an unforgettable duet with purring Aussie Lara Meyerratken, who has since split the band.

Shelby Lynne Suit Yourself
Ever since she dropped out of the commercial mainstream, this fast-maturing singer-songwriter and increasingly impressive guitarist has been crafting some highly intimate sessions, with Suit Yourself including playful studio chatter between original tunes that range from slinky blues to jazzy ballads. Hardly anyone is noticing, but ignoring Shelby Lynne is a big mistake.

Matthew Barber Sweet Nothing
This Toronto upstart might make pure pop for Now-reading people, but he steps up with this stunning collection of instantly hummable tunes in pop, soul, and Neil Young territories. Standout cut: "Easy to Fall", in which he's disappointed even before the love begins.

Benjamin Diamond Out of Myself
A Parisian pumping out damnably clever guitar-driven pop songs in English on a French label ( ¡K7) mostly associated with electronica, Diamond is a hidden talent waiting to be honed. With Stones-ish rockers as slashing as the opener, "Mr. Fate", let's hope he doesn't get polished too thoroughly.

Eels Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
Mark Oliver Everett's latest epic, a two-disc ode to loss and glimmers of tantalizing hope, is filled with transcendent melodies and quietly insistent hooks. His mostly bare-bones, wildly Beckclectic approach, spread over 33 tracks, sometimes extends to Beach Boys harmonies and ambitious string and horn arrangements, but it never loses its sense of intimacy.

Catlow Kiss the World
Vancouver's Natasha Thirsk comes out of the gate roaring on a debut record that manages to effortlessly unite new-age guitar introspection, cool electronic grooves, and tough-chick anthem-making. Play "The Weekend" on a Wednesday morning and it will immediately turn into Friday night.

The Real Tuesday Weld The Return of the Clerkenwell Kid
All those elaborate names tend to obscure the fact that one guy, enigmatic Brit Stephen Coates, is behind and in front of the board, issuing forth mysterious melodies informed by Kurt Weill, '70s pop, heavy-lidded Serge Gainsbourg-isms, and Tom Waits-style twisted swing-although the end results don't really sound like anyone else.

Stereolab Oscillons
From the Anti-Sun Technically, there's nothing new on this 2005 release, but fans of these Anglo-French bossa beepers will flip at the low-budget chance to pick up three discs of music previously available only as import EPs and singles, along with a DVD of their videos and TV appearances. The niftily packaged little box makes you miss the late Mary Hansen, however.