How did half a year go by so quickly? And how come my disc collection hasn't been filled up with more great records so far? And what the heck is that smell? These are questions I ask myself as I sit at my computer in early July. Usually by this time of the year I'll have a list of 20 albums that rise above the rest. 2002 hasn't approached that total yet, but there are a few discs worth highlighting. So here's a quick look at Wax Buildup's mid-year Top 10 (in alphabetical order). Happy shopping!

Jay Bennett & Edward Burch - The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (Undertow) The first release from Bennett since he left Wilco heads down the classic Byrds-meets-Beach Boys path his ex-bandmates veered from on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. (www.bennett-burch.com)

Chemical Brothers - Come With Us (Astralwerks) England's premier electronica duo serve up another winning album that sounds great at home and on the dance floor. (www.astralwerks.com)

Doves - The Last Broadcast (Capitol) The second disc from the English trio is easily the frontrunner for album of the year. The Last Broadcast is a stunning collection that combines moody atmospheric tracks and driving rock songs into a transcendent 54-minute musical experience. (www.doves.net)

The Gentlemen - Blondes Prefer The Gentlemen (Gentlemen Records/Soda Pop Records) Big, dumb, guitar cock-rock doesn't get much better than this Boston combo. Best heard in a car with the windows down, preferably with a speed somewhere above the legal limit. (www.thegentlemenrock.com)

Chris Isaak - Always Got Tonight (Reprise) The crooner/comedian has never sounded better. Maybe more musicians need cable TV shows. (www.chrisisaak.com)

Bob Mould - Modulate (Granary Music/United Musicians) An album that many Mould fans had a hard time digesting ("Why are these beeps and noises louder than the guitar?") reveals more and more with each listen. (www.bobmould.com)

Jedidiah Parish - 21st Century American (Lunch Records) A solo tour de force, Parish plays almost everything on this album that somehow surveys the history of American music in just 40 minutes. (CD review) (www.jedidiahparish.com)

Phantom Planet- The Guest (Epic/Daylight) It's almost criminal that this slice of pure power-pop heaven has been so widely ignored. (www.phantomplanet.com)

Paul Westerberg - Stereo/Mono (Vagrant) The former Replacements leader heads down to his basement, and comes up with a double album (one under his name, the other as his alter ego Grandpaboy) that surpasses anything he's done the past 10 years.

Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch) After all the hype and the label problems Jeff Tweedy and company had, this album (review) is fortunately not a letdown. (www.wilcoweb.com)

July 2002