10. Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear 
The third album by these Brooklyn-based indie darlings loses the plot a little in the middle, but the high points are exhilarating. Mixing pop classicism (dig those Beach Boys harmonies) with the avant-garde ‘tude that defines the music scene in their home borough, the Bears have concocted a sound that’s as hummable as it is intricate. Top tracks: “Southern Point,” “Two Weeks.”

9. Tonight - Franz Ferdinand
Libidinous, literate dance rock from Scotland’s cheekiest combo.  Released in January of ’09, Tonight still sounds like the sexiest party on the planet a year later.  Why the irresistible singles “Ulysses” and “No You Girls” didn’t storm the Top 40 with the force of their biggest hit, “Take Me Out,” is an exasperating mystery. Get these songs a Timbaland or David Guetta remix, stat!

8. Kris Allen - Kris Allen
I could mount any number of defences for this pick, pointing out that, while the pleasures found on the American Idol winner’s debut may be simple, they are indeed abundant, and linking his unpretentious sound to a distinctly American musical tradition of meat-and-potatoes pop-rock that has counted John Cougar, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms, Maroon 5 and The Fray among its champions.  But the truth is I’m a biased, gushy fanboy when it comes to Kris Allen.  He’s O.M.Gee awesome!

7.  No Line on the Horizon - U2 
I haven’t listened to it much in recent months, but I still admire the care and vigor with which these aging rock gods approached the material on this, their 12^th studio album.  Long after many of their contemporaries have emptied their creative reserves, Bono and Co. can still muster thoughtful, emotionally gripping songs such as “Moment of Surrender” and “Cedars of Lebanon.”

6.  Lungs - Florence & The Machine
As demure as a charm school grad when not singing, Florence Welch morphs into a thunder goddess as soon she lets her voice rip. The debut effort by Welch and her band of fellow Brits is as subtle as a flying mallet, and while the lyrics at times can be overwrought or even wrongheaded-- is “a kiss with a fist” really “better than none?”—the Machine’s musical muscle and Welch’s conviction ultimately pulverize all doubts.

5. Actor - St. Vincent
While Welch attacks every note like a Luftwaffe raid, Oklahoma’s Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, is a model of eerie calm at the center of sonic chaos. Even as dissonant, squawky guitars (“The Neighbors”), sinister synths (“Actor Out of Work”) and violent images (“Laughing With a Mouth of Blood”) threaten her composure, this artist-to-watch remains the impassive love child of Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson. Extraordinary... and spooky.

4. Kingdom of Rust - Doves 
A friend dubbed this “the album U2 should have made this year.”  While I appreciate the virtues of No Line on the Horizon, I can see my pal’s point. Kingdom of Rust, the fourth studio release by the Mancunian trio Doves, boasts big U2-esque themes about holding on to love and faith in an increasingly desensitized world. It also crackles with an energy that No Line lacks—check out the monster guitar riff on “The Outsiders” and the battlefield-ready drum rolls on “10:03.” Sorry, Bono, but Doves win this one.

3. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix 
Initially I was knocked out by the singles “Lisztomania” and “1901,” perhaps the two most jubilant songs released all year. Further listening uncovered the charms of deeper cuts such as “Lasso,” with its percussive go-go intro, and “Countdown,” which wraps a lovely sentiment (“true and everlasting, that’s what you want”) in a plush, comforting melody. The flaw here remains the filler—I still don’t get the 7-minute “Love Is Like a Sunset Pts. I & II”-- but this French quartet gets so much right on its fourth release that it’s easy to overlook the draggy bits.

2.  XX - The xx 
Who’d have thought that the combination of minimalist, Joy Division-inspired melodies and hushed, woozy vocals could be so damn sexy? The key ingredient here is the intimate male-female conversation between singers Oliver Sim and Romy Madley-Croft. On their own, each would be seductive, but together they turn tracks like “Crystalized” and “Heart Skipped a Beat” into ultra-erotic make-out anthems for the depressive set.

1. Noble Beast - Andrew Bird   
I raved about this album at 2009’s halfway mark and at the close of the year it still beats all comers. Chicago indie-pop genius Bird takes fully realized melodies, sophisticated instrumentation, challenging, witty lyrics and indelible hooks and nimbly assembles them into a modern classic. And more that 40 years after The Andy Griffith Show went off the air, he’s made whistling cool again. Now, that’s a feat worthy of a #1 ranking.