1. Shake My Head – Spider Bags – The best of the year is also the rock and roll album of the year and the most straightforward rock and roll. Recorded in Memphis, with some great local rockers, it is as thrilling as music gets
2. Nothing's Gonna Change The Way that You Feel About Me – Justin Townes Earle – Just about perfect singer-songwriter malaise, a trip to nowhere and back in search of peace of mind.
3. Local Business – Titus Andronicus – Maybe it is better that they didn't try and up the ante on themselves, I mean if you try and make another Monitor you could well ruin the essence of your art.
4.. . R.A.P. Music – Killer Mike – This is gangsta if Malcolm X had turned to rap instead of politics.Swing Lo, Magellan – Dirty Projectors – DP make their pop move and it sticks
5. The Idlers Wheel – Fiona Apple – Seven years later and she is better than she's ever been, great production, great songs, terrific voice. Amazing.
6. What We Saw from the Cheapseats – Regina Spektor – Peaks so incredibly high that we can forgive the lack of a center.
7. Cafe Nights In New York – Jack Phillips – Ridiculously brilliant genre exercise.
8. Red – Taylor Swift – Perhaps I over rate, but anyway, I rate it highly. The best songs are the best of the year and the worst aren't the worst. Isn't that enough?
9. Blunderbuss – Jack White – A surprising return to form after years of thinking he was a performing flea.
10. Sing The Delta – Iris DeMent – A perfect brilliant album of America folk, 8 years in the birthing and worth every second of the wait.
11. .Sweet Jamaica – Mr. Vegas – If this ain't the top Reggae album of the year, what is gonna beat it?
12. Swing Lo, Magellan – Dirty Projectors – DP make their pop move and it sticks The Best Place – Best Coast – So dark you'll have to wear sunglasses.
13. The Best Place – Best Coast – So dark you'll have to wear sunglasses..
14. The OF Tapes Vol 2 – If this is a long way from perfect, it is still important and a game changer
15. Clear Heart Full Eyes – Craig Finn – He did nothing with it on stage, so let it stay on record.
16. Most Of My Heroes Still Don't Appear On No Stamps – Public Enemy – Musically they are stuck in neutral, politically they are color biased, and Chucky Baby, you ain't as smart as you think you are. "surveeeeey says": This creams all comers.
17. Charmer – Aimee Mann – This is more than a return to form, it is a return to old form. One great, moving, pained and beautiful song after another with ultimate professionalism and consistency. It is hard to imagine anywhere it might be improved upon.
18. Kill My Blues – Corin Tucker – Carrie got the band and the guitar, Corin got the songs and the voice.
19. Some Nights – fun. – An impossibly impressive debut pop album which improves as it storms the charts.
20. God Love And Romance – Fred Hammond – If it had no sketches it would be # 1.
21. Ugly – Screaming Females – They improve with every recording
22. Voyageur – Kathleen Edwards – A terrific singer-songwriter writing very well. Even the production works.
23. Babel – Mumford & Sons – Rare sophomore album that beats the breakthrough debut coming and going.
24. Dirty Bass – Far East Movements – Best dance pop album of the year!!
25. Lost In A Lover's dream – Georgie Fame – The voice hasn't aged, the charm hasn't weakened.
26. Tempest – Bob Dylan – Sharp singalongs about death and blues
27. Come And Get It: The Rare Peals – Jackson 5 – Soul may well be really dying, there is nothing to compare with this odds and sods.
28. Uno – Green Day – Consistent power pop
29. Unapologetic – Rihanna – Great no, but pretty damn good.
30. Beware And be Grateful – Maps And Atlases – Will they ever mix commercial and art this well again?
31. . This Is Pil – Public Image Limited – Nothing changes till John says it does
32. Overexposed – Maroon 5 – Album # 4 and they have emerged as a hit machine.
33. Trespassing – Adam Lambert – Disco album # 1
34. Joyful Noise – Gossip – Disco album # 2
35. Magic Hour – Scissor Sisters – Disco album # 3
36. That Sugaring Season – Beth Orton – Highlight on her voice and on the songs
37. MDNA – Madonna – Disco album # 4
38. Open Your Heart – The Men – Got lost in the Japandroids shuffle but still pretty damn great.
39. Unexpected Arrival – Diggy – Terrific at Best Buy, and the album has some great, great tracks.
40. Major – Fang Mountain – Feel good rock
41. Manifest – Friends – Hot beats, sexy voice, great songs.
42. . Rebirth – Jimmy Cliff – Great reggae album by a master
43. + – Ed Sheeran – A hit in the UK and in the process of crossing over.
44. . The Absence – Melanie Gardot – Entirely lovely smooth jazz instant classic
45. Three Chords Good – Graham Parker And The Rumour – Still ornery after all these years.
46. New Life – Monica – Atlanta diva cuts back on the TV show, releases a great album
47. Wrecking Ball – bruce Springsteen – His ego gets the better of him, but would we expect any less at this point?
48. . Rize Of The Fenix – Tenacious D – Much better than it has any right to be
49. OFF! – OFF! – The place where punk became hardcore the first time around
50. Born To Die/Paradise – Lana Del Rey – So she can't perform live, we still have the album
52. Los Monsters – Elvis Crespo – More of the same
53. Out Of The Game – Rufus Wainwright – yeah, it's a disappointment… it's still Rufus.
54. WIXIW – Liars – Arty but awesome.
55. Older Than My Old Man – Loudon Wainwright II – And younger than his son.
56. World, You Need A Change Of Mind – Kindness – Soul dipper plus tech
57. Eden's Edge – Eden Edge – This years Lady Antebellam meets Sugarland
58. Antennas From Hell – Slipknot – Best hardcore album of the year.
59. Blow Your Pants Off – Jimmy Fallon – Brings the funny
60.. Undersea – The Antlers – Experimental rock band hit the mainstream.
61. Welcome To Our House – Slaughterhouse – Horrorcore lives. Shady is releasing it, of course.
62. Last Of A Dying Breed – Lynrd Skyrnd – Best Southern rock band in the world today.
63. Hot Cakes – The Darkness – I am not sure what the world's problem with this is, glammy hair metal fallen through a crack in the time space continuum
64. >> – Beak – Between experimental and mental
65. Slave To The Game – Emmure – A quiet year for metal gets a lot louder
66. Sun – Cat Power – Wll always have Manhattan
67. Blak And Blu – Gary Clark Jr – The sound of a modern blues giant pushing hard against his gifts.
68. Love On A real Train – Love On A real Train – Ambience plus.
69. Bordo – Air Traffic Controller – It is all about the songs and they are goodies
71. We Don't Even Live Here – P.O.S. – smart alt hip hop.
72 One Of A Kind Ep – G-Dragon – Includes the song of the year.
73. Go! Pop! Bang! – Rye Rye – And not just because it has the best and most accurate album name.
74. Right Time, Right Place – Olly Murs – Not ut in the States yet, so expect a return appearance next year.
75. The Origin Of Love – MIKA – ANother album that got lost in the mix but lives on as a fine follow up by the disco pop star.
76. Terius Nash: 1977 – The-Dream – It is still sinking in, but this great r&b man's divorce album should be sinking in all winter.
77. Kiss Me Like A Man – Suzanne Real – Staten Island soul girl
78. The Line – Cat Cosmai – Soul plus a rock band
Comment: So what do we think? An OK year, nothing special, nothing terrible. Everything in stasis, though we did get used to streaming music, but 2013 should see a return to form.