Win Butler and his fervent, paranoid Canadian comrades are teetering on the edge of the mainstream, but their sophomore album is an exquisite, ambitious journey into modern man's heart of darkness.

2. Patty Griffin, "Children Running Through"

The Austin, Texas, songbird flits between folk, rock and country, evoking childhood and poignant reverance. It's arguably Griffin's best yet, in a career littered with brilliance.

3. Brandi Carlile, "The Story"

This 26-year-old broke through thanks to "Grey's Anatomy," but she's no pop lightweight: "The Story" is a breathtaking blend of gritty style and heartbreaking substance.

Brandi Carlile's "The Story"

What began as a breakout year dissolved into tear-soaked tabloid tragedy, but despite Winehouse's personal problems, "Back to Black" resonates as a defiant, defining masterpiece.

5. Bruce Springsteen, "Magic"

The Boss roared back with his best E Street disc since, well, the last one (2002's "The Rising"). It stars one of the year's classic singles, "Girls in Their Summer Clothes."

6. Miranda Lambert, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"

The fire-breathing East Texan kicked down Nashville's door with this feisty, fearless record, as loaded with melody as it is attitude. It's the sound of a legend in the making.

7. Spoon, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

Aggressively refining their sound and simultaneously writing some of the most straightforward pop songs of their career, Austin's premier indie rockers deliver a moody gem.

Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black"

The scion of a revered British folk family does old-school country proud, dusting off some classics and serving up an original that fits snugly alongside the standards.

9. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand"

An unlikely pairing, but the results are hard to argue with. Producer T Bone Burnett guides rock's golden god and the bluegrass queen as they make sweet, sinister music together.

10. Travis, "The Boy With No Name"

These Scots have struggled mightily to connect with American audiences, but if a polished, emotionally engaged collection such as this fails to take hold, then we don't deserve 'em.

Silverchair's "Young Modern"

1. Silverchair, "Young Modern"

Once a teenage Nirvana clone, these guys have matured into a pop-savvy outfit that taps the talents of Beach Boys arranger Van Dyke Parks and singer-songwriter Daniel Johns to create a bracing work that balances the mainstream and the experimental.

2. Wu Tang Clan, "8 Diagrams"

The combustible hip-hop group returns with a hard-edged, spare, minimalist yet soulful and psychedelic knockout that rumbles like a California earthquake.

3. Cafe Tacuba, "Sino"

The Mexico City musical adventurers - who blend a love of folkloric traditionalism with a passion for everything from punk to prog-rock, Brian Wilson to XTC - turn out their strongest album yet.

4. Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black"

Too bad she insists on being train-wreck tabloid fodder, because her British take on American R&B and jazz is fresh, and the backing by roots heroes The Dap-Kings is inspired.

Jay-Z's "American Gangster"

Jay-Z storms back with a masterful album energized by the spirit of the '70s R&B that underpins Ridley Scott's film of the same title. (Note: this album is not the movie soundtrack, not officially related in any way.)

6. Gaudi + Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, "Dub Qawwali"

The pure, booming voice of the late Sufi Muslim Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is transformed by being paired with Italian DJ Gaudi's deep reggae grooves. Purists might balk, but they're probably too busy on the dance floor.

7. Editors, "An End Has a Start"

This group from Northern England plugs into that region's appealingly bleak musical history (Smiths, New Order) to create an updated, shimmeringly guitar-drenched version of its own.

8. Salim Nourallah, "Snowing in My Heart"

The Dallas singer-songwriter pens exquisitely heartfelt songs but, like Crowded House or Ray Davies, never lets his melancholy overwhelm the melody.

9. Fat Freddy's Drop, "Based on a True Story"

This New Zealand septet's bass-heavy, horn-splashed reggae-rock takes a few listens to appreciate - the songs build slowly with layer upon layer of groove - but it soon becomes irresistible.

10. M.I.A., "Kala"