1. Pharaohe Monch, Desire
(Long-delayed and highly-anticipated new solo release after a 1999 burst onto the backpack hip-hop scene. The Queens MC doesn't let us down with his kinetic and smart explosion of rhymes and deft beats.)

2. St. Vincent, Marry Me
(Dallas-based songstress Annie Clark rips open the heartbreak and makes it delicious with her buzzworthy debut LP. Take a little Cat Power and sprinkle in some Sufjan Stevens, and you get the idea.)

3. Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
(Yes, it's Spoon again. And yes, they are awesome still. The latest collection of shuffling pop/rock stompers is further proof that this Austin indie-rock band has slowly segued into an indie-rock thunderstorm of melody. God bless Britt Daniel.)

4. Chemical Brothers, We Are the Night
(The electronica duo is still making beats like it's 1997. And that's okay because, while not as strong as some earlier work, their latest is a passionate plea for late-night trance debauchery. Worth checking out if only for the beautiful collaboration with Midlake, called "The Pills Won't Help You Now.")

5. Justice, †
(They might not be Daft Punk or Air, but this French disco pair have created a sizable slew of rockers suitable for either the dancefloor or the gym. And, of course, "D.A.N.C.E." is one of the songs of the year.)