25. Rokia Traoré - Beautiful Africa



I've always enjoyed Malian singer Rokia Traoré, and this year's Beautiful Africa was another wonderful addition to her discography. Lead single "Mélancolie" stayed with me for quite some time, and other standouts are "Kouma" and "Ka Moun Kè".

24. Momoiro Clover Z - 5th Dimension



By now they are by far the best and most interesting Asian girl group. Their songs and videos take creativity to a new level. "Neo Stargate" is the highlight of this crazy album. The video is literally out of this world.

23. Alison Moyet - The Minutes



Alison went back to her synthpop roots for her latest album The Minutes, and the result was fantastic. If you're into moody electronica, then you can't miss this one.

22. Lady Gaga - ARTPOP



She really should not have worked with the white bread of EDM, Zedd and Madeon. The latter in particular stained her discography, as "Mary Jane Holland" and "Gypsy" are the worst songs she has ever recorded. Fortunately there's still plenty to enjoy on ARTPOP, the title track and the lead single in particular.

21. Charlotte Church - TWO // THREE



Former child opera star Charlotte Church released two EPs this year, the second and third of a planned series of five. These days her music is very alternative, and also a lot better than what she's done in the past. Songs like "Glitterbombed" and "Breach Of The Peace" are magical.

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

Kworb mate, your taste gets worse the more you age. I guess at least Matangi and ARTPOP made in your list somewhere though.

20. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2



For some reason I really like this album... I enjoy pretty much every song on it. I even get kinda choked up when I listen to "Headlights". A pleasant surprise cause I never expect much from him.

19. Beyoncé - BEYONCÉ



Another pleasant surprise was Beyoncé, who I pretty much detest but is able to release good music once in a while. For this album she dialed down her vocals, which is crucial if she wants to sound good. Producer Boots is the true discovery here. Best songs are "Haunted", "Heaven", "Blue" and "XO".

18. Britney Spears - Britney Jean



While working with will.i.am is obviously not something Britney should be doing, this album is actually quite nice. Sure, she sounds like a robot, the production is generic and most of the songs could've been done by anyone, but it's still really catchy pop music, and in the end that is what we know and love her for. I think Britney Jean is better than Femme Fatale.

17. Dawn Richard - Goldenheart



Goldenheart is not as good as last year's EP Armor On, but I still played this quite a bit. It's like BEYONCÉ but better, very eccentric and interesting. I love the song "[300]" in particular, it's so epic.

16. Hurts - Exile



It was difficult for Hurts to match the brilliance of their debut album Happiness, and my first impression of Exile was one of major disappointment. Fortunately the album ended up growing on me. The songs are not as instant but they are still very good. I love "Sandman" and "Mercy" in particular.