50. The Flaming Lips, 'The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends'
49. Murder by Death, 'Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon'
48. Tame Impala, 'Lonerism'
47. The Hives, 'Lex Hives'
46. Four Tet, 'Pink'
45. Lana Del Rey, 'Born to Die'
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There were few people more divisive in 2012 than Lana Del Rey, what with the awkward live performances and borderline embarrassing coquette act, neither of which detracted from the charms of her debut album Born to Die. "Video Games" was the hit, but "Blue Jeans," "Off to the Races" and "Summertime Sadness" exhibited Del Rey's most becoming traits. Clearly she aimed for an update on timeless Vegas lounge cool, but everything ended up just a bit too broken-heeled and busted to work. That half-failure is where the album's romance lies. -- Aaron Brophy
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44. Lee Fields, 'Faithful Man'
43. The Walkmen, 'Heaven'
42. Dirty Ghosts, 'Metal Moon'
41. Neil Young, 'Psychedelic Pill'
40. Stars, 'The North'
39. Flying Lotus, 'Until the Quiet Comes'
38. Zeus, 'Busting Visions'
37. Titus Andronicus, 'Local Business'
36. Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream'
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The rise of rap sent R&B wandering in the desert for years until recently, when artists realized they could experiment instead of compete. While Miguel’s not as well-known as contemporaries like Frank Ocean or the Weeknd, his Prince-inspired expansiveness provides a nice counterbalance to the former’s melancholy and the latter’s creep factor. Kaleidoscope Dream does indeed sound like a random shuffling of sonic influences that somehow come out stunningly beautiful, shockingly unique and winningly psychedelic with every new twist. -- Joshua Ostroff
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35. Polica, 'Give You the Ghost'
34. Crystal Castles, 'III'
33. El-P, 'Cancer 4 Cure'
32. the xx, 'Coexist'
31. Will Stratton, 'Post Empire'
30. Mac DeMarco, '2'
29. Tennis, 'Young and Old'
28. Schoolboy Q, 'Habits & Contradictions'
27. Mumford and Sons, 'Babel'
26. Cloud Nothings, 'Attack on Memory
25. Grizzly Bear, 'Shields'
24. Kathleen Edwards, 'Voyageur'
23. Purity Ring, 'Shrines'
22. Pujol, 'United States of Being'
21. Lianne La Havas, 'Is Your Love Big Enough?'
20. Bob Mould, 'Silver Age'
19. Screaming Females, 'Ugly'
18. Killer Mike, 'R.A.P. Music'
17. Solange, 'True'
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Solange manages to be exactly what her album title states -- true. She is unabashedly honest about the ways that love and life often leave us bereft, but the lush sound of this record counters her dark messages. Her casual lyrics are perfectly complemented by the depth of emotion in her pipes, and yes, she's got pipes that rival her diva sister. -- Caitlin White
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16. Jack White, 'Blunderbuss'
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For a man who's always done things in his own way, it sure took Jack White a long time to make a Jack White record. Finally going it alone after years of always having others involved, we get to see Jack take a few more chances musically, expanding on his blues-inspired ouvre and mixing it up with his male and female bands. While it certainly couldn't be called experimental, it's the most diverse album he's released in his career without losing much of the garage-blues vibe we've come to love about him. -- Dan Reilly
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15. Daphni, 'JIAOLONG'
14. Father John Misty, 'Fear Fun'
13. Metric, 'Synthetica'
12. P.O.S., 'We Don't Even Live Here'
11. Dirty Projectors, 'Swing Lo Magellan'
10. Grimes, 'Visions'
9. Beach House, 'Bloom'
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Narrating a story of lapping waves, mythology and love either forgotten or lost is the goddess voice of Victoria Legrand. This record paces and prowls through the foggy shores of memory and explores the untold possibilities of fantastic, parallel worlds. Beach House is only just beginning to reveal their future possibilities. -- Caitlin White
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8. Alabama Shakes, 'Boys and Girls'
7. Divine Fits, 'A Thing Called Divine Fits'
6. Sharon Van Etten, 'Tramp'
5. Leonard Cohen, 'Old Ideas'
4. Kendrick Lamar, 'good kid, m.A.A.d city'
3. Japandroids, 'Celebration Rock'
2. Frank Ocean, 'Channel Orange'
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Frank Ocean may have responded to his flood of Grammy nominations with a Tumblr’d “WTF” but the rest of us aren’t quite so surprised. Even before “the letter” changed the cultural conversation, anticipation for Frank’s avant-R&B album was astronomical. And kid came through with an old-school album that was more than its singles; that combined contemporary post-Drake melancholy with classic Stevie Wonder vocals; and that ranged from his ten-minute magnum opus "Pyramid" to soulful songs about crack and religion to the slow-motion satire "Super Rich Kids" alongside Odd Future cohort Earl Sweatshirt. Nobody’s changing this channel anytime soon. -- Joshua Ostroff
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1. Fiona Apple, 'The Idler Wheel...'
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After years of flying under the radar following the troubled release of 2005's Extraordinary Machine, it's as if Fiona needed to make a statement with her fourth album. Idler Wheel is harshly beautiful, piercing deep with her raspy wails and quiet crooning over subdued-yet-intricate arrangements. Simply put, it's stunning from beginning to end, a triumphant comeback that reminds us she's one of the most important artists of our time. Let's just hope it doesn't take another seven years for her next one. -- Dan Reill
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