End of Year Lists [Albums]

**Excludes compilations, soundtracks, and greatest hits albums**

1. Arctic Monkeys - "Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not"

An honest assessment of British society. A riotous and infectious explosion.

"Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from '1984'"

2. Morrissey - "Ringleader of the Tormentors"

A well-rounded and beautifully assured album from the great man.

"There are explosive kegs between my legs"

3. Lily Allen - "Alright, Still"

Filled with oodles of colour and character, and an indelible fun factor.

"A man lookin' dapper and he's sittin' with a slapper, then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore"

4. Amy Winehouse - "Back to Black"

Jazz at its most mellow freshest.

"Sweet reunion, Jamaica and Spain, we're like how we were again"

5. Shakira - "Oral Fixation Vol. 2"

Like name, like nature. Sung with an aching eagerness to stimulate.

"So don't bother, I won't die, of deception"

6. Scissor Sisters - "Ta-Dah"

A wacky, expressive paradise of inspired concoctions.

"You'd think that I could muster up a little soft shoe, gentle sway"

7. Thom Yorke - "The Eraser"

Gorgeous. A precise and patient oddity of feeling.

"I am only being nice because I want someone, something"

8. Pink - "I'm Not Dead"

A passionate and edgy assault on a difficult past.

"If someone said three years from now, you'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them up, cause they're all wrong"

9. Rihanna - "A Girl Like Me"

Finest R n' B album of the year. Overflowing with vibe.

"I can't take it, see it don't feel right"

10. Beyonce - "B'Day"

A gutsy, gung-ho performance that's almost always occupying.

"She gon' be rockin' chinchilla coats if I let you go"