the TEN albums of 2007.

These are in no particular order (that's what they all say, but this time it's real) and aren't chosen for artistic merit. Nothing I love really has artistic merit anyway.

Timbaland-Shock Value (or is it Timbaland- Presents Shock Value? or Timbaland- Timbaland Presents Shock Value? What the fuck?). Yes, everyone called this album a flop and said it wasn't very representative of Timbaland's work--and both statements are incredibly true. But, I loved most of the songs nevertheless, like "Time" with She Wants Revenge, "Scream" with Nicole Scherzinger and Keri Hilson, but especially "The Way I Are" with Keri Hilson and D.O.E. You have no idea how happy I was when that became a single.

Envy on The Coast-Lucy Gray. Spec-fucking-tacular. This year I drifted a lot from Alternative Press-featured, Warped Tour-playing alternative bands and loved a lot more indie music a la HypeM and Morning Becomes Eclectic. But Envy...ah, Envy stayed at the top of my favorite artists lists, even among all the changes. This album is spectacular, and if you don't agree after hearing "Sugar Skulls" or "Tell Them That She's Not Scared" or, best yet, "The Gift of Paralysis", well...then you are missing out on a load of great songs.

Feist-The Reminder. Oh, oh, oh...thank goodness for Uber.com for opening my sights to the wonder who is named Leslie Feist. She's got dancing skills, she's got an ethereal, marvelous voice...everyone knows "1,2,3,4" because of that great iPod Nano commercial, but there are a whole lot more of jewels on this album. "So Sorry" is great, as is "My Moon My Man". And on a bit of a side note, the Van She Technologic Remix to "1,2,3,4" is an absolute gift to the ears.

Mika-Life In Cartoon Motion. I noticed this didn't top any of the blog critics' year-end lists, but I think it's because most people forgot it even came out this year (early February, as a refresher). "Grace Kelly" was an amazing singalong, and Mika's falsetto was absolutely fantastic. "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" was also great, especially in that Ugly Betty commerial, but I loved "Happy Ending" and "Love Today." Oh, man. This album made my early year.

Band Of Horses-Cease To Begin. Funny how I had no idea who this band was until Death+Taxes showed me their good graces in their last issue. So yes, I haven't known about this band for long. But, this album is clearly amazing (tons of critics will back me up on this one) and Ben Bridwell has an uplifting voice. "The General Specific" (featured on Gossip Girl! Okay, I'll shut up) and "Is There A Ghost" are my favorites, but really. It's all good.

Bat For Lashes-Fur And Gold. Okay, so technically this was released in 2006, but I figure since I saw it on someone's list in The AV Club, I'm okay with putting it here. And thank the Lord, since THIS album is my pick of the year, hands down. I absolutely adore Natasha Khan and her great voice, "What's A Girl To Do" and its accompanying video, but most of all "Prescilla", consistently the most played song on my iPod. Oh, how I wait for the new 2008 album, Natasha.

Say Anything-In Defense Of The Genre. 26 songs can never go wrong, especially if you combine it with Max Bemis and Co. (26+ songs can go wrong, actually. Just look at The Mother, The Mechanic, The Path of The Early November. Oh, just thinking about the horrific The Path makes me cry). "Baby Girl, I'm A Blur" was quite catchy, to be honest, and "Retarded In Love" is my favorite...at least off Disc One. I like the 1st disc better than the 2nd, but both are albums to be proud of. Kudos, Say Anything. A great sophomore venture.

A Fine Frenzy-One Cell In The Sea. Greatestjournal and hype are actually really smart sometimes. Alison Sudol has a incredibly gifted voice that I'm really jealous of, and I remember hunting for this album for ages, which made the actual find that much better. This entire disc is amazing; I can't even pick favorites. I must admit, the lyrical content is not very substantial...but all is forgiven when I hear the vocals--off the charts and soaring.

Paramore-RIOT! I wasn't even anticipating this album, at least not that much. And then suddenly I hear "Misery Business" and think, "What the fuck is this mess? Hayley Williams' hair is hideous and where are those beautiful vocals of hers?" But, as Paramore always does, that single grew on me and there were plenty of other magnificent songs (like "For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic") on the CD. "Crushcrushcrush" was really catchy, too. But...WHY would they make "Hallelujah" anything other than acoustic?!

Tegan & Sara-The Con. I used to think Tegan & Sara's vocals were highly annoying and whiny, even though I sang along to So Jealous all the time. But, then I heard "Back In Your Head", which I must admit was a great first single off of this album. That song totally converted me into a Tegan & Sara fanatic, and now there's not one song I dislike from the duo/twin/whatever you want to label them. If you need to be converted, look no further than "Nineteen" or "Hop A Plane" or "Are You Ten Years Ago" or...the entire album.

And that's all for the year! There are a couple Honorable Mentions here and there, namely Kanye's Graduation, Stars' In The Bedroom After The War, Sondre Lerche's Phantom Punch, Rilo Kiley's Under The Blacklight, and more that I can't recall at this moment.