1. FEIST: ‘THE REMINDER’ (Cherry Tree/Interscope). Her modest, beguiling CD is full of carefully composed songs that sound like happy accidents. And even after a ubiquitous iPod commercial, that famous first line — “1-2-3-4 tell me that you love me more” — still sounds inviting. In a year with shockingly few big albums, Feist made the best small one.

2. TURF TALK: ‘WEST COAST VACCINE: THE CURE’ (30/30/Sick Wid’ It). This unsung Vallejo, Calif., rapper outdid the competition by stretching elastic braggadocio over a wild collection of whirring, thwacking beats. Never underestimate the power of pure impudence: “My pants sag, your mama always knock us/So I lift my T-shirt and show her my boxers.”

3. PANDA BEAR: ‘PERSON PITCH’ (Paw Tracks). A lovely, dizzying solo album by Noah Lennox, from Animal Collective, who mixed rich vocal harmonies with woozy electronic rhythms. It sounds dreamy, but the plainspoken lyrics are rooted in daily pleasures and frustrations: “There’s a reason that I work so hard at this stuff/When all I want to do is take it easy.”

4. JOE NICHOLS: ‘REAL THINGS’ (Universal South). He filled his album with slow songs, then checked into rehab soon after it arrived. Those are two reasons that Mr. Nichols didn’t rule country radio in 2007. But “Real Things” is a low-key triumph, by turns wry and sentimental. “I’m still goin’ through my whiskey years,” he purrs, neither bragging nor apologizing.

5. UGK: ‘UNDERGROUND KINGZ’ (Jive/Zomba). A slick, sprawling double CD from the hugely influential Port Arthur, Tex., duo of Bun B and Pimp C: ruthless raps and retrofitted soul songs, cruel pimp-talk and thoughtful observations. Some fans said it was too long, too much. But on Dec. 4 Pimp C was found dead in a hotel room; now all we want is more.

6. TRACEY THORN: ‘OUT OF THE WOODS’ (Astralwerks). The year’s most pleasant surprise: After a five-year absence the singer from Everything but the Girl returned with a beautiful solo album that expands the boundaries of grown-up pop. Gleaming dance tracks, glimmering ballads: How did this CD stay a secret?

7. JENS LEKMAN: ‘NIGHT FALLS OVER KORTEDALA’ (Secretly Canadian). This mild-mannered Swedish indie-rocker is also a shameless flirt, an alternate-universe disco star, a witty raconteur and a first-rate crooner. Never underestimate the power of pure ambivalence: “Sometimes I almost regret it, like I regret my regrets/I see myself on my deathbed saying, ‘I wish I would have loved less.’ ”

8. PROJECT PAT: ‘WALKIN’ BANK ROLL’ (Koch). Scarcely a year after his last CD, this Memphis rapper returned with an exuberant indie-label release. The eerie, meticulous beats — by Juicy J (his brother) and DJ Paul, both of Three 6 Mafia — cleverly echo Project Pat’s dichotomous approach: grim subject matter, whimsical delivery. His version of a drug dealer’s boast: “I got that bull frog — ribbit!”

9. MARNIE STERN: ‘IN ADVANCE OF THE BROKEN ARM’ (Kill Rock Stars). A fierce, joyful rock record from a bedroom shredder. Yawping and tapping her fretboard, Ms. Stern revels in maximalism; her debut album is, in two different ways, a blast.

10. THE-DREAM: ‘LOVE/HATE’ (Island Def Jam). In which Terius Nash, the songwriter behind Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and J. Holiday’s “Bed” recommits himself to gooey, robotic ’80s-influenced R&B. He calls himself The-Dream, and his debut album captured the ecstatic sound of pop radio in 2007.

Top Songs

RIHANNA “Umbrella” (Def Jam)

R. KELLY FEATURING T.I. AND T-PAIN “I’m a Flirt (Remix)” (Jive/Zomba)

MARTINA MCBRIDE “Anyway” (RCA/Sony BMG Nashville)

SOULJA BOY TELLEM “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” (ColliPark/Interscope)

LINDA SUNDBLAD “Lose You” (Monza/Bonnier Amigo)