1. Swans – The Seer
2. Beach House – Bloom
3. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
4. Grizzly Bear – Shields
5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
6. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
7. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
8. Burial – Kindred
9. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw…
10. Purity Ring – Shrines
11. Andy Stott – Luxury Problems
12. Julia Holter – Ekstasis
13. Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t
14. Twin Shadow – Confess
15. Grimes – Visions
16. Tame Impala – Lonerism
17. Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind
18. Liars – WIXIW
19. Death Grips – The Money Store
20. Chromatics – Kill for Love
21. Ty Segall Band – Slaughterhouse
22. Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It
23. Crystal Castles – (III)
24. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
25. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
26. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
27. DIIV – Oshin
28. Ash Borer – Cold of Ages
29. Jason Urick – I Love You
30. Scott Walker – Bish Bosch
Honorable Mentions: Nachtmystium – Silencing Machine, El-P – Cancer 4 Cure, Marissa Nadler – The Sister, Polica – Give You the Ghost, Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man, Animal Collective – Centipede Hz, Lotus Plaza – Spooky Action at a Distance, Angel Olsen – Half Way Home