PRESENT, IN ACTION Global star M.I.A. had a pretty good year.

Photograph: Mike Schreiber

Chosen by: Jay Ruttenberg, music writer

1. Amy Winehouse Back to Black (Universal). The troubled hag is not the nostalgist she may at first appear to be, but the rare performer to haul soul music into the present tense. Now, her biggest challenge: not dying.

2. M.I.A. Kala (Interscope). The world finally gets the futuristic global pop star it deserves. Still no flying cars or robot maids, though. Full review

3. Yoko Ono Yes, I’m a Witch (Astralwerks). A hodgepodge of young musicians reimagine the avant-gardist’s grossly underrated canon, unveiling heart-rending indie rock and edgy dance-floor anthems. Full review

4. Various artists Imagine the Shapes (What’s Your Rupture?). A Manhattan label transfers vinyl EPs by four of its artists—Love Is All, Cause Co-Motion, the Long Blondes and Comet Gain—onto a CD that reels with the revelatory energy of early Rough Trade. Full review

5. Drug Rug Drug Rug (Black and Greene). A romantic couple from Boston debuts with shaggy, melodically ferocious indie rock.

6. The White Stripes Icky Thump (Third Man/Warner Bros.). The sole rock star sprung from the current decade continues to open explosive new pockets within his wittingly narrow palette. Full review

7. Bill Callahan Woke on a Whaleheart (Drag City). The veteran songwriter maintains his poker face but tempers his brooding, casting his wicked poetry in sweetly bent, roomy arrangements. Full review

8. Mika Life in Cartoon Motion (Casablanca/Universal). Mika’s exuberant pop is fruitier than Freddie Mercury’s mustache and gaudier than Elton John’s underwear drawer.

9. Ezra Furman and the Harpoons Banging Down the Doors (Minty Fresh). What does it sound like to be 20 and bursting with ideas? These Dylan-besotted undergrads give their scrappy deposition.

10. Nellie McKay Obligatory Visitors (Hungry Mouse/Vanguard). The songwriting dynamo assembles Poconos jazzers for her most eccentric work, rife with theatrical poses, corny solos and novelty hits from an alternate universe.

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