Taylor Swift and Kings of Leon Have Best Albums of '08

Play. Sing. Rewind. Repeat.

2008 was a busy year in music - from Britney's Circus to the invasion of the Jonas Brothers to Madonna's Sticky mess and Miley's Vanity Fair bad press. Through it all, some people actually managed to make some pretty good music. Here are the albums we think deserve top honors for 2008.

Only By the Night (Kings of Leon): Longtime fans had their concerns about album number four from the band of brothers (and one cousin) from Tennessee. Had the band lost its free-wheeling funk-rock sound? We think not. The rawness still rumbles under the surface, creating that barely contained explosiveness that's best listened to at high volume.

Fearless (Taylor Swift): This one broke down all our cynical defenses. Who would've thought we would listen to a song with the lyrics - "You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess. It's a love story, baby just say yes." - on repeat. But there's something so wise, so honest, so unbelievably impressive about this album. Taylor Swift is that girl we were at fifteen - she just knows how to write about it and sing about it with an openness and vulnerability most of us were too scared to show.

Dear Science (TV on the Radio): This album was topping critics' lists when it came out in October and is still reigning supreme in the end-of-year rankings. Spin named Dear Science its album of the year as did Entertainment Weekly. With its genre-spanning sound, inventive musicality and continual evolution, we think Dear Science deserves all the accolades it's getting.

The Way I See It (Raphael Saadiq): Sometimes the best new music sounds a lot like the best old music. Such is the case with Raphael Saadiq - but with a twist. On The Way I See It, Saadiq takes the best of old school soul and Motown and mixes it with a fresh dose of smooth.

At Mount Zoomer (Wolf Parade): Recorded in a church owned by Arcade Fire, At Mount Zoomer absorbs some of AF's expansive synth rock sound. But Wolf Parade make the album all their own with a range of innovative tracks, like the energetic "Soldier's Grin" and lustful, pulsing "Fine Young Cannibals."