The Top 50 Albums of 2007

5 Kanye West
Graduation (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
Graduation wasn't as revelatory as Yeezy's first two records, which redefined hip-hop's borders. This one was merely the year's most high-impact work, full of Daft Punk samples, Jay-Z samples, flashy disco, a Lil Wayne cameo, hooks galore and catchy rhymes that mixed self-examination and high-life swagger. By now, complaints about Kanye's arrogance seem totally passé Not only is his braggadocio justified, it seems his ego leads him to work as hard as any pop musician out there, and fruits of that effort are both his and ours to enjoy.

6 Radiohead
In Rainbows (inrainbows.com)
The steal of 2007 — a lot of folks spent more for a gallon of gas than they were willing to pay for downloading this album — was already one of the highlights of 2006, when Radiohead debuted much of In Rainbows in concert, including the gnarled-riff riot "Bodysnatchers," the circular tension of "Nude" and "Videotape," with Thom Yorke's haunted voice and piano tangled in stumbling percussion and emotional rewind. Radiohead haven't sounded this aggressive and infuriated — so rock & roll — since OK Computer, an achievement that will be worth the usual retail price when In Rainbows comes out on CD in January.