1. Silverchair, "Young Modern." Once a teenage Nirvana clone, these guys have matured into a pop-savvy outfit that taps the talents of Beach Boys arranger Van Dyke Parks and singer-songwriter Daniel Johns. A bracing work that balances the mainstream and the experimental.

2. Wu Tang Clan, "8 Diagrams." The combustible hip-hop group returns with a hard-edged, spare, minimalist yet soulful and psychedelic knockout.

3. Cafe Tacuba, "Sino." The Mexico City musical adventurers — who blend a love of folkloric traditionalism with a passion for everything from punk to prog-rock, Brian Wilson to XTC — turn out their strongest album yet.

4. Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black." Too bad she insists on being train-wreck tabloid fodder, because her British take on American R&B and jazz is fresh, and the backing by roots heroes The Dap-Kings is inspired.

5. Jay-Z, "American Gangster." Jay-Z storms back with a masterful album energized by the spirit of the '70s R&B that underpins Ridley Scott's film of the same title.

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