Every week this year, the Billboard chart reported on the apocalypse of the album, noting at the bottom that sales were down by so many percent from the previous year. By the end of the year, that percentage had reached 19.

Sales aside, the album as a concept seemed to be alive and well -- at least for another year. And it wasn't always something you could hold in your hand and pop in your CD player. Radiohead pushed the digital revolution by offering its "In Rainbows" as an MP3 file on its Web site for whatever people wanted pay. The physical product would come later.

It was right near the top of the class of 2007, which didn't produce any instant classics, but still managed to keep ears buzzing.

Disco-punk, electro-funk, whatever you want to call it, it was still thriving, at least in the hands of these Brooklyn ravers. James Murphy picks up where Bowie, Byrne and Eno left off with beats just as unstoppable and infectious songs that are really about something. My favorite track, the rapturous "North American Scum," actually sounds like Jonathan Richman meets Gang of Four -- not an easy trick.

On the forward-thinking, download-only, pay-what-you-want special, Radiohead regressed a little toward the sound that brought the band to the dance, wallowing in melody and Thom Yorke's gorgeous falsetto, without sacrificing much of the adventure.

Take producer Brendan O'Brien out of the picture and this could have been two slots higher. The Boss managed to get his message out while rockin' the house in the process. It's a thoughtful State of the Union address with familiar melodies, big ensemble playing and well-worn vocals.

I put off giving this a close listen, because that "1 2 3 4" song was so precious, but the day I got around to it, I played it over and over. The Broken Social Scene member brings a fresh, airy voice, an offbeat melodic touch and staggering beauty to the singer-songwriter scene. The Joni Mitchell for the iPod generation.

Tim Harrington looks more like the guy fixing your muffler but deep down there's a rock star bursting out. He helms the New York band's most accessible record, a smart and irresistible blast of crunchy post-punk that takes its cues from the Buzzcocks, Clash and Pixies -- not a bad set of influences.

Despite acting the fool any time there's a trophy in the room, the Louis Vuitton Don is otherwise blessed with moments of brilliance. On "Graduation," Kanye is back on his grind, dancing circles around the competition. We don't get the substance of "College Dropout," but the production is a brilliant mish-mash of styles and clever lines fly left and right, with Kanye's ego, insecurity and erratic public image at center stage.

Amy Winehouse grabbed the spotlight, but I preferred the breezy pop confections of this 21-year-old Brit. She puts them to ska-and-grime beats, making this sound like a meeting of Blondie, the Specials and the Streets. Below the bright and smiley surface, Allen packed her share of venom toward the boys who did her wrong.

The math-rock band, featuring Ian Williams (of Don Cab), goes at it with a mind-bending instrumental attack seemingly from another galaxy. "Atlas" was the breathless jam of the year, incorporating what sounds an awful lot like Ewoks.

9.

One of the oddest pairings of the year. Or is it? Plant always had a feel for the ancient, be it folk or blues. None of that prepares you, though, for gentleness and subtlety of this country-folk collaboration with the pretty-voiced bluegrass star. Krauss and Plant glide through rockabilly, country, folk and blues covers, making it all feel like one song cycle.

10.

As the name suggests, this sounds like the Whites pounding away again in the garage with reckless glee. Jack White, coming off that full-band stint with the Raconteurs, sounds, in a word, nuttier, than he has ever been. There is plenty of Led and more wacky solos here than he has done on one record.

Sigur Ros, "Heim/Hvarf": The Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible"; Iron and Wine, "Shepherd's Dog"; Modest Mouse, "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank"; "I'm Not There" soundtrack; Rush, "Snakes and Arrows"; Patty Griffin, "Children Running Through"; Dinosaur Jr., "Beyond"; Panda Bear, "Person Pitch; Band of Horses "Cease to Begin"; Blonde Redhead, "23."

1. LCD Soundsystem "North American Scum"

2. M.I.A. "Paper Planes"

3. Kanye West "Stronger"

4. Battles "Atlas"

5. Bruce Springsteen "Girls in Their Summer Clothes"

6. Modest Mouse "Dashboard"

7. White Stripes "Icky Thump"

8. Lily Allen "LDN"

9. The Shins "Turn on Me"

10. Britney Spears "Piece of Me"

I had just as much fun -- maybe more -- listening to the homegrown product than the stuff in the national album list. Here were my favorites:

1. The Cynics "Here We Are": The local legends venture to Spain to record with Jorge Explosion and come back with a record that not only rocks, but shows their full range, from folk rock to soul to glorious garage. It also shows that analog is the way to go.

2. Midnite Snake "Shaving the Angel": The power trio of Lingo, Quattrone and Plotnicov take HEAVY to new extremes on this instrumental psychedelic rock explosion.

3. The Breakup Society, "Nobody Likes a Winner": Elvis Costello aside, Ed Masley (yeah, the guy who used to work here) is the best songwriter in power pop.

4. Karl Hendricks Rock Band, "The World Says": Trusty scene veteran delivers a sublime guitar-rock record with Crazy Horse-style jams and lyrics that demand attention.

5. The 9th Ward, "The 9th Ward": Boxstep's Eric Graf gets down and dirty on a blues-rock project that sounds like a lo-fi meeting of the Stones and Zeppelin in the early '70s.

6. Black Moth Super Rainbow, "Dandelion Gum": They flutter in from Hampton, but it sounds like another planet with this eerie, sun-bleached psychedelia.

7. Great Ants "For Simply": On this debut, the girl group rocks with the ferocity of Sleater-Kinney and the pop smarts of Elastica. Too bad they disappeared.

8. Lohio "Sleeping Stereo": Greg Dutton split off from Boca Chica for this slice of Americana with heavenly harmonies that echo the warmer side of Wilco.

9. Brain Handle "Brain Handle": Hardcore supergroup fronted by Ed Steck rages on in the spirit of Black Flag.

10. Satanic Bat, "Satanic Bat": Not Satanic, but quite the boiling cauldron of seething metal, Southern rock and psychedelia.