Martina Topley-Bird Anything Palm It's been almost a decade since she backed Tricky on the still-classic Maxinquaye, and we never thought we'd endorse another trip-hop record, but this forgotten torch singer melts the mic like Nancy Sinatra with a gun in her mouth, lending smoky, stalkerette intensity to her alt-rock-friendly R&B.

The Good Life Album of the Year Saddle CreekLike homies Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley, these proudly embittered longhairs write broken-down anthems of love and shame as sweeping and claustrophobic as the Midwestern sky. Moonlighting Cursive frontman Tim Kasher is the best indie diva since Greg Dulli, singing every line like he's strung between last call and his last breath.

Infinite Livez Bush Meat Big DadaA pervy dude (Steven Henry) and his one-eyed sock-puppet sidekick (Barry Convex), this comedic Brit hip-hop project ingeniously transcends cheesy gross-outs--suggesting Prince Paul more than Dizzee Rascal--even if it does include a disturbing song about a guy who lactates during sex.