Number 27: Dizzee Rascal

Dizzee Rascal had a slow year. After releasing two excellent albums in a row he can be excused to collect his thoughts. With the ascendance of Kano and LAdy Sovereign as well as the success of the Run the Road compilation grime is amongst the most strikingly fertile genres stirring today and no one is better possitioned to play with the expectations and define the archetype of a grime-rapper than Dizzee Rascal. Expect some departures on the next Dizzee album and expect several dozen immitators as well.

Number 28: Spoon

Spoon faced a backlash this year. You won't read about it on most blogs and non-of the better magazines will be mulling it's implication on the history of rock. And that's Spoon's power, the closest thing to a backlash these guys get is an album knocking on 100,000 units sold that maybe wasn't universally seen as one of the finest albums ever. No one hated Gimme Fiction. People have trouble hating Spoon.

It seems this year puts Spoon in the good company of the Yo La Tengos of the world. Able to release solid if not groundbreaking albums and hover above the indie fray influencing through actions and ideas. Plus "Turn My Camera On" is one of the finer singles of the year.