This final installment of The Hum and the Beat for 2011 will review the highest achievements in a year of music brimming with high-profile collaborations (Kanye and Jay-Z, Lou Reed and Metallica), ever-budding teen sensations (Rebecca Black and Justin Bieber), a number of fantastic self-titled releases, and some ineffably marvelous sophomore records. Without further ado, here are my top 10 albums of the year.

10. Radiohead—"The King of Limbs"

Created primarily through samples of the band's own work, "The King of Limbs" is a masterpiece of layering. It patiently builds rhythms and sounds that become greater than some of its parts. The album greatly resembles lead singer Thom Yorke's solo electronic work, and features his voice more as an instrument than ever before. It may be shorter than previous Radiohead albums, but certainly is no less fascinating.

Standout Track: "Little By Little"

9. White Denim—"D"

White Denim continues to reinvent their garage rock sound with a record that ranges from pure and heavy guitar riffs to experimental jam sessions to quiet and brooding ballads. "D" has White Denim operating on all cylinders, proving they are one of the most talented rock groups around today.

Standout Track: "Street Joy"

8. The Weeknd—"House of Balloons"

"House of Balloons" is the perfect online mix tape. Guided by one of the most powerful, enigmatic voices of the year, this album packs power, sex and eclectic samples. With this album, T he Weeknd has provided one of the freshest, darkest and most accessible takes on R&B in years.

Standout Track: "The Knowing"

7. Shabazz Palaces—"Black Up"

Seattle-based Shabazz Palaces' debut album, "Black Up," is a centerpiece in what has been a banner year for underground hip-hop. On "Black Up," Shabazz Palaces provides some of the strangest, most eclectic, mind-blowing, futuristic, and lyrically arresting tracks in recent memory. Not to mention that "Black Up" is a clear front-runner for the most inventive album title of the year.

Standout Track: "Swerve... The Reeping Of All That Is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)"

6. Cults—"Cults"

There was no album this year that has consistently made me happier than this microcosm of sunny dream-pop. What is most surprising about Cults' debut record was just how capable they were as songwriters, avoiding the pitfalls that can plague catchy albums bursting with the cuteness (see Tennis' first album, "Cape Dory"). Its irrestible melodies and well-crafted song structures make "Cults" appear to shimmer with positivity, but it occasionally delves into lyrical darkness nonetheless, and is all the better for it.

Standout Track: "Oh My God"

5. James Blake—"James Blake"

Blake created quite a bit of buzz last year with three fantastic EPs featuring sounds ranging from the extremely ambient to aggressively electronic. His self-titled full length debut leans more toward the former category, but its quiet subtleties helped make it one of the most wonderful, strange and addicting albums of the year. His R&B-style vocals and meticulously constructed beats are never rushed. That being said, James Blake certainly knows how to pack the occasional punch, which he truly delivers in his patient build-ups and cathartic releases.

Standout Track: "The Wilhelm Scream"

4. Atlas Sound—"Parallax"

Bradford Cox has been outdoing himself for some time now as both the frontman of Deerhunter and in his solo project as Atlas Sound. Cox continues to do so on "Parallax," a complicated, self-conscious album about fame and rock stars. His production is superb, crafting his remarkable voice in many shades over a host of blazingly catchy pop songs. The album, while accessible, plays with all kinds of styles. "Parallax" is as far-reaching and internally diverse as any album on this list, yet it never feels like it's stretching at the seams.

Standout Track: "Terra Incognita"

3. Bon Iver—"Bon Iver"

Earlier this month, Justin Vernon's sophomore effort garnered four Grammy nods, proving the Grammys are keeping an eye off the Billboard charts. The album lacks the intimacy of his debut, "For Emma, Forever Ago," but instead of being stranded alone in a cabin with Vernon, we're taken out into the open. "Bon Iver" features a more refined, expansive sound, and a full backing band that serves as a powerful backdrop to Vernon's delectable falsetto.

Standout Track: "Holocene"

2. Panda Bear—"Tomboy"

Animal Collective's Noah Lennox (a.k.a. Panda Bear) showed us on his 2007 release, "Person Pitch," that he was capable of creating some of the most awe-inspiring (not to mention reverb-soaked) rock epics of the decade. In his sophomore LP, "Tomboy," Lennox continues to push experimental chill-wave to its extremes, without ever losing the pleasure and listenability that comes with his strikingly capable voice. Although "Tomboy" is constructed with more accessible, shorter songs than "Person Pitch," Lennox's ability make a 3-minute track feel like a full symphony has carried over.

Standout Track: "Alsatian Darn"

1. Fleet Foxes—"Helplessness Blues"

It took these baroque-folk icons three years to follow up their widely-acclaimed self-titled debut. But in that time, they've lost none of the majestic compositions or beautiful harmonies that characterize their sound—one that is both nostalgic of '60s folk-rock yet unique by modern rock standards. Frontman Robin Pecknold stepped up his songwriting abilities here by composing a darker, more reflective album about creativity, love and feeling lost in time. The songs may not be as catchy as those on the group's first album, but these tracks are layered with more intricacy, and draw upon wilder aspects of folk rock as they use an even wider array of instrumentation. It's not aggressive, it's not epic, but it's deeply personal and remarkably satisfying.

Standout Track: "Grown Ocean"