1. Portishead — Third (Universal): Portishead returned to the studio after a 10-year absence to wind the clock back and make the best Jefferson Airplane album ever (SEAN MARCHETTO)

2. Chad VanGaalen — Soft Airplane (Flemish Eye): Finally, there's a studio recording that does justice to one of Calgary's remarkable homegrown talents (PATRICK BOYLE)

3. Fleet Foxes — Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop): Their perfect transmission of moments in time, exquisite in their completeness, make them one of the most memorable bands of the year (MATT LEAROYD)

4. Volcano! — Paperwork (Leaf Label): This Chicago outfit’s follow-up to 2005’s Beautiful Seizure is less cathartic than its predecessor, but far more fun — and every bit as jaw-droppingly creative (PETER HEMMINGER)

5. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks — Real Emotional Trash (Matador): Start to finish, this is an album that challenges listeners. Although Malkmus’s talent for writing catchy pop songs never fully recedes, it is frequently overshadowed by his willingness to allow a tune to wander (PATRICK BOYLE)

6. Mount Eerie — Lost Wisdom (Southern): Teaming two members of Eric’s Trip with former Microphone Phil Elverum only makes sense when you get down to it, and the result is both spontaneous and absorbing (PETER HEMMINGER)

7. Plants and Animals — Parc Avenue (Secret City): Plants and Animals don’t bury their songs in heavy distortion or complex polyrhythms. Instead, they build songs the old-fashioned way — root the instruments in the Earth, pluck the vocals out of the air, and let nature do its thing (PETER HEMMINGER)

8. Erykah Badu — New Amerykah Pt. 1 (4th World War) (Universal): New Amerykah reveals itself as a masterpiece, a jaw dropping album of vital politics, unrestrained playfulness, brash ambition and a constant dose of the bizarre (GARTH PAULSON)

9. Bonnie “Prince” Billy — Lie Down in the Light (Drag City): All the wondrous and deeply satisfying facets of Oldham's life, which would inevitably be spoiled by some dark cloud on previous albums, are shown some well-deserved mercy (MATT LEAROYD)

10. Of Montreal — Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl): The album piles hooks on top of each other with dizzying abandon, becoming a fittingly perverse, hour long orgy of choruses that will lodge some new twisted morsel firmly in listeners head on every visit (GARTH PAULSON)

Unlike last year, there was nothing resembling consensus when it came time to assemble Fast Forward’s list of the year’s best albums. Most of our writers agreed that Portishead’s Third was an outstanding album, miraculously bumping the band to the top of the musical heap after a decade of inactivity, but beyond that, things got muddier.

The current folk-rock renaissance makes its presence felt a few times on this list. There’s the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young-style harmonies of Fleet Foxes and the rustic charm of Will Oldham, a.k.a. Bonnie “Prince” Billy, each finding beauty within the genre’s confines. Montreal’s Plants and Animals pushed gently at the genre’s boundaries, injecting a freewheeling energy into their three-piece rock lineup. Even local all-star Chad VanGaalen draws as much from Neil Young’s folk-laced well as from the world of indie-rock.

Some albums inspired mixed emotions in our reviewers. Several felt that Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks hit creative paydirt on Real Emotional Trash, while others found the ex-Pavement frontman too self-indulgent on the album’s extended jams. Of Montreal, the makers of last year’s album of the year, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, barely squeaked onto this year’s list, thanks to a mixed response to their ADD-addled, hyper-personal Skeletal Lamping. Nearly every writer had a favourite album or five that didn’t make the cut (I still think it’s a crime that Bon Iver’s immaculate For Emma, Forever Ago doesn’t appear on the list, but at least I get to give it a plug here).

It’s important to keep in mind, though, that a lack of consensus doesn’t mean a lack of quality. Music is easier than ever to come by, and this means that it’s easier than ever to find songs that suit your exact preference. It takes a remarkable album to capture everyone’s attention — and the one album that did, Portishead’s Third, is truly a remarkable album — so expect to see even more fragmentation of tastes as the years go by.