No single album seemed to “belong” at the top this year. And so we have this: an obscure drone disc from a terribly named northern European ensemble [Angel]. But no other music this year can really approach the texture, subtlety, and sheer evocativeness of these four long pieces for guitar, hissing electronics, and cello. Simple enough to just drift to, but richly developed so as to still be revealing minute details after a year of religious listening. Maximal minimalism. –Nate Dorr

Editions Mego