We’re down to the top 10 albums of the year. Before continuing, check out parts one, two, three, four and five.

The conclusion includes the guitar-based rock of Gang of Youths and Spoon, bombastic releases by Beyoncé and The Weeknd, sensational hip-hop by Nas, Lupe Fiasco and Ho99o9, Rosalía (this publication’s editor’s most-listened-to artist in every category, according to Spotify Wrapped), alt-pop by Weyes Blood and synthetic experimentation by Thom Yorke and The Smile.

So how far did Beyoncé climb? Was there a surprise at the top? Read on to find out.

10. Weyes Blood

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow – Sup Pop

And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow was worth the wait and lives up to the hype building around Natalie Mering, who performs as Weyes Blood. A songbird with the heart of a poet, Mering recalls ’70s singer-songwriter greats like Joni Mitchell and Judee Sill. Her music combines the rustic sound of Laurel Canyon folk with ambitious chamber pop and a woozy ambient component that simmers just below the surface.

The way her voice soars on songs like “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody” and “Grapevine” over orchestral arrangements is transcendent. Mering contemplates the nature of love on “A Given Thing” and expresses a wish to be softer on “God Turn Me Into a Flower.” “The Worst is Done” is a hopeful number about the end of lockdowns with a cosmic country feel to it. Weyes Blood is in a lane all her own, creating a sound that’s at once nostalgic and contemporary, and utterly sublime.

9. Ho99o9

SKIN – DTA

Ho99o9 easily walks among the ranks of classic hip-hop and punk fusion bands like The Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Show Me The Body on SKIN. Eaddy and theOGM paint a picture of the viciousness of the music industry on “NUGE SNIGHT” and show a dystopian vision of rogue AI on “BATTERY NOT INCLUDED.” “SKINHEAD” is the kind of aggressive moshpit anthem that’s bound to get blood pumping. On “DEVIL AT THE CROSSROADS,” Ho99o9 revisits themes of self-control, particularly in the face of mortality under the eyes of a watchful God. Ho99o9 gets political about people’s propensity for freedom and lust, while also taking a sharp critique of police and state violence.

8. The Weeknd

Dawn FM – Republic Records

The Weeknd delivers dreamy and dreary electronic pop and R&B jams to vibe with while going through an existential crisis about mortality. What he accomplished is exemplary of what most artists strive for when constructing a solid foundation for a concept album so broadly abstract. The Weeknd gave us a first-person perspective on reaching the “light at the end of the tunnel” at the end of your life. This journey comes with its own radio station that sets the soundtrack to the inevitable climb of Jacob’s Ladder. And none other than Jim Carrey plays the soothing yet equally chilling DJ. Many songs have a dreamlike quality, while immersing you into the idea that you’re listening to a live broadcast of your own passing as each song melds together.

There’s many distractions in the journey. The Weeknd pines for the affection unavailable women. On “Take My Breath,” his distrust of a lover highlights his fear of getting hurt. On “Out of Time” he laments an ex who’s moved on. And on “I Heard That You’re Married,” he’s interested in a married woman. By the end of the album, The Weeknd leaves you to ponder the significance of your life’s impact on the world and others.

7. Nas

King’s Disease III – Mass Appeal

On the new installment in this trilogy and his 15th album, Nas returns to affirm his status as one of hip-hop’s all-time greats and the wisdom he feels he can impart onto younger generations. Nas spends most of King’s Disease III reflecting on his youth and rise to superstardom, the naïveté of new artists and the ever-present significance that mortality holds over all of us.

The most poignant message comes on “Beef,” where Nas takes on the role of conflict in hip-hop itself. He lays bare the bloody battles of history with all their hideousness, and highlights the hubris, vindictiveness and selfishness that’s led people to kill each other. He follows this sobering statement with “Don’t Shoot”—a cry for people to stop choosing violence. Compassion is the better path forward, he concludes, while violence will only beget more violence.

6. Spoon

Lucifer on the Sofa – Matador Records

Austin’s Spoon put out perhaps its best album yet with Lucifer on the Sofa. Full of rootsy rock and roll, every song is an instant classic and a refreshing breath of fresh air. It’s full of exhilarating rockers and lowdown grooves. “The Hardest Cut” stomps, Texas style, like ZZ Top. The band gets a little coproduction assist from Jack Antonoff on “Wild” to deliver a world-weary yet uplifting anthem. Frontman Britt Daniels gets desperately romantic on “My Babe” and “Satellite.” For a band that’s been around for 30 years and makes consistently great albums, it’s incredible how vital and hungry Spoon still sounds. While some artists came out of lockdowns with records full of quiet, despondent dread, Spoon emerged with a vibrant album full of color and the energy we all needed to move forward.

5. The Smile

A Light For Attracting Attention – XL Recordings

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood joined Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner to form a musical megasaur known as The Smile. A Light for Attracting Attention, the band’s first full-length musical offering, is a deep dive into the trio’s various influences and the surprising hybrid strains produced by their cross pollination.

On “The Same,” Greenwood’s warped guitar melts over Skinner’s nimble percussion, part Krautrock, part psych-rock—Osees meet the The Police. “You Will Never Work In Television Again” layers punk guitar and sneering vocals over a rhythm track that refuses to be pinned down. After listening to the song for more than six months, we still can’t quite figure out how it works. Yorke gets philosophical with an acoustic guitar on “Free In The Knowledge” and delivers a solid case for mortality. “Free in the knowledge that one day this will end/ Free in the knowledge that everything is change,” he sings.

4. Rosalía

Motomami – Columbia Records

La Rosalía bared everything—from the risqué cover photo to the artist’s self-image—on her 2022 Latin-Grammy-winning album for Album Of The Year, Motomami. Rosalía made history when she took home the award by becoming the first woman in history to take home two Latin Grammy Album Of The Year awards. The two-time champ’s latest winning effort certainly plays on themes like sexuality—try looking at the album cover and listening to “Hentai” without feeling the heat.

But as you peel back the layers of the album, you’ll find an artist who’s deeply in touch with her Flamenco roots, poetry and prose that could stand alone in written form, and a sort of there-and-back again influence that incorporates traditional sounds and rhythms with new ones. The results run the gamut of emotions. Motomami will leave you teary and twerking for more.

3. Lupe Fiasco

Drill Music in Zion – 1st & 15th

To say that Drill Music In Zion is lightning in a bottle is a disservice to the quality Lupe Fiasco brings to this record. Crafted over three days, this fantastic album examines the duality of innocence and corruption. “GHOTI” highlights the themes of old and new as Lupe Fiasco delivers avant-garde bars. On “AUTOBOTO,” he raps about the increasing tensions of gang life through ever-relevant climate change metaphors.

“KIOSK” deals with the ethics of the jewelry trade and the violence that permeates it, from mining to selling. Lupe responds to a mall kiosk salesman with conviction, rejecting his advances. The complex and layered “MS. MURAL” is about an interaction between an artist and a patron. Lupe Fiasco delivers a number of visually popping and profound lyrics that will have you poring over every word. Breaks in the verses are elevated with some gorgeous saxophone riffs. “ON FAUX NEM” begins with a “moment of silence,” lamenting the deaths of rappers. Lupe criticizes how hip-hop has enabled violence through glamorization.

2. Beyoncé

Renaissance – Parkwood Entertainment

After six years between albums, Beyoncé returned full force with showstopper Renaissance. Packed with dance hall energy and combining more genres than most albums dare to take on, her seventh album reaffirmed her status as queen. Beyoncé is truly one of the most exciting entertainers of all time. Dance-pop lead single “Break My Soul” topped the charts (alongside the album) and sampled anthemic work from both Big Freedia and Robin S., giving the song a revolutionary sound that worked well alongside its pride month release.

Renaissance feels less like musical activism or a personal diary than Lemonade did. It’s louder and more ambitious, rarely even slowing down between songs. Beyoncé interpolates “I’m Too Sexy” on the outstanding “Alien Superstar;” tricks you into thinking she’s getting political on “America Has a Problem” before the lyrics begin recounting how her wealth and beauty “make you go weak for me;” and pays tribute to her uncle Johnny, who died of AIDS, on “Heated” (co-written with Drake). Every listen seems to reveal a new layer for Beyoncé.

1. Gang of Youths

Angel in Realtime – Warner Records

The best compliment to pay a musical act is saying you remember the first time you heard their work. It sounds overly sentimental, especially from someone who first discovered music when the Beatles were still on the charts and saw U2 in their world-moving prime. Not to compare Australia’s Gang of Youths to either, though the grounded joy of ’80s U2 isn’t far off. The incredibly uplifting Angel in Real Time in 2022 – when the world was coming out of the dark doldrums of a pandemic – was as close as it got.

It was personal and positive when we needed to know we could still feel and believe in honest emotion. Frontman and songwriter Dave Le’aupepe threw himself into his pain and still believed, and this record happened. The playing was superb and the music limitless, except to be catchy and have layers, from echoing early ’80s new wave to committing as grand and powerfully as a ’70s rock opera. Single “The Angel of 8th Ave” was just an electric jolt of optimism without being flippant. This was the record of the year, not because it can be logically broken down. It was the record of the year because of how it made listeners feel, and probably will feel, for years. That’s real musical power.

10: Weyes Blood. 9: Ho99o9. 8: The Weeknd. 7: Nas. 6: Spoon. 5: The Smile. 4: Rosalía. 3: Lupe Fiasco. 2: Beyoncé. 1: Gang of Youths.