These are the 20 best albums of the year.

Our Top 25 Songs of 2016.

Endless and Blonde is Ocean peaking in generosity, laying bare his truth as a collector of stories and poetries on self and society.

20. Cat Power Sun [Matador] Cat Power’s ninth studio album is filled with unexpected studio flourishes—overdubs, synthesizers, electronic beats—and yet retains all the lyric edge and raw, minor-key emotion that distinguish the best of her work. Sun has moments as introspective as anything in Chan Marshall’s catalog, notably the hangover ruminations of “3,6,9” or the understated rage of “Always on …

25) M.I.A. – “Bad Girls” [Interscope] Originally released by M.I.A. as a 2:13 worldbeat experiment on 2010’s Vicki Leekx mixtape, the extended edit of “Bad Girls” blends the jovial tenacity of the younger performer with the alternative pop sheen the songstress has cultivated in the interim 13 months. True, the song centers on M.I.A. getting banged in the front seat …

[xrr rating=3.5/5]The Odd Future hype machine keeps rolling forward, and it’s up to you to believe it. Though Frank Ocean’s musical career predated his involvement with the L.A. hip-hop collective, he’s gained widespread visibility through his association with them. And why not? In a group full of live action cartoons and clumsy provocateurs, his cool, quiet passion set him apart …

20. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life [Matador] The most ambitious band to vaguely fit under the description of “hardcore punk” since Refused dissolved, Toronto sextet Fucked Up have outdone themselves with this year’s David Comes to Life. A rock opera is precisely the sort of thing punks set out to kill, but David Comes to Life never wants …

25. St. Vincent – “Surgeon” [4AD] To know Annie Clark is to love her. The versatile songstress and musician has been making indie hearts melt since her time with the Polyphonic Spree, and her 2007 debut Marry Me was beloved for its cheeky sense of humor (see: the album’s “Arrested Development”-inspired title) and the sheer skill she exhibited. She’s released …