Every year, a collection of lists appear and attempt to define each year in music in 50-or-so records that the public may or may not have been aware of. The tradition makes sense; in years past, when albums meant a precious $16.99 spent, year end lists operated as an all-in…

A year in music is hard to encapsulate in a list like this. Hundreds of records flood the streets on a weekly basis; picking fifty out of the thousands can feel like a vain task at times. However, the semantics of crowning fifty albums a year are still strong, if…