You’ll want to take a shower after seeing these hot, sexy new Subaru Forester ads featuring near-naked (aren’t they always near-naked?) sumo hunks.

Well-executed and fun, but I’m a bit disappointed in the sumo tie-in. Really? It’s because the car is Japanese? That’s it? No line about “heavy-duty performance” or some other one-liner?

Oh well. By DDB Canada.

#12: Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

Mumford & Sons is one of those bands that follow a journey music lovers know all too well: Underrated band gives everyone a chubby,  gets called the next big thing, becomes the next big thing, then becomes overrated. Well, listen and decide for yourself. Their folk rock is guaranteed to be contagious.

Mumford & Sons – The Cave

#11: Hoodie Allen – Pep Rally

Every year there’s a band that comes out of absolutely nowhere to make it on my list. This year, that band (man) is Hoodie Allen, a NY hip hopper so fresh the dude don’t even have a Wikipedia page. Pep Rally is full of win because of Hoodie’s fresh style, but probably (mostly) because he masterfully spins recent indie spinsters like Florence & The Machine, Black Keys and Yeasayer.

Hoodie Allen (ft Black Keys) – Tighten Up

#10: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Say what you will about Kanye, the man spurs discussion. An infectious album that is likable even if the man isn’t.  Lost in the World featuring Bon Iver is stupid good, and I’m not even a Bon Iver fan (gasp!).

Kanye West – Lost in the World (ft Bon Iver)

#9: Band of Horses – Infinite Arms

Indie staple folk rockers Band of Horses finally hit the big-time with their Grammy-nominated Infinite Arms. Though I miss the melancholy of their previous album Cease to Begin, there’s no doubt that BOH know how to craft song, be it pop, folk or everything in between.

Band of Horses – Way Back Home

#8: Delta Spirit – History From Below

Irresistible, well-produced folk rock that could’ve been produced in any era… hence their comparison to everything from classic Rolling Stones to modern-day Spoon and Walkmen. An album so overlooked, it’s a freakin’ crime.

Delta Spirit – Salt In The Wound

#7: Cloud Cult – Light Chasers

A highly underrated band that combines the orchestral melodrama of Arcade Fire with occasional robotic voices and other electronic underpinnings. Listen to it all the way through for best effect.

Cloud Cult – Exploding People

#6: Vampire Weekend – Contra

Loved their last album. On about the third listen, I lost interest. This time, they craft an album chock full of deeper melodies, longer song structures, and the patented Ivy League afro-pop hook that makes millions of sane men everywhere want to toss on a cardigan and crash a political rally.

Vampire Weekend – Diplomat’s Son

#5: Black Keys – Brothers

If an exhaust-spitting, oil-stained, road-hardened Harley-Davidson could manifest itself into music, this is what it would sound like. As gritty as it is soulful, I agree with Thought District copywriter Erik Wieseman’s sentiment that you’ll want to take a shower after listening to it. And rub down with steel wool like a real man.

The Black Keys – Tighten Up

#4: Matt & Kim – Sidewalks

NY indie rock duo Matt & Kim make the sort of music that hardcore hipsters hate, but fun-loving hipsters love. If you check your pretentiousness at the door, you’ll love this infinitely listenable album that can get any party started. It’s a dance punk classic!

Matt & Kim – Block After Block

#3: CEO – White Magic

What is with the Swedes? First they blow my mind with the electro-pop stylings of The Sound of Arrows. Then while I’m busy picking up pieces of my brain matter, they explode my skull with a glorious electro-pop explosion of tight hooks, killer beats, and lush orchestration. Only reason this album isn’t higher? It’s too damn short.

ceo – Come With Me

#2: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Nothing can be said about the genius of Arcade Fire that hasn’t already been said. A worthy follow-up to the incredible Neon Bible, which is saying a heck of a lot.

Arcade Fire – City With No Children

Arcade Fire – Rococo

#1: Yeasayer – Odd Blood

On Odd Blood, Brooklyn-bred Yeasayer lovingly crafts non-pop pop songs… musical rollercoasters that manage to be interesting, varied, yet incredibly catchy. I’ve listened to the album virtually all year and I’m still not tired of it. So congrats Yeasayer; you’ve beaten some formidable competition to become the album of the year on the only list that matters – MINE.

Yeasayer – I Remember

Yeasayer – Madder Red

Emoticon Boy is unhappy. Emoticon Boy is mean. Emoticon Boy is now in one of the best ads I’ve seen this year.

Big budget, big fun, and great music courtesy of Queen for South Africa’s new player in the cellular market, 8ta (a name based on “heita”, which means hello).

Fantastic work by McCann Erickson, South Africa.

Smart copywriting. An ad that encourages us to get off our duffs and watch real music by forcing us to look inward at our stupid, lazy digital selves. By Marcus Thomas.

Never get lost again with Sony’s new “In-Dash Audio Video Receiver with TomTom Navigation”, a product in desperate need of a better name. There’s an R&B one with lovely ladies in this campaign but I didn’t include it because I hate R&B.

By 180LA.

Wicked short film/music video featuring the track Judgement Day by The Thunderclaps. Mixing stop-motion and cartoon, the piece is bold and in-your-face and highly reminiscent of highly stylized anime. I can’t think of a better way to start a Friday.

Produced by WIZZ.

Another incredibly impressive music video by Edouard Salier, this time a “prequel” to his previous video (for Massive Attack’s “Splitting the Atom” at the bottom of this post). Boy is it a worthy followup; which is saying a lot since “Splitting the Atom” is one of my all-time favorite music videos.

Dark and badass stuff (despite the bunny). From Motionographer.

Basketball season is finally here. Let’s boot this baseball bullshit out the window and make way for a real sport. To celebrate the new season, Adidas is  launching new shoes for Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard with a campaign featuring… Ken Jeong? Damn right. Turns out I’m not the only Koreasian who has a hunger for the court and is a self-made billionaire.

Hot shiz by 180 LA with more to come.

A mind-numbingly inspired animated music video by David Wilson that will shove its fist up your nose and stimulate your cortex to a creative orgasm.

Via Motionographer.

In case you missed it, it’s another in a long line of crazy choreographed OK Go video’s with viral potential – only this time with DOGGIES!!! Weeee!!!

Hey guys, I’m getting sick of your relentless and demented commitment to making awesome music videos. I keep waiting and waiting for you to fall on your faces, and yet here you still go. Jerks.