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"As the end of 2012 draws closer, so does our desire to reflect on the year in music. It&amp;#039;s been 12 months with highlights including the continued success of Adele, the dominance of Emeli Sand\u00C3\u00A9 and the breakthrough of a certain Korean rapper on UK shores - as well as a generous helping of brilliant and exciting record releases.  As such, we at Digital Spy have counted down our 20 favourite albums of the year, the bottom ten of which appear below.  20. Of Monsters and Men: My Head Is An Animal Released: August 27 Chart peak: No. 3 We said: &amp;quot;Their folk-pop hoohah is perfectly captured on lead single &amp;#039;Little Talks&amp;#039; where they sing subtly of human loss over buoyant and brassy foot-tapping beats, placing them somewhere between the free-spirited nature of Edward Sharpe, the Magnetic Zeros and the soulful roars of Mumford &amp;amp; Sons.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; Read Digital Spy&amp;#039;s review of My Head Is An Animal   19. Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded Released: April 2 Chart peak: No.1 We said: &amp;quot;Whether it&amp;#039;s the brilliantly bizarre gender-bending serenade on &amp;#039;Come On A Cone&amp;#039; or genuine heartbreak from past struggles in &amp;#039;Champion&amp;#039;, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded never fails to keep you on your toes throughout its largely hip-hop-dominated first half.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; Read our review of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded   18. Little Mix: DNA Released: November 19 Chart peak: No. 3 We said: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s the finale of &amp;#039;Madhouse&amp;#039; that sees them transform into punchy pop vixens and leaves their debut on an energetic high. Don&amp;#039;t use it all up just yet, girls; we predict life&amp;#039;s going to get a whole lot crazier still.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; Read our review of DNA  17. Dry The River: Shallow Bed Released: March 5 Chart peak: No. 28 We said: &amp;quot;What&amp;#039;s most exciting is Dry The River&amp;#039;s ability to open the lid on a song and let it soar; a prime example being the entangled vocal and guitar building throughout &amp;#039;No Rest&amp;#039;, which gloriously explodes by the track&amp;#039;s end.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; Read our review of Shallow Bed   16. Muse: The 2nd Law Released: October 1 Chart peak: No. 1 We said: &amp;quot;The blistering choruses and operatic bravado still remains, but this time out Muse try their hand at the latest musical buzz genre dubstep; but this is by no means a dubstep record.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; Read our review of The 2nd Law   15. Labrinth: Electronic Earth Released: April 2 Chart peak: No. 2 We said: &amp;quot;Labrinth&amp;#039;s lyrics are far from groundbreaking, but that doesn&amp;#039;t make his music any less compelling. Ironically, the one artist Cowell has on his label who has the X Factor in abundance has stepped nowhere near one of his singing contests. &amp;gt;Read our review of Electronic Earth   14. Alt-J: An Awesome Wave Released: May 25 Chart peak: No. 14 We said: &amp;quot;The result is an eclectic, beautifully-rounded debut that messes around with the alt-pop formula just enough to feel fresh and exciting.&amp;quot;   13. Ellie Goulding: Halcyon Released: October 8 Chart peak: No. 2 We said: &amp;quot;Halcyon is a record that, despite an overarching sense of broodiness, remains intriguing and thoroughly enchanting throughout.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; Read our review of Halcyon   12. Lianne La Havas: Is Your Love Big Enough? Released: July 9 Chart peak: No. 4 We said: &amp;quot;While her near-flawless voice is the immediate attraction, it&amp;#039;s the nagging feeling there&amp;#039;s more to this woman than meets the eye that will keep you coming back.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; Read our review of Is Your Love Big Enough?  11. Taylor Swift: Red Released: October 22 Chart peak: No. 1 We said: &amp;quot;The subject matter may have barely moved on from her previous efforts, but when it&amp;#039;s flanked by a massive pop production, Taylor sounds anything but a broken record - especially when she&amp;#039;s on the cusp of global domination.&amp;quot;  &amp;gt; Read our review of Red  Come back tomorrow to find out Digital Spy&amp;#039;s top ten albums of 2012  Click through our gallery of our top 20 - 11 albums of 2012 below:   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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