No single album truly broke from the pack this year, but here is a list of essential artworks from 2007 that have more than just quality in common - every one of them will grow on you, revealing new pleasures with each successive listen. 1. Arcade Fire, “Neon Bible” Win Butler and his fervent, paranoid Canadian comrades are teetering on the edge of the mainstream, but their sophomore album is an exquisite, ambitious journey into modern man’s heart of darkness. 2.

Patty Griffin, “Children Running Through” The Austin songbird flits between folk, rock and country, evoking childhood and poignant reverance. It’s arguably Griffin’s best yet, in a career littered with brilliance. 3. Brandi Carlile, “The Story” The 26-year-old she broke through thanks to “Grey’s Anatomy,” but she’s no pop lightweight: “The Story” is a breathtaking blend of gritty style and heartbreaking substance. 4.

Amy Winehouse, “Back to Black” What began as a breakout year dissolved into tear-soaked tabloid tragedy, but despite Winehouse’s personal problems, “Back to Black” resonates as a defiant, defining masterpiece. 5. Bruce Springsteen, “Magic” The Boss roared back with his best E Street disc since, well, the last one (2002’s “The Rising”). It stars one of the year’s classic singles, Girls in “Their Summer Clothes.” 6.

Miranda Lambert, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” The fire-breathing East Texan kicked down Nashville’s door with this feisty, fearless record, as loaded with melody as it is attitude. It’s the sound of a legend in the making. 7. Spoon, “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” Aggressively refining their sound and simultaneously writing some of the most straightforward pop songs of their career, Austin’s premier indie rockers deliver a moody gem. 8.