New recorded music seemed to be of peripheral importance in 2007’s world of pop. The focus instead was on live shows, with the public’s thirst for giggoing seemingly unquenchable, the opening of the O2 Arena having a huge impact on London’s live scene and hardly any bands still refusing to 0re-form and perform their greatest hits. The Police, Genesis, the Eagles, the Verve and even the mighty Led Zeppelin all made lucrative comebacks.

When it came to albums, all anyone talked about was whether it was even worth bothering to sell them. Prince, Ray Davies and young hopefuls the Crimea all chose to give their new songs away for free in the hope of selling more concert tickets, while Radiohead allowed fans to pay what they felt like. What did they feel like paying? Not much. But in the midst of all this change, there was still room for musicians to put a dozen or so songs together in a specific order and create something great.

Though the biggest seller and single dominant voice belonged to someone whose album came out last year, Amy Winehouse, there was fresh colour, invention and inspiration to be found all over the place. Here are our highlights, any of which would make a more lasting Christmas gift than a gig ticket.

FOR THE INDIE KID Klaxons: Myths of the Near Future (Polydor) This year’s Mercury winner was a world away from indie’s current fascination with the workaday, with surreal lyrics, kitchen-sink production and a level of sonic inventiveness that was rarely matched elsewhere. It wasn’t quite the whole new musical genre that the London trio promised, but it did suggest there is even better to come.