It's that time of year again, time for Nat Geo Music's completely subjective, non-scientific, thoroughly biased list of our favorite world and international music albums of 2009.

While some other folks might compile their lists based on sales data or readers' polls or critic's favorites or maybe some complicated algorithm devised by Silicon Valley brainiacs, our holiday elves here at Nat Geo Music are far, far too hungover for all that mess.

So instead we put together a short list, in no particular order, of our own favorite 2009 releases from around the world. Our criteria was simple: we listen to a lot of new albums throughout the year, and these were the ones that that got the most play here in the office.

These were the albums that camped out inside our heads - the ones that were on constant repeat in our iTunes, that lived in our mobile devices and that we eagerly forced upon our reluctant friends and loved ones. In short, these were the records that grabbed our ears and didn't let go.

Of course, in the interest of fairness, we had to disqualify our own Nat Geo Music releases - DePedro's self-titled album and Forro In The Dark's Light A Candle from the running. But that was only because they were so earth-shatteringly awesome that it just wouldn't have been fair to all the other records that came out this year. Seriously, if you don't run out and buy both Nat Geo Releases for your entire family today, then you're truly committing a crime against humanity. We're not biased at all. We swear!

That said, here's Nat Geo Music's top ten albums for 2009. You may not agree with all of our picks, but we guarantee that you'll enjoy them all.

Nat Geo Music's Top Ten Albums of 2009:

Tinariwen Imidiwan: Companions (World Village)

Touareg desert rockers Tinariwen got back to basics this year with this stunning record recorded in the Sahara desert. Imidiwan is full of deep, mesmerizing guitar grooves that are reflective, elegiac and otherworldly, all at once. This may be visionary founding member Ibrahim Ag Alhabib's lasting legacy for all the young Touareg musicians that follow in his footsteps.