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Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Bach’s “The Art of Fugue” (Deutsche Grammophon)

The iconic image of a classical pianist in 2008 might have been that of Lang Lang, performing center stage, in the lavish opening ceremonies to the Beijing Olympics. Meanwhile, out of the mainstream spotlight, another pianist was capturing a deeper level of excitement. French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard released two albums this year. One of them was a 80-minute traversal of Bach’s “The Art of Fugue,” plus Aimard’s full-weight of his modernist credentials. The result is both fiery and introspective. –picked by Brian Wise [Amazon]

Girl Talk, “Feed the Animals” (Illegal Art)

I’m Joel Meyer, one of the producers of Soundcheck. My album of the year is “Feed the Animals,” the mash-up masterpiece from the Pittsburgh-based artist Girl Talk. His real name is Gregg Gillis, and on this track, “Still Here,” Girl Talk puts more than 20 very-recognizable samples, stuck them in a laptop blender — and produced a pop-art smoothie. It’s a treasure trove of knowing winks to fellow music geeks. And this Frankenstein monster could also be the future of pop music: homemade, slightly illicit, and 100% recycled. It’s my album of the year: Feed the Animals by Girl Talk. –picked by Joel Meyer [Amazon]

Avishai Cohen Trio, “Gently Disturbed” (Razdaz)

If you feel like you hear a lot of Israeli jazz on Soundcheck… well, that’s my fault. I’m Gisele Regatao, the executive producer of the show, and I book most of our jazz and world music acts. And the reason why I am indeed in love with Israeli jazz is because it mixes American quintessential music with Jewish, Middle Eastern and sometimes even Latin sounds. My favorite album this year is by one of the pioneers of the Israeli jazz scene: bassist and composer Avishai Cohen. His release this year with his trio is called “Gently Disturbed.” –picked by Gisele Regatao [Amazon]

Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, “The Bairns” (Real World)

Rachel Unthank and the Winterset got a lot of attention in folk and folk-rock circles on their side of the Atlantic for their record The Bairns. When it arrived Stateside, I put it on and thought, oh, that’s nice, someone is still making albums in the style of those 30-year-ago bands like Pentangle or Fairport Convention. Well, that thought lasted for all of one track. Rachel Unthank, her sister Becky, and their northern English friends sing old English and Scottish folk songs in voices full of mystery and a kind of trembling excitement. They also extend the tradition with surprising songs by jazz-rocker Robert Wyatt and indie rock’s Bonnie Prince Billie. The harmonies, the spare yet haunting arrangements, the song choices – it’s the complete package. –picked by John Schaefer [Amazon]