2014's best album - is Rolling Stone trolling?

Various music publications are starting to release lists of their favourite albums of the year - and their are some obvious contenders for the top spot.

But one album that no one seemed to think would be worthy of No. 1 is U2's Songs of Innocence, an album gifted to iPhone users that caused a storm of controversy when it was given away for free.

Apple was forced to release a tool that made it possible for iPhone users to delete the album in one step, and Bono issued an apology for the forced download.

That hasn't stopped Rolling Stone magazine naming it album of the year.

It's not the only controversial inclusion on the music mag's list, with The Black Keys' mellow effort Turn Blue hitting the No. 3 spot, and the Foo Fighters' timid Sonic Highways taking out No. 12.

Music fans took their outrage to Twitter.

Some asked if the magazine had completed its slide into irrelevance.

Read the tweets below:

Wonder how much Apple paid Rolling Stone to list U2 as the best album of the year

— Steph Mangan (@steph_mangan) December 2, 2014

Other publications to release their lists include NME, which named St Vincent's St Vincent No. 1, and Stereogum, who gave the top spot to Run the Jewels' RTJ2.

Rolling Stone's Top 20 Albums of 2014:

1. U2 - Songs of Innocence
2. Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes
3. The Black Keys - Turn Blue
4. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
5. Miranda Lambert - Platinum
6. Charli XCX - SUCKER
7. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
8. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
9. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
10. Taylor Swift - 1989
11. Flying Lotus - You're Dead
12. Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
13. Ought - More Than Any Other Day
14. Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright in the End
15. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
16. FKA twigs - LP1
17. Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
18. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
19. Jackson Browne - Standing in the Breach
20. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There

- nzherald.co.nz