Albums Of The Year part 2 (15-6)

15. Queen of Denmark- John Grant

The Czars frontman returned from a long spell in the drug-ravaged wilderness, and headed into the studio with Midlake to record these wonderful ruminations on life. Melancholic, dark but always somehow joyfull, Grant reminded the world what a talented songwriter they had in him
Best Track: Where Dreams Go To Die


14. Man Alive- Everything Everything
Indie's seachange was definately on the other side of the Atlantic this year, with the genre being largely redundant in this country. The Manchester-based Everything Everything (and, more recently, The Vaccines) were an anomaly, bringing their pretentious, entertaining and catchy anthems to a downbeat nation.
Best Track: Photoshop Handsome

13. This Is Happening- LCD Soundsystem
A massive crushing disappointment compared to its predecessor, Sound of Silver. Mind you, how James Murphy and co were supposed to follow one of the most widely-regarded masterpieces of the last 25 years is anyone's guess. Based on the album's own merits, this was fresh, funny, innovative and exciting electronic pop. If this is indeed their last album together, they've bowed out in style.
Best Track: You Wanted A Hit


12. Infinite Arms- Band of Horses
It took a Cee-Lo Green cover of No One's Gonna Love You to thrust them towards the mainstream, but on the merits of this, their third album and first as a unified band (despite their name). It didn't rock the boat too much: the usual mix of beautiful metodies, stunning harmonies and perfectly crafted songs, they just threw in a more ambitious tone.
Best Track: Laredo

11. Wake Up The Nation- Paul Weller
An unexpected delight, Weller dropped the folksie approach of his solo work to bring back the thrills. One of the most suprisinly experimental mainstream albums of the year, Weller's urge to "get your face off the Facebook and turn off your phone" clearly reenergised him too, and he was awarded with a Mercury nod for his troubles.
Best Track: Fast Car/Slow Traffic

10. Congratulatons-MGMT
An album whose reputation will perhaps unfairly follow it when mentioned in future, this was not the destructive, unlistenable disaster that was promised. Instead, the band shyed away from the weird pop of their debut into far more psychadelic territory, pushing their own boundries and writing songs about Brian Eno. Great cover art too.
Best Track: Siberian Breaks

9. High Violet- The National
Isn't them being Barack Obama's favourite band enough? Ok then. The National proved to be the critical darlings of the year, and gained a loyal following, as shown with their Q Awards win. This was an album full of rich and warm melodies, given emotional weight by the soft burr of frontman Matt Berninger. Do believe the hype.
Best Track: Bloodbuzz Ohio

8. Familial- Philip Selway
Selway has done an amazing thing: banished all memories and presumptions on drummer albums. No one expected the Radiohead sticksman's debut to be this tender. Far more human then recent bandmate efforts, Selway unveiled a beautiful, fragile voice that transcended the usual bloke-with-an-acoustic-guitar album
Best Track: All Eyes On You

7. The Defamation of Strickland Banks- Plan B
By far the most unexpected reinvention of the year, Ben Drew's jump from potty-mouthed rapper to socially-concious soul-man in the mould of Curtis Mayfield was a joy. Far from selling out, this jump kept the edge of his hip-hop and brought the issues to a wider audience, with a great story of soul star in downfall. Next year's return to hip hop, The Ballad of Belmarsh is an exciting prospect.
Best Track: Stay Too Long

6. Total Life Forever- Foals
Frequently running in ever-decreasing circles during adventures in math-rock, Foals proved themselves far more pallatable in more human form. Their intelligence and sense of adventure remained their main selling point, but a strong focus on songwriting proved to be their big success. The album soared at it's most emotional, as seen in the brilliant Spanish Sahara.
Best Track: Spanish Sahara