#11 Lock The Locks by The Streets with Clare Maguire

The last track on their last record is a last goodbye to the pop life, evoking the weariness Mike Skinner claims is his urge for leaving, buoyed by the certainty of his departure and the smoky way Claire makes that torchy chorus stick. As wistful as it is unrepentant, as wry as it is poignant.

#10 The Armoire by Owen

The center not holding, when home grows clammy with un-belonging, is a hurt that’s hard-up for solace, and in using junk furniture to articulate the displacement that comes from it, Mike Kinsella doesn’t offer any but does one-up his own tiny gift for quotidian minutiae.

#9 Considerate by Taken By Cars

The perk up its sleeve are those roller disco synths, which signal a loosening up that’s not really long in coming but if there’s a band of indie artists that need to loosen up some, it’s this one. Bliss is what happens when they do.

#8 Bats In The Attic by King Creosote & Jon Hopkins

There’s always room in my repertoire for a folk ballad of regret over a passage of time you could do over if you could. “ . . . growing silver in my sideburns, I’m starting to unravel . . .”  The fatigue in King Creosote’s voice can melt you.

#7 Are You . . Can You . . .Were You? (Felt) by Shabazz Palaces

“ . . .my mind hides behind the music . . .”  If this is indeed MC Palaceer Lazaro a.k.a. Digable Planets’ Ishmael Butler’s manifesto, the music’s just the thing for that:  the beats stretching out and spacing out into a stoned soul fugue. Nocturnal, obscure, sexy.

#6 Know This, We’ve Noticed by An Horse

Their Sleater-Kinney auras disperse a little here, but not my much, and not that it needs to. I’m thinking it has a shot as being this year’s “Our Deal” even if it lopes rather than smolders, if only for how emotive the rah-rah in its chorus gets and for how it invokes Dusty, at least spiritually.

#5 Queen of Hearts by Fucked Up with Madeline Follin

Pried loose from the massive punk rock opera it’s embedded in, you do get a sense of autonomy that gathers its own brunt without sucking at the teat of the big picture. Riffs with traction catchily pile-drive the song to its own blaze of pop rapture, and being  the part where boy first meets girl, the shaft of light near the end when indie artist Madeline from Cults opens her mouth makes both narrative and aesthetic sense.

Watch official music video: Fucked Up – Queen Of Hearts

#4 Honey Mine by Korallreven with Victoria Bergsman

The irresistible shimmer of the host record finds its most coherent, and most seductive, pop shape here. Victoria from Taken By Trees helps immensely, even if the timid verging on trite lyrics sometimes threaten not to.

#3 Drunk On Love by Rihanna

Its melodrama, and that is in no way a dis, and subsequently, its grandeur, hinges on how Rihanna gushing all over that wholesale sample of the XX’s “Intro” clicks into place with such inevitability it’s as if it completes a meld we didn’t know wasn’t there all along.

#2 Especially Me by Low

Having been a fan for so long, I never doubted their capacity for beauty. But this ghostly? This majestic? And this attuned to the truth?  ” . . . ’cause if we knew where we belong, there’d be no doubt where we’re from, but as it stands, we don’t have a clue, especially me and probably you . . .”

#1 Two Cousins by Slow Club

Sorrow wrung through music quivery with hope has always been the Slow Club dynamic but where they used to embody the twee in their pop, here they supersize with a bright palette of new sonic colors. Lush, sad, joyous.  No three words sums up the song more perfectly. And the year.

2011 is the year SM Entertainment artists conquered Paris, Big Bang won in the MTV EMA, and Pitchfork, the untouchable bible of hipsters, published an article on K-Pop. It is also a year of great singles (10cm’s “Beautiful Moon,” Sistar’s “Ma Boy” and Infinite’s “Be Mine” notably) and diverse musicality, with the indie scene getting mainstream recognition. This Best Of list aims to capture the constantly changing landscape of Korean music, and also hopes to introduce the less known bands who are pop geniuses in their own right. So I am a man with mission. Fighting!

#11 Hands Up by 2PM

When it comes to muscular beats, and just being muscular really, 2PM is the group to beat. JYP continues to write heavy dance floor anthems for the group, and puh-puh-puh-put your “Hands Up” is the laser cutting through the dark of club land. As with any proper disco album, heartbreak is the thump behind the bass, the raison d’etre for reckless dancing, which “Without U” celebrates in all its sweaty glory.

Watch Video: 2PM – hands Up

#10 Eye to Eye Mini Album by Eye to Eye

Old school acid jazz, the swinging soulful kind with layers of smooth as honey vocals, makes a comeback with Eye to Eye’s debut album. Members Soo Hye, Na Rae, and Jin Sun sing like angels hell-bent to inject some soul into Seoul’s autotuned pop machine. The result is oftentimes breathtaking; album track “Day by Day” is bottled longing on a summer’s day while single “Like a Man,” with its strutting horn section, finds the girls growling for respect.

Watch Video: Eye to Eye – Like A Man

#9 Wonder World by Wonder Girls

The Wonder Girls return to familiar 60s pop kitsch with “Be My Baby” but this time around, they’re armed with more than just one hit. Wonder World circumnavigates different eras, from the 70s swagger of “Sweet Dreams” to the new wave riffs of “Super B” to the flirty house of “G.N.O.,” all pinned down by electronic bleeps and heartbeats. It’s a surprisingly cohesive album, but the bigger surprise is the restrain of the production, which lets the girls’ vocals shine.

Watch Video: Wonder Girls – Be My Baby

#8 Seoulight by Neon Bunny

It’s impossible not to fall into a happy trance—a delicious state of forgetfulness—when “Can’t Stop Thinking About You” plays its flippant pop riff and Neon Bunny coos her obsession over and over. Seoulight is an album that takes you gently by the hand and lets you drift into twee-electronic wonderland effortlessly. That’s the thing, and that’s the genius bit, it has never been this easy to submit to subtlety. (With special thanks to GA Ramos for the reminder.)

Watch Video: Neon Bunny – Can’t Stop Thinking About You (Audio)

#7 Mr. Simple by Super Junior

Hello, Siwon in neon green boxer briefs. (The end.) Super Junior’s fifth album goes through the motions of dancey synthpop shamelessly autotuned, still, why fix it if it ain’t broke? “Mr. Simple,” “Opera” and “Be My Girl” relentlessly reel you into SuJu’s brand of funky, clanging pop. But it’s when the boys take things down a notch—the easy, urban track “Walkin” and acoustic toe-tapper “Sunflower”—that they become more creative, and a little less simple.

Watch Video: Super Junior – Mr. Simple

#6 28 by Dalmoon

Dalmoon, which means rooftop moon light, says it all. It’s music that tiptoes around your subconscious, lilting and dreamy, before planting itself firmly in your memory and becomes the soundtrack to solitary walks when you are a little happy and the world is a little sad. Excuse me for getting carried away but there is (an unbearable) lightness in the meandering folk of Kim Yoon Ju and Baek Se Jin. The xylophone, the piano, the simplicity of it all, is quietly affecting, hushing the din in your head.

Watch Video: Dalmoon – 옥상달빛

#5 The Boys by Girls’ Generation

Girls’ Generation is a force of nature and they know it. With The Boys, the girls are declaring war with stomping beats and a shy wink, a very deadly combination if there ever was one. Lead single “The Boys” is cheerleading in stilettos; “Hollaback Girl” with glittering sass. But more than the bold declarations of bringing the boys out, it’s the nod to 60s girl groups that make this album a more sonically exciting record. “My J” and “Lazy Girl” up the cute factor but it’s the doo-wop delightful “Say Yes” that signs, seals and delivers the pop goods.

Watch Video: Girls’ Generation – The Boys

#4 Just One Trip by Monni

Memory is a powerful thing, and a song attached to a memory amplifies a passing moment to a discourse of meaning. On indie band Monni’s third album, singing and songwriting have both been fine-tuned to perfection, so fine-tuned that the songs draw out very particular responses. Album opener “Don’t Hesitate” shimmers and jangles; open-road happiness it is. “Sunshine,” a delicate duet, gauzy and hopeful. “Past the Wind to You” soars as Kim Shin Ee’s voice falters, and then an inescapable memory of someone mouthing the words of the same song while I watch fascinated from across a room. Just One Trip is rock, yes, but it also disarms with its see-through loneliness and earnest, unshakeable pop hooks. Keep the soju coming please.

Watch Video: Monni – Sunshine (Audio)

#3 Tonight Special Edition by Big Bang

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, G-Dragon, Big Bang’s main songwriter and band leader, is fucking genius. The band’s trademark mix of hip-hop and dance is at its most confident in tracks like “Tonight” and “Hands Up;” T.O.P.’s gravelly rapping is still the perfect counterpoint to Daesung and Taeyang’s smooth vocals. But the biggest surprise here is the U2-esque “Love Song,” a guitar-riff driven, new wave tinged track that could possibly be one of the best songs released this year, K-pop or not.

Watch Video: Big Bang – Tonight

#2 Fact and Fiction by B2ST

A relatively run-of-the-mill boy band, B2ST (or BEAST) has been churning out moderately successful hits for the past two years, but it is with Fact and Fiction that they have hit their stride. And hit the ground running. “Fiction” is pop perfection, with Yoseob’s falsettos anchoring the melodic despair of rewriting one’s fate in love; “Fact” is the antithesis with its somber, staccato drumming and mournful vocals. “You” on the other hand is a shamelessly sweet ballad that puts the boys’ powerful vocals front and center. The thing with pop acts is that they are material dependent, and Fact and Fiction is just brimming with hits intelligently arranged as an album so the dance tracks never overwhelm the quiet moments. Plus, the special shoebox edition comes with a free shirt.

Watch Video: B2ST – Fiction

#1 2NE1 Second Mini Album by 2NE1

I have to agree with 2ne1’s album opener track, they are the best. Whether it’s dance, punk synthpop, or being lonely, CL, Minzy, Dara and Bom sing brilliantly, bluesy even, against the science fiction disco dings and rattle of their catchy, hyper pop. Every track in this second mini album is a pop gem, short, sweet and demanding to be remembered like it’s the only song in the world. With nods to Blondie and TLC, “Ugly” is anything but. It is classic 2ne1, feisty and stubborn but also secretly heartbreaking.

Watch Video: 2ne1 – Ugly

James Blake by James Blake (A&M)

The global music press was quick to anoint London-based producer-singer James Blake the face of the past two year’s post-dubstep wave on the strength of stellar singles like the Kelis-sampling “CMYK”, but to lump him alongside the dozens of mid-frequency aggro-wonk peddlers that have sprung up following the recession of bloghouse would be to do him a disservice. His eponymous debut LP, while still soaked in the shuddering low end of his earlier releases, places Blake’s assured sense for verse and melody as well as his soulful vocals at the center, and sees the 23-year old songwriter eclipse the confining purview of post-millennial bass music to create a sound all his own.

Watch Video: James Blake – The Wilhelm Scream

SBTRKT by SBTRKT (Young Turks)

Electronic dance music both mainstream and underground has for a long time now suffered from an ironic scene-based purism and thematic insularity contrary to the spirit of openness and discovery espoused by the music’s founders. So when South London native Aaron Jerome dropped his self-titled artist LP as SBTRKT, forward-looking, electro-weaned indie kids were quick to jump on board alongside more traditional house heads. The adulation is well-deserved however, as Jerome deftly bleeds together elements of techno, house, soul, funk, 2-step, juke and bass music wobble into a cohesive and propulsive whole.

Watch Video: SBTRKT – Wildfire

Glass Swords by Rustie  (Warp)

The word most often used to describe Rustie’s debut LP Glass Swords is “maximal”. It’s an apt description, as the Glasgow-based producer’s whole M.O. seems to be to fill every space and crack with grandiose, synapse-popping, kaleidoscopic sound. It’s a full-on event from end to end, with the seemingly disparate mishmash of 90s rave tunes, west coast g-funk, corporate rock slap bass and monumental, molten synth lines brought into sharp focus by the swaggering pulse of dubstep. Exuberant, ridiculous and inspired through and through.

Watch Video: Rustie – After Light (Audio)

Electronic Dream by Araabmuzik (Duke)

Diplomats producer and MPC whiz AraabMuzik’s first proper album is at its most basic level a collection of bottle service club favorites re-worked and re-imagined as gangsta rap beats (Starchaser’s “So High” gets recast as “Feelin So Hood” for example), but it is also much more than that. While the album’s working formula is simple- superimpose the skittering hi hats, clipped snares and booming kicks of new millennium hip-hop on chopped up trance and gabber anthems- Araab here creates a musical world unto itself, replacing the sugary lilt of the originals with the menace, desperation and vivacity of the streets.

Watch Video: Araabmuzik – Electronic Dream (Audio)

Dedication by Zomby  (4AD)

Zomby here pulls a full 180 after the ode to classic 90s hardcore breaks that was 2008’s Where Were You in ‘92?, trading in the brash intensity of his first album for a more reined in, smoky, introspective take on IDM. While the mysterious British producer/DJ is most commonly associated with the underground wonky movement, on Dedication he pilfers and splices sounds from throughout the history of electronic dance music like a mad scientist breeding mutant creatures in test tubes. Grim and unnerving, but also completely engrossing.

Watch Video: Zomby – Natalie’s Song (Audio)

Looping State of Mind by The Field (Kompakt)

On his third album, Stockholm native Axel Willner largely sticks to the winning formula on which he made his name: lush, sun-drenched, spacey, blissed-out techno based on a repeating handful of loops that build and build until the listener is engulfed in pink, fluffy clouds. Willner expands on it as well, incorporating new touchstones— deep house, piano music, industrial clatter and Robert Fripp-type ambient- to craft a fully-realized, immersive experience that is less a collection of tracks and more an artistic mission statement.

Watch Video: The Field – Burned Out (Audio)

Sepalcure by Sepalcure (Hotflush)

New York-based producers Travis Stewart and Praveen Sharma’s first album as Sepalcure reveals an intimate knowledge of the various forms of electronic dance music past and present, each track a savvy amalgamation of influences (UK funky, afrobeat, Chicago house, chillwave and, of course, dubstep) that in the skillful hands of Stewart and Sharma makes absolutely perfect sense. Album single “Pencil Pimp” is the highlight, but every track rewards repeated listening.

Watch Video: Sepalcure – Pencil Pimp

Space Is Only Noise by Nicolas Jaar (Circus Company)

Who knew lounge music could be so thrilling? On Space… 22-year old Providence-by-way-of-Chile-based Jaar mines everything from chillout house, Afro jazz, cocktail bar pop, movie soundtracks and sound collage to piece together a hazy, languorous alien musical stew in grayscale, sounding like the Mos Eisley Cantina band on barbiturates.

Watch Video: Nicolas  Jaar – Colomb

On A Mission by Katy B (Rinse)

With the mainstream’s continuing flirtation with underground electronic music and vice versa, 2011 was a tough year for many high-minded purists incensed at the appropriation of a once-alt sound by unabashedly populist producers like Skrillex, Deadmau5 and Will.i.am. But instead of picking sides, South Londoner Katy B focused on making tasteful and eminently danceable music instead, putting together a winning blend of bass music-inflected funky house, while avoiding both the vacant chin-stroking of deep dubstep nerds as well as the vacuity of the David Guetta crowd.

Watch Video: Katy B – Katy On A Mission

93 Million Miles by Africa Hitech (Warp)

Dance music mainstays Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek make good use of their shared experience on their first album as Africa Hitech, rifling through a trove of sounds from techno to juke to 8-bit to UK grime to ragga that in the hands of lesser producers would have come out sounding confused. It all comes together beautifully here though: the album feels like soaring over the African savannah in a jetpack, the setting sun bathing the sky in red and gold.

Watch Video:

Passed Me By by Andy Stott (Modern Love)

Alongside the ascent of dubstep into the mainstream, the past two years have seen the bubbling up of a less bombastic but equally emotive sound as well: drag or witch house. On Passed Me By, Manchester-born DJ/producer channels the creep, nausea and paranoid torpidity of drag into dub-techno, creating a soundtrack for an inevitable scorched earth future. It’s a reminder that, contrary to the sybaritic exuberance of most electronic dance music, we still live in a pretty f*cked up world.

Watch Video: Africa HiTech – 93 Million Miles

Please note that this is not a list of my favourite movies, but a list of what I deem to be the best soundtrack albums of the year – regardless if the movie sucked.

#11 Hanna

Almost an homage to The Professional, this tells the story of a 16-year-old raised by her father to become the perfect assassin.  Chemical Brothers exclusively provides the music that accompanies the surreal and kick-ass scenes.  Tracks like “The Devil Is In The Beats” and “Container Park” made me want to be an assassin too.  This is the only OST included in the list that is purely instrumental; but when it comes to Chemical Brothers paired with pure action and suspense, you can’t go wrong.

Watch Video: Chemical Brothers – The Devil Is In The Beats (Audio)

#10 Footloose

If you like folk and country, but occasionally dabble into a bit of disco, you would love the soundtrack to the revival of the ‘80s film that sky-rocketed Kevin Bacon to fame.  Tracks such as “Where The River Goes” by Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band, “Little Lovin’ ” by Lissie and “Walkin’ Blues” by CeeLo Green definitely give off that country vibe.  Even the song “So Sorry Mama” by Whitney Duncan sounds a lot of fun to sing. You just might start line dancing and doing the do-si-do while listening to this sound track.

Watch Video: Zac Brown – Where The River Goes (Audio)

#9 No Strings Attached

I bet after this movie came out, many friends did experiment with adding the ‘benefits’ factor to their relationship.  It doesn’t matter that the movie just proved to us that a relationship with no strings attached can’t ever remain unattached. What mattered was we enjoyed the film and felt the emotions of the characters, thanks to the combination of fun and melancholic music used for the soundtrack. Perfect tracks for this flick’s mood: Temper Trap’s “Love Lost” and Plain White T’s “Rhythm of Love”.

Watch Video: Plain White T`s – Rhythm of Love

#8 Bridesmaids

Lots of female fronted bands and musicians in this one.  Makes sense, since the movie is quite a battle of the estrogens.  Just like the lead character, Annie (played by Kristen Wiig), the music is also a quirky mix of femininity and vulnerability with tracks like Violent Femmes’ “Blister In The Sun” covered by Nouvelle Vague, Fiona Apple’s “Paper Bag” to the angst of Hole’s Violet, and Blondie’s “Rip Her To Shreds”. The soundtrack, like the film, tells us that women can be cute little kittens one minute and big scary lions the next.

Watch Video: Violent Femmes – Blister In The Sun (Audio)

#7 The Dilemma

From estrogen, let’s now move on to a sound track that makes you think of, *ahem*, balls.  Wolfmother, The Black Keys, KISS and Band of Skulls just scream testosterone. Why shouldn’t it? Times are changing.  If there are chick flicks, now is the age of the ‘guy flicks’, and this OST definitely rocks to the tempo of that beat.

Watch Video: KISS - Detroit Rock City (Audio)

#6 Beastly

Not a real big fan of the film, but I have to admit – the music fits the theme perfectly. From Hanover Swain’s “Vanity” which gives off the over-confidence of the protagonist prior to his beastly features, to the gloomy feel of Gersey’s “Crashing” and Tim Myers’ “Today is The Day”; the soundtrack perfectly matches the mood. If only the actors matched their roles (with the exception of Neil Patrick Harris, who saved this movie from being completely terrible).

Watch Video: Paramore – The Only Exception

#5 Scream 4

The fourth franchise promised a thrilling ride.  With contributions from The Sounds, 6 Day Riot and Ida Maria, an atmosphere of comfortable fear is set. Nothing too drastic, just sheer fun and suspense, enabling viewers to truly enjoy this fourth instalment.

Watch Video: The Sounds – Something To Die For

#4 Rio

When you’ve got a fun cast involved in an animation you can only expect one thing: pure fun!  With Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jane Lynch, Leslie Mann, Jamie Foxx, Wanda Sykes, Will I Am and even Flight of The Concords’ Jemaine Clement, how could you possibly go wrong, right?  Good thing the sound track does not disappoint either.  With tracks that take you to the festive land of Rio, and songs by Will I Am, Jemaine Clement and Jamie Foxx, it’s a film and sound track pairing that you wouldn’t tire of easily.

Watch Video: Jamie Foxx – Fly Love (Audio)

#3 Crazy, Stupid Love

An all-star comedic cast coupled with an all-star music selection makes this sound track leap to the #3 spot.  Music from Thievery Corporation, Miike Snow, Goldfrapp and Say Hi give off such a fun element perfectly mixed in with a hint of sadness. Just like the movie.

Watch Video: Say Hi – Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

#2 Breaking Dawn Part 1

As one of the members of the I’m-Not-Into-Twilight-Club, I must admit each and every franchise has been carefully set out to have the best sound track for specific scenes, and this most recent instalment follows that pattern.  To continue with its famous theme of romantic longing, music from Sleeping At Last, Cider Sky and Iron & Wine have been used to make every girl (minus myself) swoon at the sight of Edward Cullen.

Watch Video: The Joy Formidable - Endtapes (Audio)

#1 Sucker Punch

It’s a flick full of chicks made for dudes with a passion for anime…and well, perhaps more than just a passion.  A hit with the guys. Not so much with the ladies. So what if it feeds the female stereotype ever so present in most Japanese cartoons? I mean, is it really a good idea to be in combat wearing a skirt and skimpy clothing? Maybe not, but it sure does provide pretty good eye candy. Thank goodness, the music also provided us pretty awesome ear candy.

Tracks from Bjork, Skunk Anansie and Emiliana Torrini not only please the eardrums but fit perfectly too as Emily Browning’s character strips her way to fantasy world.  Kudos for her vocal stylings as well with “Sweet Dreams” and “Asleep”.  The girl looks hot in her Baby Doll outfit, kicks ass and also sings! Now that’s girl power worth commending.  On second thought, I do like this film. With a killer movie soundtrack that fits the dark, surreal mood of the film perfectly, I say Sucker Punch tops all the movie OSTs of the year 2011.

Watch Video: Emily Browning – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (Audio)

#11 Pala by Friendly Fires (St Albans, England)

At their best, Friendly Fires are one of the most exciting pop-rock bands around. In their first LP Jump Into The Pool we saw a band that was establishing itself. With Pala they are announcing their intent. And it is to ROCK. A far more sophisticated album than their debut, Pala is more layered and significantly more polished. Clearly benefiting from the 3 year gap between releases. Pala saw the band teaming up with producing master Paul Epworth, and to good effect. As emotive as I like to go, Friendly Fires manage to lighten things up at points in the album but they are truly at their most comfortable when they get sentimental. A beautifully put together album that is well worth 45 minutes of anyone’s life.

Score: 3/5
Watch Video: Friendly Fires – Hawaiian Air

#10 This Modern Glitch by The Wombats (Liverpool, England)

This Modern Glitch captures The Wombats at their very best. On the surface the album sounds like a lighthearted indie romp, but with lyrics full of desperation and depression it is so much more than that. Frontman Matthew Murphy once again guides us through his worries, fears, and personal lows with a perfect juxtaposition in his upbeat vocals. Expertly arranged and with just the right balance between instrumental airiness and melancholy. The Wombats have completely side-stepped any sophomore slump talk with a light sounding, angst-filled album that leaves you feeling more up than down.

Score: 4/5
Watch Video: The Wombats – Jump Into the Fog

#9 Blood Pressures by The Kills (UK/USA)

Listeners are once again treated to the incredible collaboration of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince. And once again, it works. Already one of the very best garage-punk dues, their latest album builds from where they left off and just gets better. As always Hince is at his guitar playing best when accompanied by the lust-filled vocals of Mosshart. Known for their minimalist approach, Blood Pressures is chunkier and more layered than their previous work, and it’s all for the better.

Score: 3.5/5
Watch Video: The Kills – Future Starts Now

#8 The Big Roar by The Joy Formidable (North Wales)

Our first debut album in the list (Noel Gallagher’s doesn’t count; he has friends coming out of the wazzoo and could get an album of him on the toilet released). And this might be one of the most surprising albums on the list (if Noel Gallagher doesn’t count again, and let’s be honest, don’t we wish he didn’t). It’s taken 4 years for the band to get to the point where they were ready to release this album and it was worth every minute of waiting. Opening with noise and distorted guitars in “The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie” the tone is set for a full-on audio assault featuring tracks that build and wane as they lift you to a euphoric state. If they can continue like this The Joy Formidable could be one of the very best stadium rock bands around.

Score: 3.5/5
Watch Video: The Joy Formidable – Whirring

#7 Last Night on Earth by Noah And The Whale (London, England)

This was one of my most anticipated albums of the year and deservedly so. Often criticized for being too folksy, it is this change of pace that makes them such an entertaining band. In Last Night On Earth, they continue their move from folk-pop to full on indie-folk-rock epicness (music genres are ridiculous boxes). This album is beautifully worked, mixing guitars, synths, violins, harpsichords and more, as Charlie Fink and the rest of Noah and the Whale continue to evolve in new and pleasantly surprising ways.

Score: 3.5/5
Watch Video: Noah And The Whale – L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.

#6 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Manchester, England)

Raise your hands if you wanted to hate this album? Ok, I’ll have to put my hand down to finish this review. Trust me though, it was up. The death of Oasis was so public and seemingly self-absorbed that it was difficult to imagine either of the Gallagher brothers going on to do anything more than annoy each other. And, by default, us.

Enter Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, a truly amazing debut album from a band that came together so quickly. Clearly built around the not insubstantial talents of Noel Gallagher, the album features some of his best work in years. Staying true to his Britpop roots, the album doesn’t stray far from the norm. Why should it though? This is what he’s good at, this is where he works, this is why people loved him (a long long time ago). This album will not only surprise you. It also serves as a giant middle finger to Liam whose Beady Eye work has been disappointingly mediocre. Raise your hand if you think Noel Gallagher’s having a Merry Christmas?

Score: 3.5/5
Watch Video: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – If I Had A Gun…

#5 Suck It And See by The Arctic Monkeys (Sheffield, England)

The Arctic Monkeys had a lot to prove with this album. Humbug is widely viewed as a flop, or at best a failure to live up to what might have been an unfair amount of hype. What did we expect though? Well, this – In Suck It And See the Monkeys show us that they still have ‘it’. The album does not return to the adrenaline-fueled rush that their early work had, instead trying for a more mature, sophisticated sound. Gone are the roaming explosive guitar riffs, replaced by tighter, more aware instrumentals. Gone are Alex Turner’s sex-fueled hints at teen antics, replaced by themes of love and hurt. And gone, for me at least, are any doubts about this band. This album is a welcome return to success for a band that had actually been good all along. Some people just didn’t grow with them.

Score: 3.5/5
Watch Video: Arctic Monkeys – Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair

#4 Euphoric //Heartbreak\\ by Glasvegas (Glasgow, Scotland)

Big. Large. Huge. Ginormous. Grandiose. Epic. There are a lot of words you could use to describe the sound on Euphoric//Heartbreak\\. None of them seem descriptive enough though. What James Allen and the rest of Glasvegas have actually achieved is so much more than that. Following up their 2009 album Flowers And Football Tops was never going to be easy, but they’ve done it. With heavy synths and powerful bass lines overlaid by Allan’s endless, accent heavy emoting, Euphoric//Heartbreak\\ does exactly what it says on the cover. A great effort from a band that could well set the tone for stadium-filling indie bands over the next few years.

Score: 4/5
Watch Video: Glasvegas – The World Is Yours (Audio)

#3 Smother by Wild Beasts (Kendal, England)

If you don’t already know about Wild Beasts then you are SO 2008. Which doesn’t seem so bad actually. Or it wouldn’t if they hadn’t, somehow, been able to bring out 3 amazing albums in that time. They have though, and that’s what is so impressive about this band. Following on from Limbo, Panto(2008) and Two Dancers (2009), Smother is a much subtler album which explores the individual talents of the band members with more finesse than their previous efforts. Still revolving around the recurrent themes of lust and violence, Smother’s impact comes from a more emotional place and features heartfelt lyrics over masterfully arranged instrumentals. All the band members stepped up on this one, taking a risk by toning down a lot of the album. It paid off as Smother is their most sincere and accomplished work to date.

Score: 3.5/5
Watch Video: Wild Beasts – Lion’s Share

#2 Skying by The Horrors (Southend on Sea, England)

Good luck guessing what you are going to get from The Horrors. They seem to move through so many genres in every album (and, you could argue, every track) that it now seems silly that they were so unfairly pigeon-holed when they first came into the spotlight. Once again with Skying they come across as a band out to prove their detractors wrong, featuring a mix of synth-backed pop-rock, evident in tracks like ‘Still Life’ and throughout the album. Faris Badwin continues to be the centerpiece of the band as he grows into one of the most talented, varied, and exciting artists in today’s music scene.

Score: 4/5
Watch Video: The Horrors – Still Life

#1 21 by Adele (London, England)

No doubt some of you will be up in arms over this one. Zip it. Put your indie snobbery aside. Listen to 21 and you will find one of the most heartfelt and vocally impressive albums of the decade. Adele hit a home run at the 2011 Brit Awards with her performance of “Someone Like You”. For most artists, this would be the moment of their year. For Adele it was merely the icing on the cake. Her debut album 19 was critically acclaimed, and the follow up 21 has already smashed UK records on its way to selling more than 12 million copies. If you take 19 and 21 together, Adele has topped the UK album charts for an astonishing 96% of the 37 weeks counted so far this year. I shouldn’t even have to review these albums. If you haven’t heard them you’re not a music fan.

Score: 4.5/5
Watch Video: Adele – Set Fire To The Rain