[Shaun]

Albums
#40 - "Holy Ghost!", Holy Ghost!

If you're going to buy just the one synthpop album from 2011 - this is very much one of the frontrunners. Listen to 'Do It Again' now.

#39 - "Twist Again", Bodies of Water

I still much prefer the band's outings as 'Music Go Music' but if you're a little afraid of ABBA revivalism and fond of folky nostalgia, this won't disappoint.

#38 - "House of Balloons", The Weeknd

I didn't review this when it came out because it totally escaped me, but having downloaded it a couple of weeks ago I found it surprising, exciting and basically what Bon Iver might have been had they worked more with Kanye West.

#37 - "Veliciraptor!", Kasabian

It was totally daft but it's nice to see that at least one British mainstay has retained the ability to put out an album of original tunes *glares at Beady Eye*

#36 - "Angles", The Strokes

I really wanted to place this higher on accounts of its highlights, but a wobbly middle section was picked up upon by more reviewers than me - some brilliant songs though.

#35 - "Rolling Blackouts", The Go! Team

Energetic, vibrant, silly, catchy and wonderful. In that order.

#34 - "4", Beyoncé

It was no 'Sasha Fierce', but nothing has made me so joyfully flamboyant this year than 'Run the World (Girls)'. WHO RUN THIS MOTHA?

#33 - "Nine Types of Light", TV on the Radio

Sadly accompanied by the death of bassist Gerard Smith, the alternative 00s gods put out a wonderfully eclectic album this year that was maybe a little too out-there for the critics.

#32 - "Adulthood", CockNBullKid

British popstars, and I mean pure popstars not Adele-powerhouses or Florence-weirdos, have been sadly lacking this year but one stands head and shoulders above the rest.

#31 - "Build a Rocket, Boys!", Elbow

I don't care if they're boring, you try writing a song as blissfully beautiful as 'Lippy Kids'.