[Shaun]

don't forget kelly rowland :@

[Doogle]

Oh **** how could I forget.

"Artwork Watch: Blue tints are never a good sign. Ewww x 100."

x 100. I love that comment so much.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

katy b

[Shaun]

Albums:
#20 - "A Different Kind of Fix", Bombay Bicycle Club

This was the year they progressed past the point of a one-hit-wonder in my mind (Always Like This) and this record possesses a great number of hooks and tunes.

#19 - "Dye It Blonde", Smith Westerns

Richly influenced by David Bowie, T. Rex and, more recently, Suede, it's naturally packed to the brim with a heap of glamrock goodness.

#18 - "Zonoscope", Cut Copy

Amazing tune after amazing tune. Along with Metronomy they've seen multiple tracks end up on my going-out playlist, and kickstarted summer that little bit earlier.

#17 - "Cults", Cults

I instantly fell in love with the pair once I heard 'Abducted', and that was just one of a selection of infectious, retro pop songs.

#16 - "Smother", Wild Beasts

I missed their first two albums entirely and have still yet to investigate them, but this stood out this year for me because of its intimacy, great songwriting and some excellent vocals (if you like Antony and the Johnsons, you'll like this).

#15 - "Lupercalia", Patrick Wolf

I'd always regarded Wolf as a pretentious outrovert that was all style, no substance, but this year's record totally turned that on its head. A beautiful, romantic album that's just laced with ecstacy and has soundtracked the recovery from a personal hell this year.

#14 - "The Golden Age of Apocalypse", Thundercat

I started the year hoping for another Janelle Monae and this was as good as I got - not to say I was disappointed. A dazzling and fascinating merge of classic jazz/R&B and futuristic landscapes that really grew on me.

#13 - "Skying", The Horrors

Listening to this is one of the closest experiences you might get to flying - just staggeringly epic and imaginative.

#12 - "Yuck", Yuck

Almost every song here has ebbed away at my subconscious at some point this year and they really should've got more attention. Excellent, excellent songwriting.

#11 - "Within and Without", Washed Out

Probably the sexiest album of the year (and not just because of the sleeve), it's an intoxicating record that resparked a very-much-dead love for synthpop.

[Harry!]

Has listened to #45, #34, and #28

Shaun is JLO's On The Floor going to be #1 in the singles list xoxo (Joke!)

[Doogle]

I've heard Born This Way, Adulthood, Within and Without, 21, Katy On A Mission & 4 from them. I'm going to listen to the whole Top 10 though.

[Shaun]

Albums:
#10 - "Gloss Drop", Battles

Genuinely one of the most fun records I've heard all year - dizzyingly energetic and full of weird grunts and guest appearances that all mash together to make one gooey, unusual mess (mess can be a good thing, right?) And as usual the drumming is superb.

#9 - "Conatus", Zola Jesus

For someone to release an album every year is quite admirable, but for them to improve in quality is quite unexpected: her previous two releases, as well as the majority of her extra singles and EPs, have often treaded too close on the line between art and boredom, but Conatus reigns in the hazy edges and polishes them into excellent, beautiful songs.

#8 - "Biophilia", Björk

In a year where I fell more and more in love with her, this seemed to polarise critics. I'm firmly in the fan camp, though, and Biophilia's thematic backstories and cohesive sense of minimalism made this a really gentle but fascinating experiment.

#7 - "The English Riviera", Metronomy

Maybe there's a little bit of hometown bias in my placing of this album so high, but in all honesty can you blame me when it paints Torquay as some kind of tropical idyll? I've lived there 21 years, I can tell you it isn't, but at the same time the sunkissed bliss of this album made me think twice about that.

#6 - "Watch the Throne", The Throne

It's unlikely you'll see so much bragging and arrogant boasts on album again quite like this - choice quotes being "Jesus was a carpenter, Yeezy laid beats" and "I guess I'm getting high on my own supply" - but lately it's like Kanye can't do anything wrong by me. Tune after tune after tune but some heartfelt sentiment ('New Day' finds the pair hoping for the best for their future children) made this more than an ego boost.

#5 - "Helplessness Blues", Fleet Foxes

It might not have strayed too far from the blueprint to their debut self-titled album, but this somehow excelled it. Mellow, poignant and opulent, it's like stepping into another world.

#4 - "50 Words for Snow", Kate Bush

Speaking of stepping into fantastic worlds, there's still noone as richly descriptive and simply beautiful as the undisputed goddess of music, Kate Bush. At first glimpse the long track lengths might put you off, but with a little patience the rewards are almost spiritual. Even the descent of a 'Snowflake' is poised with angelic vocals and sombre gentility - and this is perhaps my favourite Kate record since Hounds of Love.

#3 - "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming", M83

An endearing, exciting and innocently conceptual album, this touches virtually every aspect of nostalgia and emotion through the means of some brilliant, brilliant pop songs.

#2 - "Bon Iver", Bon Iver

Another act that it took me time to get into, Bon Iver's follow-up to the highly revered For Emma, Forever Ago far exceeded their debut in my opinion. The vocals are divine, the far-away romantic instrumentals shine beautifully and the emotion is heartbreaking.

#1 - "Let England Shake", PJ Harvey

This has been predictably anticipated as the #1 of many many lists and that's not to be taken for granted: the sheer power and overwhelming bleakness this record paints of modern England is undeniable. You'd have to be made of stone not to get shaken a little by this, and as usual Harvey's careful yet exuberant arrangements and unusual means of getting her message across continue to bewitch me, and pretty much the rest of the music world.

[Smithy]

I've heard #3

[Tom4784]

I've yet to get into 50 Words For Snow. I don't think I have the patience for it.

[Doogle]

Heard 3 & 2. Bon Iver.

[Shaun]

some kate fan you are dean

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Shaun

some kate fan you are dean

It's the only album of her's I'm not fond of s0b.

[Doogle]

I actually like the #1 album so far, on track 4.

[Shaun]

I thought you didn't like The Dreaming, dean

but yah atm I'd say The Kick Inside > Hounds of Love > 50 Words > Sensual World > Never For Ever > Dreaming > Aerial > Lionheart > Red Shoes

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Shaun

I thought you didn't like The Dreaming, dean

but yah atm I'd say The Kick Inside > Hounds of Love > 50 Words > Sensual World > Never For Ever > Dreaming > Aerial > Lionheart > Red Shoes

It grew on me.

Hounds Of Love> The Kick Inside> Sensual World> Lionheart> Red Shoes> Never For Ever> Aerial> Dreaming.

I've yet to listen to Snow properly yet so I won't rate it just yet.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

cults

[Shaun]

I'd find YouTube videos for them all but it'd take so much time and so few of them'd be watched and it'd use up loads of bandwidth

#100 - "Second Chance", Peter Bjorn and John
#99 - "She's Thunderstorms", Arctic Monkeys
#98 - "Color on the Walls (Don't Stop)", Foster the People
#97 - "Dead and Gone", The Black Keys
#96 - "Iris", Emmy the Great
#95 - "Live Those Days Tonight", Friendly Fires
#94 - "Turning Tables", Adele
#93 - "Feel So Close", Calvin Harris
#92 - "Changing the Rain", The Horrors
#91 - "Dear Friends", Elbow

#90 - "Americano", Lady GaGa
#89 - "Rubber Ball", Cage the Elephant
#88 - "Princess of China (feat. Rihanna)", Coldplay
#87 - "I Know Places", Lykke Li
#86 - "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", Panic! at the Disco
#85 - "The Beast", Laura Marling
#84 - "I Deserve It", CockNBullKid
#83 - "The Shield and the Sword", Clare Maguire
#82 - "Observe the Skies", British Sea Power
#81 - "Sun of a Gun", Oh Land

[Jords]

Princess of China grew on you?

[Shaun]

Yeah haha, I think I liked it when I reviewed it, was just a bit underwhelmed when I first heard it

[The Human Santapede]

BSP.

[Shaun]

i totally forgot Torches for my album countdown

[Doogle]

Ballad of Mona Lisa

[Shaun]

I'll post YouTube videos for the top 50. In the meantime...

#80 - "Parentheses", The Antlers
#79 - "End Come Too Soon", Wild Beasts
#78 - "Her", Tyler the Creator
#77 - "Desire", Anna Calvi
#76 - "Futura", Battles
#75 - "Sophia", Laura Marling
#74 - "Dirt", WU LYF
#73 - "Make Some Noise", Beastie Boys
#72 - "Lady Luck", Jamie Woon
#71 - "Reach A Bit Further", Wild Beasts

#70 - "Jealousy", Will Young
#69 - "Change", Glasvegas
#68 - "Crystalline", Bjork
#67 - "For Love I Come", Thundercat
#66 - "Machu Picchu", The Strokes
#65 - "Grace", The View
#64 - "A Dedication", Washed Out
#63 - "Still Life", The Horrors
#62 - "Hair", Lady GaGa
#61 - "We Found Love", Rihanna

#60 - "Paradise", Coldplay
#59 - "Armistice", Patrick Wolf
#58 - "Let England Shake", PJ Harvey
#57 - "Super Bass", Nicki Minaj
#56 - "No Church In The Wild", The Throne
#55 - "Mutual Core", Bjork
#54 - "The Morning Sun", Beady Eye
#53 - "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To", Kasabian
#52 - "The Plains/ Bitter Dancer", Fleet Foxes
#51 - "No Light, No Light", Florence + the Machine

[Smithy]

Hair & Americano

[Shaun]

omg and there was me thinking you'd like other songs :\