Tips of the hats to Friends (not quite living up to the gold standard of 'I'm His Girl') and Yeasayer (not quite living up to the gold standard of their last album), here's the ten for '12.
Number 10
Santigold 'Master of My Make Believe'
Despite such an eclectic debut a few years ago, Santigold has now settled into her sound - which is both as good and as bad as that sounds really. And while her frequent comparitor M.I.A. was flipping the bird to millions of allegedly appalled Americans Santi went on to licence a Direct Line insurance ad. Still the best insurance theme there's ever been mind. The collaboration with Karen O 'GO!' which kicks off the album is also definitely worth a listen.
Look at Disparate Youth ; GO!
Number 9
M83 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'
Apparently Wikipedia refer to M83 as a shoegaze/electronica band - but don't let that put you off will you. A double CD that's shorter than some single disc releases, bizarrely - but then that means they don't mess about too much and get straight into that 'weren't the '80's awesome' vibe. Probably most famous for 'that tune that sounds like a mongoose being strangled to death at a school disco' (Midnight City - you'll know it when you hear it) and for vids that seem like they belong as part of a film narrative (but probably aren't). Another fine feather in the cap of French keyboard whizzes.
Look at Midnight City ; Reunion
Number 8
Jake Bugg 'Jake Bugg'
You know the X Factor's days are numbered when you have an 18 year old slagging it off. Wisely positioning himself as the voice of a new generation of singer songwriters fed up at the current state of British music, Jake Bugg quickly became the nation's worst kept secret when his debut went straight to the summit this year. A mash up between Alex Turner, Lee Mavers and Seasick Steve with the odd bit of George Formby thrown in for good measure you'd struggle to find a better opening trio of tracks than on here. Sounding fresh and yet older than his years I really hope there's more like him to, if not save music at least give me more of a problem picking my Top Ten next year. Jake was born in 1994 people - how old do you feel?
Look at Lightning Bolt ; Two Fingers ; Taste It
Number 7
Paul Banks 'Banks'
Not quite the Interpol frontman's first solo album, but the first to have his name on at least. This release means that I've enjoyed both this and his solo 'debut' as Julian Plenti far more than the last Interpol album - which for me is a bit worrying as I normally prefer my favourite bands to spiral into a long drawn out miserable decline a la New Order. Still, whether this spells the end of 'Pol or not at least it proves there's life in the deadpan man yet. Exploring more instrumentals and samples as with the Julian Plenti album 'Banks' even strays dangerously close to what can only be described as 'a bit poppy' territory before shrouding it with a grey blanket and hurling it into the ocean. Basically, if you like Interpol you'll like this, if not you can always skip to...
Look at The Base ; Young Again
Number 6
Jack White 'Blunderbuss'
A recurring theme this year is artists sticking to what they do best; and while that doesn't make for such an innovative and dynamic Top Ten at least it proves that they know what they're doing and doing it well. Case in point Mr Jack White, who finally gets round to releasing his own debut album. Considering he wrote, arranged and produced most of the output he appeared on to date (from The White Stripes onwards) unsurprisingly this debut offers little in the way of surprises. Consequently there are plenty of instances where you hear one of the tracks for the first time and seem to know it already - but I do mean that in a good way. And while there aren't many tracks as legendary as under his White Stripes tutelage (though 'Sixteen Saltines' gets very close) at least you get to hear what a Stripes album would sound like without a one-armed drummer.
Look at Love Interruption ; Sixteen Saltines ; Freedom at 21
Number 5
The xx 'Coexist'
Sometimes reviews can be so off the mark or misleading that they can actually put you off buying an album only for you to find that you really shouldn't have listened to them. All the reviews of The Xx's second album though are pretty much on the nose. Much like the first, quieter, less catchy and without the gamechanging impact of a debut. All that said, 'Coexist' is still a fine album and, had this instead been the debut, would have been viewed as excellent in my opinion. 'Angels' the first track and single sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the album, full of plaintive instrumentation and..well...silence with the dual vocalists complementing each other as always. That dual meshing also gave rise to the cover artwork of oil on water (fact). It takes a confident band to produce a second album like this - at once living up to and ignoring expectations. That can only bode well for their third - wonder if they'll let their label hear it before it's finished this time?
Look at Angels ; Chained
Number 4
Lianne La Havas 'Is Your Love Big Enough'
As with Lana Del Ray last year this was another 'new track by unknown artist comes on the radio and you need to know who they are' moment. Hopefully I'll have one every year. This time it was 'Lost and Found' the sparse, heartbreaking acoustic-guitar led track by a young south Londoner. Like Lana there wasn't any desire to impress on you what a great singer and how huge a range she has (though I suspect she's rather good at both) which is actually refreshing in these Jessie J days. Sharing a few co-writing credits and vocals with Willy Mason didn't do the album any harm but it's the self-penned 'Forget' that is the star of the show. A middle-finger salute to an ex of one songwriter to another wishing on them simply the worst of fates - not forgetting her but forgetting all your songs. Oooh harsh.
Look at Forget ; Lost and Found ; Is Your Love Big Enough?
Number 3
The Maccabees 'Given to the Wild'
We're always in a bit of a hurry every January to quickly find the breakout act that will step up to the mark after previously paying their dues. It's always a good time to release an album, the market's fairly quiet and people really want this to be the best year yet for music (or is it just me??). So it was with The Maccabees, with two good to fair albums behind them but not with many expectations on their shoulders. Although this wasn't a reinvention or a directional change as much as say The Horrors managed a few years back, 'Given to the Wild' does seem to have pushed them into the next venue level up in the same year when some of their peers have had to downsize. Their songwriting and arrangements have broadened out so much here and the album feels very carefully thought out - mainly around the themes of reflecting back on childhood or regretting untaken chances in life especially so on 'Pelican'. That said, it'll forever remind me of being stuck on the Number 37 bus to Wandsworth.
Look at Given to the Wild ; Feel to Follow ; Pelican ; Ayla
Number 2
Alt-J 'An Awesome Wave'
Definitely THE album not to sound quite like anything else before it (and in another parallel to 'xx' also now a Mercury Prize winner) in a year of very familiar sounds. Blending Tricky-style beats with off-kilter vocal delivery (and even the odd Gregorian chant thrown in for good measure) on first listen you honestly don't know where it's going to go next. But that's by no means saying that it's inaccessible at all. 'Tesselate' is one of the catchiest tunes of the year and certainly what got me interested in them in the first place. I'm also a complete sucker for transitions between tracks on albums and this one has some great ones - especially immediately before the aforementioned tune. They also are doing a mean job of reviving the quality of the music video - watch 'Breezeblocks' backwards narrative for the first time and then see how your perspective changes on multiple viewings. Whilst it is many people's choice of Number 1 this year (and it was mine for a while as I flipped back and forth) there is just sometimes a bit too much of being clever for clever's sake on display which just edges it from the top spot for me.
Look at Breezeblocks ; Tesselate ; Something Good
Number 1Mystery Jets 'Radlands'
Six years ago if you'd told me I'd be saying my favourite album of 2012 was by The Mystery Jets I probably would have referred you to the previously mentioned Mayan Apocalypse. What I saw as a pastiche Byrds band with the singer's dad in the group purely for 'aren't we wacky!' points just didn't float my boat. However, since then, very much under the radar, they've been releasing singles that I've begrudgingly been slowly admitting I quite like (...and they dumped the dad). It was only this year that I ever felt compelled to seek out an album of theirs though and that was solely on the basis of hearing 'Someone Purer'. It's undoubtedly my most played track of the year - which somehow manages to combine describing never feeling good enough with a rousing 'oh, oh, oh, oooh' singalong crescendo. There's plenty more on here to love too, including one of the cleverest 'list' songs in 'Greatest Hits' - about fighting over an ex-couple's music collection - and a beautiful pairing of tracks at the end - 'Lost in Austin''s musical journey and the low key 'Luminescence'. Which, in a fairly dull year is about as bright a note to end on as I can think of.
Look at Someone Purer ; Greatest Hits
And here's a playlist of just some of these beauties and the top tracks for your listening pleasure
