 | Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective
Buy new: £6.28 / Used from: £4.89 Cuckoo Cuckoo / Totally different to all their previous output yet instantly recognisable as the Collective - Avey Tare sounds positively anguished here. This year's best!
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 | Mirrored by Battles
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £4.12 Atlas / This is where Battles get it right - the formless weirdness of the vocals is underpinned by a solid rhythmic base. Basically this is where they unashamedly rock out.
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 | In Rainbows by Radiohead
Buy used from: £11.00 Nude / Apparently this song had been knocking around for years before it was finally committed to tape. An old school Radiohead classic with a show stopping coda.
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 | Random Spirit Lover by Sunset Rubdown
Buy new: £7.68 / Used from: £5.08 The Courtesan Has Sung / What begins as some sort of military marching theme from the court of an insane king suddenly opens into vistas of ecstatic guitar abandon from another galaxy. Or something...
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 | Boxer by The National
Buy new: £6.48 / Used from: £5.83 Ada / Sufjan Stevens assisted sweeping epic that serves as the penultimate track on the 'Boxer' album. The song starts to sounds like a triumphant victory march towards the end - and its well earned.
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 | The Magic Position by Patrick Wolf
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £2.98 Augustine / Big piano ballad with an even bigger vocal from Paddy. He just revels in the melodrama doesn't he?
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 | We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.98 Missed the Boat / James Mercer helps out on this endearing Shins / Mouse hybrid. An existential campfire hippy hoedown par excellance.
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 | The Shepherd's Dog by Iron and Wine
Buy new: £10.08 / Used from: £10.77 Resurrection Fern / On an album of exotic sounds and brave sonic experiments it is perhaps surprising that this stripped down acoustic country number leaves the biggest impression.
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 | Beyond by Dinosaur Jr.
Buy new: £6.98 Crumble / Quintessential Dinosaur. J Mascis' vocals sound as world weary as ever while he whips up a guitar storm of epic proportions that threatens to blow him into crumbly pieces.
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 | Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
Buy new: £13.78 / Used from: £7.49 The Ghost of You Lingers / Stunning standout track off the 'Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga' album. A disembodied trancelike mantra that sounds like it was recorded in a haunted echo chamber.
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 | Some Loud Thunder by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £1.96 Mama Won't You Keep Them Castles In The Air And Burning / The song is as quirky and multi faceted as that monster of a title implies!
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 | Person Pitch by Panda Bear
Buy new: £11.98 / Used from: £7.21 Bros / 12 and a half minutes of swirling, hypnotic sounds and a bit of a happy clappy vibe. Hare Krishna!
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 | The Stage Names by Okkervil River
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £7.37 Unless It's Kicks / This list desperately needs a straightahead chunky rock riff and now it has got one.
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 | Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
Buy new: £8.48 / Used from: £3.14 Intervention / Arcade Fire are the hosts with the most grandiose as we all know. This ain't gonna win any prizes for subtlety for sure but check that church organ out!
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 | Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.21 And I Remember Every Kiss / Jens ushers in his latest album with some aching strings, bombastic orchestration and his alternately smooth and quivering vocals.
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 | Untrue by Burial
Buy new: £9.08 / Used from: £7.38 Untrue / Hard to pick an individual track from this album as it is all much of a piece but the title track is particularly bleak and beautiful.
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 | Cease to Begin by Band of Horses
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £6.00 Detlef Schrempf / The prettiest song the band have recorded. Anyone who thinks the Fleet Foxes are something special should give this a listen too.
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 | The Blackening by Machine Head
Buy new: £11.98 / Used from: £5.39 Aesthetics of Hate / Machine Head unleash hell in response to some ill advised comments by certain journalists regarding the murder of Dimebag Darrell (of Pantera fame).
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 | Andorra by Caribou
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.39 Niobe / Strange techno/ambient/folk mash up that reminds me of the sort of track The Chemical Brothers put towards the back end of one of their 90's albums.
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 | Era Vulgaris by Queens Of The Stone Age
Buy new: £4.48 / Used from: £1.68 Sick, Sick, Sick / A dirty rocker just like all the best Queens tunes. Nicely unpleasant accompanying video too.
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 | Because of the Times by Kings of Leon
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £2.28 Charmer / But waddayouknow looky here - the Kings of Leon get equally grimy on this Pixies inspired kiss off.
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 | Happy Birthday ! by Modeselektor
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £5.67 20000007 / Glitchy French rap attack - with TTC on the mics. Hands down the catchiest song on this list!
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 | A Weekend in the City by Bloc Party
Buy new: £4.18 / Used from: £0.65 Kreuzberg / Bittersweet and touching - this is the grower of the year for me.
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 | Roots Rock Riot by Skindred
Buy new: £17.09 / Used from: £8.39 Ratrace / A bit more metal required on the list and this catchy punk ragga bruiser is up to the challenge. Good to put on the playlist for the daily commute!
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 | Wincing The Night Away by The Shins
Buy new: £8.98 / Used from: £8.48 Turn On Me / Here is a slice of breezy indie pop from the Shins to round off the list. Lovely.
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Listmania!
