15. Noel Gallagher - Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds: I have never been a die-hard Oasis fan. Therefore, I didn’t expect much from Noel Gallagher’s debut solo album, other than a few catchy songs to sing-a-long to. And I was essentially right. Yet from the rousing vocal burst on opening song, 'Everybody’s On The Run', to the furious guitar solo on closer, 'Stop The Clocks', there’s very little about the elder Gallagher’s debut to dislike. ‘If I Had A Gun’ is essentially ‘Wonderwall’ in reverse, while ‘The Death Of You And Me’ bares more than a passing resemblance to ‘The Importance Of Being Idle’. However, with anthems galore and some major choruses, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is a stirring record, one that should be played at maximum volume. It’s not ground-breaking - far from it - but it’s one of the strongest and most consistent collection of songs Gallagher has put together in years.
14. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar: Who said rock music was dead? With impressive returns from stalwarts such as Foo Fighters and The Strokes, plus a contagious debut from the massively hyped The Vaccines, 2012 has shown that there’s life in the old dog yet. However, those albums were out shadowed by The Joy Formidable’s fantastic debut album, entitled The Big Roar. It’s an album that has even earned praise from the mighty Dave Grohl himself, and it’s easy to see why. Full of fist-pumping, furious tunes such as ‘The Magnifying Glass’, ‘A Heavy Abacus’ and ‘Whirring’, The Big Roar was one of the most welcome surprises of the year. The Welsh trio may have taken a long time to get round to releasing their debut album - with single ‘Austere’ coming out in its original form back in 2008 - but the wait was more than worth it.
13. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde: With plenty of catchy hooks and Libertines-esque riffs, the Smith Westerns second album, Dye It Blonde, was one of the most effervescent albums of 2012. The Chicago trio are one of the most exciting new bands to come out of America in years, building on the foundations of their self-titled debut album with more instantaneous glam-rock, sharp tunes and ready-made sing-a-long choruses. The Smith Westerns have been supporting the Arctic Monkeys and The Vaccines recently, yet unlike those two acts they have not had the early backing from music publications. However, with irresistible tunes like ‘Imagine Pt. 3’, ‘All Die Young’ and ‘Weekend’ already under their wing, the Smith Westerns are now well and truly on every music critics' radar.
12. Metronomy - The English Riviera: The third studio album from Joe Mount’s electronic project Metronomy is the only Mercury Prize-nominated album on the list, and a very deserved one at that. The English Riviera sounds effortlessly cool throughout, with its luscious beats and dreamy atmospherics utterly addictive and completely engaging. The addition of Roxanne Clifford (the singer for Veronica Falls) on ‘Everything Goes My Way’ is perfect, with her beautiful, measured vocals intertwining with the gloriously summery melody. The English Riviera is an enchanting, rich and fully rewarding experience. From the chugging bass of ‘She Wants’ to the funky, swirling disco beat of ‘The Bay’, Joe Mount has taken Metronomy to an entirely new and exciting level.
11. TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light: There is a lot to love about TV On The Radio, but there is even more to love about their fourth LP, Nine Types Of Light. The Brooklyn five-piece can never be labelled as boring, with their music often difficult to define. Opener ‘Second Song’ gets the album off to a lively start with its confident strut. It’s followed by the more reflective slow-burner ‘Keep Your Heart’ and the beautiful, drawn-out ‘Killer Crane’. The centre-piece of the album, though, is the infectious ‘Will Do’, a magnificently layered masterpiece with a sumptuous bass-line and sprawling, heavenly guitars. Then there is the epic closer, 'Caffeinated Consciousness’, which features fist-pumping verses contrasted with a spacey, melancholic chorus. Another great album from a band that never disappoints.
10. WU LYF - Go Tell The Fire To The Mountain: Unconventional is the best way of describing WU LYF’s debut album. The four-piece’s combination of luscious guitars and throaty, incomprehensible vocals is, at times, baffling. Yet more importantly their sound is pretty unique. The band, in one of their notoriously rare interviews, described their sound as “heavy pop”, which is both straightforward and accurate. The summery melodies of tracks such as ‘We Bros’, ‘Spitting Blood’ and ‘Dirt’ are the basis for the raw, raspy vocals that are so distinctive and effective at the same time. There is a lot to like about this album, and whilst it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it provides more intrigue and surprise than any other album released in 2011.
9. The Kills - Blood Pressures: Menacing, primal, raucous. Blood Pressures is everything you would ever want from The Kills. The opening vibrations of ‘Future Starts Slow’ sets the tone for the rest of the album, one that is full of primal drum beats, howling vocals and angry guitar riffs. Alison Mosshart’s vocals impress as always, with her alluring yet abrasive voice proving the perfect accompaniment to the dirty guitars on songs such as ‘Satellite’ and ‘Heart Is A Beating Drum’. It’s fist-pumping, toe-tapping stuff, yet there is more to Blood Pressures than the charged rock that makes its mark early on. The stunning, piano-laden ‘The Last Goodbye’ is genuinely remarkable considering how far removed it is from the heavier, bluesy material on the album. It’s a mesmerising and poignant track, drawing out the more emotive side of Mosshart’s voice on what is quite possibly one of the best songs The Kills have ever made.
8. The Antlers - Burst Apart: Brooklyn-based band The Antlers made one of the most surprisingly brilliant debut albums back in 2009, with the concept album Hospice finding its way on to many best-of-the-year lists. It is always a concern when a band must try and follow up an unexpectedly good first album, with heightened anticipation often proving a downfall. The Antlers did not suffer second-album syndrome, though. In fact, their second LP, Burst Apart, was arguably a match - if not better - than the band’s debut. The opening song, ‘I Don’t Want Love’, is a spacious, slow-burner that revels in its heartbreaking and tentative wallowing. Radiohead-like guitars adorn ‘Parentheses’, which slowly builds into one of the most rock-orientated things that The Antlers have ever attempted. There is great ambition running throughout Burst Apart, but, more importantly, it still retains the luscious sounds that made their debut album so intoxicating.
7. Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind Of Fix: Not only are Bombay Bicycle Club prolific - releasing their third album in three years - they are also consistently brilliant. A Different Kind Of Fix bridges the gap between the London four-piece’s indie pop debut album, I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, and their beautiful acoustic album, Flaws. From the first listen of the lead single, the jaunty piano-led ‘Shuffle’, it was clear that BBC had changed up their sound yet again, with Jack Steadman’s eclectic musical taste having a significant influence throughout. The dreamy and hypnotic guitars of ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep’ open the album perfectly, before the carefree groove of ‘Lights Out, Words Gone’ sees the return of Lucy Rose’s soft backing vocals. ‘Bad Timing’ and ‘Leave It’ recapture the urgency of the band’s debut, whilst ‘Beggars’ indulges in the romantic and gentler acoustic guitar of Flaws. However, all that pales in comparison to the stunning closer, ‘Still’. It is the perfect finish to the album, with Steadman’s haunting vocals and sparse piano proving utterly captivating.
6. Drake - Take Care: Drake’s first album, Thank Me Later, was undoubtedly very good. However, his follow up, Take Care, was even better. In a year when Kanye West and Jay Z released their joint album, Watch The Throne, it’s a tribute to Drake’s class that he still managed to steal the limelight with an album full of sparse beats, expansive production and dark, melodic synths. Themes of discomfort with fame and wealth, failed relationships and despondency crop up once more, but this time everything feels a lot more coherent and consistent. The luscious blurring of R&B and hip hop creates an immersive experience, one which you can’t help but get drawn into. The album’s unmistakeable highlight is the epic, 8-minute ‘Marvin’s Room - Buried Alive’. It’s an affecting masterpiece, with Drake singing about a prospective lover over a haunting, mellow beat. Other highlights include the crashing beat of ‘Crew Love’, the massive choir-backed ‘Lord Knows’ and the title track, which features a beautiful cameo by Rihanna.
5. Bon Iver - Bon Iver: After the unexpected success of his minimalistic debut album, Justin Vernon, who goes under the moniker Bon Iver, returned with an astonishingly beautiful follow-up. Bon Iver’s first album, For Emma, Forever Ago, was recorded in pretty much total isolation by Vernon in a cabin in the woods, its resulting simplistic sound was adored by many a folk music-lover. The self-titled second album came after Justin Vernon contributed to Kanye West’s brilliant album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and there has certainly been an impact on Bon Iver, if more in scale of sound than a radical change in genre. The new texture to Bon Iver’s sound the second time around was aided by new additions to the recording process, including bass saxophonist Colin Stetson and pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz. The album is full of sweet, rich sounds, such as the expansive, widescreen sound of lead single ‘Calgary’. From the warm, opening tones of ‘Perth’ to the delicate plucked acoustics of ‘Holocene’, Bon Iver is engaging from start to finish, soaking up everything from the raw debut LP and building on it with sonic layers.
4. The Horrors - Skying: After their surprising and brilliant Mercury Prize-nominated second album, Primary Colours, it was hard to see where The Horrors would go next. The answer was bigger, more expansive and blissfully atmospheric. Lead single, ‘Still Life’, proved to be a perfect representation of the new album’s overall sound, with its soaring atmospherics and bold chorus leading to an unexpected amount of airplay on Radio 1. The confident strut and dizzying synths of ‘I Can See Through You’ combined with the dark tones of Faris Badwan’s infamous voice to create another compelling track. Skying is not as immediate as its predecessor, but with each listen it draws you in through its immersive sound. It’s not a short album, with all the songs at least 4-minute plus, and some, like the driving 'Endless Blue', take a while to really get going. But when they do, you’ll be hooked. The album closes with the epic, glorious and expansive 7-minute plus 'Oceans Burning'. A fitting end to another sublime album.
3. Wild Beasts - Smother: It’s rare that an album receives universal critical acclaim, but after their Mercury Prize-nominated album, Two Dancers, Wild Beasts returned with another stunning LP, entitled Smother. The album’s title went along way to capturing the overall sound, with Smother entrenched in claustrophobic beats, tantalizing vocals and beautiful, hypnotic melodies. The throbbing opener, ‘Lion’s Share’ sets the tone for an album that lures you in with its seductive tones. Hayden Thorpe’s vocals positively ache throughout the album, including on ‘Loop The Loop’, where the theme of sex and its complications become evident, “Desire, oh desire / Is all that the heart requires / Is what it can’t recognize.” It’s at times a somber, even uncomfortable affair, but it’s also majestic in scale. Songs such as the prowling ‘Plaything’, the gentle swaying of single ‘Albatross’ and the poignant closer ‘End Come Too Soon’, add to absorbing sound of an album that should have seen the Wild Beasts receive back-to-back Mercury Prize nominations.
2. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost: The second album by San Francisco band Girls, entitled Father, Son, Holy Ghost, managed the impressive feat of matching - and even surpassing - their brilliant debut LP, Album. From the rumbling, effervescent opener ‘Honey Bunny’ to the whirlwind, stadium rock riff of ‘Die’, Girls’ second album succeeds in balancing jaunty pop numbers with aching, self-depreciating melancholia. ‘Just A Song’ is a slow, unwinding beauty, which sounds ready-made for a warm summer evening. ‘Vomit’, on the other hand, is an eerie, slow-burner that shows off to full-effect Christopher Owen’s haunting vocals, before exploding into a big, expansive chorus. It’s an album that will take you to mountainous highs before plummeting to the lowest of lows.
1. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See: After seeking a drastic change in direction under the muscular wing of Josh Homme on third album, Humbug, Alex Turner and Co. returned with their most pop-orientated album yet. Humbug created a split among the Arctic Monkeys fanbase, with many disliking the more serious, darker sound of Humbug. Suck It And See, though, was neither Humbug part 2 or a return to the first two albums. Instead, Arctic Monkeys turned back the clock to 60s rock, with a host of infectious hooks, endearing simplicity and enchanting melodies. Lead single, ‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved The Chair’, was an addictive guitar-led rock song, with Turner’s lyrics both absurd and magnificent at the same time. ‘Library Pictures’ saw the Monkeys return to the more immediate sound that graced the first two albums, whilst ‘Brick By Brick’ - with a rare stint by Helders on lead vocals - was a mindless, albeit addictive, bit of fun. Yet where Suck It And See truly reveled was in the love-steeped precision of ‘Reckless Serenade’, the swirling beauty of ‘Piledriver Waltz’ and the mesmerising and lyrically brilliant title track. Suck It And See is undoubtedly an old fashioned album, but one recast for a new generation of music-lovers.
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