# 10 SBTRKT - s/t
SBTRKT made this album by getting all his favourite singing buddies together, stuck masks on their faces and made them sing along to him playing the drums. An easy concept with great results. "Pharaohs" has been my alarm clock tone for ages now meaning wherever I am there's a party from the moment I wake up. Oh yeah, you know it, baby.
# 9 WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
The Mancunian four piece sing about god-knows-what because singer Ellery Roberts' vocal style is so damn sluggish you can't make a word out. This is a bit of a shame on "We Bros" because it's such a fucking catchy tune you just want to sing along. So the chorus goes a little something like this: "We bros nn aase, we bros nnnn nono no. we wear yo guns nn weeee, aseen no ssooo." '
As clever lyrycs as I've ever heard.
# 8 Lucy Rose
I remember when I was younger and had a massive crush on Kate Nash. Anyone remember her?
Anyway I thought I was past all that silly crushes on redheaded celebrities business. I'm a grown man damn it. Then along came Lucy Rose and "Middle of the Bed" and there I was again like puberty was yet again a blessing of the present. Awww isn't she cute? Oh and getting back to business it's an ace tune too.
# 7 M83 - Midnight City
Alright so I knew this tune was a winner when I checked out my cousin's Last.fm profile and saw he'd listened to "Midnight City" 100 times in 24 hours, but didn't really get into it until that scene in How to Make it in America where (spoiler alert!!) Ben has sexy time with the never-ageing sex vixen Gina Gershon. Ooh that was one damn hot scene. I love you Gina.
# 6 Gang Gang Dance - MindKilla
During the summer I attempted an ambitious appeal to get Gang Gang Dance's "MindKilla" played on my mum's favourite radio station. It failed horribly meaning my mum didn't get to appreciate to sonic amazing-ness that the song is but at least the rest of us can still enjoy it.
# 5 The Antlers - Burst Apart
A heavyweight contender for album of the year, The Antlers' "Burst Apart" is a stunning collection of songs, each more impressive than the last one. If you thought their last album "Hospice" was good then you're in for a huge fuck-off treat here. It might have been a dream but I'm pretty sure album ender "Putting the Dog to Sleep" has made me cry at least once and then I realised it wasn't actually about putting a dog to sleep and I was fine with it.
"Corsicana" is as beautiful as it gets.
# 4 Burial - Street Halo
For a person who considers Burial's "Untrue" to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever created, hearing the man's new "Street Halo" EP was like going to Disneyland, Alton Towers, Legoland and Moomin World all at the same time. No great change to anything he's done before but why change something that works like a fucking charm?
# 3 Psychologist - Comes in Waves
What a tune! How to make a song about a man giving birth sound so damn touching is beyond me, but Psychologist does it. The "Waves of OK" EP is practically the man behind the alias wailing in an empty church. Does that sound appealing? Well it should because it's incredible. Sometimes the vocals are reminiscent of Jeff Buckley at his rawest and sometimes they're layered to self harmonise, but always they are amazing.
# 2 Zomby - Dedication + Nothing
This could be considered cheating because I've entered Zomby's new EP "Nothing" here as well as his LP "Dedication" so he gets two entries but when genre mish-mashing is as good as it is on these two records then they both warrant a spot way up on this list. Mixing elements of UK rave, dubstep, garage and D'n'B these are both brilliantly eclectic musical treasure troves perfect for either those late night clubs nights or just lounging about in your underpants on a rainy sunday afternoon.
# 1 Daughter - His Young Heart
Finally, damn it. It's taken me bloody ages to compile this list so you'd best flipping enjoy it. Even if some of the entries on the list were "boring" or "obvious" I'm pretty sure you'll love this. If Daughter's still an unfamiliar name/face then it's the moniker of Elena Tonra who sings the most beautiful songs you'll hear. Of all the releases from last year, Daughter's "His Young Heart" EP still strikes me as the most important. It's just so personal and close and damn perfect. However many times I listen to first track "Landfill" it honestly always sends shivers down my spine. Haunting and sad, but the most beautiful kind of sadness.
