1) PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

A masterpiece from an artist at the peak of her powers; the tremendous and weighty lyrics are offset by often ebullient music, which sees Harvey adopt a high-pitched caw as she sings of the desolation of war. Intricately crafted rock songs that reference everything from traditional folk to world music comprise a stunning and vital statement on national identity. Inimitable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

Annie Clark’s most assured artistic statement to date, Strange Mercy is a record that is by turns majestic and unsettlingly anxious. Even the most seemingly straightforward songs contain touches that render them subtly off-kilter: the syncopated rhythm of the title track that slips in and out of time, or the moment in ‘Northern Lights’ when Clark’s guitar jolts into a dizzying supernova. Strange Mercy is a rarity: a challenging record that continues to surprise and reward the listener with each spin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) Destroyer – Kaputt

Kaputt achieves the impossible: from the disparate fragments of frankly unappealing 80s influences (smooth jazz, disco, easy listening) comes a fully realised and spectacular album. Waves of relaxed synth combine with sleazy saxophone and the smooth plod of bass in an uneasy and highly critical vision of American decadence. Dan Bejar manages to work within the aesthetic he criticises without becoming a victim of his own irony; this is primarily because the songs are constructed with a masterful eye to detail, a skill that reaches its crowning triumph in the epic closer ‘Bay of Pigs.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) tUnE-yArDs – W H O K I L L

W H O K I L L opens with ‘My Country,’ a fascinating rumination on social inequality that sees Merril Garbus struggle to reconcile her feelings of empathy with the guilt inherent in her relative privilege, finally questioning, “If nothing of this is ours, how will I ever know if something’s mine?” So begins an album that produces harmony from intriguing contrasts: tribal drums, flashes of synth and Garbus’s trademark, ramshackle vocal loops defy pop song structures while remaining accessible. The same is true of her often daringly political lyrics; her vision is uncompromising and confrontational, but ultimately inviting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Low – C’mon

A continuation of one of the most stunningly consistent careers in modern music, C’mon is not so much a departure for the minimalist rock band than a further consolidation of their consummate skill. Low have always been proponents of the beauty of repetition, but never has their approach so successfully captured a feeling of bruised emotional honesty. After the difficult Drums and Guns, C’mon sees a paring back of their sound to an occasionally naked fragility that proves they really are ‘Nothing But Heart.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow

Unsurprisingly, 50 Words of Snow is a record only Kate Bush could have made: she is possibly the sole artist who could record a duet with Elton John that does not provoke feelings of extreme nausea. Aside from that major achievement, Bush’s latest record is a quietly meditative world of fluttering piano, beautifully warm vocals and lyrical whimsy; her best release in over a decade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7) Nils Frahm – Felt

The rustle of static that is a quiet constant on Felt is an apt demonstration of the almost painful intimacy of this LP from modern classical musician Nils Frahm. Nine impossibly fragile compositions of ghostly, tentative piano make for a delicately ambient record that refuses to remain in the background. This is a very lonely album, built around silences and the noises of background ephemera, but one that becomes a beautiful transportation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8) The Field – Looping State of Mind

As the title implies, The Field’s third album is built entirely from loops; repetitive as this may sound, they are employed in such a skilful way as to burrow into the listener’s consciousness. Cuts like the title track and ‘Is This Power’ build to an ecstatic glory that ensures this is dance music in which to immerse yourself. Perhaps the biggest surprise comes in the form of ‘Then It’s White”: the soothingly easy-sounding piano line and echoes of vocal provide a graceful foil for the driving beats elsewhere and round off a masterful exploration of the variety to be found in continuous loops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9) Wild Beasts – Smother

On Smother, Wild Beasts cast aside their distinctively playful excess in favour of an atmosphere of isolated grace. Hayden Thorpe’s theatrical croon soars to new heights from its minimalist backdrop, while the band takes a subtler lyrical approach to love and sex than ever before. This is the moment Wild Beasts asked their audience to come to them, and both artist and listener reaped the benefits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10) Braids – Native Speaker

This Canadian band produced a remarkably confident debut on a shoestring budget; for all of its undeniable debt to Feels-era Animal Collective, Native Speaker manages to inhabit an experimental niche of its own. Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s voice acts as the powerful anchor for long compositions that eddy and swirl around in a daze; this free-form playfulness is set against frank lyrical detail that offers a distinctive and fascinating view of developing sexuality.