Have there been many album-openers more gorgeous than 'The High Road'? Alt-rock with some gratuitous bleepy electronica thrown in, Broken Bell’s debut is the perfect mix of great singalong choruses and experimentation.
Blissful electronica, with hints of Aphex Twin and Tangerine Dream ('Candy Shoppe'), and – whisper it – Jean-Michel Jarre ('Double Helix').
Key track: 'Science Center'
No Burt Bacharach samples, no bouncy pop-house, no vocals – Röyksopp have grown up. A world apart from previous album Junior, Senior is a proud two fingers to the record company. If you don’t like synths, AVOID.
Key track: 'The Drug'
You never know; this might convert the anti-dance brigade. Nothing hardcore here, just a load of smart, funky riffs, one after the other. And, if you’ve heard a cooler one than 'Vanilla Minus', please let me know.
Key track: 'Vanilla Minus'
If you’re going to hang up your boots (*sob*), you could do worse than with a tune like 'Drunk Girls' (“Drunk girls know that love is an astronaut/It comes back, but it's never the same”). You know what to expect: effortless funk, yelpy David Byrne-esque vocals, a top album.
Key track: 'Drunk Girls'
Hilariously earnest, this Brooklyn two-piece is a curious mix of New Order, rockabilly and They Might Be Giants, but look beneath the surf guitar and histrionic vocals, and you’ll find catchy pop ditties aplenty.
Key tracks: 'Book of Stories'
A cartoon band no more – Gorillaz have finally cracked it. A jaw-dropping line-up of collaborators (Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, Mark E Smith, Bobby Womack etc), but Plastic Beach has structure and poise. Not everything works, but when it does, in the case of 'Empire Ants’' sweeping melancholy, or the disposable pop of 'On Melancholy Hill', you have a winner.
Key track: 'Stylo'
Rather unsubstantial on first listen, but Swim is a hell of a grower. Every track is bursting with riffs and hooks that get under your skin; Daniel Snaith’s delicate vocals are used sparingly, but work perfectly. A dance album with a soul.
Key track: 'Lalibela'
An extraordinary combination of cool-as-fuck electronica and jangly guitar pop. Opening track 'Earthquake' is as blissfully chill-out as anything on Screamadelica, while 'Desire Lines' starts off like The House of Love, but builds and builds to an amazing pulsating guitar riff. Oh, and there’s 'Helicopter', too, one of the tracks of the year.
Key track: 'Desire Lines'
The jaunty piano that opens Arcade Fire’s third album is at odds with the rather serious stuff that follows, but despite the reflective mood, this is still joyous, blood-rushing, anthemic stuff, with bagloads of memorable moments, like the wibbly synths in 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)' or the frenetic explosion of 'Empty Room'.
Key track: 'We Used To Wait'
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