1. Best Coast : Crazy For You

From the lyrical teen-angst of opener "Boyfriend", to the final melancholic singalong of closing track "Each And Everyday", Best Coast have succeeded where many bands have failed in recent years, crafting an album laced with geek chic, pop hooks, and filthy guitars.

Delve beyond the surface however, and you will be rewarded richly. The songs are finely crafted pop nuggets, and the vocal harmonies are sublime particularly on "Goodbye" and "Summer Mood". Having spent a summer on repeat playback, this album has now established itself as my album of the year. Brilliant.

2. Gayngs : Relayted

Justin Vernon spent much of the last couple of years touring the world as Bon Iver. His success was a joy to behold: an artist that came from nowhere, released a largely DIY album, and comfortably scaled the summit of the music industry in the course of a year. When people love music, it transcends business. Word of mouth takes over.

Gayngs is the most successful of Vernon's side projects, although Bon Iver fans would be forgiven for thinking they had come to the wrong party entirely, given the mellow funk workouts, the overall tone sounding something not entirely dissimilar to Fleetwood Mac played at half-speed..... but patience is key to enjoying Relayted, the first album of lush, layered smoothness from Gayngs. Expertly performed, and awash with gifted songwriting and flawless arrangements.

3. Fool's Gold : Fool's Gold

It's going to be hard to get through this review without mentioning Vampire Weekend, which is why we're doing it now. Let's face it, "Contra" largely disappoints, aside from a few standouts. However, in Fool's Gold's self-titled debut we have a far more authentic replacement: Fool's Gold is Lewis Pesacov, with Israel-born singer/songwriter Luke Top, and an ever-changing cast from bands like We Are Scientists, Glasser, the Fall, and Foreign Born.

They have a rather unique sound, one bubbling with caribbean rhythm, bouncing guitar melodies and warm, layered vocals. You may struggle with the lyrics, but the vocal melodies are sublime, and the uplifting qualities of this album are hard to deny. The limited 2CD edition comes with a bonus disc of remixes.

4. Band Of Horses : Infinite Arms

Upon the release of "Infinite Arms", many critics seemed to be of the opinion that the album failed to meet expectations, and initially i felt the same way. It didn't seem to have the same instant access of it's predecessor "Ceace to Begin". But i kept listening, time after time, and i'm still going back to it some 8 months later. Initial fears of "more of the same" were misplaced, as that is exactly what i want from Band Of Horses. "Infinite Arms" is an absolute joy.

5. LCD Soundsystem : This is Happening

James Murphy returns with the "final" LCD Soundsystem studio album, taking cues from Talking Heads and Berlin-era Bowie, this floor-filling long-player would get even the most resistant toes tapping. Stand-outs include the singles "Pow Pow" and one of our singles of 2010 "Drunk Girls".

6. Matthew Dear : Black City

Another Bowie-influenced artist, Matthew Dear is channelling something very dark, as the name suggests, on his new album "Black City". Cold electronics and layered vocal arrangements are the order of the day, with tracks like "I Put A Smell On You" and the title track "Little People (Black City)" showing just how effective Dear's own distorted minimalism can be within a gothic electro pop template.

7. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse : Dark Night Of The Soul

It's took a hell of a long time to come out officially as EMI was in despute with LEX for ownership of the album. Initial copies were even released as a blank CDr due to the despute, with Danger Mouse guiding people towards it's availability online. Once the final album arrived in stores, it sure was worth the wait. Packaged with a selection of original David Lynch photographs through the sleeve artwork, and available in a variety of deluxe formats, "Dark Night Of The Soul" sees Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse team up to fashion this wonderful collection of downbeat gems.

Featuring guest vocals from: of Gruf Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Nina Persson (The Cardigans), Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Frank Black (The Pixies), James Mercer (The Shins), Iggy Pop, Suzanne Vega, The Gerbils, Scott Spillane (Neutral Milk Hotel), Vic Chesnutt and Jason Lytle (Grandaddy)

8. Beach House : Teen Dream

Beach House have been threatening to explode for a couple of years now. I mean explode in the sense that they should be massively popular, not that they should suffer any sort of detonation. "Teen Dream" is the bands 3rd album, and 1st for the legendary label Sub Pop, and sees them building on their well-tested earlier sound of dreamy, melodic indie pop music.

9. Rangda : False Flag

Here's one for the brave. This features Sir Richard Bishop of Sun City Girls, Ben Chazny (the man behind Six Organs of Admittance) and drummer Chris Corsano. They either jam on something, or freak-out. Theres plenty noisy bits, lots of crazy bits, occasional glimpses into rock, and some of the loosest, most broken funk you will ever hear. It's amazing.

10. Trash Talk : Eyes and Nines

Relentless, fascinating and crushingly heavy, Trash Talk are gathering momentum at a phenominal rate. With the punk and metal genres littered with copycats, wannabe's and the fading old-guard, these particular Californian noiseniks are cleaning up. Having recorded their debut unter the watchful eye of Steve Albini, this new album welcomes members of The Bronx to the fray. If you consider yourself a fan of heavy guitar music, there is no excuse for not owning this album.