My Top 50 Albums of the Year - Part Four

#20 - "A Different Kind of Fix", Bombay Bicycle Club
This was the year they progressed past the point of a one-hit-wonder in my mind (Always Like This) and this record possesses a great number of hooks and tunes.

#19 - "Dye It Blonde", Smith Westerns
Richly influenced by David Bowie, T. Rex and, more recently, Suede, it's naturally packed to the brim with a heap of glamrock goodness.

#18 - "Zonoscope", Cut Copy
Amazing tune after amazing tune. Along with Metronomy they've seen multiple tracks end up on my going-out playlist, and kickstarted summer that little bit earlier.

#17 - "Cults", Cults
I instantly fell in love with the pair once I heard 'Abducted', and that was just one of a selection of infectious, retro pop songs.

#16 - "Smother", Wild Beasts
I missed their first two albums entirely and have still yet to investigate them, but this stood out this year for me because of its intimacy, great songwriting and some excellent vocals (if you like Antony and the Johnsons, you'll like this).

#15 - "Lupercalia", Patrick Wolf
I'd always regarded Wolf as a pretentious outrovert that was all style, no substance, but this year's record totally turned that on its head. A beautiful, romantic album that's just laced with ecstacy and has soundtracked the recovery from a personal hell this year.

#14 - "The Golden Age of Apocalypse", Thundercat
I started the year hoping for another Janelle Monae and this was as good as I got - not to say I was disappointed. A dazzling and fascinating merge of classic jazz/R&B and futuristic landscapes that really grew on me.

#13 - "Skying", The Horrors
Listening to this is one of the closest experiences you might get to flying - just staggeringly epic and imaginative.

#12 - "Yuck", Yuck
Almost every song here has ebbed away at my subconscious at some point this year and they really should've got more attention. Excellent, excellent songwriting.

#11 - "Within and Without", Washed Out
Probably the sexiest album of the year (and not just because of the sleeve), it's an intoxicating record that resparked a very-much-dead love for synthpop.

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