My Top 50 Albums of the Year - Part One

50 - "Into The Murky Water", The Leisure Society
It failed to set the world alight as much as their 2009 debut did, but there was still something beautiful about this band and their penchant for full orchestrated songs.

49 - "Suck it and See", The Arctic Monkeys
Despite an initial burst of enthusiasm from me, this album has largely dropped off the radar for me. Whether this is out of a fondness for their earlier material, a higher placing for Alex Turner's soundtrack on Submarine or just a whopping lack of tunes is irrelevant - this album wasn't without its charm.

48 - "Mirrors", U.S. Royalty
Bold, brash and rather bloody lovely.

47 - "Go Tell Fire to the Mountain", WU LYF
The indie press might have raved about them like excitable lunatics, and it's certainly a decent album, but I can't really place it too highly here - again it's something I've loved for a brief period of time and feel little inclination to return to.

46 - "Bread and Circuses", The View
I started the year loathing them and have ended it with a big deal of respect for this, their third album, which packed more tunes than most indie bands can cram into a debut.

45 - "Born This Way", Lady GaGa
I was slightly generous with my score of 8.5 for this back in May, but whilst it was easily a worse record than 'The Fame Monster', it had a solid selection of nonsense pop tunes that were just let down by some unoriginal ideas.

44 - "The Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2", Beastie Boys
One of only two reviews this year that's earned me death threats, but hey ho. The Boys had a triumphant return and, celebrity cameo videos aside, were on top form again.

43 - "Burst Apart", The Antlers
A genuinely atmospheric, dark and brooding album that tried its best to dampen my summer.

42 - "El Camino", The Black Keys
I've yet to review this, but it boasts just as many solid tracks as last year's 'Brothers', which is slightly remarkable given the time that's passed.

41 - "Wasting Light", Foo Fighters
'Walk' was my first choice of song for my iPod after stepping out of the house for a good fortnight or so, and this was their strongest album since One By One.

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