It's that time of the year again, where news publications, bloggers and music magazines across the globe gather and speculate over the unenviable task of separating the sounds of the past year which have graced our ears for weeks, maybe months on end, from the throwaway 'seen it all before' records which didn't last the distance.
Essentially a source of acute opinion, occasionally an album of rare quality will crop up which features on the vast majority of the yearly definitive lists, now seen as much a predictable fixture in the collective public consciousness during the Christmas period as is the turkey dinner and ill-advised knitted sweaters.
For what it's worth, here is my rundown of what I feel has been a particularly fruitful year for music, particularly guitar based, a genre of which was recently thought to be on a downward spiral.
1) Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix - Their 2009 debut album 'I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose' saw them storm the indie circuit with an array of strong tracks of weighty and memorable riffs, including still crowd favourite 'Always Like This', a potent blend of punk, blues and garage rock infused gems and lyrics alluding to an insecure yet likeable pop sensibility.
The following year saw the band experiment with an acoustic based album called 'Flaws', while the prolific streak continued with this year's record arriving at a sound that brings together the atmospheric nature of the previous album, while still containing the flair for a straightforward gripping pop song, with genuinely heartbreaking lyrics on tracks such as the piano based tale of unrequited love in 'Still', while the more upbeat 'Shuffle' with its rattling ragtime piano intro provided many music listeners with a stand out feel good summer track.
2) Joy Formidable - The Big Roar - It is incredible to think that a band originally from the sleepy rural Welsh valleys of Flintshire which I have also grown up in could provide the template for what was one of the most critically acclaimed debut records for several years, leading to increasing popularity amongst highly esteemed names in the industry such as Dave Grohl.
Encompassing a visceral, rare dreamlike quality of which is pleasingly hard to box into a particular genre, the album is a roller coaster of face melting guitar distortion, masking more subtle feelings of alienation and vulnerability coursing through singer Ritzy Bryan's impressive vocal range which can be at once wisping with sudden intersperses of growl like ferocity during a chorus.
Standout tracks include the pulsating Whirring, of which now receives extensive treatment when played live, with added guitar instrumental and general chaos as the perfect closer to a gig.
'The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie' is a hidden gem which had not previously been heard on the band's numerous pre-album mini releases, and contains many poignant lines about using love to paint over the cracks of deeper emotional troubles.
"Love is the ever-changing spectrum of a lie.
A lie to hide behind when nothings right.
" PJ Harvey - Let England Shake - A worthy winner of the Mercury Music Prize ahead of extremely stiff competition in Adele's recent outing which dominated the charts seemingly all year round.
Critical acclaim has seen this album appear at the summit of seemingly every 2011 album favourites listing so far, as a further reward for her uncanny attention to detail and ability to evoke such strong visuals of war-torn beaches and countryside in her most recent release.
This was a direct realisation of extensive research prior to the album's creation by PJ Harvey which saw her take in a range of historical documents and first hand accounts of soldier's experiences of war.
Tracks such as 'All & Everyone' reach out to the core emotions of the soul when dealing with such strong topics as death, even for those too young to have experienced warfare or bereavement at close proximity.
Autoharp features heavily on the record to provide the unique sound throughout a listening experience which is the result of carefully studied subject matter, of which many modern musicians should use as future evidence for how to turn initially bold ideas into a brilliant aural cacophony.
4) The Horrors - Skying - The story of The Horrors' recent rise to prominence is a startling one.
Having started out as a band with a seemingly short-lived shelf life on debut album 'Strange House', built on a well-worn 60's garage rock style, the band have since outgrown their limited musical roots to become unlikely shoegaze, psychedelic pioneers of the modern-day in the ilk of clear inspirations from the likes of predecessors My Bloody Valentine and Joy Division, taking in rave critical reviews in the process.
The influence of bands like Joy Division runs not only through the image of the band as gloomy and mysterious characters onstage, but is deeply rooted in the DNA of this album in particular.
The sonic creation of 'Skying' often mimics the tightly constructed synth and baseline hooks seen on classic Joy Division songs which build a sense of foreboding before completely changing direction, such as 'New Dawn Fades' in comparison to The Horrors brilliant 'Endless Blue', which starts off as a lulling instrumental before bursting into life as a garage rock stomper.
The band is not content with only taking from the past though, with genuine pieces of musical genius seen on tracks such as 'Still Life', of which the experience of listening to such a song transports you to a drug addled, dreamlike place in your mind, leaving the listener with an overall sense of what can only be described as blissful pleasure, making this a record not to be missed from this years offerings.
5) Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See - Arctic Monkeys captured their fourth successive number one album with 'Suck it and See', realising an impressive longevity and relevance not seen since the likes of The Beatles.
The band had seemed to lose small parts of their initial fan base after uncompromising experimentation and outside influences from the likes of QOTSA's Josh Homme since debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not' took the UK by storm to become one of the fastest selling records of all time, after capturing the hearts of a nation during the dawn of the internet and music download phenomenon as a legitimate way of reaching a larger audience.
The band were reluctant to re-create the naivety and sing along friendly nature of that record, with lead singer Alex Turner recently proclaiming that it just isn't possible to re-create that mindset as each year passes and the members become a little older and wiser.
This return sees Turner's lyrics flowing with a refreshing maturity, while the band try to at least partly encapsulate the energetic sound seen on their initial songs, with tracks such as 'Library Pictures' particularly, seeing a return of the punchy guitar notes and quick fire vocal wit and delivery that endeared them to the masses in the first place.
Turner continues to explore a softer side honed through side projects 'Last Shadow Puppets' and solo work on Submarine's film soundtrack, with a full electric version of 'Piledriver Waltz' from the latter getting a workout, and the likes of title track 'Suck it and See' displaying Turner in full hopeless romantic mode on lines such as these which go to show his and his fellow Monkeys' shining talents are not going to dim anytime soon: "That's not a skirt, girl, that's a sawn-off shotgun And I can only hope you've got it aimed at me" 6) Friendly Fires - Pala - Having seen this album displayed almost in full at Manchester Apollo on Thursday night, I was reminded once again just how good this album was when it arrived way back in the summer months.
The irony of a chilly December night in Manchester when playing hit singles such as 'Hawaiian Air', which had successfully adorned summer festival stages amongst a carnival atmosphere, did not seem to taint the fact that the record contains some very strong tracks.
Viewed very much as a summer album, with its colourful synth layered textures and Friendly Fires' funky, disco beat template at the heart of the album, the songs visibly seemed to carry an unexpected air of longevity when viewed live, with frontman Ed Macfarlane in full 'Dad-dancing' mode, making for an entertaining spectacle worth the admission price alone.
Even the slower tracks such as title song 'Pala', seemed to carry an added sense of relevance and ambience not fully appreciated perhaps when listening away from the live arena.
The impressive lighting effects during each track created a disco vibe which added to the feel-good effects that appear to be the overriding concept of the record.
7) Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - The unceremonious break-up of iconic lad rock centrepiece Oasis has given way to a Noel Gallagher free from any constraints the fractious set-up with Liam Gallagher had on his undoubted talent and creativity.
The drawbacks in his vocals in comparison to brother Gallagher are more than compensated for by the meticulously crafted tunes, with several tracks on this album holding a legitimate claim to being some of the best pop songs Noel has written since the glory days of early 90's Oasis and 'Definitely Maybe' fame.
While not straying too far from the Oasis format of simple chord structures, the added variety of The High Flying Birds backing band provides an impressive backdrop and added dimension to highlights such as 'The Death of You and Me', with a full brass ensemble fleshing out the stripped down acoustic delivery during the bridges.
'AKA...
What a Life' and Beatles inspired 'Dream On' provide indications of a solo career which could see Noel not pining for an Oasis reunion anytime soon.
8) The Kills - Blood Pressures - With a gap left in the market for a credible blues rock duo after The White Stripes split earlier this year, The Kills will look to emerge from the shadows of their revered counterparts in the coming years, with Blood Pressures providing a sure sign of intent.
Possibly even more quirky than The White Stripes were ever given credit for, the obscure alternate tunings of Jamie Hince's guitar-come-bass sound providing trudging garage rock distortion returns once again on tracks such as 'Future Starts Slow'.
The Kills try to embrace sounds outside their usual unrelenting punk-rock style by utilising Alison Mosshart's underrated vocal talents on quieter tracks such as 'Baby Says' and the gut-wrenching 60's swooning break-up ballad 'The Last Goodbye', seeing Mosshart transformed into full Patsy Cline mode, offering an insight into potential future endeavors the band may wish to follow-up to broaden their horizons.
9) Cold War Kids - Mine is Yours - The music media's collective consensus on Cold War Kids seems to have been completely misconstrued on their last two albums.
Robbers & Cowards was released in 2006 to mass hysteria from the hipsters on the blogosphere, captivated by their soul and blues rock minimalist roots of which is a rare commodity in the era of throwaway downloads and a worrying record label tendency to promote bubblegum pop records rather than music resembling any feeling or depth.
The band have expanded their sound since by working with Kings of Leon producer Jacquire King for this record in an attempt to cultivate an arena sized presence and route of success that KOL have recently enjoyed.
This obviously sends alarm bells ringing in the minds of fans and critics that maybe this band are losing sight of their values in search of larger album sales.
I think many critics have looked at this album with these pre-conceptions, losing sight of the fact that Nathan Willett has retained his lyrical potency and adept methods of songwriting underneath the mixing desk sheen, to produce what should be celebrated as a collection of classic contemporary pop songs.
This album certainly grows on you, with the latter half of the album exposing itself to be as strong as the first after several listens.
Highlights include tracks such as 'Bulldozer', seeing a fittingly named, genuinely flooring track about repairing a broken relationship, with steadily building vocals giving way to an infectious chorus that displays Willett's vocal dexterity.
10) Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials - Florence builds on the success of debut album 'Lungs', with a powerhouse of a record that has been well produced, highlighting the strength of her bellowing vocals and giving each song a huge overall sound, with powerful drumming a particular undercurrent.
The album contains some epic musical gems, with impressive opener 'Only if For A Night' building well into potential contenders for tracks of the year in 'Shake it Out', a song written after a particularly bad hangover, and recent single 'No Light, No Light', with a steady build up making way for a powerful chorus after which the song doesn't let up, which can also be said for much of the rest of the album, making for a brilliant party album.