15. Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were
Ben Howard’s second album, following 2011’s hugely successful Every Kingdom, is a phenomenal achievement for a musician of his age. He writes songs in a way that many writers could only dream of doing, combining his considerable talent as a guitarist, with the words of a poet. I Forget Where We Were is darker, more complex, and more rewarding to the listener than Every Kingdom. This album shows Ben’s growth as a musician and song writer in the last few years, talent which is demonstrated excellently in tracks such as ‘End of the Affair’, ‘Evergreen’ and ‘Conrad’. A sublime album; dark, subtly powerful, and entirely beautiful. Luke Bailey
14. How To Dress Well – What Is This Heart?
On What Is This Heart Tom Krell’s ideals of soft, addictive contemporary R&B are at their most realised. Following 2012’s incendiary Total Loss, WITH sees Krell dive into his previous mainstream inclinations, unashamedly embracing the gentle pop rhythms of songs like ‘Words I Don’t Remember’ or the strutting satisfaction of ‘What You Wanted’. With this new confidence, the record finds itself to be far more intimate and defined than previous efforts and is all the better for it. Ethereal, mesmerising and compelling, WITH is a captivating work, and one of the most stunning records of the year. Nathan Harris
13. Mastodon – Once More ‘Round the Sun
What can one say about the beast that is Mastodon; six albums in and they’re still knocking it out of the park! Once More ‘Round The Sun picks up from where 2011’s The Hunter left off. There are huge riffs (‘High Road’), sky-scraping choruses (‘The Motherload’), spaced out odysseys (‘Chimes At Midnight’) and great songs aplenty. Sure the band has mellowed out since their early days but they’ve lost none of their spark. In fact, in their new found maturity they have improved their songwriting, if anything, and are bringing groove, progressive rock and guitar solos in to their arsenal. Alex Mitchell-Fox
12. Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow
Bombay Bicycle Club have metamorphosed their way through a fairly reserved career, and so how they managed to summon the brilliant So Long, See You Tomorrow is slightly baffling. With frontman Jack Steadman taking over production and sidling the band’s indie flair with an emphasis on electronic music, BBC are suddenly a force to be reckoned with; the record garnering them a much deserved Mercury nomination earlier this year. Particular highlights are euphoric opener ‘Overdone‘ and the heart-wrenching duet ‘Home By Now‘. It’s vastly different than their other albums, and definitely worth checking out even if you haven’t liked their earlier stuff. Nathan Harris
11. ¡Mayday! & Murs – ¡Mursday!
Sometimes the best music is made when artists decide to work together just for fun. ¡Mayday! has released a couple of great albums on Tech N9ne’s Strange Music label, and Murs has been a veteran in the underground hip-hop scene. It was surprising to see them collaborate for an entire album upon Murs’ signing to the label, but it turned out to be gold. Murs’ slower-paced rapping, but fun personality, compliments Wrekonize and Bernz well as the group’s vocalists, and their synergy with the rest of the band creates a fun atmosphere for the album. This is a great hip-hop album to just jam to in the car, at the gym, or at a party. Shaun Yassin
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