#10:
CAMERA OBSCURA – “My Maudlin Career”
The Scottish ensemble’s first album for 4AD finds them still writing lovely pop gems, albeit with a little more sadness tinged throughout.
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#9:
SHARON VAN ETTEN – “Because I Was in Love”
This collection of quiet, lovely songs slowly seeps into your pores and Van Etten’s ethereal, almost operatic voice, full of equal parts pain and hope, is moving and beautiful.
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#8:
NEKO CASE – “Middle Cyclone”
Alt-country music veteran Case releases her sixth solo album, and arguably the strongest of her career with a wide range of songs that contain an assured, accessible, pop sensibility.
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#7:
HAILEY WOJCIK – “Diorama”
A subversive, literary songstress and gifted storyteller, Wojcik’s “Diorama” is like slapping a guitar around Regina Spektor’s neck and throwing her in a blender to bloody her up a little bit– all with a tongue placed firmly in cheek. The result? A calling-card of an album that announces a new star of the indie music scene.
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#6:
THE MACCABEES – “Wall of Arms”
With songs that build with exhuberant energy and lyrics full of romantic and witty wordplay, ‘Wall of Arms’ was one of the most joyous albums of the year.
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#5:
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART – self-titled
Bringing the hazy, distorted C86 sound into the present, the Pains pay homage to that era with songs seeping in catchy melodies and hooks galore.
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#4:
FANFARLO – “Reservoir”
Take a little Beirut and add a dash of Arcade Fire and a lot of songwriting talent and you have one of the brightest new bands on the planet and an album that proves it.
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#3:
METRIC – “Fantasies”
Slicked-up and heavily synth-based, the new sound of Metric is big and bold and brilliant, and this self-released album is infinitely repeatable.
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#2:
NOAH AND THE WHALE – “The First Days of Spring”
A staggering, heartbreaking work of a blossoming musical genius. It’s quite a difficult album to listen to, but the rewards from the emotive power of the album are undeniable.
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#1:
AU REVOIR SIMONE – “Still Night, Still Light”
The third full-length from this Brooklyn-based female trio saw the sound they established on their first two albums become much more textured and dreamy, resulting in the best album of their career.