Its almost a truism to say at the end of a year that its been ‘another great year for music’, but 2010 does seem to have been a particularly fertile year. An end-of-year  best albums is both a bit trite but also hard to resist. So this year I have chosen my top 10 albums but declined to name my tip top favest, listing them instead in alphabetical order. I already feel a tad guilty to leave out Band of Horses, Spoon, Frightened Rabbit, Beach House, Midlake etc – but left out they are on this occasion… sorry chaps

Admiral Fallow – Boots Met My Face

Seen supporting Frightened Rabbit at their Bristol show,this ‘forgotten-south-of-the-border ‘ album fairly reeks of good song writing and the famous Caledonian spirit

Admiral Fallow – Subbuteo

Arcade Fire – Suburbs

What’s to say that hasn’t already been said? Not seen on tour, no particular personal resonance, just a fine album in the now-tradition of Arcade Fire

 Arcade Fire – Month Of May

Bonnie Prince Billy and the Cairo Gang – The Wonder Show of the World

An unspeakably beautiful album, where every note and every silence is there for a reason

 Bonnie Prince Billy & The Cairo Gang – That’s What Our Love Is

Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record

Seen three times supporting  Pavement, then in Birmingham and then at Koko with the awesome Tortoise, a roaring record five years after their last collective effort

Broken Social Scene – Forced To Love

John Grant – Queen of Denmark

A voice to die for, an album of songs with a rare beauty and raw emotion, all the things that Mr Wainwright seems no longer able to do. Looking forward to his Bristol show in 2011

 Queen Of Denmark – John Grant

Halves – It Goes It Goes

I simply can’t stop playing this album. Halves music elicits the same emotions in me as the next album on the list. Music to get lost in, sound-scapes of an almost cinematic intensity

 Halves – Growing & Glow

Her Name Is Calla – The Quiet Lamb

It had been a while coming but this album was so worth the wait. So far I have managed to miss any of their live shows but 2011 is promised to have some UK shows to experience this great band in a live setting

 Her Name is Calla -Pour More Oil

Menomena – Mines

An album that simply wheedled its way i to my mind – strangely complex but simple, familiar but unusual. They played one night supporting The National which I missed, lets hope they return in 2011

 Menomena – Five Little Rooms

The National – High Violet

A long standing passion, The National’s latest offering appears to have been that ‘crossover’ album to wider audience. Rather gluttonously their outstanding show was seen no less than three times in Bristol, Coventry and London as well as the Royal Albert Hall show earlier this year –  I can’t help it, I am a National tart

 The National – Conversation 16

Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago

Another sumptuous album constantly on play – there is something about Shearwater that just hits all my buttons – brilliant to see them live in a teeny tiny venue in Bristol, why are they not simply huge?

 Shearwater – Landscape At Speed