40 London Grammar – If You Wait
What we said: "Though London Grammar aren't the first act to replicate the xx's understated beats, the Nottingham-formed trio differ from their peers in employing a singer – Hannah Reid – who could be a British Stevie Nicks from the folk-rock scene of the mid-1970s. Theirs, then, is an unlikely mix of old and new and, while every single track on their debut album is beautifully constructed and impossible to dislike, it lacks the imperfections that excite."
Reading on mobile? Click to view London Grammar's Strong here
39 Ciara – Ciara
What we said: "Ciara has quietly built up a formidable discography, and this eponymous set maintains the high quality. The infinitely more successful Rihanna has occasionally mocked her underperforming rival; in light of their recent artistic output, it's hard not to feel that in a more just parallel universe, their careers would be exchanged."
38 King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath the Moon
What we said: "Like Adele, Marshall went to the Brit School, but it's not something you could hold against him because he probably knows a little too much about esoteric soundscaping for his own good. This strange and beguiling album is more about texture and space than traditional songcraft."
Reading on mobile? Click to view King Krule's Easy Easy here
37 Jon Hopkins – Immunity
What we said: "In eight vivid, atmospheric tracks, Immunity captures the feel of an epic night out. Hopkins's beats shuffle and trip but there is a great clarity of focus throughout, and a delicate beauty."
36 Hookworms – Pearl Mystic
What we said: "More than anything or anyone, they remind us of those late-80s purveyors of garage-infused drone-psych, Loop and Spacemen 3, as well as Pete Kember's Spectrum, Jason Pierce's Spiritualized, and early Verve."
35 Jessy Lanza – Pull My Hair Back
What we said: "Lanza's voice makes her sound sweet, but her lyrics undercut that – 'I don't give a fuck what you do,' she warns on the title track. She's compelling throughout, and has a diffident, aloof sexiness that makes the record intriguing and accessible."
Reading on mobile? Click to view Jessy Lanza's Kathy Lee here
34 Miley Cyrus – Bangerz
What we said: "For all the mash-ups, Bangerz feels stitched together in the dark, and the attention-seeking begins to grate. It might be a different story if many of the hip-hop- and R&B-inspired cuts were better. Love Money Party finds Cyrus rapping a series of non-sequitur buzzwords, gibberish loosely connected by a bit of production, driven by the inescapable purpose of Bangerz: a desire to wind people up for commercial, rather than transgressive, ends."
Reading on mobile? Click to view Miley Cyrus's We Can't Stop here
33 White Denim – Corsicana Lemonade
What we said: "Bands this proficient can easily end up making pointlessly masturbatory virtuoso-rock. Every rhythmic lurch and stylistic shift, though, remains in the service of the band's greater groove, giving these 10 tracks an ease that belies their ferocious complexity."
32 John Murry – The Graceless Age
What we said: "Through stories that are partly his own – the centrepiece, Little Colored Balloons, ends with Murry's overdose ('I took an ambulance ride – they said I should've died, right there on 16th and Mission') – Murry invests the South with a necromantic realism, where decay is the one constant, but he somehow avoids self-pity or lachrymosity. I don't expect to hear a better album this year."
31 Drake – Nothing Was the Same
What we said about Drake: "Of all the big pop stars, and he is certainly one, Drake does the best job of being all things to all men. He's a rapper and singer, a pedlar of both braggadoccio and melancholy, boy next door and baller, lover and womaniser, dork and hunk, Jewish and black. Fans find what they like in Drake, but his bundle of contrasts also seems authentic and, as a result, charismatic."
Reading on mobile? Click to view Drake's Hold On, We're Coming Home
