Mancunian greats turn out definitive two-CD hits collection of live recordings, alternative takes and hard-to-find tracks.

Shakey’s long awaited archives box set.

OAP releases best live album ever?

Sharp, incisive, funny and at times even heart-rending in the context of some beautifully-judged rag/country/Dixie-land songs.

So, Funeral was by no means a fluke. The Arcade Fire are unquestionably the real deal. And to prove it they’ve now thrown in another contender for ‘best record of the decade’.

It’s as warm and forgiving and generously tender a collection of songs as you’ll hear all year.

Impressive full length debut from enchanting Seattle-ites.

You don’t have to be a fan of the country, blues or folk genres to appreciate the heartbreaking brilliance of this inspired collaboration.

Hobo Journeyman enlists the help of Nick Cave, KT Tunstall and Ruby Turner to deliver winning album.

White hot rockers give two fingers to difficult second album.

This is a brilliantly buoyant and wonderfully charming record that’ll suit almost every mood.

The Swedish fivesome’s trademark sound is so ridiculously simple that you’ll be humming it all day, and with their quirky humour, probably with a grin on your face.

The Flaming Lips could've been forgiven for feeling usurped when their sister ship Mercury Rev steamed away with the garlands for Deserter's Songs last December, but in truth, both collectives are in competition with no-one but themselves and the gods.

On the new B52s album, the group famous for ‘Love Shack’ party like it’s 1992.

Unlike his recent output, there’s no overarching preoccupation here, there is only a bunch of good tunes.

The first new material from New York’s finest avant garde trio since last year’s superb Show Your Bones album, Is Is isn’t a new album, unfortunately.

Never in 24 years have The Black Crowes either changed their tune or sounded contrived, and they’re getting better all the time in their dependably unfashionable way.

West crosses genres with wilful and speedy abandon, taking the listener on an epic quest where the journey is just as enjoyable and unpredictable as the destination.

Astonishing new album from ex-Immediate wunderkind.

The most extraordinary aspect of the album is that Murphy has managed to simultaneously make his music both more experimental and more thrillingly danceable.

Intimate, literate and wonderfully executed, Iron & Wine seem to have made one of the albums of the year. Don’t let it pass you by.

Sublime companion to kiddies’ book adaption from Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman.

Beautiful, arcane, unsettling--and that's only the cover. White Chalk isn't so much a record, as a great effort at dragging you into another world.

Lovely promiscuous electronica.

If you take a chance on just one record then make sure it’s Take Me To The Sea as it’s possibly the underground triumph of the year.

US production whiz hires SFA mainman, perfect pastiche synth-pop ensues.

Divine blues and roots from Americana veteran.

It focuses on the epic qualities of Ride and MBV, combined with Wilner’s cosmic pop chops and his predilection for shuffly techno grooves.

With their very different moods, the ‘London’ and ‘Dublin Sessions’ respectively nourish two different aspects of spiritual longing: the soul’s yearning for a sense of reverence and awe, and its equal need for spiritual intimacy, comfort and familiarity.

Long lost treasures from the boss.

Brooklyn's latest greatest deliver heartbreaking concept album.

Weird but exhilerating outing from Williamsburg Hipsters.

Stop me if you think you've heard this one before.

A quantum leap in thought and execution from 2004 debut, These Were The Earlies.

The record is a less sonically abrasive affair than the album Cave released last year with his side-project Grinderman, but it teems with as many musical and lyrical ideas as ever.

Probably a track or two short of being a stone-cold classic, Our Love To Admire nonetheless makes for hugely rewarding listening.

In truth, Into The Wild doesn’t sound like a first solo album. It radiates a confidence and maturity that Pearl Jam have lacked on their recent albums.

First impressions are pretty damn good. It’s dreamy, eerie, epic, soaring, soothing, very occasionally manic... and more.

By eschewing the careworn vulnerability so favoured by many female artists, Veirs allows her remarkable songcraft and ornate use of language to shine.

An album as vital and as edgy as anything they’ve ever done.

Sensuous showcases a more playful Cornelius than we’ve seen before.

Bat For Lashes' debut, Fur And Gold, is an album that delivers the listener from any form of humdrum existence into a deeper realm of dream and dementia.

Assuming they haven’t all grown up by now, Manson fans will adore every dark, juvenile flourish. For the rest of us, The High End Of Low serves as a cautionary tale of artistic regression.

Chase This Light is not a genre-defying album for the history books–-it just gives the impression that Jimmy Eat World are still capable of producing one.

NYC art-rockers go in for some ch-ch-changes on excellent third album.

Grime champ steps up to the mark with career-best record.

Easy listening princess goes indie-goth.

Oracular Spectacular is an arresting introduction to the illogical world of MGMT, and is the kind of album that’s a guilty pleasure without the guilt.

No Line On The Horizon is a mature, tender, reflective record of great musical variety, depth and beauty that could only have been made by four people who've experienced just about everything that life can throw at you.

Chapman creates yet another soulful, personal album that adds to her repertoire of timeless tunes with a few mentions of Jesus and Barack Obama.

In almost every respect, Made In The Dark is an immaculately poised record, the poptronica super geeks at last striking the perfect balance between head and heart.

Interpol frontman Paul Banks makes his solo debut with a surprisingly worthwhile side project.

Chill out maestros prove they have some different tricks in their locker.

New York prepsters stick to their Paul Simon-goes-indie formula on successful second album.

Jakob Dylan's debut effort, Seeing Things, is a bare bones acoustic record showcasing the talent of the son of Bob.

Detroit punk rockers come out swinging on feisty third album.

Kylie's persona infuses the album, even if her vocals do not. As pop heatseekers go, X is a heartbeat away from perfection.

Songs like ‘Sentimental Heart’, a concerto for piano, strings and Pet Sounds haberdashery, suggest this pair are as natural a songwriting team as Karen and Richard.

Chris Martin and co. return with another album guaranteed to rock arenas across the world.

Twee-sy tiger! Omaha act mix up their newest record with more attitude but still stay true to their original style.

Ho & bling free rap of the highest thought provoking order.

Surprisingly laidback new dispatch from uptight country rockers.

Imagine an amalgam of The White Album, The Kick Inside and Professor Longhair, all conceived as an off-Broadway extravaganza directed by Julie Taymor.

Hercules And Love Affair may be a party, it may be a disco, but it sure ain't no foolin' around.

The various elements are spun like syrup round a spoon; creating a deliciously moreish concoction, the sort you’ll want to dip into time and again.

Further mystical adventures from grunge-era Kate Bush.

The 'New Springsteen' comes of age.

A sophisticated gentleman does a poo.

Mournful folkie not quite as desolate as usual.

Trees Outside The Academy is a masterclass of prog drugginess, brimming with sweet melodies and lullaby choruses.

Lucinda Williams provides instruction for those who feel fucked around and fobbed off at 40-something.

A gorgeous, swoonsome album that electrifies and stimulates in all the right places.

Pocket Symphony... contains more than its fair share of inspired moments.

From the grim and gritty depths of east Glasgow, Glasvegas tout a sure-to-be-huge mix of ragged emotion and vintage vibrations straight out of the Phil Spector playbook.

They’re a zesty bunch are Architecture In Helsinki, and never more so than on Places Like This.

While their peers pander to the mainstream, the masked musicians continue to honour their scene by staying true to their roots while broadening their sound.

Pretty much every song on Straight No Chaser is a future pop anthem of powerhouse proportions.

Food-obsessed lyrics tinged with medieval mischief.

Hotly tipped Canadian electro duo Crystal Castles deliver the goods on their debut album.

Nutty Boys regain former glories in full.

There’s quite a supporting cast on Jenny Lewis’s second LP. Elvis Costello makes an appearance, Zooey Deschanel, Jonathan Rice and M Ward all pop by.

Dirty dance-diva bundles new EP with reissued album.

Ragged glories from punk's oddball.

Will Oldham gets back to the country.

The lyrics here are a lacerating mix of blue collar bile and blue language, little Lady Muck simultaneously waging class and crass warfare.

Production superstars The Neptunes get back to penning their own tunes – with highly impressive results.

Welcome to the (haunted) house of fun.

Quality electro from Canadian groove mechanics.

Emo kids kick up a riot on surprisingly edgy third outing.

Uber-producer makes sublime soundtrack to documentary film.

What’s most remarkable about the record is its incredible level of musical cohesion – it’s like the trio never stopped playing together.

Classy Copenhagen act unveil penchant for pop.

Long awaited comeback from Bristol trip-hop outfit proves worth the wait.

They do make em' like this anymore.

If the last 10 years have taught us anything, it's that Super Furry Animals march resolutely to their own quixotic beat.

Ghostly pop transmissions from buzzy Brooklynites.

21-year-old future-dystopian grime DJ breaks new ground.

Southern rock merchants capture the energy of their live shows on accomplished fifth album.