My Favourite Albums Of 2011

10. Yuck - Yuck

Weird to think that the members of London band Yuck aren't old enough to remember when most of their influences, most notably Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth, ruled the day but for me listening to them is a brilliant nostalgia trip back to the 90s. These kids may not have been there but they definitely have pure love and feel for that era and I can't imagine J Mascis et al would feel anything less than proud of the fun, feedback-filled, super-fuzzy rock that they have influenced here.

9. Alessi's Ark - Time Travel

Alessi's first album charmed me beyond words when it came out a couple of years ago and I actually made it my top album of the year in 2009. Her follow-up doesn't quite match her magical debut but it's still a charming folk-pop album that sees her simplify her sound to that of a small band and her cover of Lesley Gore's 60s hit Maybe I Know seems to sum up her aim for this album quite well: fun, jaunty and lovely pop sung in that gorgeously distinctive soft voice of hers. I still think Alessi is destined to make something truly great and while this is far from it, in the meantime it's far from a disappointment and I've loved listening to it all year. Alessi is still head and shoulders above most of the boring so-called folk artists they have emerged after the success of Marling and Mumford & Sons and this album definitely shows why.

8. The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps

When Greg Dulli revealed he was finally making another Twilight Singers album after five years he was telling interviewers that this was his happiest, most upbeat record so far. Well, I don't know if Dulli was just pulling our leg or it was just because he's in a healthier place in his life but the resulting album couldn't be further from what he described: it's every bit as sleazy, dark and groove-filled as ever. It's kind of like Scorsese's After Hours turned into rock music, all late-night and early morning adventures in the city, and still every bit as cinematic and atmospheric. I wonder where the Twilights stand now Dulli's former band The Afghan Whigs has reformed but I really hope that there's more to come from them and this isn't their swan song but if it is it's a fine one to go out on.

7. Alela Diane & Wild Divine

With every album Alela wanders further from the stark, no-production folk style of her debut record and it seems, because of this, there are always fans voicing their disappointment that she hasn't stuck to this same style: in other words people who want her to make the same record over and over. I, for one, am glad she hasn't and has continued to develop and grow (and taken on a family-based band called Wild Divine to help her). It's obvious she has a deep love of country and roots-based music and playing that kind of music sounds just as natural and lovely as her early pure folk efforts. I really can't understand why the world hasn't caught on to Alela yet, she deserves to be a much bigger artist.

6. Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

Laura's journey towards becoming this generation's Joni Mitchell took a huge step forward with her latest album, arguably her best so far. It saw her experimenting more with the folk style that she's become known, some songs building to full-on rock-outs. Songs like Salinas, Sophia and The Beast were equally epic and beautiful while tracks like Night After Night proves she can still be as tender and sorrowful as she ever was. Listening to how much she's grown artistically in just a few short years it's incredible to remember that she's still just 21. Unbelievable really and exciting to think what she will come up with next.

5. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong

The first men in my top 10 are a band that hail from California and have clearly been listening to some of my favourite acts of all-time such as Neil Young, Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne (who actually played with them when I saw them play the Borderline earlier this year). Their updated Laurel Canyon sound (you can almost hear the city in their music and there's even a song called Time Spent In Los Angeles) and story-filled lyrics, therefore held great appeal to me and I could actually imagine Linda Ronstadt back in her 70s heyday introducing the world to Dawes through hit covers of their songs. Since I adore Linda, there can be no higher compliment from me than that.

4. My Brightest Diamond - All Things Will Unwind

Seeing Shara Worden perform this album in its entirety probably helped me love this album, maybe her best so far, all the more. Recorded with the ymusic chamber ensemble it's a gorgeously lush and sweet sounding album, less dark and intense than her previous albums, Worden obviously seems to be in a happier place, maybe due to the fact she gave birth to her first child last year (there's even a beautiful love song to her new son that ends the album, I Have Never Loved Someone). There are quirky tales of unwanted animals interrupting her work (Rat In The Kitchen) to moving stories of her grandmother and other unheralded women who played their part in past wars (She Does Not Brave The War) all backed with beautiful woodwind and strings, horns, ukulele and unusual drumbeats. Whimsical, charming and filled with exquisite vocals from Worden, it might not strike you on first listen but this is one that doesn't take long to work its way into your heart.

3. Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams

I met Stevie this year at a record signing after being a fan since I was 12 years old. After the initial excitement wore off, in reflection it was quite an empty experience. It's probably true when they say you shouldn't meet your heroes. That said if I had met her during the height of my fandom I probably would have burst into tears but over the years my obsession has wore down so that it's almost all gone but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying Stevie's first new solo album in 10 years, one I certainly thought I'd never see. Made in collaboration with Dave Stewart, it was obvious that not only did they understand each other musically but had a lot of fun recording the album, something that clearly comes across when you listen to it. It's also probably Stevie's most cohesive album since the early 80s, with a unified sound, feel and direction and not a bad track throughout. It's good to have her back although if she does make another solo album I will be shocked, but this is without doubt a good one to go out on.

2. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

I really think as a British artist Polly Harvey is up there with Radiohead in terms of importance and influence, maybe more so, because until recently female artists, especially from the UK, who have made the impact Polly has have been few and far between (and it remains to be seen if the latest crop will be remembered). She's always interesting and every album is an experiment with a new style or idea and her latest is no exception, with Harvey examining her homeland through its history of warfare. It's a moving, dramatic and brilliant listen, a beautiful mixture of the haunting feel of White Chalk and the darkness of her work with John Parish. But you wouldn't expect anything less from her.

1. Wild Flag - Wild Flag

Supergroups rarely seem to work, for every good one like The Traveling Wilburys there's a SuperHeavy and a Contraband and a Zwan. I even think recent successful ones like The Dead Weather have been pretty boring and, while the album was okay, the Monsters Of Folk were pretty disappointing and disjointed in concert. So while on paper the idea of putting together members of Sleater-Kinney, Helium and The Minders sounded like the perfect all-girl band there was still the fear it would be the case of too many cooks. Thankfully it was every bit as good as it sounded. Although I've always loved Sleater-Kinney I must admit the big draw for me at first was Mary Timony, whose work in Helium and as a solo artist I've loved for years and it was joyful to hear just how well her sound and Carrie Brownstein's goes together (but then they did work together once before on the side-project The Spells). The first song, Romance, sets the picture well, it's pure distortion filled power pop while Boom is angular and angry and the rhythmic Black Tambourine is Timony at her best. The past few years there's been a distinct lack of great, loud, electric guitar-based music from women but Wild Flag proves women can still rock with the best of the men.