Albums of 2011: Number 2 - Glen Campbell - Ghost On The Canvas

This year's countdown continues...

2. Glen Campbell - Ghost On The Canvas

By the time I realised what an incredible album this is his farewell tour had sold out. It's great stuff from end to end and includes one of my favourite ever Guided By Voices tunes, Hold On Hope.

This year's big Number One revealed tomorrow... any guesses?

Albums of 2011: Number 3 - Zomby - Dedication

This year's countdown continues...

3. Zomby - Dedication

22nd century prog rock

Number 2 tomorrow...

Albums of 2011: Number 4 - Zombi - Escape Velocity

This year's countdown continues...

4. Zombi - Escape Velocity

21st century prog rock.

Number 3 tomorrow...

Albums of 2011: Number 6 - Delta Maid - Outside Looking In

This year's countdown continues...

6. Delta Maid - Outside Looking In

She's as scouse as they come but you'd never know it from this album of cute country and bluegrass. Just great.

Number 5 tomorrow...

Albums of 2011: Number 7 - Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia

This year's countdown continues...

7. Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia

I'd missed out of PW before this year's album but have enjoyed catching up. Poppy, melodic but heartfelt too.  A bit old-fashioned and none the worse for it.

Number 6 tomorrow...

Albums of 2011: Number 8 - Aidan Moffatt & Bill Wells - Everything's Getting Older

This year's countdown continues...

8. Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells - Everything's Getting Older

I saw Aidan and Bill do this at Manchester's Deaf Institute last month - the perfect venue for them. A mix of spoken word and lilting melodies over a jazzish backdrop. Try The Copper Top as a sample track. Even better watch The Copper Top video.

Number 7 tomorrow...

Albums of 2011: Number 9 - Battles - Gloss Drop

This year's countdown continues...

9. Battles - Gloss Drop

Nobody thought they'd do anything much after Tyondai Braxton left them in the lurch mid-way through recording this album. The remaining members deleted all of his parts and built the rest up from scratch using guest vocalists to good effect where required. It's what I though all music would sound like in 2011 when I was in 1975. I saw them in Sheffield a couple of weeks ago and they do this stuff really well live.

Number 8 tomorrow...

Albums of 2011: Number 10 - James Blake - James Blake

OK, it's that time of year again. Pleasingly it's a little bit harder pulling together a list of ten favourite albums from this year as it's been a reasonable year for music.

I'll do it as a countdown this year.  Today it's Number 10.

10. James Blake - James Blake

This year's Burial or XX entry. Spooky, ethereal, haunting and so on and so forth. Good though.  If you like this check out Jamie's Woon's Mirror Writing too.

Number 9 tomorrow...

Top Ten Albums of 2010

In my head I'd put The Unthanks' Here's The Tender Coming as my Album of the Year for 2009. Looking back, I'd actually put it third, with Fever Ray and The xx above it. I'd probably swap them around now with hindsight.

Overall though, I was much more convinced by my Top Ten for last year than I am by this year's, other than my Number One.

Other than my definitive number one, Agnes Obel, these albums could be in any order.

Anyway, here goes, in reverse:

10. Sleigh Bells - Treats

9. Teeth Of the Sea - Your Mercury

8. Smoke Fairies - Through Low Light and Trees

7. Solar Bears - She Was Coloured In

6. Shit Robot - From The CradleTo The Rave

5. Tracey Thorn - Love and its Opposite

4. Jane Weaver - The Fallen By Watchbird

3. Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy

2. Max Essa - Continental Drift

1. Agnes Obel - Philharmonics

As suggested by @futurebehaviour, here is a single Spotify playlist of my Top 10. Tracey Thorn's album isn't on Spotify for some reason, despite the fact that the singles drawn from it are, so I've included them instead.