So here are my favourite albums of 2010. Looking back it was a strange year for music with lots of bands releasing strong albums to high expectation and not that many distinctive debuts. Looking over it I think my list lacks diversity but possibly represents my taste becoming more focused. Certainly slightly offbeat indie-folk is my genre of choice this year. For a taster of these tracks have a listen to my Best of 2010 playlist on Spotify (a work in progress).

1. The Phantom Band – The Wants

The Wants, from Glasgow-based The Phantom Band, is just as brilliant and off-kilter as its predecessor, Checkmate Savage. Whilst that album was a fantastic piece of experimentalism, like throwing paint at a white canvas to see what shows up, The Wants is more refined and feels more like a band that has found its feet. Luckily there is still something as deep and mysterious as the waters of Scottish loch here. Brooding vocals, strange instruments and spectacular arrangements deliver an album of consistent brilliance that puts modern Scottish folk music firmly at the top of the pile. Hugely recommended if you are looking for something a little different.

2. Engineers – In Praise of More

After the almost interminable, are-they-really-still-a-band?, wait that occurred between 2005′s eponymous debut, and 2009′s Three Fact Fader, it was surprising to wander into One Up one day and be greeted by the cover of In Praise of More, the third album by the London shoegaze band Engineers. In Praise of More features a distinctly different line up compared to Three Fact Fader and now Engineers are touted as a shoegaze supergroup with German Ulrich Schnauss joining earlier in the year. In Praise of More is a precise piece of work, executed in a little under 38 minutes, which offers a very different side to Engineers. Their past albums commanded you listen, the melodies stirring and the music powerful and driven. This album presents a more subtle listen that stands up well to repeated listens.

3. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

In a year where established acts were releasing long-anticipated albums, perhaps the group in the most spotlighted position were Arcade Fire. Since Neon Bible their following has increased exponentially with massive tours selling out in minutes. Whilst Neon Bible was gothically brilliant in its own way, it was nothing compared to Funeral which is easily my album of the decade. With The Suburbs Arcade Fire had another chance to address this concern and I think this time they have done it with aplomb. It isn’t Funeral, but it is a magnificent piece of art. Taking their typical approach of applying a magnifying glass to the minutiae of modern life, its fragmented structure, reprisals and themes builds a world of stories around which their lush instrumentation and multi-vocalists can weave a complicated and beautiful pattern. Less immediate than Funeral, it gets into your head slowly, but once there it doesn’t move.

4. The National – High Violet

After achieving enormous success with Boxer, The National had a lot of expectations sitting on their shoulders. High Violet, released during the summer of 2010, allayed any fears I might have had. It would have been easy to produce another Boxer, but instead High Violet is a distinctly different creation and leads us on the next stage of The National’s journey. Like their previous LPs this isn’t an instant winner, but rewards multiple listens, the songs gradually revealing their depths. I think the measure of success is that this album contains both one of the years great upbeat, soaring (and bizarre) songs with “Bloodbuzz Ohio”, as well as one of its great anthems with closing track “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”.

5. Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago

Their 2008 album Rooks was always going to be a hard act to follow and with The Golden Archipelago, Shearwater never quite reach those heights. Nonetheless, this is still a beautifully textured, dark and brooding album that has some sublime moments. It is an album for late nights, the sun sinking beyond a snow-clad forest, the sound of creatures in the undergrowth. Its myriad instruments and warm, analogue production comforts and soothes, whilst the contrasting, deep tones of Jonathan Meiburg gives a sometimes disquieting experience. It is an album of great beauty, perhaps only let down by the loud song “Corridors” which feels uncomfortable and discordant against the rest of the album. Also of note is that this is the one album this year I chose to purchase on vinyl.

6. The Unwinding Hours – The Unwinding Hours

Rising out of the dust and ashes that was Aerogramme, this is better than any album that band managed to deliver. Crossing between post-rock, haunting indie anthems and shimmering orchestrations, this is an album that gets better with each listen. At once both sombre and beautiful it is distinctly Scottish but also has echos of English indie bands of the last decade, bringing to mind Easyworld at times.

7. Broken Records – Let Me Come Home

Another Scottish album, this time from Edinburgh, and the indie-folk group that raised more questions than they answered with their debut album released last year. This album is a stronger, more consistent offering that shows off their talents for well crafted, foot-stomping indie rock songs as well as more delicate and considered compositions which use the seven-strong band to their full.

8. Teen Dream – Beach House

I waited most of the year before I bought this album but, as snow drifts slowly down outside, and the world turns a beautiful and cold white, this album is the perfect soundtrack. Its infective hooks and melody lines, backed by simple deliberate beats, are an easy call back to last year’s darlings The XX. Though similar in nature to that album, it is a more uplifting record with my favourite track “Lover of Mine” having a strong 80s-esque synth line and beautiful harmonised vocals.

9. Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise

A masterpiece of minimal techno, this German album sprawls over 71 minutes but never fails to engage you. Debuting on Rough Trade, the Prince here is joined by a myriad of collaborators, including Animal Collective’s Panda Bear, which has pushed Black Noise into the indie spotlight. It is a delight of undulating basslines, glockenspiels and even steps into shoegaze which makes for a sublime listening experience.

10. Midlake – The Courage of Others

With this being the follow up to the epic The Trials of Van Occupanther which became a minor success that grew into it wasn’t entirely unexpected that Midlake would look to create something very different to that album. They certainly have, and it is a bold, brave and slightly mad creative decision. Courage is founded in the British folk scene of the 1960s and 70s, everything from the cover (awful, isn’t it?) to the lilting acoustic guitar work and Smith’s melancholic vocals. That said it is a wonderful creation, precise and deliberate, each song is a mini-epic. The highlight is “Rulers, Ruling All Things” which is weighty and grandiose and almost sounds like they are having fun.

And the rest…

Special mentions go to excellent albums released by: North Atlantic Oscillation, Fyfe Dangerfield, Frightened Rabbit, Villagers, I Am Kloot, Eftercklang, Band of Horses, Broken Social Scene, Sufjan Stevens, Of Montreal, Steve Mason, Blonde Redhead, Meursault, Four Tet, The New Pornographers, Belle & Sebastian.