I’ve been trying to work out if this has been a good year for music. I think it has been but there is little to ground us anymore. The world, or rather the internet, is the music lover’s oyster.

I realised, watching the X Factor the other week and seeing Paul McCartney and George Michael performing, that now there is no Top of the Pops, there is nothing to unite us in our love or dislike of music. I feel rather lonely with regard to music. I can share tracks with friends and find out what’s good but it’s not the same as sitting down each week and shouting ‘yay’ or ‘boo’ at the countdown of the top 10.

Anyway, that’s me wittering about the loss of a link between music lovers. Here is what you probably want to hear – my top 5 albums. In ‘no particular order’ as Dermot O’Leary pointlessly says every week he announces the X Factor result:

Oh my God, Charlie Darwin – The Low Anthem

This album made my top five because of its sheer variety. It really does bear repeating and is a great album for a road trip. You’ll like this if you like Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons.

It’s Blitz – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Everyone was shocked when Yeah Yeah Yeahs moved away from their rocky sound and went all electro on us. The results were fantastic though. My love song of the year with Hysteric:

Does You Inspire You? – Chairlift

I bought this because I liked the slightly twee ‘Bruises’ song which I heard on a student youtube clip of a squirrel (random or what?!):

The rest of the album isn’t at all like that. This is a really accomplished record, full of twists and turns and interesting concepts, sometimes singing in French. I love it.

Mind Chaos – Hockey

This was such a great surprise. I saw the album advertised and listened to just one track, ‘Song Away’ and impulsively bought it.

A great poppy record, danceable tracks, influences of Talking Heads (whose Best of, incidentally, I’ve listened to loads of this year). Bit like MGMT, Vampire Weekend… cheery music in a depressing year. ‘Curse this city’ is perhaps my commuter’s anthem this year.

To Lose My Life – White Lies

Ok, I’m slightly embarrassed that this is in here but I love their melodrama – much in the same way as I like it in Muse. It fitted perfectly with my craze on the Twilight books earlier this year. Enough said!

(I’ve a feeling this came out in 2008 but it’s this year I’ve been listening to it and they won Best Newcomer at the Q awards).