With their self-titled debut, Fleet Foxes have attained this and have delivered one of the best albums of the year.

His careful attention to detail and masterful use of vocal harmonies are unparalleled in modern indie rock.

Continuing to mystify audiences with ethereal, oft-experimental electronic music, Shackleton delivers one of the finest jewels of 2012.

The feel of the piece is all, and its what carries the player, and the listener, through. In that respect, these records are essential listening for anyone who plays a guitar: invigorating, exciting and sometimes frustrating--but above all liberating music of the highest quality.

Dig Lazarus Dig!!! delivers a platter that is both powerfully-arcane and invigoratingly-fresh, that serves as possibly Nick Cave’s best ‘main-course’ studio release with The Bad Seeds for quite some time.

The final impression The Seer left me with is that of a sprawling, lacking in cohesion and over indulgent album that fails as often as it succeeds.

Remarkable for its excellence and not its originality.

The xx have made a debut that sounds utterly flawless; it's the kind of album that bands take years to create.

With Random Access Memories, the duet has returned after a long hiatus from proper studio albums, with another triumphant winner.

It's an excellent album. It might be the best album released this year. And it proves that Funeral was not a fluke.

For the most part Remembering Mountains is a success, with the source material being affectionately honoured yet imbued with the distinctive traits of the invited artists.

Whatever it is, The Suburbs is nothing short of extraordinary; it's Arcade Fire's moment of clarity where everyone can stop and take notice because in the most frank of terms, this is also nothing short of a masterpiece.

Though it is not overtly innovative in its instrumentation or approach, The Creek Drank the Cradle is composed and performed with such an inclusive, intimate voice that the album is extremely accessible, even personal.

A coherent, moving album that cements its place in listeners conscience.

This is heavy and intense music that I find difficult to call pop. She deserves better.

Bon Iver sounds distinctively matured and alive on Bon Iver: an album that even still, in the late winter, months after its release sounds magical.

From those opening, gorgeous, chords – their sultry delivery, their soulful demeanor, their jazzy glean, everything – signals that The Roots are back.

The result is a fantastic album, almost cinematic in its scope, which sweeps the listener along and leaves them enthralled.

This is a really special record.

Overall, this is a strong and durable suite of material that holds-up satisfyingly well to repeated and loud airings.

This is a winner in so many different ways; the music is impeccable, the sequencing is seamless, the production inhales and exhales life and the overall sound is killer.

While far from perfect, The Hold Steady's sloppy take on classic rock is actually quite refreshing and much more fun than most current indie rock and British post-punk revival wankery.

Califone's most confident and realized album.

Given the potency of their debut, British Sea Power’s Decline can safely be interpreted as a marvelous exercise in self-deprecation.

Like no other pop album you've ever heard.

In the end, it’s exactly what you would want and expect from the two skillful musicians. Run the Jewels is an album that was perfectly executed for the summer.

As one of music's most consistent bands, their ideas continue to surprise and astonish on Halcyon Digest's soaring highs.

No doubt, the music that falls between the Beatles and Bacharach extremes suffers slightly from adherence to formula, but few can boast such immediately memorable melodies. What surprises, though, is the care that they take with the lighter side of their music.