1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
(Cave returns to his Bad Seeds with one of their most raucous and deliberate blues records ever. Catchy chaos and lots of drunken poetry make for a fiery Brit rock opus.)

2. Elbow, The Seldom Seen Kid
(These Manchester lads may have had an easier time fitting in during the late 80s, but they still deliver earthy shoegaze-drenched pop that makes a difference. Their latest is a strings-infused assortment of ballads, with rousing moments and memorable lyrics, galore.)

3. M83, Saturdays = Youth
(An Hispanic musician from the South of France making hypnotic sound collages that recall the best of OMD or New Order. Do you miss John Hughes movies? Well, with M83's new album, you can at least bliss-out with new tunes that would feel right at home during Pretty in Pink.)

4. Portishead, Third
(These trip-hop pioneers took almost 10 years to release their third LP, but it was worth the wait. While they don't necessarily revolutionize the sound, the output is a mesmerizing blend of beats and beauty.)

5. The Cinematic Orchestra, Live at the Royal Albert Hall
(A woefully underrated electronic/jazz group that fuses symphonic arrangements with percussive performance, they take the show live and record it all from the legendary Royal Albert Hall. It yields live versions of great songs that redefine the brilliant studio originals.)