Disclaimer: Wordpress' weird attitude to which youtube videos is starting to become problematic. For most of these clips, assume there's a proper music video on youtube somewhere.
#35. Cults - Cults
It twinkles, it's pretty, Lily Allen likes them, ahhhhh. Right? Not really. Cults may have embraced their aesthetic wholeheartedly, but it's the indelible hooks and the sinister edge underlying it all - the Jim Jones clips that bookend 'Go Outside', the subtly masochistic video for 'Abducted' - that make Cults such an intriguing pop act.
#34. The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar
It's no secret that stadium rock sucks a fat one in 2011, but it's worth remembering that when it's done well it can be utterly exhilarating. They may be a few thousand seats per gig short of their ideal home, but The Joy Formidable's debut showed us that it's possible to play massive without being a total asshole about it.
#33. Radiohead – The King of Limbs
In many ways, the smart money was in the hands of everyone who coughed up for the vinyl release; that way, it's actually easier to listen to Side B over and over again with exerting yourself too much. Though the first four tracks are hardly bereft of merit, the second leg is comprised entirely of the Head at their very best. We've been spoiled by them in the past, but for now the world is better to the tune of about 16 minutes of music.
#32. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
About as relaxed as it's possible for a great road trip album to be. It's kind of odd for an artist this prolific and dedicated to his craft to sing about being a lazy bastard so much, but it all imbues Smoke Ring for My Halo with an easy, personable vibe. It sounds like anyone could do it; dare you to try.
#31. Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place
Armed with not much more than a loop pedal, a handful of instruments and her unearthly voice, Julianna Barwick has somehow managed to construct heart-stopping soundscapes that don't come out of your speakers so much as emerge from the atmosphere around you. Call her the hipster Enya if you must, but I for one vibe on 'Caribbean Blue' roughly once a month..
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