This year, I realized that aside from my usual criteria (repeat playability, no/few skipped tracks), one other subjective characteristic had to be there: I had to imagine at some point walking down a street and having this album be the soundtrack behind me.
10. Muchacho, Phosphorescent
9. Wonderful Glorious, Eels
8. If You Wait, London Grammar
7. Yes It’s True, Polyphonic Spree
6. Reflektor, Arcade Fire
5. When It Was Now, Atlas Genius
4. The Silver Gymnasium, Okkervil River
3. Trouble Will Find Me, The National
2. We The Common, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
1. Modern Vampires of The City, Vampire Weekend
See also my picks for: