Solange Knowles - True

(Terrible Records; released 7 January)
Recommended by: Nick Grimshaw

"These songs give more with each listen; Solange's vocal arrangements keep revealing an extra melody or another ear-snagging lyric. The result is an incredibly addictive pop record that's comparable to no other contemporary release. From a singer who's always been defined by comparisons to somebody else, that's quite an achievement."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Losing You (external link)

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Serafina Steer - The Moths Are Real

(Stolen Recordings; released 14 January)
Recommended by: Tom Ravenscroft, Freak Zone

"Like the droll yet odd tales weaved by David Thomas Broughton, Steer sings deliciously barbed songs about the city - and, you know, space abduction, skinny-dipping, that sort of thing. She asks for too much when she wants to be aligned with Alice Coltrane instead of "this folky-girly-pigeonhole-harp-thing". But she is harder to define (and more brilliant) than you might imagine."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Night Before Mutiny (external link)

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Yo La Tengo - Fade

(Matador; released 14 January)
Recommended by: Cerys Matthews, Gideon Coe

"Fade sounds irreversibly like it's a Yo La Tengo record, and nobody else's. But the real revelation is that it's the most settled album they've recorded in years. Curiously, the band's versatility has allowed them to turn a million different sounds into a single gorgeous and unfailingly interesting one."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: I'll Be Around (external link)

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Young Fathers - Tape One

(Anticon; released 14 January)
Recommended by: BBC Introducing, Semtex, Vic Galloway

"'White boy beat / Black boy rhythm,' they state, outlining vital ingredients. Which, when stirred so excellently, suggest Edinburgh rap trio Young Fathers could follow Massive Attack from scene-specific successes to crossover acclaim and substantial commercial impact. Their Protection could be special indeed."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Sister (external link)

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Mountains - Centralia

(Thrill Jockey; released 21 January)
Recommended by: Gideon Coe

"Mountains - the chillaxed twosome of Koen Holtkamp and Brendon Anderegg - chart boundless ocean depths on this third LP for Thrill Jockey. Centralia unfurls at a leisurely pace, the band's characteristic blend of burbling electronica and acoustic instrumentation at its most formidable, and most satisfying, yet."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: No official videos available

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José James - No Beginning No End

(Blue Note; released 21 January)
Recommended by: Huey Morgan, Gilles Peterson

"On his Blue Note debut, James forgoes his electronic excess for a tighter collection of acoustic soul melodies. Here, he isn't so focused on alternative sounds; instead, James is able to streamline his approach and keep the vitality of his previous work. The result is a nocturnal set of refined resonance."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Trouble (external link)

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Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni ba - Jama Ko

(Out Here Records; released 28 January)
Recommended by: World on 3, Bob Harris, Loose Ends

"This third album from the Malian star features an array of guests, but these are ingested deep within the composite band belly, without seeming too starkly gratuitous. The veteran master Kassé-Mady Diabaté sings with Sacko on Sinaly, but the lesser-known Zoumana Tereta makes a greater impact, his husky, weathered tones dominating three songs."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Jama Ko (external link)

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Kris Kristofferson - Feeling Mortal

(KK Records; released 29 January)
Recommended by: Another Country with Ricky Ross, Ralph McLean, Bob Harris

"If this fine album turns out to be the 76-year-old Kristofferson's final release, then few could've asked for a more fitting valedictory statement. The sound is sparse, spontaneous, warm and intimate, with Kristofferson accompanied by his own acoustic guitar and a few unobtrusive side-players. If any artist has earned the right to deliver his own eulogy, it's this indomitable country legend."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: No official videos available

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Christopher Owens - Lysandre

(Turnstile; released 14 January)
Recommended by: 6 Music Album of the Day, Lauren Laverne

"The instrumentation's lighter swing is a viable alternative to Girls' concessions to progressive rock's nuanced twists and turns. Yet the dancing flute, happy-sad harmonica and succinct guitar breaks underpinning Here We Go and the route one beauty of A Broken Heart are the stuff from which dreams are woven. Owens' bid for a place in the pantheon of gifted and fascinating greats is still on course."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Here We Go (audio only; external link)

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Cult of Luna - Vertikal

(Indie Recordings; released 28 January)
Recommended by: Rock Show with Daniel P Carter

"Every Cult of Luna release and tour must be savoured, as this is a band so far ahead of its peers. They have tested their boundaries, and they will test yours. That the Swedes are still succeeding like this on their sixth album is testament to both their quality and vision. The end-of-year lists for 2012 are barely gone from recent memory, but you can expect to read about Vertikal again in 11 months' time."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Vertikal album teaser (external link)

25
Grizzly Bear - Shields
(Warp; released 17 September)

Writes reviewer Wyndham Wallace: "Shields pushes and prods at musical boundaries in a similar way to Talk Talk's 1986 masterpiece, The Colour of Spring. It's an aesthetic rather than musical comparison, but - with songs shifting with casual precision, arrangements that are fluid and brave, and an honest, organic production - there's a sense throughout that Grizzly Bear are on the cusp of a genuine breakthrough. Where they go next may prove even more intriguing."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Yet Again (external link)

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24
Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream
(RCA; released 12 November)

Writes reviewer Hari Ashurst: "Kaleidoscope Dream continues Miguel's improvement, highlighting an artist in a real purple patch of songwriting. His biggest American hit to date, Adorn, opens, popping with electric melodies and charm. It's one of the most gorgeous pop songs so far this decade, deceptively simple and alluringly confident. Enjoy Kaleidoscope Dream for the rarity that it is: an unerringly consistent, very good pop record."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Adorn (external link)

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23
First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
(Wichita; released 23 January)

Writes reviewer Natalie Shaw: "Those already familiar with First Aid Kit may be shocked by the portent in the title of their second album, The Lion's Roar. For a duo so built on understatement, it's a statement of its own volition - words which suggest something bigger, bolder, and stronger. And sat neatly between Laura Marling's trauma and Joni Mitchell's spot-lit thoughts, this album lines them up as the band most likely to cross over into the big time."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Emmylou (external link)

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22
Emeli Sandé - Our Version of Events
(Virgin; released 13 February)

Writes reviewer Lou Thomas: "Sandé's solo debut single Heaven was arguably the finest British pop song released in 2011. And Our Version of Events is a charming and occasionally moving record full of care and polish, effort and grace. It will be interesting to see whether she embraces a bolder sound, develops her own big ideas or, perhaps, delivers a captivating combination of the two for album two."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: My Kind of Love (external link)

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21
Tame Impala - Lonerism
(Modular; released 8 October)

Writes reviewer Martin Aston: "Like their brilliant 2010 debut album Innerspeaker, Lonerism is self-produced and mixed by Flaming Lips/Mercury Rev producer David Fridmann. Yet for all the Oz roots and American connection, the album's soul is so very British. Set the controls for the heart of the sun, matey, we're going on a magical mystery tour. And if Tame Impala only turn out to be the Animal Collective of space rock, that's still a great place to arrive."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Elephant (external link)

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20
Father John Misty - Fear Fun
(Bella Union; released 30 April)

Writes reviewer Martin Aston: "Fear Fun is its own, inspired brew of, indeed, both fear and fun. It's located in a Bermuda Triangle of haunted ballads and wired rockers between Alex Chilton, Neil Young's After the Gold Rush and Fleet Foxes' lonesome-pine beauty, before Tillman stirs in his own twisted DNA, confessing in I'm Writing a Novel, 'I ran down the road, pants down to my knees, screaming.' Whoever Father John Misty is, he's a hell of a find."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Nancy From Now On (external link; contains scenes of a sexual nature)

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19
Bill Fay - Life Is People
(Dead Oceans; released 20 August)

Writes reviewer Martin Aston: "Arriving 41 years after Fay's last original studio album, Life Is People represents the return of a prodigal son you never knew existed. Its religious symbolism is inspired by Fay's own relationship with faith, the result a stunning, profound, moving and soulful record. It's a miracle that Fay, after so many years, is again making music; another miracle is how brilliant Life Is People is."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Be at Peace With Yourself (external link)

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18
Chromatics - Kill for Love
(Italians Do It Better; released 4 June)

Writes reviewer Alex Denney: "Kill for Love is little short of breathtaking. With its lonesome, Auto-Tuned vocals poured longingly over a slow disco beat, These Streets Will Never Look the Same sounds like Gaspar Noé's ghostly skycam that stalks the city rooftops in Enter the Void. A subtle transfiguration of Neil Young's Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) continues their run as a fine covers band. One of the finest records to surface this year."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Lady (external link)

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17
Django Django - Django Django
(Because Music; released 30 January)

Writes reviewer Mike Diver: "Begone, indie-is-dead doom-mongers! As Django Django prove on this thrilling debut long-play platter, there's life in the old dogged-by-disdain genre yet. Clever but never at the expense of a catchy hook, this is 'indie' par excellence: guitars that ring through the mix like a clarion call from the inspired to take up arms against the legions of lad-rockers; buzzing synths that swirl around like a cloud of friendly wasps; lyrics delivered in mantras..."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Default (external link)

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16
Liars - WIXIW
(Mute; released 4 June)

Writes reviewer John Doran: "WIXIW works best when it has its eyes set on the dancefloor or the radio. Brats is a driving electro number that burrows into your head after just one listen, while A Ring on Every Finger is a slower yet no less insistent bleep'n'bass number. WIXIW is an unqualified success and, now that LCD are no longer with us, its makers are truly are in a field of their own."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Brats (external link)

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15
Swans - The Seer
(Young God Records; released 28 August)

Writes reviewer Chris Power: "The Seer is a masterpiece to be considered alongside Swans' best albums. An often violent experience, its lethal weaponry is intricately patterned. It's this contrast, ultimately, that makes them so potent. The Seer might not be the album you spend most time with this year - it's too emotionally demanding for heavy rotation - but it's one you'll be listening to for years to come."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: The Seer (live concert DVD trailer) (external link)

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14
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
(Island; released 2 April)

Writes reviewer Al Fox: "Few artists in Minaj's position would dare to take risks as bold as this, and yet, it doesn't feel as though she even sees it as risky - she's breezily doing her thing. Whatever the supposed role of Nicki Minaj within the hip hop hierarchy, whatever box she's pushed into, she'll have a hard time fitting in. Because, above all else, PF: RR cements her as a truly unique entity."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Pound the Alarm (external link; contains language which may offend)

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13
Baroness - Yellow & Green
(Relapse; released 16 July)

Writes reviewer Raziq Rauf: "The quality of songwriting and amount of raw passion on show throughout is striking. A shift to what could be perceived as a more commercial sound is a difficult one to achieve; but call a band led by a man as staunch in his artistic rites as frontman John Baizley sell-outs at your peril. This nearly flawless collection is simply the next step in the Baroness saga, and it's a beautiful one."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Take My Bones Away (external link)

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12
Carter Tutti Void - Transverse
(Mute; released 26 March)

Writes reviewer Luke Turner: "These four tracks feel entirely alive, a spontaneous weld of anxious beats, the odd squirl of guitar and distortion, corrupted vocals and deep, chasmic bass. The motif that recurs throughout is that of pace, propulsive forward movement, the creative interplay between the three artists almost tangible in the listener's ears. It captures a wonderful sonic conversation between like-minded souls."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: V2 (edit) (external link)

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11
Mala - Mala in Cuba
(Brownswood; released 10 September)

Writes reviewer Paul Clarke: "Heavy as the rhythms are, Mala's deftness of touch means the Cuban contributions are never entirely overwhelmed, and when he pulls more elements into the mix the results are often stunning. You can sense the melancholy longing at the core of both much traditional Cuban music and early dubstep. It reverberates through Mala in Cuba as powerfully as the bass."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Cuba Electronic (external link; contains strobe effects)

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10
Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
(Rough Trade; released 9 April)

Writes reviewer Martin Aston: "Lyrics are route-one effective throughout, as you'd expect from an album called Boys & Girls, but Alabama Shakes are not one-dimensional. Rather, they're a tightly coiled slice of primal southern soul, the sort usually stamped 'Memphis, Tennessee', but the band's hometown of Athens, Alabama - reached via the legendary town of Muscle Shoals - is spitting distance so far as this music is concerned."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Hold On (external link)

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9
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
(Infectious; released 28 May)

Writes reviewer Jen Long: "It's hard to place Alt-J. Originally from Leeds, they spend their time in a Cambridgeshire basement making their own brand of uniquely dubbed "folk-step". However, the noises that An Awesome Wave emits far escape the dull, dark depths such a creative location suggests. Instead, it's a stunning and encompassing affair of both innovative and electrifying musicianship and exemplary song writing."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Tessellate (external link)

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8
David Byrne and St Vincent - Love This Giant
(4AD; released 10 September)

Writes reviewer Jude Clarke: "Despite having no obvious overarching theme or plot-line, this album nevertheless feels like an integrated conceptual piece. Creating alluring word-images, like The Forest Awakes' perpetual motion, circle-of-life pictures or I Am an Ape's mysterious "statue of the man who won the war", the feeling is generally playful yet profound. Byrne and Clark have managed to not only meet but exceed expectations, and have created one of the year's smartest albums in doing so."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Who (external link)

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7
Busy Signal - Reggae Music Again
(VP Records; released 23 April)

Writes reviewer Lloyd Bradley: "With Reggae Music Again Busy Signal builds on all the clever musicality of 2010's D.O.B. to produce an album that, appropriately for the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's independence, immerses itself in reggae music heritage. This is far more than what it seems to be billed as, namely 'Busy Signal changes style'. It's an important evolution of dancehall, connecting it to the timeline of Jamaican music, then pushing forwards into the 21st century."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Come Over (Missing You) (external link)

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6
Death Grips - The Money Store
(Epic; released 23 April)

Writes reviewer Paul Lester: "On The Money Store, Death Grips achieve the density and intensity of several Bomb Squads, Public Enemy's famous production wing. This may be their first recording since signing to Sony, but it hardly betrays signs of softening before their new paymasters. If anything, what they lose in sonic impact you gain in range: they seem to invent new rhythms and textures on each track. Bring the noise? It's already here."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Get Got (external link; contains language which may offend)

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5
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Trouble
(Polydor; released 11 June)

Writes reviewer Ele Beattie: "A long time in the making, Trouble was brewed slowly due to a fixation with crafting an electronic album that would stand the test of time. Being born to a choir master and raised on his big brother's jungle and DnB, TEED's well-honed approach to rhythms - plus an unexpected twist of including his own fragile, imperfect vocals - has already separated him from the throng. Add to that his costumes and desire to stir the muddy waters of electronic music and he's not just a 21st century entertainer, but also a bit of a radical."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Your Love (external link)

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4
Jessie Ware - Devotion
(Island; released 20 August)

Writes reviewer Mike Diver: "Whilst she passed by several tipsters at the turn of the year, Clapham-raised Jessie Ware has been steadily growing into south London's own Sade-in-waiting ever since her 2010 emergence. And her early successes have been built upon brilliantly: Devotion is the sort of sophisticated, soulful pop record that comes along all too rarely, a collection that never hides the heart on its sleeve. There's nothing 'next' about Ware: she's here, now, and superb."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: 110% (external link)

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3
Dexys - One Day I'm Going to Soar
(BMG; released 4 June)

Writes reviewer Chris Roberts: "Kevin Rowland sought a level of purity and intensity in his earlier music that, while a triumph to those who embraced it, scared the herd mentality of the music press. He lost his path and confidence for a while. Now, more relaxed, showing the sense of humour that was always there but was oft-misunderstood, he's created an album that's equal parts confessional soul and theatrical music hall, and wholly sincere and spectacular. Dexys are back with wisdom and wings. Some of us never doubted."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Incapable of Love (external link)

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2
Frank Ocean - Channel ORANGE
(Mercury; released 23 July)

Writes reviewer Marcus J Moore: "Given its hype, some may be expecting the second coming of Thriller. Instead, channel ORANGE is a meditative voyage through Ocean's innermost thoughts, no matter how intangible the topics. In the end it's a direct reflection of its maker. There are moments of assured clarity, juxtaposed with flashes of childlike shyness. What remains is a solid collection of pop-soul renderings through which Ocean tries to find himself. We get to watch his maturation, growing pains and all."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Pyramids (external link; contains scenes of nudity, strobe effects, and language which may offend)

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1
Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city
(Polydor; released 23 October)

Writes reviewer Marcus J Moore: "Lamar is a proud California native, but this major label debut harbours more Southern ethos than West Coast gloss. As it plays, it's clear that Lamar wants to fill the pondering void once occupied by OutKast rapper André 3000, whose philosophical rhymes made him one of hip hop's most admired MCs. This voluminous album is driven by wandering rumination and layered compositions, resembling OutKast's landmark Aquemini album. Come good kid's conclusion, Lamar's transformation is apparent: he's still growing up and ready to take his place among the hip hop elite."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Swimming Pools (Drank) (external link)

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So that's the BBC Music top 25 albums of 2012 - what have been your favourites of the year?

Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream

(RCA; released 12 November)
Recommended by: CJ Beatz

This second long-player is actually Miguel's fourth release of 2012, tying together the loose ends of a trilogy of EPs titled Art Dealer Chic Volumes 1-3. Those tracks were rough and sometimes pretty off-the-cuff; but they still ranked as an exciting step up from his 2010 debut. And it's tough to find much at fault with Kaleidoscope Dream. Enjoy it for the rarity that it is: an unerringly consistent, very good pop record."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Adorn (external link)

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Deftones - Koi No Yokan

(Reprise; released 12 November)
Recommended by: Rock Show with Daniel P Carter

"Koi No Yokan, Deftones' seventh album, stands monolithic as a testament to the power and tenacity of human spirit - the hope, love, pain and wonder of life. As such, it transcends the boundaries and expectations of its genre - even those previously set by the very band that made it. Love at first sight has never sounded so good."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Tempest (external link)

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Kidkanevil and Daisuke Tanabe - Kidsuke

(Project: Mooncircle; released 5 November)
Recommended by: Tom Ravenscroft, Rob da Bank

"The duo of Kidkanevil & Daisuke Tanabe is half-Japanese - no prizes for guessing which half; Kidkanevil's real name is Gerard Roberts - and their first collaborative album is held together with complex stitching, but endearingly simple motifs shine through. It feels like a lost late-90s IDM gem, but that's no bad thing. Equally, it high-fives certain runners in Flying Lotus' Californian Brainfeeder crew, who many would say are as 'now' as it gets."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: SGstep (audio only) (external link)

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Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (III)

(Fiction Records; released 12 November)
Recommended by: 6 Music Album of the Day

"It's not meant for the riot-bating boltholes or ravey discos of yore; (III)'s rightful home is a colossal stadium in space, starships trading laser-blows overhead, as rogue stars collide in the far distance. Meanwhile, a clock above the stage countdowns from 39 minutes to zero, at which point one of two things will happen: Glass will finally break free of the machines that enslave her; or this, the ultimate cosmic venue, will self-destruct."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Plague (external link)

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Hello Skinny - Hello Skinny

(Slowfoot; released 5 November)
Recommended by: Gilles Peterson

"Tom Skinner, whose relatively slight build tallies with the title of this work, is no lightweight on the London jazz scene. His voluminous CV, spanning a good 15 years, features stints in the bands of Denys Baptiste, Cleveland Watkiss and Alexander Hawkins among others. Clocking in at 36 minutes, this long-awaited solo debut is an impressive exercise in the integration of an expectedly wide range of aesthetics, revealing first and foremost a thoughtful composer with a skilled producer's ear."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: N/A

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Soundgarden - King Animal

(Mercury; released 12 November)
Recommended by: 6 Music Album of the Day

"Soundgarden have always possessed a real ability to combine darkness with immense grooves, as heard clearly on the sinuous Taree; and it's this that lifted them above their more thrashy, punk rock bar band peers. The 13 sturdy tracks of King Animal carry this compositional attitude into the 21st century. The overall theme is that of dark Americana, with Poe-recalling imagery and a sense of the political in Non-State Actor and the negative pop chorus of Bones of Birds."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Been Away Too Long (external link)

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The Bryan Ferry Orchestra - The Jazz Age

(BMG; released 26 November)
Recommended by: Jamie Cullum

"The Jazz Age is an instrumental set in which numbers spanning from Roxy Music's Virginia Plain to Reason or Rhyme from Bryan Ferry's most recent solo album Olympia are radically reimagined. These hits and cult items are fashioned as they might have been in the Paris of the Roaring Twenties, or the Gatsby ballrooms of F. Scott Fitzgerald (a poster-boy of doomed romanticism to whom Ferry has never struggled to relate)."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: The Jazz Age (external link)

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Food - Mercurial Balm

(ECM; released 5 November)
Recommended by: Jazz on 3, Late Junction

"Wistful drones are used liberally and the fine mesh of Thomas Strønen's brushes and marimba-like pitches on Astral recalls nothing other than the hiss and buzz of a balafon. All these carefully wrought tingles of sound, constantly placed in a wide dynamic range, have a hint of the music of mid-80s Jon Hassell, an artist whose influence on Mac-age jazz is not minor."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: N/A

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Vinyl Williams - Lemniscate

(No Pain In Pop; released 12 November)
Recommended by: Huw Stephens

The grandson of famed cinematic composer John Williams, Vinyl is not averse to setting lofty goals for himself. And this debut album certainly goes a long way towards capturing the 'other worlds' he strives to generate, pulsing, surging and meandering along its own path as it pleases. Lemniscate will soothe and transfix, ebbing and surging its way into your consciousness with style and grace to spare."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Higher Worlds (external link)

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Lindstrøm - Smalhans

(Smalltown Supersound; released 5 November)
Recommended by: Rob da Bank

"Smalhans finds Lindstrøm returning to more familiar, more concise territory, its six tracks totalling only 34 minutes. Full of his trademark crunchy, richly textured synths - the ones that earned him a reputation for 'cosmic' or 'space disco' thanks to their kinship with the likes of Giorgio Moroder - it was mixed by fellow traveller and compatriot 'Todd' Terje Olsen, who allows these multi-layered instrumentals to pulse and surge with an unflagging but never exhausting energy."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Rà-àkõ-st (external link)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/b4nv

Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city
(Polydor; released 22 October)
Recommended by: Gilles Peterson, Zane Lowe, Semtex

"Lamar is a proud California native, but this major label debut harbours more Southern ethos than West Coast gloss. As it plays, it's clear that Lamar wants to fill the pondering void once occupied by OutKast rapper André 3000, whose philosophical rhymes made him one of hip hop's most admired MCs. He's still growing up, but he's ready to take his place among the hip hop elite."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Swimming Pools (Drank) (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/6cq4

Egyptian Hip Hop - GOOD DON'T SLEEP
(R&S; released 22 October)
Recommended by: Zane Lowe, Marc Riley

"After an extended break, Egyptian Hip Hop have now reassembled for a first album, and it's every bit as accomplished, smart and unusual as those following their progress could have hoped for. Boasting a slick wash of production, yet still retaining an oddball feel; sounding young and fresh yet acknowledging an obvious debt to its predecessors: this debut is a clever, fascinating and intricate triumph."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: SYH (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/vdj9

Halls - Ark
(No Pain In Pop; released 22 October)
Recommended by: Huw Stephens

"The debut album from south-Londoner Sam Howard, Ark features compositions which flex and pulse, that explode from stillness into glorious cacophony. These songs are marked by movement, where other purveyors of down-tempo, electro-coloured kind-of-nu-classical creations idly meander in circles for a 45-minute run-time. And it's White Chalk, this set's first single, which lifts the whole to unexpected heights."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: White Chalk (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/xr5c

Bellowhead - Broadside
(Navigator; released 15 October)
Recommended by: Mike Harding

"It's all there in that name. Those three syllables suggest a hollering madman, and a ferocity that will - for the newcomer - seem far removed from folk music. But Bellowhead are one of the genre's 21st century success stories. We're more in the realm of The Pogues and Dexys, hanging out with a thinking-and-doing party band, who twist traditional tunes through rabble-rousing arrangements."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: 10,000 Miles (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/v9gw

Metz - Metz
(Sub Pop; released 15 October)
Recommended by: Huw Stephens

"Blood simple and bloody minded, Metz's half-hour self-titled debut is a welcome lurch straight for the jugular. The Canadians recall the cast of characters who graced the sub-legendary Amphetamine Reptile label, or Nottingham's grotesquely unfashionable 90s riff-monsters Fudge Tunnel. Yet such is the urgency of aggro-blasts like Knife in the Water and Negative Space, that Metz is no retro throwback, no museum piece."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Wet Blanket (external link; contains strobe effects)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/d8m5

Jeff Lynne - Long Wave
(Frontiers Records; released 8 October)
Recommended by: Radio 2 Album of the Week, Alex Lester, Janice Long

"A subjective labour of love akin to Bowie's Pin-Ups or Ferry's These Foolish Things, which also carries elements of stripped-down self-exposure, Long Wave is infused with warm melancholy. If it never crackles with startling candour, you sense that's because Lynne wants to pay simple homage to the tunes that formed him, rather than whip out his youthful diaries."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Have Mercy (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/rxb6

Josephine - Portrait
(Ark Recordings; released 8 October)
Recommended by: Nemone, Alex Lester, Janice Long

"Often, the term 'timeless' only really functions in hindsight. But occasionally, something comes to the fore that transcends any concept of now, then, or otherwise. One such example is the debut album for 29-year-old Manchester native Josephine. She manages the rare feat of creating something both novel and nostalgic, yet with an identity entirely its own."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: What a Day (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/h39p

Tall Ships - Everything Touching
(Big Scary Monsters; released 8 October)
Recommended by: Huw Stephens

"Brighton-via-Cornwall troupe Tall Ships boast math-rock melodies seemingly hatched in shady laboratories and arrangements so complex that scientists could spend days puzzling over them. Yet the dizzying craftsmanship evident on this debut LP is never an obstacle. When an album like Everything Touching comes along, it's enough to just take a step back and marvel at the brainpower."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: T=0 (external link)

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Tame Impala - Lonerism
(Modular Recordings; released October 8)
Recommended by: Marc Riley, 6 Music Album of the Day, Nemone

"For all the Oz roots and American connection, this second album's soul is so very British. Set the controls for the heart of the sun, matey, we're going on a magical mystery tour. Tame Impala's penchant for feeding everything through pedal-tastic reverb-flanging-Echoplexed-backwards-fuzzboz FX makes a shoegaze band resemble an acoustic folk duo by comparison."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Elephant (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/h9gw

Flying Lotus - Until the Quiet Comes
(Warp; released 1 October)
Recommended by: Gilles Peterson, Benji B, 6 Music Album of the Day

"While FlyLo's previous work is bright and bouncy, this set is ambient and nocturnal. It's a wistful journey through a mystical dream world that only he could construct. It's an otherworldly excursion through our deepest states of unconsciousness. For a person so sonically inclusive, Until the Quiet Comes further catapults its maker into the cosmos and away from all things terrestrial. He's the king of his domain, and there is no runner-up."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Until the Quiet Comes (A Short Film) (external link; contains scenes which some may find upsetting)

Efterklang - Piramida
(4AD; released 24 September)

"For their fourth album, Efterklang travelled to Piramida, a former Russian mining colony turned ghost town near the North Pole, to record sounds and ambience. And while those particular sounds might not be immediately traceable among the elements arranged herein, the desolate, isolated nature of the abandoned settlement pervades the album that it inspired. The group bravely embraces darker themes and moods, grazing the profound but never throwing off their lightness of touch."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Hollow Mountain (external link)

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Terror Danjah - The Dark Crawler
(Hyperdub; released 24 September)
Recommended by: Cameo

"Terror Danjah can only be described as an underground music legend, but it seems this synth-loving producer is showing absolutely no signs of retiring any time soon. The Dark Crawler shows just how varied a grime album can actually be. From the bass-riddled Rum Punch, all the way through to the sultry Baby Oil (yes, grime can get sexy if it wants to), we get to delve into the grey matter of a true mastermind."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Dark Crawler (feat. Riko Dan) (external link)

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Grizzly Bear - Shields
(Warp; released 17 September)
Recommended by: Another Country with Ricky Ross, Lauren Laverne, 6 Music Album of the Day

"Shields pushes and prods at musical boundaries in a similar way to Talk Talk's 1986 masterpiece, The Colour of Spring. It's an aesthetic rather than musical comparison, but - with songs shifting with casual precision, arrangements that are fluid and brave, and an honest, organic production - there's a sense throughout that Grizzly Bear are on the cusp of a genuine breakthrough. Where they go next may prove even more intriguing."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Yet Again (external link; contains some strobe effects)

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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Meat + Bone
(Bronzerat; released 17 September)
Recommended by: Marc Riley, Vic Galloway

"After eight years' hiatus, the trio returns on feral form, with a set of fierce gutbucket groove, wiring Delta riffs full of dirty New York City electricity. As Spencer confesses on the shuffle of Bottle Baby, he's 'Got the blues again, gonna drive it way back to the start / Goin' home, goin' deep, comin' straight from the heart'. The Blues Explosion are back, and they're more Explosion than Blues again. So light the touch-paper and step back."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Black Mold (external link; contains scenes of horror, violence and gore)

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The Gaslamp Killer - Breakthrough
(Brainfeeder; released 17 September)
Recommended by: Tom Ravenscroft, Benji B

"Calling an album Breakthrough may seem like an idle or arrogant boast but the quality of The Gaslamp Killer's debut, which is crammed with quick-fire ideas and restless creative energy, should provide him with just that. He has delivered a varied, immersive set of highly memorable, enjoyable and danceable tracks that should push him further into the limelight where he has triumphantly proved he belongs."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Breakthrough trailer (external link)

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Gallows - Gallows
(PIAS; released 10 September)
Recommended by: Rock Show with Daniel P Carter

"It only takes two songs for the blood-twisting riffs of old to re-emerge on Everybody Loves You (When You're Dead), which is followed by new vocalist Wade MacNeil spinning a web and a punk rock cliché on its head with Last June, a broadside at the treatment G20 protesters received in Toronto in 2010. The latter's one of their best songs to date, and one they couldn't have written without him. This is music with a pure heart, a clean conscience and the snap of a steel-spring trap."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Outsider Art (external link; contains strong language and scenes of violence)

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Mala - Mala in Cuba
(Brownswood; released 10 September)
Recommended by: Skream and Benga

"In a genre fixated on the quick thrill of the big bass drop, Mala's basslines here sound as geologically slow as they did on his early Digital Mystikz releases. Yet it's exactly this subtle shifting quality that means Mala in Cuba feels less a culture clash, more two different worlds gradually moving into each other's orbit. You can sense the melancholy longing at the core of both much traditional Cuban music and early dubstep. It reverberates through Mala in Cuba as powerfully as the bass."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Cuba Electronic (external link; contains some strobe effects)

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The xx - Coexist
(Young Turks; released 10 September)
Recommended by: Nemone, Zane Lowe, Chris Hawkins

"On a first spin, little might appear to have changed. Angels opens, starring Romy Madley Croft's delicate voice set against a guitar that chimes its presence with an unhurried effortlessness. So far, so very debut-over-again. But The xx's challenge was to both expand their palette and satisfy the demands of a huge audience. And through refinement rather than reinvention, they've succeeded in singular style."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Angels (live in Tokyo) (external link)

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Pet Shop Boys - Elysium
(Parlophone; released 10 September)
Recommended by: Radio 2 Album of the Week

"Elysium could be Pet Shop Boys' warmest, wisest album yet. Several songs offer appealingly realistic views on relationships. 'I'm not saying you can't find someone better,' Tennant concedes, 'But in the meantime, why not give it a go?' They mock themselves on Your Early Stuff, whose lyrics are stitched together from cutting remarks made by taxi drivers. One cabbie apparently told this pair of seasoned pop veterans: 'I suppose you're more or less retired now.' On this evidence, he was very wrong indeed."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Leaving (external link)

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Ivo Neame - Yatra
(Edition Records; released 24 September)
Recommended by: Jazz on 3

"Neame's ensemble hurtles straight off into the densely-arranged title track (meaning 'journey' in Hindu), the pianist constantly injects frills, stabs and flourishes. When someone steps forward, their companions are always responding in the sidelines. Most of the tunes share a predilection for jittery motion, all players constantly hyperactive, but never without a keen purpose. Yatra burns with an extremely organised energy, marking Neame's ascent to a stratospheric level as composer, arranger and bandleader."

Read the full BBC review

On YouTube: Yatra (official promotional video) (external link)

Notting Hill Carnival 2012

1Xtra was broadcasting all afternoon from Notting Hill Carnival on Monday, with Sarah Jane Crawford, Adele Roberts, Seani B, and Ace & Vis welcoming guests throughout the day in their "secret location" (it was... a pub). When the sound systems shut down, we played Norman Jay's set from the Good Times bus, which you can still hear for the next few hours.

Tuesday we let you know about The xx's new album, Coexist, reviewed by our own Mike Diver. It is hotly tipped! By the way, have you noticed the similarity in the cover art between this record and Alt-J's? What does this trend for oily iridescence portend?

On Wednesday we linked to the Country Music Association Music Festival (there's a mouthful) on Radio 2 but sadly the audio's expired. If you're still in the festival mood, there's 1 1/2 hours of Reading + Leeds 2012 coverage available to watch as a full-length programme, or you can watch individual sets online.

DJ Q in the 1Xtra studio

We also told you about Huddersfield native DJ Q's last show for 1Xtra, featuring a ridiculous array of guests in studio and on the phone, paying tribute to arguably the most open-minded and surprising UK garage DJ going.

Amy Macdonald was in Fulham on Thursday for a live gig on Radio 2. She talked with Jo Whiley about her new record afterwards.

On the other side of town, Sir Simon Rattle was conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in performances of Wagner, Sibelius, Debussy and Ravel, as Proms 2012 continues.

On Friday our album reviews editor Mike Diver interviewed Rita Ora for this very blog (scroll down), asking her about her album, her vocal range, and what it's like to take studio songs to festival stages.

He also highlighted his favourite albums of August, so if you've been away somewhere, lounging at a cafe on the beach listening to a 2002 Buddha Bar compilation on repeat, this is a good way to catch up.

Coming up

The Shadows

Richard Hawley presents a Radio 2 documentary on The Shadows tonight at 10pm BST, from their Tyneside skiffle days to the years of London rock and roll.

Wretch 32 is in the studio with Toddla T on Friday, picking out some of his favourite tracks.

And finally, Last Night of the Proms is bearing down on us in all its pomp and glory. If you can't be there in person, there are plenty of other ways to see it - at your local cinema, on a big screen in the park, or at home - in 3D!

Out this week

We review brand-new albums by Alberta Cross, Animal Collective, Booker T. & the MG's, Cat Power, Euros Childs, iamamiwhoami, Ronan Keating, Sam Carter, Scouting for Girls, Staff Benda Bilili, Sucioperro, The Orb feat. Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Vaccines and Two Door Cinema Club

(Island/PMR; released 20 August)

Recommended by: 6 Music Album of the Day, MistaJam, Annie Mac

"Ware never stretches for an out-of-reach note; she never gives her songs over to hyperbole or bombast. Throughout, there is a well-measured, well-mannered elegance that engages with more efficiency than many an artist dressing their material up as The Next Big Thing. There's nothing 'next' about Ware: she's here, now, and superb."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: 110% (external link)

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The best of the rest…

Matthew Dear - Beams

(Ghostly International; released 27 August)

Recommended by: Lauren Laverne, Nemone

"Dear's years as a dance producer have given him the facility to take one riff or bassline on a four- or five-minute journey which, due to clever dynamics and Dear's gift for melodic vocal chants, ends up sounding like a pop song. He's a hipster with immaculate taste and enormous talent, who always seems to be quietly laughing at himself in the corner of some artfully sleazy New York nightclub."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Her Fantasy (external link)

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JJ DOOM - Key to the Kuffs

(Lex Records; released 20 August)

Recommended by: Huey Morgan, Loose Ends

"Key to the Kuffs may in fact be JJ's finest hour. He sources an array of samples from TV shows featuring stereotypically-accented cockneys; he unleashes creepily creaky beats that could have graced the first Wu-Tang album, while DOOM drops Anglophilia on tracks called Guv'nor and Rhymin' Slang."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Guv'Nor (external link)

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Holy Other - Held

(Tri Angle; released 27 August)

Recommended by: Rob da Bank

"Held is uniformly sorrowful. These are bass ballads for clubs where everyone sits around wearing headphones luxuriating in their own private misery. The tracks are instrumental but there are voices everywhere, cut up and tweaked or stretched out, leaving echoes of silence. It sounds like Michael Jackson slowed down to 18bpm, or R. Kelly in Hell."

Read the full BBC review
On SoundCloud: Held (external link)

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Bloc Party - Four

(French Kiss; released 20 August)

Recommended by: Zane Lowe, 6 Music Album of the Day, Rob da Bank

"From the moment So He Begins to Lie tears out of the speakers, it's obvious that Bloc Party have dodged expectations again. Lissack's fantastically crunchy riff, Okereke's echoing vocal and Matthew Tong's feverish drum rolls forcefully prove that Bloc Party are a real band again, and a rock band at that. Four may be 2012's most exciting guitar album, and who would have predicted that?"

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Octopus (external link; contains strobe-like effects)

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OMBRE - Believe You Me

(Asthmatic Kitty Records; released 27 August)

Recommended by: Tom Ravenscroft

"Julianna Barwick's vocals are weightless, near-indiscernible things that colour the acoustic strums of Helado Negro. They slow-dance their way around the light percussion of the divine Cara Falsa and Dawning's sun-dappled drones. Sultry summer nights following somnolent summer days, you've just found your new soundtrack."

Read the full BBC review
On SoundCloud: Cara Falsa (external link)

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Bill Fay - Life Is People

(Dead Oceans; released 20 August)

Recommended by: Freak Zone, Ralph McLean

"Some careers are hard-fought; some are just hard. And some are as lonely as the long-distance runner. Bill Fay's happens to be all three. His first album for 41 years, Life Is People is hugely moving. Sad, too, but a comforting Nick Drake-style sad, so you wouldn't want it any other way. It represents the return of a prodigal son you never knew existed."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: This World (external link)

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Roller Trio - Roller Trio

(F-IRE; released 6 August)

Recommended by: Jazz on 3, Gilles Peterson

"The trio plays sharp, taut lines, unleashing a sizeable energy rush through volleys of needling four-, six- and three-note phrases that relentlessly and seamlessly shift position as pieces unfold. Roller Trio feels like a group that could evolve into a significant force in contemporary jazz - the grooves have hip hop, funk and rock resonances that suggest an interest in what's happening outside of improvised music."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: R-O-R' (external link)

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Chilly Gonzales - Solo Piano II

(Gentle Threat; released 27 August)

Recommended by: Cerys Matthews

"Often compared to Erik Satie, Gonzales' compositions provide a welcome respite from everyday noise, showing a sophisticated ear for melody despite their initial emergence from improvisation. A welcome throwback to simpler, gentler times, Solo Piano II breaks no rules; but these days, coming from a star of so-called 'alternative' music, this is arguably as revolutionary as it gets."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: White Keys (external link)

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Karine Polwart - Traces

(Hegri Music; released 13 August)

Recommended by: Mike Harding, Bob Harris

"Traces reveals Polwart's talents as a writer, above all. Rather than sounding like a simple collection of songs, it plays like a book of short stories set to music. The musical landscape behind her is also broader and more inventive than before, with wheezing Indian harmonium, floor percussion and field recordings adding new levels of atmosphere. It all adds up to an album that will live long, an album to live with, and live in."

Read the full BBC review
On YouTube: Salters Road (external link)

Rita Ora has had a tremendous 2012. As lead vocalist on DJ Fresh's Hot Right Now, she scored a first number one in February; and the 21-year-old singer has followed that with two solo chart-toppers: How We Do (Party) in March, and Mays Tinie Tempah-starring R.I.P.

After a spotlight-stealing set at Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, Ora's debut album, ORA, was released on 27 August through Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. Featuring contributions from the likes of The-Dream, Diplo, Drake, Chase & Status, will.i.am and J Cole, it's the sort of star-studded affair that can't fail to translate into even more success for the London-based artist.

BBC Music spoke to Ora just ahead of her album's release.

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The album's been about two years in the making - is it a relief to have it finally out there?
Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. If it was up to me I'd have been working on this stuff forever - but I'm relieved now that everyone can hear it. I'm going to love hearing what people think about it - I'm really excited about that.

You've spoken before about your love of Gwen Stefani and No Doubt - but these are hardly cool, contemporary touchstones for a new pop artist to have.
All I can do is take influences from where I was raised. And I was raised in west London, so things like the Notting Hill Carnival was always around me, and I'd listen to all the music I could from London. But also I listened to a lot of American pop - and I think that does come through in my music. There's soul in there, and some carnival flavour too. I'm influenced by music that my dad used to play, too, like Sade.

You've got a mezzo-soprano vocal range - is it fair to say that people haven't heard everything you're capable of yet, on the singles?
I think you're going to definitely hear more sides to my voice on the album - and that it's going to seem more distinctive after this album comes out. I don't think I'll get compared to so many other artists, vocally, once people hear how I am singing on the album.

Amongst the more interesting collaborators on the album is The-Dream. He's huge in the US, and world-renowned as a great writer and producer; but not so well known as an artist in his own right in the UK. What was it like to work with him?
It's true that he's not really made it in the UK as an artist, but he's written Baby for Justin Bieber, Beyoncé's Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), and Umbrella for Rihanna, so he's written some really defining moments in the careers of some of pop's biggest artists. So he knows what he's doing. In terms of him connecting here... I guess you have to build from the ground up as an artist, whereas it might be easier as a songwriter as the artist you're writing for may have already done that groundwork. We worked together out in Orange County. He listened to me sing, and then he wrote from there. He listens to a voice and writes a song to suit that voice. I don't really take a breath in the song I've done with him, Roc the Life - it's not rapping, but it has a similar flow.

That must have been refreshing, as many a producer/writer will amass a stock of songs to then use with particular artists, rather than tailor one so exactly.
Yeah, like you say, that happens a lot - and it's hard for a singer to adapt to certain tracks. But you have to work this out for yourself - and a lot of singers do after their first albums. But The-Dream really took the time to get to know me as a person, and I think that really helped the song. That relationship made a big difference.

Sounds like a dream come true...
(Laughs) I'm going to tell him you said that.

What about in the future? Any dream collaborations? No pun intended...
Diplo's a good friend of mine so I'd like to work more with him. And I'd love to work with a producer who nobody really knows yet.

We saw you at Radio 1's Hackney Weekend. What's it been like, taking these songs from the studio to the stage?
I think I've always been fine on stage - though I get nervous beforehand. But once I'm on stage, all of that goes out of the window. It's such an amazing rush... it's a really good feeling.

Finally, do you have any favourite albums, other than your own of course, from 2012 so far?
Frank Ocean's album, I love that. Chris Brown had an album out this year too, didn't he? That was good. I can't think who's had an album out! Netsky's album was great, and Lana Del Rey's album was really good. It was all about heartbreak, and every song was about the same thing really. But she managed to sing each song differently, and really put her own identity on it.

ORA is out now on Roc Nation and reviewed on BBC Music.

Andy Williams

We also told you about Andy Williams' remarkable collection of duets from his 1960s variety show, where he sang with the likes of Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and more. If you're a particular fan of Andy Williams himself (hey, it happens; Nelson Muntz couldn't get enough) then you'll likely want to see the solo programme, too. Moon River, stuff like that. And those eyes.

On Tuesday we told you about Tim Garland and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra doing Ellington and more at Royal Albert Hall as part of the Proms season. As above, the programme's expiring as you read this but there is a short clip which gives you the flavour of it.

Wednesday we gave you a little nudge to not forget about BBC Introducing with Jen and Ally, which aims to bring you two hours of the best up-and-coming bands from every corner of the United Kingdom every week.

On Thursday we pointed you toward Radio 2's highlights of the Country Music Association's annual music festival in Nashville, the biggest, oldest country music fest in the world, filling an American football stadium with fans of Kenny Rogers, Eric Church, Faith Hill, Kip Moore, and of course, plenty more. This is a 4-part series, so dig in.

We also let you know that Green Day played songs from their unreleased album on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show... right off their own iPod. Their management was not pleased, to put it mildly. You've got less than a week to hear it before it vanishes from the servers. After that you'll have to wait for the actual release.

Today we let you know that Reading + Leeds 2012 kicks off today (yes, that's the way you spell it now, with a plus, like Florence + the Machine, even though when speaking it you say "and", not "plus"). The Cure are headlining. The last time they played the Reading festival stage was 33 years ago, when they were touring to promote their very first record.

Coming up...

In addition to Reading + Leeds there's the Notting Hill Carnival, of course. Robbo Ranx's dancehall show last night was just ridiculously good. Things keep warming up over the weekend and kick into full-blown heavy vibes on the bank holiday Monday, especially on 1Xtra, which will be broadcasting live from Carnival all afternoon and airing a two-hour set from Norman Jay in the evening, recorded live on the Good Times bus.

If your tastes run more to opera, the cast of the English National Opera's 2009 production of Britten's Peter Grimes reunites for one night only to perform it again. It's considered one of Britten's best works; in the words of conductor Edward Gardner, "It's a piece that, at its best, feels unshackled and dangerous, and very un-English."

New albums

We have reviews of Aiden Grimshaw, Bill Fay, Bloc Party, Cate Le Bon, Dylan LeBlanc, Evan Caminiti, Goat, Jessie Ware, JJ DOOM, Owl City, Ry Cooder, Stealing Sheep, The Darkness, The Heavy, Tom Bancroft: Trio Red, Trey Songz and Yeasayer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lsqkn

DOOM aka MF DOOM aka JJ DOOM

On Tuesday we pointed out that DOOM - the rapper sometimes known as MF Doom - was on Loose Ends over the weekend on Radio 4, doing a rare appearance with a live band and chatting a bit with Clive Anderson. Clive's uncertainty over how to handle a studio guest wearing a large metal mask is frankly adorable, and DOOM shows he's no joke with a terrific performance over a languid, smoky jazz backing.

Wednesday we steered you to Radio 1's Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter, which played Andrew W.K.'s live session tracks from BBC's Maida Vale studios amongst the usual heavy riffage. Mr W.K. himself was in contact with the studio via, what else, Twitter, answering listener questions on proper party techniques.

Thursday we let you know about 1Xtra's 10th birthday, punctuated by Trevor Nelson doing a special two-hour show on both Radio 1 and 1Xtra. There were live performances from Professor Green and Jessie J, as well as an impressive 8-minute vocal medley of classic RnB from Cleo Sol and Angel.

Today we'd like to point you toward a fascinating documentary about whether musical tastes evolve according to Darwin's theories of natural selection. Darwin's Tunes talks with composers and evolutionary biologists, as well as a bioinformatician who's created a computer programme that creates a menu of beats and loops that users can rate in order to produce the "fittest" music.

Coming up...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m0ht4

Jocelyn Brown

Saturday night at 10pm on Dave Pearce's Dance Years, the legendary Jocelyn Brown joins Dave in the studio to talk about her favourite songs and some of the highlights from a career that includes diva duties for everyone from Chic to Cerrone.

Proms 2012 continues its stately march toward the end of summer. There is an unbelievable variety of music on tap, so check out the radio schedule and the TV schedule to find out what's happening when.

New albums

This week we reviewed new albums by Cheek Mountain Thief; James Yorkston; Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band; Karima Francis; Karine Polwart; Oris Jay Darqwan; Ride; Sidsel Endresen & Stian Westerhus; Spector; The Brilliant Things; The Kinks; bands doing a Fleetwood Mac tribute; artists from WOMAD; While She Sleeps and WHY?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/fpj9
Rustie - Glass Swords
Warp, released 10 October 2011
BBC review

Young Scottish producer Rustie, born Russell Whyte, has been active on the domestic EDM scene for some time, having released his debut single in 2007. Glass Swords is his first album, and serves as a fantastic summarisation of his exploits to date while also throwing forwards to a potentially remarkable future. Awarding the album 8.0, Pitchfork's Jess Harvell called this collection an "up-to-the-minute rush... an instant hit of what electronic pop felt like in 2011", while BBC reviewer Rory Gibb called it a "coherent and involving listen". Glass Swords was ranked as the ninth best album of 2011 by The Guardian - could it be best in show come November?

On YouTube: Flash Back (audio only; external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/bpfd
Django Django - Django Django
Because Music, released 30 January 2012
BBC review

Earning itself top marks from The Guardian, close-to-perfect scores at Q, NME and Mojo, and radio support from Tom Robinson and Lauren Laverne at 6 Music (where it was also an Album of the Day), Django Django's eponymous debut is one of the standout critical hits of the year so far. But unlike many a muso success, the London-based, Edinburgh-formed four-piece translated their in-print praise into commercial clout, with this set peaking at 33 on the UK albums chart. No mean feat for a group fusing African sounds with art-rock and neo-psychedelia, to pinch a pigeonhole or two from Wikipedia. The BBC's review began with a scenario-setting standfirst: "A proposition to confound expectations of what an 'indie' band should be." This is a special album from a special band.

On YouTube: Default (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/32wx
June Tabor & Oysterband - Ragged Kingdom
Topic Records, released 19 September 2011
BBC review

Warwick-born folk artist June Tabor waited 21 years to rekindle her on-record relationship with The Oyster Band (here credited as Oysterband), but the end results were well worth the wait. The follow-up to 1990's Freedom and Rain mixed traditional songs with a spread of fine interpretations of more contemporary cuts - among them, Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart and PJ Harvey's That Was My Veil. fRoots magazine had it top the pile of their best albums of 2011, and Ragged Kingdom also attracted considerable praise from The Guardian (five stars from five, thank you very much) and the BBC. Our reviewer, Colin Irwin, commented that "this is an album that constantly scores on almost every level". A folk album has never won the Mercury Prize - could 2012 be the year the genre chalks up its first success?

On YouTube: Love Will Tear Us Apart, live at London's Roundhouse (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/29hf
Kindness - World, You Need a Change of Mind
Polydor, released 19 March
BBC review

One of the more divisive albums on this speculative shortlist of 12, the debut collection from Kindness (aka Adam Bainbridge) earned an exceptional reception at Uncut and The Fly, but got its marching orders straight to the do-not-press-play pile from NME and The Observer. The BBC review praised its invention, comparing its architect to such influential sorts as Kate Bush and Brian Wilson; but it also highlighted its shambolic moments, and the questionable cover of Anyone Can Fall in Love (yes, the EastEnders titles theme). So why is it here? Well, World... has grown on these ears substantially since its release, and its second half - its side B in old money - is amongst the strongest heard in pop since Purple Rain. If you dismissed it earlier this year, the time's right for reassessment.

On YouTube: House (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/m3wx
JJ DOOM - Key to the Kuffs
Lex Records, released 20 August
BBC review

Remember the controversy that surrounded Antony and the Johnson's victory with I Am a Bird Now in 2005? If JJ DOOM's debut set earns itself a shortlist place, expect a similar furore. But it's every bit as eligible as the other albums here, as rapper DOOM (aka Daniel Dumile) was born in London before relocating to New York. Hip hop's hardly a mainstay genre on the Mercury shortlists, but last year's nod for Ghostpoet was well deserved, and Key to the Kuffs is the sort of potential plaudit-magnet that could sneak into contention. Plus, two of its guests - Damon Albarn and Portishead's Beth Gibbons - are no strangers to the Mercury process. The BBC's reviewer Noel Gardner stated that this album may be producer Jneiro Jarel's finest work yet (and he's no slouch in the quality stakes), labelling the end product "terrific".

On YouTube: Guv'Nor (audio only; external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/dqx2
The Invisible - Rispah
Ninja Tune, released 11 June
BBC review

So often music serves as window into the soul of its maker, and The Invisible's second album is a collection that couldn't come from anywhere but the heart of frontman Dave Okumu. Touched by the pain of Okumu losing his mother, it's a set that takes sorrow as a driving force to create some truly sensational songs, which neither wallow nor mope but aim strictly for the stars, dazzling with exquisite musicianship. This is catharsis as both inspiration and execution, an exercise in articulating innermost feelings for universal audiences - and it's a tremendous success, head and shoulders above the achievements of the London band's eponymous debut, which earned a Mercury nomination in 2009. A winner in waiting? Perhaps. Certainly, there are few albums in the running that lay themselves so open as this one.

On YouTube: Wings (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pwcg
Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
Fish People, released 21 November
BBC review

Already amongst the bookies' favourites to win the 2012 Mercury, Kate Bush's sublime and ridiculous winter collection is her first set of wholly new material since 2005's Aerial. Worth the wait? The critics thought so: top marks from The Telegraph, The Independent and The Guardian placed it amongst last year's very best, and it ranked at 17 on BBC Music's own top 25 of 2011. Reviewing for the BBC, Jude Rogers wrote that 50 Words for Snow is "classic Kate", and that the album reflects a season that "brings out the profound and absurd in equal measure". The question remains, though: would the notoriously publicity shy Bush venture in front of the cameras to collect her prize if this proves to be 2012's Mercury Prize Album of the Year?

On YouTube: Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe (eternal link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/cbrj
TrioVD - Maze
Naim Edge, released 21 May
BBC review

Jazz releases are regularly seen as make-up-the-numbers entries in the Mercury shortlist, with no album from the domestic scene ever walking away triumphantly. But Leeds-based improv outfit TrioVD offer something that's never truly featured in a shortlisted jazz LP: an incredible energy that's nearly unmatched by any release, from any genre, in 2012. Its riffs are sharper than many found in the rock world; its dynamics shift with a blindsiding power that electronica only occasionally captures. Maze both defies convention and adheres to its own rules: in so much as it sets out none initially, and makes them up as it goes along. "One of the most inventive and transgressive albums of 2012," said BBC reviewer Sid Smith, while The Guardian's John Fordham called the group "fearlessly independent". If they win, it'll be with an album of unprecedented design.

On YouTube: Brick (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/wwhf
Jessie Ware - Devotion
PMR/Island, released 20 August
BBC review

Just as previous Mercury Prize nominee Katy B went from guest vocalist of no little impressiveness on a series of dance cuts, so too has south London's Jessie Ware. After singing on tracks by Joker and SBTRKT, Ware's own solo material has been fantastically well received, this debut collection preceded by a spread of fine standalones. With support from Radio 1, 1Xtra and 6 Music, she's managing to cover several audiences and appeal to each with a rare effortlessness, her soulful, sophisticated pop evidently a cross-genre, perhaps cross-generational success. Vulnerable of spirit yet powerful of voice, Ware's a newcomer who already feels established - and the Mercury panel might well reward this rightly rising artist with their Album of the Year accolade.

On YouTube: Wildest Moments (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mvm5
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
Infectious Records, released 28 May
BBC review

"A deeply exciting, original and inventive debut," is how the BBC's Jen Long described this introductory set from Leeds foursome Alt-J - and the band's riding high at the very top of the bookies' favourites, with odds of 6/4 at the time of writing. As last year's success for PJ Harvey proves, every so often the favourite for the Mercury does come away victorious - so perhaps the same fate awaits these purveyors of what's been widely labelled 'folk-step'. It's not quite Mumfords via Modeselektor, but the press-coined pigeonhole does convey a true-enough sense of what this lot is about: prickly beats atop strummed acoustics, semi-reminiscent of Bombay Bicycle Club fronting an instrumental from Four Tet at his most bucolic. Back to Jen for some closing words: "(this is the) perfect accompaniment to any mood, any moment, anywhere." Certainly sounds like a contender.

On YouTube: Tessellate (external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/xxj9
Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge
Parlophone, released 7 May
BBC review

Another favourite with the bookies, and another amongst this dozen who's previously been nominated for the Mercury - Richard Hawley's fourth album, Coles Corner, was shortlisted in 20006. The Sheffield artist's seventh studio collection has soaked up its share of critical acclaim - The Guardian's Alexis Petridis awarded it five stars, while NME and the Evening Standard had plenty of positives to say - and also represents its maker's highest-charting album yet, peaking at three in the UK. BBC reviewer Wyndham Wallace praised Hawley's "guitar hero" contributions, but also noted that never does this musician slip into overindulgence. And it's this balance, between self-satisfying artistry and existing audience appreciation, that has made Standing at the Sky's Edge such a success.

On YouTube: Leave Your Body Behind You (audio only; external link)

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/5b4z
Kuedo - Severant
Planet Mu, released 17 October
BBC review

Should this exemplary solo set from Vex'd's Jamie Teasdale make the Mercury shortlist, expect there to be a spread of confused faces at the announcement of his name. For while there's no doubting the exceptional qualities of this at turns warmly analogue and sci-fi-suggestive slice of retro-futuristic electronica, it's not exactly on the radar of the masses. And, as such, it would be a remarkable surprise for inclusion amongst the final 12. However, personally it's right up there with the very best albums, regardless of genre, released during the Mercury's eligibility period, and having revisited the LP in the planning for this piece, a leftfield nod would be most welcomed. After all, who expected Burial's Untrue to be nominated in 2008, really? If the panel's feeling bold, and wanted to celebrate one of the UK's finest albums of its kind (of all time), now's the moment...

On YouTube: Truth Flood (audio only; external link)

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Interested in the names that made up my original (massive) list of Mercury Prize contenders? Well, here they are - no doubt some of this lot will make the shortlist grade, while some of the above won't. In no particular order...

Paul Buchanan, Blood Orange, Toddla T, Bombay Bicycle Club, Laura Marling, Emika, Peggy Sue, Remember Remember, Luke Haines, The 2 Bears, The Maccabees, Portico Quartet, Gang Colours, Field Music, Errors, Pulled Apart By Horses, Paul Weller, Dry the River, Actress, Tindersticks, Beth Jeans Houghton, Orbital, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, Micachu and the Shapes, Hot Chip, Plan B, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Dexys, Graham Coxon, Cooly G, Holy Other, Roller Trio, Bill Fay, Karine Polwart, The xx, Pet Shop Boys, Mala, Echo Lake, Two Door Cinema Club, Saint Etienne.

Quite the list, there. Any of them would be a worthy nominee. The shortlist will be announced 12 September.