Neil McCormick __________________________________

LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening (Parlophone) Dancefloors have ever been a place to leave your brain cells behind, so making dance music that engages the head as much as the feet is an art that is not just hard to pull off but can be potentially self defeating. But James Murphy’s arch, exuberant and playful albums set new standards for brainy funk, blending the spirit of such cerebral groovers as Roxy Music, David Bowie, Talking Heads and New Order with the electro pulse of techno and the irreverent energy of indie.

Sarah Blasko: As Day Follows Night (Dramatico) A perfectly pitched affair, balancing sensitive introspection with wry eccentricity to conjure up something intimate yet poppy, delicate yet emotionally full blooded.

Steve Mason: Boys Outside (Domino) Hypnotic future pop. With surprisingly understated production from dance maverick Richard X, it’s a shimmering, melodic journey through the ex-Beta Band singer’s wracked emotional life that manages to be both strange yet accessible.

Gorillaz ‘Plastic Beach’ (Parlophone) Each track verges on a cacophonic clash of random conversations and odd juxtapositions, ambient electronic bleeps, horn-fuelled retro soul and hip-hop jams barely strung together with translucent melodies and sci-fi lyrical surrealism.  Channel hopping, multi-tasking, attention deficit disorder pop.

Fyfe Dangerfield: Fly Yellow Moon (Geffen) The leader of the flamboyantly experimental Guillemots reigns in his more excessive instincts on a focussed collection of melodic, romantic songs. There’s a fan’s love of pop crammed into Dangerfield’s solo debut, so that musical hints and hooks constantly tug at the consciousness, but the overwhelming sense is of a great songwriter on top form.