25. Cavern Of Anti-Matter – Blood Drums (Grautag)

A seemingly very low profile, German-only release from Tim Gane and Joe Dilworth off of out of Stereolab. 4 sides of instrumental rinky dink electro-motorik-retro-futurism. One idea stretched to breaking point, and often patchy but when it’s good – like on Acid Death Picnic – it’s absolutely amazing.

24. White Hills – So You Are, So You’ll Be (Thrill Jockey)

White Hills were a revelation. Tapping into psych in all its forms – 60s garage to 70s space rock to stoner metal, with nods to krautrock and punk along the way, they sounded like Death Valley ’69-era Sonic Youth might have done if they’d spent more time at peyote ceremonies in the desert than East Village art shows. Looking elegantly wasted and clearly loving it, the trio powered through a frazzled, fucked up set, heavy on last year’s Frying On The Rock album and heavy on the FX pedals. This was genuinely thrilling, uplifting stuff – glorious fucked up noise of the best kind – my review, Narc May

23. Matmos – The Marriage Of True Minds (Thrill Jockey)

Accompanied by some hokum about recording the album using telepathic techniques, this was the MOST Matmos album yet: the most melodic, the most bizarre, the most complete. A masterpiece of glitchy, twisted electronics but with real soul, somehow. And there’s even a Buzzcocks cover.

22. Wooden Wand – Blood Oaths Of The New Blues (Fire)

“In his myriad incarnations, James ‘Wooden Wand’ Toth has created one of the most uneven back catalogues to come out of the whole freakfolk / weird America scene, but this album sees him at the very top of his game. It’s a rich, expansive collection of songs, some little more than sketches, some – like the incredible No Bed For Beatle Wand – pushing 12 minutes with no sense of indulgence. You’d file this somewhere between Crazy Horse and Micah P Hinson, literate and haunting country rock, warm and laid back without ever being soporofic. But Toth’s lyrics are what takes this album to what I believe we’re supposed to call the next level and mark him out as a true original” – my review, Narc December / January

21. My Bloody Valentine – mbv (mbv)

There was no way this album was ever going to be worth the hype, the wait, the frustration, the gossip. It’s really really REALLY good – as good as Loveless in its own way – but it’s taken so long to come out, the rest of the world has caught up with, or even overtaken, Shields’ vision. You know what it sounds like, you probably knew if you liked it before you ever heard it. It would have been a wonderful thing 20 years ago; in 2013, it’s just a really good album, which maybe isn’t enough.