29. Rev Hammer – Industrial Sounds and MagicFor being a hard to find gem, with Rev Hammer playing Bronze Nazareth to the Levellers’ Wu

28. Beirut – Gulag OrkestarFor being the sound of all our longings for the Eastern European Shangri-la

27. Cornershop – Handcream for a GenerationFor the unexpected Britpop anthems

26. Mercury Rev – Deserter’s SongsFor being a perfect piece of Americana

25. Derrero – Fixation with Long JourneysFor being a slept-on pop classic

24. The Lemonheads – Come on Feel the LemonheadsFor showing that the grunge era could be fun and lovely

23. Sufjan Stevens – Greetings from MichiganFor being magnificently evocative, and for Sufjan’s awesome voice

22. Spiritualized – Let it All Come DownFor being cheesy and moving and totally unexpected after Ladies and Gentlemen…

21. Kings of Convenience – Quiet is the New LoudFor showing that two geeky Norwegians could keep the spirit of Simon & Garfunkel alive

20. Idlewild – The Remote PartFor being an epic, guilty pleasure

19. Nick Drake – Five Leaves LeftFor taking me back to the autumn of 2005

18. Teenage Fanclub – Songs from Northern BritainFor being a perfect collection of sunny pop songs

17. Interpol – AnticsFor the pain and the feeling and the grooves

16. The Avalanches – Since I Left YouFor being the missing link between DJ Shadow and the Beach Boys

15. The Jolly Beggarmen – 40 Irish Drinking SongsFor helping to inspire my Hibernophile period

14. The Smiths – The Queen is DeadFor Morrissey and Johnny Marr

13. The Stone Roses – The Stone RosesFor being the best ‘Britpop’ album, and all before the Britpop era

12. Bloc Party – IntimacyFor surprisingly being the best Bloc Party album

11. Arcade Fire – The SuburbsFor surpassing all expectations

10. The Pogues – The Rest of the BestFor introducing me to The Pogues

9. Nick Cave – The Boatman’s Call For just about edging it as the best Nick Cave record, and for an hour spent listening to it on the train from Luxor to Aswan

8. The Prodigy – The Prodigy ExperienceFor being the greatest dance album of all time

7. Radiohead – Hail to the ThiefFor providing the perfect balance between the pre and post-Kid A eras

6. Doves – Lost SoulsFor the Manchester years

5. Asian Dub Foundation – Community Music For never abandoning the culture and moving it along

4. Billy Bragg – Back to BasicsFor that voice, that guitar, and those lyrics

3. Levellers – Levelling the LandFor changing my life

2. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago For taking us into the Wisconsin Woods and breaking our hearts and putting them back together again

1. Bonnie Prince Billy – Ease Down the RoadFor his unique take on a timeless tradition