Time Out's best albums of the year... so far

Kindness – 'World, You Need A Change Of Mind'

Fluid nu-funk with a pinch of French insouciance, the bass riff, shuffle-beat and Adam Bainbridge’s surround sound vocal (on ‘Cyan’ in particular) occupies that hallowed happy-sad soft spot with effortless aplomb. An cooly confident and alluring debut.

NZCA/LINES - 'NZCA/LINES'

Stories about spaceships, cryongenics and alternate realities are laid over analogue synth-assisted swoon tunes that join the dots between R&B, bedroom electro-pop and The Beach Boys.

Death Grips – 'The Money Store'

For all its in-your-face abrasiveness, there’s something oddly alluring about the Sacramento trio’s avant noise/electro rap onslaught. A thrillingly exhausting trip.

Alt-J – 'An Awesome Wave'

Singer Joe Newman’s lilting intonations characterise this deft debut, which bears closest comparison to Wild Beasts’ oeuvre but with a hymnal, nimble and quirky twist that’s all their own.

Evian Christ – 'Kings and Them'

An astonishing debut from a young Leeds producer who finally makes sense of genres like 'witch-house' and 'post-dubstep' whilst channelling Boards of Canada and Tyga.

6

John Talabot – 'Fin'

7

Simian Mobile Disco – 'Unpatterns'

8

Jack White – 'Blunderbuss'

9

Chairlift – 'Something'

10

Grimes – 'Visions'

11

Clock Opera – 'Ways to Forget'

12

Mark Lanegan Band – 'Blues Funeral'

13

Spoek Mathambo – 'Father Creeper'

14

Laurel Collective – 'Heartbeat Underground'

16

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – 'Trouble'

17

Perfume Genius – 'Put Your Back N 2 It'

18

Lone – 'Galaxy Garden'

19

Bobby Womack – 'The Bravest Man in the Universe'

20

Chromatics – 'Kill For Love'