Top 10 albums of 2014

Here at Guardian HQ we've come up with our favourite albums of the past 12 months, following fierce debate.

If we've missed off your favourite, let us know below.

1. Kasabian - 48:13

It's been something of a huge year for the likely lads from Leicester.

A Glastonbury headline slot, sold-out arena tour, and fifth album, that reached number one. Since their self-titled debut album was released in 2004, Kasabian have spent the last decade establishing themselves as one of the world's biggest bands.

48:13, named after the total minutes of tracks on the album, is another triumph.

With Tom Meighan and Serge Pizzorno alternating on vocals, boundaries continue to be pushed.

The drop in 'Bumblebee' demands you get on your feet, if not to dance, to at least jump around a bit.

'Stevie' is a clever commentary on the lost generation of youth in Britain, while 'Eez Eh' is funky rock pop that will have you warbling the chorus in no time.

2. Royal Blood - Royal Blood 

In an age of bland indie bands, Royal Blood have put rock firmly back on the popularity map.

Mike Kerr (bass/vocals) and Ben Thatcher (drums) formed the band in Worthing in 2013.

Their debut, self-titled album was released in August, 2014 to critical acclaim.

Royal Blood's brand of Brit rock has been praised by everyone from Arctic Monkeys to Led Zeppelin, and it's pretty easy to see why.

Refined, rip-roaring stuff from musicians who can really play.

Single 'Figure It Out' has enjoyed serious radio time, and, along with 'Come On Over', is a highlight.

3. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream 

This is an album you'll find on more than one top ten list for 2014, and with good reason.

Reportedly taking a tough 12 months to record, the end product has been something of a comfort blanket for critics to reassuringly stroke and remind themselves their job is worth it.

Adam Granduciel’s lyrics revolve around a long term relationship that can be found on the scrapheap, and as with many a popular album over the years, melancholic reminiscing about what once was, and how it's quite-hard-to think-about-it now, is a sure fire way to sell records.

If it wasn't, Radiohead would have been royally screwed.

But The War On Drugs contemporary take on 80's American rock remains full of enthralling tension, and it's well worth getting your head around.

4. Black Keys - Turn Blue  

The Ohio duo of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums), rarely fails to produce, and 2014 was another stellar year.

Turn Blue, by the band's own omission, offered a slightly different approach to predecessor, 2011's El Camino, which was packed with big songs like 'Lonely Boy' and 'Gold On The Ceiling'.

The Black Key's eighth offering is more considered, laden with 'album tracks', but with enough room left for the blues rock you fell in love with in the first place.

'Fever' features a bit of synth and a bit of pop, both of which will make you tap your feet, while 'In Time' is a heady combination of keyboards and falsetto. Look out for the guitar solo in 'Weight Of Love', too.

5. Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were 

Your second album is said to be the hardest, and the early signs for Ben Howard seemed to confirm the theory; critics split on an evolution in sound in some ways far removed from Mercury Prize-nominated debut 'Every Kingdom'.

'I Forget We Were' is something of a grower, more experimental and pensive, but also worthy of investment.

Howard is a talented songwriter, and fine musician, and the motif of nature is again used as colourful juxtaposition with love, loss and heartache.

The album title track is one of the best, and 'Evergreen' is a love song that shows off Howard's creativity and depth.

6. Jamie T - Carry On The Grudge 

It's been a while since we last heard from the London street poet (five years), and his third album leaves you with the distinct impression times have been quite hard in the gap.

What that means from a music sense is some of the material is darker than the view-from-the-window cheery observations of working class life in the capital we enjoyed before in tracks like 'Stella'.

The effect is an album of variety from Jamie Treays, that tells the story of personal anguish in the vein of everything from blues punk, to reggae.

'Don't You Find', a tale of obsession, expertly utilises the latter, while 'Zombie' is foot-tappingly upbeat, far more so than the title, and apparent topic of drug addiction suggests.

7. Jungle - Jungle 

'Enigmatic', 'mysterious', 'intriguing': all words that have been used to describe the Londoner's debut release from a large band previously known only by two members called 'J' and 'T'.

It's an album that works in various settings; a summer BBQ , or house party where you want to impress edgy friends in spray-on skinny jeans with music that feels elusive and is therefore guaranteed to win brownie points.

Jungle undoubtedly feel they're cool, and their music, for the most part, is.

You can pick up notes from Disclosure, MGMT and Prince, among others, on an album that promises big things to come from Tom McFarland, Joshua Lloyd-Watson and co.

8. Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balcony 

The Llandudno-based band are the model other indie bands should strive for.

Fun, foot stomping, indie-rock that grabs your attention on first listen.

With help from Jim Abbiss, who has produced songs for Kasabian among others, debut release 'The Balcony' is a stand out from the genre in 2014.

Van McCann (lead vocals), Johnny 'Bondy' Bond (lead guitar), Benji Blakeway (bass guitar) and Bob Hall (drums), combine to make an anthemic sound that feels even better live.

Kicking off your career with a top 10 album is no mean feat. Single 'Cocoon' is an instant classic, and 'Pacifier' ain't bad either.

9. Courteeners - Concrete Love 

Only months after suggesting in an interview with the Warrington Guardian the band were about to take a break, they returned with their fourth album.

Headed as skilfully as ever by lead singer Liam Fray's Mancunian tones, Concrete Love entered the album chart at number three - the band's best return to date.

In part more thoughtful and tender than its predecessors, first single 'How Good It Was' is all wistful eyed nostalgia, more in line with Fray's solo acoustic work.

'Summer'', in homage to its name, is light and poppy, while 'Next Time You Call' is much funkier, sexed up stuff, than we've seen before, a bit like Arctic Monkey's 'AM'.

When the Middleton foursome arrived to try and usurp Oasis as Manchester's favourite band in 2008 with St Jude, the image was raw, aggressive indie, that became synonymous with hooded football fans.

The Courteeners have evolved to a rounded band with good depth and variety, traits Concrete Love shows off to a tee.

10. Skrillex - Recess 

IF we were going to throw one mainstream dance album into the mix, why not go all out and opt for the American dubstep heavyweight.

His flair for a remix and penchant for performance quickly cemented Sonny John Moore as an aficionado of head banging tunes in the overpopulated genre of EDM.

Recess throws together the odd bone crunching drop and sugar rush vocal highs, but also demonstrates Skrillex's versatility, in his first 'proper' album following a raft of EPs devoured online.

There's techno, funk, pop, and, of course, plenty of bass. Skrillex makes dubstep fun, and who isn't up for a bit of that?