These are the records our team of critics had stuck on repeat this year, but don't go thinking you can tot this up and figure out what "Drowned in Sound's album of the year" is as we don't do our list like that. You'll find an explanation about how our year-end list is compiled here.

Sean Adams (Editor)

1) ††† - Crosses
2) Marissa Nadler - July
3) Sharon Van Etten - Are We There

Andrzej Lukowski (Reviews Editor)

1) Mogwai - Rave Tapes
2) Marissa Nadler - July
3) Thom Yorke – Tomorrow's Modern Boxes

Rob Leedham (Singles/Pop Columnist)

1) Alvvays - Alvvays
2) Cloud Nothings - Here And Nowhere Else
3) Lykke Li - I Never Learn

Dom Gourlay (Senior Contributor)

1) Eagulls - Eagulls
2) Alvvays - Alvvays
3) Interpol - El Pintor

Cate Blanche (Features Editor)

1) ††† - Crosses
2) Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
3) Manic Street Preachers - Futurology

Benjamin Bland (Ambient Columnist)

1) A Winged Victory for the Sullen - Atomos
2) Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
3) Swans - To Be Kind

Derek Robertson

1) Future Islands - Singles
2) Sharon Van Etten - Are We there
3) Ought - More Than Any Other Day

Marc Burrows

1) Manic Street Preachers - Futurology
2) Slow Club - Complete Surrender
3) Amazing Snakeheads - Amphetamine Ballads

Sammy Maine

1) Radiator Hospital - Torch Song
2) Perfume Genius - Too Bright
3) Alvvays - Alvvays

Jazz Monroe

1) Ought - More Than Any Other Day
2) Todd Terje - It's Album Time
3) Iceage - Plowing Into the Field of Love

Jon Clarke

1) Hookworms - The Hum
2) Soft Walls - No Time
3) Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else

Alexander Tudor

1) Ben Frost - Aurora
2) Swans - To Be Kind
3) Puzzle Muteson - Theatrics

Jon Falcone

1) Jouis - Dojo
2) Owls - II
3) Tycho - Awake

Tristan Bath

1) Vessel - Punish, Honey
2) Kiasmos - Kiasmos
3) Hyperdub 10.1

Tom Fenwick

1) Aphex Twin - Syro
2) East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
3) Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

Giuseppe Zevolli

1) FKA twigs - LP1
2) Swans - To Be Kind
3) Sharon Van Etten - Are We There

Matt Langham

1) Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
2) Alvvays - Alvvays
3) Future Islands - Singles

Joe Goggins

1) Spoon - They Want My Soul
2) Wye Oak - Shriek
3) Alvvays - Alvvays

Russell Warfield

1) Lewis - L'Amour
2) Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
3) Ought - More Than Any Other Day

J.R. Moores

1) Carla Bozulich - Boy
2) The Bug - Angels & Devils
3) Liars - Mess

James Skinner

1) Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain
2) Andrew Bird - Things Are Really Great Here… Sort Of
3) Sun Kil Moon - Benji

Dan Lucas

1) Twilight Sad - Nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave
2) East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
3) Swans - To Be Kind

Aaron Lavery

1) The Phantom Band - Strange Friend
2) Spoon - They Want My Soul
3) Elbow - The Take Off And Landing Of Everything

Thomas Ingham

1) Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
2) Shellac - Dude Incredible
3) Lykke Li - I Never Learn

William Moss

1) The War On Drugs - Lost in the Dream
2) The Antlers - Familiars
3) Future Islands - Singles

Joseph Rowan

1) Swans - To Be Kind
2) Trans Am - Volume X
3) Adebisi Shank - This Is The Third Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank

Radhika Takru

1) Whirr - Sway
2) Nothing - Guilty of Everything
3) Have A Nice Life - The Unnatural World

Michael Hall

1) Sun Kil Moon - Benji
2) Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
3) Bob Mould - Beauty & Ruin

Mike McDonald

1) J Mascis - Tied to a Star
2) FKA Twigs - LP1
3) Mo Kolours - Mo Kolours

Sam Moore

1) Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
2) Ratking - So It Goes
3) Jungle - Jungle

Finbarr Bermingham

1) Sun Kil Moon - Benji
2) Withered Hand - New Gods
3) A Winged Victory for the Sullen - Atomos

Ben Philpott

1) Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
2) Gruff Rhys - American Interior
3) Sharon Van Etten - Are We There?

Rob Cooke

1) Ought - More Than Any Other Day
2) School of Language - Old Fears
3) Keel Her - Keel Her

Neil Ashman

1) Future Islands - Singles
2) Lykke Li - I Never Learn
3) Perfume Genius - Too Bright

Dave Hanratty

1) Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy
2) Fucked Up - Glass Boys
3) Sun Kil Moon - Benji

Christopher Alcock

1) Owen Pallet - In Conflict
2) Lejsovka & Freund - Mold on Canvas
3) Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts: Red Classroom

Sam Lewis

1) Pure X - Angel
2) Tinashe - Aquarius
3) Popcaan - Where We Come From

Christopher McBride

1) Wonder Villains - Rocky
2) The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
3) Alvvays - Alvvays

Jack Doherty

1) The Black Lips - Underneath The Rainbow
2) Metronomy - Love Letters
3) Fucked Up - Glass Boys

Andrew Chamings

1) Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In The End
2) The Twilight Sad - Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave
3) Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams

Aidan Reynolds

1) The Twilight Sad – Nobody Wants to be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave
2) The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3) The Menzingers – Rented World

Amanda Farah

1) Spoon - They Want My Soul
2) Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for No Witness
3) Scott Walker + Sunn O))) - Soused

Josh Sunth

1) Francis Harris - Minutes of Sleep
2) A Winged Victory for the Sullen - Atomos
3) Grouper - Ruins

Gemma Samways

1) Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso
2) Caribou - Our Love
3) Perfume Genius - Too Bright

Paul Faller

1) Samaris - Silkidrangar
2) Kiasmos - Kiasmos
3) Johnny Foreigner - You Can Do Better

Andrew Schagen

1) FKA Twigs - LP1
2) Her Name is Calla - Navigator
3) Warpaint - Warpaint

Christian Cottingham

1) Wild Beasts - Present Tense
2) Kiasmos - Kiasmos
3) Dean Blunt - Black Metal

Jude Clarke

1) Delines - Colfax
2) Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2
3) Metronomy - Love Letters

Paul Brown

1) Martha - Courting Strong
2) Fear of Men - Loom
3) Tyrannosaurus Dead - Flying Ant Day

Marie Wood

1) Ought - More Than Any Other Day
2) Brian Jonestown Massacre - Revelation
3) Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

Philip Bloomfield

1) Actress - Ghettoville
2) Moodymann - Moodymann
3) Objekt - Flatland

Luke Beardsworth

1) Then Thickens - Death Cap at Angelzarke
2) Royal Blood - Royal Blood
3) Sharon Van Etten - Are We There?

Woodrow Whyte

1) Alvvays - Alvvays
2) Perfume Genius - Too Bright
3) Taylor Mcferrin - Early Riser

Alex Hegazy

1) Future Islands - Singles
2) Moiré - Shelter
3) Legowelt - Crystal Cult 2080

Keiran Goddard

1) Sleaford Mods - Divide and Exit
2) Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
3) Twilight Sad - Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave

Andy McDonald

1) Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
2) Ginger Wildheart - Albion
3) Nachtmystium - The World We Left Behind

Gemma Hampson

1) St Vincent - St Vincent
2) Arc Iris - Arc Iris
3) Bonnie Prince Billy - Singer's Grace a Sea of Tongues

Related Reading

1) DiS' albums of the year lists 2000-2013
2) The page to bookmark for our 2014 year-end coverage (we've added some of our favourite features of the year to get things started)
3) Follow us on Twitter as @drownedinsound or on Facebook for updates.
4) Alternatively, please join our new-ish mailing list to get updates when the list is live.