Favourite Albums of the Last Year?

St. Vincent's last album: Strange Mercy. That woman does some amazing things with that guitar. Took me entirely by surprise. A bit of a departure from the previous two studio efforts, but Annie Clark's maturity and patience shines through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JwXCBi-Eh8

High on Fire's newest album 'De Vermis Mysteriis' is hellishly good. Pounding, grinding and surging. It's probably one of the best metal albums that will drop this year and totally lives up to 2010's release 'Snakes For The Divine'. Fuck that album was amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWgZ59_J1ZE

Metals by Feist is phenomenal. I've never been a huge fan of her solo work, preferring Broken Social Scene to get a fix, but this album really blew my hair back and I found that too many people dismissed it as being either over-hyped or 'too hip'. They've all changed their tunes after finally giving in to my constant prodding that they should give it a shot. From start to finish I'd beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnj8_aDBJT8

Dr Dog's 2012 release Be The Void caught me by surprise as well. Granted it's a little on the hip side, but it's gritty and 'sounds like somebody but I can't quite place it'. Doesn't change the fact that the songs are catchy, upbeat and a lot of fun. There's nothing wrong with plaid, just not as evening wear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojf0w...feature=relmfu

PJ Harvey's 10th studio album 'Let England Shake' captured my imagination right off the bat. I've been a big fan of PJ since I was introduced to 95's To Bring You My Love and since then everything has been a comparison to that particular album. For me it's her strongest, but this one came pretty close. It's definitely a unique and eclectic gathering of songs, then again that's what Polly does best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-piHXFcd8E


Also worth a listen, but albums I didn't feel moved the band into a new direction or pushed me to hit repeat:

Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour
Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist
EMA - Past Life And Martyred Saints
Puscifer - The Conditions of My Parole

Throwing it WAY back to an album that still ropes me way the fuck in and everyone should get into.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yswI5R9P_kU