The Best Albums of 2012... So Far

Six months down, six to go. BBC Music asked a selection of its own DJs and reviewers, plus a handful of friends from across the industry, to name their favourite albums of the year so far. And below are the results. Enjoy!

Please note that these lists are not ranked - they're just five albums that the DJ or writer in question has really enjoyed. That said, the amount of love evident for the Alt-J, Death Grips, Poliça and Grimes albums marks them as true standouts of 2012 so far.

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Sean Adams - founder/editor, Drowned in Sound (external link)

Chromatics - Kill for Love (BBC review)

Blondes - Blondes

Poliça - Give You the Ghost (BBC review)

Blood Red Shoes - In Time to Voices (BBC review)

School of Seven Bells - Ghostory (BBC review)

On YouTube: Poliça - Lay Your Cards Out (external link)

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Matthew Bennett - deputy editor, Clash (external link); BBC reviewer

Death Grips - The Money Store (BBC review)

Gang Colours - The Keychain Collection (BBC review)

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave (BBC review)

Grimes - Visions (BBC review)

Lazer Sword - Memory

On YouTube: Gang Colours - Fancy Restaurant (external link)

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Mike Diver - BBC album reviews editor

John Talabot - ƒin (BBC review)

El-P - Cancer4Cure (BBC review)

Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music (BBC review)

The Invisible - Rispah (BBC review)

Death Grips - The Money Store

On YouTube: El-P - The Full Retard (external link; contains strong language and scenes of violence, nudity and drug use which may offend... not to mention puppet abuse)

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John Doran - founder/editor, The Quietus; BBC reviewer

Carter Tutti Void - Transverse (BBC review)

Can - The Lost Tapes (BBC review)

The Thing and Neneh Cherry - The Cherry Thing (BBC review)

VCMG - SSSS (BBC review)

Dope Body - Natural History

On YouTube: The Thing and Neneh Cherry - Accordion (external link; contains language which may offend)

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JJ Dunning - editor, The Fly (external link)

A Place to Bury Strangers - Worship

Guided By Voices - Class Clown Spots a UFO

Grimes - Visions

Graham Coxon - A+E (BBC review)

Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship (BBC review)

On YouTube: Here We Go Magic - How Do I Know (external link)

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Chris Hawkins - DJ, BBC 6 Music

Pepe Deluxé - Queen of the Wave (BBC review)

Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls (BBC review)

Ren Harvieu - Through The Night (BBC review)

Yeti Lane - The Echo Show (BBC review)

Cornershop - Urban Turban (BBC review)

On YouTube: Ren Harvieu - Open Up Your Arms (external link)

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Tom Howard - reviews editor, NME (external link)

Hodgy Beats - Untitled EP

Actress - RIP (BBC review)

Jack White - Blunderbuss (BBC review)

Death Grips - The Money Store

Pond - Beard, Wives, Denim

On YouTube: Death Grips - The Fever (Aye Aye) (external link; contains strong language)

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Paul Lester - Guardian (external link); BBC reviewer

Death Grips - The Money Store

SpaceGhostPurrp - Mysterious Phonk (BBC review)

Nite Jewel - One Second of Love (BBC review)

Hodgy Beats - Untitled EP

Saint Etienne - Words and Music by Saint Etienne (BBC review)

On YouTube: Saint Etienne, Tonight (external link)

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Janice Long - DJ, BBC Radio 2

The Maccabees - Given to the Wild (BBC review)

Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge (BBC review)

Django Django - Django Django (BBC review)

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

Jack Savoretti - Before the Storm (BBC review)

On YouTube: Alt-J - Breezeblocks (external link)

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Jen Long - DJ, BBC Radio 1; BBC reviewer

2:54 - 2:54 (BBC review)

Poliça - Give You the Ghost

Bright Light Bright Light - Make Me Believe in Hope

Cadence Weapon - Hope in Dirt City (BBC review)

TOPS - Tender Opposites

On YouTube: Cadence Weapon - Conditioning (external link)

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Zane Lowe - DJ, BBC Radio 1

The Invisible - Rispah

Poliça - Give You the Ghost

Jack White - Blunderbuss

Odd Future - The OF Tape Vol 2 (BBC review)

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

On YouTube: The Invisible - Wings (external link)

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Chris Martin - DJ, Amazing Radio (external link)

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

Django Django - Django Django

Team Me - To the Treetops

The Maccabees - Given to the Wild

Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour (BBC review)

On YouTube: Band of Skulls - Bruises (external link)

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Ralph McLean - DJ, BBC Radio Ulster

Dexys - One Day I'm Going to Soar (BBC review)

Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls

Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Americana (BBC review)

Dr John - Locked Down (BBC review)

Willie Nelson - Heroes (BBC review)

On YouTube: Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Jesus' Chariot (She'll be Coming Round the Mountain) (external link)

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Jez Nelson - DJ, Jazz on 3, BBC Radio 3

Troyka - Moxxy (BBC review)

The Thing and Neneh Cherry - The Cherry Thing

E.S.T. - 301 (BBC review)

Asunder Trio - The Lamp

Steve Lehman - Dialect Fluorescent

On YouTube: Troyka - Moxxy (introduction) (external link)

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Nemone - DJ, BBC 6 Music

Poliça - Give You the Ghost

Blockhead - Interludes After Midnight

Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge

Hot Chip - In Our Heads (BBC review)

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

On YouTube: Hot Chip - Night & Day (external link)

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Rob da Bank - DJ, BBC Radio 1

Grimes - Visions

Hot Chip - In Our Heads

Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls

Holy Other - Held (bit of a cheat here, Rob - this isn't out until August)

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Trouble (BBC review)

On YouTube: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Household Good (external link; contains strong language)

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Laura Snapes - associate editor, Pitchfork (external link)

Sharon Van Etten - Tramp (BBC review)

Field Music - Plumb (BBC review)

Ramona Falls - Prophet

Niki and the Dove - Instinct (BBC review)

Sophia Knapp - Into the Waves

On YouTube: Sharon Van Etten - Leonard (external link)

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Huw Stephens - DJ, BBC Radio 1

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar (BBC review)

The 2 Bears - Be Strong (BBC review)

Niki and the Dove - Instinct

Tom Williams and The Boat - Teenage Blood (BBC review)

On YouTube: First Aid Kit - Blue (external link)

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Emeli Sandé - Our Version of Events (BBC review)

Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls

The Maccabees - Given to the Wild

Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge

Jack White - Blunderbuss

On YouTube: Jack White, Love Interruption (external link)