2008 has been another incredible year in music for Carling and we're celebrating by compiling our Top Ten Best Albums! If you want to get your hands on one of our choices either for yourself or for a mate this Xmas then click on the album cover to order from our friends over at HMV.

10. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

Stalwart rockers stick to their guns with their latest offering with eleven tracks of classic rock with a psychedelic edge. The opening tracks see Oasis back at their very best, thrashing out mighty guitar and piano riffs with enormous sing-along choruses on 'Bag It Up' and 'Turning' while Liam's touching ballad 'I'm Outta Time' is as strong an anthem as any song they've produced so far.

09. Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Chris Martin & Co. return with another stunning record of beautiful, uplifting melodic rock furthering their sound with the subtle use of African rhythms and instruments as well as heavier guitar sounds. Experimenting with instrumentals and breaking from the norm with more complex arrangements, Coldplay continue to develop their sound and embrace new audiences with their fourth album.

08. The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

Infectious power pop is what The Ting Tings excel at and here on their debut album they don't disappoint. From 'That's Not My Name' and 'Great DJ' to 'Shut Up And Let Me Go', The Ting Tings produced some of the biggest hits of the year mixing up pop and indie to produce stunning results.

07. The Killers - Day And Age

If 'Sam's Town' was a big step on from their debut album 'Hot Fuss' then 'Day And Age' is The Killers' giant leap. Featuring saxophone, synth lines, tribal chanting, steel drums and chiming bells, the Las Vegas four-piece have dusted of their Eighties record collection and are wearing their influences proudly on their collective sleeve.

06. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Releasing the astonishingly catchy 'Time To Pretend' back in March, the Brooklyn duo followed up with sumptuous summertime hit 'Electric Feel' turning their debut album into one of the most anticipated albums of the year. When 'Oracular Spectacular' arrived in October, it's mix of eclectic space-rock and psychedelic indie didn't disappoint.

05. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night

The US rockers continued their climb to the top of the rock league gaining their first UK number one with their stunning fourth album. Reaching back to their Southern soul roots, Kings Of Leon have produced a vast stadium rock sound mixing sparse atmospheric tracks with their heaviest guitar-laden songs to date.

04. The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

One of the most underrated albums of the year, mainly due to its 'secret' release back in March, the Detroit supergroup delivered an exhilarating 14-track rock n' roll extravaganza complete with screaming guitar hooks, fuzzed-up basslines, pounding drums and the incredible interchangeable vocal talents of Jack White and Brendan Benson.

03. Glasvegas - Glasvegas

Their 'Wall Of Sound' production has seen the band draw parallels with The Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, however it's their infectious melodies which set them apart from their peers. Songs like 'Geraldine', 'Daddy's Gone' and the beautifully tortured 'It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry' make their debut album one of the most essential listens of the year.

02. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Mixing up New York indie rock and African rhythms Vampire Weekend released their stunning debut back in January to an expectant press. Wonderfully experimental tracks like 'Oxford Comma', 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' and 'Mansard Roof' made sure the album more than lived up to all the hype.

01. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

The Manchester band's fourth album and our pick of the year for 2008. Elbow have consistently produced quality albums and 'The Seldom Seen Kid' is their finest yet. From soaring opener 'Starlings' to the delicate 'Mirrorball' and the extraordinarily beautiful 'One Day Like This', they've truly excelled themselves in every area. Heartfelt lyrics, experimental arrangements, layers of strings and sprinklings of percussion make this the most essential album of the year.

Have Your Say

What do you think of our choices for the top albums of 2008? Do you think we've missed a trick and left off one of your favourite releases of the year? Let us know what albums you would put in your top ten here...

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