When we’re not banging on about retail and corporate platforms, pensions, transparency and all that good stuff, we’re usually banging on about music.

Here’s a list of our favourite 10 albums that have powered us through, got us inspired and kept us writing in 2012. What were yours?

1. Kreator – Phantom Antichrist – tremendous battle metal from the German survivors. Better snarly bouncy thrash you will not hear. Rarely off the lang cat stereo.
2. Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas – just sounds like the end of the world. For when your senses are dulled and you want smacked in the face to perk you up.
3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! – only 4 tracks but nearly an hour of shimmering post-rock with a brain. Uplifting.
4. James Yorkston – I Was A Cat From A Book – Fife’s finest folkie (and the man who wrote the song after which the lang cat is named) on superb form. Any parent who can listen to The Fire And The Flames without blubbing is made of stone.
5. Human Don’t Be Angry – Human Don’t Be Angry – Malcolm Middleton’s side project is funny, sad, beautifully written and all round ace.
6. Testament – Dark Roots Of Earth – the Bay Area thrash legends are still going and on fantastic form. Thrash with a message – try Native Blood and True American Hate.
7. Paul Buchanan – Mid Air – just heartachingly beautiful stuff from the Blue Nile frontman, mainly just voice and piano and unforgettable.
8. Calexico – Algiers – Mariachi, surf rock, indie, country, and a bunch of other influences from the legendary Tucson collective. Great stuff.
9. Lana Del Rey – Born To Die – the distaff Chris Isaak shouldn’t be our taste, but it is. The record that trolled an entire industry, with great tunes.
10. Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol – now we’re talking. Huge doom metal record. Incredibly next year it’s 25 years since Gothic. Massively heavy but tuneful and never lets up.