BEST OF 2009 SO FAR

It's only FEBRUARY (YES... FEBRUARY!?) and already there have been some brilliant and gorgeous musical offerings this year. These six albums are all uniquely interesting and very special and if they're not in our top 20 albums of 2009 it will have been a VERY VERY VERY good year for music.

Clockwise from top left we have:

• Bat For Lashes' second 'LP' is a rich and varied departure from her more folksy first album.
• Alela Diane's To Be Still is about as achingly lovely and evocative as acoustic folk can get.
• The Crying Light by Antony & The Johnsons is a brutally gorgeous orchestral paean to nature.
• The Yeah Yeah Yeah's third album sees them embracing an epic, synthier sound.
• India.Arie's second instalment of her 'Testimony's is an exotically woven musical tapestry.
• Vienna Teng's 4th album sees her departing somewhat from her piano into more adventurous territory.