11. Settle / Disclosure

Disclosure's debut album Settle has an argument to make for the top spot.  The stylish house record is brimming with youthful energy and teeming with in-the-zeitgeist moments.  In a year of endless EDM releases, Settle is the romantically-charged, intelligent, aurally-pleasing pinnacle.  Bookish electronica?  Check.  Sly samples?  Check.  Select live instruments and drums?  Check.  Outstanding guest vocalists?  Check, check.

British brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence (incredibly, 22 and 19 years of age) garnered critical acclaim with their confident debut and grabbed three Top Ten singles in the UK with the infectious "Latch," "White Noise," and "You & Me."  The duo's songwriting feel for electronic music is intuitive and impressive--rarely do lyrics mesh with the underlying beats in such a seamless fashion.  Much like Daft Punk's record, the duo invited excellent collaborators to sing and play on the album, a glossy list of contributors such as Jessie Ware, Sam Smith, and AlunaGeorge.  The guests' unique vocals on almost every track elevate the heady music to communal club-hopping, leaving little doubt that Settle is the music of today.