Albums & Gigs of the year reprised

I've been thinking of my favourite gigs and releases of the year for a while and decided that I really ought to put them in some sort of order. Arguably the most difficult part has been deciding whether or not to and if so how to include compilations and whole series of 7" singles in my lists. In a broadly similar vein, how to categorise festivals and all dayers amongst my top gigs (should they count as entire huge shows or can each set count as an individual thing) caused no end of confusion!! Ultimately, I might not (in fact almost certainly didn't aside from deciding not to include singles in releases) resolve either side to any great degree so here are the somewhat jumbled outcomes in no particular order and as a top 14 (almost) and a top 11 (sort of);

Top Releases
Europe - Allo Darlin'
Mature Themes - Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti
T.O.Y.S EP - T.O.Y.S
Believe Me - The Smittens
Martha EP - Martha
Five: A WeePop Covers Compilation - Various
Wildlife - The Lovely Eggs
wiaiwya 7777777 series - Various
Shrines - Purity Ring
Outside Its Cold Just Like The Inside Of Your Body And - Ace Bushy Striptease
Ten Songs About Girls - Tender Trap
Blunderbuss - Jack White
This Many Boyfriends - This Many Boyfriends
The Roots of Love (Come Tumbling Down) - Big Wave


Top Gigs
Tune Yards @ Shepherds Bush Empire
Allo Darlin', Martha, Tigercats @ Kings College Student Union
The History of Apple Pie, Hooded Fang, Eagulls @ Barfly Camden
Ace Bushy Striptease, Cosines, Downdimes @ Wilmington Arms
La Sera, Novella @ The Lexington
Allo Darlin', Herman Dune @ Heaven
Darren Hayman and the Long Parliament @ The Lexington
Casual Sex, T.O.Y.S, Wake the President, Post @Wilmington Arms
Evans the Death, Big Wave, Model Village, Violet Woods @ George Tavern
The Lovely Eggs @ The Social
Trailer Trash Tracys @ Rough Trade East

and of course,

London Popfest

Indietracks

OddBox Weekender

End of the Road

which I can't split up into separate shows because I largely remember them as one, and perhaps more importantly, my lists would become needlessly and unmanageably large!

There could and potentially will be an addendum to this post just as soon as I remember more albums and gigs which I had temporarily forgotten about, but then perhaps they shouldn't make the list for that exact reason...