Guardian Music — England did indeed shake this year to the sound of riots, protests and distant wars. No wonder, then, that PJ Harvey's raw yet meticulously researched record hit a nerveDepicting war has always been an overwhelmingly male concern, even though it tear... more info

DrownedInSound — This week's Spotify playlist, formed from the week's content on the website. Warning: it leans heavily towards the end of year content. Still, we're trying to drum some of the bands and songs into you, so here's another attempt. Read the full s... more info

Guardian Music — Adele, PJ Harvey and Björk led the way in a great year for female performersSports commentators quickly get used to bandying about the phrase "torn anterior cruciate ligament" – the knee injury that commonly hobbles footballers. This year, pop ... more info

Stereogum — After Rolling Stone, NME is now the second major music magazine to reveal its year-end top-50 list today. And following Uncut and MOJO, it’s also the second British rock rag to name PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake as its album of the year. Those Br... more info

Guardian Music — Dave Guetta's ubiquitous productions made Alexis Petridis feel like his dad – thank heavens for PJ HarveyThere were moments when the 2011 singles chart seemed likely to trigger an existential crisis in music fans of a certain age. This summer I tur... more info

Stereogum — Following Q and Uncut, MOJO is the third major British rock magazine to reveal its year-end list of its top 50 albums, and a pattern is emerging. British critics love the shit out of PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake; it topped the Uncut list, and it t... more info

411 Mania — On December 12... more info

DrownedInSound — Many times this year we've listened to PJ Harvey's Let England Shake and almost each and every time we marvel at its brilliance. You may remember the films which were made for every track on the album by Seamus Murphy, we ran a few of them after all.... more info

Stereogum — This outfit, 2:54, is a pair of British blood sisters with shoegazer and eyeliner smeared all over their music and a terrific EP to their family name. (Thurlow, for the record.) Think about the sonic signifiers of Lush and PJ Harvey bottled inside a ... more info

Stereogum — Hey, another year-end list! Today, we’ve already seen Paste and Q name their 50 favorite albums of 2011. Now the British rock mag Uncut also chips in, giving a list that’s heavier on doom-and-gloom visions and old-timey sounds than anyone couldâ€... more info