15 Best Albums Of The Decade (So Far)

8. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

It's hard to think of a singer-songwriter who is as distinctly British as PJ Harvey - she's been around since the late '80s and has built up a discography to rival any other British performer of her generation, garnering the kind of acclaim reserved for music luminaries such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Her eighth and most recent studio album, Let England Shake, delivers a series of powerful songs which highlight Harvey's anti-war sentiments with passion and conviction, their folk-influenced overtones an apt reminder of England's rebellious musical heritage.

Let England Shake is a defiant album, and one in which Harvey's ever-evolving multi-instrumentalist talents comes to the fore with some unique arrangements which push her abilities further than ever before. With a new album due this year it's impossible to second guess what to expect. As Harvey says herself, "My biggest fear would be to replicate something I've done before."