Music critics have voted US psychedelic dance act Animal Collective's record "Merriweather Post Pavilion" the album of the year.
The New York-based indie band topped HMV's annual "poll of polls" for 2009 and reflected a strong showing from acts signed to independent record labels.
The poll was voted for by critics and writers from the music and national press in the UK and Ireland and online sites, totalling 34 organisations.
Merriweather Post Pavilion received 13 nominations and was named album of the year by Mojo and Uncut magazines and The Sunday Times.
The January release, which reached number 26 in the charts, saw off the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "It's Blitz" into second and The XX's self-titled debut into third.
Fourth place was claimed by Brooklyn-based experimental rock outfit Dirty Projectors for their album "Bitte Orca", while Grizzly Bear grabbed fifth with their highly-rated title "Veckatimest".
The rest of the top 10 was made up of albums from Horrors, Fever Ray, Florence And The Machine, a class=vlin href=/vcat.phtml?action=va&singer=16859>Bat For Lashes and Wild Beasts.
Releases from Manic Street Preachers, Arctic Monkeys and Bob Dylan made the top 25.
Kasabian's "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum" - credited by Q magazine as the album of the year - was voted the year's 29th finest record.
The Mercury Music Prize album of the year - Speech Debelle's "Speech Therapy" - failed to make the top 50. Source: Ananova
