Villagers top the Hot Press critics' poll

Villagers' Becoming a Jackal has topped the annual Hot Press critics' poll. The album - Conor J O'Brien's debut solo release - reached the No. 1 spot in the official Irish chart following its release in June. It then went on to score a Mercury Prize nomination.

Conor's appearance on the acclaimed UK music show Later...With Jools Holland was a fantastic achievement for an Irish artist, and brought his unique sound to a new audience. In our Annual, Stuart Clark meets the show's Executive Producer Mark Cooper, who says of Conor's appearance: “I’m delighted it was so well-received in Ireland. We were delighted to find an artist with his own integrity and sense of who he is." Read the full interview in the Annual, which hits stores today.

Elsewhere in the poll, there are other Irish appearances, with Cathy Davey, The Cast of Cheers and Two Door Cinema Club all charting. International acts like The National and Arcade Fire (both also interviewed in the Annual), Vampire Weekend and recent Hot Press cover star Robert Plant also get the nod of approval.

The Hot Press Critics' Poll is a contributor to HMV's Annual Poll of Polls in UK & Ireland along with the likes of Art Rocker,Clash, Classic Rock, Decibel, DJ, Fact, GQ, Hammer, Hot Press, Mojo, Music Week, NME, Q, Record Collector, Rock Sound, Time Out, Wire, Uncut, The Word, Daily Star, Guardian, Times & Sunday Times.

See the poll in full, as well as our look back on the events of 2010, in the Annual, out now.