It’s that time of the year again and here are some ideas for last minute Christmas presents. No mad stuff here, just sure fire stocking fillers that are a bit more original than the usual charts hits.

Stylish, Trendy Stuff
Let a loved one discover the freshest underground sounds this Christmas with the two-CD compilation by Hyperdub. This is the real deal and no silly hype like those lame ‘The Best Dance Album Ever And Ever And Ever Vol 74′ multiple CD-sets better suited to be used as coasters for sticky pint glasses. This compilation spans the label’s five year history of a fiercely stylish and uncompromising South London label called Hyperdub. From proven Dubstep dancefloor killers to brand new tracks that push Hyperdub’s sound into minimal Techno and UK Funky territories, ‘Five Years Of Hyperdub’ is a certified top presie if your budget doesn’t stretch to a tasty pair of trainers.

More goodies for fans of Urban, R&B or Reggae come in form of the genre defying London duo King Midas Sound. I’d recommend ‘Waiting For You’ to anybody looking for a seriously cool album to chill out to.

Indie, Intellectual Stuff
Are you buying for a skinny jeans and plimsouls person? Well, chances are they already have Animal Collective’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’. If you can check secretly and they haven’t, then do buy ‘MPP’ as all their friends are bound to talk about it at length. It’s the sort of thing that’ll pop up on dozens of End of Year lists. And it’s a fine album, too.

Jeffrey Lewis has been singing zany, bitter-sweet indie tunes for a good few years now. Anybody who is (or remembers what it was like to be) 21 should be able to relate to Jeff’s songs about relationships, travelling on the cheap and normal day-to-day madness.

For Music Heads Who Have (almost) Everything
For the Indie fan who already has pretty much everything that came out this year, here’s two secret tips: Golden Bloom and the Dimes. Golden Bloom is a totally obscure Brooklyn singer songwriter with seriously good tunes. Buy his new album ‘Fan The Flames’ directly from the artist. The Dimes are based in Portland, Oregon, a place with a super-charged music scene that’s just about ready to explode by the looks (or sounds) of it. Get on the trend early and get the Dimes album on Amazon.

And If You Are Not Sure…
Everybody will like these two albums, trust me. Nothing too challenging here, just damn good pop music. Both Peasant and Shannon Stephens can hold their own when presented as a gift to somebody who may have previously liked Suzanne Vega (a good while ago) or Damien Rice (bit more recent).