'Tis the season to be tipping new artists, and next week the BBC Sound of 2010 list will showcase emerging acts.

But which albums from the past year flew under the mainstream radar and also deserve to be discovered by the wider world in 2010?

A selection of tipsters from the Sound of 2010 panel have chosen the most underrated albums of 2009, which they believe did not get the critical or commercial love they merited in the last 12 months.

Listen to tracks from these albums in playlists.

A CAMP - COLONIA

Eight years after their debut, The Cardigans singer Nina Persson has resurrected side-project A Camp. Working with her husband, she says the album was inspired by "the history of savagery", explaining: "The human urge to rape, conquer and pillage has always fascinated me."

James Foley, music editor, Record of the Day:

BLUE ROSES - BLUE ROSES

Recalling Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell, the voice of Laura Groves is at the heart of this warm, folky album. She roped in family and friends to accompany her and recorded on borrowed equipment in bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms in her home town of Shipley, Yorkshire.

Natalie Shaw, editor, Musosguide.com:

DIRTY PROJECTORS - BITTE ORCA

From the Brooklyn school of open-minded art rock (see Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear), Dirty Projectors mastermind Dave Longstreth aims to push every boundary. He has worked with Bjork and David Byrne and Bitte Orca is Dirty Projectors' fifth LP.

Greg Cochrane, BBC Radio 1 music reporter:

THE DO - A MOUTHFUL

Named after the first and last note on the musical scale, this French-Finnish duo claim to be as inspired by jazz and classical as rock and pop. The result is wilfully off-the-wall and exhilarating.

Fraser McAlpine, BBC Chart Blog:

MELANIE FIONA - THE BRIDGE

Born to Guyanese parents in Toronto, Melanie Fiona made an impressive album of upbeat soul-pop. She has supported Kanye West on tour and has a Grammy nomination for best female R&B vocal performance.

Paul Mack, station manager, The Hits, Smash Hits & Heat Radio:

THE LOW ANTHEM - OH MY GOD, CHARLIE DARWIN

This trio met at university in Rhode Island and have won fans with their fragile Americana. Their instruments include a WWI portable pump organ, a rusty saw, a nipple gong, a "gut-strung parlor axe" and "enough harmonicas to summon a swarm of locusts".

Leonie Cooper, music journalist, NME & The Guardian:

MAJOR LAZER - GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE... LAZERS DO

Major Lazer is a one-armed Jamaican ex-commando who battles the forces of darkness. Actually, he is a cartoon character devised by producers Diplo and Switch to serve their blistering cocktail of dancehall reggae, hip-hop and electro.

Adele Roberts, DJ, Galaxy FM:

MCALMONT & NYMAN - THE GLARE

This collaboration saw composer Michael Nyman provide the music and David McAlmont write and sing each song based on news stories from around the world. He put himself in the shoes of figures from Susan Boyle to a Nigerian prostitute in a people-trafficking ring to Silvio Berlusconi's lover.

Simon Price, rock and pop critic, Independent on Sunday:

MEW - NO MORE STORIES...

Danish indie trio Mew attracted praise for their fourth studio album, which mixed jaunty choruses with adventurous storytelling and arrangements. They described the results as "dream pop".

Phil Singer, There Goes The Fear blog:

MICACHU - JEWELLERY

Micachu is Londoner Mica Levi, who recorded the album while studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and used home-made instruments ranging from a modified CD rack to broken bottles and a vacuum cleaner.

Paul Macinnes, entertainment editor, Guardian.co.uk:

JACK PENATE - EVERYTHING IS NEW

Singer-songwriter Jack Penate reached the top 10 with his debut album Matinee in 2007, but the follow-up Everything Is New dropped out of the top 40 after two weeks.

Lana Webb, head of music, Remedy Productions:

SKY LARKIN - THE GOLDEN SPIKE

After four years together, this Leeds guitar trio recorded their brisk, taut and spiky debut album in two weeks in Seattle. It owes much to American alt.rock and was released by respected indie label Wichita.

Matt Barnes, editor, NewNoise.net:

TUNE-YARDS - BIRD BRAINS

Made using a digital voice recorder and shareware software in her Montreal flat, singer and instrumentalist Merrill Garbus' rich, intimate and unpredictable album is held together by DIY charm.

Sian Rowe, editor, Neu magazine:

WILD BEASTS - TWO DANCERS

Hayden Thorpe's distinctive falsetto, coupled with Tom Fleming's baritone and a delicate, dreamy musical landscape, makes this Kendal foursome stand well apart from the conventional indie scene.

George Ergatoudis, head of music, BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra:

Listen to tracks from these albums in playlists on We7 (13 tracks), MySpace (13 tracks) & Spotify (14 tracks, registration & application download required, only available in UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Spain). Tracks may not be available outside the UK.