My #1 album of the year so far is DEFINITELY Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger. I bought it at the end of May and have been continuously playing it ever since. And it only gets better with each listen. As I've said many times, they are my new favorite band. So they win the prize for both album and live show (Tonic, NYC) so far this year. I also really like the Black Mountain album. And a few others that have already been mentioned.
As for other live shows:
The Arcade Fire - 9:30 Club
Hopewell/The Comas/The Sights - Iota
Idlewild (acoustic) - Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
Longview/Dogs Die in Hot Cars/Phoenix - 9:30 Club (a feel good show)
Uncut - Warehouse Next Door
M83 - Black Cat