Top 50 Albums Of The Year

[YI]

If an EP has 6-tracks or more, it is eligible, although that has nothing to do with what is up first.

50. "FROM THE BOTTOM" by OFF WITH THEIR HEADS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/offwiththeirheads

INFO: Simple as it comes punk-rock album. Mouthwatering melodies. It's basically part Hot Water Music, part Sex Pistols, part anything ever touched by Brendan Kelly. Rocking tunes that just can't help but put you in a good mood. Not quite as good as their debut, "Hospitals", but better than their sophomore album. Fun album, and at the end of the day, that's what you want music to be. Reminds me a lot of the Witches With Dicks album from 2007. Touring here early next year, hoping they come close enough for me to catch.

BEST SONGS: "I Am You", "For The Four", "Until The Day..." and "1612 Havenhurst".

IN QUICK: Gruff vocalled, straight up, catchy as fuck punk-rock.

49. "TURNING DOWN WATER FOR AIR" by JAMES YUILL

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/jamesyuill

INFO: An awesome singer-songwriter blend, so many beautiful tunes. It just seems to be lacking something that would give it a higher place. Perfect mix of acoustic guitar and electronics, and at the risk of facing Ollie's wrath, he does it far more successfully than Conor Oberst could ever hope to do. Cute little album.

BEST SONGS: "No Pins Allowed", "Over The Hills", "Left Handed Girl" and "This Sweet Love".

IN QUICK: Folk-tronica, if Jose Gonzalez and The Postal Service had a London based musical baby.

48. "RELATIVITY" by EMAROSA

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/emarosa

INFO: Don't let the fact they're supporting You Meat Six on their upcoming tour put you off, this is a fucking rocking band. Remember back in the day when emo-rock/post-hardcore used to be cool as fuck? These guys are channelling that spirit. With the boundary pushing of the likes of Fear Before (The March Of Flames) and Thursday, coupled with the straight up rocking and catchiness of early day Funeral For A Friend and Finch. I admit, wont be for everyone. But if you're into this kind of thing, or at least were at one point, this album should definitely be checked out.

BEST SONGS: "Sailing In The Dark Isn't Smart Kid!", "Set If Off Like Napalm", "The Past Should Stay Dead" and "Just Another Marionette".

IN QUICK: Experimental post-hardcore, Thursday styleeee, bit of a Coheed vibe too with the vocalist and technical parts.

47. "ALPINISMS" by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/schoolofsevenbells

INFO: As featured in everyone's favourite free paper, "The Metro", School of Seven Bells are two pretty girls, a guy with long hair playing a bunch of incredibly beautiful, atmospheric tunes. The kind of album that you can just put on and let it soothe you. Beautiful stuff. It seems to tail off a little bit in the second half when it starts going a bit more 'electronic', but it's still a really good album. Are touring over here with Kyte early next year, which seems like such a perfect blend. They're not coming near me, but I'm tempted to go on an excursion to catch them both, as it's two bands I really enjoy. It has a bit of a female Electric President vibe at times. Epic album cover too.

BEST SONGS: "Half Asleep", "Connjur", "Face To Face On High Places" and "Wired For Light".

IN QUICK: Soothing, psychedelic twinged indie-pop, dreamy ah's and female vocals...beautiful stuff

46. "VIVA LA VIDA OR DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS" by COLDPLAY

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/coldplay

INFO: Before this album I liked 2 and a half Coldplay songs. "The Scientist", "In My Place" and the ending to "Fix You". This has totally screwed everything up. Yes, I still can't go back over and 'appreciate' their older stuff, I still think it's shite, but this album is fucking good. I will agree that lyrically it's a bit wank, as Chris Martin has the Bono mentality of every line must sound "profound", instead of actually making a 'profound' song. Still, some killer tunes on here. "Reign Of Love" is absolutely amazing, some of the cheesiest chord progressions I've ever heard in a song. "Life In Technicolor" is awesome with its Cure style riff, but I really wish they'd made it a proper song instead of just like an 'intro' as it probably would have been my favourite on here.

BEST SONGS: "Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love", "Viva La Vida", "Lost!" and "Life In Technicolor".

IN QUICK: Coldplay make an album that's not a complete bag of arse!

Edited December 21, 2008 by YI

[YI]

45. "NEVER SAY" by THE ACTION DESIGN

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/theactiondesign

INFO: I was never a massive fan of Tsunami Bomb, yes they had a really fit singer and a handful of good tracks ("Roundabout", "Lemonade", "Russian Roulette" etc.), but I could never stomach a full album, for a punk-rock band they seemed a little bland musically. However, Agent M is now fronting a cutesy indie-pop band, The Action Design, and as the first songs from their self-titled EP appeared last year I was hooked from the get-go. Great melodies, with stabby guitar rhythms that remind me of first album Maximo Park. Definitely a band that could places, in that it's a good album, not a bad track, but it's still open to improvement. Hopefully they don't fuck it up like fellow female fronted indie-pop band, Headlights and release a terribly dull, mediocre second album.

BEST SONGS: "The Crossing", "All That Night", "Half A World" and "Tokyo Train".

IN QUICK: Catchy and charming indie-pop fronted by former Tsunami Bomb front-woman, Agent M.

44. "ART COLLEGE" by QUITZOW

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/quitzow

INFO: Making up the indie-trendwhore quota of this section is New York based Quitzow. Compared to the likes of Ladytron and Santogold due to her 'weird pop' style, but I find a bunch of tunes here leaning more towards the Regina Spektor area. And it's those songs that are actually the best. There's so much potential here. But there's a bunch on unnecessary weirdness, if that was filtered out, this album could definately score higher. "Better Than Ever" is such an amazing tune though. Also, much love to the chorus of "Stay away from John, he's just a pimp with a hard on".

BEST SONGS: "Better Than Ever", "Stay Away From John", "Jackpot" and "Sponsor (It Didn't Mean A Thing)".

IN QUICK: Total indie-trendwhore stuff, electronic weirdness, but there's enough good melody and straight up catchiness to make it a good album, and not fall into the Santogold category. Still, can't help but feel it could have been much better without her plopping her fanny down onto a Moog, or whatever half of the shit is.

43. "THE RAVEN" by MUTE

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/mutepunkrock

INFO: With the intensity and riffs of A Wilhelm Scream, the chord progressions of Lagwagon and the straight up catchiness of Rufio or Alucard, comes Mute, from Canada. This was an album I only checked out because of the awesome album cover, but it's become one of my favourite releases of the year. It's got a dark vibe and there's a lot going on at times, but it never really gets to 'heavy', or in the way, a catchy melody is always the top priority. It starts at full speed and it continues on throughout.

BEST SONGS: "Shredder", "Burning Wreck", "Lost And Found" and "Glass Bones".

IN QUICK: Quintessential tech-punk, where the quality of 'songs' is not effected by the technical aspects of the music. Definitely a band punk-rock fans should check out.

42. "CONFIDENCE MAN" by MATT PRYOR

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/mattpryorsongs

INFO: Matt Pryor is one of the busiest men in music. After two consecutive years of New Amsterdams releases, we weren't greeted with one this year, instead they embarked on a worldwide tour (I went to the London show on a whim, was brilliant, solo versions of Get Up Kids tunes as an encore was lovely), Pryor put out his first solo record, released his second children's themed album under the Terrible Twos moniker (which I still haven't heard yet) and then reunited modern emo-indie pioneers, the Get Up Kids. To be fair, I don't feel that this was as good as it could have been, but it may be that he's spreading himself too thin with all these projects. Still a selection of really good, chilled out, acoustic and folk styled tracks.

BEST SONGS: "When The World Stops Turning", "Only", "On How Our Paths Differ", "A Totally New Year" and "Who Do You Think You Are?".

IN QUICK: A great little summer in the sun, folk twinged, acoustic based album from the (CURRENT~! WHOO!!) Get Up Kids frontman.

41. "NEW LEXICON" by PAINT IT BLACK

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/paintitblack

INFO: I am such a fanboy for Paint It Black guitarist/vocalist Dan Yemin. Yemin was a vital part to two of the legendary punk-rock bands, Lifetime and Kid Dynamite. As well as playing in Atom (& His Package) fronted Armalite, who put out an amazing album a couple of years back, he has now put out three records with Paint It Black, the first band he has fronted in his illustrious career. With this release PIB show they are well on the way to joining Yemin's other bands in the punk-rock 'hall of fame'. Their debut was great, but the follow up "Paradise" completely blew it out of the vagisil. This album follows on more of the same, just face melting hardcore-punk, no nonsense, no-frills, not as good as "Paradise", but still some epic tunes...plus, the fact they did a gig in a street to support that album, that looks like the most badass thing ever; http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HqklRF1FU24 ...FUCKING AWESOME! Still gutted I couldn't get down to see them live when they toured here. Probably my favourite album cover of the year too. Simple, yet awesome.

BEST SONGS: "Past Tense, Future Perfect", "White Kids Dying Of Hunger", "Check YOUR Math", "Four Deadly Venoms" and "Severance".

IN QUICK: Fucking awesome, face melting hardcore-punk. No frills, just fucking awesome.

[Draevyn]

Out of these bands, I enjoyed Emarosa a bit. I think it would probably get better with a few listens, but I wanted to check out all four offerings. I will admit that I enjoyed Lost! by Coldplay when I had hated them with a passion before. The other two were definitely not my cup of tea.

EDIT: And before I had finished the first four, you put more down. On the second batch I enjoyed The Action Design surprisingly. They probably wouldn't be something that I'd listen to all the time, but I enjoyed what I did listen to during this little dive into someone else's music taste. However, I will decree my absolute love for Matt Pryor. The New Amsterdams, The Get Up Kids, and now solo stuff. I'll be picking up this album. The other ones I didn't enjoy very much.

Edited December 21, 2008 by Sir Forks Alot

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Coldplay would be way higher for me, fantastic album although not on the level of Parachutes or Rush Of Blood, which were both unbelievable.

[R.W.]

On their new EP, they've turned "Life In Technicolour" into a full song

[METALMAN]

Jay-Z is on it too. The EP I mean. Not Life in Technicolor.

[Jimmy]

I always liked the singles from Coldplay, but never felt the need to listen to a whole album. My music tastes have changed slightly over the last year and this is the first Coldplay album I've really enjoyed. I haven't heard of any of the other bands so it'll give me a chance to listen to some new stuff.

[YI]

40. "FIELD MANUAL" by CHRIS WALLA

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/chriswalla

INFO: Chris Walla is a member of indie-pop band Death Cab For Cutie, he's the one that still looks like he has his hair cut by his mam (although, to be honest, that doesn't narrow it down much). I was looking forward to his solo release for a while, as he'd put out a few free songs under the moniker, "Martin Youth Auxiliary" which were really good. At the times the album does seem to fall into DCFC territory a little too much, and he doesn't have the strength of voice Ben Gibbard does. That being said there's some amazing tracks on here, the atmospheric opener "Two-Fifty" which apparently started life as a DCFC track (although it sounds the least like a Death Cab song of anything on the album), the rocking "Geometry & C" (which could be straight from "The Photo Album"), Umbrella's sound-alike "A Bird Is A Song" etc. Not an album that will change the face of music, but got much play early in the year, tiding me over until the release of "Narrow Stairs".

BEST SONGS: "Two-Fifty", "Everyone Needs A Home", "A Bird Is A Song", "Archer v. Light" and "Sing Again".

IN QUICK: Death Cab For Cutie guitarist churning out a good solo record, he never steps outside of his comfort zone, but he has no need to, just some solid tunes.

39. "LOVE IRE & SONG" by FRANK TURNER

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/frankturner

INFO: The former Million Dead comes back with his second indie-folk solo release, this time he's really made use of his 'full band' and crafted a far more interesting album than his debut, "Sleep Is For The Week". Don't get me wrong, I really liked 'Sleep', but the arrangements and the tunes on here, for the most part, are far better. Seen him live twice this year, first time I was unfamiI eat the shit from the ass for two year olds with this material, but he still blew me away. At Leeds, he provided one of the biggest sing along sessions of the weekend. Will be catching him with The Gaslight Anthem and Polar Bear Club (eyes peeled y'all) next year too, can't wait!

BEST SONGS: "St Christopher Is Coming Home", "Photosynthesis", "Long Live The Queen", "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous" and "A Love Worth Keeping".

IN QUICK: Indie-folk, amazing sing-along music from former frontman of UK hardcore pioneers, Million Dead.

38. "THE HOLLOW OF MORNING" by GEMMA HAYES

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/gemmahayes

INFO: 3rd album from bonafied fitty, Gemma Hayes, and the first of the female Irish contingent on this list...I say contingent, I think there's only like two, but, whatever. It's soft, middle of the road easy listening stuff. The occasional electric guitar song thrown in there, but it gets about as rowdy as the seated section at a Snow Patrol gig. But she's proof that music doesn't need to be loud, 'angry' or overtly experimental to be good, a nice soft, beautiful track is sometimes perfect. I'm a little disappointed she didn't put "November" on here, which I don't believe is on any of her albums, as it's a great tune.

BEST SONGS: "This Is What You Do", "Chasing Dragons", "Out Of My Hands", "At Constant Speed" and "Home".

IN QUICK: Sweet female singer-songwriter stuff with an indie-rock twinge.

37. "HERETIC PRIDE" by THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/themountaingoats

INFO: Mountain Goats are a 'band' I've been into a for a while now, but the sheer depth of John Darnielle's back catalogue means I'm never going to be able to submerge myself into all of his stuff, that being said, I do love whenever a new Mountain Goats album comes out. This album is chock-full of catchy melodies in the likes of "Sax Rohmer #1" and "Autoclave" and the quieter "Marduk T-Shirt Men's Room Incident", "So Desperate" and "Tianchi Lake". Ooh, just found out it was produced by John Vanderslice. I have a signed John Vanderslice CD, nice bloke.

BEST SONGS: "San Bernadino", "Marduk T-Shirt Men’s Room Incident", "Autoclave", "Sax Rohmer #1" and "So Desperate".

IN QUICK: Another shining example of an album from the lo-fi acoustic-indie legends.

36. "SLEEP WELL" by ELECTRIC PRESIDENT

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/officialelectricpresident

INFO: Ben Cooper is one of my favourite artists at the moment. In 2006 his debut as Electric President placed very highly in my list of albums, and in 2007, his sophomore album under the Radical Face moniker placed highly as well. I had high hopes for this album, and on first listen, it didn't quite live up to those hopes, but as time has went on, it's grown and grown on me. Cooper writes really quite moody tracks, this was balanced off perfectly on the debut by the catchy electronics involved in the tunes and the big melodies. Here, it's more of a Radical Face affair, as it's basically all 'moody' and dark, and the electronics aren't anywhere near as catchy as the debut. But, the strength of tunes is still really, really good, and there's quite a few really shining examples of songwriting here. "Ether" is a phenomenal song, which is made by the catchy verse and bassline, in fact quite a lot of songs are made by their basslines, such as the pounding "We Will Walk Through Walls" and "All Like The Bones", which sounds like it could be from The Stone Roses back catalogue. The vocal works is also absolutely phenomenal on here.

BEST SONGS: "Ether", "We Will Walk Through Walls", "Robophobia", "All Like The Bones" and "Lullaby".

IN QUICK: Haunting lo-fi, electro-indie band, who manage to successfully dodge the sophomore jinx.

Seriously...how fucking hot is Gemma Hayes?

yummy

[TheRossWalker]

Of the first fifteen albums, I've only heard two all the way through, and one is Coldplay. There's something I never thought I'd say. :/ The other is Frank Turner, and both are pretty fucking great albums.

SoSB, I've heard of via Gaylist 7, and the song on there is pretty good, and I'll probably check out their album soon enough. Off With Their Heads, Matt Pryor, Paint It Black and Chris Walla are also on my "to download" list.

[METALMAN]

I love Gemma Hayes

[Lowerdeck]

I hadn't heard of this Genna Hayes gal until I read this topic.

Damn, she's pretty good though. Fit too.

[YI]

35. "HEART BURNS" by TOM GABEL

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/tomgabelmusic

INFO: A seven (or 9 with the bonus tracks, well 8 and an acoustic version) track EP from the Against Me! frontman. One of the most fabulous musical rumours I ever heard was that "Tom Gabel hated jews", it had absolutely no truth to it, but it spread like wildfire, it was fabulous. I HATED "New Wave", I felt at times they were just turning into a poor man's Modest Mouse (well, louder Modest Mouse) and really did not feel the vast majority of the album. But, a lot of this material shares a fair amount in common with that, such as "Random Hearts", but I really enjoy this. A lot of it is acoustic based, but the songs don't feel like Against Me! songs, so it's all good. There's also guest appearances from Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) for "Anna Is A Stool Pigeon" and Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) in "Amputations". Would be higher if it was longer. I mean, EP's generally leave you wanting more, but it really annoys me in this case. Stuff like Lights, Me Vs Hero and Bim, finish up and I'm like "I'd like more, but that's a nice rounded EP", here it just feels like there SHOULD be more.

BEST SONGS: "Anna Is A Stool Pigeon (ft. Chuck Ragan)", "Cowards Sing At Night", "Random Hearts", "Conceptual Paths" and "Amputations (ft. Matt Skiba)".

IN QUICK: Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel rebounds back from the disappointing "New Wave" with a blend of folksy/americana solo rock.

34. "CIVIL WAR" by DILLINGER FOUR

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/dillingerfour

INFO: Mid-tempo punk-rock is a difficult one. Lots of bands fall flat when they try it (see; The Briggs (although, give them their due, they were good live), "Appeal To Reason" by Rise Against etc.), with the best mid-tempo bands generally being of the 'gruff' variety, such as Hot Water Music, Jawbreaker, The Draft, Lock & Key etc. Bands where the vocals really add something to it, so the music doesn't get dull. However, there were always two bands that had the 'mid-tempo' punk-rock thing down, without having to rely on the gruff vocals, them being Pulley and Dillinger Four (who also both specialise in taking for fucking ever in putting out an album). Yes, both bands have their 'moments' (especially Pulley, who can bust out some lightning tracks), but they're mostly mid-tempo songs. That being said, there's never a moment in this album where things are dull. The 6-year wait has been worth it as there's a selection of amazing tracks on here, one of the few moments of greatness from Fat Wreck Chords recently.

BEST SONGS: "Contemplate This On The Tree of Woe", "Ode To The North American Snake Oil Distributor", "Gainesville", "Clown Cars on Cinder Blocks" and "ParisHiltonIsAMetaphor".

IN QUICK: A great punk-rock album with some killer melodies and hooks.

33. "DAY & AGE" by THE KILLERS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/thekillers

INFO: The Killers always were a 'singles' band to me. I liked 6-songs on the debut and only 3 on "Sam's Town". Seriously, why was "Bling (Confessions Of A King)" never released as a single? Brilliant track. I expected nothing better from this, I heard "Spaceman" at Leeds and instantly fell in love with it. Then "Human" was released, despite sounding like a poor version of "Forever Young" and having the most retarded focal point lyric I'd heard in a while, I liked it, but they were both singles (or going to be in "Spaceman's" case), but I gave the album a download anyway, and I must say I was surprised at what I heard. The entire album was of a great standard and they weren't afraid to push themselves a bit. The funky "Joy Ride" was an early favourite, you have the dreamy "Neon Tiger", "A Dustland Fairytale" and of course "Spaceman", with a chorus so big it gives "Mr Brightside" a run for its money. But it's not just the 'singles' that sound great. The tracks that are doubtful as singles are top notch too; "This Is Your Life", "The World We Live In", "Goodnight, Travel Well" (3:38 onwards gives me goosebumps) and lets not forget the bonus track "A Crippling Blow" which sounds like Of Monteal. One thing, it might just be the production, but the brass and sax and stuff, may be done with a midi keyboard, as it certainly sounds that way, it'd have been so much better if they'd been done naturally, or given a more natural sound if they were legit instruments. That's my only real complaint.

BEST SONGS: "Spaceman", "Joy Ride", "Goodnight, Travel Well", "This Is Your Life" and "The World We Live In".

IN QUICK: The Killers manage to hone their sound with what is hands down their best album to date.

32. "SPEAKING IN CURSIVE" by TWO COW GARAGE

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/twocowgarage

INFO: I fell in love with this band for two reasons. First of all for their amazing band name, secondly the song "Humble Narrator". The track has arguably my favourite lyric of the year, in the first verse; "Waking up to cassette tapes and ashtrays all filled up from the night before. Smoke filled lungs and tapes full of songs and a stranger laying on the floor. Well some girls will kiss and some girls will shake in the morning with blood filled eyes. But the sun has a way of making us pay for our revelry filled nights." Definately the standout track of the album. This is actually the bands 4th full length release, but the first I have had the pleasure to hear. It's an awesome rock/country blend, sounding a lot like Lucero or The Loved Ones, with the feel of The Get Up Kids, circa "On A Wire". Strumming guitars, acoustic parts with keyboards and organs shining through at times, couple all this with the powerful vocal work, it never gets dull. Definately a band where I'm going to have a rummage through their back catalogue.

BEST SONGS: "Humble Narrator", "Glass City", "Wooden Teeth", "The Heart And The Crown" and "Brass Ring".

IN QUICK: A little bit Cash, a little by Springsteen, a little bit Get Up Kids...a lot of ROCK!

31. "NOTHING TO PROVE" by H2O

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/h2ofamily

INFO: It's been a great time for punk-rock resurrections. We've had Dillinger Four, mentioned above, putting out their first album in 6-years. Last year we had Lifetime put out a phenomenal album after a 10-year hiatus. Pennywise, with the help of myspace records (I never thought I'd say that) total revitalise themselves with the release of their first album this millenium that isn't outstandingly shit. And now we have H2O launching a phenomenal comeback, with their first full-length in 8-years. H2O are a band I've had a bit of a love/hate relationship with. They're catchier than syphilis, but there's something that always kind of rubbed me up the wrong way about them, the whole "The 'scene' used to be so much better" mentality a lot of their tunes have, shut the fuck up, you were just a roadie for Sick Of It All, get a grip. But at the same time, they are really, really good tunes. H20 are often labelled a 'hardcore' band, I guess they technically are, but basically they're pop-punk (not the overly cheesy kind), turned up a notch to occasionally be a bit faster and heavier. Live, they most certainly fall into the 'hardcore' category, as their live show is absolutely insane. I generally hate circle pits, but the singer getting off stage at Leeds, getting into the circle pit and doing the rest of the show (about 25-minutes) down there was fucking nuts. Only downside of the record, it's like just over 20-minutes, pretty much. When you've been waiting 8-years for something, and you get 10 short songs, yeah it doesn't overstay its welcome, but it would have been nice to have The album's also full of guest spots too; Lou Koller (Sick Of It All), Kevin Seconds, Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio), Anthony Civarelli (CIV/Gorilla Biscuits), Roger Miret (Agnostic Front) and Freddy Cricien (Madball).

BEST SONGS: "Mitts", "1995", "What Happened? (ft. Matt Skiba/Lou Koller)", "Sunday" and "A Thin Line (ft. Freddy Cricien)".

IN QUICK: Somewhere between Pennywise and New Found Glory, with massive gang vocals! EPIC!

[ROC]

I still don't get the Modest Mouse/New Wave comparison, but I shall check out the Tom Gabel record.

Also, "Joy Ride" is still the worst song ever. >_>

[YI]

30. "SOMETIMES THINGS JUST DISAPPEAR" by POLAR BEAR CLUB

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/polarbearclub

INFO: Polar Bear Club emerged on the scene in 2006 taking the punk-rock world by storm with both their demo and then their debut EP "The Redder, The Better". Hot Water Music had recently went their seperate ways and people needed a new 'gruff-punk' band to latch onto, and Polar Bear Club were to be that band. "Sometimes Things Just Disappear" actually leaked towards the end of 2007 and was one of the most eagerly anticipated releases in the punk-rock community. While now the songs have become second nature to me, I still find myself getting totally lost into the likes of "Our Ballads", "Burned Out In A Jar" and "Hollow Place" etc. It just goes to show a strength of a band, that even after so many listens you still can't help but get wrapped up into an album. Polar Bear Club are making their first trip to the UK this year, touring alongside The Gaslight Anthem and former Million Dead frontman, Frank Turner, and personally I can't wait. A perfect blend of the slower gruff and the catchy straight up punk-rock.

BEST SONGS: "Hollow Place", "Our Ballads", "Burned Out In A Jar", "Heart Attack At Thirty" and "Another Night In The Rock".

IN QUICK: A gruff-punk band that blends the post-hardcore style with punk-rock niceties, a must listen to fans of Hot Water Music/Jawbreaker etc.

29. "HOLD ON NOW, YOUNGSTER..." by LOS CAMPESINOS!

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/loscampesinos

INFO: I first heard Los Campesinos! back in, it must have been 2006, I think and was all over "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives" (which at the time was a demo). They were a band I just totally forgot about until I stumbled across "International TweeXcore Underground" (may have actually been on MTV2 or something) and then they've released two absolutely amazing albums in a year. I must say, I think that select tunes on the 2nd album are probably better, but as a whole the first album just blows it out of the water. The album gets going at a 100mph and stays that way throughout. Kicking off with a re-working of a familiar tune in "Death To Los Campesinos!" it goes straight into "Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats" my personal favourite Los Campesinos! track and it just keeps on running into great song after great song from there on out. Some of the tracks are a little rough around the edges, but that partly adds to the bands charm in my oppinion. My love for this material is increased when I think back to Leeds Festival, where they made the absolute most of their set time and played probably the best 'song selection' out of any band (maybe besides Feeder), with a set that featured (I think this is bang on); "Death To Los Campesinos!", "Broken Heartbeats...", "...Math(S)", "My Year In Lists", "This Is How You Spell...", "You! Me! Dancing!", "Sweet Dreams..." and "International TweeXcore..."...epic. Definately one of my favourite bands of the year, the whole package. Two great records and an amazing live show. Shame they don't seem to be wanting to play Newcastle anytime soon.

BEST SONGS: "Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats", "My Year In Lists", "Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(S)", "You! Me! Dancing!" and "Death To Los Campesinos!".

IN QUICK: Twee indie-rock band, dripping with energy and a feel that 'shit could just kick off' at any minute.

28. "REASON TO BELIEVE" by PENNYWISE

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/pennywise

INFO: If at the start of the year you'd have told me Pennywise would be on here, let alone this high, I'd have laughed at you. I admit to having a soft spot for "Land Of The Free?" but if I were to be honest, Pennywise have been worth nothing, besides being a live spectacle for the past decade. I mean, I saw them back in 2004, and it was a stunning show, but their newer material just didn't particularly interest me. They'd always been a kind of 'paint by numbers' band. Whilst Strung Out and Propagandhi went through stages of reinvention, the likes of Bad Religion and Pennywise were happy to churn out similar shit (let's ignore "Into The Unknown"...although badass album), and this is no different, but whereas the last few albums saw them rehashing old ideas and putting out substandard material, there's a lot of heart put into this record and the tunes rock. I admit, I was a little worried when "The Western World" was the lead single, mid-tempo Pennywise, with the exception of "Alien" has just never worked for me, but then "Something To Live For" surfaced with its blistering tempo and its "Whoa's" in the chorus, and I decided to give the album a download, they were releasing it for free afterall. Definitely a return to form here. The tunes are generally top shelf, yes if I went to see them live I'd still rather hear them bust out "Broken", "Fight Till You Die", "Waste Of Time", "Victim Of Reality" etc, but if they played the likes of "One Reason", "You Get The Life You Choose", "Something To Live For" etc, I'd happily rock the fuck out. whereas if they'd busted out stuff like "This Is Only a Test", "God Save The USA", "Competition Song", "Disconnect", "Knocked Down" and the like, from their previous albums, I'd just give out a giant MEH!

BEST SONGS: "One Reason", "All We Need", "You Get The Life You Choose", "It's Not Enough To Believe" and "Something To Live For".

IN QUICK: Pennywise...yeah...you should know how that sounds by now.

27. "SATURDAYS = YOUTH" by M83

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/m83

INFO: Where have this band been all my life? I hadn't heard of M83 until last year, when I checked this album out on a whim, and fell in love with it. It's an album with so much simple variance, you've got the big 'indie' style numbers ("Graveyard Girl", "Kim & Jessie" etc.), the long ambient drone track ("Midnight Souls Still Remain"), weird Kate Bush style tracks ("Skin Of The Night", which features some of the most fabulous electronic-toms I have ever heard) and even tunes that are bordering on techno ("Couleurs"). However, despite so much going on, it does all manage to fit together perfectly under this artsy-fartsy French electro banner. It's actually the vocals that are partly the charm here. You've got Anthony Gonzalez with his breathy, somewhat 'nervous' sounding vocals, coupled with the guest vocal work from Morgan Kibby, whose piercing tone really shines through on a variety of tracks, and she really makes "Skin Of The Night" her own. This is an album I feel like I should probably put it higher, it's full of some absolutely breathtaking tracks ("We Own The Sky" inparticular) but at the end of the day, I really struggle to sit and listen all the way through, and I find some of the songs to be a bit average. Also, "Midnight Souls Still Remain" annoys the hell out of me. It's not the fact it's just long ambience, it's the fact there's a note that is hung on all the way through the song, even when the chords change, it just annoys the fuck out of me. The band are finally getting some recognition outside of the 'arty' sect, supporting Kings Of Leon on their recent UK arena tour, before traipsing across the United States with The Killers.

BEST SONGS: "We Own The Sky", "Skin Of The Night", "Kim & Jessie", "Up!" and "Dark Moves Of Love".

IN QUICK: Many electronic styles merged together with a kind of shoegaze undertone, in this artsy French band.

26. "CARRY ON" by HIFI HANDGRENADES

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/hifihandgrenades

INFO: HiFi Handgrenades are a punk-rock band I feel don't have enough of a buzz about them. I heard little things about them all throughout last year but never actually got around to checking out their album. I decided to catch them at Leeds due to them being on before The Gaslight Anthem and I was really, really impressed. They come across a lot 'louder' live than they do on record, as they're much more bouncey and 'catchy' on the CD whereas live their stuff was more 'in your face'. I think I preferred the live style a bit more, which has probably knocked this album down a bit. Again, much like H2O, it's a bit on the short side as well, plus they also seem to have that problem of putting too many good tunes at the beginning and not spacing them out. All in all, no frills punk-rock, catchy as hell, they keep it short and sweet, similar to the likes of Dillinger Four and Off With Their Heads who also made it onto the list. Unfortunately I think they may have split, meaning they'll remain in obscurity, even within the punk-rock scene.

BEST SONGS: "Carry On", "Cut Strings", "Stupid", "Around Again" and "Hold Fast".

IN QUICK: The catchiest punk-rock release of the year.

Edited January 10, 2009 by YI

[YI]

25. "LIGHTS" by LIGHTS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/lights

INFO: In early 2008, thanks to the 'gaylist', a fair chunk of us here began to borderline worship a Canadian girl, known as 'Lights'. Okay, probably only I 'borderline worshipped' her, but you have to love a hot girl with a keytar, it's the law. While this EP is only 6 songs, it does clock in at about 18-minutes, which is just about as long as the H20 album. It's sugary, cute electro-pop stuff. From the insatiably catchy opener "Ice", which is so spectacularly gay sounding, yet you can't help but love the thing, the album continues on from strength to strength with the 'cooler' more laid back tracks. There's also "White", which blends in big guitar tones for an indie-rock esque chorus. My only downside is that "I Owe You One" is not quite up to the standard of the rest of the tunes, but still a perfectly acceptable song. It's only 6-tracks, which means it's perfect to just dip into if you're feeling a bit down, and it will soon perk you back up. Good fun.

BEST SONGS: "Ice", "February Air", "The Last Thing On Your Mind", "Drive My Soul" and "White".

IN QUICK: The cutest form of electro-pop imaginable.

24. "RED OF TOOTH AND CLAW" by MURDER BY DEATH

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/murderbydeath

INFO: I love Murder By Death. They've been crafting their original sound over the past couple of albums, before finally reaching the point they are at today, mixing together country, alt-rock and blues to create a sound that can best be described as..."it sounds like the old west". Part of Murder By Death's charm in comparison to somewhat similar bands (Two Cow Garage, The Loved Ones etc.) is how 'deep' things are. The bass feels low and menacing, they including cello into the mix, which sounds borderline evil at times and singer, Adam Turla's booming baritone voice just adds to it. It all just sounds so intriguing, it's hard to put into words, just fucking awesome. Another thing I really like about Murder By Death is the very 'good and evil' style lyrics they seem to churn out, brilliant. They're a band, where every 'feels' right, and fits together perfectly. Such as for example "The '59 Sound" by Gaslight Anthem, the faux-nostalgia it gives lyrically is coupled off perfectly with how it sounds musically, this is another such album. Not their best, but still a fabulous record.

BEST SONGS: "Rum Brave", "Ash", "Ball & Chain", "Fuego!" and "'52 Ford".

IN QUICK: ...it sounds like the old west.

23. "NARROW STAIRS" by DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/deathcabforcutie

INFO: It's no secret that Death Cab For Cutie are one of my favourite bands (top 4 definitely) so it'll probably surprise some people that they are so 'low' on this list. Heralded my many critics as the bands best album, for me personally, while it features some outstanding tracks, doesn't even get anywhere near the mark. At the end of the day, it's not that it features any bad tracks either, it's all really good, it just doesn't capture me like a lot of Death Cab albums do. That being said, there are still moments. "I Will Possess Your Heart", which I thought of as a stupid choice for lead single, hearing it live, it put it in a whole new perspective, as it sounded so grandiose and epic, it was a perfect choice for lead single. "Cath..." from its acoustic days always gave me shivers up my spine, I think I still prefer some of the acoustic recordings and lyrically it's a borderline rehash of "Company Calls Epilogue", but it's still a breathtaking tune. 2:10 in "Your New Twin Sized Bed", the first time I heard it, it was just musical perfection. Just a simple change in melody, it just resonates right through you. All in all, after the 'nicey nicey' "Plans", Death Cab decided to take a few more risks with this release, but contrary to what the media will say, it's nothing more than they had done in the past. Okay there's timpani's, 4-minute instrumentals and tabla, so I guess with the instrumentation they're being a bit more experimental, but as a whole package, it's nothing particularly different to what the band has been before. Still a great band I love, very, very much.

BEST SONGS: "Long Division", "Cath...", "The Ice Is Getting Thinner", "I Will Possess Your Heart" and "Your New Twin Sized Bed".

IN QUICK: Death Cab return to a more ballsy approach following "Plans", but it's still the glorious indie-pop we know and love.

22. "KYTE" by KYTE

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/kyteband

INFO: Kyte are a fabulous electronically twinged post-rock band from Leicester, England. They have been one of my favourite bands of the past year, putting out two breathtaking releases, this being the first, released back in the Spring (the follow up "Two Sparks, Two Stars" was released in December, is possibly better as a whole, but is only 4-tracks, and referred to as an EP by the band, so can't be featured on this list). The release is 7-tracks long and clocks in at nearly 40 minutes. The tunes are well crafted, beautiful landscapes, featuring melodious instrumentation, perfectly off set with dreamy, breathy vocals. With the vocals, there was always something about them that I really loved, but could never put my finger on. I kind of clicked on it with their most recent release, in that it's the way the singer syncopates certain words and syllables, it sounds glorious ("They Won't Sleep" is a good example of this). The electro interlude "Home" takes nothing away from here, and is a really good building tune, and is shades of The Postal Service when it finally kicks in, similarly "Secular Ventures" has a similar sound. Also, one thing I like, unlike the vast majority of 'post-rock' bands, things aren't overly epic, nor do they just feel the need to "build and build and build" with a crescendo throughout, which gets on my tits at times.

BEST SONGS: "Boundaries", "Sunlight", "They Won't Sleep", "Secular Ventures" and "Planet".

IN QUICK: Electro-twinged post-rock with dreamy vocals riding over the picturesque musical landscapes.

21. "HERE, NOT THERE" by HEATHERS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/heatherswhatsyourdamage

INFO: Heathers are two sisters from Dublin, who are signed to the Plan-It-X label in America. While the label has become quite synonymous with the particular blend of 'angry folk' (Andrew Jackson Jihad etc.), these two are far from that as in "Here, Not There" they've released an album of beautiful pop tonues. Armed with only a single acoustic guitar, it's the girls incredibly powerful voices that really shine through. Seriously, these are some of the most perfect duets that I have ever heard. Seriously, give THIS a listen, it's a live recording of "Remember When", which opens the album, and it's . All in all, brilliant album. It's simple, but it's brilliant. One acoustic guitar, that's all they use, but the harmonies they produce and the way they overlap vocal lines to add depth to their songs, it's absolutely breathtaking.

BEST SONGS: "Fire Ants", "Margie", "What's Your Damage?", "Remember When" and "Veronica".

IN QUICK: Up-beat acoustic pop songs, from two sisters from Ireland, featuring outstanding harmonies and overlapping vocals.

[METALMAN]

Cath is the best Death Cab song ever.

EDIT: Actually it is the 2nd best. I Was A Kaleidoscope is the best Death Cab song ever.

Edited January 15, 2009 by metalman

[ROC]

I'm glad that you're trying to justify the like for Lights because...I don't get it.

[YI]

20. "ENDINGS OF A NEW KIND" by TAKEN BY CARS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/takenbycars

INFO: Taken By Cars are a female fronted band from the Philippines (don't worry, it's in English). Their style is best described as straight up indie-rock, but it's got this highly rhythmic, pounding, somewhat 'dirty' edge. While say, The Gaslight Anthem is perfect music to be driving around sunny shores near the coastline, on abandoned stretches of road in a convertable, this is a kind of driving album for the early hours, driving full throttle around built up metropolitan cities in cool as fuck sports cars. They have a style that resembles bigger bands like We Are Scientists and Bloc Party, but the album is split distinctly into two sections. The first half is full of big anthematic tunes with huge choruses and intricate riffs. The last 4 or so songs sees the band take a more club vibe to their tracks, they're smoother and 'cooler', with the occasional background electronics playing a more prominant role. Amazing album from a little known band.

BEST SONGS: "A Weeknight Memoir (In High Definition)", "Logistical Nightmare", "The Blackout", "Shapeshifter" and "December 2 Chapter VII".

IN QUICK: Down and dirty, female fronted, indie-rock that's catchy as hell. A perfect soundtrack to a mean night on the town.

19. "WE WERE ENCHANTED" by ROOMMATE

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/roommate

INFO: Roommate placed #75 on my list of 2006, with his debut album, "Songs The Animals Taught Us". Often grouped alongside other weird and wonderful, 'DIY' electro-pop artists such as Aqueduct, Roommate started off as a solo project of Kent Lambert, armed with various electronics and a keytar. But as time has went on it became a fully fledged band, with more and more live instrumentation being included, ranging from traditional rock instruments such as drums and guitar, all the way to banjo's, bassoons, violins and even a musical saw. The album is dark and weird, and at times can be a little overwhelming to get into, but it's one of those things where if it clicks with you, it's hands down one of the best albums of this type. It's just so hauntingly beautiful. Also, nothing beats the glorious delivery of the line, "HE SAYS THAT THE GHOST IN THE KITCHEN KEEPS TURNING THE MICROWAVE ON!"

BEST SONGS: "We Were Enchanted", "Way Out", "Isn't Radio", "New Steam" and "Night".

IN QUICK: Dark and weird, electro-pop/indie-rock, with a vast array of instrumentation, a MUST for fans of, Of Montreal (as I feel this blew "Skeletal Lamping" out of the water).

18. "SEARCHING FOR THE HOWS AND WHYS" by GET CAPE WEAR CAPE FLY

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/getcapewearcapefly

INFO: Sam Duckworth, better known as Get Cape Wear Cape Fly is an artist whose tunes always sound massively familiar, like you've heard the tunes a million times before. You might think this is a bad thing, but it's not, it's a good thing. They just feel so good on the ear that you're so comfortable with them, that you feel like you've known them all your life. Duckworth picked up a mass of steam with his debut album, "Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager", released back in 2006 (and placed #52 on my list for that year), but this album hasn't really built up on that, which is a shame, as in my oppinion, this is an infinitely better album. Okay, it may not have those tunes that leap out at you like "Once More With Feeling", "I-Spy", "Call Me Ishmael" or "If I Had £1..." but as a total package, it is a far more competent album, and it still has a good selection of straight up catchy tunes, like the lead single "Find The Time", "Postcards From Catalunya" etc. That being said, the standout track on the album is a reworking of an old b-side in "Better Things", featuring a cameo from Kate Nash in the first verse...it's erection inducing stuff.

BEST SONGS: "Better Things (ft. Kate Nash)", "Postcards From Catalunya", "Moving Forward", "Find The Time" and "The Children Are (The Consumers Of) The Future".

IN QUICK: Sam Duckworth is back with his selection of acoustic tracks, offset with occasional electronics and brass instrumentation.

17. "WINTERS DAUGHTER" by RICKOLUS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/rickolus

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE: http://www.iamrickolus.com/winter.html -or- http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?0dumijmd0mm

INFO: RickoLus is a little known indie artist from Jacksonville, Florida. If you take the term indie as meaning 'underground, independent artist' then RickoLus really does fit the bill perfectly. RickoLus releases all of his material free through his website, this can be from individual songs, covers or full albums, like in this case. Given the nature of how he releases his material, RickoLus' albums generally seem thrown together with no real flow, rhyme or reason to them, with him just using them as ways to collect together various songs he's wrote among a period of time. But as time has went on, he's matured as a song writer and as a lyracist, bringing him to "Winters Daughter" which actually feels like a complete 'album', like a work of art. This is half helped due to the fact it is a concept album, which RickoLus himself describes as "Winters Daughter tells the tale of Maryn Winter, who is the daughter of the season winter, and Emory Tate, the boy who woke up the sun"...yeah. But this has really put RickoLus into his element. The first thing you notice about the album is that for the most part, the acoustic guitar is gone, instead the tracks are basically piano based. It opens with the fabulous "Maryn" which is probably the best 'opening song', I have heard all year. The piano riff that runs throughout is beautiful and soothing, but when the song finally kicks in, this beautiful riff suddenly becomes larger than life and triumphant, it's just so beautiful. RickoLus has a fabulous, if a bit weird sounding voice, which really adds to the overall feel of the album. Sometimes with his older stuff, it was a little distracting, but here it blends to the feel of the music so well. This album perfectly blends the 'cold' and bleak feel, but with massive feel good moments, without ever getting too over the top and cheesy. 2009 looks like it's going to be a busy year for RickoLus, he's just released a new 4-track EP, he's working on more pop orientated material under the guise of "Richard Love" and collaborating with Ben Cooper of "Electric President" and "Radical Face" in an apparently more experimental project, "Clones".

BEST SONGS: "The Boy Who Woke The Sun", "Maryn", "Galesong", "Dreaming Of Snow" and "Virgin".

IN QUICK: A beautifully haunting, piano based indie-pop album, that while having an 'icey cold' feel is still so heartfelt and inspiring.

16. "MAYBE I'M DREAMING" by OWL CITY

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/owlcity

INFO: Owl City is one of the many projects of Adam Young, I honestly cannot remember how I first came across Owl City, but what a glorious day that was. I know it was roughly around the same time as I discovered "Lights" and I spent the vast majority of that time 'off my tits on happy'. Seriously, the two of them are two of the most gloriously uplifting artists I have heard in a long, long time. I've used the expression a good number of times, but I think it's the perfect way to sum up this one man electro-pop outfit, "he sounds like The Postal Service, if The Postal Service stayed awake all night eating smarties". There's a great feel of innocense and a kind of understatedness to the material here. Like, yes it's a little cheesy at times, but it's not over the top cheesy, it's sweet, innocent and cute kind of cheesy. The material is actually really quite laid back and beautiful, and most certainly not over the top in order to be catchy, which a lot of electro-pop bands suffer from. Lyrically his stuff is fairly simple, but it's really beautiful, "The Saltwater Room" inparticular, is one of the most gorgeous love songs I have heard in a long time. Adam Young has really carved a niche for himself as one of the most exciting young prospects in pop music, as alongside this he put out two other EP's last year, one as half of a more dancier act, "Swimming With Dolphins" and a beautiful ambient/chillout release under the moniker "Port Blue". He's apparently hard at work on new material for all of his projects, I can't wait.

BEST SONGS: "The Technicolor Phase", "Super Honeymoon", "Dear Vienna", "I'll Meet You There", "The Saltwater Room (ft. Breanne Düren) and "On The Wing".

IN QUICK: Sounds like The Postal Service, if The Postal Service stayed awake all night eating smarties. OFF YOUR TITS ON HAPPY!

[METALMAN]

I keep meaning to get my hands on that Owl City album.

[Liam]

Bah,where is the love for 'Window Of Your Mind' from the GC.WC.F album? You sucks