Music

Similarly to how Adam Brandon has just done on his blog I thought I'd create a my top ten Albums of the decade countdown thing. When I say 'similarly' what I really mean is 'like it, but not as good' there will be no helpful links here. If you want to listen to my musical treats you'll have to look for them yourself.


In no particular order of preference......


10. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago


Could listen to it all day and frequently do, combines the best bits of Ray Lamontagne and wistful Indie pop without the downsides of living in a barn in the middle of nowhere or wearing really tight jeans.


9. The Maccabees - Colour It In


Toothpaste Kisses may be the tune that everyone recognises but there are another 8 tunes on this debut album that are just as good if not better. The other 4 aren't too far off in my opinion.


8. Tom Vek - We Have Sound


When I first heard Nothing But Greenlights I wasn't overly impressed, but it grew on me and I've been listening to the album ever since I acquired it in 2005.


7. Broken Social Scene - You Forget It In People


The second BSS album I bought, but probably overtaken Broken Social Scene as my favourite. Anthems for a 17yr old girl and instrumental version Pitter Patter Goes My Heart are definitely two of my favourite songs of all time. Subsequent albums have seemed a bit over complicated and all over the place when compared to how good You Forget It In People is.


6. The xx - xx


Recommended by my housemate Russ I cant get enough of them, simply awesome, best band to emerge in many years. Go buy the album, listen to it and then try tell me you don't agree....


5. Fleet Foxes- Fleet foxes


A bit jarring now, theres only so much whimsical beardy man folk singing you can take, but when I got the album I'm pretty sure it was all I listened to for a good week or 2. The fact that my i-Tunes top 25 most played contains the whole album is telling. Sun God was a cracking follow up and if I was to cheat Id pick the special edition boxset that comes with the self titled album and Sun God Ep.


4. Arcade Fire - Funeral


Wow. The first time I heard tracks like Power Out, Tunnels and Rebellion I couldn't believe it. Neon Bible gets loads of credit and accolades but it aint got crap on Funeral. I may seem over gushing in my appraisal of Funeral, but bear in mind that this is also the year that Usher released Confessions. In other words it had soft competition.


3. Little joy - Little joy


The drummer from the strokes and some other musical fellows make a lovely album that sounds, unsurprisingly, like the strokes if they were on a holiday at the beach. First heard it over the summer whilst on placement and then spent ages looking for the album, eventually resorting to hours of Amy MacDonald adverts on spotify just so I could listen to it in its entirety.


2. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm


Although the remix album was mostly dire the original version was/is incredible. I had the chance to see Bloc Party at a student union gig in cardiff but didnt bother going 'cos i'd only really heard Helicopter and wasn't sure it was worth it. Literally days later the papers/ internet were full of reviews of how Bloc Party were the band to see and anyone who's even slightly interested in music should be rushing out to get to their live shows. I also made this mistake with Friendly Fires, learning from mistakes is evidently a weak point.


1. Morning Runner - Wilderness Is Paradise Now


I didn't get round to buying the album till the band had split up, but I couldn't get enough of Morning Runner. One of the very very few bands I bought singles from and I even took a trip up to Bristol to see them at The Thekla, which was cool. Pretty sure everything they released became some sort of Radio1 song of the hour/day/week but it wasn't enough and the promised second album never materialised. Gutted.


Honourable mentions.....


Modest Mouse would be in there if they'd released Lonesome Crowded West or Building Nothing Out Of Something later than the year 2000. Band of Horses are responsible for some of my favourite songs but I'm not sure they qualify for an album of the decade, similarly Passion Pit's  Chunk Of Change has some great songs but isn't quite up to scratch. Also Death Cab For Cutie and Postal Service could easily be in there but Adam has already sang their praises. Broken Social Scene would have 2 albums in here if it was a top 20. Mystery Jets, Jamie T, Bat For Lashes and Laura Marling would probably help round that top 20 out, if I'd written this on a different day they may well have been top 10.