PLAYING CATCH-UP: Albums I've missed over the last two months

In my 64 day absence, I've missed out on reviewing a fair few albums, so I'm making up for that now.



1. Beach House - Teen Dream
Beautiful melodies, ethereal vocals, heavenly arrangements, but there’s only so many times you can listen to the same aural equivalent of a cloud. There’s nothing too heavy or groundbreaking on Beach House; take the songs individually and they range from okay to amazing (“10 Mile Stereo” being the best track on the album), but in one go, it’s just a bit too much.
SOUNDS LIKE: Someone dreaming of Grizzly Bear
ESSENTIAL: "Silver Soul", "10 Mile Stereo", "Take Care"
7/10

2. Blood Res Shoes - Fire Like This
Blood Red Shoes have struggled to escape the indie tag they’ve been tarred with, and rightfully so. They are a lot heavier than, say, Two Door Cinema Club. In fact, a hell of a lot heavier as seven minute sludge-rock closer “Colours Fade” shows. But being a little harder and heavier than their contemporaries doesn’t really excuse them from not moving on from their debut “Box Of Secrets”. And when I say heavy, I don’t mean “In Utero”/“The Holy Bible”/“Master Of Puppets” levels of distortion and disturbance; more like Radio 1 midday-heavy, or Hollyoaks soundtrack-heavy. Had this been their debut, it would have been quite impressive, but there’s feeling of déjà vu on pretty much every track.
SOUNDS LIKE: Nevermind-era Nirvana, fronted by a girl.
ESSENTIAL: "Light It Up", "Heartsink", "One More Empty Chair", "Colours Fade"
6/10

3. Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - The Logic Of Chance
In the two years since their debut, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip haven’t been given the kindest ride by critics. Why? I’ll never know. Le Sac’s beats now rival those of the biggest DJs around, whilst Pip’s flow has come on tenfold. Alright, the opening to Great Britain sounds alarmingly like Hadouken! and the spoken word “statistics” bit may sound cringeworthy depending on your fandom, but the insanely catchy chorus makes up for everything. Sticking with cringe moments, the “Rehab”-pisstake in “Last Train Home” doesn’t sit well with me, but I digress. For a band known for something of a novelty hit (“Thou Shall Always Kill”), the subject matter of most tracks is quite deep and, in the case of “Cowboi”, slightly unnerving. Cynics and year-round grinches will decry Le Sac vs Pip as preachy and overly political, but, at the risk of sound too much like Jon McClure, it’s better than album about girls and drinking. “The Logic Of Chance” is undoubtedly a step-up from the pair’s debut “Angles”, if only for the opening line of “Get Better”; “Imagine a song/that really reached out and touched kids/Not in a Daily Mail way/Innocence corrupted.”
SOUNDS LIKE: That cool-but-brainy teacher who's into hip-hop being let loose in the music department
ESSENTIAL: "Sick Tonight", "Great Britain", "Get Better", "Inert Explosions", "Stake A Claim", "Cowboi"
7/10

4. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
It would be easy to write Dum Dum Girls off as a third rate female Ramones, based on appearances alone. They’ve got the cool scowls down to a tee, leather jackets, names like Dee Dee, Frankie Rose and Bambi and they look as if they would almost definitely beat you in a fight. But instead of dumb, three chord, bubblegum punk, “I Will Be” contains some of the sweetest pop tunes you’re likely to hear this year, albeit hidden behind swirling shoegaze guitars and a few walls of distortion. “Bhang Bhang, I’m A Burnout” is an ideal sunny summer day soundtrack, whilst “Blank Girl” is already a forerunner for one of the tracks of the year. With only two tracks crossing the three minute line, the Girls don’t outstay their welcome, but leave you with enough hooks and harmonies to keep you satisfied.
SOUNDS LIKE: Girl group pop, with a metric ton of attitude, behind MBV guitars.
ESSENTIALS: "Bhang Bhang, I'm A Burnout", "Jail La La", "Yours Alone", "Blank Girl", "Baby Don't Go"
7/10

5. Eels - End Times
Excluding the refrain of “Mr E’s Beautiful Blues” (“Goddamn right, it’s a beautiful day”), Mark Oliver Everett has never been one for looking on the sunnier side of life. Having just gone through a divorce before recording “End Times”, that was never going to change on this album. If you’re having a bad time at the minute, it would be advised to avoid this album, unless you’re a) of sound mind, b) away from anything noose-y or razor-blade-y and/or c) enjoy revelling in downbeat acoustic laments. “End Times” isn’t fill with up tempo indie rock a la previous hits “Souljacker Pt 1” and “Novocaine For The Soul”, but turning misery, heartbreak, divorce et al into positive rock ‘n’ roll is a tricky thing to do, and luckily E steers clear of trying. At fourteen tracks, it may drag a little, but as usual with Eels, it’s never boring, and often brilliant.
SOUNDS LIKE: Music you'd need to make/hear after a break-up
ESSENTIALS: "Gone Man", "In My Younger Days", "Mansions of Los Feliz", "A Line In The Dirt", "End Times", "Nowadays", "I Need A Mother", "Little Bird"
9/10

The Beatles Polls Winners!

It's finally over. That is, the worldwide obsession with the Fab Four (which coincided with my own obsession) and the best Beatles album/single polls that have been on the sidebar for the past few weeks. One or two suprises in the results, but overall I'm pretty pleased to see most people have the same opinion and favourites as me. It was a double tie for both polls; "Abbey Road" and "The White Album" coming out on top for the albums, with "Help!" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" triumphing in the singles poll. I expected most to plump for the easy option and go for "Sgt Peppers", but it seems you lot are more versed in the work of John, Paul, George and Richard (apologies if that sounds patronising).

Also thanks to all those who voted, around 50-odd if I remember correctly. Nice to know someone reads this stuff.

Without further ado, here are the full results:

ALBUMS
1. Abbey Road - 5
= The White Album - 5
2. A Hard Day's Night - 2
= Let It Be - 2
= Revolver - 2
3. Rubber Soul - 1
= Sgt Peppers... - 1
= Yellow Submarine - 1
4. Beatles For Sale - 0
= Help!
= Please Please Me - 0
=With The Beatles - 0

SINGLES
1. Help! - 8
= Strawberry Fields Forever - 8
2. Something - 7
3. A Hard Day's Night - 6
= All You Need Is Love - 6
= Can't Buy Me Love - 6
= Day Tripper - 6
= Get Back - 6
= Hey Jude - 6
= I Feel Fine - 6
= Let It Be - 6
4. Eleanor Rigby - 5
= She Loves You - 5
5. Ballad Of John And Yoko - 3
= Hello, Goodbye - 3
= I Want To Hold Your Hand - 3
= Paperback Writer - 3
= Ticket To Ride - 3
= We Can Work It Out - 2
6. Lady Madonna - 2
7. Please Please Me - 1
= From Me To You - 1
8. Love Me Do - 0

So there you have it. Not much love for early Beatles albums, and no love for poor little "Love Me Do". Some people...

Album Pile-Up (warning: extremly positive reviews here)

There have been a LOT of albums I've neglected to review over the last few months, partly due to not listening to them enough, partly due to sheer laziness. But to clear the backlog and put my mind at ease, here they all are, in the bare minimum of what constitutes a review

WILD BEASTS - TWO DANCERSWho: Divisive Kendal quartet, with challenging falsetto vocals
What: "Two Dancers" is Wild Beasts' second album after last year's debut "Limbo Panto". The fluid guitar work and operatic vocals of that record led to a few sticking "The new Smiths" tag on the band. A lot to live up to for any band, but they've surpassed what could be seen as lazy pigeonholing to create, in what is a year of great second albums, an amazing sophomore effort that sounds like nothing else around right now. Dreamlike in parts and sexed up in others, the jump in quality is astounding, especially when considering "Limbo Panto" was a very good debut. Hayden Thorpe's falsetto will still either endear or prove and instant point of hate for new listeners, but those who endeavour to keep listening are in for a wonderful treat.
Key Tracks: The sublime "Hooting & Howling", "We've Still Got The Dancing On Our Tongues", "All The Kings Men"
9

JAMIE T - KINGS & QUEENSWho: The "one man Clash" or as he's probably known to his mum, James Treays
What: Yet another fantastic second album, this time from the baseball-capped bard of Wimbledon. "Kings & Queens" is just as eclectic and carefree as Treays' debut "Panic Prevention", just enhanced and improved. And to those of you who have listened to "Panic Prevention", you'll know improving on it is no mean feat. "Kings & Queens" has more than it's fair share of possible hits ("368" and "Hocus Pocus" are right up there with the cold for catchiness) but what's interesting is the amount of ballads on the album. Ballads probably isn't the right term, but introspective, acoustic songs that aren't as rabble-rousing as the rest of the album is a bit of a mouthful. It's tracks like "Emily's Heart" and "Jilly Armeen" that showcase Treays' tender side (probably why he has such a big "female following") as well as giving evidence that he isn't a one-trick pony
Key Tracks: "368", "Sticks N Stones", "Emily's Heart", "Chaka Demus", "Spider's Web", "Castro Dies", "British Intelligence", "Jilly Armeen"
9

JAY-Z - THE BLUEPRINT 3Who: In his own words:'For those that didn't get the memo my name is Jay-Z and I'm pretty fucking awesome'
What: The final part of Jay-Z's "Blueprint" trilogy, which features an all-star cast, from Luke Steele (of Empire Of The State fame), Alicia Keys, Mr Hudson, Kid Cudi, Pharrell, Rihanna and meme-of-the-moment Kanye West. Had this album come out two years ago, then Jigga's Glastonbury set would have been an even bigger success, such is the amount of moments of genius here. "D.O.A" is one of his best, everyone knows "Run This Town" by now (having the three biggest names in hip-hop and R&B was always going to result in a hit) and pretty much every other song has a great beat and a killer line. It's safe to say that "TB3" further cements Jay-Z's position at the top of the game.
Key Tracks: "Thank You", "D.O.A", "Run This Town", "Empire State Of Mind", "Real As It Gets", "A Star Is Born", "Young Forever"
8

THE BIG PINK - A BRIEF HISTORY OF LOVE
Who: The latest one to watch in the "shoegaze" pigeonhole
What: Another year, another moody group in leather jackets with loud guitars. Not that this is in any way a bad thing, after all rock 'n' roll is built on that template. TBP have described this album as a "future soul record", an attempt to 'mix up their favourite two genres of music' in soul and noise. It's safe to say they've succeeded in that. " A Brief History..." does have a doomed love story feel to most of its songs, probably due to the apocalyptic guitar feedback they're drowned in. This isn't an easy listen, it's an album of heartbreak, melancholy and skyscraping noise and straight-up pop moments are hard to come by, other than the inescapable "Dominos", "Velvet" and "At War With The Sun". "A Brief History Of Love" probably isn't what your girlfriend/boyfriend would want you listening to, since they'd think you were a miserable bastard and isn't what your parents would want you listening to after a break-up, for fear you'd start wearing studded leathers and end up hating everything. But I digress, The Big Pink have crafted an amazing debut that stands up to almost any other released this year
Key Tracks: "Too Young To Love", "Dominos", "Love In Vain", "At War With The Sun", "Velvet", "A Brief History Of Love", "Tonight", "Count Backwards From Ten"
9.5

NOAH AND THE WHALE - THE FIRST DAYS OF SPRING
Who: Underrated folk-poppers, damned for all eternity to be associated with "5 Years Time"
What: Once again, it's a second album that surpasses its predecessor. "Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down" was a good, if underrated debut from NATW, unfortunately eclipsed by the aforementioned single. Little over a year later, "The First Days Of Spring" was released, and quite frankly, it's an astonishing record. From the funereal, "Be My Baby"-esque beat of the opening title track to the orchestral middle section and the hopefulness of album closer "My Door Is Always Open", this is an album deserving of all the plaudits it gains. Whereas you may have thought of NATW as a one-song, bland pop band, listening to this will almost definitely change your opinion. At the risk of descending into extreme hyperbole, "The First Days Of Spring" is one of the best albums of the last decade; grand, majestic, heartbreakingly honest and powerful lyrics ("This is a song for anyone who can't get out of bed/I'll do anything to be happy", "This is the last song while I'm still in love with you/This is the last song that I write whilst your even on my mind", "I'd be anyone to be at your side/I need your life in my life/Need your light in my life"). As you can tell this isn't the happiest album ever, and it's pretty clear it tells the story of a break-up (most likely the one of lead singer Charlie Fink and Laura Marling). But as with pretty much all great pop, it deals with the sour side of love and is all the more perfect for it.
Key Tracks: All of it, including the accompanying short film. It's worth it.
10

THE XX - XX
Who: Another band dressed in all black, and another band that sound like noone else around
What: The debut of the hotly tipped, barely-out-of-school London foursome, The xx are unique in the music scene at the minute. The only way to describe them is Radiohead and Florence Welch covering R&B/pop songs with Burial producing. But that's waaaaay too NME for my liking. The fairly lo-fi production and use of artificial beats gives The xx (yep, that's right, no capitals) a dubstep feel without delving too much into that overrated genre. The simple guitar lines sound almost fragile and yet push the songs forward, usually acting as the main melody. Romy Croft and Oliver Sim's hushed vocals intertwine for the best boy-girl vocals this side of Los Campesinos! debut album, and give "xx" a sultry, sexy feel. Whilst in broad daylight, the album is merely very good, it comes into its own when listened to in the early hours of the morning, I'm not too sure why this is, but come midnight, "xx" is a magical record. The tense atmosphere and downbeat mood take on a life of their own, whilst the sparseness of each song seems perfectly suited for dark winter nights. The xx will have a very tough job on their hands bettering this, but I look forward to the results
Key Tracks: "Intro", "VCR", "Crystalised", "Islands", "Shelter", "Basic Space", "Infinity", "Night Time", "Stars"
9

The Hitsville UK Alternative Mercury Prize! Results!

Yes, I'm fairly late in posting this and yes, hardly anyone voted but I have a duty as a music blogger/nerd to do this sort of thing. And just so there are no complaints (not that there ever are), only British albums released in the last 12 months that weren't nominated for the actual Mercury could qualify. So here are the results of The Hitsville UK Alternative Mercury Prize or The Thermometer Award (Thermometer, mercury...geddit?)



VV Brown - Travelling Like The Light - 3/30%
Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed - 3 votes/30%
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - 2 votes/20%
The Maccabees - Wall Of Arms - 2 votes/20%
Metronomy - Nights Out - 2 votes/20%
We Were Promised Jetpacks - 2 votes/20%
Grammatics - Grammatics - 1 vote/10%
Jack Penate - Everything Is New - 1 vote/10%
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers - 1 vote/10%
It Hugs Back - Inside Your Guitar - 0 votes
Late Of The Pier - Fantasy Black Channel - 0 votes
Sky Larkin - The Golden Spike - 0 votes

So congrats to both LC! and VV Brown on being joint winners. A well deserved victory for both, if fairly suprising (my money was on The Maccabees). "Travelling Like The Light" is a superb album, fusing parts of 50s/60s rock 'n' roll with soul and modern pop. If I was going to be lazy, I'd say she was the alternative to the hype storm of La Roux, Little Boots and Florence...alright, she basically is. It does have something for pretty much everyone, except death metal fans and that awful breed of human that drives around at 100mph at night listening to awful dance. Ok, "Crying Blood" is essentially a reworking of "The Monster Mash", but it doesn't stop it, or the album from being any less awesome.

LC! on the other hand, are a somewhat more acquired taste. But if you persevere with "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed", you're in for a treat. The band are probably most known for their painfully accurate lyrics ("As if I walked into the room to see my ex-girlfriend/Who by the way, I'm still in love with/Sucking the face of some pretty boy with my favourite band's most popular song in the background/Is it wrong that I can't decide which bothers me most?" is one that is now ingrained in my mind, and what indie guy hasn't felt like that?), that sum up angst in a way not seen since Morrissey. "WAB,WAD" is a massive step forward from their debut "Hold On Now, Youngster" both musically and lyrically, fully embracing the range of LC!'s influences (from the alt.pop of Kenickie and Bis to the punk rock of Fucked Up and Black Flag, as well as the noise of No Age and Xiu Xiu). Judging by the new track "The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future", things can only get better.

>>>HEAD TO HEAD<<<
Little Boots vs Florence vs La Roux















So it's finally happened. After all the hype, tentative interviews, glamourous photoshoots and all the other bollocks that comes with showbiz, the "Three Hot Ones To Watch in Pop 2009" Little Boots, La Roux and Florence & The Machine have finally all released their albums for public consumption on the derision of music snobs (a.k.a me). Impressively Little Boots and Florence have both made the Top 5 in the Album Charts, but La Roux has grabbed a Number One single which puts her in pole position to become the biggest of the three. But enough chit-chat.

LITTLE BOOTS - HANDS
Big catchy pop tunes, a few of which are better than anything Girls Aloud have released (excluding "Love Machine"). "Stuck On Repeat" is one of the pop singles of the year, without a doubt and succeeds where Madonna and Kylie have failed recently in crafting pure electro-pop that is actually worth listening to. Similarly "Meddle" shows Little Boots' talent for a big pop hook, as does "New In Town". But that's all "Hands" is really, choruses. Even Steps and S Club Juniors could do choruses! Even whilst listening to it now, I can't remember "New In Town"'s verses. When she decides to get a bit ravey (e.g. the intro and chorus to "Earthquake") Little Boots has tunes to rule the charts and the clubs. But whilst she decides to peddle schlock like the overly-80s and tired Symmetry, which features The Human League's Phil Oakley (sample lyrics "You're the night to my day/And the left to my right". Anyone else have an almost jaw-breaking yawn at that?) she'll unfortunately be stuck dangerously close to the pop scrapheap. I'd advise sticking to singles, but then again I have no bearing over anything in music really...at least she's better than The Saturdays.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "New In Town", "Earthquake", "Stuck On Repeat"
FOR FANS OF: Madonna, Kylie, Girls Aloud anything big and shiny and pop
5.5

FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE - LUNGS
Or the non-electronic one as she may be seen as. Barely a hint of synth or keyboard anywhere on this album, which leaves Florence seeming more human, more real than tired, boring mainstream pop (Little Boots) or cold, expressionless 80s revivalism (La Roux). Oh, and the fact that she dress like a woodland sprite and is a mainstay on the London scene, but we'll brush past that. "Lungs" is the most ambitious out of the three, with some big orchestral ideas just beneath that "modern Kate Bush" exterior. "Dog Days Are Over" and "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" should be pretty familiar to anyone who's listened to Radio 1/read NME in the last year, as they showcase Flo's good set of lungs (awful pun, sorry) and ear for a tune. Much of the album follows suit, with liberal use of harp and various other folksy elements along with the mystical or magical feel brought on by the lyrics. The only time "Lungs" diverts from the style is for the early White Stripes-aping "Kiss With A Fist" and "Girl With One Eye" which is so bluesy that I imagine it being sung in a smoky bar somewhere in the American south. However, the foresty, folksy schtick does begin to grate after a while with a handful of tracks indistinguishable from each other but skip past them to get to the good stuff.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Dog Days Are Over", "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", "I'm Not Calling You A Liar", "Kiss With A Fist", "Girl With One Eye", "Between Two Lungs", Cosmic Love", "Hurricane Drunk"
FOR FANS OF: Kate Bush, Laura Marling, Bat For Lashes, Lightspeed Champion
8

LA ROUX - LA ROUX
La Roux are already on the path to being big. A duo with a public face and a producer beavering away in the background, a unique look, possibly iconic album artwork and of course a Number One single and a Number Two album (thanks to a certain Mr Jackson). Whether they're a retro-futurist pop act to be loved or shameless 80's revivalism to be discarded is an arguement that will rage on for quite a while, but personally, they land somewhere inbetween. The tinny synths of "In For The Kill" as well as the Thriller-esque spoken word middle-eighth belong back with the miners strike and Thatcher, whilst drippy ballad "Cover My Eyes" is sooooo 80s that the video for it would involve a smoke machine with a black background, a slightly out of focus camera, lots of pastel and Elly Jackson on a stool. I don't care if she broke down in tears after recording it, it's shite. But apart from this and the plodding "As If By Magic" and "Reflections Are Protections", "La Roux" is a suprisingly good, modern pop record. It manages to steal the theme of heartbreak from country & western/crappy emo and bring it to the euphoria of electronica without being too cheesy or heavy-handed. Elly Jackson's voice, which trembles between annoyingly fragile and ear-bleedingly shrill often within the same verse, may make it a bit hard to like as well as her looking like the most twattish of LDN scenesters, but don't be suprised if she gathers a few more Number Ones in future.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "In For The Kill", "Quicksand", "Bulletproof", "I'm Not Your Toy", "Fascination"
FOR FANS OF: Little Boots, Ladyhawke, Lady Gaga, Passion Pit, Erasure, Eurythmics
8.5

ARMED BUT NOT SO DANGEROUS
>>>The Maccabees>>>Wall Of Arms>>>
Impassioned, slightly "Landan", slightly Robert Smith-esque vocals? Check. Trademark sense of jittery immediacy in the music? Check. Album cover that is a bit twee and slightly creey? Check. Reverb? Check. Horns? Check ....wait; reverb and horns...on a Maccabees record? It's a sure sign that we're in for something different on Wall of Arms. Clearly moving on from the romantic indie of their debut "Colour It In", The Maccabees sound is more spacious, more ambitious and catchier than ever.

Pre-album mutterings and reviews about "Arcade Fire" are half right. In many songs there is a similar sense of epicness of that Canadian septet that seems more suited for for stadiums and festival mainstages than the Academys and Barflys that The 'bees are regularly found playing. Opener and lead single "Love You Better" is the perfect example of the majority of "Wall Of Arms"; bright, breezy, echoey but with a hint of melancholy. Fitting with the 21st Century Rule Of Indie, the chorus is just "I will love you better" repeated ad infintum, but it never becomes annoying, instead working with every other element of the song to create what should be a massive hit for the band. If you don't love it, then you're either a) a cold hearted misanthrope b) a death metal fan or c) dead inside. And it's not even the best song here.

There's a certain something about The Maccabees that makes sure you connect with at least one thing in their songs. Either the won't-sit-still post-punk of their debut, their inherent Englishness, the open romance of the lyrics or something else you just can't put your finger on. Songs such as "One Hand Holding" introduce a rather summery - you could even call it calypso - edge to the proceedings and they're accessible to virtually everyone, even if 'relationship suicide' isn't everyone's cup of tea for summer songs. "Can You Give It?" has a bassline that's waaay to jaunty for it's own good as well as an opening guitar line that deserves to be heard from a main stage and a chorus that needs to be shouted back. The title track and "Young Lions" continues in the same vein, with Orlando Weeks' plaintitive throaty vocals ideal warming the cockles of any heart and the former seeing the return of the horns to augment the sound perfectly. The band's musical ability is highlighted superbly throughout these first four tracks; bouncing basslines, rumbling drums and guitar stabs at all the right moments, as well as a well-orchestrated wall of sound on the title track.

But as the album leads you into thinking you're getting the perfect summer album, it brings up the biggest suprise of "No Kind Words". Released as a download a month or so ago, it's a world away from the usual Maccabees output; dark, spacious, ominous. It sounds like a lost Joy Division track, low basslines and spiky guitar. Yet, suprisingly, it's really catchy. Must be the band's special taleny. It's certainly a refreshing change, but there's yet another suprise at the end. Whereas the download version was just the song alone, this album version includes an added instrumental section at the very end which is the opposite of "NKW", blissed out, cheerful. It's all a bit unexpected. "Dinosaurs" sees the horns brought out again. It appears they're here to stay in The Maccabees' sound and they're all the better for them. As "Wall Of Arms" progresses, it becomes more and more clear that The 'bees are headed for the Indie Premier League. Whilst it's unlikely they'll ever reach the youth culture-uniting realms of Arctic Monkeys, The Maccabees are definitely on the up.

They say "save the best 'till last". "Wall Of Arms" certainly does that. The final three tracks are three of the best this year with The Maccabees romanticism and unforgettable melodies brought to the fore and allowed to shine. This may sound like hyperbole, but trust me, it's far from it. Anyone who listens to "William Powers" should fall completely in love with it, even if they hate "na na na" chants. "Seventeen Hands" is a slow burner but turns out to be a majestic piece of indie-pop. "Bag Of Bones", the album's closer, is a beautiful ballad, the kind of thing that The Maccabees have always seemed capable of doing; perfect lilting, almost dreaming pop. It's a fitting end to an album that has seen, formerly, one of the most promising bands in Britain mature and find what they excel at. If The Maccabees keep on in this direction then music lovers are very lucky indeed.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Love You Better", "Can You Give It?", "Young Lions", "No Kind Words", "William Powers", "Seventeen Hands", "Bag Of Bones".
FOR FANS OF: The Cribs, Jack Peñate, The Wombats, all things happy, fun and pop.
9.5

Top 50 Albums of 2008

Obviously not copying this idea from any other recently released lists *ahem*. Here is my personal top fifty albums released this year, for your delectation/scrutiny....

1. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend - Sound of the spring/summer/autumn/winter. They'll have a job bettering this.
2. Glasvegas – Glasvegas - Epic wall-of-sound debut from the Glaswegians, only improved by the Xmas mini album
3. Foals - Antidotes - Who cares what Dave Sitek's mix sounded like when we got this classic instead?
4. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive - Proving that age goes before beauty, their best album yet
5. Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires - Note to all DJs: all you need is this...
6. Bloc Party - Intimacy - ...and maybe Bloc Party's third too
7. Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid - Totally worth the Mercury Prize. Guy Garvey is a totally underrated lyricist.
8. Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip - Angles - Thou shalt buy this intelligent, catchy, dancey hip-hop album by any means possible. Thou shalt also not watch Hollyoaks.
9. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago - If this is what breaking up a band, breaking up with your girlfriend and locking yourself away for a while produces, then the emo kids of today should produce some beautiful heartfelt albums in a few years.
10. Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster… -
11. Pete And The Pirates – Little Death - A totally underrated band and album, cruelly over-looked by many critics, you'll find more hooks and bouncy indie-ness here than in the whole Kaiser Chiefs discography
12. The Courteeners – St. Jude - The frontman may be called Liam and they may have the typical Manc swagger about them, but the Oasis comparisons end there. "St Jude" is easily better than virtually every Oasis record since 1997
13. The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age Of The Understatement - Proves that it doesn't have to be all scuzzy guitars and observational lyrics these days. Also proves that Alex Turner is a genius
14. Late Of The Pier – Fantasy Black Channel - What new-rave did next? Well it seems it got a hell of a lot better and a hell of a lot stranger.
15. Noah And The Whale – Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down - Bringing folk to the mainstream, along with having the tune of the summer (although it is a little aggravating now).
16. Oasis – Dig Out Your Soul - A return to form (although the Gallaghers may disagree). some may describe them as Luddites but they're thrilling as ever, and who could say no to that?
17. The Futureheads – This Is Not The World - The big self-released comeback from the Mackems. Free from major label restraints and full of anthemic shouting. Heading for the stadiums
18. The Killers – Day & Age - As camp as camp can be, a perfect blend of their back catalogue.
19. Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke - Who knew worshipping the 80s could create such an album, packed to the brim with choruses as big as Beth Ditto
20. Lightspeed Champion – Falling Off The Lavender Bridge - From pioneering new-rave to this; a lush, countrified debut, with some "interesting lyrics"
21. The Teenagers – Reality Check - Filthy, fun and French. Not much to ask for really.
22. Laura Marling – Alas, I Can Not Swim - Once again taking folk to the mainstream. An incredible talent for someone only a year older than me. That's quite a scary thought
23. The Streets – Everything Is Borrowed - Gone are the geezer-ish references to modern life, and in comes the more spiritual Mike Skinner. It may not be the best move ever, but it works for the most part.
24. Alexis Blue – Hypothetical Situations - Not enough good things to say about AB and their debut. Bouncy indie pop thrills and dark, clever lyrics mix in the best way since The Smiths
25. The Cool Kids – The Bake Sale - More than just mere 80's revivalists, they take down the image of hip-hop hardmen to rap about bike and Fruity Pebbles. Not exactly gangsta but still pretty great.
26. Frank Turner – Love, Ire & Song - Hardcore punk frontman turns acoustic troubadour. Works brilliantly.
27. The Rascals - Rascalize - Or Miles Kane's other band. They may not be as grandiose as the Puppets, but "Rascalize" is definitely worth checking for Kane's guitar work and dark-as-night lyrics alone.
28. Mystery Jets – Twenty One - Dropping the dad proved a good move for the Jets; coming over all 80's and providing two big summer hits with "Young Love" and the inescapable "Two Doors Down"
29. No Age – Nouns - An even bigger wall of sound than Glasvegas and about 10 times as experimental. A definite improvement on debut "Weirdo Rippers"
30. Kings Of Leon – Only By The Night - So the move to stadiums and headlining spots hasn't exactly proved popular with most "proper" fans, but it's hard to argue with the quality of the first half of the album.
31. Santogold – Santogold - The album may be overshadowed by "L.E.S. Artistes" but it's definitely worth checking out for genre shattering songs such as "Creator" and "Say Aha"
32. Hot Chip – Made In The Dark - The Chip had a lot to live up to considering the praise bestowed upon "The Warning", but they came back even stronger, with more dancefloor-slaying tunes than you could shake a fist at.
33. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular - Personally I can't see how this is deserving of the adulation most critics have given it. Without the three hits; "Kids", "Electric Feel" and "Time To Pretend", it wouldn't be nearly as good.
34. Eugene McGuinness – Eugene McGuinness - Charming pop from the almost-nomadic singer, featuring his wonderful turn of phrase and sense of humour.
35. Does It Offend You, Yeah? – You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into… - Silly band name aside, DIOYY have created an odd but surprisingly brilliant mix of Daft Punk, Klaxons, The Prodigy and a bit of the Killers too.
36. Black Kids – Partie Traumatic - They might not have lived up to the mountain of hype, but "Partie Traumatic" still remains a fun, party album with some future classics
37. Blood Red Shoes – Box Of Secrets - Angst-ridden, grungy rock hasn't been too popular for the last 15 years, but this duo could change that with shouty, ever-so-slightly angular rockers such as "It's getting boring by the Sea"
38. Albert Hammond Jr – ¿Como Te Llama? - The Strokes' man's second album is just as good as his first, and even better than some of his own bands. This is either good or bad news for their new album next year
39. Panic At The Disco – Pretty. Odd. - Well it's definitely odd. Panic drop the "!" and the bland emo for a psychedelic, Beatles-inspired second album which suits them perfectly. Wonder what the next reinvention will be....
40. Those Dancing Days – In Our Space Hero Suits - Yet another Swedish indie-pop band. They must have the copyright to this kind of stuff. Like Pete And The Pirates, ignored by the masses, but deserving of all the praise they can get for their perfect pop nuggets
41. Weezer – The Red Album - The third colour coded album from Weezer and just as good. Rivers Cuomo produces yet another classic chorus on "Pork And Beans" and the entire band collaborates for the highly strange yet oddly great "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived"
42. Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst - The Bright Eyes leader breaks away for his first proper solo debut. Pretty similar to his main band in places, but with added glam influences and a bit of good ol' 50's rock 'n' roll thrown into the mix
43. Johnny Foreigner – Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light - Suspiciously similar to Los Campesinos! in an achingly indie way at times, but they break out into their own style of jittery punk on their solid debut album.
44. Wild Beasts – Limbo, Panto - Prettier and odder than "Pretty. Odd." itself, the Leeds band's debut is reminiscent of The Smiths in places, and has potential to go just as far.
45. Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak - It might not be the best direction he could have taken (let's face it, miserable hip-hop isn't the greatest idea) but it leaves the door open for Kanye to truly become the innovative genius he likes to think he is.
46. Nick Cave – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! - The godfather of post-punk and most things dark and gloomy returns with a garage rock album to blow the socks off most pretenders, showing he's lost none of his talent.
47. Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head - A Hollywood starlet making an album of Tom Waits covers. If that didn't seem surreal enough, add in David Bowie singing on some tracks and there you have it. Obviously it doesn't quite reach the heights of the originals, but still worth a listen.
48. Snow Patrol – A Hundred Million Suns - The bane of hipsters and most indie kids alike, they don't quite escape the shadow of "Chasing Cars" but it's a good enough effort, almost a return to their roots.
49. Tokyo Police Club – Elephant Shell - aka if The Strokes were still young, fresh and actually making albums. May grate a little but deserving of further listens.
50. Coldplay – Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends - Another love-to-hate band of the alternative set. The French revolutionary outfits may be trying to hard, but the album cemented them as one of the biggest bands of the modern era.

So congrats to Vampire Weekend. Pretty much the band of 2008 (not sure what everyone else is on about with MGMT...) but not without some tough competition. All in all, a pretty good year, bring on 2009!