Belle and Sebastian's startling second album arrived at the perfect time. Britpop had taken the charts by storm and indie music was beginning to infiltrate the mainstream. IYFS sounded so completely different, full of folk fuelled moments, insightful lyrics and sleeve notes that tickle that funny bone you thought you never had. IYFS offered a delightful alternative to the Oasis rock and roll beast, it might not have been an obvious record but most classics rarely are. There is an aura to the grooves that approaches cuts like the Stone Roses that was released a few years earlier. The fact that success was still light years away meant that cult type things started happening. Scant interviews, dodgy half-lit photographs (it was next to impossible to find out what they looked like), ultra loyal fans and a v-sign cast in the general direction of the music industry. A band forging ahead by doing it their way, with the obvious result that sales were hit (in the interim at least).

So what does the music sound like? Well it´s low key a lot of the time and at first you might wonder what all the fuss is about. After a time though the quality shines through. 'Stars of Track and Field' is the ambitious opener/slow burner that reveals its beauty by about the third listen. Find yourself humming it incessantly until your concerned folks call for medical assistance. Stuart Murdoch may hide behind Nick Drake's cloak but underneath there is genuine talent. 'Seeing Other People' is the star of the IYFS show, a skidding piano riff, a xylophone plinking join the racing vocal that knows exactly where it’s heading. 'Me And The Major' and 'Like Dylan In The Movies' continue in the same vein and you wonder whether they can maintain this pace and quality for the whole album. The answer is most definitely yes, because even though ‘Fox In The Snow’ brings the gallop to a canter it's a stallion of a tune.

There's a lovely swing that runs right through the album that gives you the confidence to play it to your friends and feel proud that you discovered them first. Watch your status in your circle of friends elevate as a result. Crack open the fake champagne to the celebratatory strains of 'Mayfly' and get drunk on the closing track 'Judy And The Dream Of Horses'. While a lot of albums store the weaker tracks near the end, don't be fooled here as it's a romper stomper effort that develops out of humble beginnings. If You're Feeling Sinister is near impossible to fault. The cover design has a plush red texture, mimicking in some way the colour of your cheeks after one too many listens. Belle and Sebastian have a back catalogue to die for, for many this is their defining moment.


Rating: 8/10



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Oh tread carefully you innocent ones, it's got one of those 'Parental Advisory, Explicit Lyrics' stickers. Must be good then eh! I reckon this sort of sticker is a ploy to inflate sales, a dark and sinister marketing tool that more often than not achieves its aim. It lends teenagers in need of a way to further infuriate their guardians a vehicle to do so. There are so many albums with this much-abused sticker that I'm surprised no one has thought of a 'Teenage Advisory - No Explicit Lyrics'. It would surely appeal to the over-35's. So there were bad boys before Eminem, although you'd be hard pressed to be offended while listening to Ill Communication as the lyrics are indiscernible a lot of the time. The album was recorded in 1994 and entered the mainstream when 'Sabotage' and 'Sure Shot' became popular. A lot of ‘Ill Communication’s success could be put down to the clever video for 'Sabotage' which is a pastiche of 70's cop shows. The album sprawls over 20 tracks, which makes it close to impossible to take in, in a single listen.

The Beasties sound is a fusion of rap and hip-hop but they are prone to throwing in the sweetest guitar rolls that rounds things off nicely. The lyrics are intelligent (use the inlay card!) and rebellious and there are moments where the humour is side splittingly funny (who needs apple pie when you have mashed potato!). 'Sure Shot' slides on a repetitive flute groove that toddlers to Grans will find hard to resist. Incidentally the dog barking at the start is supposed to be saying 'I Love You'! 'Root Down' has that San Francisco flares and hot weather feel to it. So much so that dancing to it afro-less might feel like dancing naked in the rain. It is followed by the albums centrepiece 'Sabotage' where Adam Yauch more or less screams, records scratch, guitars tumble and a chorus of hoods join in at various intervals. It sounds a mess but is a piece of modern pop genius. The first 8 tracks are an album on their own and I rarely go beyond this point because all the juicier tracks are contained here. Things get a little skewed but not wayward from here on in. There is the sense of a bit of creative doodling going on highlighted by tracks like 'Flutterman's Rule' and 'Ricky's Theme' that provide gorgeous backdrops.

While Ill Communication is essentially a modern day production it has one foot set firmly in the corridors of pop history. This unique blend of influences gives the album a polished feel. For those not sold on Rap/Hip-Hop style (I've got my hand up) I would urge you to give Ill Communication a listen. Good music is precious; it should be embraced even when it comes from genres that are normally a turn off. This is a great album, why not get it together and do the necessary.


Rating: 7/10



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Ash's image as precocious teenagers was a hard one to dispel. While they moved into their twenties with this album their tunes continued into an adolescent vein. There is nothing wrong with this of course; it's just that an album of full sugar sweet pop can sometimes grate. Perhaps the biggest hurdle Ash have to overcome was the suspicion that many of their best tunes are quite throwaway. They tend to be pleasing on the ear for an initial period but somehow lose their charm over time. The cause is their direct approach to song writing. The effect is legions of admirers but a distinct lack of devoted followers. Take 'Shining Light' for example. This is a superb, buoyant pop song with a crystal clear chorus and several notable guitar moments. What more could you ask for, you might ask? Well, for one, in order for music to endure it must reach the parts other tunes don't. While not completely formulaic, Ash's music largely follows the angle they forged back in their 'Trailer' days. 'Candy' is a case of a song way past its grow up date; the strings sound artificial and unnecessary and the vocal delivery is just too tired to be affecting. This is dross and should really have fallen down one of the cracks in the studio floor.

Elsewhere Tim Wheeler has better success. 'Submission' has full on Primal Scream tendencies. You almost expect the singer to breathe Kowalski but of course he doesn't. There is a darker plot at work that provides some solace from the stomach retching happiness elsewhere. 'Someday' is also quite neat, even if there is a drafty hollow lurking at its core. The subtle string arrangements are welcome but overall it's a little too loose to really land a sucker punch. With a bit more work this could have been much better. The power pop continues unabated on 'Pacific Palisades'. The drumming is manic and while we're on the subject I have to say that Rick McMurray, Ash's drummer, really gets on my nerves. He just seems out of sorts in the rock and roll scheme of things. I always get the feeling he should be holding a petrol pump rather than a drumstick. I know this sounds cruel and I guess to be fair to him he was there with that shambolic hairstyle well before David Beckham.

'Burn Baby Burn' is the quintessential shiny pop song that Ash hold the patent on. Bleeding glorious jangling riffs through Wheelers vocal onslaught succeeds in raising the pulse. 'Walking Barefoot' also pushes all the right buttons and lends a touching reminder of those long summer days as a child. It's about as grand as Ash get without sounding out of their depth. 'Sometimes' is superbly fresh; the fine guitar barrage never drowns out Wheeler's melodic vocals. 'Nicole' is also hugely impressive. It takes its cue from alt Americana and friskily appears at the other end with distinction. 'There's A Star' completes a treble of strong tracks. Big, bold and fulfilling its own huge aspiration, nothing else on the album really comes close. Free All Angels is let down by 'World Domination', the final track. It's an aimless punk rock workout that puts a shabby seal on the album. It doesn't quite leave a bad taste in the mouth but that let down feeling is hard to dispel.

'Free All Angels' proved that Ash needed to reset their musical compass. Their undoubted talent would see them better served down avenues that don't rely on teenage observations (listen to the childish romp that is 'Cherry Bomb' and you'll see what I mean). Four albums and still peddling the same subject matter tends to turn people off. A new direction would see the band flourish. On the positive side given the talent on offer worldwide domination will come. 'Free All Angels' is good fare and taken in moderation it will certainly brighten up your day. A success in anybody's book then.

Rating: 5/10



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The first thing about Architecture in Helsinki is that, as far as music groups go, they have the best name yet. So modern, so cosmopolitan, so nothing whatsoever to do with an indie collective from Melbourne. It’s perfect. The second thing about Architecture in Helsinki is that, when it comes to the conventions of song structure, they have some authority issues. Verse, chorus, repeat, middle eight, yadda yadda yadda? The hell with that; let’s go for parts 1 to 4. Nothing too prog rock or anything, mind. But I mean, with three minutes to play with, why limit yourself to just one pop song? Why not four?

The opener, ‘Neverevereverdid’ settles for just three parts; (i) a soundtrack to a hammy horror movie; (ii) a number from a school play where the kids who didn’t own instruments were allowed raid their kitchen for any utensils that might make a noise when struck; (iii) an erratic yet jaunty piano-driven chorus/verse/chorus, you know like, a song. It’s all rather breakneck and breathtaking; there are more ideas packed into this one song than you’ll find on an entire album from the next set of NME-sponsored guys with ties. It’s not that Architecture In Helsinki like to dwell too long on anything, though. At the end of the second part, as the rattling pots and pans quicken with the introduction of the drums and a danceable bassline, I found myself bracing for take-off and guitars to rock in, only for all the build-up to be swept away and replaced by the wonky piano. It was like getting absorbed in some T.V. programme only for someone else in the room to change the channel.

The catchiest tune here is ‘Wishbone’, at least for a minute, with its tambourine style and harmonies from ‘Grease’. A fiddle melody to swoon to arrives at the second verse, only for the momentum to be cut short, bizarrely, by a brief lullaby which brings the song to a dead stop. Before starting up again. The interruptions are milder on ‘It’s 5’, another joyous pop song clocking in at two minutes; this one with a wonderful ending as the instrumentation cuts back a notch for some group effort ‘It! Is! 5!’ shouts. ‘Tiny Paintings’ has a similar finish as the keyboards are put on hold for singer Cameron Bird to yell, ‘I found you in the lost and found’, before the keyboards come back to finish the job with an allsorts assortment of percussion.

‘In Case We Die’ is an avalanche of attention-grabbing moments and quirky, clever touches. It must have been a marketer’s dream to pick the thirty-second taster snippets to sell the album on, with set-pieces like the extra beat as the record appears to skip in the verse of ‘Do The Whirlwind’, in between a brass solo and a sitar solo, or the silly voice, then the list of names, then the pedal steel guitar on ‘The Cemetery’. It counts as some relief that they take a couple of breathers during all this. ‘Maybe You Can Owe Me’ falls somewhere between wistful and chilled out, as lyrically they finally move on from the random-phrase-generator and betray some emotion, bracing for a future rendezvous between a couple with a past. A little loose time is even conceded at the end for the guitar and spacey computer effects to meander and dissolve away. Later, on the delicious ‘Need To Shout’, the sound approaches a maturity bordering on relaxed, with a mellow cocktail of tropical bird calls, woodwind and steel drums, where even the shouts seems distant under the haze of rum and moonlight.

For Architecture in Helsinki, however, these laid-back songs are merely breaks, and playtime is the order of the day. Their live performances see them swapping instruments mid-song and dashing frantically around the stage as if their boundless creativity could not be contained, or perhaps as if something brighter and shinier caught their eye. ‘In Case We Die’ reminds me of a kid on Christmas morning ripping the cellophane off one toy before having got the batteries in another, or, in words culled from Dave Eggers’ autobiography: ‘…a music video, a game show on Nickelodeon – lots of quick cuts, crazy camera angles, fun, fun, fun! It’s a campaign of distraction… fireworks, funny dances, magic tricks. Whassat? Lookie there! Where’d it go?’


Tony Kelleher
26.01.2006


Rating: 6.5/10



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For those people who only read the first paragraph of a review I may as well let you know straight away that this is going to be the most important album of 2005. What we have is an album of The Stone Roses, Loveless, ‘The Great Eastern’ and If You’re Feeling Sinister proportions. This Montreal 5-piece have pretty much come out of nowhere but as you know the best presents are surprises. This Arcade fire have been together for a relatively short time (summer 2003). The seeds were sown at Concordia University where Wim Butler met Regine Chassagne (they later married). A little look back into their collective backgrounds reveals some diverse musical influences such as swing and jazz, which have filtered into the sound that they create. Funeral was further shaped by the deaths of some of the bands family members during the recording of the album; despite this for most of the time the music is hugely uplifting. What you have (despite what the song titles might lead you to think) is 10 succinctly different pieces of music. If the songs were people they would deeply schizophrenic such is the volatility to which they veer from one persuasion to another. With adventures aplenty the album takes some getting used to but this also means its longevity is guaranteed. Trying to lump the Arcade Fire into any scene is redundant, their output is fresh and unique; dramatic and theatrical one minute, circular and upbeat the next.

‘Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)’ has the words of a fairytale yet the soundtrack is like a cultured bull in an ornamental cake shop. The frenetic percussion bolsters Wim Butler who sings like he is about to cry. As the momentum gallops the singer can’t keep up and instead gleefully whoops to neck hair-raising effect. ‘Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)’ must be a fascinating place to live, what with vampires, French horns and neighbours dancing in the Police lights. The Gallic influence (hey they are from Quebec after all) continues apace with ‘Une Annee Sans Lumiere’ that skips between serene peace and maracas inspired trip through the shadows with a guitar shakedown that is as reckless as it is inspired. As we hit the molten core Neighbourhood #2 (Power Out) provides a full-on indie escapade crammed full of scattered guitar playing and runaway choruses.

While the interlude provided by ‘Neighbourhood #4 (Kettles)’ and ‘Crown Of Love’ suddenly slows the tempo the shiny angles exposed titillate your aural cavities to such an extent that when ‘Crown Of Love’ swaps the genteel strings for its chariot joyriding friends you may find yourself manically jogging on the spot. ‘Wake Up’ play a similar hand, if a little more majestically. The background singers boost the already deranged production that sprays sounds about like fireworks on New Years Eve. By now a familiar pattern has emerged. There is a distinct lack of 3-minute pop wonders, this is wonderful music but the reward is at the end of a long and windy yellow brick road. Take ‘Haiti’ which has that wonderful knack of sounding uneven without being abrasive. Chassagne is content to hide her vocals in the background while the machines provide the harmonies. About 2 minutes in the tune throws up pure jangle to solidify the amazing jingle. ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ is as close as you’ll get to a guaranteed instant hit on ‘Funeral’. Echoing the classic alternative romper stomper this wipes away the intricate web intricately weaved by previous tracks, think of it as a stereo sorbet. Chassagne comes across all Icelandic elfin towards the death on ‘In The Back Seat’. The crisp vocal delivery sits easily with the stirring string section and intermittent guitar rally generating a volcano of sounds where the lava is a sea of pentatonics. As the notes transform from major to minor most listeners will probably be aghast at the wonderful explosions of noise.

For those who only read the final paragraph of a review this is the most important record of 2005 and you must own it. It contains 10 pieces of music that will infect your world like a happy inducing virus inspiring the average and coaxing the talented. On this form the Arcade Fire could be the way forward. Their creative juices are as appetising as a desert trolley and their adventurous streak continually unearths priceless musical artefacts. Funeral is a precious wealth of engaging music to be cherished forevermore.


Rating: 9.5/10


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So do they have the longest band name ever? Well, a little investigation throws up some interesting results. The longest I could find was a band called 'When People Were Shorter And Lived Near The Water'. Pity then that James Joyce never got round to forming his own beat combo. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead come from Austin, Texas and are based around the core of multi-instrumentalists Jason Reece and Conrad Keely. The duo share vocals, drumming and the protean guitar work that so impresses throughout the album. Hanging in the background delivering their own creative impulses are Kevin Allen on guitars and Neil Busch on bass.

This is AYWKUBTTOD's third album and the progression from the sometimes impressive but ultimately disappointing 'Madonna' (1999) couldn't be more marked. That album had perfectly formed pieces like 'Mistakes & Regrets' and 'Mark David Chapman' but lacked an overall consistency. 'Source Tags & Codes' on the other hand hardly falters over its 48 minutes even if the ride proves a little bruising for the listener at times. Much was made of the bands move from independent label Merge to major Interscope. Thankfully the lure of easy money hasn't led to comprise. You still need to look beyond the surface drama to locate the hooks and deep melody on many of the tracks. The lyrics are insightful and intelligent, but not always that discernible on record (check the inlay card) due to their oft impassioned delivery.

'Source Tags & Codes' certainly takes its time to sink in. To the untrained ear it can come across as generally unruly with a sprinkling of coherent tunes. While it certainly takes pointers from the past it boasts enough original ingredients to steer it clear from the flock of retro releases. The general refusal to stick to the blueprint means that 'Source Tags & Codes' is unlikely to garner mass appeal, which is a shame because a patient ear will find much to saviour. The album flows smoothly from song to song without the need to bore us with that tired old trick of fade out, pause and ignition. Instead the tracks are seamlessly upholstered together to the point where it is often difficult to pinpoint where one ends and another begins without referral to the track counter.

Like the morning of an almighty storm 'Innovation', the album's opening track, faintly drifts by. Ably turning piano keys into an excuse for opening a bottle of wine the song gives no indication of the aural tornado that lies ahead. Disturbing the serenity like a gunshot through your Chardonnay 'It Was There That I Saw You' is a measured attempt at greatness. Imagine a speaking Mogwai or a vivacious My Bloody Valentine with strangled vocals struggling under 10 feet of trodden down earthy guitars. It careers out of control on several occasions but applies the brakes before there are any fatalities. 'Another Morning Stance' peers into the Sonic Youth goodie bag, plunders some rich ideas and then throws a ramshackle beat around chords filled with brio. 'Why Is The Song The World For Me' pleads Reece as his vocal chords walk a tightrope that is about to snap. 'Boudelaire' is even more raw, the percussion flies by the seat of its pants while the choking chords espouse lo-fi tendencies. It all slows down to a MLK (U2) finale that is wrestled aside by the metal fatigue of 'Homage'. Apart from a divine square of guitar treacle that spins a rotund riff there is a chance you could lose friends if you play it too often.

As if by magic 'How Near How Far' restores order t through a combination of pummelling drumming, clean guitar sweeps and a faintly Idlewildesque approach to bending the human voice to sound like you've woken from a bourbon induced coma. As this stage the momentum is near unstoppable. It's as if the bands unique eccentricities have been satisfied and the urge to paint exciting new highs on the alternative map has become overwhelming. The asides that culture the introductions to most of the albums opuses are as offbeat as a ruined crop of sugar. The entree leading up to 'Days Of Being Wild' will have alien observers rubbing their hands in glee only to be blown through their soundproof observation decks as Neil Busch and an ebullient set of guitars march onwards. The whole thing turns sweet midsection as if to reign in cowardly listeners.

Events start to turn nasty as 'Life Is Elsewhere' sounds like a scrappy descent into the insides of a disused factory. As you bite your lip with the disappointment of it all, 'Heart In The Hand Of The Matter' comes forth delivering the goods in pristine mechanical horse drawn carriages. Packed with nifty chords, powerful vocal sprays and a chorus that surfs gracefully over a scene stealing flotilla of instruments it's enough to make you want to grow your hair long. As the vocals veer towards pleasant, 'Monsoon' reigns over an ever shifting landscape. There is no pattern, just a myriad of ideas that complement each other to form a presence through a menagerie of sounds. The post-rock encore is as frightening as it is revolutionary. 'Relative Ways' beams like a guiding light through a dense blanket of fog. As straightforward as a maze it bolts like a jackrabbit from a sealed box. The guitars have an elegant trippy edge, the rhythm takes the speed bumps with ease and the soft centre makes your hiccup with delight when Jason Reece swoons 'It's o.k. I'm a saint, I forgave your mistakes'. Not only is it one of songs of 2002 but it gives 'Source Tags & Codes' the top hat and tails it needs to be 100% suitable. Hopelessly wonderful and undeniably essential.

Following in the vapour trail 'After The Laughter' provides the necessary chill factor to flatten those excited goosebumps. The Mary Margaret Ragan composition 'Someday You'll Want Me To Want You' from 1949 sits in the foreground sounding creepy. Being only 60 seconds long 'After The Laughter' successfully clears the palate for the heartfelt title/closing track. As laidback as the LP gets it somehow recalls the greatness that has gone before but the restraint with which the lines are delivered at is delightful. As the curtains go down a mini orchestra ushers the final few heartbeats from the grand experience.

Source Tags and Codes is essentially an album in 3 parts. The first section is a joyous representation of the bands ability to sound commercial while still abiding by their own scuzzy tenants. The middle gets decidedly uneven, perforating eardrums in the nicest possible way with a firm background cohesion holding the whole thing together. The final section paradoxically forms the centrepiece from where the album goes supernova. The melody comes to the fore and while the instrumentation retains a cavalier swagger the vocals become decidedly sang-froid. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead may have failed to capture the prize for the most long winded moniker but with a great deal of invention they've progressed from promising upstarts to genuine contenders. It is entirely possible that they can attract those enamoured by the Strokes, The White Stripes and The Hives. If not, you will probably know them by the trail of the well read.

Rating: 8/10



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You just know you're onto something good when a band can wield a delicate brass instrument with a knowing precision. Alfie's music contains the most fragile of arrangements that from time to time allows a lone French horn or trumpet to weave its magic through an already intoxicating mix. Lee Gorton, Alfie's lead singer is consistently compared to a budding Ian Brown although I'd put him closer to the breathy Tim Burgess of the Charlatans. Gorton was offered, but turned down, the chance to play Brown in '24 Hour Party People', the film about the Manchester nightclub the Hacienda. The title of this album is a bit of mouthful. It's taken from a letter Gorton received from his dentist of all things. It is on such commonplace occurrences that legends are moulded. 'If You Happy With You Need Do Nothing' is made up of tracks taken from Alfie's first three singles; The Alfie EP, Bookends and The Montevideo. '2 Up 2 Down' and the exquisite 'Umlaut' are the only brand new tracks.

It would be hard to concoct a more appropriate opener than 'Bookends'. The wailing cello supplied by Matt McGeever may be the highlight but the twinkling guitars and hushed vocals from Gorton are never less than infectious. 'Bookends' sounds completely disjointed at first but the disparate sounds are so at ease with each other that they seem to arrive from the same source. This is magical stuff with the power to beam golden horned unicorns into your back garden. '2 Up 2 Down' has a similar brief except that this time McGeever takes on the vocal duties. And what a swaying off-kilter ditty it turns out to be. The French horn reigns supreme as McGeever trips the light fandango. The melody is freshly inventive with tiny nods to 'Bring It On' Gomez. The groove is loose limbed and you can pick up on the huge joie de vivre from its slightly erratic ramble. 'James's Dream', the album's only instrumental, could have quite easily slipped out from under Badly Drawn Boy's collection of wistful compositions. It's lazy melody, stray cello strings and delightful acoustic meanderings juxtapose in a superbly shambolic way to have you grinning from ear to ear. 'Manor House Farm' is so dainty you'll pray a sudden gust of wind doesn't steal it from your possession. The harmonies are sublime and the musical backdrop is luxurious.

At times Alfie sound vaguely familiar. This familiarity is most pointed on the acoustic shuffle of 'You Make No Bones'. The vocals are eerily close to a laid-back Tim Burgess and the band could pass as formidable Charlatans copyists. Nothing wrong with this as the songs breezy guise has a loveable understated charm. Alfie are at their most impressive, however, when they beat their own drum. 'Umlaut' is distinctively their own creation but for once they appear in a bolder incarnation. The tunes early subtleties are blown to pieces by a burning musical rhapsody with ingredients made up of 2 parts strings, one part brass and several straying guitar interludes. Only on the lo-fi intricacies of 'Talking Song' do Alfie stray towards all out guitar carnage again. At times Gorton adopts a post hangover voice that is both dry and twee. Like on the waddling 'Sure and Simple Time' where his understated words benefit from a circular acoustic riff supplied by Ian Smith and some beautiful strings that are positively dripping in melancholy. 'Check The Weight' is similarly toned. As graceful and stealth like as a bouncing pebble on a calm lake, it's so damn likeable you could be forgiven for thinking that Belle & Sebastian have had a hand in it's production.

Long before you are ready to except that the album is coming to a close, 'Montevideo' arrives unhurriedly to call time. Effusing a certain continental swing, it conjures the feeling you get while on holidays. Relax, there's nothing to worry about, we have all the time in the world. It hypnotic and proves to be a most eloquent way to put a full stop in the first glorious chapter in Alfie's storybook career. Alfie go about their business with efficient charm, their music is akin to a country ramble; invigorating in the gentlest of ways. If You Happy With You Need Do Nothing is a stellar debut full of cute tunes that colour your laidback lifestyle. Neil Hannon is apparently a celebrity admirer; he has been quoted as saying that he would like to see more bands becoming more like Alfie.

Rating: 8/10


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1) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

An irresistible concoction, bursting at the seams with flavour, yet never too rich or sickly sweet.


2) Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Do believe the hype. The British music press get it right on this fractured, angular, splintered shard of guitar pop.


3) Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

2 down, 48 to go, and Stevens is already honing his songwriting technique to the point of perfection.


4) Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites

You know the people you meet who are really hard to get to know, but end up being one of your best friends. Well here's the musical equivalent.


5) Sigur Ros - Takk

The voice of a generation with nothing to say.


6) Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die

Eight Australians launch another jaunty, ADD-friendly attack on the world. Wide-eyed and wonderful.


7) Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary

Yes, they do sound like that other band, but they still have plenty to say, and shout, for themselves.


8) Brakes - Give Blood

16 songs, fast and furious, country punk, sore neck.


9) The National - Alligator

A seemingly innocuous incognito that'll lurk in the shadows and will hit you when you least expect it.


10) Caribou - The Milk Of Human Kindness

Electronica comes of age, Manitoba who?



Almost made it (in descending order)

11) Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.


12) Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth

Ex-Pavement frontman rediscovers his knack for the shambolic.


13) Michael Knight - Youth Is Wasted On The Young

Ireland finds its own Belle & Sebastian, Beach Boys & South Ambulance. Read the review


14) Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft

Nine years on, and the Welsh lads still haven't lowered the bar.


15) The Ponys - Celebration Castle

Frenetic guitar onslaughts periodically make way for melodic chorus'


16) British Sea Power - Open Season

At least one thing good came out of the great war. Read the review


17) Doves - Some Cities

Cemented their reputation as a must-see live act, and at least the first four songs on this record are a must-hear. Read the review


18) Mercury Rev - The Secret Migration

The old stagers prove that the songs haven't deserted them yet. Read the review


19) Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger

Spraying aural graffiti inside your head.


Honourable Mentions (in no particular order)

The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Willy Mason - Where The Humans Eat Read the review
The Spinto Band – Nice & Never Done
Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World
Thirteen Senses - The Invitation Read the review
Boards Of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
The Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004's winner if indiecater.com was alive back then) Read the review

Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
Belle & Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds (best compilation)
My Morning Jacket - Z
Animal Collective – Feels
Calla - Collisions
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
The Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever
Editors – The Back Room
Low – The Great Destroyer


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