Albums Of The Year

I've been writing reviews for my mate Francis' blog, so I thought I'd stick them up here along with the rest of my Top 10 Of The Year.

1. Frank Turner - Love, Ire & Song
These days, it's not often that an album grabs you from the first chord and you just and listen through every track, without doing anything else. Frank's perfect blend of folk/rock with his punk heart from his Million Dead days, combined with perfect tales of loneliness and epic social commentaries makes for something a bit special. Add some of the greatest lyrics ever and the most passionate delivery I've heard on record and the result is one of the greatest, heartfelt albums of all time.
This album is heartwrenching, shivers down your spine, makes you want to jump around and sing then fall over and cry.
"Life is about love, last minutes and lost evening. About fire in our bellies and about furtive little feelings." All hail Frank Turner.

Best track: I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous

2. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Brooklyn based band The Hold Steady release their 4th album in 4 years, and the progression from 2006's Boys & Girls In America is huge.
Lyrically it's front man Craig Finn's strongest work, taking the tales of girls, booze and drugs ever present in their first 3 albums and contorting them into dark tales of murder and sleeping around. These clash perfectly with the (few) upbeat tracks, the likes of Yeah Sapphire and Sequestered In Memphis.
The Hold Steady have produced the most epically grim and also brilliantly upbeat album in years. It's hard to grasp Finn's real attitude towards life, there's moments of despair followed quickly by moments of immense positivity. His attacks on "the scene' in Slapped Actress are canceled out by the genius Stay Positive, where Finn essentially lists all the issues and then says "it'll be alright though".
This band deserves so much more press than they get, and this album proves that. With Kings Of Leon going stadium rock and The Killers going...well...jazz and disco, The Hold Steady are the band to save American rock music in the UK, "we gotta Stay Positive".

Best track: Constructive Summer

3. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Musically, the bands best work. Recording as one in a open studio creates a brilliant raw sound, completely contrasting with 2005's Plans. Lyrically, it's also a massive change. Ben Gibbard's lyrics are far more literal than previous albums, but are not without their highlights.

Best track: Pity & Fear/I Will Possess Your Heart

4. Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim
The Reading born indie-folk songstress finally gets an album out, and it's superb. 12 perfect tales of teenage romance. From the perfectly poppy Cross Your Fingers to the epically dark Night Terror. The potential this 18 year old shows is frightening.

Best track: Old Stone

5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Got the publicity it did due Justin Vernon recording it in a cabin in the woods of Wisconsin, but it deserves every bit. It's perfect soulful folk for the broken hearted.

Best track: re:stacks

6. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Epic debut from the latest "big thing". There is so much emotion poured into it on the part of front man James Allen, especially on opener Flowers & Football Tops and the epic It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry. It has moments where it can genuinly "get you right there".

Best track: It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry

7. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
The mind behind Bright Eyes releases his first "solo" album since he was 16. It's a long departure from the moody teenaged angst of Bright Eyes, lyrically and musically. Conor's lyrics are more upbeat here, althought that's hardly an achievement, and his "Mystic Valley Band" create a sound that is far more stipped down than the numerous musicians that have featured on Bright Eyes albums.

Best track: Moab

8. Sigur Rós -Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
Beautifully epic 5th album from the Icelandic 4 piece, but far more upbeat than their previous efforts. Title means "With a buzz in our ears, we endlessly play". Not really that much else to say as I can't really comment on the lyrics. The music is amazing and perfectly produced. Needs to be heard to be appriciated, or seen live if possible.

Best track: All Alright

9. Coldplay - Viva La Vida/Death And All His Friends.
A huge improvement on 2005's X&Y. It's about as pretentious as it gets but that's not a bad thing. From the epic Viva La Vida to the lovely Strawberry Swing it proves that Coldplay still have the ability to write songs for huge gigs that their debut Parachutes promised

Best track: Lovers In Japan

10. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
Late entry to my Top 10. The Gaslight Anthem, like The Hold Steady, are proprioters of fast paced rock 'n' roll. The '59 Sound is hardly innovative, a great change in sound from the bands debut, Sink Or Swim, but more it's just pure and simple punk-rock for the masses. Heartfelt lyrics meets awesome indie rock.

Best track: The Backseat


Honourable mentions to (in no order):
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
The Courteeners - St. Jude
Everything Is Borrowed - The Streets
Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip - Angles
Benga - Diary Off An Afro Warrior
Bloc Party - Intimacy
She & Him - Volume 1
Little Man Tate - Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy
The Subways - All Or Nothing
Late Of The Peir - Fantasy Black Channel
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
Flight Of The Conchords - Flight Of The Conchords
Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
Feeder - Silent Cry
Lykke Li - Youth Novels
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight


A seriously good year for recorded music.