Favourite Songs of 2013

Before I get to actually naming and detailing what my favourite songs of 2013 actually were, here are a whole bunch of songs that almost made it. I was addicted to or just loved all of these at various points over the course of the year (sadly there's no place for The Pipettes' "Pull Shapes" anywhere). At the bottom of the post you'll find a Spotify containing all the songs mentioned here. And now the list:

Honourable Mentions:
Arcade Fire - "Afterlife"
James Blake - "Overgrown"
Boards of Canada - "Reach for the Dead"
Daft Punk - "Doin' It Right"
Daft Punk - "Touch"
Chvrches - "Gun"
Chvrches - "We Sink"
Glass Candy - "Warm in the Winter"
Jon Hopkins - "Open Eye Signal"
Icona Pop - "All Night"
Lorde - "Royals"
Janelle Monáe - "Q.U.E.E.N. (feat. Erykah Badu)"
The National - "Don't Swallow the Cap"
Sigur Ros - "Brennisteinn"
Vampire Weekend - "Unbelievers"

10. Charli XCX - "You (Ha Ha Ha)"
This was a song that I wasn't entirely sold on when I first hit, but it became the very definition of a grower. Much like the other song on this list with vocals from Charli XCX, this song is all about female empowerment. There's something heart warming in someone being so upbeat and positive even whilst singing about heartbreak. You can hear the pain in the lyrics, but that's isn't going to get in the way its 'party all night' attitude. This is the definition of what good pop music can do, it forces you to smile even as the tears are washing all the glitter.

09. Jon Hopkins - "Breathe This Air (feat. Purity Ring)"
On it's own on Jon Hopkins' Mercury nominated album "Immunity", "Breathe This Air" was great, but definitely not the albums highlight (that was "Open Eye Signal"). Then two months later Hopkins added Purity Ring to the track and it became a thing of transcendent beauty. Purity Rings' album "Shrines" was one of my highlights of 2012 and I can't wait to hear what happens on their follow, but I can't help but want Jon Hopkins involved in some form now. Something about the glitchy sounds of "Breathe This Air" only reinforce the beauty of Megan James's voice. This was a match made in heaven and I can't wait to see if there any future collaborations to come from these artists.

08. Kanye West - "Blood on the Leaves"
Along with "Bound 2", "Blood on the Leaves" is the most sample heavy song on all of "Yeezus", marrying together Nina Simone's "Strange Fruit" and TNGHT's "R U Ready". Whilst I feel that "Bound 2" works wonderfully as a conclusion to what Kanye achieved on "Yeezus", it's "Blood on the Leaves" that is able to stand apart far better as an actual song. There were few moments in music in all of 2013 that sounded as crushingly massive as when TNGHT's horns kick in during this song. Their use as a counterpoint to the almost idyllic sounding sample of Nina Simone is cognitive dissonance at it's strongest. Whilst the rest of the album is both thematically and sonically dark, "Blood on the Leaves" is light... until it isn't any more and you realise it was all so the songs message would stick that much more.

07. Frightened Rabbit - "Holy"
Despite the concept of "Holy" sounds deeply cynical, it's a song about a man rejecting religion because he knows he's already damned, that doesn't keep the song from being so deeply joyous. There's a propulsive nature to Grant Hutchinson's drums on this track that it make sound like it's being driven by an army of horses across the finish line. "Holy" has all the makings of an indie rock classic and there are comparisons that I could easily make to The Walkmen's "The Rat" or TV on the Radio's "Wolf Like Me", but Frightened Rabbit are still one of Scotland's best kept secrets and that seems to be more than enough, especially if they keep putting songs as strong as this one.

06. Daft Punk - "Giorgio by Moroder"
I remember returning home on the 13th of May to find that Daft Punk had put the entirety of "Random Access Memories" up on iTunes for people to listen to, so obviously I immediately loaded up my first lesson. Whilst the first two tracks felt like extensions of the aesthetic that had been started by "Get Lucky", it was when "Giorgio by Moroder" started up that I knew I was in for something special. I wasn't entirely sure who it was that I was listening to, but . Then the click kicks in at 1:33 and the whole song reaches another level. What follows is seven minutes of pure synth bliss. When I first heard this song I said that I couldn't remember the last time that a song hit me as hard, and I continue to stand by that. "Giorgio by Moroder" is a tour de force of a song and one that would have had irreparably damaged "Random Access Memories" had it not been included.

05. Chvrches - "The Mother We Share"
At the end of the day, Chvrches were unequivocally my band of 2013. This probably most evident in the fact that I bought this. Chvrches had such a fantastic year, every single that they released was brilliant ultimately culminating in their superb début album "The Bones of  What You Believe". Now, technically, "The Mother We Share" was released in 2012, but was reissued in 2013 and is the epitome of everything that Chvrches do so well. From the melancholic feel of the song being juxtaposed with the twinkling synths and brightness of Lauren Mayberry's voice. Chvrches feel like a more world weary version of Purity Ring, and that is one of the highest pieces of praise I can give them.

04. Kanye West - "Black Skinhead"
"Black Skinhead", much like the rest of "Yeezus" sounds like nothing that Kanye West has done up until this point. Gone is the lush and expensive production that defined "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", replaced by something far more raw. As has been pointed out many times before, "Yeezus" feels like Kanye trying to make a punk-rap album and nowhere is this more evident on "Black Skinhead". The song is a mere 3 minutes long and it just doesn't let up, from the moment it starts there's a barely a chance to breathe. Whilst the studio version lacks the visceral nature of the SNL performance, it's still an absolute wonder to listen to Kanye at his moist vitriolic on this track.

03. Arcade Fire - "Reflektor"
When I heard that James Murphy of the late, great LCD Soundsystem was going to be producing Arcade Fire's fourth album I knew that above all the album would be much more danceable, but I was pre
pared for "Reflektor". The drums alone are just about the funkiest thing I had heard since the guitar riff from "Get Lucky". But there's so much more to love about "Reflektor" than James Murphy's production; the glory that is Colin Stetson's saxophone (the songs stealth
MVP), the random David Bowie cameo, the fact that not one second of it's seven minute run time is wasted and, most importantly, the fact that it still sounds like an Arcade Fire track. Even ten years removed from their career defining début album, Arcade Fire cement themselves as one on the definitive musical voices of the 21st century.

02. Icona Pop - "I Love It (feat. Charli XCX)"
Cheating a little bit on this one considering the song actually came out in 2012, however it didn't receive a UK release until the middle of 2013, which is why it gets on this list. I first heart "I Love It" when it was featured on the third episode of Girls' second season. It's such a joyous moment that you can't help but be sucked in and is one of the few times that I've known I had to own a song having heard it only once. Despite the fact the lyrics feature someone crashing their car into a bridge, there's a sense of complete euphoria to this song that's hard to shake. There's an energy and addictive quality to this song that is hard to define in any way other than I know that I love it (pardon the pun).  If I were to write the dictionary definition of 'fun' I'd just include a link to this song, it's that infectiously happy.

01. Daft Punk - "Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams) (Single Edit)"
This one is probably a bit too obvious, but it's obvious for a reason. Whilst people are going to claim that "Blurred Lines" is also a claimant for Song of the Summer, the backlash to that song is only going to damage it in years to come. ''Get Lucky" on the other hand is still as good as it was the day the preview came out back in April. What makes "Get Lucky" so brilliant is that it manages to evoke that feeling of disco music of the past whilst still being able to evoke 2013 in such an intrinsic way. Other songs may have made claims to be the song that defined the year, in 20 years it will only be "Get Lucky" that soundtracks all of those retrospectives on 2013.

Favourite Albums of 2010 - 20-11

Well here we are, the start of my wrap of 2010, I had aimed to do this post yesterday but instead went to London with a load of people from my old school and didn’t get back in until gone midnight so just went to bed and decided to this post and the Top 10 today. So as I posted on Twitter, because so much good music was released in 2010 I’ve decided to do a Top 20 list. So if there’s anything that looks at all interesting to you go and listen!

So now on with the list

20. Weezer – Hurley

This does not mean that Weezer are back at 90s level awesomeness, it just means that they put out a very fun album in 2010. Whilst not much will ever reach the level of how good Blue Ablum and Pinkerton are, Hurley is just a very solid dose of fun pop/rock tunes. Whilst of course there’s the normal Weezer corniness in songs like ‘Where’s My Sex’, this album as is the best collection of songs that Weezer has released in years. ‘Memories’, ‘Trainwrecks’ and ‘Smart Girls’ are absolute stand-outs of the album.

'Memories' - Weezer

19. Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks

The Winter of Mixed Drinks is not as incredible as 2008’s The Midnight Organ Fight but it still shows that Frightened Rabbit are one of the best bands working in the United Kingdom at the moment. Of course this album doesn’t come with the pain that The Midnight Organ Fight, but it doesn’t suffer from it, in many ways this album is like the ray of sunshine that comes after the crushing pain and proves that Frightened Rabbit that can pull through almost anything.

'Swim Until You Can't See Land' - Frightened Rabbit

18. Girl Talk – All Day

Girl Talk is just one guy who makes albums out of other songs. Ever wanted to hear Black Sabbath mixed with 2Pac? How about Electric Light Orchestra mixed with Juicy J? All Day is an album that takes samples from so many different artists, Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Beck, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Daft Punk, Eminem, Fugazi and Michael Jackson. Whilst not as straightforward as other mash-ups, Girl Talk creates a tapestry of so many recognisable riffs and vocal samples that it makes for a damn good album.

'Oh No' - Girl Talk

17. Beach House – Teen Dream

Beach House’s Teen Dream was one of the first albums I heard in 2010 and it still sounds great, especially now we’re back in the winter months. Melodic vocals, hazy synths create just a warming atmosphere. Whilst lacking a hard immediate edge, Teen Dream created one of the most comforting atmospheres on album this year with songs like ‘Zebra’ and ‘Norway’. For lack of a better way to describe it, Teen Dream is a beautiful album that makes the most out of its shoegaze roots.

'Norway' - Beach House

16. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

Titus Andronicus have made a fantastic concept album The Monitor. Based around the American Civil War, the album stretches for over an hour. Hell the last song on the album is 14 minutes long. Titus Andronicus were aiming for the ceiling with this album and they pulled most of it off. ‘A More Perfect Union’ is one of the best songs of the year and that Jersey punk atmosphere gets me pretty much every time I hear it (see also Gaslight Anthem).

'A More Perfect Union' - Titus Andronicus

15. Spoon – Transference

Spoon are still the most consistent band in the world. Whilst Transference isn’t as uniformly strong as earlier albums such as Kill The Moonlight and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference was still one of the best releases of year. Transference is uglier as can be heard on the song ‘Written in Reverse’ where the piano sounds like it’s on the edge of breaking for the entire song. Transference is just a more raw album that the rest of Spoon’s back catalogue and whilst that might seem strange to those that fell for Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’s poppier outlook, Transference is a more than worthy entry into the Spoon discography.

'Written in Reverse' - Spoon

14. Robyn – Body Talk

Body Talk is just straightforward pop album, but it’s a damn good pop album. Robyn has more originality than almost every single pop star going at the moment (apart from possibly Lady Gaga but she’s insane). There’s a sheer joy to songs like ‘Dancing on my Own’ and ‘Hang with Me’, and whilst it might be to everyone’s taste, Robyn has made some of the best dance songs in a while. At least in the way that I don’t feel like retching every time I hear them, and for pop music that’s an achievement.

'Dancing On My Own' - Robyn

13. Emeralds – Does It Look Like I’m Here?

I have a feeling that this album could end up like Fuck Buttons, an album that I heard comparatively late in the year and that I feel in love with and regret not putting a lot higher. Emeralds, along with the next album on this list is one of the best instrumental electronic albums I heard all year and is quickly becoming one of my favourite sub-genres. The ambient swell of Emeralds is one of perfect rising and falling, with obvious elements of post-rock and shoegaze. Emeralds are one of those bands the work best when you just let the sound engulf and take you somewhere else.

'Candy Shoppe' - Emeralds

12. 65daysofstatic – We Were Exploding Anyway

This was an album I downloaded completely at random. Last year’s Tarot Sport by Fuck Buttons was one of my favourite albums of the year and would probably land highly on my decade list if I did it again. So this year I tried to find an album that would fill the hole that Fuck Buttons, and 65daysofstatic came closest. Whilst not as perfect as Tarot Sport, We Were Exploding Anyway has the same post-rock influence, the same level of just sheer noise. 65daysofstatic’s new album feels in some ways to be a new generation of The Prodigy with so many great hooks throughout the album that I’m sure those guys would be jealous. 65daysofstatic are one of the few bands that get how to build on a song to an almighty crescendo and for that I’m thankful.

'Crash Tactics' - 65daysofstatic

11. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz

This was Sufjan’s first proper album in almost 5 years. Whilst he’s been releasing music since his seminal Illinois, The Age of Adz is the first proper LP since that album came out. Whilst many people were expecting an enhancement of that sound from so long ago, Sufjan has seemingly gone in an entirely different direction. Although that’s a lie, The Age of Adz seems to be a synthesis of every style that Sufjan has been working with over the years. Illinois, ‘You Are the Blood’ from last year’s Dark Was the Night and even Seven Swans. Hell he even goes all out on auto-tune. Age of Adz needs to be listened to a lot to finally get but when you do it’s completely worth, being one of the richest and thematically rich albums released this year.

'Too Much' - Sufjan Stevens

Favourite Albums of the Decade

Damn this was tough. I decided against putting any albums from my 2009 list on this because I'm sure a couple were good enough to make it. Then I needed to make some really tough decisions, how could it be a best of list without one White Stripes album? But sadly I had to cut the wondrous 'Elephant' from my list. No Gaslight Anthem with their spectacular albums '59 Sound' (honestly go and download that right now). No Wilco (despite the incredibleness of 'Yankee Foxtrot Hotel'). No OutKast. No LCD Soundsystem, no Knife, no Arctic Monkeys, no Libertines, no Animal Collective, no Thrice, no New Pornographers, no Portishead. All of these bands released superb albums decade and I more or less narrowed it down to 10 (give or take 5). So without further ado.... the honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions

Boxer - The National
The National are just an awesome band and whilst some people think Alligator is the better album. At first this album sounds good. But the more you listen, the more you realise the genius behind it. People say it's the perfect 20something album. So I don't know what that says about me (although some albums higher up are definitely more teen orientated), all I know is that Boxer is a superb album and one I would definitely recommend to many people. You might shrug it off as boring at first, but give it time and you'll realise the depth behind one of the best indie-rock albums of the decade. Plus the fact that it sounds like a mini-orchestra with lots of piano definitely helps it on this list

Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins
A few months ago I placed The Shins debut album on this list and whilst that's still a great album, Chutes Too Narrow is just a bit better and perhaps a bit more cohesive. The sound is a lot better and whilst no song can top the l0-fi brilliance of New Slang, one song doesn't help make an album the best by a band. The fact that sound quality and maturity just seems to have come on in leaps and bounds make this a great album. Whilst I'd still say to people that they should listen to New Slang to see whether they like The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow is the album I'd tell people to listen to if they liked New Slang. Whilst a lot a of the lo-fi nature is gone, the infectious melodies and James Mercer's voice still shine through. Natalie Portman said in Garden State that they'd change your life, and whilst they haven't given me an epiphany, this album is certainly one of the best of the decade.

Is This It? - The Strokes
Know people in the UK? Know when they say "Indie music all sounds the same"? They're referring to the sound that this band brought. Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand both are influenced heavily by this bands form of guitar based rock for the 21st century. The Strokes were hailed early on in the decade as the saviours of modern rock. Whilst The White Stripes have proven to be one of the most consistent bands of the decade and The Strokes have steadily released less and less polished albums, The Strokes still win because of this album. Simply a masterful album full of infectious guitars and hooks that will be stuck with you for days after hearing it. You might not like this kind of music, and it certainly isn't the best indie rock album of the decade but the modern music scene owes this album so much and if it can still be this fantastic nearly 9 years on, well then it definitely deserves it way onto this list.

And now for the real list. Of course I'm starting at 11, because honestly I just couldn't narrow this list down enough.

11. Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
The king of multi-instrumental indie music. Sufjan has already appeared on this list due to the fact that he played piano on some tracks on Boxer. But here on his own record we have an album of just staggering ambition. So many different styles and tracks on this album (22 different tracks) contain just one of the best albums of the decade. Part of Sufjan's now discarded 50 states project, he showed us what he might be capable of in Michigan, but it was Illinois that really made you sit and take notice. Songs about love and with UFO in the title make you think twice about what sort of album you might be hearing, but in all honesty I'm going to tell you to just listen to the tracks Chicago and Casmir Pulaski Day. If you enjoy both of those (they're his two best tracks) then you OWE it to yourself to go and download this masterwork of the 21st century (at least what little part of it we've experienced so far.

10. ....is a Real Boy - Say Anything
So far all of my albums have been of the indie ilk and whilst this album is too, it falls far more into the realm of scene music. Music that depressed and angry teenagers find themselves listening to. Since I'm still in my teen years I don't feel too bad for putting this album on a list with those great bands I'm going to be putting up higher. Yes this is a pop punk album and yes I'll probably outgrow it. But for where I am in life and just how damn funny and yet awesome the lyrics are. Max Bemis may not have the best voice in the world but his lyrics tell a story. From the holocaust tinged 'Alive With The Glory of Love' or the final rant in the form of 'Admit It!' make it worth it just to hear this album. Plus it's damn catchy and has some pretty damn awesome riffs as well. However it's also probably the sweariest album on my list, but it goes with that emo-teenage angst I must be feeling to put this album on my list.

9. Give Up/Transatlanticism - The Postal Service/Death Cab for Cutie
How could I include two albums in one place? Well for simple reasons. They are both by Benjamin Gibbard, both released in the same year and I honestly couldn't decide between the two of them. Give Up is The Postal Service's only album and is electro-pop at is very best. Whilst I know people who aren't into electronic music at all, The Postal Service however are one of the best. The whole album might not be perfect but it is just a great album, all topped by the song Such Great Heights, which is the greatest song that Benjamin Gibbard has ever written. It's also the most positive song he has written about love, as well all know that Death Cab for Cutie and Transatlanticism is known as one of the breakthrough emo albums ever. However it's also just a superb indie rock album. It's got all the right highs and lows and are just bolstered by Gibbard's voice and lyrics. Like Max Bemis of Say Anything, Ben Gibbard is one artists who I just love to listen to the lyrics of.

8. Kill the Moonlight - Spoon
Spoon are the perpetual underdog. Every single album they've released this decade has been superb and it's honestly difficult just selecting one. But I went for their first which is kind of the crystallization of their sound. You're bound to have heard at least one Spoon song in your life, as their sound is just so unique. That beating drum pattern or particular riff of a guitar and you know what you're in for. Spoon play around with space and strip songs down and still manage to maintain what the song is. Just go and listen to The Way We Get By. Again I seem to be recommending the best song by these guys but if you like the songs then you really owe it yourself to listen. Spoon never failed to be great this decade and whilst every year they released an album they were outshone, I'm here to give them a little bit of their dues. Whilst others might say that White Stripes or Radiohead were the most consistent band of the decade (and they were very consistent) I'm going to have to give that award to Spoon who released 4 superb albums and I can't but wait for their new album Transference which will be out in all of two weeks (I haven't even heard it and I know it's going to be great).

7. Kid A - Radiohead
You can't do a best of list for the last two decades without including Radiohead. In the 90s they released The Bends and OK Computer and this decade whilst all four albums were great, it was really Kid A and In Rainbows that stood out. But Kid A just represented this decade. When it came out people were confused. Why had Radiohead completely left their anthemic rock roots behind and gone electronic. Coldplay came along to fill that anthem space that Radiohead had perfected in the 90s whilst Radiohead went on one of the most creative streaks in history. Kid A is the soundtrack of the 21st century. It turns so many people off when you first listen to but give it time and you realise the genius hidden inside this album, it's eccentric, imaginative and incredible. Whilst people thought that Kid A would be the album that would save rock music (a mantel quickly shifted to The White Strips and The Strokes) what Radiohead did was far more important, they almost changed the way that people should look at music, especially if you look at their recent experiments with releasing songs to the public for free.

6. Origin of Symmetry - Muse
Nope Muse have not made my top 5, but they did beat Radiohead to whom many art snobs say that Muse are inferior copy. Overall I'd say that Kid A and Origin of Symmetry but I put Origin of Symmetry in front mostly because Kid A is getting far more press that Origin of Symmetry. Muse are one of the biggest bands in the world and some of the most experimental. Not experimental in that completely extreme way that Radiohead are but in ways that their sound benefits. But Origin remains their biggest triumph. It's not their breakthrough like Absolution is and sadly far too many fans name that album as their best when really it's a bit uneven. But Origin of Symmetry is the sound of a confident band who know the sound they want to achieve. Look at songs like New Born and Plug in Baby, those are two of the best songs of the decade and they come from the same album. Muse are undeniably one of the best rock bands of the decade. Rock is a fundamentally changed genre from what it meant in the 70s and 80s, but as long as bands like Muse stay in the driving seat, I'll be excited to see where they take us.

5. The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me - Brand New
Brand New used to be an average pop-punk band. There are still fans who clamour for those days. I have trouble understanding that. 70x7 is one of their most requested songs and it just sounds like all those Blink182 and Jimmy Eat World wannabes. Then Deja Entendu happened and Brand New matured. It was still pop-punk but it sounded different. Edgier, rockier. Whilst it wasn't quite the masterpiece that this album it was a move in the right direction. Then TDAGARIM happened and it was one of the best post rock albums ever. They perfected the quiet loud dynamic used by so many different bands with cryptic lyrics (so cryptic that there was an actual outcry from fans that the lyrics weren't included with the CD). Two instrumentals and some absolutely incredible songs. They might be classified as emo, but even if you have distaste for the entire emo movement, there's no denying the expert musicianship found in this album.

4. For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
The story for this album will probably go down in history. There was a break up, so James Vernon decided to go away to get over this relationship. Whilst there he may have gone a little insane and starting to write lyrics all over the wall. However the lyrics and music that he wrote are some of the best to come out of this past decade. If you like acoustic folky music with almost an ethereal sound then you need to hear this album. Yes the album is achingly romantic and the back story has been so oft repeated that it loses a lot of its impact, but it's just amazing music. Bon Iver (Justin Vernon) is now one of the biggest forces in indie music, going so far as to feature on the Twilight soundtrack (along with other list makers, Radiohead, Muse and Death Cab for Cutie). It came out of nowhere with it's immense loneliness and near mythic story. But behind all of that lies one of the best albums to ever be recorded. Just listen to Skinny Love and hear for yourself.

3. The Midnight Organ Fight - Frightened Rabbit
Recently voted as one of the best Scottish albums of the decade, Frightened Rabbit provided not just that, but one of the best British albums of the decade. Considering that includes bands like Radiohead and Muse, that's praise indeed. Whilst I'm probably speaking in hyperbole, I don't think I can convey how much I love this album. Again it's another break up album (much like my favourite album of all time is Pinkerton) but that probably speaks more about my mental state through most of the decade (hence the emo albums on this list). But that doesn't degrade how great this album is. Modern Leper kicks of the album in absolute style and we get taken through 14 tracks of these drunk potty mouthed Scotsmen and their awesome music. One of my anticipated albums of 2010 is Frightened Rabbit's third album and if it's anywhere near as good as this triumph then you should be excited as well. It's hard to convey what makes this album work. They're not the most innovative band in the world but their music is just filled with a vigorous amount of heart that just begs to be listened to. So many different styles that just come to together to make that oh so rare cohesive whole, Frightened Rabbit succeded at make a perfect indie rock record which sadly hasn't received as much attention as countless other Scottish bands this decade who in my mind have just made inferior albums. Sadly two other albums from across the pond managed to beat the best British album of the decade, but let it be known us Brits put some incredible music this decade as well.

2. The Red Tree - Moneen
People who know me might be a little surprised by this albums placement and honestly for months it was going to be number 1. Easily my most played album of the decade and despite not being a concept album or progressive rock, it's just one of the most seamless albums of the decade. There are practically no breaks in sound but you know when each new song begins. They just float into each other and create this seamless whole. Brand New may be one of the best quiet/load bands in the business but Moneen have a seemingly God-like ability to make songs sound as brilliant in either an acoustic or full band form. Some bands are better in one or the other but Moneen are one band I could listen to in either form. Just listen to The Red Tree and then Saying Something You Have Already Said Before and you'll understand. They even managed to perfect the perfect song which I was shocked by. They might be emo, they might be loud but they wrote one of the hardest hitting emotional albums of the decade which just sounds incredible. Moneen might not be the best known band in the world but these Canadian rockers are just so well liked within bands in Canada. Even indie purists know these guys have incredible talent. Whilst Canada has put out some incredible albums this decade, two stand head and shoulders above the rest and rank in at numbers 1 and 2 on my list.

1. Funeral - Arcade Fire
It couldn't not be. It's the most critically acclaimed album of the decade and it came out in 2004. It's the best debut of the decade by far and it's influence is just so far stretching. Hell even Coldplay tried to emulate what this album does on their latest and failed at capturing the heart and soul that this album has. Funeral is lightning in a bottle that even Arcade Fire were unable to catch again on Neon Bible. It's a great album, but Funeral is the try success story of the decade. Win Butler may not have the best voice of all time but you can feel his passion behind every word that he sings. It just makes this album sizzle. It might not be in English all of the time as there are occasionally parts where it lapses into French, but when an album can overcome having French on it you know you have a winner. Dual vocals, a menagerie of instruments and some epic songs. There are danceable tunes and whilst it's not all guitars and drums like many music purists would prefer to see, Arcade Fire have created an orchestra of sounds. This album is my most consistently listened to. I'll bring it at least once a week without hesitation and I can actually remember where I was the first time I heard it, which is more than I can say for a lot of these albums no matter how much I love them. Hearing this album for the first time, you might think it sounds good because it sounds different. Even if you only listen to about 15 minutes of it. After that you just know it's special. You'll come back just to listen again and make sure, but it's still got a spark. That spark will keep you coming back for more and more. If the 2000s are remembered for anything let's hope it isn't terrorism, recessions, natural disasters, the reality TV show boom or corrupt politicians. I hope we're remembered for bringing the world the perfection that is Funeral, an album bound to go down as one of the best albums in history.*

*I was going to say the decade should also be remembered for The Wire, but then I realised that corrupt politicians are a big part of that. So instead it gets listed down here in an addendum.

Of My Favourite Songs

Okay this is wholly random post that I've felt like doing for a very long time. Essentially it's my top 10 songs of all time. Surprisingly almost every song has come from the past decade of music. I'm not saying "all music from pre-2000 is shit". It's just, well, I haven't gotten round to listening to the vast majority of it. There could be some stuff that is flat out fantastic but these are the songs which I get consistently stuck in my head or just that random urge to sit down and listen to them. They're also songs which remind me of significant portions of my life. Now I've missed out a lot of songs which I really, really like ("Where is my Mind" and "M79" are probably my two biggest regrets) however I'm happy with the list. Knowing my tastes it's probably going to be different in a month but hell that's music for you, consistently changing.

So for the list I limited myself to one song per band so as to not make it completely full of Weezer and Death Cab for Cutie (I'm really that obsessive) so here we go my favourite songs ever....at this moment in time.

10. "New Slang" The Shins
New Slang is one of those songs which I've always really liked but it's always that after thought song. I can list long streams of songs for people to listen to and then I'll usually say "Oh and New Slang". Its a fantastic song and always puts me in a really good mood (probably because it makes me think of Garden State) but compared to so many of the other songs on this list it doesn't get nearly as much playtime.

9. "Letter from an Occupant" The New Pornographers
I have a Canadian music addiction at the moment. New Pornographers, Moneen and Arcade Fire are some of my favourite bands and they're all from that funny country north of the USA that is oh so much fun to take the piss of (Clerks: Animated Series and How I Met Your Mother do it the best). However there is no denying that these people are fucking talented. Letter from an Occupant is a down right addicting listen. It's so upbeat that you can't help but crack a smile when you listen to it. Yes it might not be for everyone but hell if don't love how different this song sounds to most music nowadays

8. "Alive with the Glory of Love" Say Anything
The song I only started listening to recently. Its featured on Scrubs but I didn't notice it then. However when I downloaded "...is a Real Boy" I became addicted to this song. It might be the lead single from the disc but its the song I always skip to when I listen to that fantastic album. There are so many great songs on that album but this is one that jumps out at me. It's addicting like "Letter from an Occupant" except it sounds a bit more commercial. Except for the fact that it's about the holocaust....

7. "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" Arcade Fire
What? More Canadian music? Yes indeed. Arcade Fire are probably the best band in Canada at the moment (although I do prefer Moneen). Arcade Fire are known for some extremely grandiose music. In fact both Arcade Fire and New Pornographer have a lot more members than most bands and play a massive array of instruments. Arcade Fire almost have a classical element to them with instruments like violins along with guitars and keyboards. Neighborhood #1 is the first song on their first album and sets up exactly what they're going to do. Whilst the rest of the album has some great songs but this is the one I love to listen to the most.

6. "The Day No One Needed to Know" Moneen
I deliberated for ages on what Moneen song to put on here. "The Passing of America" and "The Song I Swore to Never Sing" are two of my other favourites but I feel that this song just sums them up best to me. At six minutes its a reasonably long song but it goes through so emotional high and lows and only two other songs can pull of a climax like this one. From some elements of screaming (I don't listen to that music often, promise) and then to a spoken word element before kicking off the last part of the song, I love this song consistently even if others pass it off a bit too quickly.

5. "The Modern Leper" Frightened Rabbit
My favourite band of 2008 and my favourite song of 2008. I love this song more than I love a lot of things. The song that kicks off "Midnight Organ Fight" shows just how far the band came from "Sing the Greys". There's a lot more emotion in this song than anything on their debut and sets up the tremendous song that they go on to perfect on the rest of the album. Okay yes it's a song about a guy likening himself to a leper but hell if it isn't catchy. Also? Some of the best drums ever.

4. "Death is the Road to Awe/Together We Will Live Forever" Clint Mansell
I know I said one song per band. However this is a one, two punch I can't ignore. Clint Mansell's score to the Fountain is the best score ever for any film and these songs that perfect the score. If I'd reviewed The Fountain already I would have gushed already but I'm going to do so here. Death is the Road Awe simply put has the best climax of any song ever. The music dips out for a few seconds and then we get a massive sensic rush as all the sound rushes back in a just overpowers you. It's a fantastic moment and then it's followed up by the most haunting piece of piano music ever. Simply beautiful.

3. "Such Great Heights" The Postal Service/Iron & Wine
Okay I broke the rules again. Technically this is two songs but they go together perfectly. They're both the same song but in completely different styles. When is electronic and upbeat in tempo, the other is a literally a gorgeous lullaby. Both versions work with the lyrics. One is more a less a guy so happy to be in love that he can't help but proclaim it. The other is a quiet love note full to the brim with beauty and romance. Both work perfectly and I honestly couldn't decide which version is better because they're bother perfect.

2. "I Will Follow you into the Dark" Death Cab for Cutie
Speaking of beautiful songs, here is a gorgeous one. Benjamin Gibbard is one of the best song writers at the moment (he wrote number 3 as well). This song is a beautiful little acoustic song that has become the highlight to Death Cab's album "Plans". Originally supposed to be a full band piece I'm glad it became just Gibbard and a guitar. It pulls out the beauty so much and is just haunting. It's been used recently in Scrubs and I will say embarrassingly that the first time I heard it over the scene I got a tear in my eye.

1. "Only in Dreams" Weezer
If you read this blog often you'll know my gushing love of this song. If you don't know simply put its 8 minutes of song perfection. The first 3 minutes are sung in an almost dream like state before being followed by the most perfect 5 minutes in all music. The best climax of any song ever (even better than "Death is the Road to Awe")

Of My Favourite Albums

Alright I feel like one more blog before Christmas. Really I should start writing up by blog posts for after Christmas, but I'm lazy and work better a) when I can be arsed and b) at the last minute. Surprisingly neither of them occur at the same time ( A. normally happens afterwards). So randomly I have decided to list my favourite albums of all time. This isn't songs, this albums, also one of them happens to be from this year so we'll see if that changes over time. So on with the list.

5. Oh, Inverted World - The Shins

Oh, Inverted World is The Shins first album. I would say that it is there best. Chutes Too Narrow and Wincing the Night Away are both great albums, but I feel that Oh, Inverted World shows the sound of The Shins off the best. Now you might have heard a song of this album without even realizing it ("New Slang" is featured in an episode of Scrubs' first season), however the biggest way that The Shins showed up was in Garden State when *shockhorror* one of the characters mentions the band by name!!! I will admit that this where I heard of the band first and that I feel sort of band for hopping on the bandwagon (albeit an awesome bandwagon). Oh, Inverted World is one of those indie pop albums that sort of hearkens back to the 60s, but it was written in the 00s and I would say remains one of the best albums of the past decade. Whilst probably not for everyone The Shins are just a good sunny day record. It makes me think of the summer even during these winter months.

Recommended Songs: New Slang, Caring is Creepy

4. The Midnight Organ Fight - Frightened Rabbit

If you can't tell I've really fallen for Frightened Rabbit. I only heard them a few weeks ago and I already heart them more than most bands. In this their second album, Frightened Rabbit have perfected their sound. Whilst their debut Sing the Greys is a good album it just doesn't compare to this. This is probably due to the fact that The Midnight Organ Fight is far more "intense" than Sing the Greys, however any band that says that they're about "heartache, blood donation and fucking". Whilst this probably paints them as some sort of deathcore band, Frightened Rabbit are in actually an indie rock band...who happen to swear, a lot. You may have heard them in Chuck with two (yes two) of their songs have been used to finish episodes, and since Chuck has an awesome soundtrack, I think that speaks for their awesomeness.


Recommended Songs: Modern Leper, Keep Yourself Warm

3. The Red Tree - Moneen

Ahhh Canadian rock. Whilst Canadians are normally the but of many peoples jokes (see How I Met Your Mother for proof), they make damn awesome music. I mean the country that can produce Arcade Fire, The New Pornographers, Alexisonfire, Sum 41, Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, Hawksley Workman and Tegan and Sara are bound to be quite talented (I don't actually listen to all of those bands, if you can guess the ones I do you get some internetz). Moneen are just one of those random bands that I picked up randomly (through Lost actually). I didn't think I'd like them and in fact I'm not a big fan of their other stuff but The Red Tree is just a superb album, it's less math rock than the other two albums and it's just an awesome rocky/punky album. Probably wouldn't appeal to everyone but it's wormed its way into my all time favourite albums.


Recommended Songs: The Day No One Need To Know, The Song I Swore To Never Sing

2. Plans - Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab are indie gods for a reason. Whilst many people think that Narrow Stairs or Transatlanticism are better than Plans, I would say that not only is Plans their best all round album, but it also has some of their best songs. In fact it has quite possibly my favourite opening track to an album ever in "Marching Bands of Manhattan" (Along with "Modern Leper" and "The New Year" on Transatlanticism). Whilst many people get turned off by Death Cab for Cutie's name for seeming "emo", once you get past it you realise what awesome music they make. The lyrics are superb and song beautifully by Ben Gibbard. The lyrics, whilst often depressing, are the highlight of the album as there really is no faulting them. Death Cab are one of my favourite bands ever and this is their best album. I would say that no album is better but there is, just one and I think if you've read my blog before you'll know what it is.

Recommended Songs: I Will Follow You Into The Dark, Marching Bands of Manhattan

1. Pinkerton - Weezer

Weezer recorded a perfect debut album with their Blue Album. Then two years later they recorded a more perfect album. This album was Pinkerton. Pinkerton is just incredible. In a completely different turn from their debut, Weezer went emo. In no way is this a bad thing (I actually have no problems with emo as a genre or a culture), it especially isn't a bad thing because it is perfection. Whilst at the time of release it was derided mostly because it was so different to what was being listened to at that time, and then came hindsight. Pinkerton is not heralded as one of the best albums of the 90s and I would say that's the best album of all time. Rivers Cuomo just bares his soul on this album which is more or less a biography of his time after recording their debut. How he gets tired of the sex with groupies, enrolls back into college after a painful surgery on his leg, not being recognised by people wandering around with Weezer shirts on, the letter from a Japanese fan and the end of his writers block are all documented in this album, all done in the style of Puccini's Madame Butterfly (it's an opera). Pinkerton is raw, the guitars are distorted and the album benefits. There's the odd random sound from Matt Sharp (especially on "El Scorcho") and it just makes the album that much better. There isn't a single note I would ever dream of changing on this album and whilst Weezer haven't released an album to stand up to this one in the 12 years following its release, I can rest happy knowing that they have recorded the perfect album.

Recommended Songs: THE ENTIRE THING!!!

So I'm going to wrap by wishing you all Merry Christmas. I'll be back on Boxing Day with the start of my favourite shows of 2008. Speaking of which those living in the UK remember to check out the last episode of Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe tonight. Also I hope to have reviews of the new Doctor Who, Wallace and Gromit (YES THEY'RE BACK!!!) and Slumdog Millionaire (it's a movie not Christmas television) up soon. Probably in the middle of my favourite shows thingy. Damn I'm going to be busy.

BTW tomorrow = presents.

Of Swiss Airports and Dissapointments

Well I've just gotten back from wonderfully snowy Switzerland/France (it really is too close to call which country I was in the most). I had a good few days skiing before I got sick and spent the last few days wrapped up in a bed wishing to go home. However now I am home and I want to get an "end of the year thoughts" post out of the way. There might be 10 days left in the year but since the last few will be taken up by appropriately epic "Best Shows of 2008". I'm aiming to make this a yearly thing until I get bored of it, it is also what I will be running through in the below passage.

So here is the run through of how my best of list will go this year. Instead of 1 post for all 10 shows and 10 favourite this year I will have 15 individual posts starting on Boxing Day. The "12 Days of Christmas" will be where I am posting my top 10 shows of 2008 (with 2 extra shows thrown in). Followed by my top 10 episodes of 2008, then top alternative media shows (i.e. interent/cartoons) and finally my top 5 dissapointments of 2008. You might notice that cartoons have gone into "alternative media" and that is mostly due to the fact that I had so many shows to fit into a top 10 list which I struggled to do and there are still shows I wanted to mention. So they get to go into their own little section which is less crowded. Top 5 dissapointments will be 5 shows which could have been so much better this and just weren't (if you read this blog often you'll know that Heroes and Doctor Who are shoeins for this list).

As a short aside Swiss Airports are really, really boring. However that have more to do with the fact that being from Britain we're spoilt with some of the best airports in the world (even if they are busy as hell). At least in Heathrow/Gatwick I can look in the shops for new books/music/games/DVDs, in Switzerland I was stuck looking in a chocolate shop and feeling ill because I'm still stricken with some sort of evil disease which wants to make sure I wither away due to an inablity to eat but still makes me unbelievably hungry. Rock on you tiny invisible bacteria, rock on.

Now I've covered the Airports and some of the Dissapointment section of the title, I'm going to delve even more into the dissapointments. This year I finally found my little niche in the music world (yes I know it took a while but up until about 13 I didn't give a shit about music). Now I also found "Death Cab for Cutie" who are joint top for my favourite band of all time (along with Weezer who I've already talked about). Of course Death Cab released a new album this year which I bought, and sort of loved (it's not as good as Plans, but still a really good album). Then I had an oppourtunity to see them live, which I passed on. I was kicking myself afterwards and then I looked at the people who were playing backup, a little band called "Frightened Rabbit" whom I vowed to track down them down and give them a listen. I am now contemplating suicide for missing the concert*. Frightened Rabbit are a really awesome little indie rock band from Scotland and I think I've found a new all time favourite album. Why oh why did I pass up that concert!!!

Strop over I'm going to go into something which certainly doesn't dissapoint, Fables. OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!! Issue 79 is quite possibly one of the most unsettling and at the same time awesome things I have ever read. Issue 75 may have left have the characters all happy that they had beaten the Adversary, but now stuff has gone to shit more so than I could have ever imagined, at the moment Fables is a must read, I mean that more than I have meant anything ever. Drop whatever you are reading and read ever single issue of Fables until you have caught up, it is that unbelievably awesome. What is not unbelievably awesome is this cover. It is the cover for Issue 82 which is scheduled out till late March, whilst perhaps an awesome birthday present, what it spells out for my favourite character in the series is quite possibly one of the most depressing things that I can imagine (although the art is truely great, I really can see why people want to become artists, if I could paint like that.)

*not seriously, I'm just trying to be hyperbole