A God-awful Small Affair

#50 - "Bumper", Cults #49 - "Towers", Bon Iver #48 - "Buoy", The Joy Formidable #47 - "Best Thing I Never Had", Beyoncé #46 - "Asthma Attack", CockNBullKid #45 - "I'll Be Yours", Those Dancing Days #44 - "White Limo", Foo Fighters #43 - "Ice Cream", Battles #42 - "Lucky Day", Nicola Roberts #41 - "House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls", The Weeknd

#80 - "Parentheses", The Antlers #79 - "End Come Too Soon", Wild Beasts #78 - "Her", Tyler the Creator #77 - "Desire", Anna Calvi #76 - "Futura", Battles #75 - "Sophia", Laura Marling #74 - "Dirt", WU LYF #73 - "Make Some Noise", Beastie Boys #72 - "Lady Luck", Jamie Woon #71 - "Reach A Bit Further", Wild Beasts #70 - "Jealousy", Will Young #69 - "Change", Glasvegas #68 - "Crystalline", Bjork #67 - "For Love I Come", Thundercat #66 - "Machu Picchu", The Strokes #65 - "Grace", The View #64 - "A Dedication", Washed Out #63 - "Still Life", The Horrors #62 - "Hair", Lady GaGa #61 - "We Found Love", Rihanna #60 - "Paradise", Coldplay #59 - "Armistice", Patrick Wolf #58 - "Let England Shake", PJ Harvey #57 - "Super Bass", Nicki Minaj #56 - "No Church

#100 - "Second Chance", Peter Bjorn and John #99 - "She's Thunderstorms", Arctic Monkeys #98 - "Color on the Walls (Don't Stop)", Foster the People #97 - "Dead and Gone", The Black Keys #96 - "Iris", Emmy the Great #95 - "Live Those Days Tonight", Friendly Fires #94 - "Turning Tables", Adele #93 - "Feel So Close", Calvin Harris #92 - "Changing the Rain", The Horrors #91 - "Dear Friends", Elbow #90 - "Americano", Lady GaGa #89 - "Rubber Ball", Cage the Elephant #88 - "Princess of China (feat. Rihanna)", Coldplay #87 - "I Know Places", Lykke Li #86 - "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", Panic! at the Disco #85 - "The Beast", Laura Marling #84 - "I Deserve It", CockNBullKid #83 - "The Shield and the Sword", Clare Maguire #82 - "Observe the Skies", British Sea Power #81 - "Sun of a Gun", Oh Land

#10 - "Gloss Drop", Battles Genuinely one of the most fun records I've heard all year - dizzyingly energetic and full of weird grunts and guest appearances that all mash together to make one gooey, unusual mess (mess can be a good thing, right?) And as usual the drumming is superb. #9 - "Conatus", Zola Jesus For someone to release an album every year is quite admirable, but for them to improve in quality is quite unexpected: her previous two releases, as well as the majority of her extra singles and EPs, have often treaded too close on the line between art and boredom, but Conatus reigns in the hazy edges and polishes them into excellent, beautiful songs. #8 - "Biophilia", Björk In a year where I fell more and more in love with her, this seemed to polarise critics. I'm firmly in the fan camp, though, and Biophilia's thematic backstories and cohesive sense of minimalism made this a really gentle but fascinating experiment. #7 - "The English

#20 - "A Different Kind of Fix", Bombay Bicycle Club This was the year they progressed past the point of a one-hit-wonder in my mind (Always Like This) and this record possesses a great number of hooks and tunes. #19 - "Dye It Blonde", Smith Westerns Richly influenced by David Bowie, T. Rex and, more recently, Suede, it's naturally packed to the brim with a heap of glamrock goodness. #18 - "Zonoscope", Cut Copy Amazing tune after amazing tune. Along with Metronomy they've seen multiple tracks end up on my going-out playlist, and kickstarted summer that little bit earlier. #17 - "Cults", Cults I instantly fell in love with the pair once I heard 'Abducted', and that was just one of a selection of infectious, retro pop songs. #16 - "Smother", Wild Beasts I missed their first two albums entirely and have still yet to investigate them, but this stood out this year for me because of its intimacy, great songwriting and some exc

#30 - "Mirrorwriting", Jamie Woon Fuck James Blake. This was the interesting post-dubstep solo album of early 2011. #29 - "The Big Roar", The Joy Formidable It was just a refreshing surprise to see that Wales actually has good acts. Name me another one. Go on. #28 - "21", Adele The statistics speak for themselves. A few dud tracks but at its best it was painfully and resonantly emotional. #27 - "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds", Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds I know I worshipped the pants off of it in my review but an enduring love for the top 25 has put this in a surprisingly low position. #26 - "Submarine OST", Alex Turner The only soundtrack placing on my list, Submarine was a small but sweet collection of lovely songs culminating in the excellent Piledriver Waltz (which the full band sadly destroyed) #25 - "Anna Calvi", Anna Calvi It must have been quite frustrating for a breakthrough artist so noticeably si

#40 - "Holy Ghost!", Holy Ghost! If you're going to buy just the one synthpop album from 2011 - this is very much one of the frontrunners. Listen to 'Do It Again' now. #39 - "Twist Again", Bodies of Water I still much prefer the band's outings as 'Music Go Music' but if you're a little afraid of ABBA revivalism and fond of folky nostalgia, this won't disappoint. #38 - "House of Balloons", The Weeknd I didn't review this when it came out because it totally escaped me, but having downloaded it a couple of weeks ago I found it surprising, exciting and basically what Bon Iver might have been had they worked more with Kanye West. #37 - "Veliciraptor!", Kasabian It was totally daft but it's nice to see that at least one British mainstay has retained the ability to put out an album of original tunes *glares at Beady Eye* #36 - "Angles", The Strokes I really wanted to place this higher on accounts of its

50 - "Into The Murky Water", The Leisure Society It failed to set the world alight as much as their 2009 debut did, but there was still something beautiful about this band and their penchant for full orchestrated songs. 49 - "Suck it and See", The Arctic Monkeys Despite an initial burst of enthusiasm from me, this album has largely dropped off the radar for me. Whether this is out of a fondness for their earlier material, a higher placing for Alex Turner's soundtrack on Submarine or just a whopping lack of tunes is irrelevant - this album wasn't without its charm. 48 - "Mirrors", U.S. Royalty Bold, brash and rather bloody lovely. 47 - "Go Tell Fire to the Mountain", WU LYF The indie press might have raved about them like excitable lunatics, and it's certainly a decent album, but I can't really place it too highly here - again it's something I've loved for a brief period of time and feel little inclination to return to. 46

How on Earth did they become the world's biggest rock band overnight? I was quietly slipping into Brothers (I'm aware that sounds vaguely incestuous but I'll leave it) and then BANG! they're on every advert, every video game and every movie soundtrack. They're that rare breed - the band loved by hipsters and rockers alike. They've got the Arctic Monkeys supporting them on tour. The hyperbole just doesn't need to come. And yet, despite putting out an album pretty much every year, the Black Keys haven't lost their spark. Ignore this gaudy album artwork, El Camino is yet another turn of fiery, blustery rock anthems that're bound to thrill just about everyone. Beginning then with single 'Lonely Boy' and its ridiculously funny music video, the track oozes radio potential and endless hooks that the band have been throwing about ever since taking on Danger Mouse as co-producer, really. Twee xylophones and joyous "na-na" chants find their

It doesn't take a lot to make me cry, but upon hearing the news of Amy Winehouse's death last year, I was sent into a fit of tears. The list of musicians who've had that effect on me only contains one other name (Michael Jackson). She was one of the first musicians that really tore me away from pop sensibilities and made me aware of (at least some of) the history of soul and blues music. In amongst all of the spite from the dark corners of the internet (fuelled by thoughtless posts like "this is hardly surprising" as though death should be measured by how jaw-dropping it is), there came some touching tributes, though, and the optimist in me says she'll be remembered as a fantastic talent. The other side to the story, however, and it is a story, because her father keeps insisting on thrusting it into the tabloid-readership's faces, is that Lioness is a rushed, half-arsed cash scheme. There's a saddening lack of dignity displayed by Mitch Winehouse - but

In a world of ever-changing musical scenery and festering hype there can be some warmth in the solace that there's still some of the old pioneers still standing. It's no secret that Kate Bush is far and away my favourite female musician of all time, and I feel I needn't explain that decision. Thus the end of 2011 was an excellent one - as Christmas loomed, Bush invited the world into her frosty and enchanting creation, and as ever, the experience was a bit weird. Everyone's already covered how she sings about having sex with snowmen and gets Stephen Fry to make up some new...uh...words for snow. But even musically, Bush has stretched herself here. The shortest track being a mighty 6 minutes and 48 seconds long, this is clearly a record to be taken seriously. What may have perished in potential for radioplay, however, is more than made up for with atmosphere and sensory indulgence. To kick us off, Bush invites her son, Bertie, to sing over 'Snowflake'. A piano-le

Too much of a good thing? Hell, it's not always been good. For every great pop song that Robyn Fenty has lent her well-worn hand to (What's My Name?, Man Down) there's been a shameless, tacky dud (S&M, Who's That Chick?) and whilst she's certainly got more personality and attitude than the majority of current popstars I can't help but wish she'd just go away for a bit. Just two years on after the release of her seminal Rated R - which really made the world sit up and listen - she's put out three albums and featured on 6 hit singles that aren't even hers. Sadly, and predictably (since to keep up such high standards in pop music would be nothing short of miraculous) the quality has suffered, and a largely terrible Loud might have shifted millions of copies but it seems with a Faustian bargain. Faith was restored this year, though (and I do reiterate that it didn't take much since Loud had two or three phenomenal pop tracks) with the release

Once upon a time (some point in early 2009) there came a moment where Shaun Collins thought "yes, yes this girl is just what pop needs". Whether this was an abridging of my heterosexual tendencies remains a mystery, although an FHM cover didn't exactly hinder her chances - and to be fair I thought exactly the same thing about VV Brown and look how that turned out. Skip forward two years and what were some very fine-indeed singles along the lines of 'Mama Do' and 'Turn It Up' have been replaced, like much of British pop, by the unfathomable urgency to become nocturnal and 'party'. Y-fucking-awn. Taking an album title from the 1968 Tams song of the same name, though, Lott demonstrates a prerequisite for various Motown, soul and classic R&B influences on this, her sophomore album. So whilst the use of the clubs in promotional capacities is to be understood from a marketing point of view, maybe it would be unfair to write Lott off as the product of

Thanks to Twitter the art of criticism has taken a lot of the wind out of my sails. Why wait for a review when you can just check your name trending and see 3,000 death threats? Sadly, the venom and vitriol directed towards the world's rich and famous has come to be more covered than the poised judgments and critical reviews. There therefore came a requirement, a self-defense mechanism installed into the lyrics of the popstars, to brush aside such anger: and that's how the birth of 'haters' came about. It's so convenient that music can now come with its own review. "You're a hater, just let it go" has become the catchphrase of a generation of clueless, tasteless, mindless and worthless pre-teens who've reached past the age where Barbie dolls are a go-to form of entertainment but are still aeons before any sense of self-respect. Lloyd, the fourth-placed contestant on last year's The X Factor, seems to have stuck in this awkward phase. Engaging w

Ah, good old Snow Patrol. For what seems like an eternity now the Northern Irish soft-rock gods have played second fiddle to Coldplay in the chart stakes - but that's not to belittle their success. The seminal Chasing Cars was crowned the song of the noughties by Channel 4 (UK) and has received a special award from Q Magazine, not to mention spending 106 weeks in the UK top 75 charts. Far from a one-hit wonder, though, the group are now on their sixth album - the second of which to reach the #1 spot - and show little sign of slowing down. Sadly, the same cannot be said for their quality. As a big fan of Final Straw and Eyes Open , I was a little more than mortified by the complacency and mediocrity behind A Hundred Million Suns and the single 'Just Say Yes' that came with their greatest hits collection. Will Fallen Empires continue their careering decline, or kickstart a resurging for the band? We begin with synths aplenty and distorted vocals on 'I'll Never Let

Q have announced this to be the album of 2011 (I started writing this review way after the 'publishing date', by the way, as I have done with many of my reviews since I format the images and rating system way in advance). As a huge fan of the Lungs album I was concerned that Welch would have difficulty in living up to her debut - where spirituality, atmosphere and guttural vocals all blended into some stellar performances (my favourites were Howl, Blinding and Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) if you're interested). Yet it's with a mix of cynicism and defiance to her hype - particularly when much better albums have seen the light of day this year - that I must confess I'm disappointed in Ceremonials . I try to judge artists fairly neutrally, even when they're ones I'm an observant fan of, which is why I mostly avoid the internet's breeding grounds of "she's sold out! / she's too mainstream! / she's repetitive!" nonsense. Perhaps it'

Even 2007-Shaun, a past version of myself that was often far from musically-adept, could appreciate the immensely happy and infectious tracks that emerged from Justice's debut, Cross - particularly D.A.N.C.E. and We Are Your Friends , the hits which propelled them into mainstream dance giants. Unsurprisingly, the duo refuse to stray too far from the sonic formula that made them big - and Audio, Video, Disco has consequently divided opinion over their musical progress. From the get-go, with rip-roaring 'Horsepower', Justice are in familiar territory. Sounding closer to the soundtrack to Street Fighter or Gladiators' theme tune, it carelessly chucks out 8-bit synths and epic solos that are a little bit kitsch. First single 'Civilization', accompanied with my favourite music video of the year (where buffalo stampede through falling replicas of classical architecture), is a hotbed of suspense and crashing energy - sadly an energy that rarely gets reintroduced thr

The talent-show contest has rarely produced fruits as lasting as Kelly Clarkson outside of the country genre. It's been 5 albums and 9 years since the Texan shot to fame on American Idol and she's enjoyed worldwide success thanks to genuinely-great pop songs among the likes of Miss Independent , Since U Been Gone and My Life Would Suck Without You . But let's not get ahead of ourselves here - aside from the rather excellent Breakaway , Clarkson, like most pop prodigies, has failed to deliver on albums. That trend doesn't look set to change. We begin with the earworm single 'Mr. Know It All' and its typical you're-a-guy-you're-a-dickhead shtick and a remarkable semblance to Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are . Vocals aside it's a total pastiche and when you're rechurning year-old tunes you've got a bit of a problem on your hands. Shameful. However, there's better news with 'What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)' which takes infl

Even two or three years into my amateur music-writing I still find myself suddenly surprised by a musical phenomenon that's inexplicably missed my radar. M83, the five-man project from the beguiling mind of Anthony Gonzalez, have now gone a decade without so much as a tickle at my sensory feet, but earlier this year that changed (thank you, Niall, I know you're reading xoxo). There's something of a naivety about M83's music, like the direct antithesis to Sigur Rós' grown-up ethereality, and the nostalgia even finds its way into the packaging and marketing of Hurry Up, We're Dreaming , turning into a two-disc conceptualisation of dreams and imagination. There are worse ways, too, to start an album than with an intro called 'Intro' featuring Zola Jesus. Shoegazing synths serve as little more than background noise compared to the echoing howls of Danilova and Gonzalez, before turning into a U2 tribute act on 'Reunion', which is as giddily excitable

Just before we start: yes, I'm team Noel. Yes, Liam Gallagher's a cunt. Yes, their feud is boring now. Yes, this is better than the Beady Eye album. That's all that'll be said of the UK's favourite music topic here. The tabloid spats are all quite irrelevant really when you consider the music on offer; and it's some of Noel's strongest in his entire career. Opener 'Everybody's on the Run' positions Gallagher in a gritty motivational epic that thrusts strings, tambourines and heavy percussions at the listener with gusto, virtually yelling "Hang in there, love!" As blustery and exciting as it may be, it fades into comparison when pit against the classic songwriting that's to follow: 'Dream On' is classic Oasis from start to finish. Slightly nonsense lyrics are effectively veiled with a stomper of a rhythm and tune. The single 'If I Had A Gun...' muses beautifully: Let me fly you to the moon/ My eyes have always followe

i did not start this review a month ago thinking that I'd have nobody else interesting to get through, no, that is not what happened at all. Here is a picture though: the album is fine and not 'not fine'. there are songs and they are all varying degrees of pleasant. there are no songs as good as 'Limit to Your Love' either so I think James Blake might be a bit buggered come difficult-album-#2. shame because he's very 'in' right now isn't he. here is another picture. this review is not the core formula of all of my others i didn't even mention track names. they just all bore me and there's nothing interesting about her or them. Rating: 5/10 Highlights: no Avoid: meh Artwork Watch: Well it has an oddly-shaped tree and the album title is upside down, so it must be brilliant.

She certainly churns out the studio albums, doesn't she? Despite a breakthrough in only 2009 (I think I have socks that predate this), Zola Jesus is already on her third album and has managed to squeeze out 3 EPs to correspond with them. In the same week that Rihanna's manager has spoken out about the necessity of popstars to release more than one record every 3 years (as some kind of pitiful excuse for her saturation and quite-easy-really guest spots every month), you could be mistaken for thinking we're supposed to have the attention spans of stoned pre-teens. If you are a stoned pre-teen, though, keep reading. There's a Mars bar at the end of this page. I'm getting sidetracked. So the album. After a minute or so of ethereal whisperings and sighs on 'Swords', 'Avalanche' kicks in with a disjointed beat and dark synthetic backgrounds. Vocally she's at her best here, but there is a concern with how indecipherable her lyrics are. The single 'V

Confessing that you're a Coldplay fan has been risky territory for a good 5 years or so now. Only the hardcore haters would fail to appreciate their earlier records - A Rush of Blood to the Head in particular remains one of my favourite albums of all time. Whether it's the Radiohead derivatives, the miserable soft-rock and the ensuing TV montage spots or just a plain old dislike for Chris Martin, it seems that, whilst the sales and audiences are getting bigger, so are the cynics. Up until 2011 the band had never yet disappointed me - even last year's Christmas Lights charmed the socks off me - but 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall' should've been a warning sign. Yes, it seems noone is safe from the eurodance trend. The fact that its tune was just so uneventful, in addition to being identical to a dodgy 80s Simon Cowell production , led to a horrifying thought: maybe the critics were right. Nonetheless, album tracks have always been highlights for me throughout th