The MFAGW Top 10

It's the end of the year, and sure as eggs is eggs there are music lists, polls and debates galore. I'm a sucker for a good end-of-year list, so I'm sure as hell gonna contribute my own. So without further ado, here are my top ten albums of the year:

10. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into

A triumph of genre crossovers, from Daft Punk to '80s pop, there was hardly a dud track on here.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Weird Science

9. Ida Maria - Fortress Around My Heart

Explosive, effervescent pop-punk from the amazing Miss Maria, her live show is just as good.

Ida Maria - Stella

8. Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge

Dev Hynes truly manages to shake off the Test Icicles tag to mould himself as a brilliant, twisted folk troubador.

Lightspeed Champion - Galaxy Of The Lost

7. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords

I know comedy records shouldn't count, but this is such a well-formed album, the fact that it's funny doesn't even matter that much.

Flight of the Conchords - The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)

6. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires

The perfect blend of house, indie, funk and any other genre you want to name, this album manages the seemingly impossible task of making a hugely coherent album without ever becoming samey.

Friendly Fires - Photobooth

5. Mumford and Sons - Lend Me Your Eyes EP

Alright, it's an EP not an album, but all four tracks are just so beautiful, so unbelievably heart-wrenching and glorious that I can't not include it.

Mumford and Sons - Awake My Soul

4. Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim

New-folk's true pioneer, this album delivered exactly what everyone wanted, the old demos produced beautifully, as well as some wonderful new tracks.

Laura Marling - Night Terror

3. Johnny Flynn - A Larum

Three new-folk albums in a row eh? I'd been waiting for an album from Johnny Flynn since his first demo of Tickle Me Pink, and the album was everything I'd wanted and more.

Johnny Flynn - Leftovers

2. Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - Angles

Hip-hop doesn't have to be corporate, gangstafied shite, it can be poetry, it can be dance music, it can be funny or tragically sad. In short, this album's brilliant.

Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - The Beat That My Heart Skipped

1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

To be honest, I don't think there was ever a doubt in my mind that this would be first place. When it came out it was just so different. Totally summery, totally African and totally incredible.

Vampire Weekend - Bryn

Shufflin' #2

There comes a time in every blogger's life when you have no inspiration whatsoever. And that's what the shuffle function was created for. Here's another three random cuts of my iTunes library for you to mull over.

Pull Tiger Tail - Mary Jane
As much as I loved their older stuff (see here for example), I never quite took to PTT's newer singles, before they fell apart due to label tyranny. This was their last (and possibly last ever) release, and sums up, for me, what went wrong for them. Unlike their earliest stuff, it just lacks the punch, the energy, that made them special. The vocals seem a little laboured, and everything seems a little Athlete-y in places (not to say I don't like Athlete, I think their first album was awesome, it just isn't right for PTT). That being said, this is an enjoyable song, just not their best work.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Wet Sand
Ah the Chilis. The first band I ever saw live. Of course, this wasn't actually released at the time, the whole Stadium Arcadium period was the beginning of my slight loss of faith in them (along with the colossal damp squib that was their 2007 Reading set). I mean, a double album? Really? Not only is it lazy, it's just too long and full of filler. However, I do like this song. Antony Kiedis' vocals start off all "Under The Bridge" and then grow with the music to a funky crescendo of an anthem ending, and John Frusciante's solos never fail to bring a warmth into my soul, remembering all those times I idolised them.

Friendly Fires - Photobooth
I know it's nothing new, and it's all been said before, but Friendly Fires really are brilliant aren't they? I haven't heard their album yet (annoyingly), but I just haven't heard a song they've done that I haven't liked yet. This early single is a prime example. Straddling the lines between pop, dance and indie effortlessly, it's just perfect. There are enough lyrics for it to interest me, but there's enough repetition and a prominent bass line to make it perfect for dancing to. Just amazing.