'cause lists ain't just for shopping

This last couple of weeks I've been excitedly rifling through the hundreds of responses to our albums of the year poll. A whole mixture of emotions have entered my consciousness whilst delving through your choices: surprise, interest, concern and disbelief (two of you voted for McFly's new album for crying out loud....you know who you are), but what has become apparent is that you're a mixed bag out there. Whilst I was pretty sure there would be a whole load of traditional indie lovers casting their votes I was amazed at how diverse your tastes were. From the psychedelic warp-funk of MGMT (not one of my favourites but a big hit with a lot of you) and the neo-soul grunge of The Gutter Twins through to the epic commerciality of Coldplay its obvious that our beloved customers know their music. So well done.

For the record, these are my choices. I'm open to a bit of criticism but lets be frank here....I am right about all 10.

1. No Age - Nouns (Sub Pop): Droney noise, exquisite melodies...together?!...sounds like madness but is actually almost perfect. No need to wait for a new My Bloody Valentine LP. Their successors are already here.

2. Jeroan Drive - The Stones Remain In Silence (Yesterdays Gone): The Scandinavians know how to produce great post-hardcore and since the demise of JR Ewing I've been waiting for another band to blow away the cobwebs and clutter in my brain. Jeroan Drive are that band....absolutely awesome.

3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science, (4AD): What can you say, this band just get better and better. More than just the avant-garde barber shop outfit they are often pegged as 'Dear Science,' proves just why 'radio leader David Sitek is producer du jour these days.

4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Bella Union): Sounded a bit too religious to these ears on first listen but after another couple of spins the hooks just took over causing my consciousness to swim in a gorgeous sea of melody. Not as good as last years Band Of Horses album but still pretty damn sublime.

5. Melvins - Nude With Boots (Ipecac): The opening riff to 'The Kicking Machine' is one of the coolest fucking things I've heard all year. Spine tingled, devil horns raised and plentiful gurning achieved. Since they drafted in Big Business as their rythmn section Melvins have become untouchable.

6. Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward (XL): They've split up, which saddens me more than the death of a family pet, but we still have two albums of frantic punk-pop to remember them with. Their second album delved deeper into melody so fingers crossed for Jemina's swift return.

7. Helms Alee - Night Terror (Hydra Head): Three part male-female vocals (sounds nice) - but wait - what's this heavy as hell fuzzed up drone - interesting...and then there's the melodies (which are consistently perfect). An album to confound, confuse but ultimately just love. 

8. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night (Columbia): I'm not one for going for the obvious but the fourth album from KOL is, without a doubt, their best to-date. 'Use Somebody' may sound suspiciouly like Razorlight but you can forgive them when the rest of the album is just so darn good.

9. Late Of The Pier - Fantasy Black Channel (Parlophone): Just for the line "suicide is in my blood/it always was/It doesn't evaporate in the light anymore" which is one of my favourite opening lines ever. The rest of the albums lives up to it as well.

10. Neon Neon - Stainless Style (Lex): Gruff SFA, Har Mar, Boom Bip, Yo Majesty to name just a few of the collobrators on this re-imagining of the John DeLorean story. Every song is a killer but the genius of "I Told Her On Alderaan" is the standout.

Special mentions also to: Fuck Buttons, flu.ID, Blitzen Trapper, The Gutter Twins, Fucked Up, One Day As A Lion, Los Campesinos!, The Raconteurs, Teenagers, Santogold, Dananananaykroyd (what a great name), Rolo Tomassi, Portishead, Mogwai, Foals, Beck, Weezer, The Mae Shi, The Streets and Boris .

To vote for your favourite albums of the year just head here

First blog over and done with....over to you

Steve