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100. The Horrors - Primary Colours
99. Weezer - Raditude
98. Johnny Foreigner - Grace And The Bigger Picture
97. Euros Childs - Son Of Euro Child
96. Kings of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence
95. Golden Silvers - True Romance
94. Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
93. Volcano Choir - Unmap
92. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
91. Brakes - Touchdown
90. PJ Harvey & John Parish - A Woman A Man Walked By
89. Telepathe - Dance Mother
88. Titus Andronicus - The Airing Of Grievances
87. Oh, Atoms - You Can't See The Stars From Here
86. The Mountain Goats - Life of the World to Come
85. Datarock - Red
84. JJ - JJ No2
83. Muse - The Resistance
82. Malajube - Labyrinthes
81. Jason Lytle - Yours Truly The Commuter
80. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
79. The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
78. Woods - Songs of Shame
77. Charlotte Hatherley - New Worlds
76. Noah and the Whale - First Days Of Spring
75. M. Ward - Hold Time
74. The Cribs - Ignore The Ignorant
73. Sweet Baboo - Hello Wave
72. Real Estate - Real Estate
71. An Horse - Rearrange Beds
70. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
69. Karen O and the Kids - Where The Wild Things Are
68. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today I'm Sorry They Washed Away
67. The Maccabees - Wall Of Arms
66. The Twilight Sad - Forget The Night Ahead
65. Passion Pit - Manners
64. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Beware
63. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
62. Howling Bells - Radio Wars
61. The Dodos - Time To Die
60. Islands - Vapours
59. It Hugs Back - Inside Your Guitar
58. Cerys Matthews - Don't Look Down
57. Japandroids - Post Nothing
56. Pink Mountaintops - Outside Love
55. Tiny Vipers - Life on Earth
54. A.C. Newman - Get Guilty
53. Theoretical Girl - Divided
52. Florence + The Machine - Lungs
51. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young

50. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
49. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
48. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
47. Asobi Seksu - Hush
46. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There are Mountains
45. YACHT - See Mystery Lights
44. Why? - Eskimo Snow
43. The Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control
42. Future of the Left - Travels With Myself And Another
41. Sibrydion - Campfire Classics
40. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
39. Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy
38. múm - Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know
37. Matt & Kim - Grand
36. Atlas Sound - Logos
35. Cate Le Bon - Me Oh My
34. Lightning Dust - Infinite Light
33. Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
32. Swan Lake - Enemy Mine
31. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
30. stellastarr* - Civilized
29. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
28. The xx - The xx
27. Girls - Album
26. Graham Coxon - The Spinning Top
25. The Boy Least Likely To - The Law of the Playground
24. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
23. Emmy the Great - First Love
22. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
21. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

20. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
19. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
18. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
17. St. Vincent - Actor
16. Regina Spektor - Far
15. Slow Club - Yeah So
14. Alec Ounsworth - Mo Beauty
13. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
12. Metric - Fantasies
11. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

10. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

9. The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away

8. Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years

7. The Antlers - Hospice

6. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

5. The Voluntary Butler Scheme - At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea



4. Fever Ray - Fever Ray



3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz


2. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer


1. Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - Em Are I

The following artists appear in my Top 50 Tracks of 2009. For more information please go to Keep Pop Loud

Lily Allen
The Answering Machine
Arctic Monkeys
Art Brut
Ash
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
The Big Pink
Brakes
Burial & Four Tet
Camera Obscura
Jarvis Cocker
Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
Editors
Flight of the Conchords
Florence & The Machine
Franz Ferdinand
Friendly Fires
Future of the Left
The Gaslight Anthem
Girls Aloud
Grammatics
Richard Hawley
The Horrors
Jay-Z
Johnny Foreigner
The Joy Formidable
The Killers
La Roux
Little Boots
Los Campesinos!
The Maccabees
Manic Street Preachers
Mastodon
Maxïmo Park
Muse
My Chemical Romance
The National
Noah and the Whale
Official Secrets Act
Jack Peñate
Pull Tiger Tail
Phoenix
Sky Larkin
Super Furry Animals
Taken By Trees
The Temper Trap
The Von Bondies
The Walkmen
White Lies
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Your Twenties

I didn't finish doing a write up of 09 albums. I might, I might not...

The Dead Weather – Horehound

Jack White returns with another side project, this time in the beefed up, grunge-ridden noise factory of The Dead Weather. The fuzzy racket proves to be a continuation of the lo-fi feel that White peruses. And yes, the album is fundamentally a Jack White record with layers upon layers of blues rock, humble introspection and tasteful criticisms that resounds with everything he’s ever done. Horehound is full of scything barrages of riffs and clashing keys, shown in full force on ‘Treat Me Like Your Mother’ (which was accompanied by an incredible video). Angry and brutal, with another record underway, The Dead Weather have not really been a mainstream attraction but are certainly another fantastic back to the future endeavour.

Incubus - Monuments And Melodies

Although half of the music on the double album is a best of, there are also fantastic b-sides, unheard and completely new tracks that go back to 2001’s ‘Morning View’. The lead single ‘Black Heart Inertia’ shows the departure the band have made over the years from mushroom-influenced funk metal to calm alternative rock. The development of a band that has been around since 1991 shows brilliant musicianship and writing skill. The aggression in ‘While All The Vultures Feed’ jumps to the calm rock of ‘Anything’. The re-workings of b-sides such as ‘Pantomime’ are inclusive of staggering arrangement whilst the all out ridiculous cover of Prince’s ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ is a great example of how diverse the band can be.

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

Brand new band Mumford & Sons formed in 2008 pulled on the heartstrings of many with their fantastic folk rock record. The breaking down of everything to acoustics and heart-warming to heart-wrenching lyrics transports you back to another time but then wrenches you to the present day with a couple of words or a familiar hook all in an instant. From the euphoric ‘Little Lion Man’ to the incredibly moving ‘White Blank Page’, the traditional is fused with the modern influence to such an original degree you’d have trouble placing the timeframe if it weren’t for the brilliant production.

P.O.S. - Never Better

An incredible discovery, and thanks to the internet this grunge and punk influenced MC creates probably amongst the best rap music you will ever hear. Far removed from the yawn-inducing mainstream, P.O.S. cycles through words with incredible skill, wearing his heart (and influences) on his sleeve he blows you away from the first track ‘Let It Rattle’ building up to an anti-climax and then throws in beats that leave you with goosebumps. From the optimistic ‘Optimist (We Are Not for Them)’ with its percussion of cups introduction to the incredible ‘Purexed’ with massive drumbeats and close-to-the-bone lyrics. This is hip hop like you’ve never heard before.


Paramore - brand new eyes

It’s tricky to talk about Paramore without thinking of the thousands of screaming girls that seem to be associated with them. However, the Refused-quoting rock band from Franklin, Tennessee who almost broke up between their last album and this were hailed for their brilliant sound despite the hype. The incredible opening single ‘Ignorance’ built up the blood pressure and quickened the heartbeat and when the album finally hit, the tracklisting was exceptional. With the incredibly personal lyrics in ‘The Only Exception’, the fun but oh-so-serious ‘Brick By Boring Brick’ and the astounding display of talent in ‘All I Wanted’. Paramore topped the already classic ‘RIOT!’ with a surprisingly mature album that blew the roof off.

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Johnny Foreigner - Grace And The Bigger Picture
Flyleaf - Memento Mori
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz
Extra mention: NINJA 2009 Tour Sampler – Nine Inch Nails, Janes Addiction

This is just a list I've been adding to (and not taking away from) for ages now, of bands I've decided at the time deserved a place on it. Looking at some of them now, there are a few I hardly like at all any more, so it's not 100% representative of my taste, but neither are my overall charts. Perhaps they balance eachother.


3 Inches of Blood
The 69 Eyes
A Perfect Circle
A Skylit Drive
AC/DC
Acid Bath
After Forever
Agents of Oblivion
Alesana
Alexisonfire
Alice Cooper
Alice in Chains
all:my:faults
Aphex Twin
Apocalyptica
Apoptygma Berzerk
Arcade Fire
Arch Enemy
As I Lay Dying
Avril Lavigne
Bauhaus
The Beatles
Bella Morte
Beto Vázquez Infinity
Billy Idol
The Birthday Massacre
Black Sabbath
Blind Guardian
Bloc Party
Blur
Boards of Canada
Bullet For My Valentine
Cascada
Cathedral
Children of Bodom
Chiodos
Chumbawamba
The Clash
Coheed and Cambria
Coldplay
Corrosion of Conformity
Cradle of Filth
The Crüxshadows
The Cure
Daft Punk
Dark Moor
Deadboy & the Elephantmen
Deathstars
Delain
Demons & Wizards
Derek and the Dominos
Devendra Banhart
Dimmu Borgir
Dir en grey
The Doors
Draconian
DragonForce
Dreadful Shadows
The Dresden Dolls
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Wizard
Elvenking
Ensiferum
Epica
Escape the Fate
Evanescence
The Fall of Troy
The Feeling
Finntroll
The Flaming Lips
Four Tet
Franz Ferdinand
The Fratellis
Freternia
Funker Vogt
Gackt
Gamma Ray
The Go! Team
Gorillaz
Hard-Fi
Hawthorne Heights
Hellogoodbye
The Holloways
I Am Ghost
IAMX
Iced Earth
In Flames
Infected Mushroom
Inkubus Sukkubus
Iron Maiden
It Dies Today
Jack Off Jill
The Jam
Jason Mraz
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Joss Stone
Katatonia
Keane
Klaxons
The KLF
KOTOKO
Kraftwerk
La Roux
Lacuna Coil
Lady GaGa
Leaves' Eyes
Led Zeppelin
Linkin Park
Little Man Tate
Lostprophets
Lunatica
Madness
MALICE MIZER
Manic Street Preachers
Metallica
Mind.In.A.Box
Mindless Self Indulgence
Misfits
Moonspell
Muse
My Dying Bride
The New Radicals
Nightwish
Nine Inch Nails
Nirvana
Oasis
ohGr
Ozzy Osbourne
P!nk
Panic! At the Disco
Pierce the Veil
Pink Floyd
Placebo
The Police
The Postal Service
Power Quest
Primal Scream
Queen
Queens of the Stone Age
R.E.M.
Rammstein
Rascal Flatts
Razorlight
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Rob Zombie
The Rolling Stones
Rotersand
Röyksopp
Scissor Sisters
Seabound
Silverstein
Sinergy
The Sisters of Mercy
Skillet
Skinny Puppy
The Smiths
Snow Patrol
Sonata Arctica
Squarepusher
Stewart Copeland
The Stone Roses
Stone Sour
The Style Council
Suede
System of a Down
Tarot
Terrorvision
Thirteen Senses
Tool
Tristania
U2
The Upper Room
Vashti Bunyan
The Velvet Underground
The White Stripes
White Zombie
The Who
Wintersun
Within Temptation
:wumpscut:
Xandria
X JAPAN
Yes

1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest


2. The Horrors - Primary Colours


3.Arctic Monkeys - Humbug


4.Miike Snow - Miike Snow


5. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers


6. Fever Ray - Fever Ray


7. Eels - Hombre Lobo


8. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers


9. Metric - Fantasies


10. The Mary Onettes - Islands

aporia's top albums (12 months)

1. Maxïmo Park - Quicken the Heart (383)

2. The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules (253)

3. Kings of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence (176)

4. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love (127)

5. Noah and the Whale - The First Days Of Spring (120)

6. La Roux - La Roux (106)

7. The xx - xx (100)

8. Jochen Distelmeyer - Heavy (91)

9. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (91)

10. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers (70)

11. The Gossip - Music For Men (65)

12. Morrissey - Years of Refusal (65)

13. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (60)


14. Zoot Woman - Things Are What They Used To Be (56)

15. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (55)

16. Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light (53)

17. Muse - The Resistance (48)

18. Grizzly Bears - Veckatimest (39)

19. Filthy Dukes - Nonsense In The Dark (36)

20. Jack Peñate - Everything is new (35)

21. Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Break Up (34)

22. Miike Snow - Miike Snow (32)

23. Passion Pit - Manners (29)

24. Sophie Hunger - Monday's Ghost (28)

25. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (27)

26. Sufjan Stevens - The BQE (25)

27. Editors - In This Light And On This Evening (24)

28. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! (21)

29. Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose (19)

30. WhoMadeWho - The Plot (19)

not in a particular order, but my favs of this year

if you love indie rock…
Kasabian – The West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum


if you love brit pop…
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers


if you love partying…
Calvin Harris - [album=Calvin Harris]Ready for the Weekend[/track]


if you love british queens…
Bat for Lashes - Two Suns


if you love nordic queens…
Fever Ray - Fever Ray


if you love british legends…
Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications


Ian Brown - My Way


if you love being out of control
The Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control


if you love british sound…
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug


Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years


White Lies - To Lose My Life


if you love being in love…
Air - Love 2


if you love freak music…
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Okay, first off, dramatic title, but I know myself that on this website I skim down artist pages, and only bold titles grab my attention. Hell, there's a good reason for it; journals here have went mostly to piss since every user and their mate decided it would be a good idea to post 'My top albums' lists ad infinitum.

It's been a while since I vented my thoughts, and looking through past journals and comments, it invigorated me, to an extent where I wish to share something that's been driving me crazy for quite a while.

The X-Factor, never off our red-banner tabloids (What's Afghanistan matter when Tiger is about, eh Sun?) or TV screens was angry to discover this week that the funk/rap metal band Rage Against the Machine's classic song Killing in the Name had been chosen to spoil the fun.

On Facebook, the group is hundreds of thousands strong, a casual look at the shoutbox here on Last Fm tells us a similar story, and every rock/music blog and magazine has been shouting about it. Now, I'm all for a shake up of the mainstream charts and system. It's refreshing to see the 'alternative' music scene get their share of the publicity pie.

What annoyed me was that arrogant, smug bastard Simon Cowell's reaction. For all his millions, that man has no class - he argued that such an online movement was 'stealing' his TV show competitor's chance at a big hit. The way he said it made him sound as though he feels that every Christmas, the X-Factor winner has a divine right to a Number 1 hit. His shown has been denying EVERYONE for YEARS.

If you look at what I listen to, you'll realise I've never cared for what's top of the charts, I couldn't name you a Mika song and I detest Nickleback. That's all and good, everyone has non-subjective tastes. But what I hate is programs like the X-Factor, that manufacture talent, that water down original versions, pollute any sense of artistic meaning in music, and ram their own views down the throats of millions. This show is an abomination; a macabre mixture of the freak-show auditions, ratings squeezing rounds and then what is usually a vastly overrated, unprepared winner. How many have swam, not sank? JLS? I personally wouldn't call that talent, but each to their own.

In short, The X-Factor, and to a certain extent shows like 'I'm a Celebrity...' and 'Big Brother' are mindless, inane shows, devoid of meaning or a context in reality. Every year, I watch masses of people turn into cogs in a greater industry machine. Call me a typical black metal 'Grim' person but it disgusts me.

Buy the RATM single, hell, buy two. It's about time such trivial filth gets a slap in the face, and the X-Factor has got one, whether they get their coveted number one or not. I just hope that in result of this competition, people stop taking what they are given for granted, and look for some real, tangible meaning in what they listen to. I know some people will argue otherwise, but I can't imagine being emotionally connected to Gimme More without being a little shallow. When with others, particularly in a school, or social environment I feel such disparagement at what goes for meaningful music in popular culture.

Is there a difference between a musician and an artist?



PS: Hope that was coherent and better than another '20 Questions about your top 50' journal. Opinions are welcome. Thanks.

UlverKatatoniaOpethSlayerSodomAnaal NathrakhMetallicaExodusArcturusMastodonJesuIsisNeurosisAnthraxGod Is an AstronautAnathemaParadise LostDevilDriverCarcassDarkthroneDeathspell OmegaDark TranquillityDownHead Control SystemIron MaidenNapalm DeathNilePanic CellSanctitySatryiconAbigail WilliamsSlipknotTriviumStone SourTestamentVenomMardukBurzumSolefaldIhsahnAudioslaveGodfleshShiningLifeloverGnaw Their TonguesSuicide SilenceWaking The CadaverBring Me the HorizonEvilePanteraNecrophagistDeicideCannibal CorpseEntombedDaathThe Bloody BeetrootsAngels & Airwavesblink-182MaeOneRepublicDarkthroneThe BeatlesRadioheadSleepOMIntronautSnow PatrolThe KillersBritney SpearsLemarLady GaGaMuseOasisLamb of GodLeviathanMeshuggahMorbid AngelAgallochChristina AguileraMichael JacksonMariah CareyManic Street PreachersIan BrownP!nkMichael BubleAlexandra BurkeEarthSunn O)))CobaltDimmu BorgirParamoreMy Chemical RomanceCeline DionDashboard ConfessionalMy Bloody ValentineBullet For My ValentineAvenged SevenfoldNirvanaMadonnaRobbie WilliamsSusan BoyleABBAPink FloydBlack Eyed PeasKanye WestTaylor SwiftJay-ZEminem50 CentNasDarkspaceRosettaScar SymmetrySolitude AeturnesTexturesTaake

Didn't want to sound pretentious, and for those who tl;dr'd...