It's Been A While (5-1)

5) Maths - Descent

Holy Roar, put simply, is perhaps the best record label this country has produced in a really long time. Not only do they have a roster to die for, but their shameless work ethic and continued D.I.Y. approach means that they are a definite weapon in the argument for the music industry. Arguably, the jewel in their crown this year has to have been Maths' debut, a soaring, hard-hitting post-hardcore record that flourishes at every opportunity. Equal parts Tool and At The Drive-In, each song is layered so exquisitely and the production means that the album as a complete piece of work is both seamless and glorious. A challenging, intricate debut that surpasses many of the old vanguard of the genre.



4) The XX - XX

Easily the most promising band of the year, the XX's debut was the ultimate soundtrack to the end of the decade. Dark, minimal, but evocative, the stunning vocals set to a post-post-punk backing track, it blew me, and many, many others, away. 'Islands' is my song of the decade, no question. The remixes, by both the band and their legion of admirers, show unbridled promise and although its a huge cliche, they really are a band to watch like a black shirt-clad hawk.



3) Wavves - Wavvves

Imagine the best beach party you've been to. Every in rolled up jeans, cheap Ray Bans and consuming more drugs than a multiple tumor cancer patient. Beer cans equal in number to the grains of sand under your feet. Now imagine this was done to a John Cale soundtrack. Wavvves make noise, but what a noise. The guitars don't sound like their being played, it sounds like their being kicked down the stairs into a Sonic Youth roadie.



2) The Horrors - Primary Colours

'Reinvention' is such a dirty word. Fuck you, Cher and Madonna. Reinvention has now become a term used solely to describe the length/visibility of vagina that old hags have on display. The Horrors, however, proved that reinvention was very possible. Dragging shoegaze kicking and screaming into the new year, the band shifted their image from horror-punk jesters drawn by Tim Burton with such attention to detail. The songs became longer, broader and immensely more powerful. Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine now have something to worry about; the Shoreditch bitches may challenge their position as kings of noise in years to come.



And the moment literally noone has been waiting for:

1) Fever Ray - Fever Ray

I genuinely thought that I would never find an electronica album that would ever top The Postal Service. I have looked, trust me. Bonobo and Mr Scruff have come close but nothing's channeled the wonderment and unlimited potential of synthesized noise. Then I heard Fever Ray (Karin from Scandinavian duo The Knife, famous for their Jose Gonzalez-covered 'Heartbeats') and the arse fell out of my world. Haunting samples, cardiac basslines and vocals taken from a Hayao Miyazaki movie, it was deeper and darker than the Indian Ocean. I love this album more than I may ever love my children. Please, turn off the lights, get yourself a bottle of absinthe and enjoy.



Well there we go. I may well try and do a '5 acts of 2010' but I don't know if I will have the time to. If not, happy Kwanza. Now fuck off.

EE
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