albums of the decade - 81. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

81. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (2005)

Oh the buzz! Oh the hype! The Pitchfork melodrama! Then surprise, surprise, the attention wanes and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are left alone to get a record deal, to get some cash to eat some meals. This debut album was originally self-pressed to a few hundred copies, but they had to rush out thousands more, like a chef would with hot-cakes. From start to finish, the music is as 'indie' as can be, by the American definition at least. By that, we're not talking Blur or Bristish Sea Power, but instead Wolf Parade, Yeasayer et al. Music for the hipster. Clap your hands for these guys for starting that whole trend of a fashionably nasally way of singing. Great band: you can drink from your hip flask / get joined at the hip / stroke your beard and shake your hips to this band, but it don't mean you no hipster.

albums of the decade - 82. Roots Manuva - Run Come Save Me

82. Roots Manuva - Run Come Save Me (2001)

To label Roots Manuva 'UK Rap' would be to do him a disservice. To dub him a dub artist would be equally narrow-minded, Rodney Smith is his own brew and is more intoxicating than "ten pints of bitter." He's managed to shake the shackles of Dizzee, Wiley, Lethal Bizzle and the rest: "I'm a one man -powerhouse, succeeding within the scene" he asserts on 'Dreamy Days," without being aggressive and that's refreshing! So, 'Run Come Save Me' is his second record of four (so far) and finds him trying lots of different things. Jazz, electronica, dub and loads of reflection are all in the mix, as well as the classic Manuva wit as per 'Join The Dots:'

"I melt your order like sugar and seltzer water
Whoever felt the horror but knows that their chance vague
Surround your sound like a spandex pants

leg"

All his albums are great, and while this isn't his tightest as such, I feel its appeal grows in its disorder. Boy all over the shop!

albums of the decade - 83. Beach House - Devotion

83. Beach House - Devotion (2008)

I've spent the last year, on and off, gorging myself on HBO's The Wire and its gritty, hard boiled depiction of Baltimore, Maryland. It's tough to grasp then, that the dream-pop outfit Beach House are from said city, especially when their music is so arresting. 'Devotion' has 11 tracks and they contain plenty of longing and heartbreak, as if the glimpse of light is somewhere on the horizon, but still a long way from this dark cave. The instruments and lyrics are sparse, for these haunted songs employ a 'less is more' policy, or for vocalist Victoria Legrand, perhaps 'loss is more'. When the curtain comes down on 'Home Again,' the pain is soothed and one of the most beautiful songs in an age packs the best discharge on an album ever. The Wire may be so preoccupied with the hustle of 'the game,' but for Beach House, they are so already ahead of that shit.

albums of the decade - 85. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport

85. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport (2009)

Bristol, UK brought Massive Attack. Brought Portishead. Bristol brings the noise now. Right now is about the noise. Fuck Buttons bust out of the blocks last year with crazy debut 'Street Horrrsing' that goes completely batshit, all over the shop, the layers upon layers of swirling noise building and building, with screeches of bottled-up frustration being gloriously uncorked at the climax. The music works on the premise that aggravation and jubilation can be drunk up in the same glass and the same is true of 'Tarot Sport'. At the time of writing, this had only just been released but its intensity is immediately apparent, as opener 'Surf Solar' brings the jams like never before. This time Fuck Buttons use beats, so you can dance to every emotion under the sun in this epic of a follow-up. It's noise made to last.

albums of the decade - 86. Fennesz - Endless Summer

86. Fennesz - Endless Summer (2001)

Press play on this one and someone not au fait with glitchy music might think the CD is skipping or that it’s a shitty MP3. If that’s the case then ask them to look deeper, or to listen on headphones to some Fennesz and they may cinematically change their mind. ‘Endless Summer’ may seem like an ironic choice to name music that can leave the listener feeling frosty, but there are layers of warmth to be found, especially after repeated spins. I caught him live on the same bill as Animal Collective, Caribou, Four Tet, Explosions In The Sky and Matthew Dear (what a line-up!) in an amazing London all-nighter. The thing that struck me about Fennesz was how the drones reverberated around the whole Coronet Theatre and the sounds washed over everyone, it was so cleansing. This album is a great introduction to melodic noise, as the guy from Austria, Christian Fennesz, set the standard for abstract sound at the top of the decade.

albums of the decade - 87. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

87. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)

Everyone knows everything about this band that are everywhere. Some think they're shit, some think they're ace, but if we were to average everything out, most people would think they're alright. Thing is, until a year or so ago, Bloc Party were always a mixed bag live. I saw them in Miami playing to a stadium full of school-kids, and they totally bottled it, as if all the British references in their lyrics were lost on the crowd. At Glastonbury however, they blew me away, the band totally in their element, giving me the impression that they have noticeable confidence issues. On record though, they're always gonna be tight. While second effort 'A Weekend In The City' is much more streamlined and endearing, this debut is rough around the edges in a punky kind of way. It's the classic, brave debut album before the quality took a tumble a little bit later for commercial reasons. Luckily, Bloc Party have kept their integrity and haven't gone completely crap like Eminem, Franz Ferdinand or Radiohead.

albums of the decade - 88. Herbert - Scale

88. Herbert - Scale (2006)

Matthew Herbert is the classic British eccentric. He is also perhaps the ultimate producer in modern music. Aside from producing great records from Roisin Murphy and Micachu & The Shapes, he gets politically active in his own sampling. In 2005's 'Plat Du Jour,' Herbert sampled various foodstuffs and those exploited in India picking artificially grown rice plants and much more to get his case forward. On 2006's Scale though, it was household objects including breakfast ceral and gas pumps. If all of this sounds a bit oddball, just give 'Scale' a spin and you'll find one of the best soul albums in an age! How it all fits together is anyone's guess, but by golly it does and it's a miracle and he never ceases to amaze etc etc etc

albums of the decade - 89. St. Vincent - Actor

89. St. Vincent - Actor (2009)

Annie Clark has worked with Sufjan Stevens and The Polyphonic Spree in the past, and while she inherits the elegance from the Spree, she decisively shares the resourcefulness of Stevens. 'Actor' is an apt name for this sophomore effort as Clark shifts styles and has multiple scenarios happening within a song. A key theme here is how a track begins sounding very pure and organic - case in example being 'Black Rainbow' - with flutes and violion. But then, along comes a badass industrial guitar and trumpets to sound out the crescendo, in an ominous finale. Take the lyrics from said song: "There's a black rainbow above my house / Mass of curtains in the floors / I think I'm glass I think I'm breaking it / Wrecking ball outside the door" or "One kiss boys and girls of paradise / Lining up around the block /Back pockets full of dynamite / While neighbors talk and talk and talk" - the sense of claustrophoboia and paranoia is recollective of Sylvia Plaith. With this, Clark's onto a very good thing indeed.

albums of the decade - 90. DJ Danger Mouse - The Grey Album

90. DJ Danger Mouse - The Grey Album (2004)
I remember Grey Tuesday, February 24, 2004 when this album was available to download for free for 24 hours only. EMI - eejits that they are - put a buffer against anyone using the Beatles material for downloading or sampling. Jay-Z's material on the other hand was quite rightly available in accapella form for anyone to use freely. So, Danger Mouse who spliced The Fab Four's 'White Album' and Jiggaman's 'Black Album' was inadvertently part of history. This civil disobedience went against his original intentions as he wanted to press 3,000 copies. Credit to him for trying to play ball, but this was the best possible promotion for what's now considered a groundbreaking record, as so many followed suit in "borrowing" Jay-Z. As for the music: well, it's a superior version to Jay's 'Black Album,' which would have appeared round these parts otherwise. DM's use of sampling is as ever, mischievous and mesmerising.

albums of the decade - 91. Cadence Weapon - Breaking Kayfabe

91. Cadence Weapon - Breaking Keyfabe (2005)

The production here is gritty, edgy, brilliant. The rhymes witty, fresh and unorthodox. It's an abolute banger of a hip-hop record. 'Breaking Keyfabe' means to 'break character' in professional wrestling. It was an interesting title to name a debut because Cadence emerged from nowhere. Nobody knew Rollie Pemberton and thus to distiguish fact from fiction in his narratives can be a tricky task. However, this doesn't matter as it's an album to get lost in and if he has an alter ego like in Fight Club, then all the better : "They're living through me vicariously" spits Pemberton on 'Vicarious.' What an invitation! Here's to hoping that next decade will see Cadence Weapon explode bigtime, just like dynamite.

albums of the decade - 92. Susumu Yokota - Symbol

92. Susumu Yokota - Symbol (2005)
In which the Japanese producer combines classical music with an electronic backdrop. The composers he has chosen are many: Saint Saëns, Addinsell, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Mahler, Offenbach, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Chopin, Bizet, Brahms, Prokofiev, Bach, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff. One reviewer from (the now defunct) Stylus Magazine questioned Yokota's reason for doing this and concluded that the tracks seemingly only exist for their own beauty. I would prefer to suggest that there are other intricacies at work here aside from the obvious "Oh I recognise this!"consciousness, and that it stands up against anything else he's done. Yokota positively steers away from commercial gain for this already visited territory, unlike say William Orbit and also dodges 'easy-listening' accusations, keeping his reputation just classic.

albums of the decade - 93. Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light

93. Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light (2006)

P-l-a-y-e-d-a-t-a-l-u-l-l. Nathan Shineywater and Rachael Hughes are a psychedelic duo based in New Mexico and this debut record doesn't break sweat anywhere. There are no real stand-out numbers, the chosen route is mellow, and it's full slow-ahead. The blossoming textures recall Spiritualized but as Jason Pierce would sing about medication and hospitals, Brightblack Morning Light are about sweet voodoo. When I first heard this I wanted to light an incense stick and close my eyes. Sometimes psychedelia can sound too full or hectic. Not here! It's time to meditate.

albums of the decade - 94. Okkervil River - The Stage Names

94. Okkervil River - The Stage Names (2007)

Will Sheff and his Austin, Texas cohorts are at the top of their game here on this movie-themed long player, complete with nine tracks. Sheff's voice frequently weeps and it's very endearing. Other times it can soar like on opener 'Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe'. The lyrics are also superlative: "No-one wants a tune about the 100th luft-balloon" he cries on 'Plus Ones' but if he wants to sing about that, then that's fine. This metaphor could mean one of a few things. Maybe he's demeaning the plasticity of the 80's, maybe not. His folk is superior anyway. This kind of analysis could go on and on, and that's just one line. My advice: just dive in.

albums of the decade - 95. Carl Hancock Rux - Good Bread Alley

95. Carl Hancock Rux - Good Bread Alley (2006)

A great novelist. An inspiring poet. An edgy playwright. A top-notch essayist. Is there anything this man can't do? No. Hancock Rux's music mixes soul, funk, gospel, blues, rock and hip-hop with his penchant for monologues to craft a politically charged resonance that melts in the mouth. All of his records are worth hearing, but 'Good Bread Alley' is the most rounded of these. Hailing from Harlem, the artist wears his African-American identity proud on his sleeve and carries the literary conviction of Langston Hughes, but in a very modern capacity. The themes of gender, race and - more pertinently isolation - are themes we can all explore when listening to this crucial voice.

albums of the decade - 96. Grinderman - Grinderman

96. Grinderman - Grinderman (2007)

"11 tracks that scorch the earth lesser bands traipse on" said the Alternative Press about this concept album from the talismanic Nick Cave and it's hard to put it better than that. Just why it's not another album from the the Bad Seeds is open to discussion, but perhaps this is simply Cave letting loose more than ever before. He also uses 'Grinderman' as a license to experiment further than a lot of his noir coated folk. 'Electric Alice' even serves up some jazziness with them blues noodles and the aura changes frantically and fantastically. This either means that there's no limit to Cave's right to be heard, or that the green mutant thing on the cover is one bizarro freakazoid.

albums of the decade - 97. FM Belfast - How to Make Friends

97. FM Belfast - How To Make Friends (2008)

One of the most delightful bunch of people I've had the pleasure to meet, I interviewed FM Belfast for the Iceland Airwaves music festival in 2008. As the photo's below show, they showed me that aside from 'making' friends you can also 'bake' them. This is the only interview where I haven't needed to prepare a script as the humour and laughs ran the show. Never before have I seen a band have so much fun playing live. This album contains songs about chimpanzee's, running down the street in underwear and also covers Technotronic's 'Pump Up the jam' and Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name Of'. It's pop music of the highest callibre and my favourite tag on their lastfm.com profile is "glittering raspberry."

albums of the decade - 98. Kiko - Midnight Magic

98. Kiko - Midnight Magic (2002)

You may have noticed that French music exports really well - Daft Punk, Air, Phoenix, Sebastian Tellier and Mr Oizo (if only for that brilliant Levi's ad with the nodding puppet) - have all made their mark and it's all polished and pretty as expected. However, a real dark horse called Christophe Dallaca rode along and was not afraid to get his hoofs dirty and bring a load of clatter: clip-clop, clip-clop over stable disco beats. As Italo-Disco and its synthetic, spacey meanderings contrasted the banging techno that was to come in the 90's, 'Midnight Magic' sits somewhere comfortably between the two. In other words, highly recollective of Daft Punk's 'Homework.' This is the only kind of shit of its kind that I can happily play in my bedroom and I'm so not a clubber.

albums of the decade - 99. Quiet Village - Silent Movie

99. Quiet Village - Silent Movie (2008)

Plays like a film soundtrack. Isn't a film soundtrack. Could soundtrack your dreams. The blissful tones of say 'Victoria's Secret' or the organic drums on 'Pillow Talk' are Balearic in their appeal, yet the outlook for scope on this album is just global. There are a couple of pacey ditties, a few soul nuggets and lots of lush instrumentation and sampling. No shift in style jars with the next and there's no danger of blandness. 'Silent Movie' recalls Nightmares On Wax, Quantic Soul Orchestra and The Avalanches in a complete package of cosy, uplifting and quirky, as pertaining to those three inspirations respectively.

albums of the decade - 100. Matias Aguayo - Are You Really Lost

100. Matias Aguayo - Are You Really Lost (2005)

We begin with a producer from Santiago, Chile who relocated to Cologne, Germany in the 1990's to start experimenting with electronica. Where a lot of minimal music comes off sounding cold and boring, or experimental for experimental sakes, this record is warm and sensual. Sampling voices and double tracking his breathy vocals and clickety fingers over elegant beats, this is best played with a fragrant candle that smells of lavender and lime at 2am. It stays on the right side of quirky and is psychedelic in all the right places, see the lyrics to 'The Green and the Red': "Red was joking and Green was smoking" and then "Red was lonely and Green was lovely" - you don't need drugs to appreciate the magificent colours of this tapestry though, maybe just a glass of red, but not too many! Or else you'll feel a bit green...