Top 50 Albums of 2012

List-lovers, calm your passions...

50. EUGENE McGUINNESS: The Invitation to the Voyage
49. BENJAMIN GIBBARD: Former Lives
48. DJANGO DJANGO: Django Django
47. THE CRIBS: In the Belly of the Brazen Bull
46. PAUL BANKS: Banks
45. DIRTY PROJECTORS: Swing Lo Magellan
44. BETH JEANS HOUGHTON & THE HOOVES OF DESTINY: Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose
43. PROPAGANDHI: Failed States
42. BLOOD RED SHOES: In Time to Voices
41. MINUS THE BEAR: Infinty Overhead
40. CAT POWER: Sun
39. THE MOUNTAIN GOATS: Transcendental Youth
38. CLOUD NOTHINGS: Attack on Memory
37. STARS: The North
36. OFF: Off!
35. BAND OF SKULLS: Sweet Sour
34. GRAHAM COXON: A+E
33. SLEIGH BELLS: Reign of Terror
32. MAPS AND ATLASES: Beware and Be Grateful
31. THE MAGNETIC FIELDS: Love at the Bottom of the Sea
30. HERE WE GO MAGIC: A Different Ship
29. THE MENZINGERS: On the Impossible Past
28. GRIZZLY BEAR: Shields
27. BILLY TALENT: Dead Silence
26. TAME IMPALA: Lonerism
25. ALABAMA SHAKES: Boys and Girls
24. JACK WHITE: Blunderbuss
23. FANFARLO: Rooms Filled with Light
22. HOT WATER MUSIC: Exister
21. TOY: Toy
20. TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB: Beacon
19. FUTURE OF THE LEFT: The Plot Against Common Sense
18. SUCIOPERRO: Fused
17. GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR: Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
16. THE CAST OF CHEERS: Family
15. SILVERSUN PICKUPS: Neck of the Woods
14. THE VACCINES: Come of Age
13. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Wrecking Ball
12. MARK LANEGAN BAND: Blues Funeral
11. PERFUME GENIUS: Put Your Back N 2 It
10. TITUS ANDRONICUS: Local Business
 9. JIM LOCKEY AND THE SOLEMN SUN: Death
 8. METRIC: Synthetica
 7. PULLED APART BY HORSES: Tough Love
 6. DRY THE RIVER: Shallow Bed

 5. JAPANDROIDS: Celebration Rock

Certainly the shortest record of the bunch, Japandroids' 'Celebration Rock' could well be their magnum opus, an unforgiving beast of an album that pummels away at your eardrums and worms its way ever-so-pleasantly into your subconscious before you've really had time to let it all sink in. A thrilling listen and one that firmly cements the band as masters of their deliciously visceral art.

 4. BLOC PARTY: 4

And the award for 'Most Pleasant Surprise of the Year' goes to the return of Bloc Party, who pulled the wool over everyone's eyes and released a record that's more Biffy Clyro than Bearstronaut. While 2009's 'Intimacy' veered more towards half-arsed electronica, and Kele's solo album even more so, '4' takes its influences primarily from Gordy and Russell's between-album projects (Young Legionnaire and, um, Ash respectively) and just fucking rocks. While it retains the angular indie sensibilities of their earlier records - particularly evident on first single 'Octopus' and 'V.A.L.I.S' - it also offers heady treats like 'Kettling', '3x3' and the really bloody mad 'We Are Not Good People'. Thank the Lord they got 'Mercury' out of their system, eh?

 3. ADMIRAL FALLOW: Tree Bursts In Snow

Containing both the most uplifting song of the year - stand up 'Isn't This World Enough?' - and probably the most beautiful (the title track will make you cry, promise), Admiral Fallow's second full length is a treasure trove of greats that just improves with each and every listen. Yet another incredible Scottish band to add to your collection.

 2. THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM: Handwritten

 Brian Fallon and the Gaslight Anthems prove, once again, that they just cannot write a bad song; 'Handwritten' contains some of the finest music and lyrics of their career. The influences of The Horrible Crowes are felt throughout the record, Fallon adopting a more reflective, soulful stance... and, crucially, he gets his anger back. There are delectable hooks ('45', 'Handwritten'), powerful ballads ('National Anthem') and crushing rock behemoths (the 'Keepsake'/'Too Much Blood' duo is probably the best combination of songs in their arsenal). A tremendous record by any standards.

 1. THE MACCABEES: Given to the Wild

Talk about a game changer. 'Given to the Wild' doesn't just prove that The Maccabees are more than a first rate indie outfit with a knack for a good hook, it rewrites their own personal rulebook and forces you to completely re-evaluate your preconceptions about this most quietly brilliant of bands. The catchy melodies are still there, of course, but they're steeped in gorgeous instrumentation, couched in cascading guitar riffs and ethereal piano solos, reworked in ways you never quite expect. There's a delicate beauty about this LP, a lush melancholy that burrows its way into every track and transforms the album into something gorgeous. More than any other release this year, 'Given to the Wild' is a record made to be listened to in one sitting; while it is possible to dip in and out and the tracks stand proudly alone (just listen to 'Forever I've Known', 'Go' or 'Grew Up At Midnight' and tell me this isn't stupendous), it's the whole that makes for the most rewarding experience, the journey that reveals the greatest riches. In years to come, 'Given to the Wild' will be considered a pivotal turning point in The Maccabees' career, and we'll all still be trying to figure out exactly how they managed to make something so darn beautiful.

Review: Pulled Apart By Horses (w/These Monsters and Young Legionnaire), The Cluny, 11/01/11

This isn't a gig, it's a bloc party in a lunatic asylum. Burly, balding blokes in skin-tight H&M T-shirts slam recklessly into scarf-wearing scene kids, sending their skinny asses flying into the Cluny's quaint Victorian brick walls or over the dangerously unprotected monitors at the foot of the stage, bruising a fair few ribcages and doubtless causing the put-upon sound guy to have a heart attack. And this, ladies and gents, is just during the support acts. Fellow Leeds noiseniks These Monsters set the tone for the evening, firing wave after wave of barbed, incomprehensible speed rock at an already agitated audience. Lead singer Samuel Pryor spits and snarls his way through a brusque set, making absolutely no sense whatsoever and flitting around the stage like a caged animal, full of nervous energy.

It's a thrilling ride, and is one that continues apace during semi-sorta-super-group (Gordon from Bloc Party's in 'em!) Young Legionnaire, whose weirdly sporadic sound - think Future of the Left fucking Minus the Bear's brains out - is intriguingly obtuse. Drums, guitar and bass rarely seem to work in tandem, instead playing off one another, keeping separate time, working to a different beat. The human anatomy doesn't really know how to respond to such schizophrenia; consequently, everyone just jumps around recklessly, keeping no discernable time, which in turn spurs the Legionnaires to up the ante and give Newcastle their all.

And so to Pulled Apart By Horses. Having been forced to cancel their November show at the last minute due to illness, the Leeds four piece are in high spirits this evening, making screwball wisecracks about 79p condoms made of sheepskin and remarking on the philosophical delights to be found in the Cluny toilets. None of this detracts from the music, however, as tonight Matthew, the Horses make just about the most invigorating angry white boy noise that it is possible to create with two guitars, one bass, a hefty drumkit and a few larynxes. The onslaught is unforgiving: 'Hey Buddy', 'Back to the Fuck Yeah', 'I Punched A Lion In The Throat'... one by one, they slay the hungry masses, belted out with unrelenting fury and unparalleled passion.

Newcastle responds in kind: bodies fly across the room, over-enthusiastic teens climb from floor to balcony and leap off, T-shirts, sweaters and hats are torn to pieces in a whirlwind of aggression, and around a third of the crowd manage to share the stage with the band, making it a clusterfuck of blood, sweat and adrenalin. To the latter, the Horses respond by pushing unsuspecting audience members floorwards, to make room for lead singer Tom Hudson's own foray into the crowd. It isn't long before he makes his escape, however, and soon enough, he's clambering over the balcony, falling onto tables while hammering his guitar, subjecting our ears to howls of violent feedback.

And if this isn't sufficiently thrilling, try out a prolonged 'High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive' in which guitarist James Brown abandons his instrument and swings from the ceiling immediately above the stage onto the lighting rig that hangs over the pit, hovering there for minutes, threatening to bring the whole structure crashing down onto his audience. The sound guy has his head in his hands (probably) and doubtless health and safety would have a field day with this naughty scamp but fact is, if the 300 or so punters found their young lives cut short this evening, they'd probably think it was an appropriate way to go. Newcastle and Pulled Apart by Horses get along like a house on fire; kicking the shit out of each other and loving every bloody minute.

Live review: Biffy Clyro (support: Manchester Orchestra, Pulled Apart by Horses), O2 Academy Leeds, 06/11/09

BIFFY CLYRO (Support: Manchester Orchestra, Pulled Apart by Horses), O2 Academy Leeds, 06/11/09

Biffy Clyro are probably the quietest noiseniks in the world. The Scottish trio have been minding their own business for the better part of fourteen years, making colossally addictive rock music without really causing a fuss. The Biff don't bother themselves too much with anything other than their deeply ingrained work ethic: it's heads down, nose to the grindstone, just get on with it. This attitude seeps through into everything they do, and, refreshingly, even with the eyes of the Zeitgeist trained on them, they still haven't changed one bit.

Live, this approach makes for quite the thrill ride. From the moment they shuffle onto the stage, bereft of fanfare, there's an inexplicable intensity in the air, a palpable energy that threatens to rip through the walls of this converted cinema and tear apart its foundations. As soon as the spinetingling reverb of opener 'That Golden Rule' begins, it kicks into gear; the venue surges forward, the band go full throttle and the insanity commences. Bodies fly everywhere, devotees scream every word, Simon Neal acts like a man possessed, hacking and slashing at his guitar, climbing the speakers during 'Who's Got A Match?', leaping and bounding across the stage with spasmodic glee.. and it never stops. The aggression is unrelenting: one wall of noise bleeds into another and the singalongs just keep getting bigger and better. 'Living Is A Problem' is an even heavier and faster beast than on record and 'Glitter and Trauma' sounds like it's about to knock you to the floor, so infuriated are its guitars. This is no frills rock indulgence, a show that knows better than to let you stop to catch your breath... and even when it does, during an achingly tender 'Machines' and equally as moving 'God and Satan', the physical intensity just gives way to an emotional one, with the poignancy of Neal's cracked delivery threatening to choke you up.

Thankfully, the handful of tracks that are played from long-awaited 'Puzzle' follow-up 'Only Revolutions' bode very, very well. 'Bubbles' has hit single written all over it and a ludicrously catchy hook, 'Born on a Horse' introduces keyboards to the Clyro arsenal without compromising their sound and current single 'The Captain' has to be the pop song of the year, brash, bold and bloody magnificent.

As if all this wasn't enough, we are also treated to two wonderful support acts: Leeds' very own Pulled Apart By Horses are a cacophonous amalgam of choppy guitars and hardcore sensibilities, and while tonight, they seem a little more subdued than usual, there's no denying the addictive ferocity of their music. It's Manchester Orchestra that practically steal the show though. They play a meagre five song set, all from current album 'Mean Everything to Nothing', but every pained, melancholic note is just superb. Lead singer Andy Hull spits and snarls the confrontational lyrics to 'Shake It Out' while his keyboardist convulses in the corner; 'Pride' is as aggressive a dirge as you can possibly imagine and 'The River' washes over you with the force of a tsunami, so powerful is the music. By the end, you're converted, desperate to see more and resolved to invest in everything they've ever produced.

With two outstanding support acts and one blitzkrieg of a performance, this gig, ladies and gentlemen, can only be considered a triumph. They don't come much better than this.