i just dont have the technology, it really is too advanced

Top 10 Albums Of 2009

5. Little Boots - Hands (LB)

There has been no shortage of 80s influence in pop music over recent years in everyone from Keane to the Editors. Whilst La Roux's debut album was about as 80s as they came, its clinically perfect production made it somehow less of an album than it could have been. I like it but it's somehow soulless in a way that this album certainly isn't.

Hands has 80s influences but incorporates them in a charming and entertaining way. Whether Victoria Hesketh's slight Northern accent gives this record a slight 'down to earth' appeal, or whether is it simply because it is more real and honest (and far less like a concept record than, say, La Roux) it's a terrific and grounded record.

It varies in tempo from the manic upbeat disco of Earthquake to the beautiful No Brakes and includes hit singles New In Town and the excellent Remedy. I'm delighted that she has finally hit the big time after plenty of hard work and in Hands, Little Boots has made one of the most likeable pop albums of the year.

Listen to: Remedy (or hidden track Hands)

5. Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up (bedshaped)

What would you like to know about this album? What's the overall feeling of the album?....The feeling is....joyful....happy....can't help but smile.... What kind of music is it?....Fuck knows. Paolo is in a category all on his own. There's influences from Latin beats, sixties soul, indie guitar driven, soul, jazzy snizzle fizzle, easy listening....you name it. It's there. And not only is that why this album is a winner, but also for the fact that Paolo's voice is superb. There's just a little hint of his true accent, it's just....about....there. And the stories that unfold in his lyrics; lost love, new romances, life, touring, smoking weed, hard ons....

And musically? Lyrically?....Well, it's very clever, put it that way. Paulo's twisted lyrics are borderline genius, and the variety of genres, tempos and instruments keep the interest at def con one level. It's brutal!

There's a wonderful feeling that....when you listen to it, you get a lovely warm feeling that they all had such a brilliant time recording it. The orchestrations are lovely, the brass is unexpected, but welcome all the same,

Standout track? That's an easy one. No Other Way. The old skool sixties/soul feeling, that guitar pattern, the brass, and his voice....so....so emotional. Everything about this song rings true. The tempo, the lyrics, the story. A love that got lost along the way. Everybody can relate to that, right?

Listen to: No Other Way

5. White Denim - Fits (Swisslet)

White Denim’s debut album, Workout Holiday, was an absolute riot from start to finish: a glorious mish-mash of shifting tempos, improvisational drumming, shouty lyrics and screaming guitar breaks.

Fits is essentially more of the same, but the band have added texture to their repertoire, and as well as the shifting tempo squalling, wandering rock, there now appear to hints of Zappa and perhaps even some jazz. Sounds terrible, but this album is one 37-minute meander that you really don’t want to miss.

Opening track, Radio Milk How Can You Stand It, is White Denim encapsulated in a fraction under four minutes: we have a slow psychedelic start, pounding drums, raw sounding bass, an avalanche of wah-wah guitar breaks, high vocal harmonies, multiple changes of pace and style and a whole lot of shouting that I can’t really make out. They’re a brilliant band – nearly as good on record now as they are live. Don’t believe me? Go and see them for yourself.

Key Track: Radio Milk How Can You Stand It