Honorable Mentions

I would have included the following two albums in my albums of the year, were they readily available commercially. It can, however, only be a matter of time before these acts achieve the success they deserve.

Tom Rogerson's self-titled debut album was recorded in New York with members of The Bad Plus (a major coup for a new musician if ever there was one!) and is a highly creative and intuitive improvised work. Tom can currently be seen playing piano with Jeremy Warmsley's backing band the LMNOPs, but the song-based approach of that music is really no preparation for this abstract, yet intensely focussed work. There is feeling as well as science in Tom's unpredictable compositions.

'Halcyon Days', the first proper album from Colonel Bastard is as enjoyable a pop album as I've heard all year. Wonderfully quirky pop songs with a distinctively British sensibility - well removed from the tiresome scenesters which seem to dominate the British independent secto at the moment. Anyway, things move in cycles and, regardless of how terrible they are, it seems likely that the Kaiser Chiefs may reignite interest in this sort of approach in 2006. To order the album, go to http://www.colonelbastard.com

Singles Of The Year 2005

I can't really be bothered to do a precise or comprehensive list of singles - or even decide on the very best. So here, in no particular order, are some of the singles I most enjoyed in 2005.

The Pipettes - Dirty Mind
The Long Blondes - Appropriation By Any Other Name
The Priscillas - Gonna Rip Up Your Photograph
Twisted Charm - London Scene?
Twisted Charm - Broken Girl
Hot Chip - Barbarian EP
Jeremy Warmsley - 5 Interesting Lies EP
Clor - Love and Pain
Teenage Fanclub - It's All In My Mind
Rachel Stevens - So Good
Rachel Stevens - I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)
Arcade Fire - Cold Wind
Animal Collective- Grass
Animal Collective and Vashti Bunyan - Prospect Hummer
Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure
British Sea Power - Please Stand Up
Broken Family Band - Happy Days Are Here Again
Girls Aloud - Biology
Jackson and His Computer Band - Rock On
Kate Bush - King Of The Mountain
Roots Manuva - Colossal Insight
Jamie Lidell - Multiply
LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
Daft Punk - Robot Rock
Juan Maclean - Tito's Way
Antony and the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone
Charlotte Church - Call My Name
Common - The Corner
Spoon - I Turn My Camera On
Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha
McFly - Ultraviolet
White Stripes - My Doorbell
Gorillaz - Dare
Sleater Kinney - Entertain
Pure Reason Revolution - Bright Ambassadors Of Morning
Depeche Mode - Precious
Elbow - Forget Myself
Broken Social Scene - Ibi Dreams Of Pavement
Magnolia Electric Co. - Hard To Love A Man
Sugababes - Push The Button
My Morning Jacket - Off The Record
Broadcast - America's Boy
Four Tet - Smile Around The Face
Caribou - Yeti
Bloc Party - Two More Years
Gorillaz - Dare
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
Gorillaz - Dirty Harry
Low - California
Patrick Wolf - The Libertine
Ciara - Goodies
Missy Elliott - Teary Eyed
Missy Elliott - Lose Control
M83 - Don't Save Us From The Flames