NUMBERS 50 – 41: HERE.
NUMBERS 40 – 31: HERE.
NUMBERS 30 – 21: HERE.

Breaking the rules once again; this album is from 2008. I was always aware of Kalkbrenner’s place in the dance music circuit but – and I’m not quite sure how – overlooked the Berlin Calling Soundtrack when it was released. Now, in 2009, after the record was played in full to me by my mate Peter, it’s topping the Twenties in my OH-NINE list. Sixteen of some of the most interesting, fresh and vibrant dance/electronica moments of the decade, including the outstanding “Aaron”, the wondrously gorgeous “Sky & Sand”, the tough bassline of “Square 1″, and the glitchy-tech-trance of “Gebrunn Gebrunn.” An artistic triumph; if you are even remotely interested in the sounds of electronica, then this record will be right up your alley.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; My favourite Beatle is and has always been Yoko Ono. Whilst she may be a running-gag for those who’ve not bothered to look beyond her placement in pop culture as John Lennon’s wife, Ono is one of those truly magnificent and rare talents who defies the odds and does what she wants. There is a bit of everything on here; bonkers guitar-licks (on the ace “Waiting For The D Train”), to electronic bleeps and blops (”The Sun Is Down”), to a beautiful piano-ballad “Higa Noburu” which, although may not give Leona Lewis many-a-sleepless night, it’s certainly one of the more thought-provoking ballads of the year.

It’s been four years since Vitalic (real name Pascal Arbez) released his (back then!) long awaited debut album OK Cowboy. It spawned some of the biggest dancefloor destroyers of the 21st Century and cemented Pascal into the books as a true face to watch. So has the wait, and the years of following, been worth it? Flashmob is just as fresh and exciting to the ears as OK Cowboy was when first released (and, not surprisingly, still IS). ‘Poison Lips’ is a prime example of Vitalic’s sheer genius. It is about as close to Giorgio Moroder as we’ll ever get in the 21st Century, with an explosion of sound that is the audio equivalent of a giant burst of cocaine fusing with your brain on the dancefloor of a 1970’s discotheque. Yup; that good. Arbez shows the Justice boys how demonic you can REALLY make horror-disco sound on ‘Flashmob’ and the bonkers-great ‘Station Mir 2009’, ‘One Above One’ is the sort of thing you’d maybe hope Daft Punk would do next, and current single ‘Your Disco Song’ comes complete with a thick, dirty bassline that sounds fresh but still somehow manages to sound EXACTLY like the Vitalic we know and love. Genius.

Cheryl Cole’s debut long player release – her first without Girls Aloud – divided opinions across the Blogosphere. I loved it. I’m willing to admit that songs such as “Happy Hour”, “Heaven” and “Boy Like You” were more filler than killer, but, to be honest, they were filler I was quite happy to sing along to. The title track (featuring will.I.am) is a monstrously epic and dramatic pop song, “Parachute” carries on where Cheryl left off on first single “Fight For This Love” (the latter which remains the best moment on here), whilst “Rain On Me”, “Stand Up” and the discofied “Make Me Cry” still come up trumps as being key-go-to moments on the CD. Read my original review here.

Just in case you’re wondering what your Don’t Stop tracklisting in iTunes should look like (as opposed to the silly order of tracks on the actual CD), here; Hey Annie, My Love Is Better, Bad Times, Songs Remind Me Of You, I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me, The Breakfast Song, I Can’t Let Go, I Don’t Like Your Band, Don’t Stop, Anthonio, Take You Home, Marie Cherie, Loco. “Sweet” and “When The Night” can fuck right off though, can’t they?

I had no idea until a few months back that two thirds of Miike Snow were actually Bloodyshy & Avant. Amazing! No wonder I love it, particularly because the glossy big-beats found throughout the record harbour some dark, lonely and depressing lyrics, ones which will have you playing the record again to make sure you heard right. A truly remarkable effort from some of pop musics greatest producers.

The success of Calvin’s debut album, 2007’s I Created Disco, helped place Harris in a position which gave him free-range on what he wanted to do for the follow up. Whilst the debut, although a brilliant listen, was a tad patchy in places, Calvin’s sophomore hasn’t a patch in sight, and don’t let those ridiculous music snobs tell you otherwise. From the get-go, Ready For The Weekend does exactly what it says on the tin; even if it’s nowhere near Friday night yet. Album opener “The Rain” has an explosive and genuinely joyous chorus, with some interesting blips-n-bops going on through the verses. “Stars Come Out” is like a jaunty-electro-pop ode to ABBA, and current Aussie single “I’m Not Alone” pays tribute to the raves of yesteryear. But the real gems on Ready For The Weekend lie with “You Used To Hold Me” and “Flashback.” Both tracks take what is essentially the musical core of some prolific 90’s dance tracks and mesh them together with Calvin’s clever lyrics and modern production. There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this record. Even the lounge moment, “Burns Night”, serves as a kind of Sunday afternoon hangover cure. Rumours have surfaced this might Calvin’s last artist album. Let’s hope not.

Josh Homme and the Arctic Monkeys? A young rock-n-roll fans wet dream no doubt, one which is very much an exciting reality on this, the Monkeys’ third studio album. Alex Turner and his band of equally genius craftsmen have grown a lot since their last record, just as they did from their debut to their sophomore. Humbug is classy, poetic (thank you Turner for the best lyric writing of your career), dignified and, above all else, mature. First single “Crying Lightning” isn’t even one of the better moments on the long player “Secret Door” has one of the dreamiest closing sequences the band have ever recorded, whilst the mysterious “Potion Approaching” meshes the best elements of their first two albums together with this Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds-esque premise felt through the record. It all gets monstrously sexy by the 2’’51’ mark, where you can almost hear the ghost of Jim Morrison peering through Alex Turner’s voice. Eerily satisfying. Other brilliant moments include the will-be-amazing-live “Cornerstone”, “Pretty Visitors”, “Dance Little Riot” and the Bonus track, a cover of Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand”, which is just as good as the original. Where the hell was the promotion behind this though?!

By far my favourite Gossip album. From beginning to end, Music For Men came across as being a stronger, more powerful and upfront release from a band whose reputation proceeds them. From the tongue-in-cheek album title, to the placement of someone other than Beth Ditto from the band on the cover, Music For Men is bold, brash and confronting… much like the band themselves. “Dimestore Diamond” is the kind of big-drum-driven rock and roll-cum-hypnotic-trance you’d expect to hear in a Quentin Tarantino movie; heroine dancing in front of a jukebox, whilst energetic pop moments “Love Long Distance”, “Pop Goes The World” and “Men In Love” make this record the magnum opus that it is. Of course, the Fred Falke remix of “Heavy Cross” (not on the album, sadly) wipes the floor clean with the original.

The best Pet Shop Boys album since Very. End of discussion. Read my original review here.

Numbers 10 to 1; tomorrow morning. The top 209 songs of 2009; Christmas Day…

NUMBERS 50 – 41: HERE.
NUMBERS 40 – 31: HERE.
NUMBERS 30 – 21: HERE.