There's less than a month left of the year, which means lots of tinsel, lots of colourful lights and lots of -end-of-year lists. So, in the interest of conformity, here are my favourite albums of this year!
1. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To Love
After being on a ten-year-hiatus, Sleater-Kinney blessed us with this piece of magic. In what was possibly the stealthiest reformation ever, the band managed to record the whole album, in secret, before even letting the world know they were back together.
Whereas PINS debut Girls Like Us slowly grew on me and climbed it's way onto my mental list of albums I love, Wild Nights was an album I instantly fell in love with.
6. CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye
A bolder album than their debut, The Bones of What You Believe, without losing their knack for a catchy hook. The vocals are stronger, the music more confrontational.
7. Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool
8. Jennie Vee - Spying
It's
been an exciting year for ex-Tuuli frontwoman Jennie Vee; as well as
touring with Courtney Love as her bassist, she also released her first
solo album.
9. Kitten Forever - Pressure
Cramming 13 tracks in just under 23 minutes, every second counts on Kitten Forever's second album.
10. Girlpool - Before the World Was Big
"Before the World Was Big" is the perfect title for this album, it sums up everything this record is about. Girlpool's songs take an introspective look at what it means to enter adulthood and leave the comparative simplicity of youth behind. In ten short songs, they manage to paint such vivid pictures, towing the line between nostalgia and realisation.
So, those are my picks! What albums have you enjoyed this year?
Having just supported Lydia Lunch last night, Ill have also released their new single this week - a Double A side consisting of Ill Song and Slithering Lizards. Ill Song sees the band taking a darkly comical view of mental health treatment and the government's current mission to destroy the NHS.
Muncie Girls - Gone With the Wind
Check out the new video from Exeter-based Muncie Girls, for their song Gone With The Wind, taken from their split 7'' with Sandlot Kids. They have an album due out next year, which gives you plenty of time to listen to this song and fall in love with them.
Martha - Six Men Getting Sick Six Times (Mendable) - Listen Here
Martha have become known for their perfect blend of indie-pop and punk but this track, taken from their split 7'' with Radiator Hospital, sees the band showing a different side to their sound. Six Men Getting Sick Six Times (Mendable)'s strength lies in its fragile acoustic chords and urgent-yet-restrained vocals.
Cat Bear Tree - Adult
Adult, the gorgeous opening track to Cat Bear Tree's just-released Settled in our Hearts EP, is complex danceable, yet-serenely-melancholy, track that sounds like a perfect mix of Warpaint and Sleater-Kinney.
Kitten Forever - Temple
Currently supporting Babes in Toyland on their US tour, Kitten Forever have a new album due out soon, on JD Samson's record label Atlas Chair. Temple is the first single from the album and is a perfect example of the bands lo-fi, hectic punk style.
