So Far, So Good – 2009’s Best Albums To Date (Part 3)

What with us reaching the halfway point of 2009, near enough, all week ClashMusic.com is bringing you the best albums of 2009 so far. Five top tens from five different writers – five opinions that, come Friday, will come together to give us a great impression of the year ‘til now.

Think of these pieces – each written by one of Clash’s five key editorial staffers – as a reminder of all the great records released over the past six months. They’ll certainly serve as useful tools to us in another four or five months, when we’re starting to think about our end-of-year best-of list.

Here, ClashMusic.com news editor Robin Murray takes us through his ten choices. Then part 4 and 5 will follow, from Clash top-dogs Simon Harper and Matthew Bennet.

Read Mike Diver’s ten HERE.
Read Nick Annan’s ten HERE

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Future Of The Left – ‘Travels With Myself And Another’ (pictured)
(4AD, released June)
Sprinting past like Linford Christie in his heyday, Future Of The Left demonstrate that rock ‘n’ roll is still the most fun you can have with your clothes on. With riffs as sharp as their wit, this is one band you don’t want to get on the wrong side of.

Future Of The Left – ‘The Hope That House Built’

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Graham Coxon – ‘The Spinning Top’
(Transgressive, released May)
Swapping his Swell Maps seven-inches for some Witchseason LPs, Graham Coxon turns all folkie on our ass with a series of freak-folk offerings. Yet despite the myriad nods and glances towards talents from the past, the guitarist’s unmistakable songwriting talent bursts through in one of his most complete solo statements.

Graham Coxon – ‘Sorrow’s Army’ (live)

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Toddla T – ‘Skanky Skanky’
(1965, released May)
With the dubstep scene retreating further into experimentation and cliché, Toddla T’s warped dancehall has proved to be a golden dancefloor tonic. Lewd and crude, but with a glint in his eye, the Sheffield producer’s debut marks the arrival of a filthy new talent.

Toddla T – ‘Shake It’

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Franz Ferdinand – ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’
(Domino, released January)
A long time in the making, Franz Ferdinand ditched pop dream-team Xenomania in favour of this journey into the leftfield. Electro, afrobeat and much more go into the melting pot as the Scottish giants make an ambitious return in a year dominated by run of the mill indie releases.

Franz Ferdinand – ‘No You Girls’

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Dananananaykroyd – ‘Hey Everyone!’
(Best Before, released April)
Britain’s best live act made it clear that they can cut it in the studio. Having replaced their first singer with an even more berserk Scotsman, the Dans (the Dans? – Ed) prove that they are more than just novelty on-stage tricks with a series of fun-filled rock hijinks. But we still can’t say their name (less of the ‘we’ – Ed)…

Dananananaykroyd – ‘Pink Sabbath’

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Passion Pit – ‘Manners’
(Columbia, released May)
If it still needed to be proved that machines do indeed have a soul, then Passion Pit’s collection of glitch-pop anthems show that those LCD displays have more heart than most axe-wielding musicians. Strikingly uplifting, ‘Manners’ is perhaps the year’s most complete debut album.

Passion Pit – ‘The Reeling’

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The Prodigy – ‘Invaders Must Die’
(Take Me To The Hospital, released February)
Bloody nu-rave. Novelty t-shirts obscuring the majesty of great music when the original scene was all about… well, the same thing, really. The Prodigy’s return reminded us that at least some of the innovators from way back when still care about blowing ear drums.

The Prodigy – ‘Warrior’s Dance’

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘It’s Blitz’
(Polydor, released March)
Another big hitter producing the goods, Yeah Yeah Yeahs risked fans’ ire by ditching the guitars in favour of synths; but the move paid off with possibly their most emotionally involving effort yet. That said, ‘It’s Blitz’ still contains more than its fair share of dancefloor shakers.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Heads Will Roll’

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Manic Street Preachers – ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’
(Columbia, released May)
One of the most unusual projects undertaken in this or any other year, blending Richey Edwards’ lyrics with new music could have resulted in a tragic failure. However the band remained true to themselves, their younger counterparts and, of course, their missing comrade with one of their most striking collections in a decade.

Manic Street Preachers – ‘Jackie Collins Existential Question Time’

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White Denim – ‘Fits’
(Full Time Hobby, released June)
Kaleidoscopic head-expanding jams from this Austin, Texas trio. By turns straight ahead rockin’ and blisteringly experimental, ‘Fits’ shifts between genres with a series of intense and blistering songs. Never pausing to take a breath, White Denim are the heirs to the freak-scene throne vacated by Roky Erikson.

White Denim – ‘I Start To Run’

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Check out more top tens from our team, by:

Mike Diver
Nick Annan