And so I conclude the 2010 review with my customary countdown of my favourite albums of the year. The usual provisos apply... including the one about me no longer caring about being seen as remotely cool, so nyah nyah if you don't like Meat Loaf, get over it, you fake hipsters... and the one about me not having heard every single record that was released in 2010 - not even every single one I might actually want to hear, and there being loads of stuff I'm either just getting round to or haven't even bought yet that may well blow some of the albums listed below completely out of the water...
But really, if you need all that spelling out to you... what are you, an idiot?
These were the records that kept me from ploughing into the back of countless Audis throughout the course of 2010...
20. Everybody Was In The French Resistance... Now! - Fixing The Charts Volume 1
With no new Art Brut record to big up, Eddie Argos teamed with his girlFREN, Dyan Valdes (of The Blood Arm) for an album of amusing answer songs. It filled the gap till the Brut get back.
19. The Courteeners - Falcon
Difficult second album syndrome plagues the Courteeners - yet that debut really took some beating...
18. Superman Revenge Squad - Dead Crow Blues
A songwriter I seriously learned to love in 2010, though his latest release wasn't quite as marvellous as the previous three. Newbies should start with 'This is my own personal way of dealing with it all' and work their way up. The older records are available for an insanely cheap £3 (inc. P&P) from Ben's website.
17. James - The Night Before / The Morning After
Tim Booth and the gang came back with a bang with two themed mini albums, the first an upbeat Saturday night record, the second a thoughtful and touching comedown. Stand out track of the latter is told from the perspective of Booth's elderly mother, now living out her twilight years in a retirement home. It's a choker.
16. Meat Loaf - Hang Cool, Teddy Bear
Meat Loaf without Jim Steinman is like toast without butter, but as it's unlikely those two will ever kiss and make up, Marvin's latest stab at OTT immortality manages better than most. As you'd expect, he throws in everything it can get its hands on - from Justin Hawkins to Jack Black to the kitchen sink - turning it all up to 11 and praying. One track even features Hugh Laurie on piano. If we can't have Jim Steinman... this is about as good as it gets.
15. The Divine Comedy - Bang Goes The Knighthood
Now officially a national treasure. So treasure him!
This video features Neil and his blow-up doll. A love story for the ages...
14. Thea Gilmore - Murphy's Heart
Still the greatest contemporary British female singer songwriter... still criminally unappreciated.
13. Lloyd Cole - Broken Record
Another national treasure, though he long since deserted us for the States. Growing old gracefully, he even brought a proper band along with him for his latest album... but stopped just short of causing a commotion.
12. The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
The best and worst that can be said of this is that it's just another Hold Steady record. Hardly groundbreaking, but it does exactly what it says on the tin.
She said I just can't sympathise with your rock 'n' roll problems...
11. Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn
My second best new musical discovery of 2010 (the first will be revealed tomorrow), Amanda Palmer's debut solo record was one of my top five most listened to discs this year. Unfortunately, it was released in 2008. This is the record she did release this year, a cabaret concept album that tells the story of two Siamese twins, Evelyn and Evelyn, their circus life and tragic romantic demise. It's unlike anything else I heard this year, which is always a good thing.
Tomorrow... the Top Ten (d'oh!).
