Bedroom Community, 2009

By The Throat – no kidding. With its stark and foreboding electro-ambience, Ben Frost’s latest record conjures an understandably bleak landscape. But it’s also one where the fear is justified: delicate strings and horns surface only to be ruthlessly consumed by harsh electronic noise; encircling wolf howls are heard amidst the drone, before a savage snarl sounds next to your ear. Terrifying and brilliant.

Best Before, 2009

The sprightly UK trio deliver their second album of highly chaotic punk-pop. Dual male/female vocals battle with each other while the guitars buzz erratically around their heads: fifteen noisy songs somehow emerge intact. But don’t doubt the intelligent construction behind the commotion – it’s the reason Grace has lasting power far beyond its sugar-rush immediacy.

Yellow Ball, 2010

Lightheaded opens with the blissful pop-rock of “Lost In The Light”, female vocals joining the male for a sound that’s urgent as well as dreamy. The remaining four tracks never quite match the lush consistency of this start, but with the New York quintet roaming territory stretching from Arcade Fire to Fleetwood Mac, it’s always an interesting listen.

Slimeball, 2010

“That Love Sound” starts with some ever-so-cute female vocals, which transform into angst-ridden shrieks as the music becomes a scuzzy, grungy affair that sounds pissed off because it’s not the 90s. By the time the bass-heavy groove of “Blush” kicks in I’m just about sold, but it’ll be interesting to see if the Londoners can hold attentions for a full-length.

Epitaph, 2010

After the post production madness of Agony & Irony, the band have taken a back to basics approach on seventh studio album This Addiction. The result is a pop/rock record that shows plenty of growth and maturity while managing to give a respectful nod to their punk rock roots.

Popsmear, 2009

Ever wanted to know what Paramore covering Coheed & Cambria songs would sound like? What do you mean, no? Well anyway, Fighting The Villain’s debut EP sounds a bit like that, albeit with much less dynamism than the latter band, and less catchiness than either. Still, it’s tightly put together, and at least suggests the potential for a less derivative future.

Self-released, 2009

The swansong from the Brooklyn trio, Ghosts serves as a worthy tribute to their ten years of impassioned and dynamic punk rock. It’s fitting too that this is self-released – this was always a band that poured their heart and soul into what they did: their music, their terms. Ghosts epitomises that idealistic core and determination, and is thoroughly catchy as a bonus.

XL, 2010

Some more ebullient, foppish and well-read Afro-pop from the New Yorkers. Compared with their debut, Contra sounds richer, with added layers of instrumentation and orchestral arrangements, and is a more substantial and consistent record on the whole – if not as immediately catchy. Most of all, it sounds like a band enjoying themselves.

Inhaler / Chruchkey, 2010

A quirky name for some quirky – in a stripped-down, angular, energetic and hip way – indie rock. The North Carolina trio’s debut lands somewhere between garage and college rock, somewhere between the edgy drive of Jawbox and the catchy nerdishness of Weezer – and was produced by Jawbox’s J. Robbins, no less.

Engineer, 2010

Energetic and bright-eyed emo-rock, powered by acoustic guitar and plenty of sugary hooks. You’ll probably have a good inkling from that first sentence whether this is your thing, but it should be added that on their debut full-length the UK quartet do what they do well; it’s not highly original, but it is highly catchy.