For the final couple of years we at LTW have solely listed a High Ten tracks, nevertheless, this yr has seen so many good releases it’s been insane. To solely embrace ten tracks could be felony. Subsequently us music Ed’s have banged our heads along with two tracks every and requested the writers to offer us with their ideas for this yr. The votes have been attention-grabbing and as traditional there was one outright track that bought everybody speaking, together with just a few new surprises to fuck up your program. Take pleasure in…
20. Chris Bridgett: Tonight
Criminally underrated, Chris Bridgett is aware of easy methods to write the proper pop track and this proves it. A correct earworm with some wonderful guitars by the person who deserves to be large.
19. Fats Canine: Wither
Fats Canine have actually exploded this yr with their excessive vitality techno punk and extraordinary dwell performances, displaying similarities to The Prodigy and HMLTD. An influence packed tune that places the E in euphoria. Woof!
18. Yobs: Head The Ball
Our Nathan Whittle explains the sound of ‘The Noise Scousers’: The lyrics on their newest single, Head The Ball, tumble out like a stream of consciousness. “I’ma head the ball, I’m an edible, Unelectable…”, complemented by the screeching verses. The track is without doubt one of the heaviest on the album because it scathingly assaults the middle-class elitism that permeates society and reinforces the otherness mentality. In spite of everything, the best trick our elite puppet masters have ever pulled off is convincing the working lessons that they’re the center class, that we should all beware the stranger.
17. Kneecap: Higher Method To Dwell
Kneecap workforce up with Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC on this funky monster. MK Bennett explains: Higher Method To Dwell begins just like the Blockheads, a forceful bassline stands alone within the 80s-like backing observe whereas a keyboard performs a melancholy notice, it’s paying homage to the stone-cold Dennis Edwards traditional, Don’t Look Any Additional, no larger reward is feasible.
16. Fightmilk: That Factor You Did.
Our Iain Key fucking loves them, a bunch stuffed with indie melody with some good hooks. He explains: That Factor You Did took round eighteen months to nail. Initially Nick advised the band ought to cowl the observe That Factor You Do (one thing I might love to listen to) and issues moved on from there. Lily explains, “I wrote the track from the point of view of any person who’s simply attempting to maneuver on from a foul relationship, however the ‘souvenirs’ on this case simply gained’t depart. As we have been writing it, the which means began oozing out with out realising”, including “It’s about refusing to forgive any person. Simply because any person says sorry, it doesn’t imply you need to settle for it.”
15. The Empty Web page: Life Is A Wave
Imploding was an missed album in our High 100 this yr I say. This observe lit up the sky again in April as I identified: Kel’s vocals on this belter are essentially the most gorgeous I’ve heard but with a robust vary backed by the rampant squall of Giz’ signature guitar sound and the fiery drumming from John Simm (Blossoms). Class.
14. Makeshift Artwork Bar: Bedwetter
A monstrous soundscape from Belfasts Makeshift Artwork Bar noticed by our Nigel Carr. It’s a sound explosion to the ears with shades of Gilla Band, rumbling bass and scary as fuck noise to shit up the neighbours. A mini blast of scathing noise that may’t be pigeonholed. Psychological.
13. Tess Parks: California’s Dreaming
Nathan Whittle says: With California’s Dreaming there’s a barely jaded, a considerably jagged edge. It’s a distinction that displays the lyrics, the incongruency of life, the betrayal not of however relatively by the American Dream. It’s laid out clearly within the title. This isn’t a California dream, however relatively the state, the nation is dreaming.
12. Massive Particular: Shithouse
Black Nation boys Massive Particular bowled me over this yr with the most effective debuts of 2024. This observe is proof. Shithouse is a catchy bastard. How will you evaluate a mad as fuck duo with Franz Ferdinand and the brilliance of Ian Dury in a single track? You possibly can with these lyrics:’Frocks smocks and two smokin’ Beryl’s. Ha ha! Its just like the Pet Store Boys on LSD having a celebration with Mickey Mouse and Cinderella!
11. clipping.: Run It
Eleven years since signing to Sub Pop industrial noise hip hop trio clipping. are rising to the event with an anticipated album due in January. Run It’s simply pure techno hip hop with machine gun paced rapping and an infectious stream crawling throughout it. Majestic!
10. The Treatment: Alone
John Robb says: Opening up with Alone and its apocalyptic imagery, the passage of time and the momentary nature of existence and permanence is throughout this album. The observe is the primary ‘single’ from the album, and the seven minute slice of pounding melancholy floats method above the bickering pop house. It’s a publish radio single that understands that music exists past the constraints of media constraints and floats in its personal ether within the twenty first century and exists by itself emotional phrases.
9. Erotic Secrets and techniques Of Pompei: Completely Rudderless
One other discover from our Ged Babey right here who has swayed me but once more with one other distinctive group that know easy methods to bizarre you the fuck out. In Ged’s phrases: I’m changing into slowly obsessed and infatuated with Erotic Secrets and techniques of Pompeii as they’re a return to the darkish art-punk concepts & fashion of bands like Virgin Prunes, Punishment of Luxurious, early Adam & the Antz and extra lately the theatricality of David Devant & his Spirit Spouse and the depth of Clowwns. But, on the similar time they’ve an originality and are ‘outdoors of all the things’ presently round.
8. lifeless issues: Terry Clark
Unintended shock to me these and a fucking good one at that. Now signed to Evil Blizzard’s Cracked Ankles data they’re set to make a big effect on the scene with their fractured noise rock that will get below your pores and skin. A belting debut from the Northern noise trio.
7. Pizzatramp: Mr Slam
This observe bought many votes from our crew and deservedly so. A blast of enjoyable from their nice album The Final Supper and hopefully undoubtedly not their final. Hardcore punk on the highest as Nathan Brown explains: Mr Slam, even after repeated listens nonetheless makes me chuckle. It’s a brilliantly noticed take down of robust man hardcore, from the opening introduction, the mid-paced heavy riff and the monologue ending. “Peace”! Ridicule is the one sane response to individuals who take themselves too severely. No want for me to say any extra.
6. Meryl Streek: Counting Sheep
Meryl Streek has been spreading his message up and down the nation for the final two years together with his incendiary dwell perfomances and he’s hitting exhausting together with his severe message of homelessness, dependancy, suicide, the corrupt church and politicians. He’s bought all of them in his sights. I stated earlier this yr: Meryl Streek rages onwards with one other unstable piece of full on punk poetry together with his venomous prose aimed toward landlords and politicians, revealing the grind of life in his hometown of Dublin and the struggles of the homeless as a result of greed of the privileged. It’s a full on piece of nice music with the acquainted abbatoir samples the Smiths used on Meat Is Homicide,ramped up excessive with an explosive mesh of guitar and quick paced drums that provides to the anger and hits exhausting.
5. English Trainer: The Worlds Greatest Paving Slab
One other nice group has arrived on the scene, culminating in a sound of the wonderful crop of teams bounding throughout our nation within the wholesome scene of the nineties. English Trainer show this may be their time with some nice tunes in response to James Kilkenny: Fontaine’s voice – sonically and figuratively – is the proper car for this hybrid, whether or not it’s her Northern origins of Colne on the lead single or the cathartic reflection of alienation on R&B. It’s an extremely uncommon, important voice, partly due to the Northern intonation, partly due to the nuanced poetics all through; to not point out the dizzying vary of low and melancholic to excessive and shifting, elemental vocal pressure.
4. Peter Perrett: I Wanna Go With Dignity
I reckon the quantity 4 has a significance right here. Album Of The Yr quantity 4 , then observe of the yr quantity? Sheer coincidence? Not on my watch. Nathan Whittle talks once more: There’s additionally an air of finality on sure tracks reminiscent of I Wanna Go Out With Dignity and Do Not Resuscitate, the latter sounding near a message to the world, to family members, to us all that there could also be an finish in his sight. Over a delicate melody, he softly lays out his needs, one which additionally displays on his previous addictions, the necessity to float away on one closing repair.
3. Advantages ft. Peter Doherty: Relentless
Advantages have modified lately. Not content material with being our Album Of The Yr with the scathing Nails, Kingsley Corridor has modified tact in a method that may shock early followers but huddle a shit load extra on board together with his newest enterprise into techno strikes that sounds worlds aside but nonetheless Advantages. Bold, haunting and stylish with a visitor look from the one and solely Peter Doherty. It’s a brand new route that’s going to slay you all in March subsequent yr. Beautiful stuff.
2. Useless Pioneers: Dangerous Indian
A shock in as our quantity two but vastly in style with our workforce, Useless Pioneers are simply fucking sensible. You solely must verify the video to understand it. A kind of tunes that simply seize you and wish you to know extra about their existence as Nathan Brown advised us about earlier this yr:
On the power of the video for Dangerous Indian I used to be offered. I couldn’t wait to share this video with individuals. It’s delivered in an identical fashion to the sluggish construct ups of Suicidal Tendencies’ Institutionalised. A monologue is backed up by the band bashing out a heavy rhythmic riff. Singer Gregg Deal sees your institutionalised and raises you colonialised and marginalised. He addresses the expectations and prejudice laid on him as a North American Indigenous individual with sarcasm ranges as much as the max. He manages to throw dry, reducing, humour into the combo whereas dismantling the conceitedness of the dominant occupying tradition.
1. Amyl And The Sniffers: Doing In Me Head
Outright winner and observe of the yr for lots of the writers and most of our Ed’s, Doing In My Head is just not essentially the most fast observe off the album to leap out and chew you on the fucking arse, but when you get that riff in your head your mind is fucked. As Ged Babey stated when he reviewed the album:
Amy Taylor is the main target of the band in the identical method Debbie Harry was in Blondie who had the slogan ‘Blondie is a Band’ to get the purpose throughout. The press releases for Cartoon Darkness all have throughout the underside in daring kind: Amyl & The Sniffers are Amy Taylor, Dec Martens, Gus Romer and Bryce Wilson as if to emphasise the identical.
The most effective of the remainder in no sure order might be heard under. As you’ll be able to think about it’s a minefield on the market with streaming and when you have a difficulty with Spotify you’ll find all these tunes on many different platforms. Take pleasure in listening and have an awesome 2025!
Many due to all our hardworking workforce who voted this yr: John Robb, Nigel Carr, Ged Babey, Nathan Whittle, Iain Key, Paul Clarke, Cassie Fox, Ian Corbridge, James Kilkenny, Nathan Brown, Robin Boardman, Keith Goldhanger, Andy Brown, Jon Kean, Richard Foster, Simon Lucas-Hughes, Gareth Allen, Banjo and Gus Ironside.
Phrases by Wayne Carey, Opinions Editor for Louder Than Battle. His writer profile is right here
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