Now It’s On Now It’s On – GRANDADDY (album: Sumday)

I saw Grandaddy play last night. First time. I still wonder if I didn’t dream it. Like those dreams where everything is perfect. Except it wasn’t perfect, it ended. I wanted them to play for the rest of my life. I’ve never heard a band sound so much like their albums. Spooky. Jason Lytle looks like a truck driver and sounds like Brian Wilson. A bit like Brian Wilson, actually. Anyway, buy yourself some Grandaddy. Start with the album Just Like The Fambly Cat. You absolutely deserve it.
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02 Boardwalk Slasher Boardwalk Slasher – THE GOOD RATS (album: Ratcity In Blue)

Most probably the best band you’ve never heard. That is until now, where you can sit back with a brew of your choosing and soak up the icy cool East Coast vibes of Long Islands finest. Bask in those three part harmonies. Gasp at John ‘The Cat’ Gatto’s sublime guitar playing. Swoon at Peppi Marchello’s smokey pipes. Wonder how Joe Franco went from this to Twisted Sister. You love The Good Rats. Now prove that love by adding this to your Xmas pressie list.
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02 The Storm The Storm – TANYA DONELLY (album: beautysleep)

Tanya Donelly’s voice is like the smell of newly cut grass. Like the warm waft of freshly cooked bread. The delicate fragrance of a baby’s head. Like puppy’s breath. Or the salty air gently floating in from the beach. Or petrol, or the hops from a brewery. Okay, maybe those last two are just me, but you get the point. Some things remind you of home. Hell, they are home. And Tanya Donelly is that. In fact I’d like to live in her. As impractical as that might be.
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02 A Heady Tale A Heady Tale – THE FRATELLIS (album: Here We Stand)

Who doesn’t love The Fratellis boozed up Glaswegian take on 70′s glam rock? Well, there might be one or two oddballs out there that don’t, but you wouldn’t trust them with your house keys, know what I mean? Do you? Of course you do. They’re fucking mental. I suspect The Fratellis might be a bit mental too, otherwise why wouldn’t they still be making albums as gloriously unhinged as Here We Stand and Costello Music. When I hear this lot I’m reminded why guitars and stadium sized anthems make life worth celebrating. Shit, they even make the next days hangover loveable. Nothing is better than The Fratellis, things can only be just as good. If they’re lucky.
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01 1 – Sunny Side of the Street Sunny Side Of The Street – SONIC BOOM SIX (single only)

Manchester’s most joy inducing band are a cheeky bunch. So cheeky, truth be known, that they didn’t even put this song on an album and, instead, released it as a single only. While good news for your wallet one can only hope that this gorgeous song doesn’t get lost in the black hole of songs released on their tod. And the best way to stop this happening is to tell everyone you love to buy this song, and have them tell everyone they love to buy this song. Once every single person on earth owns this then chances are that at any point of the day someone will be playing it, and making others smile in the process. Which might seem pointless as everyone else will already own the song, but you get my point. Buy. Smile. Tell. Spread. Enjoy.
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10 Wacky Women Wacky Women – SPARKS (album: Whomp That Sucker)

If I had my way every song here would be Sparks, this and every other week. Actually, this is my gaff and I could do that if I really wanted to. Which I obviously don’t. What I did want to do was make a point. That point being Sparks. 22 albums of saliva inducing lyrical genius wrapped in fizzy pop suss and fish cardigan craziness. They’re the best. Delve into their catalogue and you will be the best too. That’s how it works. Dip your toe with Kimono My House, wade in bravely with Angst In My Pants and Whomp That Sucker, splash around cockily with Indiscreet and Propaganda and once fully immersed and positively soaking then dive into A Woofer In Tweeters Clothing. There’s a good chance that you’ll make the rest of your album collection look like the work of wastrels, granted, but what’s life without a few risks?
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02 Section 22 (Running Away) Section 22 (Running Away) – THE POLYPHONIC SPREE (album: The Fragile Army)

They’re from Texas, there’s about 70 of them and they look like a Satanic cult dressing for Xmas. You like ‘em already, right? I know you so well. As mad as they are orgasmically joyful theirs is a sound of unbridled freedom that’s probably a lot like stripping naked and charging through town in full knowledge that you can run faster than police cars due to a bizarre birth defect resulting in superhuman strength and speed. Or something. Anyway, they make an awesome sound and if you like awesome sounds you’ll like their awesome sound.
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09 Older Older – BAND OF HORSES (album: Infinite Arms)

Sigh. I mean, just listen to that, willya? Invoking the gratitude one reserves for natures wide open spaces, Band Of Horses sound like the feeling you’d get if a deer walked into your garden. I reckon they have to stop every few minutes in rehearsal and say “fuck, did you hear that?”. And when Band Of Horses need to relax I bet they play Band Of Horses. You honestly can’t go wrong with this album or Cease To Begin. Pure harmonic perfection. With beards.
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13 Fix You Up  Fix You Up – TEGAN AND SARA (album: So Jealous)

Tegan and Sara are so adorable I imagine teddy bears cuddle little Tegan and Sara’s at bedtime. And this album is the the square route of cute, mixing pop rock with cunning genius writing to arrive at a hook mad explosion of everything that is right with the world. Show your ears how much you appreciate them by filling them full of this Canadian candy. You have two ears, they’re pretty identical, and so are these girls. Your ears are, admittedly, uglier than Tegan and Sara, but that’s why God gave you hair. And God loves Tegan and Sara. That’s about a billion reasons to buy this album.
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01 White Crosses White Crosses – AGAINST ME! (album: White Crosses)

In a ballsy move (if you’ll pardon the innuendo) Tom Gabel is now Laura Jane Grace after coming out as transgender and living as a woman. Which is a pretty fucking punk rock thing to do, let’s face it. And I already loved Against Me! without needing anything extra to love about them. So now I love love them. And you should too, starting with their album New Wave and then quite probably grabbing everything your eager little paws can find of theirs. Righteous, protesty punk rock never sounded more thrilling.
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