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"The Ticker Tape Flies Up"
Ah, it's that time of year again. The Christmas trees are going up, the Starbucks red cups are back, and everyone is pulling together their album of the year lists. I know that the last thing the internet needs is yet another one, but hey... I've written mine and so I may as well put it up here! It's going to be printed, as some of my ramblings are, in a friends music magazine. I would love to hear your comments / see your lists, as you all have such impeccable taste. Anyway, here it is:

EP of the Year:

3. Twin Atlantic – Vivarium (Red Bull)

1= A Wilhelm Scream – A Wilhelm Scream 12” (Paper + Plastick)

1= The Academy Is… - Lost In Pacific Time (The AP EP) (Fuelled by Ramen)

Compilation / Best-Of of the Year:

Funeral For A Friend – Your History Is Mine (Atlantic)

Album of the Year:

Near misses: Moneen – The World I Want To Leave Behind. The Matches – The Matches Unreleased Album 4. Sonic Youth – The Eternal. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

20. The Swellers – Ups and Downsizing (Fuelled by Ramen)

19. A.F.I. – Crash Love (Interscope)

18. Bloc Party – Intimacy (Parlophone)

17. New Found Glory – Not Without A Fight (Epitaph)

16. Third Eye Blind – Ursa Major (Geffen)

15. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing (Canvasback)

14. Tegan and Sara – Sainthood (Sire)

13. Taking Back Sunday – New Again (Geffen)

12. Brand New – Daisy (Interscope)

11. Every Time I Die – New Junk Aesthetic (Epitaph)

10. Dredg – The Parrot, The Pariah, The Delusion (Ohlone)

9. Polar Bear Club – Chasing Hamburg (Bridge 9)

8. Metric – Fantasies (Sony)

7. Thrice – Beggars (Vagrant)

6. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3 (Roc Nation)

5. Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions (13^th Floor)

4. P.O.S. – Never Better (Rhymesayers)

3. Alexisonfire – Old Crows / Young Cardinals (Vagrant)

2. Say Anything – Say Anything (RCA)

1. Thursday – Common Existence (Epitaph)

What struck me most about this list is how many bands on it are bands that I have really loved for years. If you look, there are quite a few bands here that I remember listening to six, seven, eight years ago – Thursday, Thrice, New Found Glory, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, A.F.I. That being said, I spent a lot of time while putting this list together wondering if that was reflective of (a) the fact that my musical tastes are stuck in the year 2000, or (b) whether these bands are genuinely still putting out great music. On balance, I am convinced that it is (b), that these are still bands who are absolutely killing it. Sure, if I liked their music back in the day then I am going to be predisposed to like it now, but I don’t think that’s the whole ballgame.

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