The Book Tower
debut novel coming soon

My favourite albums of 2010. This year I’ve struggled to find anything much to say about my choices other than to recommend them all highly. At the very least please follow up my listen to recommendations. And there is a joint number 10.

10. The Klaxons: Surfing the Void

    Listen to: Venusia.

    Oh, and best album cover of the year too.




10. Paul Weller: Wake up the Nation

    Listen to: Fast Car, Slow Traffic where Weller reunites with Bruce Foxton.




9. Laura Manning: I Speak Because I Can

   Listen to: Rambling Man. I bought I Speak Because I Can on the strength of a review in the Sunday Times. She’s one of my best discoveries of the last year.




8. Robert Plant: Band of Joy

   Listen to: Plant’s version of Low’s Monkey.




7. Goldfrapp: Head First

   Listen to: Head First.




6. The Xx

   Listen to: Heart Skipped a Beat.




5. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

   Listen to: Modern Man.




4. Take That: Progress

   Listen to: Pretty Things.




3. John Grant: Queen of Denmark

   Listen to: Sigourney Weaver.

   John Grant is my other great discovery of 2010. This is a brilliant album. Only hearing it for the first time in December, I’m still listening to it intently to gauge just how good it is.




2. Gorillaz: Plastic Beach

   Listen to: Some Kind of Nature featuring Lou Reed. Forget the rather odd appearance at Glastonbury this year and you’ll enjoy it more.

   Plastic Beach is a great album, but far more interesting is the late 2010 Gorillaz offering. The Fall was recorded on their US tour in October using an iPad and is well worth investigating.




1. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse: Dark Night of the Soul

   My favourite album of 2010 and one of the year’s most bizarre offerings. Held up for some time following the untimely death of Mark Linkous, Dark Night of the Soul features collaborations with The Flaming Lips, Julian Casablancas, David Lynch, Suzanne Vega and Vic Chestnut.

   Listen to: all of it! Although the standout track is perhaps Daddy’s Gone featuring Linkous and Nina Persson.