Modern Beat Combos
Pop albums: highlights of 2009 - Telegraph
The Duke & The King Nothing Gold Can Stay (Loose) Bold, poetic singer-songwriter
Jamie T Kings & Queens (Virgin) 21st-century mash-up of punk, folk and hip hop
Arctic Monkeys Humbug (Domino) Rich, dark desert rock underpinning clever songs
The Felice Brothers Yonder Lies The Clock (Team Love) Ripe, rich Americana, archaic yet utterly contemporary
U2 No Line On The Horizon (Island) Ambitious future rock with moments of startling beauty
A Camp Colonia (Polydor) Dark, ironic, romantic, Gothically ambitious songwriting from Nina Persson’s side project
The XX XX (Young Turks) Minimalist boy/girl left-field pop filled with erotic longing
The Antlers Hospice (French Kiss) A dissection of the death of a relationship shifting from distorted, ambient noise to explosive psych rock
Gurrumul Gurrumul (Skinnyfish) Hypnotic melodies and other-worldly voice of blind Aboriginal singer-songwriter
One EskimO One EskimO (Little Polar) A gem of 21st-century easy listening, chill out with soul
Nope not heard any of them, and proud to say it.