1. Gorillaz – Dare
It could only ever be this gargantuan moment of genius pop music for me, the chunkiest beat and the filthiest 80s influenced synth line, great soulful female vocals juxtaposed with the ugliest sounding voice ever, Shaun Ryder, the finest and funkiest number one in years, it doesn’t get any better than this!

2. Bloc Party – Two More Years
A track where the boys became men. Two more years had Bloc Party looking towards pop stardom but still kept the shimmering guitars and indie sensitivity which made us love them in the first place.  

3. Chemical Brothers – Galvanize
A great come-back, at the start of the year The Chemical Brothers were dead and buried, big beat had finally died and their last album was as dull and as stodgy as old porridge, then this! A great attitude filled track featuring Tribe called Quest legend Q-Tip who we hear way too little of these days, every time this track comes on you can’t help but walk down the street with a stroll on.

4. Arctic Monkeys – From the ritz to the rubble
Not even a single but if you’re a fan and you own a pc then you will already love this track. When they closed their debut appearance on the Jools Holland show with this recently you could hear the collective sound of Doherty and co’s chin dropping when they realised that they were redundant lyrically, musically and attitude-wise.  Anyone who has tried to get into a club up North wearing trainers will relate to this story of meat-head townies who think a brilliant night involves violence. As I used to say when getting turned away – any twat can buy shoes, they’re probably the ones causing the trouble in there, to which I got the response – yeah ok, now fuck off.

5. Arcade fire – Rebellion (Lies)
For an album pre-occupied with death and loss in general, this was a shot of hope so uplifting and almost religious sounding it’d make you actually believe in him upstairs

6. Editors – Munich
Hey, it may be generic but is that a problem? This, their finest moment has its influences so steeped in the guitar music of the early 90’s, it stares at its feet under a fringe and makes you realise you’re getting old, where’s that Ride album?

7. Missy Elliott – Lose Control
Missy always has he knack of dropping a killer party tune that is so dumb-assed, so stooped fresh that you just have to submit. This killer piece of electro influenced hip hop proved that despite all of fiddy and Eminem’s efforts, the genre isn’t dead yet. Missy is a true visionary and does it with maximum style and even more grace.

8. White Stripes – My Doorbell
The highlight from a confusing album that got better with plays but, well, is still weird, this piano lade-ah, fuck it, you know it and love it anyway!

9. Fischerspooner – Just Let go (Thin white duke remix)
This remix holds testament to the fact that you can indeed pollish a turd. Fischerspooner are the lowest common denominator in music, fashion magazine over-stylized, pompous rubbish, or in short – shit. Thin White Duke aka Stuart Price aka Jacques Le Cont aka Les Rhythm Digitales excels in his Thin White Duke guise and this pumping 4/4 beated electro-track took all the best components of electronic music from Kraftwerk, new Order, Eurythmics and brought them right up to date with this wicked dancefloor filler. And if Madonna uses him to produce her latest album then he must be doing something right! 

10. Whitey – Y U H 2 B M
A regular track in any 2 Many Dj’s set you may have experienced this year, this frazzled track is a moody clash of hard chunky beats, Nine Inch Nails attitude smothered with fuzzy base and mad techno percussion. Like Soulwax on speed (or add other drug connotation of choice), this mammoth tune will always make you move with beats that hit you with jaw shattering effect. This originally came out last Year on 7” but seeing as only about 10 copies of it were released and the fact it features on his album released this is Year allows it in…er, ok?  

Chris Todd