Nite Songs

  Getting close to the top of the chart now as we head into the Top 20. Needless to say that anything in this bit you've missed, you really should investigate pronto... *** 20. GULP - "Beneath Strawberry Moons" A genuine unexpected triumph of an album - Gulp's third effort sounds like some sort of cross between the icy electronica of New Order and the laconic psychedelia of Mazzy Star with maybe a hint of All About Eve and Ooberman at their most melancholy. Featuring Super Furry Animals man Guto Pryce, this is another great album which seems to have undeservedly sailed under a lot of people's radars. *** 19. BENEFITS - "Constant Noise" Honestly, I'm not sure if Benefits actually could  have pulled the same trick twice following on from their debut album  Nails  last year. That record was so brutal and uncompromising, veering into pure white noise in places, that it really was the sort of thing you could only really listen to once. However, here's...

  And so we come to the bit everybody's been waiting for - it's our Top 10 albums of the year. Did your favourite make it? Read on to find out... *** 10.     THE THE - "Ensoulment" A new album from Matt Johnson definitely wasn't something I was expecting in 2024 but it's to  Ensoulment 's credit that it stands up with the best of his work from the 1980s. Casting a caustic eye over the modern climate, the likes of  Kissing The Ring of POTUS ,  Some Days I Drink My Coffee By The Grave of William Blake  and  I Hope You Remember (The Things I Can't Forget)  prove that while Johnson may have been away for many years, he certainly hasn't lost a step in terms of sharpness. Comeback of the year? Could well be. *** 9.     THE VIRGINMARYS - "The House Beyond The Fires" The fact that the Virginmarys are a band who seem to keep getting stronger with every release is especially impressive when you consider how many hurdles they've had to navigat...