5. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart



First time I met the band with last year's hardest name it immediatley felt very familiar, but at the same time very unfamiliar and thrilling. It was like meeting an old love and feeling a new exciting spark. It resulted in a spring relationship, one that I will remember for a long time and one I probably will return to once the trees are blooming and the birds are warming up their soft voices.

Best tracks: Come Saturday, This Love is Fuckin Right!


4. Japandroids - Post Nothing



Two men creates the most sparkling and compact sound I've heard from a duo since White Stripes early days. The thick wall of distorted guitars and banging drums almost hypnotizes me sometimes, pulling me into a world where I have unlimited energy, where I'm constantly running and jumping around playing air guitar.

Best tracks: Young Hearts Spark Fire, Wet Hair


3. White Denim - Fits



Three young men drives into the desert. They bring one big pile of their favorite experimental records from the 60's & 70's and one huge bag of "snow". They move into a small cabin where they record Fits during two hazy smoke filled weeks. I've no clue if that's how this record was born, but it sure sounds exactly like that.

Best tracks: Say What You Want, Paint Yourself


2. Banner Pilot - Collapser



From the beginning this record was a big disapointment compared to it's prodecessor. I remember thinking it lacked variation and that all of the songs just sounded the same. But with every spin Collapser took the songs became more and more chiseled and catchy. And all of a sudden they became this years most melodic, honest, powerful and striking punk tunes. Even if Collapser doesn't bring anything new to the genre it becomes completely indispensable for a punklover like me, a heavy drug that I'm still using on a daily basis.

Best tracks: Hold Me Up, Greenwood


1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix



Personally, no movie has ever managed to capture the feeling of true love as good as Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Every time I see that movie it swallows me whole, making me cry like a thirsty little baby. In the world of music the counterpart is called Phoenix. Everytime god damn time these Frenchmen release a new album they set my heart on fire, giving me tears, goosebumps, dancing feet and countless jumps of joy. If that ain't love then I don't know what love is. None of their so far four studio albums have been below "very good" and Wolfgang Amadeus is no exception. It's a fantastic pop record, all the way through. Let's face it: Phoenix is the past decade's best pop band. End of discussion.

Best tracks: Liztomania, Rome