Now we start moving the albums into the territory of what you should most definitely listen to. I'd recommend all of these albums and I think most people would enjoy a lot of them - so without further ado...
Albums 50-41
Albums 40-31
30. Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
29. Everything Is Recorded - S/T
A well produced album can cover over a lot of cracks. Richard Russel's Everything Is Recorded is one of the most riveting and interesting listens of the past year due to some of the most well rounded and vibing beats. Coating in features from the likes of Sampha and Giggs makes this album one of the most important British albums of the year. However, there's no signal or direction for the album and some of the songs don't flow into each other.
28. Goat Girl - S/T
Goat Girl are one of the most important female bands of our era, whether it be their punk-infused dark rock which explores the problems with the patriarchy or whether it's their pop-laden bangers which get the crowd going. The strangest thing about the album though is that at circa 22 tracks it really isn't that long at all. Most of the tracks sit at around 2 minutes which means you can never really get your teeth into them and many interludes cover the tracklist.
27. The Vaccines - Combat Sports
A sort of return to form for The Vaccines despite their last album not really hitting the general masses, they released some great singles prior to this albums drop including "I Can't Quit" and "Your Love Is My Favourite Band" and the rest of the album did sort of live up to those but there was no real direction and diversification on the album.
26. Peace - Kindness Is The New Rock 'N' Roll
Peace are one of the most polarising bands of recent years. Like the Marmite of the indie scene, I personally love them but I know of a few people who despise them. I love the lead singers voice coupled along with the catchiness of their rock 'n' roll infused bangers and this album is unlike anything they've made before.
25. Breathe Panel - S/T
Lo-Fi at it's very best. There aren't many albums on this list that captivated me quite as much as Breathe Panel's. Which probably leaves you wondering why it's so low, well I haven't had chance to digest it as much as I have the others on this list which means I'm spending the beginning of 2019 over consuming it. Can't wait to pick this up on vinyl.
24. Tim Burgess - As I Was Now
Charlatans frontman, bestselling author, solo man, label owner etc... the list goes on with Tim Burgess' talents. This album doesn't appease the Charlatans fans out there and I like that, it's Tim proving there is a different side to him which proves to be a little more experimental than The Charlatans' iconic sound. The story of this album being lost for 10 years just makes me sad because I would have loved to have had it for longer.
23. Anna Burch - Quit The Curse
I saw Anna Burch live in Leicester in mid-2018 and she captivated me there and then. Her folk-like indie rock drifts swiftly through your ears leaving you with some truly beautifully written love songs and an album that is full to the brim with cheerful anthems that will leave you with a huge smile on your face after a listen. A must-listen for fans of the likes of St. Vincent and Marika Hackman.
22. Smashing Pumpkins - Shiny & Oh So Bright Vol 1
It's truly criminal that I only discovered these alt-rock gods this year and it's mostly thanks to this being the incredible album that it is. Easily one of the most unique and intriguing bands of the past 20 years, despite frontmans Billy Corgan's insistence on trying to make everyone hate him it hasn't quite worked yet. This album takes everything that Smashing Pumpkins do so well and multiplies it tenfold, which is no mean feat.
21. James - Living In Extraordinary Times
I went to see James at the end of 2018 and they produced a circa 2 hour set that was full of songs from this album and I have to say, I think they stood out a lot more than some of the older ones for the right reasons. "Hank" has some of the most pounding drums to be laid (no pun intended) on a track in the past year, not to mention the soon-to-be iconic outro of "Many Faces" which is incredibly powerful when sung by an entire audience.
Albums 40-31
30. Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
So I think it's safe to say this definitely isn't going to be their most revered album ever. In fact it may be the most hated album of the past year but there's strikes of genius here if you can move past the insufferable stroking of Alex Turner's ego throughout. The idea and story of the album keeps you involved throughout a whole listen and songs like "The Ultracheese" and "Star Treatment" have flashes of what could have been a truly amazing album... it's just not Arctic Monkeys.
29. Everything Is Recorded - S/T
A well produced album can cover over a lot of cracks. Richard Russel's Everything Is Recorded is one of the most riveting and interesting listens of the past year due to some of the most well rounded and vibing beats. Coating in features from the likes of Sampha and Giggs makes this album one of the most important British albums of the year. However, there's no signal or direction for the album and some of the songs don't flow into each other.
28. Goat Girl - S/T
Goat Girl are one of the most important female bands of our era, whether it be their punk-infused dark rock which explores the problems with the patriarchy or whether it's their pop-laden bangers which get the crowd going. The strangest thing about the album though is that at circa 22 tracks it really isn't that long at all. Most of the tracks sit at around 2 minutes which means you can never really get your teeth into them and many interludes cover the tracklist.
27. The Vaccines - Combat Sports
A sort of return to form for The Vaccines despite their last album not really hitting the general masses, they released some great singles prior to this albums drop including "I Can't Quit" and "Your Love Is My Favourite Band" and the rest of the album did sort of live up to those but there was no real direction and diversification on the album.
26. Peace - Kindness Is The New Rock 'N' Roll
Peace are one of the most polarising bands of recent years. Like the Marmite of the indie scene, I personally love them but I know of a few people who despise them. I love the lead singers voice coupled along with the catchiness of their rock 'n' roll infused bangers and this album is unlike anything they've made before.
25. Breathe Panel - S/T
Lo-Fi at it's very best. There aren't many albums on this list that captivated me quite as much as Breathe Panel's. Which probably leaves you wondering why it's so low, well I haven't had chance to digest it as much as I have the others on this list which means I'm spending the beginning of 2019 over consuming it. Can't wait to pick this up on vinyl.
24. Tim Burgess - As I Was Now
Charlatans frontman, bestselling author, solo man, label owner etc... the list goes on with Tim Burgess' talents. This album doesn't appease the Charlatans fans out there and I like that, it's Tim proving there is a different side to him which proves to be a little more experimental than The Charlatans' iconic sound. The story of this album being lost for 10 years just makes me sad because I would have loved to have had it for longer.
23. Anna Burch - Quit The Curse
I saw Anna Burch live in Leicester in mid-2018 and she captivated me there and then. Her folk-like indie rock drifts swiftly through your ears leaving you with some truly beautifully written love songs and an album that is full to the brim with cheerful anthems that will leave you with a huge smile on your face after a listen. A must-listen for fans of the likes of St. Vincent and Marika Hackman.
22. Smashing Pumpkins - Shiny & Oh So Bright Vol 1
It's truly criminal that I only discovered these alt-rock gods this year and it's mostly thanks to this being the incredible album that it is. Easily one of the most unique and intriguing bands of the past 20 years, despite frontmans Billy Corgan's insistence on trying to make everyone hate him it hasn't quite worked yet. This album takes everything that Smashing Pumpkins do so well and multiplies it tenfold, which is no mean feat.
21. James - Living In Extraordinary Times
I went to see James at the end of 2018 and they produced a circa 2 hour set that was full of songs from this album and I have to say, I think they stood out a lot more than some of the older ones for the right reasons. "Hank" has some of the most pounding drums to be laid (no pun intended) on a track in the past year, not to mention the soon-to-be iconic outro of "Many Faces" which is incredibly powerful when sung by an entire audience.