10.

Muse
Black Holes and Revelations

Into the top 10, and we find ourselves reverting once again to the mantra of, ‘so many good albums’. This is, for me, the second best Muse album (far superior to their massive selling Absolution, but not as good as their masterpiece, Origin of Symmetry). I adore Muse, and, as such, think that the fact that their second best record barely makes the top 10 speaks volumes. Muse have all the elements of a great band, and seamlessly join mass appeal with genuine artistic merit (seriously, how many bands can you say that of?). Black Holes and Revelations is filled with vast ideas and sweeping melodies. Muse are visionary, no question. ‘Map of the Problematique’ always gets the nape of my neck tingling. ‘Assassin’ goes for the jugular (albeit in an odd manner), and ‘Knights of Cydonia’ shows that Enrico Morricone, stoner-rock-riffage, ELO and a retention of credibility are not only all simultaneously possible, they are a wonderful combination. To top it off, of course, ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ is probably the single best track of the year (being as it is like Prince, but, er, somehow, Muse). And yet... ‘Starlight’ and ‘Invincible’, whilst good, are both too cheesy for my tastes, and seem to me lazy on an album full of so much invention. These tracks alone have dropped this album a number of places. In any event, the best mainstream band of our time march on.