My Top Ten Indie/Alt Songs From 2018

For many years, the majority of my musical purchases came from indie/alternative guitar bands. This started in the early Britpop era and lasted well into the 21st Century. Over the last ten years or so, however, my tastes have changed. I've found it harder to engage with the kind of guitar bands that used to excite me, and drawn more to the storytelling of singer-songwriters and Americana. That's not to say I don't still enjoy my indie tunes... just that I'm rarely captivated by a whole album, more the odd track here and there.

Has the world changed or have I changed?

Who knows? Anyway, here are ten top tunes from my old flame that proved it can still flicker quite brightly when it wants to...


10. James - Coming Home Part 2

I still love James. They produced some of my favourite songs of the 90s. I do struggle a bit with their recent output though. It's unmistakably James, and yet... not quite.

9. Arctic Monkeys - The Ultracheese

I still don't know what to make of the latest Arctic Monkeys album. But I'm kinda glad they did it anyway.

8. Courtney Barnett - Nameless Faceless

Couldn't get into the latest Courtney Barnett record in the same way I've connected with her previous offerings, but there's no denying the power of the feminist statement (adapted from Margaret Atwood) she makes on Nameless Faceless.

I wanna walk through the park in the dark

Men are scared that women will laugh at them

I wanna walk through the park in the dark

Women are scared that men will kill them

7. Morrissey - Rose Garden (Live At The Grand Ol' Opry)

Confounding those who would easily label him once again, Morrissey played The Grand Ol' Opry this year... and covered The Pretenders. For those who want to bury him, he just gave them two more rusty nails to hammer into his coffin. For the dwindling few who remain (semi-)faithful... well, we apologetically squeeze him into our year end reviews with as little fanfare as possible.

6. Goat Girl - The Man

Another one from the "must get round to listening to the album" pile.

5. Slaves - Acts of Fear & Love

Slaves are a band I like a lot... yet they don't half make me feel old. Maybe that's a good thing. Angry guitar pop shouldn't really be aimed at 46 year old fathers. Their latest record was great in places... and way too loud in others. The title track though... wow.

4. Bodega - Jack In Titanic

American alt-pop this, and so far I've only heard this one track by them, though they're also on the list to investigate further.

3. Shame - One Rizla

I'm not much to look at

And I'm not much to hear

But if you think I love

You've got the wrong idea

Punky attitude and ringing guitars... these lads could go far. Love the Farmer's Boys video too.

Worth checking out their ode to Theresa May too (from last year) if you've never heard it before.

2. Manic Street Preachers - International Blue

Of all the guitar bands of my youth, the Manics are probably the ones who still manage to deliver more than anyone else, due to the winning combination of Nicky Wire's Slash-style guitar riffs and James Dean Bradfield's voice - easily the best of the Britpop era. Their latest album, Resistance Is Futile, came close to making my end of year list... but in the end, it was a little too derivative, gleefully stealing its best tunes from The Vapors, The Coasters, Boney M, Elton John, Springsteen et al.... more about that here.

1. Idles - Danny Ndelko

Like Slaves & Shame, Idles are intellectual yobs. Occasionally too loud for my aged eardrums, but catchy as hell when they put their mind to it... and they definitely have something to say about the state of their nation. Here's their two-fingered salute to gammon Brexiters...