The Best Of................Lazy JournalismIt's that time of year again when lazy journo's fill their publications with lists instead of articles, and who am I to differ ? The ten best albums of the year then.............
1) Killing Joke - Killing Joke *****

Jaz Coleman and Co. with Dave Grohl on drums provide a huge, pounding, rhythmic wall of noise filled with spite, bitterness and eco-friendly protest rants, superb.
2) Permission To Land - The Darkness *****

Wahey, honest to goodness stadium rock with all the trimmings, an unholy combination of Queen, Boston, Aerosmith and a primary school dressing up box.
3) Absolution - Muse *****

Big music from the British trio, soaring, swooping, melodramatic, heart rending, wonderful, how do three people create all of this ?
4) How The West Was Won - Led Zeppelin *****

Eventually of course my CD collection will collapse in to a black hole under the combined weight of numerous Led Zep compilations, but this live set from 1972 is required listening.
5) Sleeping With Ghosts - Placebo ****

Not quite hitting the heights of Black Market Music, the talented, multi-lingual and disturbingly pretty Brian Molko still makes a damn good album.
6) Golden Age Of The Grotesque - Marilyn Manson ****

Mazza said it was going to be a new departure but it turned out to be the same old, same old, still, the same old shit is still pretty good shit.
7) Youth And Young Manhood - Kings Of Leon ****

Get on your pointy cowboy boots and raise your hands to the Lord, stamp your feet and generally have a rooting' tootin' good time y'all.
8) Must Be Destroyed - The Wildhearts ****

Good stuff, I think though that we were all secretly hoping for another Earth Vs.
9) St. Anger - Metallica ****

Again, good but not the best, it does sound as if it was recorded inside a biscuit tin, a vast improvement on the previous two albums though.
10) De-Loused In The Comatorium - The Mars Volta ****

What is going on here ? I really don't know, the worlds first jazz-speedcore fusion perhaps, lyrics written under the influence of mind altering drugs for certain, brilliant and impenetrable, yes.