Albums Of The Year 2009 - Numero Uno!

FUCK BUTTONS - 'TAROT SPORT'

Something strange happened to me musically in 2009. While I've never been opposed to it, that was the year that it struck me; The kind of electronic/dance music being made was far more interesting than what guitar-based bands had to offer. It was more original, more exciting, and it was breaking down barriers between chart/D&B/dubstep etc. It was creating an entirely new genre. From Miike Snow to Calvin Harris, 2009 was the year Dance Music took a massive leap forward.

Easily the best dance album since Leftfield's debut, or The Prodigy's 'The Fat Of The Land', Fuck Buttons came from nowhere to deliver a record of such beauty and intensity, it gives a different experience every time you listen to it. And they're not pulling punches either; rather bravely for a debut, most songs are 9 minutes plus. Yet each track has its own story, its own emotional journey, and - crucially - it's entirely at the listener's discretion what you make of it.

'Surf Solar' is an absolute beast of a song; a 10 minute gentle assault on the senses, with more layers in it than you'll ever notice. 'Olympians' is a true thing of beauty, again employing 10 minutes with gorgeous, emotive sounds that change just as you're getting used to them.

I cannot rate this album highly enough. In a year of great music, Fuck Buttons delivered a real sucker punch, from a genre I didn't expect and simply made me re-evaluate how I listen to music. This album, quite simply, made me more excited about music than I had been in years.