NME

I have never been a massive fan of the ‘Now that’s what I call Music’ Albums because they seem to be a hotch potch of singles that generally have no right to be on the same pair of discs. However, the NME Album of the year is a much more sharply focused collection and while it may share some tracks with other collections it works in its own right.

Of course, this time of year everyone is planning parties and these pair of albums work as your own DJ set or mix-disc and give the less than stellar mixmaster a chance of showing off and the rhythm of the cds builds into a nice and danceable set.

The selection of artists tends to point out also that 2009 was better than you might think at first because the range of talents on offer makes the year stand out as something special.

Just a quick dip into the lists demonstrates perfectly:
Muse, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, Peter Doherty, The Cribs and Gallows and that is only six artists out of 20 on the first disc!
Newcomers such as Enter Shikari, Biffy Clyro and Dananananakroyd mix in very well with superstars Green Day, The Prodigy or Manic Street Preachers.

All in all 2009 wasn’t the dog that the recession made it feel like and this collection at least puts a shine on the end of the year.