Albums of 2011 : Numbers 12 and 11

You know it's getting good if these two can't make the top ten.....

12 - The Horrors : Skying

Channeling the spirit of, amongst others, Simple Minds and Psychedelic Furs, the formerly gothic chancers stepped it up yet again. If Primary Colours was something special, The Horrors surpassed that record by adding a scintillating pop sheen to the motorik grooves found on their second album. The best British album of 2011 by a country mile, they've got their eyes set firmly on a glittering prize. If My Bloody Valentine soundtracked a John Hughes film, it might sound a heck of a lot like this.

11 - Girls : Father, Son, Holy Ghost

It wouldn't surprise me if this was Pitchfork's album of 2011, and to be honest any other year it would probably make my top three of the year. Cribbing from the past yet sounding utterly fresh, Christopher Owens has an understanding of pop music like few other young men of his age. It's The Beatles, R&B, VU, Jonathan Richman and The Rolling Stones, yet none of them at the same time. A friend of mine said "they know how to play those 'sad girl songs' chords, don't they?" and that might best describe Father, Son, Holy Ghost - a record full of emotion, feeling, and wonderful songs.

Below is a link to a Spotify playlist for numbers 20 down to 11:

http://open.spotify.com/user/andrewahannah/playlist/3wIrwooNyfCSICApKDyAL2

The Horrors - Skying

Let's get this straight, first of all. The Horrors' debut record Strange House was bloody awful, the sound of a band trying too hard to be cool and wilfully attempting to piss off as many people as possible with their Cramps/Birthday Party shtick. When Primary Colours surfaced it was a total turn up for the books, and their Krautrock-inspired sound (check 'Sea Within a Sea' for example) was an utter triumph. Unbelievably, new album Skying takes the quality up a whole new level.

What's most surprising is that it abandons the sound of the motorik 70s for the anthemic 80s, and the result is a record that sounds like your older siblings' record collections. It's Simple Minds, it's Psychedelic Furs, Bowie and the Bunnymen. Opener 'Changing the Rain' is pure New Gold Dream, and it's followed by the Johnny Marr jangle of 'You Said', but with Richard Butler vocals. The striking thing about both is the dense sound; there's layer upon layer of noise, like Spacemen 3 remixing some stadium rock staples.

'I Can See Through You' is David Bowie's 'Boys Keep Swinging' under another name, and has an infectious groove, while 'Endless Blue' surprises with some urgent riffing breaking through the gentle synth opening. 'Dive In' is the most baggy tune I've heard in a long time, but incredibly it really works in the context of the whole record.

'Still Life' is the already well-known single, and the one that got everyone screaming "Simple Minds!" And you know, it does sound like Jim Kerr's band. But that's not a bad thing, those early records have a punch to them, before Jim and the boys got all pompous about the whole thing. The piercing synth and epic chorus make 'Still Life' one of the best singles you're likely to hear all year.

'Wild Eyed' is carried along by a creepy melodica and mumbled vocals and 'Moving Further Away' is the song most likely to find a second home on Primary Colours, as it's all Harmonia/Neu! grooves and wonderful pop bluster - it might just be my favourite moment on the album. 'Monica Gems' manages to keep the momentum up with a glammy guitar assault on some of Britpop's best moments from 1994, and final track 'Oceans Burning' starts as a swooning ballad before setting controls for the heart of the sun....just awesome.

The Horrors clearly learned a few tricks from Portishead's Geoff Barrow and produced this record themselves, adding further proof that they're actually quite a talented bunch. Skying is their second excellent album in a few years, and it's clear that The Horrors are well on their way to becoming one of the most important British bands in recent memory.

Skying is streaming all over the internet, like here at Prefix.