Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

While Ms. Dynamite would eventually come to fame of the back of a sharply written, deeply trouble but glorious aspirational album that appealed in equal measure to kids in hackney and mothers in Tesco, it's easy to forget that Ms. Dynamite blew up on the underground scene with the monstrous Booo! While in many ways she was a pioneer it's so easy to forget that once upon a time Ms. Dynamite was ice cool and while the So Solid Crew were storming the charts those with an ear to the streets and a more developed musical pallette were looking towards Booo! Remarkably eight years removed from UK Garage Booo! still sounds remarkably fresh and Sticky's beat is a beast and Ms. Dynamites cocky yet dispearing flow remains divine, the flourishes may sound date but this is a track that's lost none of it's punch. Hear It Here

Keane may well have been the wussiest band of the twenty first century, as tame as The Feeling were they at least had a guitarist right? Well while Keane will never be rock and roll bad arses they nevertheless managed to forge a string of beautifully crafted hits. While it's easy to make fun of their soft and sugary melodies when hearing Somewhere Only We Know it's hard to think of any act who has managed to better them. Keane have faded in recent years as they've seek to broaden their sound and appeal, but if they were to return to the type of majestic songwriting displayed on Somewhere Only We Know they will find themselves with little to worry about. Hear It Here

So you wake up it's your birthday your feeling good and you switch on the news only to discover that your home country has just been attack by terrorists, people are dead and your left emotionally confused. Of course the day was 7/7 and the events of that day, in particular the police shooting of de Menezes inspired Fyfe to write Trains To Brazil. Aside from the obvious reference to Brazil, the track's real message was not a political commentary but a life affirming message to live for the moment and make the most of your life, because it could end at any moment. Trains To Brazil still sounds glorious all these years on, it still charms and thankfully it still inspires. Hear It Here

Ever feel like a track perfectly encapsulates your life? If any song were to perfectly surmise how I feel emotionally and philosophically right now it's this track: Busy Doing Nothing. Aside from being a superbly crafted and uniquely arranged three and a half minute pop powerhouse of a track, Busy Doing Nothing truly hits the nail on the head lyrically. It perfectly encapsulates a feeling that everyone has felt at one time or another, we have all these goals, ideas, all this things we want to achieve, clothes to buy, movies to watch, albums to hear, causes to fight for but we can somehow never find the time, and yet we never quite manage to do anything either, we're busy doing nothing, and with a helping post-Rapture yelp Love Is All capture human life in all it's beautiful futility. Hear It Here

In 2008 Hardcore found it's new heroes as Cancer Bats not only created one of the years best albums but with relentless touring and a visceral and surprisingly groovy live show soon became kings of the underground and even threaten to knock Gallows from their scene leader thrown, with or without out an NME endorsement. Hail Destroyer itself wasn't the best or most interesting track on the album of the same name, but it was urgent and incredibly anthemic, it felt like an incendiary anthem, the national anthem of the Cancer Bats fan nation and unsurprisingly it became the sing along stable of their brutal and unrelenting live show. Hear It Here

A Letter From God To Man while about as subtle as a sledgehammer still feels like a mammoth track, a epic rant of relentless fervour, as Dan Le Sac plays the role of God laying down all his fury and confusion over how human being have misused his name and have ruined the earth. While the sentiment was hardly new, Dan Le Sac's deliver was top notch and the choice to sample Radiohead's Planet Telex was shrewd, and the final punch line that this was not infact a A Letter From God To Man instead it was an apology to mother nature for creating the human race. Hear It Here

By 2004 it had become apparent to everyone except Manson himself that his act had run it course and he really wasn't good for much these days, even his once vaunted live show had deteriorated to an embarrassing extent. Thankfully he was wise enough to slap together a greatest hit and return to his one true love; the brooding European synth pop of the '80s. While his interpretation of Personal Jesus added little to the original track he did imagine to bring impeccable style to the video and get a whole new generation hooked on the sublime pop music of Depeche Mode, the Saturdays would soon follow suit. Hear It Here

Sometimes there's just no justice in the world, while Ashlee Simpson maybe an untalented hack, she isn't even half the pathetic shill that her sister Jessica is, and yet while Ashlee with the help of Timbaland produced a insanely fun and surprisingly hilarious pop single Outta My Head found herself booed and bottled in concert, her sister producers an war crime level cover of These Boots Are Made For Walking and soars to the top of the charts. With a gorgeous beat Outta My Head was a playful and knowing goof ball pop single, that feels like an unappreciated gem. Hear It Here

So in the battle of the UK undergrounds two pioneering siblings it's Akala that's ended up on top, beating his sister (Ms. Dynamite) in the countdown (and he has one more track yet to come). Shakespeare was a statement of intent, this track felt vital, this was a smart intelligent and powerful voice battling to break through, unfortunately Akala was almost too good to break through a gimmick dominated scene, but he made a hell of an impression on the critical world. As Akala put it himself this was "Shakespeare with a nigger twist...It's William back from the dead, but I'm black and I rap instead", the flows on this record were unbelievably tight, it was witty, and packed a hell of a punch, it's one of those few tracks that even on repeated listen retains the power of it's first impression. Shakespeare had it all, an ice cool underground beat, a swagger that reigned supreme on the grime scene and a chorus as infectious as the best D-12 record. Arguably the finest single to come from the UK's underground this decade. Hear It Here

"I'm On BBC Two Now, Telling Terry Wogan How, I've Made It And What I've Made Is Unclear Now" hmmn...looking back that line not only sounds as fantastic but somewhat telling considering Franz's slow descent. Dark Of The Matinee was the track that secure Franz's rise to fame the delicious follow up to break through smash Take Me Out. ...Matinee was simply the sexiest pop record of 2004, and while Franz hadn't reinvented the wheel they got the nation dancing in exquisite, knowing and positively British style. Franz's role in the indie rock revolution of the 21st Century is vastly underrated, while House Of Jealous Lovers may have been the first step, it was Matinee that put rock firmly back on the nations dancefloors. Hear It Here

After the success of debut album Up All Night Razorlight decided to stick a bonus track and a final single onto a re-release and it pointed the way forward for a band who never hid their ambition. Somewhere Else was that track, it kept the roguish indie charm but aimed squarely to tug at MOR heart strings. It was perfectly pitched and for a band often labelled as cynical posers it felt remarkable heartfelt and remains Johnny Borrell's stand out moment as a vocalist. Unfortunately they'd take this sound to the extreme losing sight of their core sound and rapidly disappearing up their own arses. Hear It Here

"I'm Gonna Raise Me An Army Some Tough Sons Of Bitches, I'll Raise My Army From The Orphanages" that one line encapsulates the urgency that has reinvigorated Dylan's work in the 21st Century. While he may have rapidly deteriorated in the live arena, in the studio Dylan has recaptured the zietgiest, Thunder On The Mountain saw Dylan's brain turned loose, it felt like a stream of conciousness, whether he was searching for his new love Alicia Keys or whether he was raging against outsourcing and undercutting the American work force. There was something thrilling about hearing a man of Dylan's age so full of ideas, still passionate and still vibrant. Hear It Here

It's perhaps one of those sad ironies that Metric's one true breakthrough hit Monster Hospital drew attention to their least interesting album Live It Out. Monster Hospital was the perfect indie alternative anthem, with a brilliant Shirley Manson meets Courtney Love performance by Emily Haines on a track ramned full on neat flourish and smart references and a knowing sense of humour. Of course the creepy grooves and the desperate cry of "I Fought The War But The War Won, Stop For Love Of God". Looking back now the tracks emotional relevance has only increased as the cry "Stop For Love Of God" feels even more tragic and almost ghostly. Hear It Here

There's always been something morose about Miss Spears's music, she's never been afraid to make fun of herself and after years of being pruned as a pop princess and being forced to seeing dreary ballads about not quite being a woman yet, she was finally set free in the last two years. It may have taken a mental breakdown to achieve a breakthrough but in 2009 Britney Spears finally got retarded, and she hasn't looked back since. Following on the success of Womanizer Britney unleashed the brilliant If You Seek Amy, Britney sounded positively brain dead, like crazed and mental vacant rag doll, but it was absolutely thrilling, the music thrusted wildly and Britney for once in her career sounded truly daring. If You Seek Amy stood out from the pop crowd in 2009 as pop sadly showed signs of reverting to type. Now come on everybody let's get down with the stupidity. Hear It Here

In the naughties reunions were a hot topic, by the end of the decade they'd become run of the mill, almost anyone you could conceivably remember had kissed and made up to cash in on the live attendance boom. And yes you knew it had reached cynical abdominal proportions when Cliff & The Shadows and Spandau Ballet were back on the road. Thankfully some acts got back together because they actually wanted to make music again, and after years apart had something to say. This was of course Dinosaur Jr's intent and they return with the blistering single Almost Ready, for once it was as if they'd never left, the guitar work was sharp and surprisingly so were the melodies and this was the first track from the surprisingly excellent Beyond. These old dogs might not haven't learnt any new tricks but still had their bite. Hear It Here

Now I decided to include just a solitary Friendly Fires track in the countdown and unsurprisingly I've opted for the gorgeous Paris. It's a track that's really doesn't grab you, it's intro feels cliche and laboured but it was more than worth enduring the opening thirty seconds to reveal a soft and soaring thing of beauty. It's amazing how a track can turn so suddenly from the realm of too for school scenester posturing to ethereal and shockingly honest song writing bliss. In the end with the most fragile of croons and the most delicate of harmonies Friendly Fires shredded their pretentious and revealed 2009's most heartfelt and dare I say loveable indie hit makers. Now just close your eyes and let that gorgeous chorus wash gentle over you; "And Every Night, We'll Watch The Stars, They'll Be Out For Us". Hear It Here

Jane's Addiction have never been the most stable of bands, what band with Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro possibly could be right? Well in 2003 they managed to stomach each other just long enough for a tour and to lay down a full LP of new materiel in the form of Strays. It hardly set the world on fire but we were glad to have Jane's Addiction back albeit fleetingly and they made sure to lay down their latest epic big riffing anthem Just Because. It rode on the back of a massive 90s style riff and allowed Perry to lay down his carefree and surprisingly inspiring verse. All in all Just Because was a genuinely shocking return to form of a band who were never really all the consistent in the first place. Hear It Here

In 2001 D12 proved they would be all things to all people, they proved they could get retarded with the best of them, they showed they had the ability to conquer the pop charts but now it was time for them to get serious and lay down some Fight Music. Dr. Dre provided a typical minimalist and brooding beat and D12 told in great detail how they'd kill, rape and mutilate us, okay, so this wasn't exactly KRS One but it was relentless and pretty funny in a macabre black humour sense. It was great to see a serious edge to their music and as they put it themselves this was "Music for kids to trash their rooms to" this was hip hop's answer to mosh pit slayers. Hear It Here

After blowing everyone out of the water with the remarkably brilliant and anthemic Sound Of The Underground Girls Aloud managed to surprise the world yet again with another remarkably slick hit. No Good Advice had more spunk and more bite than any other pop record coming out of the UK in 2003, pop hadn't managed to truly get nasty, dirty or sexy at that point but No Good Advice pointed the way forward. With superb production and a nice guitar based arrangement Girls Aloud laid down a distinctly 21st Century anthem before any of us even knew who Lily Allen was or before Amy Winehouse had discovered smack. Thankfully Girls Aloud where raunchy, racaous and surprisingly intelligent in 2003, a sign of things to come. Hear It Here