Another month packed with releases, but only a few managed to stick out. Next month is looking like it will be the same, with the Deftones, My Chemical Romance, The Feelers and Brooke Fraser all hitting stores again. Stay tuned! But until then, soak in the latest issue of The Big 5!

ARTIST: THE RAPTURE
ALBUM: PIECES OF THE PEOPLE WE LOVE

What happens when you drag the 1970s edition Bee Gees into the 21st century, give them more funk than they had before, give them an indie edge and let them have a real drummer for a change? OK, maybe thats too complicated, but The Rapture aren’t overly complicated – they are purely funky, guitar driven dance-pop music. OK, maybe thats too complicated too.

Let me put it this way: they rock. If you don’t believe me, check out “Get Myself Into It”, the first single from their new album Pieces of the People We Love. The video is worth checking out too – the band plays in the middle of a roller derby, and put the 2 swear words backwards, so they end up saying “Don’t talk tihs / Out with it” and “What the kcuf / Just bad luck”. I’m not saying thats good, I’m just saying I found it entertaining.

ARTIST: AMUSEMENT PARKS ON FIRE
ALBUM: OUT OF THE ANGELES

It would be fair to say that I haven’t been the biggest fan of Sigur Ros or Nine Inch Nails, but how could I resist when a band tries to take the best elements of both and combine them? Well, the result is Out of the Angeles, the second album from English group Amusement Parks on Fire (formerly the solo project of singer Michael Feerick). If you can imagine the driving beats and industrial sounding guitar of Nine Inch Nails combined with the haunting vocals and surreal atmospherics of Sigur Ros, you probably wouldn’t be too far off.

If you have no idea who either of those bands are, I don’t know what to tell you except head over to Amusement Parks on Fires’ MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/amusementparksonfire) and check out a couple of their songs.

ARTIST: MUTE MATH
ALBUM: MUTE MATH

I just can’t get sick of this album! Sure, I’ve started listening to a few other things, like Gnarls, The Killers, and so on, but I always come back to Mute Math. In fact, I don’t even really know what to say – “Chaos” is probably my favourite song of the year, but there isn’t a single weak track on this debut album. Other highlights: “Noticed”, “Stare at the Sun”, “Break The Same”.

If you haven’t yet heard Mute Math then you need to, and if you don’t believe me I know of at least 2 other people who will agree.

ARTIST: THE KILLERS
ALBUM: SAM’S TOWN

OK, I’ll be honest: I wasn’t a huge fan of The Killers first album, Hot Fuss – it was far too front-loaded (name a single highlight track in the second half of the album … exactly) and far too repetitive. However, I put this aside after hearing how good the first single from Sam’s Town, “When You Were Young”, was. I was sold on it, and I immediately acquired Sam’s Town, and loved every second of it.

If you’re new to The Killers, I would say start here and work backwards to Hot Fuss, because this is a better album in every way possible.

The only other advice I have: ignore singer Brandon Flowers’ incessant “we’re the best band in the world and this is the most important album ever” ramblings. He’s just a tosser, but don’t let that put you off.

ARTIST: GNARLS BARKLEY
ALBUM: ST. ELSEWHERE

For the second straight month, Gnarls Barkley manages to stick around in my top 5. You know something, every time I hear this album I hear something new that keeps me coming back for more. For example, I started noticing the backing vocals on “Smiley Faces” about 3 weeks ago, and last week I began to appreciate the beats from “Just a Thought”. On top of that, I’m not even sick of “Crazy” yet!

As long-time readers will know, I run a Top Ten at the end of each year … this years list is going to be a doozy, between Gnarls, Mute Math, Muse, Tool, and at lest 2 or 3 others. Just unbelievable quality this year!

… AND THE BOTTOM 1:

ARTIST: MOYA BRENNAN
ALBUM: AN IRISH CHRISTMAS

Just what was the point? Honestly, what was the freakin’ point?!

This CD is exactly what you would be expecting if you bought a CD called An Irish Christmas. Obviously theres an audience out the for this (somewhere) but damned if I can see the point of releasing such a CD.