To try and pick a best of this year’s music would be pretty pointless as most of my purchases don’t tend to be from the current year. So instead I’m going to pick out albums that I’m still listening, that I jumped on and wouldn’t take off my playlists for weeks, the surprises and any disapointments.

First up, it’s Tom Gabel and Against Me. I’ve been a bit of a fan since Hamish gave me a copy of Searching for a Former Clarity but I’d never bothered to dig into the back catalogue. Last year’s New Wave was fun at first but ultimately disapointing. Then I got onto emusic and downloaded As The Eternal Cowboy. It’s fantastic. Amazingly awesomely brilliant anarcho-folk-punk of the highest order (though I’m not sure how much of that there is to go around).

AM have definitely pushed themselves into my list of all time favourites. This year I’ve picked up four releases by them; Reinventing Axl Rose, As The Eternal Cowboy, Crime, as forgiven by…, and Tom Gabel’s solo EP Heart Burns.

Heart Burns in particular is incredibly good, managing to merge the lyrics of earlier releases with the musical confidence of New Wave. The album is only marred by the last track imploring people to pay attention to the recent American election which feels like it’s been tacked on to be topical, something which the songs on the album already are.

Tom’s voice and style probably aren’t for everyone but here’s a wee taster in the form of Anna is a Stool Pigeon, clearly the “single” of the EP and destined to be a live favourite I’m sure. Also, Harsh Realms which sends shivers down my spine and should have been left as the discs’s final track.

Tomorrow (or later), another standout album or two.

*Okay, it’s a pile of CDs I’m reasonably certain I bought this year not having kept very close tabs.