Well here we are, the TOP TEN. It's been an eventful 20 days so far, lots of very different albums. However, ushering us into the Top 10 is an album from one of my favourite bands in the UK - Basement in at number 10 with Beside Myself.

I might go as far as to say that this is my favourite album of theirs to date, which is surprising to me considering how much I enjoyed their last album Promise Everything. After, I saw the album release pop up on Spotify, the first listen was actually an event for me. I had a long commute coming up that I had planned as the perfect time and place to listen. When the time came around, I could barely put my phone down because I was checking my phone so much for which track was playing. This album is just hit after hit.

Hits with the biggest impact for me are "Nothing Left", "Ultraviolet", "Stigmata", "Just A Life" and "Reason For Breathing". The riffs on this record are phenomenal. It's becoming more and more difficult to find unique riffs and melodies in Rock music these days. However, every single one of the songs I've listed has a riff that stayed imbedded in my mind for days after each listen. Andrew's lyrics directed at homesickness and a longing for a home-base strike a chord even for those who may not have felt that way before. His vocals sound stronger than ever and the emotion that lies under them comes through just enough.  

When I found out that Basement would be releasing the album under Fueled By Ramen, I assumed that the album would have a slightly more refined sound but aside from that I wasn't 100% sure what to expect. All I can say is that Basement blew me away with this album, it was everything that I wanted before I even knew what I wanted. I'll definitely be hoping to see them live again in 2019.

Have a look at the album that brought us into the Top 10 in 2017 here.

As we get into what might well be one of the saddest months of the year, with Autumn and Winter rearing their heads, it's nice to know that we have a heap of new music to fill our mundane morning commutes and dreary late night walks with.


PETITE NOIR - LA MAISON NOIR/THE BLACK HOUSE
I have been following Petite Noir since I had my first ever touch screen iPod and I feel like whenever we get something fresh from him, it comes in dribbles. Now after this drought, Petite Noir is back to quench our thirst and about time to. His recent single "Blame Fire" is easily the best work I've heard from him since discovering him in 2012. The production sounds SBTRKT-esque at points with a political sample edge akin to Moses Sumney. I'm over the moon that this gets to be in my ears so soon (the 5th of October).

KELELA - TAKE ME_APART, THE REMIXES
After making it pretty high up on my list of favourite albums from 2017, Kelela is collaborating with some of the biggest names in production and some of the most groundbreaking people in music over the past couple of years - both underground and more mainstream. My favourite remix right now, unsurprisingly comes from resident favourite - Kaytranada - and is an effortless classic. However, I'm most excited to hear the contributions from LSDXOXO, Bad Sista, GAIKA and serpentwithfeet. The album drops on the 5th of October a year after the release of her amazing debut.

JESS GLYNNE - ALWAYS IN BETWEEN
I must admit, I never did listen to Jess Glynne debut album in 2015 but after seeing her live at Lollapolooza Festival in Berlin in 2016 I definitely think I had more respect for Jess as an artist. She was slaying the charts across both of those years with both solo and featured material however something about her never fully clicked in my mind. Her latest single "123" is a little bit vocally lazy but is undeniably catchy. The sophomore drops on the 12th of October and I'll definitely be tuning in to see if I've been missing out all these years.

BASEMENT - BESIDE MYSELF
One of my favourite new discoveries of 2016 - I was a little bit late on the bandwagon but I've done my catching up and I can happily say that Basement are one of my favourite UK Pop Punk bands at the moment, both live and on record. After having their last album Promise Everything on a loop for months it will be nice to have something new from them to spin. This will be their first release via Fueled By Ramen too and whilst I do love most of the material that comes from the FBR camp, I will be interested to hear how this changes the band's sound. Listen in with me on the 12 of October.

DJANGO DJANGO - WINTER'S BEACH EP
Another blessing from Django Django this year - what have we done to deserve all of this new music?! Their album earlier this year Marble Skies was the soundtrack to my trips around Australia and with winter hot on our tails, what better way to march through frosty streets than with Winter's Beach in our ears? Their latest single "Swimming at Night" wouldn't have gone amiss on the last album however, I love how robust the instrumental sounds on this. It actually reminds me a bit of Dutch Uncles' "Big Balloon" at points. Out on the 12th of October I expect that these six new tracks will feature heavily in my wintery days.

MØ - FOREVER NEVERLAND
After battling in MØ's corner for years before she broke the mainstream with Major Lazer, I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed with her debut record No Mythologies To Follow. Although it included some of my favourite singles of hers including "Maiden" and "Glass", I felt like the album had a lot of filler to it and some of the previously released singles now sounded a little bit too polished in my ears. However, I still stand by MØ's talent and expect that there will be a few sweet heavy hitters on this sophomore release. Out on the 19th of October.

NAO - SATURN
Nao is another artist that I will be campaigning for until she gets all of the credit that she's due. That said, her latest singles from the upcoming album have each made pretty big waves, and her most recent single "Drive And Disconnect" was going round and round in my head for days after the first listen. On her debut album Nao was able to highlight the most subtle and something unusual sounds giving her voice the experimental touch that she's often labelled with. I suspect that this flair will still be present on Saturn however I anticipate a very different sound for this one. Closing out the month for us on the 26th of October.


Alongside these we also have potential gems to listen to from these artists later this month - Tom Walker, Neneh Cherry, Farao, Tom Odell, Lil Yachty, Robyn, Nothing But Thieves, Ty Segall and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. I'm always overwhelmed with the amount of music being delivered every single day and this is not even close to half of it. Sometimes I wonder with music where the balance between quality and quantity should lie but as this list shows, this month we may just have the best of both worlds.

Up until this year, I'd been consistently and very unfortunately, missing my chance to see Bring Me The Horizon live. Now I've seen them twice and they just get better and better each time! It's crazy to think that up until three years ago I hated this band. I've not once seen an artist turn around my opinion so fast and with just one album. If you don't already listen to them, see exhibit A and exhibit B - thank me later.

First things first the support. Basement are another band I've loved listening to this year. I recently stumbled upon their new album on Spotify and couldn't get enough, so when I saw them on the bill I was buzzing. On stage they sounded great, and it was amazing to hear the songs I've been listening to so much, live. However, they didn't play like they were playing in an arena. Some bands are made for smaller venues and I get that, but they were put on the tour for a reason and I definitely expected more of a show from them. They have songs that could fill an arena! Especially after seeing them tear it up at Reading Festival earlier this year, I have to say I was a tiny bit disappointed. All in all though, good set - I see big things to come for these guys.

Next up, one of my long time favourites - Don Broco. Well it's no secret that I love this band. Their debut album Priorities even made it to number two on my "Top Albums of 2012" list. However, my interest has dwindled a little bit since their second record came out last year and even after seeing them live here, it's not been able to improve my opinion of the new album. The performance was great, super engaging and really fun, but all in all, the newer material just didn't compare to the older songs and this "newer" show didn't seem to compare to any of the other times I've seen them live. I definitely enjoyed myself as always, but there was something missing for me this time around. I wonder what they'll put out next.

BRING. ME. THE. HORIZON. My oh my - what a band! I have nothing but praise for the performance they put on, the album they've recently put out and the progress they've made over the years. After making their latest album That's The Spirit my number one for "Top Albums of 2015"; again you can assume that I was over the moon to be seeing them live. Opening up with "Happy Song" had the crowd's feet off the ground immediately, heads banging, hair swinging, mouths wide open shouting "S-P-I-R-I-T!" and they just went from song to song taking the audience on an emotional journey. Every person in that arena was having their own individual experience but at the same time we definitely felt together. I came to that show alone and still felt a part of something - that's what a good show does! As well as the set list contributing to the spectacle, the visuals were breathtaking. From beginning to end, the stage set up, lights and visuals had me stumped. This was my first live show since being back in the UK and I wouldn't have it any other way.  This wasn't a show that anyone in attendance would forget anytime soon.

Overall rating - 9/10


Here are some pictures from the show...