1. Marissa Nadler (708 plays)

2. The Libertines (549)

3. Adge Cutler & The Wurzels (491)

4. Pixies (405)

5. Radiohead (310)

6. Fleet Foxes (275)

7. Adam Green (258)

8. Pulp (236)

9. Babyshambles (229)

10. Devendra Banhart (224)

11. Joy Division (223)

12. Muse (219)

13. The White Stripes (218)

14. The Moldy Peaches (202)

15. Little Joy (200)

16. Arcade Fire (189)

17. Neil Young (187)

18. Peter Doherty (159)

19. The Broken Family Band (156)

20. Blondie (155)

21. Neutral Milk Hotel (146)

22. Jarvis Cocker (137)

23. Led Zeppelin (137)

24. MGMT (122)

25. Alela Diane (115)

26. Chas ‘n’ Dave (114)

27. Animal Collective (107)

28. Blur (101)

29. The Dead Weather (99)

30. A Hawk and a Hacksaw (96)

Radiohead – Kid A (2000)

Melt Banana – Teeny Shiny (2000)

Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain (2000)

Clinic – Internal Wrangler (2000)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (2000)

Japanese Telecom – s/t (2000)

JJ72 – s/t (2000)

Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump (2001)

Mogwai – Rock Action (2001)

Ben Folds – Rockin’ The Suburbs (2001)

Sonic Youth – NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2001)

The Moldy Peaches – s/t (2001)

Aphex Twin – Drukqs (2001)

The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)

Jeff Lewis – The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane and other favourities (2001)

The Strokes – Is This It? (2001)

Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons (2002)

The Libertines – Up The Bracket (2002)

Röyksopp – Melody A.M. (2002)

M.Ward – Transfiguration of Vincent (2003)

Broadcast – Haha Sound (2003)

Quantic Soul Orchestra – Stampede (2003)

The Postal Service – Give Up (2003)

Kings of Leon – Youth and Young Manhood (2003)

PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2003)

Evanescence – Fallen (2003)

Muse – Absolution (2004)

The Dresden Dolls – s/t (2004)

A Hawk and a Hacksaw – s/t (2004)

The Go! Team – Thunder Lightning Strike (2004)

Cathy Davey – Something Ilk (2004)

Devendra Banhart – Rejoicing in the Hand (of the Golden Empress) (2004)

Joanna Newsom – The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004)

Modest Mouse – Good News for People who Love Bad News (2004)

Goldie Lookin’ Chain – Greatest Hits (2004)

Nouvelle Vague – s/t (2004)

Richard Hawley – Coles Corner (2005)

Arcade Fire – Funeral (2005)

Animal Collective – Feels (2005)

Babyshambles – Down in Albion (2005)

Cassetteboy – Inside a Whale’s Cock (2005)

Clor – s/t (2005)

Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (2006)

The Broken Family Band – Balls (2006)

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Ballad of Broken Seas (2006)

Peter, Bjorn & John – Writer’s Block (2006)

Piney Gir – Peekahoop (2006)

Beirut – Gulag Orkestar (2006)

Marissa Nadler – Songs III – Bird on the Water (2007)

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (2007)

Akron/Family – Love is Simple (2007)

Jana Hunter – Black Unstaring Heirs of Doom (2007)

Bat For Lashes – Fur and Gold (2007)

Fuck Buttons – Street Horrrsing (2008)

Fleet Foxes – s/t (2008)

Bon Iver – For Emma Forever Ago (2008)

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (2008)

Portishead – 3 (2008)

Deerhunter – Microcastles (2008)

Little Joy – s/t (2008)

Vivien Girls – s/t (2008)

Bonnie Prince Billy – Lie Down in the Light (2008)

The Bug – London Zoo (2008)

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip – Angles (2008)

Joy Division – Leigh Rock Festival 1979 (2008)

Alela Diane – To Be Still (2009)

The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (2009)

The Dead Weather – Horehound (2009)

Special Mentions (Bands that came and left during the decade – and never released an album)

Les Incompétents

Snow White

Dead Disco

There have been more than a few postal strikes this year which most of us can deal with but the fact is whenever there is a postal strike, it seems like an excuse for parcels to go ‘missing’.  During September, I ordered a newly released album from a reliable Ebay seller. At the time there were postal strikes going on in the London area but the seller who was based in the capital assured me the record would be sent straightaway. It never turned up and luckily I got my money back (a refund from the seller, not the Royal Mail).

This month, feeling a bit flush, I decided to buy 8 new records. All were ordered between 28th-30th October 2009. All were posted by the relevant party around that time. Only half of them have since arrived at my house – it is now 12th November, nearly 2 weeks since I had confirmation from the sellers that the items had been posted.

I understand strikes cause a backlog, but I have heard that these are easily cleared within a day or two especially as the Royal Mail hired temporary workers during the strikes. I do not understand how items can go ‘missing’ during these periods. Realisically they can only be in one of a few places – the Post Office, Sorting Office or in a Van/Postman’s bag. In my opinion, the only way an item can get lost is if it ended up somewhere that it shouldn’t have or if someone has deliberately stolen it – using the strike as an excuse to go on the proverbial rob. From the point of view of a corrupt postal worker it’s a perfect alibi, strike = potential for a few things to go missing. However, this is not a case of a few letters going astray, I have a feeling my 4 parcels are only the tip of the iceberg. If I have lost parcels then surely millions of others have too, which in my opinion points to some kind of organised crime. There can be few other explanations, where else could they be?!  Proping up a staff room table in Kent? Now, I’m not accusing the entire Royal Mail workforce of being tea leaves, but there’s always  going to be bad eggs in any organisation and it seems apparent that our ‘great’ postal service has more of a problem in this area than most.

This brings me on to another problem with the Royal Mail, the postman who is too lazy to take parcels back to the sorting office. Back in the day postmen arrived at the house at 7am before everyone went to work. Now they arrive about 1pm when everyone is at work. Genius. If this is how the Royal Mail want to operate then fine but the consequence is there will be a lot of undelivered items heading back to the sorting office in town. My postman however, doesn’t seem to like taking parcels back to the sorting office. He likes to leave them laying around. In the past he has left packages on the doorstep to get soaked by the rain, in the recycling bin among the baked bean tins and occasionally against the outside wall. Now I live in your typical English residential area, not Mayfair -  if I left a paperclip on the driveway it would be nicked within 5 minutes. What chance does a parcel have? This is all despite leaving notices taped to the front door stating ‘DO NOT LEAVE PARCELS OUTSIDE!’. Is it really that difficult? I’m quite happy to collect my parcels from town on a Saturday, thank you very much. I should add to that handwritten note that’s sellotaped to my door, please remember to fill out a red card and post it through my letterbox to LET ME KNOW I have a parcel to pick up – yes me, the person who pays for this shabby service, and it would be nice if when I go to pick up my item I’m not treated like scourge by the woman behind the desk.

Deep breath.

Sadly there’s no real resolution or happy ending to this story, I just hope the Royal Mail and it’s poor attitude and service is replaced by something better. Every other country in the world manages to get it right. It’s not a difficult process really…is it?