ALBUMS OF THE DECADE: AN ALTERNATIVE LIST

Let's be clear. This decade didn't produce anything like Dummy, Revolver, Suede, Grace, Led Zeppelin IV or Dark Side Of The Moon - but I had a little trawl and came up with:

White Stripes: De Stijl (2000)

Jack White is the rock musician of the decade, bringing some spontaneous fire to a tired genre.

Waterboys: A Rock in the Weary Land (2000)

This album is just one great, passionate song after another - Mike Scott's best since the mid-90s, and my personal favourite this decade. I find it hard to believe he's not more widely recognised.

George Harrison: Brainwashed (2002)

George's posthumous LP was of some sentimental value to me, but it was also a high quality career end. Stuck Inside A Cloud was on my mind for days.

The Coral: The Coral (2002)

Saw them live at Glastonbury, and enjoyed their penchant for '60s garage psych. Why can't more bands be this inventive?

Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand (2004)

Scotland's reply to the Strokes; it got the latest new wave revival going, and is endlessly catchy - and clever.

Robert Plant & the Strange Sensation (also the worst name for a band this decade): Mighty Rearranger (2005)

Before he got together with Alison Krauss, Percy produced this post-Zeppelin career high-point, incorporating some of his "world music" influences, and including the beautiful All The King's Horses. This coincided with a very happy, sunny spring for me.

Elbow: Leaders Of The Free World (2006)

Band of the decade? Their record company went bust and couldn't promote this excellent album. Enjoyed jamming the title track with friends. They always have a strong lyric, and the way they build up themes in the melody is a masterclass in songwriting.

King Creosote: Bombshell (2007)

Another inspired, under-rated songwriter who is original and thought-provoking. His brother is in The Aliens, the best psychedelic band in Scotland. Maybe the only one?

The Aliens: Astronomy For Dogs (2008)

See above. Fans of psychedelia: you are still being entertained.

Kings Of Leon: Only By The Night (2008)

This is just old school "classic rock". The singer's voice makes it very distinctive, and the arrangements are good.

I also wanted to put in more White Stripes, The Good The Bad & The Queen, Editors, Burial, LCD Soundsystem, Feist, The Shins and The Green Man by Roy Harper (brilliant at its best moments) - but there was no room. Sadly, nothing from 2009, not the greatest year for music - or is it just that I'm getting older? Apart from the album my friend made under the name Dick Brucinson & The Basics, far and away the best album of the year, the only things I remember were by Lily Allen, Doves and Them Crooked Vultures. Resolution: listen to the radio some more.