Features / Music

The less said about 2021 so far the better, right? We won't rehash the political chaos, the ongoing climate crisis, the billionaire space race and, of course, the C-word (Covid-19 – what were you thinking?). Instead, we'll focus on the music. Here are a set of lists by our staff … Read more

Somehow, we're halfway through the year again. Where did the time go, we ask ourselves, as life returns to something vaguely resembling pre-pandemic times, music festivals begin to emerge once more slumber, and secret music projects begin to see the light of day as artists rediscover themselves. Luckily for you, … Read more

How's 2023 been for you, so far? Good? Average? Pretty rough? Don't worry – the kind folks at SPB have got you. We've crunched the numbers, broken down the boundaries, and—more importantly—listened to all of the music released in 2023 thus far. Alright, most of the music. Armed with this … Read more

It's been a year of intense, crazy events. Assassination attempts on former presidents. European governments overthrown in waves of unexpected left-wing landslides. Tenacious D imploding. Hold on, that was just the past few weeks. Yep, we're midway through this thing called 2024 and it only promises to get more interesting … Read more

We're halfway through the year: when did that happen?! Luckily for you, SPB is on hand to share the music we've enjoyed most in 2025 thus far. Read on to hear about the records that have made our top list for this year as it stands, and also some bonus … Read more

That's right: we're halfway through 2026 already, although whether that means this year is a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full kind of year... well, the jury's out. But we'll let you know in December. Despite another six months of chaos, war, conflict and uncertainty, one thing in life remains static and reliable: … Read more

Seth 1. Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow 2. The Bad Plus - These Are the Vistas 3. The Blood Brothers - Burn, Piano Island, Burn 4. Death From Above - Heads Up 5. V/A - Our Birthday, Your Present (GSL Compilaton) Sean 1. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists- Hearts of … Read more

For years, music had simply gone without discussion. Nobody would dare say a word about a band, record, or song; with the apprehension that, he or she would be persecuted for their beliefs. We lived in a dark age where freedom of speech applied not to the splendid sonic art … Read more

30. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets (Lookout!) Looking for a good dose of jangling, dancey rock? Look no further than Ted Leo and the Pharmacist's latest, the album poppy-indie kids wet their pants for in October of 2004. Shake the Sheets is a collection of fun, … Read more

It's that time of year again - our year end feature! It's been a long process, but we've totalled up all of the results of our individual staff lists (see later pages for these), to calculate an overall list for the entire staff and site. We use this approach because … Read more

It's that happy time again: Finally, it's here. After months of development and careful planning by SPB staff, the 2006 Year End feature is finally available. Read on with bated breath as you discover Scene Point Blank's top 30 records of 2006. In the meantime, enjoy some helpful graphs which … Read more

Christmas has gone. New Year has passed by. The novelty of the holidays has swept past on its merry way, leaving us contorting in the wake of already-broken resolutions, badly-chosen presents and way too much festive food. What are we left to do but analyse our past? Luckily for you, … Read more

With 2008 firmly behind us, it's time for our top list of the year. Produced in the SPB labs using highly secretive algorithms and formulas, the final list is now available for your perusal. After a year of solid releases from established acts and exciting new sounds from bands we … Read more

With 2009 well and truly over, it's time to look back over a turbulent year and see what was good (and what wasn't) in the world of music. Below is Scene Point Blank's top 30 record list of 2009, split into two halves for your viewing convenience. On the third … Read more

Welcome once again to Scene Point Blank's annual rundown of the best music of the past twelve months. This list is compiled for your viewing pleasure by a carefully-managed democratic process. SPB staff compile individual lists which are then painstakingly compiled into an overall site list. Draws and ties are … Read more

Congratulations! Not only do you have great taste, but you managed to survive into 2012, the year that both the ancient Mayans and fundamentalist Christian groups didn't believe you'd live to see. As a reward for all that hard work of surviving, Scene Point Blank offers you our top 25 … Read more

Well, we're all still here: the year 2012 didn't see the world end, thankfully. And it's just as well -- it's been a brilliant year for music (according to SPB's review data, it's been a return to form after a mildly disappointing 2011). In this roundup of our favorite albums … Read more

Another year, another year-end roundup from SPB. This is the tenth year of our existence and it's perhaps fitting that the album we've voted the best of 2013 is by a band which holds lots of significance for SPB. But no spoilers! Read on to see the list of the … Read more

It's been another strong year for music in 2014 just gone – we've seen comebacks, unexpected debuts, strong follow-ups and soon-to-be classics from old and new bands alike. In this, our annual sitewide list, we've averaged and assembled our individual contributor's best-of-2014 lists into one superlist, amalgamating all of our … Read more

It's that fabled time of year – SPB's favorite albums of the last twelve months. In this list, assembled by combining all of out staff writers' individual lists (no editorialising!), we show you the best music of 2015 including old favorites, new artists and a couple of other twists. Read … Read more