There were some great albums released this year. Slow Club’s début managed to capture all the charm of their early singles and live shows whilst Arctic Monkeys wrote their best songs yet on Humbug. There were also impressive records from Dananananaykroyd, Franz Ferdinand, Peter Björn & John and Girls.

For a while, Patrick Wolf was set to fill this spot with The Bachelor, an almost perfect album which got 9/10 in our initial review. But while I love that record it just didn’t grab my attention in the same way that Cymbals Eat Guitars did on the exquisite “Why There Are Mountains”. After careful consideration, it is the latter record which AGCS have chosen to become the final addition to our Albums of the Decade.

“Why There Are Mountains” was self-released toward the start of this year, and the fact that Cymbals Eat Guitars managed to create this album without the help of a record label is astounding. I can’t think of any way in which this album could be improved - put simply, it’s the fucking bomb.

Album opener …And the Hazy Sea is a mission statement of sorts, kicking off with a chorus of woah-aahs and only grinding to a halt six minutes later. In between Cymbals Eat Guitars create an overwhelming ocean of noise with semi-audible vocals that speak of “business men in starched collar shirts who peered out windows that would fog faster than you could wipe them”.

Some Trees (Merritt Moon) seems to consist of about five different song parts crammed into less than 3 minutes, and sees the band showing of some awesome riffs. Next track Indiana may open with a minute of feedback but it’s the poppiest and most accessible track on the album. Cold Spring is the real highlight though, a song which suddenly springs into life about three minutes in with discordant strings and intricate guitar work backing frontman Joseph Ferocious’ best vocal on the record.

When the album reaches an end on Like Blood Does, with only a single acoustic guitar and Ferocious’ cracking voice, it’s hard to pick fault with not just one of the best débuts of 2009 but of the entire decade. Some credit must be given to producer Kyle Johnson, but for a band in their infancy to release something this perfect shows a raw talent which can’t be faked. Watch out for Cymbals Eat Guitars on our next Albums of the Decade list, because AGCS suspect they’ve got plenty more tricks up their sleeve.

Jed. x