HATS off to The NME… they’ve delivered a pretty darn compulsive compilation album to reflect some of the best that 2009 has to offer. And it’s been a pretty good year.

New material from Muse, Green Day, Kasabian, Ian Brown and Biffy Clyro marked successes for the big guns, while newcomers such as The Temper Trap, Little Boots and Marina & The Diamonds showed that there’s plenty of life in the new breed if you’re willing to look away from the pop mainstream.

For a double album containing 40 hits, the highlights pretty much fly out at you, beginning on CD1 with Muse’s gargantuan comeback Uprising, through Kasabian’s anthemic Fire through to The Cribs’ riotous Cheat On Me.

In between, Friendly Fires’ serve notice of why they’re such a widely celebrated act with the pumped-up, percussion heavy Kiss of Life (a firm favourite), while Temper Trap come over all epic and falsetto on the striking Sweet Disposition – a James/Sound for the Noughties?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs demonstrate why they’re just as accomplished and non-comformist using synths instead of guitars on their brilliant Zero, while Big Pink serve notice of their heavy-hitting qualities with the rousing, beat-tastic Dominos (trust us, you’ll be singing along “these girls fall like dominos, dominos” whilst waving your arms in the air!).

Maximo Park and The Enemy impress, Franz Ferdinand underwhelm, Jamie T sounds dated, and Gossip continue to sound the same midway through CD1, but Passion Pit deliver a euphoria-laden high with The Reeling, Peter Doherty demonstrates signs of maturity on the impressive Last Of The English Roses and The Cribs deliver indie-heartbreak with Cheat On Me.

On CD2, Biffy Clyro underline just why they’re one of the UK’s brightest rock acts with the energetic and suitably epic That Golden Rule, Paramore scream Ignorance and get away with ut (just!), and Green Day prove as mightily effective and catchy as ever with the punk-rock anthem Know Your Enemy.

Admittedly, CD2 is geared towards some of the heavier bands on the NME radar (and acts like Enter Shikari and The Horrors continue to be a turn off), but Ian Brown broods impressively on Stellify, Howling Bells’ come over all orchestral on the expansive treat Into The Chaos, Marina & The Diamonds lay down an impressive marker for the future with the theatrical Obsessions and Graham Coxon does what he does best (Brit-pop) on Dead Bees.

All in all, plenty to recommend it as a great compilation!

Download picks: Uprising, Fire, Kiss Of Life, Sweet Disposition, Zero, Dominoes, The Reeling, Cheat On Me, That Golden Rule, Know Your Enemy, Stellify, Into The Chaos, Obsessions, Dead Bees, My Girls

Track listing:
Disc: 1

1. Uprising – Muse
2. Fire – Kasabian
3. Kiss Of Life – Friendly Fires
4. Sweet Disposition – Temper Trap
5. Zero – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6. Sticks And Stones – Jamie T
7. Dominos – Big Pink
8. In Another World – Maximo Park
9. Be Somebody – Enemy
10. Ulysses – Franz Ferdinand
11. Death – White Lies
12. Reeling, The – Passion Pit
13. No Kind Words – Maccabees
14. Love Long Distance – Gossip
15. Tonight’s Today – Penate, Jack
16. Last Of The English Roses – Doherty, Peter
17. Headlock – Esser
18. Private Affair – Virgins
19. Cheat On Me – Cribs
20. I Dread The Night – Gallows

Disc: 2

1. That Golden Rule – Biffy Clyro
2. Ignorance – Paramore
3. Know Your Enemy – Green Day
4. Warrior Dance – Prodigy
5. No Sleep Tonight – Enter Shikari
6. Who Can Say – Horrors
7. 5 Rebbecca’s – View
8. Stellify – Brown, Ian
9. Hill, The – Bombay Bicycle Club
10. Into The Chaos – Howling Bells
11. Remedy – Little Boots
12. Je Suis Un Funky Homme – Marmaduke Duke
13. Obsessions – Marina & The Diamonds
14. My Girls – Animal Collective
15. Back Wax – Dananananaykroyd
16. Please Venus – Golden Silvers
17. 1901 – Phoenix
18. Peeled Apples – Manic Street Preachers
19. Dead Bees – Coxon, Graham
20. Flowers And Football Tops – Glasvegas

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