Punk or Rock or a bit of both. Remember Hole? The Distillers don’t. The Hunger is possibly the grooviest song off their 2003 album Coral Fang.

An old trance anthem which always sounds great. Especially when that synth line kicks in.

This is epic techno, which only Orbital seemed to master. Naturally it contains the expected ‘wailing women’ samples that Orbital are known for.

I almost forgot about this one. Fortunately someone at MovableType had it on their playlist. So I bought it from iTunes. If Wendy James had collaborated with Saffron from Republica, rather than go and do something bizarre with Racine, this is what they would have come up with.

Probably the best three songs to ever open an album. Some might disregard The Dandy Warhols as an insignificant unimaginative art-rock band. Certainly on their latest album, the talent is not much on show, but with these songs from Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia there is genius at work. Recurring musical themes and motifs are present throughout, and there is great imagination used in the instrumentation and arrangements. The hook (strummed guitars, drums, horn, slide guitar and an electric bass) begins in Godless, then there’s the Morricone break, and the song starts all over again. The horn is left behind on Mohammed which is where acoustic guitars take over the main stage, accompanied by a simple drum loop and the trippiest vocals. Then right at the end, the horn comes back leading into Nietzsche, which finishes this sequence with a heavy electric throbbing squall of overdriven guitars. Listen to this on headphones, outside, in the middle of the night. The horn acts as a chorus, much like it did on Godless. Simply extraordinary.

Yes it’s Pop. Although not quite as you know it. This electro single is a collaboration with Richard X, and is taken from her 2004 album Anniemal. Chewing Gum sees Annie giving herself some romantic advice about boys. It would be throwaway were it not for the genius lyrics and the masterful minimal electronic accompaniment.

This year’s best video by far is a stonking song as well. Kristin Hersh’s new band released this as part of the Bug EP in 2004. Full of stop start musical breaks and the fiercest vocals on this list, Clara Bow is the nearest to commercial that 50 Foot Wave will get. Their new EP was due out next year, but it will be an album instead. And it will be harder than this comparative bit of fluff.

A song to sooth those who have loved and lost, and those who are otherwise depressed. Charlotte sings to someone that "That everything will be okay / The grey will fade / And there’ll be rainbow skies above you" It’s a beautiful song.

Ignore the abrupt editing of this song on the radio. The crucial acoustic introduction leads to a more indie-rock workout before the coda which blisters over everything before it. It’s also all in the tune.

One life. One idol. All I need.

Why does something released as a single in 1982 make it onto this list? Because it’s a damn near perfect song. Unfortunately, the version I have is on the album Soul Mining, rather than the original single which according to Matt Johnson was much better. The guitars strum gracefully and never dominate the vocals. A Synclavier provides the strings and was particularly difficult to manage. Then you get hit with the piano. And, like the 12" remix, it goes on and on and on..

Another Richard X collaboration. "Feeling good on Top of the Pops / Can you make it me plus one". Shockingly not released as a single, but quite the most poptastic song of 2004. Kylie’s nothing compared to this girl. By the way, Annie’s album is nominated for the Norwegian Alarmprisen 2005. So, er, be sure to vote. Okay?

"Sometimes the sound of goodbye is louder than any drumbeat". Killer.

Featuring Nkemdi. About time I gave her credit. I must surely be able to find this track somewhere? I can get it on mixes, but is it too much to ask to find someone who can donate the original single to me? Please.

The mix of a track is just as important as the track itself. Jenn’s lovely vocals have both reverb and delay applied, whilst the drone bass pad is panned hard left and right to give space to the rest of the arrangement. The song itself is a quietly reflective moving track, almost torchy, and is all the more striking when listened to in the context of the rest of the album Debris. Comparisons? Pillow Panther-era Cranes, plus too many nights out dancing and minus the Black Sabbath obsession.

Amazing to think I’d never heard of these guys until this year. Taken from the compilation album Cinerama Holiday, which was released in 2002. More Cinerama bloggy goodness coming next year. Don’t want to give the game away too early.