Our top 5 singles of 2008

Slightly late (and with the albums to follow even later - sorry! [EDIT: get 'em here]), here's Bands Only's top singles, 2008:

1. Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire

Overplayed average pap, or the Followell's crowing moment to date? Bands Only falls firmly into the latter camp. The Kings have always seemed to excel at mid-paced rock n roll – see Knocked Up, The Bucket, On Call – but their 'amps to 11' efforts have always sounded a little too derivative to be truly outstanding.

That was - until Sex on Fire came along and blew (or rather burnt) them all away. Daft lyrics were sang with passion and the killer chorus was truly irresistible. Well done, chaps.

Get it from iTunes

2. Oasis – The Shock Of The Lightening

Before it's first airplay, Oasis teased us with the intro to their new song as part of a YouTube video, and the signs were good. The tempo was up, the guitars were loud and the animated video suggested a more playful approach by the band.

On full hearing, 'The Shock Of The Lightening' continued to impress - with Liam's vocals at their most snarling and a drum-fill the likes of which we've rarely seen from the boys from Burnage.

Although the album was (somewhat expectedly) patchy, this was a urgent, driving rocker and a reminder that Oasis, like Man City, are still a force to be reckoned with on their day.

Get it from iTunes

3. Coldplay – Viva La Vida

And the Bands Only award for Most Interesting Commercial Rock Hit goes to Chris “Bono's Apprentice” Martin, and his band of hirsute chums.

There were ringing bells, stop-start strings and “wo-wo-woahs” that magnificently soared – and in so doing, a truly spectacular song became firmly lodged in the nation's collective psyche.

So good it got the silhouette treatment, appearing in an iTunes ad weeks before its release.

Get it from iTunes

4. Biffy Clyro – Who's Got A Match?

If you're going to nick a song, make it an awesome one. In the case of Who's Got a Match?, aping QOTSA's No One Knows was a smart move. In essence, this was a bouncy pop song delivered via the medium of heavy guitar, and was all done in under two and a half minutes.

New track Mountains simply didn't match much of 2007's Puzzle but the Biffy still make in on the infectiousness of the “I'm a fire and I'll burn burn burn tonight” chorus.

Get it from iTunes

5. Radiohead – Jigsaw Falling Into Place

Even though you could download the album for free, it was worth bunging in a couple of quid just for this track alone. All guitars and atmospheric backing tracks, building up from a quiet beginning to a frenzied finish, it's exactly what we've come to expect from the 'head – if that's possible.

Awesome video too. The musical landscape really is a much more vivid place with the Oxford quintet around.

Get it from iTunes

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So there you have it. And although I realise 4 of the 5 bands are absolutely massive, I says it as I hears it and I truly haven't heard better guitar band songs this year. Here's to 2009, and let's hope the single survives than it's spiritual home, Woolies. RIP.