… gritty beats, droning guitars, abstract effects and dreamy vocals to create a soundscape that is arty yet tuneful.

… cerebral electronica, combining layers of sunny vocals, warped samples, glitchy beats and euphoric effects with a sturdy rhythmic backbone.

… high-energy robopop in which fast neon beats jump out of ’80s-tinged tunes.

Out of the fifteen, only one track sounded remotely appealing. The others, I just didn’t get… which got me thinking about how I used to religiously watch the charts, and how I’d know every word to every song in the top ten. Nowadays I don’t have a clue who’s number one, and I don’t particularly care since all modern artists sound the same and you can’t make out what half of them are singing anyway.

*grump*

They don’t make ‘em like they used to. But I tell you what… the oldies stations… now they rock. But if you fancy chancing your ears with the music the young ‘uns are all listening to, you can check it out here:

• BBC Sound of 2009