Another decade reaches its zenith and predictably NME have produced another list decreeing what you should have heard or what discs the ‘Topman’ shirt-wearing indie crew should be telling their best mates about. The full list offers a diverse list of choices including Relationship of Command by At the Drive-In - never would I think that a magazine like NME would offer kudos to post-hardcore – and other smaller bands like Wilco and Sufjan Stephens. Here is a run down of the Top Ten (cue Top of the Pops music...)

10. In Rainbows by Radiohead – most will probably remember this as being the album that defied record companies by letting fans pay whatever they want for it. It is still a classic for the band, having its own unique sound, and makes you want to dive into your CD Collection for a return to Kid A (also in the Top 50) and OK Computer.

9. Original Pirate Material by The Streets – Most Streets fans will argue that ‘A Grand Don’t Come for Free’ deserves to be in this place, but this is the album that first introduced the UK to Mike Skinner and his combination of Garage beats and sampling and lyrics about everyday life.

8. Turn on the Bright Lights by Interpol – This release by the indie rock band from the Big Apple gained a lot of critical acclaim from music critics in both the UK and US. While the band doesn’t seem to have kept its fan base over the years, you can still hear the Ian Curtis-esque vocals that might have made a great influence on a lot of bands these days (can anyone tell them apart from Editors? I can’t – Ed).

7. Funeral by Arcade Fire – To be honest, I’ve never been that familiar with Arcade Fire; I’ve always found their sound very boring and overrated. However, on listening to Funeral I can definitely see why this album could be seen as influential to a lot of people. If it was me though, I’d stick In Rainbows a little bit higher.

6. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea by PJ Harvey -  “I'm scared baby, I Wanna run, this world's crazy, Give me the gun” PJ Harvey yells on opener ‘Big Exit’ in a rebellious tone. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea shows off a unique diversity with a mixture of rebelling punk-filled songs and whispered Elliott Smith folk-acoustics.

5. Fever to Tell by The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s - This isn’t the first list that the New York City Trio’s debut has landed on. The album’s colliding sound of garage punk and indie-rock is backed up by the sound of Karen O’s wailing vocals. The only problem with this album is that its unique sound seems already dated, perhaps due to the number of NME cloned bands that now appear with the exact same sound as this same band.

4. Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not by  Arctic Monkeys -  The Arctic Monkeys have had their pockets filled with criticism of being ‘NME Crap’, ‘Sellouts’ and recently ‘Queens of the Stone Age rip-offs’. But you can’t argue Alex Turner’s genius on this album with a mixture of indie-rock and stories about those good ole’ “just ‘avin a laugh” escapades. They didn’t just outsell Definitely Maybe by fluke.

3. XTRMNTR by Primal Scream - XTRMNTR is no Screamadelica but it’s still one of their defining albums. The distorted vocals and over-the-top wall of sound makes it a favourite with fans. However I don’t think I would’ve put this album over any other in their catalogue or even the Arctic Monkeys & Radiohead.

2. Up The Bracket by The Libertines - We all know Pete Doherty is a drug-injecting, deluded idiot, but you can’t really knock some of his work in the Libertines. I personally would’ve included their self-titled and final release as it contains some of the more influential material – ‘You Can’t Stand Me Now’ and ‘Last Post on the Bugle’. Still, the Libertines are one of the better bands covered by the NME that have a large influence.

1. Is This It by The Strokes - The Strokes’ debut album is a surprise to me as the number one NME album of the decade. In all honesty, I don’t think a majority of people would think or agree that this album is truly the best of the decade. But it’s good to see a band like The Strokes get acclaim for releasing one good album after another.