Angela Surf City, The Walkmen

The Walkmen are such a perfect rock'n'roll band. Their albums always consist of extremely listenable gut-wrenching songs about teenage alienation and day-to-day anxieties of young people, but told with such verve, passion and brilliant songwriting that I don't know anyone who've given them a listen who haven't returned to them.

Their last album, Lisbon, was no different. And it became one of my favourite albums of the year and probably my most listened to album of 2010. Becuase I listened to it so much around the Autumn months, it reminds me of a very specific time, and the music was a perfect soundtrack to coming to grips with a new place, new relationships, and essentially, growing up.

One of the standout songs of the album is Angela Surf City. It's a pulsating take on unrequited love, a fleeting relationship about a girl who never really shared her emotions (you kept your jaw wired closed), how he used to have to simply try and read her 'signs', and is now living in regret, trying to love onto the times when he held her. Musically, it's so American, the whole album reminding me of a coming of age Hollywood road movie, and as ever the vocals just engage you, the singer's heart constantly ripping out your own. It's an energetic, regretful and ultimately sad listen.