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Here we are then, a list of twenty incredible bands marking what's been a wonderful year for music in Northern Ireland.

This year 14 people voted - everyone at ATL, the most 'gig active' of our review team and some friends from Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Ulster - Joe Lindsay, Stu Bailie, Rory Mc Connell, Steven Rainey and Stephen McCauley. Everyone could pick up to twenty bands in order with their number one act getting twenty points, their number two getting nineteen points and so on.

We should of course point out that this list is in no way definitive and, like all charts of this nature, is more than a little bit flawed. It doesn't represent the average ATL playlist and needless to say, members of our team are miffed certain bands aren't higher. It won't satisfy everyone

- it just is what it is - an excuse to celebrate a great year and make for two hours of quality music on the radio! In short - don't take it too seriously!

Best of all though, an incredible forty nine acts were voted for with a load of amazing acts NOT making the top twenty - such is the quality of the bands about at the moment!

Enough faffing then, here's the list.....

ÌýBrackets indicate 2009, 2008 and 2007 placings. N means 'new' and N.A. means band were not included in previous years' votes.

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1. (3, 17, 10) TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

2. (1, 1, 5) AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR

3. (4, 3, 1) LAFARO

4. (N) RAMS POCKET RADIO

5. (10, 12, N) NOT SQUARES

6. (2, 2, N) CASHIER #9

7. (N) SILHOUETTE

8. (8, 20, N) A PLASTIC ROSE

9. (N) SEVEN SUMMITS

10. (N) MORE THAN CONQUERORS

11. (13) SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER

12. (11, N) MOJO FURY

13. (N) AXIS OF

14. (5, 5, 6) GENERAL FIASCO

15. (N) WONDER VILLIANS

16. (N) CONTINUOUS BATTLE OF ORDER

17. (N) CLOWN PARLOUR

18. (N) MASTER AND DOG

19. (N) JAPSTARS

20. (N) KEY OF ATLAS

An incredible twelve new entries this year, many of them young acts we'd not even heard of this time last year. Two Door Cinema Club romp home after an astonishing 2010 playing massive shows around the world, knocking ASIWYFA to second place. Strong showings for Cashier #9 and Lafaro once again while the mighty Rams Pocket Radio are our highest new entry!

What a list, what a year and what a pleasure it is to be playing these bands on the radio. Here's to each and every one of them....

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Today, Amy sent out an email to everyone in team ATL. It's time to pick our stand out local acts of 2010 and attempt to put them in some kind of order. A near impossible task, but at least there's no shortage of bands to pick from.

But wait - quite a few of the acts on last years top twenty no longer exist!! Number 6, 7, 14, 15 and 20, for a start.

2010 has been amazing. We've watched shiny new acts like The 1930s, Screendeath, Key of Atlas and More Than Conquerors start to cause havoc. But it's also been quite a cruel yearÌý- slaying a load of bands we'd grown to love in the last few years.

Oppenheimer and Cutaways for a start. Two bands that spray-painted smiles on our grateful faces every single time we saw them live, played their album, or had them in the studio. Even though I've seen Oppenheimer a whole bunch of times, loads of their shows stand out, reflecting 'big moments' in the best possible way. The AU birthday party in Derry, the first year Glasgowbury had a proper 'Main Stage', the Skibunny Christmas gig in Belfast, during which they handed the baton to a support act called The Wondervillians - all special moments. And then they were gone.

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It was bye bye Panama Kings - my own personal favourite act of 2009. A band I raved about to anyone who'd listen. The biggest compliment I can pay them is that I once brought a girl to see them.... on our first date. I didn't even know if she liked that type of music - either I was convinced they were just that good and thus she'd be won over and impressed by my excellent taste, or I didn't care about the date at all and just wanted to see my favourite local band. Either way - a risky business.

ÌýLove and Chirstmassy hugs,

Rigsy

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Following on from last weeks 'Top Albums of 2010'Ìý we at Across The Line are now itching our noggins mooting our favourite singles of the past year. Here are our top 5 picks from the past year, both local and the rest of the world.

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Rigsy – ATL Presenter

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1. Mark Ronson - Somebody to Love Me

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Boy George is just wonderful on this, a beautifully painful, incredibly graceful vocal from a soul star in the making. That walking bassline, the shuffling snare - it just reels you right in. A wee gem.

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2. Seven Summits - Burning Heart

3. Arcade Fire - Ready to Start

4. Chase & Status - Blind Faith

5. ASIWYFA - S is for Salamander

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Amy McGarrigle – ATL Producer

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1) Caribou - OdessaÌý
This seems a bit lazy as I had 'Swim' as my album of the year, but it truly is an amazing song.ÌýAnd it restoredÌýmy faith inÌýCaribou taking him in a more beats lead direction. However it has been slightly ruined by a friend claiming the lyrics in the chorusÌýwere 'Chicken Steak'.ÌýShame.
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2) Everything Everything - My Kz, YR BFÌýÌý
3) Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes
4) Best Coast - Boyfriend

5) Not Squares - AsylumÌý

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Phily Taggart – ATL Content Assistant

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1. Biffy Clyro – Bubbles

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Beginning like pretty much any Strokes track from ‘Is This It’ and slowly building into the archetypal Biffy Clyro chorus, this song showcases belterousity. It’s a great pop tune and was designed for the purpose of sweaty men and women in clubs to punch their fists in the air and to chant along with. NB: I do not condone this type of revelry.

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2. Caribou – Odessa

3. Janelle Monet – Bog Boi

4. A Plastic Rose - Kids

5. The Drums - Lets Go Surfing

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Steven Rainey – ATL Buddy

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1. Seven Summits - 'Burning Heart'

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Whilst their debut album hinted at greatness, who could have predicted that Seven Summits were ready to unleash a perfectly crafted indie-rock classic like 'Burning Heart'? From it's bass-driven opening, to the moment the swirling hypnotic synth enters the mix, this song had 'classic' written all over it. Add to this the wryly touching lyric from Rory Nellis, and you have easily one of the best songs of 2010, Northern Irish or otherwise.

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2. Space Dimension Controller - 'kaleidoscopic Ecstasy'

3. Best Coast - 'Boyfriend'

4. Summer Camp - 'Round the Moon'
5. Neon Indian - 'Deadbeat Summer'

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So it's that time of the year again!ÌýÌý2011 is closing in fast, so we thought we'd get our best judging hats on and pick our top albums of 2010. Team ATL cheated and chose their top five because it was too hard to pick one. Some fairly predicatbale, some a little more surprising.

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Let us know your pick by shouting us here, onÌýthe orÌý and we will give y'all a shout on the show tonight...

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Rigsy - ATL Presenter

1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
It's just a masterpiece from start to finish, an absolute pleasure to listen to. Dark and quirky, joyous and haunting - in fact get out all your fancy words as you'll find a song to apply them to, it's just one of those albums. A joy.

2. Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
3. General Fiasco - Buildings
4. Chemical Brothers - Further
5. Chilli Gonzales - Ivory Tower

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Belfast ska-punk party band Pocket Billiards will celebrate the end of a very busy year with two shows in their home town. The bands lead trumpeter Joe Monk took time out from preparation to chat online with our Rigsy....

*Please note - grammar and spelling errors are authors own....

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Rigsy says: good morning.

afternoon. whatever it is, bleurrrgh

Joe says: Yeah, good day

Rigsy says: where are ya then?

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