Growing up in a depressed part of Sunderland, the Futureheads could have spent their evenings sniffing glue and swilling cider. Instead, these four clean-cut young men dressed up, worked hard and ended up creating one of the most exciting post-punk bands of 2004. Good for them - and good for us too, since this essential debut album more than lives up to all the hype that's currently surrounding it. Zipping through 15 tracks in 37 minutes, it meshes rowdy guitars with quirky and arresting lyrics, all sung in frontman Barry Hyde's defiantly Geordie accent. Every song is buzzing with ideas and crucially, not a single one outstays its welcome - there's even a supercharged cover of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love that has to be heard to be believed. Looks like the lads made the right choice, then.

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