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November is the least fun month in many ways. With the crippling cold, the leaves falling dejectedly from the trees and the prospect of Christmas just too far away to be properly exciting, you can be left scrabbling around for any viable crumb of comfort.

Fortunately, on ANBAD, we’ve had a bumper month of excitement to compensate, what with all the fancy-pants website redesign, new writers, the thrilling ANBAD eBook and the emergence of My First Hate Email. And this is all before you consider all the great bands that have swilled around the place like drunken sailors on shore leave. No wonder I’ve hit the Meth even harder than usual these past four weeks.

So as usual, here’s the best of the new lot from November, in no particular order:

Death Of Concorde – We said: “shimmers, wanes and echoes like a tape recording of an orchestra put through a guitar chorus effect pedal, always just on the right side of becoming all-out white noise.”

Feral Children – We said: “Their songs shoot around wildly, inventively and boisterously whilst keeping their laser-guided focus on tightly-honed rock.“

Yes Please! – We said: ” about as growlingly hostile as Finnish guitar pop gets, big heaving songs that run and run and run and then collapse.”

Thomas Tantrum - We said: “Whether they’re veering here and there on Warm Horse, or making the most disorientating pop music of all time on What What What, Thomas Tantrum are a true treat. “

AND A BIG FROSTY ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ TO NOVEMBER’S BAND OF THE MONTH:

Ex Lovers - We said: “There’s something softly defiant about Ex Lovers – all the songs sound like they are just about to dissolve nihilistically into warm fuzz. Their songs are like soft electricity, a description which I freely accept is the most pretentious phrase I have ever typed. But it fits.”

Phew! A busy, fulfilling month indeedy. BUT WAIT! It’s December now, which can only mean one thing: rampant consumerism, over-consumption and shameless End-Of Year Best-Of Lists! Starting this week! Keep them peeled!