(no subject)
My Desert Island Discs, finally chosen, so Mike'll stop nagging! :oP
You should know the drill:
10 albums You must own them or all the songs from them No compilations or EPs No best-ofs or live albums One per artist
{&it was a lot harder than I thought}
Here goes, in no particular order...
1) Muse - Showbiz
Like many of my favourite bands, I got into Muse through my brother. He's always lent me his albums &tried to introduce me to his favourite bands &it always worked. But I loved Muse so much, that in the end he just gave me his CDs &made copies for himself. Bless him! So Showbiz - Muse's first album - has a different sound to their other work. It's more raw, slightly more minimal than their later stuff {though still polished &complex}. First and foremost, it has some phenomenal choons. There's the rockier side to the album, apparent in the title track {the whole song like a slowly building crescendo}, Sober {an ode to whisky; something very close to my heart...}, &Cave. But they also manage to do the whole ballad thing without being cheesy; Unintended is one of the most beautiful love songs of the 90s, whereas Falling Down is a breathtaking admittance of weakness &declaration of new-found strength. Another reason I chose this is that every single song holds a memory for me &transports me to a time of my life or a past emotion.
I'll take back all the things that I said, I didn't realise I was talking to the living dead.
2) Radiohead - OK Computer
Choosing a Radiohead album for this list was really hard; right up to the last minute I was umming &aahing between this one &The Bends, but OK Computer won out in the end. Even though its predecessor has amazing, anthemnic songs such as Fake Plastic Trees &Street Spirit (Fade Out), I chose Ok Computer because it completely lives up to its requirements as an album: its sound is whole and complete. Although there are - of course - standout tracks like Paranoid Android {proving their amazing ability to be experimental yet still fantastically listenable} &Exit Music (For A Film) {a gut-wrenchingly painful, angry &melancholy song of love trying to overcome obstacles}. But, overall, the album is a microchosm in itself, intentionally peaking early and coming to a slow, restful but uneasy anti-climax at the end.
I'd tell all my friends but they'd never believe me, they'd think that I'd finally lost it completely.
3) Pulp - Different Class
What can I say about this? The first album I ever bought; one of the records that defined my childhood, my teenage years &is beginning to redefine my young adulthood. Every time I listen to Different Class I get something new from it, while being simultaneously presented with a hundred aural memories. Common People never gets old, no matter how many times I sit there thinking ‘that’s so true’, or go crazy to it on a sticky indie dancefloor. Bar Italia is the musical embodiment of a bad hangover, &I Spy is an epic look into the mind of a voyeuristic narcissist. Pulp make me so proud to be from South Yorkshire. Oh yes, &also make sure they play Mis-Shapes at my funeral.
If fashion is your trade, then when you're naked I guess you must be unemployed, yeah?
4) Jack Off Jill - Clear Hearts Grey Flowers
This album is a story. A story of pain &angst, of prettiness &ugliness, of self-hatred &self-awareness, of loss &anger. It is beautiful, most notably in the crowning moments of Strawberry Gashes {a song which awes me to silence or spurs me to heartfelt singing every time I hear it, but never indifference}, Fear Of Dying &Vivica. Plus, the Cure-homage of Lovesong finishes off the record - and Jack Off Jill's collective career - perfectly. This album sees Jessicka growing up {just a little} &being slightly less obscene, though it’s still as prettily grotesque as one would always expect from her. Wow. I’d need this with me to conquer &indulge my self-loathing.
He'll never change, he's just too vague. He'll never say you're beautiful.
5) Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground
Conor Oberst is a poet, &these songs are among some of his best musical poems. You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will. can be listened to again&again&again, &still be as honest &pretty, whereas Waste Of Paint sums up the feeling of self-worthlessness that we are so often invaded with the kind of brilliant metaphor that isn’t seen enough in music. Lover I Don’t Have To Love sounds so much more produced than any of the other songs, &details the emotions of any young, alcohol-sodden, hormone-fuelled indie kid in the form of a painfully beautiful story. An eloquently drunken voice which sings with such insight about some of the simplest things.
As I hide behind these books I read, while scribbling my poetry
Like art could save a wretch like me, with some ideal ideology
That no one can hope to achieve.
&I am never real; it is just a sketch of me.
&everything I have is trite and cheap
&a waste of paint, of tape, of time.
6) Catatonia - Equally Cursed And Blessed
If I still owned International Velvet, the Catatonia position would be filled by that. However, I must settle for what I believe to be the second best of their albums, which is still fantastically fantastic. Catatonia’s appeal for me has always been in the honesty of their songs, the way that Cerys’ gin-soaked &cigarette-smeared, siren-like voice seems to sing right from her soul. Shoot The Messenger has many times given words to my selfish broken heart, as Karaoke Queen cheers me up &makes me laugh with the Stars In Their Eyes reference. Dazed, Beautiful &Bruised is a perfect climax to the record, elevating &helping to heal the wounds that have been re-opened &examined in the previous songs.
I treat him like a lady, I treat him as I would he unto me. Give Rose rose-seller a run for her money with silicone&poetry.
7) Human League - Dare!
This is one of the albums that characterises my childhood, and reminds me of singing along to it in the back of the car countless times. It is the kind of album that makes me want to dance in places, and think deeply in others. Open Your Heart is a positive affirmation embodied perfectly in Phil’s fantastic voice, whereas Darkness is a darker nightmare of a song, that still remains wholly sing-a-longable. Everyone knows how brilliant Don’t You Want Me? is, but my favourite song is still Love Action (I Believe In Love). It’s just a choon.
I believe in truth, though I lie a lot.
8) Robbie Williams - I’ve Been Expecting You
Being trapped on a desert island, I’d need me some good pop music, &this is Robbie’s best album. It has its witty moments {Strong, Jesus In A Camper Van}, its angry moments {Karma Killer} &its beautiful moments {Phoenix From The Flames}. Though for me, the ultimate aspect of this album is the second hidden track, Stalkers Day Off, which uses a funny situation as a background to a simple song of unrequited love. &Heaven From Here is another funeral song, thankyouplease.
I've been hanging around, just in case you fall in love with me.
9) The Seahorses - Do It Yourself
I always preferred the Seahorses to the Stone Roses, I think because of their slightly cleaner sound, &the lack of Ian Brown. Chris Helme’s voice is great {I’m always partial to a bit of trilling} &John Squire’s ‘nimble fretwork’ just gives the album a fantastic sound. Love Is The Law is awesome, with its lyrical gymnastics &fantastic crowning guitar solo. Blinded By The Sun is anthemnic, the kind of song I always love to belt out, which never gets old. Hello is a more deflated, yet determined song, which has had resonance for me ever since I first heard it; it’s also one of my favourite songs-to-sing, ever. I’ll be the first to admit that there are a few songs on the album which, lyrically, do not fulfil the promise of the other tracks, but they’re still infectiously catchy. What I like most about this album is that its four, rather basic {discluding the guitar magic} layers all fit together well to create a lovely {for want of a better word} overall sound. It would keep me contentedly occupied to have this with me on a desert island...
All I know is the sun &it's shining way above my cloud. So high it can't be found.
Tenacious D - Tenacious D
I was deliberating for ages over which album should fill the final slot &this album beat The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa &The Darkness’ Permission To Land on one very important count: it is so fucking entertaining! The songs, as well as having brilliant musical moments, are hilarious, as are the spoken interludes in between. Quite simply, Tenacious D would provide me with both music &comedy. Bargain!
You broke the rules, now I'll pull out all your pubic hair... you motherfucker.
I don't care if you think they're naff! :oP
You should know the drill:
{&it was a lot harder than I thought}
Here goes, in no particular order...
1) Muse - Showbiz
Like many of my favourite bands, I got into Muse through my brother. He's always lent me his albums &tried to introduce me to his favourite bands &it always worked. But I loved Muse so much, that in the end he just gave me his CDs &made copies for himself. Bless him! So Showbiz - Muse's first album - has a different sound to their other work. It's more raw, slightly more minimal than their later stuff {though still polished &complex}. First and foremost, it has some phenomenal choons. There's the rockier side to the album, apparent in the title track {the whole song like a slowly building crescendo}, Sober {an ode to whisky; something very close to my heart...}, &Cave. But they also manage to do the whole ballad thing without being cheesy; Unintended is one of the most beautiful love songs of the 90s, whereas Falling Down is a breathtaking admittance of weakness &declaration of new-found strength. Another reason I chose this is that every single song holds a memory for me &transports me to a time of my life or a past emotion.
I'll take back all the things that I said, I didn't realise I was talking to the living dead.
2) Radiohead - OK Computer
Choosing a Radiohead album for this list was really hard; right up to the last minute I was umming &aahing between this one &The Bends, but OK Computer won out in the end. Even though its predecessor has amazing, anthemnic songs such as Fake Plastic Trees &Street Spirit (Fade Out), I chose Ok Computer because it completely lives up to its requirements as an album: its sound is whole and complete. Although there are - of course - standout tracks like Paranoid Android {proving their amazing ability to be experimental yet still fantastically listenable} &Exit Music (For A Film) {a gut-wrenchingly painful, angry &melancholy song of love trying to overcome obstacles}. But, overall, the album is a microchosm in itself, intentionally peaking early and coming to a slow, restful but uneasy anti-climax at the end.
I'd tell all my friends but they'd never believe me, they'd think that I'd finally lost it completely.
3) Pulp - Different Class
What can I say about this? The first album I ever bought; one of the records that defined my childhood, my teenage years &is beginning to redefine my young adulthood. Every time I listen to Different Class I get something new from it, while being simultaneously presented with a hundred aural memories. Common People never gets old, no matter how many times I sit there thinking ‘that’s so true’, or go crazy to it on a sticky indie dancefloor. Bar Italia is the musical embodiment of a bad hangover, &I Spy is an epic look into the mind of a voyeuristic narcissist. Pulp make me so proud to be from South Yorkshire. Oh yes, &also make sure they play Mis-Shapes at my funeral.
If fashion is your trade, then when you're naked I guess you must be unemployed, yeah?
4) Jack Off Jill - Clear Hearts Grey Flowers
This album is a story. A story of pain &angst, of prettiness &ugliness, of self-hatred &self-awareness, of loss &anger. It is beautiful, most notably in the crowning moments of Strawberry Gashes {a song which awes me to silence or spurs me to heartfelt singing every time I hear it, but never indifference}, Fear Of Dying &Vivica. Plus, the Cure-homage of Lovesong finishes off the record - and Jack Off Jill's collective career - perfectly. This album sees Jessicka growing up {just a little} &being slightly less obscene, though it’s still as prettily grotesque as one would always expect from her. Wow. I’d need this with me to conquer &indulge my self-loathing.
He'll never change, he's just too vague. He'll never say you're beautiful.
5) Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground
Conor Oberst is a poet, &these songs are among some of his best musical poems. You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will. can be listened to again&again&again, &still be as honest &pretty, whereas Waste Of Paint sums up the feeling of self-worthlessness that we are so often invaded with the kind of brilliant metaphor that isn’t seen enough in music. Lover I Don’t Have To Love sounds so much more produced than any of the other songs, &details the emotions of any young, alcohol-sodden, hormone-fuelled indie kid in the form of a painfully beautiful story. An eloquently drunken voice which sings with such insight about some of the simplest things.
As I hide behind these books I read, while scribbling my poetry
Like art could save a wretch like me, with some ideal ideology
That no one can hope to achieve.
&I am never real; it is just a sketch of me.
&everything I have is trite and cheap
&a waste of paint, of tape, of time.
6) Catatonia - Equally Cursed And Blessed
If I still owned International Velvet, the Catatonia position would be filled by that. However, I must settle for what I believe to be the second best of their albums, which is still fantastically fantastic. Catatonia’s appeal for me has always been in the honesty of their songs, the way that Cerys’ gin-soaked &cigarette-smeared, siren-like voice seems to sing right from her soul. Shoot The Messenger has many times given words to my selfish broken heart, as Karaoke Queen cheers me up &makes me laugh with the Stars In Their Eyes reference. Dazed, Beautiful &Bruised is a perfect climax to the record, elevating &helping to heal the wounds that have been re-opened &examined in the previous songs.
I treat him like a lady, I treat him as I would he unto me. Give Rose rose-seller a run for her money with silicone&poetry.
7) Human League - Dare!
This is one of the albums that characterises my childhood, and reminds me of singing along to it in the back of the car countless times. It is the kind of album that makes me want to dance in places, and think deeply in others. Open Your Heart is a positive affirmation embodied perfectly in Phil’s fantastic voice, whereas Darkness is a darker nightmare of a song, that still remains wholly sing-a-longable. Everyone knows how brilliant Don’t You Want Me? is, but my favourite song is still Love Action (I Believe In Love). It’s just a choon.
I believe in truth, though I lie a lot.
8) Robbie Williams - I’ve Been Expecting You
Being trapped on a desert island, I’d need me some good pop music, &this is Robbie’s best album. It has its witty moments {Strong, Jesus In A Camper Van}, its angry moments {Karma Killer} &its beautiful moments {Phoenix From The Flames}. Though for me, the ultimate aspect of this album is the second hidden track, Stalkers Day Off, which uses a funny situation as a background to a simple song of unrequited love. &Heaven From Here is another funeral song, thankyouplease.
I've been hanging around, just in case you fall in love with me.
9) The Seahorses - Do It Yourself
I always preferred the Seahorses to the Stone Roses, I think because of their slightly cleaner sound, &the lack of Ian Brown. Chris Helme’s voice is great {I’m always partial to a bit of trilling} &John Squire’s ‘nimble fretwork’ just gives the album a fantastic sound. Love Is The Law is awesome, with its lyrical gymnastics &fantastic crowning guitar solo. Blinded By The Sun is anthemnic, the kind of song I always love to belt out, which never gets old. Hello is a more deflated, yet determined song, which has had resonance for me ever since I first heard it; it’s also one of my favourite songs-to-sing, ever. I’ll be the first to admit that there are a few songs on the album which, lyrically, do not fulfil the promise of the other tracks, but they’re still infectiously catchy. What I like most about this album is that its four, rather basic {discluding the guitar magic} layers all fit together well to create a lovely {for want of a better word} overall sound. It would keep me contentedly occupied to have this with me on a desert island...
All I know is the sun &it's shining way above my cloud. So high it can't be found.
Tenacious D - Tenacious D
I was deliberating for ages over which album should fill the final slot &this album beat The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa &The Darkness’ Permission To Land on one very important count: it is so fucking entertaining! The songs, as well as having brilliant musical moments, are hilarious, as are the spoken interludes in between. Quite simply, Tenacious D would provide me with both music &comedy. Bargain!
You broke the rules, now I'll pull out all your pubic hair... you motherfucker.
I don't care if you think they're naff! :oP