Tim’s 2002

Albums

1. Please Consider Our Time (Shy Child) – astonishing electro-krautrock debut by this dynamic live drums/keytar duo.
2. Title TK (The Breeders) – stunning comeback album from the awesome Deal sisters. every track is a winner from the rocking ‘Son Of Three’ to the heartbreaking ‘Off You’. And who knew Kim was an awesome drummer? Great sounding album despite Steve Albini.
3. Steal This Album! (System Of A Down) – the ethic is incredible – the metal is awesome. Tight, humourous, live studio performances – an amazing album by one of the best metal bands of all time.
4. No! (They Might Be Giants) – Even TMBG fans were surprised by ‘No!’, the band’s first children’s album. It’s undeniably brilliant.
5. Reveille (Deerhoof) – this is their best album – ‘Holy Night Fever‘ is amazing, but its ‘This Magnificent Bird Will Rise‘ that got me hooked on Deerhoof.
6. Space Metal (Star One) – ha ha ha! Amazing.
7. Plastic Fang (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) – solid Explosion album – highlight is ‘Over and Over‘.
8. I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (My Chemical Romance) – shame these guys were so ‘Hot Topic’ their debut album has an rare classic punk ethic, awesome 2-guitar riffing and soloing. I’m also a big fan of extremely long titles.
9. Finally We Are One (Múm) – I had the privilege to play a show with these Icelandic pixies during this period – it was an extraordinary experience. I wish Gyða and Kristín had continued to sing together – beautiful girls and beautiful vocals!
10. Drink Me (Queen Adreena) – damaged suicide-blonde noiseniks making appropriate noises.

Songs

1. Slip Away (David Bowie) – there’s a couple of tracks from Bowie’s later career that are worth listening to – this one is amazing. Visconti returns to produce and Bowie rises to the occasion – it could easily have been on Hunky Dory.
2. You Held The World In Your Arms (Idlewild) – Smiths-esque single by this awesome Scottish 5-piece.
3. Envy (Ash) – in 2002, I heard this track blasting in a club in Norway, its one of the best pieces of rock production I’ve ever heard and I use it constantly as a reference track. Ash were a Nirvana-influence Irish 3-piece, but added guitarist Charlotte Hatherley in 1998. Her backing vocals and guitar chops make this song, as well as the video (!)
4. There Goes The Fear (Doves) – beloved indie anthem by this British band.
5. Wake Up (Towa Tei) – insane Jap-electro-pop from Dee-Lite’s Towa Tei. The album ‘Sweet Robots Against the Machine is solid too.
6. Spelad glädje (Bob Hund) – B-side of the ‘Düsseldorf 3:53 + c:a 11 min från Koppom okt. -94’ EP. Proper Swedish madness. The other B-side ‘Hörlurar‘ is equally brilliant.
7. Outtatheway (The Vines) – This Australian 3-piece seemed to be a pretty standard Nirvana-influenced punk 3-piece, but lead singer/guitarist Craig Nicholls turns out to be one of the greatest rock n roll nutjobs of all time. He became increasingly disruptive and eventually the other original members left. Turns out Nicholls has Asperger’s syndrome and lives the life of a technophobic recluse. He gave some very disturbing interviews in these early years and trashed the stage on Letterman. Great song though!
8. Ahoy There (Mr. Scruff) – charming and addictive track from the excellent ‘Trouser Jazz’ album.
9. Losing My Edge (LCD Soundsystem) – the sort of meta post-modernism that I thought would usher in a new age of music. Boy was I wrong.
10. Do You Realize? (The Flaming Lips) – I find them hit-and-miss, but this is surely one of the most lovely and profound songs ever written.

Tim’s 2003

Tim’s 2003

I’d be doing myself and my bandmates a disservice if I didn’t put our debut album at #1. What a weird year to be a recording artist – charts filled with the dregs of Britpop, fringe dance music, novelty indie, ghastly pop and a pervasive feeling of rudderlessness! A year later, things started to make sense, but 2003 is a lost year for music IMO.

Albums

1. Good Science/Friendly Gods (Donderevo) – highly acclaimed upon release and championed by no less than John Peel, Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson, our debut disappeared before it achieved it’s purpose: to destroy the universe. For years I’ve worried that it’s too scattered and unfocussed, jap-pop, Ambient, Folk, Pavement, Weezer and Grandaddy, but it’s actually very much a product of it’s time – post-rock-post-modern toe-tapping space-pop for a schizophrenic and disillusioned era in British music. Turned out to be pretty influential on our hugely successful label mates The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and others.
2. The Lemon of Pink (The Books) – Perhaps the best album of the decade. Inspired, disquieting and beautiful from start to finish.
3. Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Belle and Sebastian) – this band of Scots have always appealed to me, but this was a complete departure from their previously lo-fi indie records. A muscular and dimensional pop album with astonishing production.
4. A Strangely Isolated Place (Ulrich Schnauss) – simply the perfect ambient album. Perhaps my #1 desert island disc.
5. Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (M83) – the debut album from one of the most influential artist of the millennium. Every epic pop song you hear on the radio with a massive washy synth pad owes a debt to Anthony Gonzalez innovation to create My Bloody Valentine-esque soundscapes that would make Eno shudder.
6. Sumday (Grandaddy) – Jason Lytle is one of my favourite songwriters, and this is his most consistent work to date. Though his lyrics remains in the realms of bleak sci-fi and Ballardian dystopic modern life, Sumday is a joyful album, perfect for a summer drive through forests of discarded computers and broken down androids.
7. Apple O’ (Deerhoof) – Deerhoof seem almost normal now that every indie band in the world has embraced experimental instrumentation and recording techniques, but in 2003 this was a very shocking loud noise, still is.
8. Analord (Aphex Twin) – Aphex Twin’s music is uncategorizable, and this sprawling project covers everything from ambient and electro to drum & bass, though none of those genres can truly claim him as their own. A huge section of Analord is devoted to the infamous ‘Amen’ break, heavily used in early Jungle and Drum & Bass, and a direct ancestor of contemporary Dubstep. The album was released in installments over two years, its final form containing 62 tracks and running for four and a half hours. Aphex Twin is insane.
9. YosepH (Luke Vibert) – Equally genre-defying in the world of electronic music is Aphex Twin’s mate Luke Vibert aka Wagon Christ aka Amen Andrews. He’s among my favourite producers, and his ultra-tight beat making starts with Yoseph. Vibert pays tribute to the heyday of Acid House with this album, but tinged with his signature dischord of uneasy pads and super-tight beats.
10. Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place (Explosions In The Sky) – very special ambient music with heart.

Songs

1. Questions and Answers (Biffy Clyro) – Scottish 3-piece Biffy Clyro have never quite lived up to this, their Sebadoh-esque debut single. They are masterful arrangers, and this song contains some of my favourite backing vocals.
2. I Went To A Wedding (Half Man Half Biscuit) – Nigel Blackwell had been writing hilarious satirical songs for 20 years before this came out – he’s still writing, and still hilarious. This is a particularly pretty example.
3. Eple (Röyksopp) – an incredible piece of quirky electronic music that, at least in Europe, was the soundtrack to the optimistic futurism of the 2000s. If we could’ve gotten a penny out of our record company we’d have commissioned remixes from these Norwegian bleepers, with whom we shared a music lawyer.
4. Hysteria (Muse) – I remember seeing this song on Top Of The Pops and feeling my jaw dropping as I watched Christopher Wolstenholme hammer out that insane bassline. Stunning track from a great British band and one of the greatest basslines of all time.
5. Jessica (Adam Green) – I’d pretty much gotten over the novelty of The Moldy Peaches when I heard this album, and realized that Adam Green is a master songsmith. ‘Jessica’ still makes me laugh – so horribly disrespectful to poor Jessica Simpson!
6. Strict Machine (Goldfrapp) – innovative synth-glam – a huge shift for this strange band.
7. Danger! High Voltage! (Electric Six) – One-hit-wonder? Novelty-band? Yes – and so much more. Just watch the video!
8. I Believe In A Thing Called Love (The Darkness) – another flash-in-the-pan novelty act, but a great song! Check out other singles ‘Get Your Hands off My Woman’, and ‘Growing On Me’.
9. Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?) (Sufjan Stevens) – I feel as though I should hate Sufjan Stevens and all he stands for, but I can’t because he’s just fantastic. This self-recorded debut album, is a work of genius. Sadly, it ushered in an age of bland, uninspiring nu folk, but I think this track still stands up despite the twittering rabble of wannabe folkies.
10. זה רעיון טוב (The Apples) – Israeli car-chase funk with sweet cutting? Hell yeah!

Tim’s (alt) Side One/Track One

Too many obvious choices made my list impossible to cut down – so here’s the alternative top 10. I’m hoping all of you know who The Shaggs are.

1. The Perfect Me (Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity)

2. I Want You To Know (Masha Qrella – Luck)

3. The Lemon Of Pink (The Books – The Lemon of Pink)

4. Breather (Chapterhouse – Whirlpool)

5. Cold Fish (Queen Adreena – Taxidermy)

6. Philosophy Of The World (The Shaggs – Philosophy Of The World)

7. Godhopping (Dogs Die In Hot Cars – Please Describe Yourself)

8. Only Shallow (My Bloody Valentine – Loveless)

9. The Noise Won’t Stop (Shy Child – One With The Sun)

10. Surf Solar (Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport)

Tim’s Leaps

Sorry I’m late to the party – just got back in the country! I must admit that I found the ‘Leap’ concept pretty tricky – all the important leaps are the really obvious ones, but after reading all the posted lists I’m feeling inspired and excited to check out some of these seminal albums.

Leap Albums:

1. Screamadelica (Primal Scream) – With the chance intervention of newbie remix DJ Andy Wetherall, Primal Scream transformed themselves from  arch black-leather rockers to eclectic psychedelic house gurus. Anyone who took drugs in the UK in the 90s has a very special relationship with this album.
2. Fantasma (Cornelius) – This was the breakthrough album for Jap Pop in the UK. The production, humor, minimalism, choppy editing and sampling was unlike anything I’d ever heard. Keigo Oyomada made art-rock fun again – very very cool music. 
3. Ace Of Spades (Motorhead) – lumped in with the ‘New Wave Of British Heavy Metal’ Motorhead’s 4th album is unparalleled in rock music. While there are plenty of albums that influenced the later thrash scene, Motorhead were the first to play so unrelentingly fast! 
4. Kings Of The Wild Frontier (Adam & The Ants) – Early Adam Ant material is dark and edgy art-punk, inaccessible to most – but manager Malcolm McLaren’s bizarre additions of Burundi drumming, Vivienne Westwood pirate costumes and Native American yodelling transformed Adam into the biggest star of British pop in the 1980s. Yet for all its pop filliness, this is a brilliant and weird album with some of the most incredible vocals I’ve ever heard.
5. Debut (Björk) – the Sugarcubes were interesting, then this album came out and everyone realised that in fact it was just Björk that was interesting; actually she was fascinating, confusing and mesmerizing! 
6. Omslag: Martin Kamm (Bob Hund) – Bob Hund are the best-known and most beloved band in Sweden (after ABBA of course!) Their second album ‘Omlsag: Martin Kamm’ put them on the map with its quirky pop hooks amid the signature madness. The album actually has no title, ‘Omlsag: Martin Kamm’ translates as ‘Graphic Design: Martin Kamm’ and the inside-out white card CD sleeve features a black and white portrait of the eponymous designer. 
7. Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (The Byrds) – an obvious choice, but I couldn’t omit it – I’m always stunned to think that Roger McGuinn was set on making an instrumental Moog album at this point in The Byrds career, but was open-minded enough to let Gram Parsons join the band and create the first country-rock album. Its a shame the record company insisted on McGuinn replacing many of Parsons’ vocals (his demo versions are my favourite), but its still an incredible album. A massive leap for one band, and an even bigger leap for country music.
8. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (Pavement) –  in the wake of Nirvana, there were suddenly a lot of very contrived and over-produced bands in the charts. Steven Malkmus’ sardonic and effortless lyrics on the singles ‘Cut Your Hair’, ‘Gold Soundz’ and ‘Rangelife’ ushered in something new that became known as ‘Slacker’, though the likes of Beck and Eels never came close to Pavement’s irreverent and strung-out sound. 
9. Reveille (Deerhoof) –  When I first heard it, Deerhoof’s 4th album was the most modern and alien thing I’d ever heard. A decade later it still is.
10. Too Rye Aye (Dexy’s Midnight Runners) – considered a one-hit-wonder in the US, Dexy’s are actually a pretty well respected band in the UK. Their switch to violins and banjos was a huge shift from the band’s former incarnation as a working-man’s Northern Soul band (check out ‘Geno‘.) 

 

Leap Tracks

1. I Feel Love (Donna Summer) – after feeling rather disappointed with Daft Punk’s new album, I put on some Giorgio Moroder and felt much better. ‘I Feel Love’ was the track that took electronic music onto the dancefloor – it’s every bit as futuristic and exciting today as in 1977!
2. The Electrician (The Walker Brothers) – Scott Walker’s strange career has peaked and trough-ed between pop, easy listening and disquieting avant-garde. Perhaps the most unexpected point in his career was a contractual reunion with the other Walker Brothers for the 1978 album Nite Flights, the highlight of which is Scott Walker’s ‘The Electrician’. 
3. Fool’s Gold 9:53 (Stone Roses) – the Manchester indie scene in the late 80s rather clumsily merged funk, hip-hop and psychedelic guitar-pop – the Stone Roses’ Fools Gold took it one step further – 10 minutes of grooves and hooks done in inimitable style. The Roses never did any advertising or interviews during their early career which made this 12″ single extremely mysterious and compelling. 
4. Painbirds (Sparklehorse) – ‘Good Morning Spider’ should have been on my album list, but its represented here by its devastating second track. Mark Linkous’ writing and production style were revolutionary. 15 years later I’m still hearing the Sparklehorse sound on new indie releases. A massive leap for music production, and a brilliant song to boot.
5. Doctor Who (Delia Derbyshire) – the original theme from the BBC TV series is one of the most important pieces of early electronic music, and the masterwork of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. I won’t go into the incredible way in which this piece was composed and recorded, but I highly recommend that you watch this brilliant documentary about Delia and her counterparts at the BBC in the early 60s! 
6. Stone Cold Crazy (BBC Session version) (Queen) – often credited as the first ‘thrash’ song, Stone Cold Crazy established Queen as a very serious and heavy band.
7. Anarchy In The UK (Sex Pistols) – its hard to say that the song was a leap for the band, as they recorded so little, but this was a huge leap from the US punk scene that spawned it. “I only like the Pistols – everything else is boring”.
8. Blue Monday (New Order) – Until Blue Monday, New Order were still recognizable as Joy Division – the transition was slow and uneasy – but this song marked Bernard Sumner’s triumphant grasp of pop music, production and songcraft. 
9. Freakscene (Dinosaur Jr.) – it was very hard not to put Nirvana on this list – their innovations are countless and brilliant, but including them would mean including The Pixies, Husker Du, Mudhoney, Butthole Surfers et al. For me, Freakscene is the song that eclipses the proto-grunge scene – snarly and devil-may-care, dirty, funny, profane and just plain cool.
10. Somethin’ Else (Eddie Cochran) – Eddie was in danger of becoming a bit more of a pop star than a rocker but this song, and particularly its production cements his legend as one of the great rockers. The riff at the start of Somethin’ Else is among the heaviest in rock.