Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

Musical Diary Entry #1

2011-03-11T16:05:00.011Z

Okay so as you may or may not have noticed in the last four months I've turned pro and as a result I've not been able to update my blog very often, and for this I apologise.

Now I want to keep producing content on my blog, partly because I appreciate your readership but also because I'm not given the opportunity to talk about so much of the music that truly I love . So to solve this problem I've created a musical diary. I can't promise that entries will be on a certain day of the week or with consistent regularity, but I will endeavor to catch up on everything that I've missed in the intervening days, okay?

So here we go:

New Releases:

It's been a long time since I last posted and there are some key releases that I really want to discuss starting with:

James Blake - James Blake

Given the incredible level of hype that greeted James Blake's self titled debut; backlash was inevitable. It's one thing for NME to label an indy band the saviours of rock, that moniker can be nonchalantly dismissed, but the second the world's critical brain trust labels a young man, a who makes eerie and awkward music, a genius; you can rest assured an unparalleled level of relentlessly scrutiny awaits.

His every decision will be second guessed, his background will be ridiculed and his entire back catalog of EPs will and has already been reconsidered. Perfection will be expected and frailty and confusion will be derided.

James Blake is therefore an interesting case. His debut has been read, and mis-read already; he's dub-step for people who don't like dub-step, he's the next generation, he's bridging the gap between telegraph readers and London clubbers, etc. In reality this is all ludicrous. Blake hasn't tried to be an sort of statesman with this record. His self titled debut follows on from the hauntingly sparse Klaiverwerke leading Blake into singer/songwriter territory.

His palette is electronic, it creeps, buzzes and churns; and yes, Dub Step's deep burbling bass and snare clicks are present, but they are not dominant. Instead one man's emotional fragility takes centre stage. Simple lyrical themes are distorted,stretched, re-ordered and repeated drawing every last drop of emotional resonance from the words.

On "I Never Learnt To Share" Blake's repeated cry of "My Brother And My Sister, Don't Speak To Me, But I Don't Blame Them" eventually snaps into wirey crushing beat. However, James Blake is defined not from it's booming beats but by its pitiful solitude. The muted bleats of "Unluck", the eeriely spaciousness of "Wilhelm Scream" and the "Lindisfarne" suite showcases a producer and a song-writer mastering lonesome melancholy in an intricate and wholly modern manner.

Blake is no Dylan of course, his lyricism is underdeveloped; we are often presented with fragments of heartache, which prove fleetingly beautiful, but often fail to satisfy or resonate over the course of three or four minutes.

He is young of course; expression and emotional intelligence are by-products of age and expansive thematic complexity should come with time. What we have before us today is an immeasurably intriguing talent struggling to convey raw misery. At times his earnest fearlessness approaches a tiresome drone. Despite this it's hard to be anything but bowled over by the expansive intricacy of his arrangements on "To Care Like You"/"Why Don't You Call Me".

The future is still bright for Blake, his debut may be puzzling and frustrating, but he and his compositions remains fascinating and affecting if not entirely enthralling.

Nicholas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise

Sometimes a playful sense of humour can be just what the doctor ordered. Although oddly, in the years since Brian Eno began his electronic and ambient experimentation it feels as though the genre has lost it's sense of humour. Even Kraftwerk, for their part, were no prudes and positively embraced whimsy, but trying to crack smile from one the 21st Century's electronic pioneers can prove a thankless task. Nicholas Jaar and Space Is Only Noise, however, are a refreshing throw back.

The record is no barrel of laughs of course, it's airy and beautiful with a real spectral quality, but it is genuinely sexy. It leaks and clicks at a seductive pace, too slow to dance, but too quick to mope. This middling tempo plays to Jaar's strengths perfectly allowing his best work to thrill and linger, sooth and excite, to be straight faced and yet comical. There is a sense of adventure to the record and that is where its true beauty is found.

Space Is Only Noise isn't a obviously quirky as a Hot Chip record, although the title track wouldn't look out of place on Coming On Strong, but it doesn't take itself as seriously James Blake either. It should be a conundrum, but it's not; it's too enjoyable and too lovable to over-intellectualize. In short Space Is Only Noise is my favourite album of the year so far.

Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972

Tim Hecker's latest offering is the classic example of an album that is more interesting in concept than execution. His idea of art in decay, which he expresses through Ravedeath's bustling contrasting arpegiated tones, is fascinating and makes for some uncomfortable snarling soundscapes.

The "In The Fog" suite captures the torturous death of music at its most jagged and brutal, while the album's later tracks, "Operation Paralysis, 1978" and "Stuido Suicide, 1980", present beauty in decay with a combination of gorgeous chimes and shimmers.

Sadly, while Ravedeath, 1972 functions superbly as a conceptual movement building to a sublime diminuendo, it fails to really innovate sonically and struggles to match both the immediacy and brilliance of Four Tet's There Is Love For You. As a conception, a topic for coffee table debate, Ravedeath... proves both irresistible and challenging; as a record it underwhelms, good undoubtedly, exceptional rarely.

Live Shows:

Cults @ The Lexington

Cults were overtaken by fame so quickly that you almost feel sorry for them. Originally formed as a private joke between friends Cults endearing and ethereal blend of minimal sixties pop has taken the band from university dorms in the US to sold out dates in the UK.

Their trademark single "Outside" is not only mounting an assault on the charts but is already predominantly featured on a major advertising campaign in the UK. On top of that they've been snapped up by Lily Allen's new record label. The latter may actually prove more beneficially than one might expect. Allen is both earnest in her passion for young artistry and a magnet for publicity. She should form a natural deflector shield, defusing and distracting the press hiding Cults from a media blitzkrieg.

Tonight's capacity crowd at the Lexington however is here to see the next big thing; they've heard the hype even if they haven't heard the singles and Cults simply aren't the finish article. They're rough around the edges and desperately short on the material (tonights set clocked in at just over 20 minutes), and while scenesters expecting a trendy tour de force may be disappointed those looking for some endearing and engaging pop will be thrilled.

Cults have the key cultural touch stones covered, there's a dash of chill-wave's eeriness and a dose of the surf rock revival's swing, but these contemporary dalliances serve only to modernise their classic pop tones. The end product has both the light and breezy feel of the sixties and the stark atomsphere of 21st Century indie.

Cults are a shy, uncomfortable but ultimately approachable proposition. A band still in their formative stages, still uncertain, seeking direction, but making some of the most interesting and endearing pop music around; and for a £5 admission that's more than value for money.

Note: I did intend to get into some of my more general listening but this first catch up edition ran way longer than I anticipated, so I'll swing by soon with my second entry.

The Top 50 Albums Of The Year 2010 (50-41)

2011-01-03T03:23:00.016Z

Now that we've gotten the quick run down of 100-51 out the way it's time to delve into the Top 50 proper.

50. Your Future, Our Clutter - The Fall

(Domino 2010, Ross Orton)

2010 seemed like as good as any for Mark E. Smith and The Fall to make a creative comeback. Your Future, Our Clutter seemed to suggest that Smith had become inspired in his time working with Damon Albarn and Gorillaz, as Your Future, Our Clutter is possibly the most danceable record The Fall have ever made. From the lo-fi creaky march of "Bury Pts. 1-3" to thick seductive rumble of "Mexico Wax Solvent" this is the best The Fall have ever sounded as a band. While Mark E. Smith and co. have been more essential and more revolutionary in the past, we've rarely seen them being this accessible and this cutting edge. The result is a record that sounds at home in the mix at sleek avante garde club, blasting out of a trendy indie disco or, in true Fall fashion, blaring aggressively and awkwardly out of your local battered old boozer. Rough, urgent, and groovy; Mark E. Smith should try this more often, the dance floor suits him better than you'd think.

49. Catch A Tiger - Lissie

(Columbia 2010, Jaquire King)

KT Tunstall and Amy MacDonald must have been left scratching when their high profile 2010 returns were met with little more than a drawn out sigh and a shake of the head. After all just a few years ago the folk-pop fanbase was desperate for any glimmer of hope to cling to, but in 2010 they suddenly find themselves reveling in abundance. Taylor Swift has become strangely credible, Joanna Newsom is the queen of the art house folk, and Laura Marling has set her sights on world domination. It feels then, sacrilegious, to pick anyone above Marling. Yet for all Marling's demure pent up carnal rage I just couldn't look beyond Lissie's rollicking Catch A Tiger. In many ways it appears to be a label bosses dream; it has sultry soul ("Everywhere I Go"), catchy pop ("Loosen The Knot"), Tom Waits inspired folk waltzes ("Record Collector"), and stylish country-rock re-fits ("In Sleep"). While Lissie may lack originality at times, she compensates by bringing a propulsive sense of earnestness that drives Catch A Tiger forward. Lissie appears to be having a ball as she hops from one style to the next perfecting them with ease and a down to earth panache.

48. Love King - The-Dream

(Radio Killa 2010, The-Dream)

Shallow, sexist, heartless, materialistic, patronizing, obsessed with sex, driven by money, boastful and utterly shameless. Hip Hop and R'n'B culture, in its worst moments, has always been plagued by these words and these accusations; most artist try to rebuff these claims, but not The-Dream. He positively revels in his own vulgarity and moral bankruptcy. Love King reads like a lists of boasts from outlining his "Sex Intelligence" to declaring himself the "Love King", Dream not only details his loveless sexual exploits he tells others how they can follow in his footsteps. On the disarming melodious "Make Up Bag" he tells the listeners that by showering your lover with money you can spend your nights drinking and sleeping with whomever you want. Of course, being The-Dream, the girl not only forgives him, but offers herself to him.

The-Dream delivery across the album is so matter of fact that you never get the impression that his exploits are exaggerated, instead he speaks unapologetically from experience. While Kanye spent 2010 trying to convince us that superstar rappers were just as vulnerable as the rest of us, The-Dream took us into his emotionless hedonistic paradise/nightmare. Ultimately The-Dream seems too emotionally immature to even have a clear conception of love, and while the meaningless sex king may sound repulsive on paper, in actuality it sounds glorious and addictive. Love him, hate him, or even if you want to murder him, there is no doubt that when it comes to R'n'B The-Dream, in his own words, "makes every nigga irrelevent".

47. There Is Love In You - Four Tet

(Domino 2010, Kieran Hebden)

"Angel Echoes" placed highly in my tracks of the 2010 countdown, it was a ethereal piece characterized by a beautiful looped vocal sample that encouraged the listener to drift away with it for four unnervingly tranquil minutes. As There Is Love In You's opener it set an impeccably high standard for the rest of the LP to live up to. Remarkably, Keiran Hebden manages to maintain not only the quality but also the haunting emotional resonance of "Angel Echoes" creating forty seven minutes of minimalist ambient majesty. Occasionally, as on the sprawling "Love Cry", Keiran will introduce a chunky groove, complete with skipping beats, and layered samples but he always manages to maintain a distinct and somehow tragic atmosphere. While the overriding sensation arising from There Is Love In You may be that of shimmering beauty; the record aways feels on edge, placing a twinge of doubt in the listener's mind. Whether it's the squeals of an ancient decaying modem or a beat that rotates a little to quickly for comfort this is more than just a pretty album, this is a record with genuine bite. 2010 may have been a year where young Mr. Blake grabbed the headlines but Four Tet reminded us that ambient music's veterans are still streaks ahead of their mainstream competitors.

46. The Sea - Corinne Bailey Rae

(EMI 2010, Steve Brown)

Few were predicting great things from Corinne Bailey Rae in 2010, her debut was the kind of bland radio friendly soul-lite that sells well but excites few. If few were predicting great things from Rae, then even fewer were predicting a bleak emotive power house of a record, but that's exactly what she delivered. It may on the surface of things appear like a stark change of direction, but in the four years since her self titled debut a lot changed in Rae's life. In 2008 her husband overdosed on methadone and alcohol, overcome by grief Rae became a recluse and didn't re-enter the studio until 2009. Not only did Rae return with a bleak but fiery attitude she also embarked on a series of bold stylistic alterations.

Vocally she began to smoulder on verses, while offering up dynamic variation of tone in the chorus; playing with blaring tonal contrasts. In the studio she said goodbye to isolation and introduced a live band to play at her side. The resulting record was tremendous. The playing felt loose and free. Tracks like "The Blackest Lily" sees the band jamming, letting rip when they feel like it, and generally having a good time. The result is a more organic feel. Of course when it comes time to be precise, as on the tragic but enticing "Love's On It's Way", the arrangements swell beautifully creating emotive peaks and troughs. Rae's ultimate evolution, however, comes as a songwriter. The Sea is dominated by tracks that just breathe, there are no short sharp hooks on tracks "Are You Here", instead mood and texture prevails as Rae finds herself happy to let emotional poignancy triumph over immediacy.

45. Am And A Killer - Gonjasufi

(Warp 2010, Flying Lotus & The Gaslamp Killer)

Sumach Ecks emerged in 2010, not only as one of the year's most exciting and forward thinking musicians, but as one of the year's great voices. As the hype machine cranked into action in January and February we quickly became prepared for some of the slickest and sexiest beats of the year. The gorgeous lo-fi, chilled, psychedelic hip hop beats that inspire on Am And A Killer draw comparisons as far a field as Bradford Cox, Raekwon and Goerge Harrison, or some on holy hybrid of the three (and hundreds of others), yet it was that cracking haunting vocal that really steals the show on Am And A Killer. Ecks is just fascinating, he captivates, one minute he's crooning like a soulful sage and next second we find him manically rambling like Tom Waits stampeding his way through Hyrule. Of course before you can settle down on an 8-bit groove he'll suddenly switch things up and introduce a barmy folk stomp. Trying to sum up the scope of Am And The Killer in just one paragraph is an impossibility. This is a record that if you dig deep enough will contain an element or a link to each and every record on this 100, and amazingly, despite these wildly contrasting influences,Ecks still manages to create some perfect pop moments, just try to resist "Deut", I dare you.

44. Hidden - These New Puritans

(Angular/Domino 2010, Graham Sutton)

Who would have though the year's finest hip hop bassline would come courtesy a deep blast of Czech horn compliment by a thundering percussive attack by These New Puritans? Okay, so "Three Thousand" might not literally be a hip hop beat, but even Mr. West would have to concede that it was one of the year's most innovative and sexiest beats. Hidden as an album is full of contradictions, gimmicks and most importantly it was full of ambition. These New Puritans seemingly decided to go hard or go home with this effort; as they combine the smashing rhythmic attack of Sleigh Bells, with a full orchestra, a range of vocal harmonies, and some goofy quasi-rapped, quasi chanted vocals. The resulting sound was surprisingly groovy, intriguingly dark and oddly accessible.

Outside of "We Want War" and "Attack Music" there are little in the way of traditional singles to be found on Hidden (and it's not like either of those tracks are dance floor smashes) but for all the experimentation and all the counterintuitive lines of attack this is still and album that is fundamentally listen-able. While These New Puritans may have been aiming for the air of a maniacal religious cult, and they do achieve that goal, at times Hidden sounds genuinely hilarious. There is a wonderful playful humour to the brass arrangements and this is at heart a very cheeky LP. Big, bold, ambitious, artsy, accessible and charming Hidden is all these things, and more, and that accomplishment is not to be sniffed at.

43. Ali & Toumani - Toumani Diabate & Ali Farka Toure

(World Circuit 2010, Nick Gold)

Each year it seems an album comes out of left field to capture the world's attention. Records like Ali & Toumani, the type that stick out like a soar thumb in list's such as mine, are always impossible to place. Ali & Toumani is not representative of any scene, or a particular movement in popular culture (in fact it's almost by chance that his record ever came into existence), instead Ali & Toumani is the kind of record that leaves you transfixed. On your first listen you are struct by the gorgeous textures, the light and delicate instrumentation and the control of mood. On subsequent listens you begin to feel inspired, you mind becomes filled with possibilities, you draw connections, you see which artists have been inspired by the Mali sound, and you begin to wonder what the likes of Erza Koenig could create if he got his hands on a Malian Kora.

Credit must go to Nick Gold, as a producer he captured this session and persevered to secure the record's release. What he captured was the work of two season professionals just clicking together perfectly. Even in ill health Ali's bass work and timing were not diminished, while Toumani's flamenco back ground comes to the fore as he supplies some wonderfully vivid flourishes. Ali & Toumani is ultimately one of the year's airest and most inspiring offerings, a slew of final soundtrack offers doubtlessly await.

42. How I Got Over - The Roots

(Def Jam 2010, Richard Nichols)

2010 saw the Roots not only come out of a retirement that no one quite believed in in the first place, but it saw the collective return in prolific form. One minute they were beefing up Duffy's sound on her comeback single "Well, Well, Well" the next they were teaming up with John Legend on the Wake Up. In amongst all this activity their actual return, How I Got Over, almost got lost in the shuffle. Excellence is expected when ever Questlove gets the gang together, so when they dropped what is effectively "just a Roots record" the music world seemed underwhelmed. Of course, while How I Got Over may not have pushed the boundaries of Hip Hop or offered anything particularly new, it instead settled for producing a string of brilliantly producer and precisely executed slices of divine hip hop.

Thoughtful and tight, those are the two words that best define How I Got Over. The Roots as a band are an incredibly slick unit. The beats and soft grooves flow effortlessly as you drift from one track to the next/ There is a breezy and engaging charm to The Root's music. Even as the vocalist and rappers change they manage to maintain a wonderful sends of tonal harmony, even as they switch from cutting political critiques to soulful introspection the overall work never fragments. You feel The Roots could do this in their sleep. How I Got Over is so calming and so considered, it has the feel of a mature work by an assortment of level headed deep thinkers. This approach may lack visceral punch but it more than compensates with bags full of heartfelt soul.

41. Love Remains - How To Dress Well

(Lefse 2010, Tom Krell)

How To Dress Well is ghostly debut from R'n'B artist Tom Krell. Love Remains represents one of 2010's finest debuts as he married the more mediative and ethereal movements that have emerged from within baroque pop, indie and ambient music to his graceful R'n'B vocal tones. It irks me, and feels inaccurate, to label How To Dress Well, or any of his peers, Chillwave but it is the closest approximation to the sound he achieves on Love Remains. Krell is careful on this record to keep his vocals always slightly out of reach, there is a sense of distance between the performer and the consumer. We hear Krell speak in half heard whispers and on occasions, as on the beautiful "You Hold The Water" Krell's vocal will pierce the sonic fog that surrounds him creating the record's most poignant moments. There are clear shoegaze parallels in Krell's work, but he feels too at home with his on hazy sonic textures for that comparision to be apt. It is as if he's been overtaken by the soundscapes themselves. The skipping vocal samples that anchor "Ready For The World" occupy the foreground alongside screaming blasts of electro noise while Krell and the rhythm section appear adrift. Only on the album's one live track ("Walking The Dumb") does Krell appear to take the centre ground. Instead on the vast majority of Love Remains the listener is forced to revel in this sense of dislocation. The effect, while not always entirely clear, is continuously intriguing and surprisingly touching making Love Remains one of the year's most fascinating debuts.

The Top 50 Albums Of The Year 2010

2011-01-01T21:46:00.012Z

It's been a busy month here at the Cultural Evaluation Facility. While I've been presenting you with the top 100 tracks of 2010 I've been writing end of year lists, commentaries and obituaries for 411mania and preparing articles for my latest employer GuitarPlanet.eu. So Unfortunately I won't be able to present the full top 100 albums of the year. I will list 100-51 but the write ups will start at fifty.

With that in mind lets take at look at those who just missed out:

100. Over Steps by Autechre

99. Authenticity by The Foreign Exchange

98. Mount Wittenberg Orca by Dirty Projectors & Bjork

97. The Drums by The Drums

96. Majesty Shredding by Superchunk

95. Dark Night Of The Soul by Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse

94. Nothing Hurts by Male Bonding

93. Down There by Avey Tare

92. Basic Instinct by Ciara

91. Further by The Chemical Brothers

90. King Of The Beach by Wavves

89. Final Frontier by Iron Maiden

88. My Best Friend Is You by Kate Nash

87. Danger Days... by My Chemical Romance

86. New Amerykah Part II... by Erykah Badu

85. Latin by Holy Fuck

84. I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone by Crime In Stereo

83. We Were Exploding Anyway by 65DaysofStatic

82. Clinging To A Scheme by The Radio Dept.

81. King Night by Salem

80. Interpol by Interpol

79. Stridulum II by Zola Jesus

78. Does It Look Like I'm Here by Emeralds

77. This Is What Happens by Reign Of Kindo

76. Losing Sleep by Edywn Collins

75. Loud by Rihanna

74. Seasons Of My Soul by Rumer

73. Gemini by Wild Nothing

72. Eyes And Nines by Trash Talk

71. Pilot Talk by Curren$y

70. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man On Earth

69. Cosmology by Rollo Tomassi

68. Generation Hex by Drums Of Death

67. Real Life Is No Cool by Lindstrom & Christabelle

66. IRM by Charlotte Gainsbourgh

65. Teeth Of The Sea by Your Mercury

64. Go by Jonsi

63. Astro Coast by Surfer Blood

62. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian

61. Subiza by Delorean

60. Grinderman 2 by Grinderman

59. Guitar Songs by Jamey Johnson

58. Night Work by Sister Sisters

57. Lisbon by The Walkmen

56. /\/\Y/\ by M.I.A

55. Innerspeaker by Tame Impala

54. The Fool by War Paint

53. I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling

52. Sisterworld by Liars

51. Thank Me Later by Drake

The Track Of The Year 2010

2010-12-31T19:10:00.004Z

"Home" - LCD Soundsystem

(DFA 2010, The DFA)

A brief glimpse at this year's countdown will tell you that 2010 was a great year for melancholy. From dancing with tears in our eyes and questioning our sexuality to warning our lovers to run for their lives this year has been dominated by heartbreak; at times it's was ethereal and light, as demonstrated by Caribou and Robyn, while at others it has been painstakingly overwrought, just ask Messrs West and Butler. It appears fitting then that my choice for single of the year, the sublime "Home" by LCD Soundsystem, is one that provides resolution and emotional maturity through considered reflection.

If "Home" can be summarized in word it would be fitting, and perhaps even timely; just as James Murphy decides to head off into sunset and get behind the production desk permanently he produces "Home". A track which represents his final chance to get things right. Not only is This Is Happening LCD's supposed last album, but "Home" is his final track, the end point for a revered project. Unsurprisingly for a band that has always been about age and evaluation "Home" represents the final dance and the final chance to make sense of everything. The crushing emotional lows of "All I Want" and "I Can Change" come full circle here with the cries of "You're Afraid Of What You Need" and decision to let go and move on.

Similar to Murphy's other masterpiece "Dance Yrslf Cln" you're never quite sure whether Murphy is speaking of himself and LCD Soundsystem or of a distant relationship and his youth. Regardless "Home" is loaded with the kind of wonderfully insightful lines that capture a man coming to terms with himself, and his past, as he prepares to move on to the next stage of his life. Of course being Murphy he's still determined to enjoy one final moment on the dancefloor as he solemnly but resolutely commands: "Forget Your Past, This Is Your Last Chance Now, And We Can Break The Rules Like Nothing Will Last; You Might Forget, Forget The Sound Of My Voice, But Don't Forget, Yeah, Don't Forget The Things That We Laughed About".

What Murphy expresses on "Home" isn't cool and it certainly isn't sexy, but it is incredibly bold. To say goodbye, to give up on the good times, to walk away from your youth and to accept what is come takes a level of maturity and assuredness that few other artist posses. While Win Butler spent the year mourning his youth and bitterly revisiting these issues of isolation and detachment; Murphy took a deep intake of breathe, cleared his mind, and took a bold stride into the unknown. As a result "Home" is hard to place emotionally; it's an uncomfortable, saddening but not regretful good bye. There is a sense of pride and resolution that comes with embracing and overcoming this kind of emotional stumbling block. "Home" is therefore therapy through expression; rather than bottling up emotion "Home" is all about release. It is not an aggressive outburst, nor the decision to run away, but instead understanding and embracing what is holding you and your loved ones back. "Home" is in essence acceptance, and beautifully worded acceptance at that;

"No One Ever Knows What Your Talking About,

So I Guess Your Already There,

And No One Opens Up When You Scream And Shout,

So It's Time To Get A Couple Of Things Clear,

You're Afraid Of What You Need,

Look Around You,

You're Surounded,

I't Won't Get Any Better"

It was a beautiful ride Mr. Murphy, we will always remember the good times, and we'll definitely remember the good times, but the party is over, it's time to take you and LCD Soundsystem home for the last time.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (10-2)

2010-12-27T17:33:00.016Z

10. "Shutterbugg" - Big Boi feat. Cutty

(Def Jam 2010, Big Boi)

As punishment for producing a record that wasn't commercial enough in Jive's eyes, they decided to not only delay the record by two years but to pull Big Boi's Outkast band mate Andre 3000 from the record. Not only were we denied some potentially stunning tracks but Big Boi found himself without his lead single. "Royal Flush" the track that had grabbed the hip hop world's attention was now absent. Not phased in the least Big Boi laid down "Shutterbugg"; a feel good club track of mammoth proportions. Starting with one of the deepest and sexiest bass lines of the year Big Boi built an instantly quotable track full of unique flourishes and clever ploys that helped "Shutterbugg" feel like more than just a throwaway single.

Of course as much fun as singing "back to life, back to reality" is, it will always play second fiddle to a bassline that burbled relentlessly. After all, it was that line accompanied by some carefully deployed synths that made "Shutterbugg" the perfect track to cut a rug to on the dance floor or to chill at home with in your headphones. Smooth as silk, and yet suitable gangsta, this was the hip hop single of the year.

9. "Odessa" - Caribou

(City Slang 2010, Dan Snaith)

If "Shutterbugg" delivered the year's best and most memorable bass line then Dan Snaith's beef dubby creeping bass line is a worthy runner up. "Odessa" is a more subtle but no less creative affair than my number 10 choice. The rich bassline hides distorted vocal sequels, plummeting synths, glitzy keys and even some floating woodwinds. The whole track comes together beautifully, flowing and building elegantly. While the bass may be allowed to stampede the rest of the track remains controlled and even the cowbell stays contained and considered. All this control of tone, volume and mood allow the track's soft and bleak vocals to garner incredible resonance.

"Odessa" really comes into its own lyrically as we told the story of a lover pushed to the edge amid this slight but still nightmarish arrangement. We are given the effect of the quiet riot, the anger, hatred and frustration building up and simmering. Rather than being unleashed in one bombastic blast we are instead treated to calm but firm resolution. The narrative becomes incredibly touching as Snaith makes no effort to embellish, there are no screaming fits, no murderous ramages just a story of every day emotional frustration set against a gorgeous beat. As "Odessa" beautifully puts it this is the tale of taking it slow, day by day, and letting it all build up inside of you and then just letting it go; "And I've Been With You, For All These Years, Tell You What I've Got For All These Tears; The Times You Hurt Me, And Treated Me Wrong, Something Had To Give, To Stop This Thing Going On."

8. "Dancing On My Own"/"Hang With Me" - Robyn

(Konichiwa 2010, Klas Ahlund)

"Just Don't Fall Recklessly Headlessly In Love With Me, Because It's Gonna Be All Heartbreak, Blissfully Painful and Insanity, If We Agree"; has declaring yourself damaged goods ever sounded so good? On "Hang With Me" Robyn warns her potential lover right at the outset that she's no good, they can have fun, they can sleep together, and everything will be fine as long as they go no further than friendship. Robyn naturally sets her stall out on her own terms, she may be chronically fucked up but at least she knows it, and her own emotional fragility in no way comprimises her strength of character on this sublime slice of electro pop. The electro-beat has a wonderful sense of rise and fall throughout the chorus while the verse is driven by a momentum filled beat that has the feel of determined footsteps. The whole package comes together perfectly; it's light in tone but not in thought.

"Dancing On My Own" on the other hand captures Robyn in equally resolute mood, but rather than dictating she finds herself in the corner of the dance floor bitterly dancing with tears in her eyes. In many ways "Dancing On My Own" is the classic break up song. Robyn has broken up with a guy and he's moved on to the next girl within seconds. Like a thousand foolhardy spurned lovers Robyn goes out to prove him wrong, to spy on her ex-lover and to win him back and to show his new floozy up. It goes as badly for Robyn as would for me, you or anyone else who has had these stupid and impulsive thoughts run through their head. The beat is very much secondary to a powerhouse performance by Robyn, her observations and her phrasing on this record are scarily perfect, from the tone to the intention, she nails every frayed emotion from "I'm Right Over Here, Why Can't You See Me?" to "I'm Just Gonna Dance All Night, I'm All Messed Up, So Outta Line, Stilettos And Broken Bottles, I'm Spinning Around In Circles". "Dancing On My Own" represents a feeling and ritual that so many of us have gone through but something that so few pop stars have managed to capture perfectly in verse.

7. "Dance Yrslf Cln" - LCD Soundsytem

(DFA 2010, James Murphy)

It's amazing how something so simple and so minimal can have such a big impact. If I were listing the tracks that I'd listened to most this year "Dance Yrslf Cln" would have been the run away winner, and yet even after all those plays, and all that rotation that pitter patter beat and those big thudding slabs of synth still send shivers down my spine. As the album opener for This Is Happening "Dance Yrslf Cln" should have given the game of the way. Murphy feels tired, as if he and his friends are the last group left at the bar and its time for them to move on, not just to another bar, but with their lives as separate individuals. "Dance Yrslf Cln" therefore plays like a drunken and impassioned ramble, starting by cynically ranting about what is expected of him before lavishing praise upon his friends and cohorts, and cursing lost opportunity.

As Murphy notes "Everybody's Getting Younger", he's becoming dislocated in a young mans game and so much of his life and so many opportunities are passing him by. While the track may be framed as a heartfelt goodbye to friends, an apology to a lover and as a last hurrah, its not hard to see that "Dance Yrslf Cln" represents Murphy's own internal monologue as he prepares to call time on LCD Soundsystem. When he cries "Break Myself Into Bigger Pieces, So There's Part Of Me Home With You" it's clear that Murphy is weighing his options; wishing he could continue to have fun on the road but realizing he'll never have time to produce or run his label and as he points out, if you keep on waiting and putting things off "You Miss The Best Things To Do". Aside from all the self analysis and the obvious parallels "Dance Yrslf Cln" works beautifully a confused mid life crisis, a flippant rant, a sad goodbye, the decision to move on and most importantly that one final dance full of abandon. Wow, two whole paragraphs of analysis and I didn't mention that synth line, oh well, you undoubtedly know it by now, and if not, why not listen for yourselves...

6. "Spanish Sahara" - Foals

(Transgressive 2010, Luke Smith)

Foals came on leaps and bounds in 2010. Yannis and co. wasted no time launching their follow up LP Total Life Forever with the divine lead single "Spanish Sahara". Gone were the jagged jerky rhythms and the odd time signatures. In their place was a mature piece of textured songwriting. "Spanish Sahara" wasn't the sound of a band being clever or pithy, this was the sound of a band painting in broad emotional brush strokes and being unafraid to be overcome by grief and bitterness. Surprisingly Foals committed so throughly to this new sonic template that you never doubted Yannis' delivery, not even for a second, as he laid out his feelings plainly and with unmistakable imagery ("Now I See You Lying There, Like A Lilo Loosing Air").

Musically, "Spanish Sahara" was allowed room to breath with a slow heartbeat of bass drum slowly guiding the track through a shimmering seven minutes. There is a bold sense of assuredness to Foals experimentation as they use natural sounds to give the sense of rushing air, breaking wavers and silvery reflective water. They conjure this beautiful sonic landscape that's rich in the imagery of the natural world but dominated by this looming sense of emotional isolation. It is as if Yannis were walking slowly across mountains or sitting on an empty beach staring lifelessly out of sea and watching grains of sand fall through his fingers. "Spanish Sahara" swells to a wonderful climax, as Yannis exclaims "A Choir Of Furies In Your Head, I'm The Ghost In The Back Of Your Head" you almost feel the track's protagonist breaking through to the surface and gasping for air as he overcomes, and unleashes, his internal torment.

5. "Easy" - Joanna Newsom

(Drag City 2010, Joanna Newsom)

When those eccentricities that served to define a singer's voice begins to disappear that usually signals the end of a prominent career; as a vocalist's unique selling point fades she essentially loses her edge. In 2010 Joanna Newsom lost her voice, the quirky story teller of the middle ages was gone, and in her place stood a tender, smoky and surprisingly sexy toned woman. Yet being Newsom, this wasn't the birth of a soul diva, that'd be too simple; those weird wobbles and that haunting strained tone that emanated from the back of Newsom throat still break their way through her croon adding character and giving tracks like "Easy" an unsettling ambiance.

Rather than sounding wicked or feeble, Newsom now sounds strong, enticing and all too convincing as she coos; "I Am Easy, Easy To Keep, Honey You Please Me Even In Yourself". This new half way house voice has a wonderful deceptive feel, she sounds sexy and subservient like a classic Motown diva, but she also sounds psychopathic, overly intense and so saccharine that she verges on bitterness as she reassures her lover that he has nothing to fear. Of course he should be fearful and Newsom unconditional love soon transforms itself as she sings beautifully but pointedly: "Who Asked You? Who Asked You If You Wanted To Be Loved By Me?". "Easy" represents Newsom at her best; weaving complex narratives, changing tone and mood at will, and singing in undeniably beautiful voice. You'll find it almost impossible not to fall for Newsom as she sweetly sings "I'm Your Little Life Giver".

4. "The Battle Of Hampton Roads" - Titus Andronicus

(XL 2010, Kevin McMahon)

Sometimes it feels good to take each of your fingers, ball them up real tight, and just punch the air, or the wall, hell kick the table, scream out aloud, and while your at it why not dance like a complete fucking idiot. "The Battle Of Hampton Roads" captures this feeling perfectly. It's all about frustration boiling over. It's about hating yourself. Hating the world. Hating everything. Because no matter where you look you see hypocrisy layered on top of more hypocrisy and fear. Of course most of us never do anything about it, we just sigh, or maybe we punch the wall, but we never say what we really want to say, and we never do anything, because the entire weight of human idiocy is a lot for one man to tackle, and who are we to tackle it, and on our own?

Well Titus Andronicus take all that pent up rage and scream it out. Their voice markedly cracks and quivers but they say it anyway. Delivering these absolute lyric gems in process; phrasing frustrations perfectly whether they be external: "The Things I Used To Hate I've Now Learnt To Respect", "Is There A Girl At This College Who Hasn't Been Raped, Is There Boy In This Town Who's Not Exploding With Hate", "Is There A Human Alive, Ain't Looked Themself In The Face Without Winking...Without Saying "What If Someone Don't Approve"?", "And Half The Time I Open My Mouth To Speak It's To Repeat Something I Heard On TV" .

Or Internal: "I'm As Much Of An Arse Hole As I've Ever Been And There Is Nothing About Myself That I Respect", "A Hand And A Napkin When I'm Looking For Sex", "There's No One To Talk To When I'm Feeling Depressed, So Now When I Drink, I'm Going Drink To Excess" and "I Want To Spit The Face Of Your Idea Of Success". Sometimes it just helps to get it all out right? Even if your throats pretty soar afterwards.

3. "Impossible Soul" - Sufjan Stevens

(Asthmatic Kitty 2010, Sufjan Stevens)

On occasion an artist pulls off something so magnificent that you just take a step back and admire its eccentricities and its grandeur. The scope of "Impossible Soul" is mammoth, the three part epic serves as the 25 minute closer to Sufjan's latest offering Age Of Adz. With this single mini-opus Stevens manages to capture the adventurous spirit and the essence of invention that exudes from Age Of Adz's every pour. There is a wonderful sprawling and theatrical thread to "Impossible Soul" as Sufjan is drawn across the entire sonic spectrum of his work; with blaring horns, pulsating laser blasts, hovering sirens, spiraling strings, booming synths, tender plucked guitar, thunderous bass, multi-part harmonies, evil auto-tune, and seemingly everything else in his and his orchestras repertoire.

Yet as Stevens himself cries: "Don't Get Distracted"; and as a reviewer it's easy to get lost evaluating one section, or one movement of this sprawling piece. There is so much going on, and the auto-tune quasi-R'n'B breakdown and the mid track electro-squelch backed big chant along chorus are so distinct and so far removed from the track's ethereal opening that it becomes easy to forget that this is just one piece. It feels like a world unto itself, and entire EP's worth of ideas, sounds, hooks and themes, and yet its not. "Impossible Soul" is just one very long and very brilliant track. Full of crescendos and standout moments; whether it's lamenting the impossible soul or crying out "Boy We Can Do Much More Together" Sufjan has created an incredibly engaging work that never bores, and never strains the listener. There is so much to enjoy that you end up wishing certain sections would last that little bit longer or be entire tracks in their own right.

If "Impossible Soul" were to be condensed down into one motto it would be oft echoed refrain of "It's Not So Impossible". "Impossible Soul" is a track that for all its bewildering scope and its insurmountable sense of artistic accomplishment still manages to inspire. Encouraging the listener to lose him or herself in the music, and to revel in the recognition of how much can be achieved if you just try.

2. "Runaway" - Kanye West

(Def Jam 2010, Kanye West)

Now that is a tough act to follow, but then again, Kanye West has never struggled to overcome expectation. In fact, he spent the vast majority of 2010 whipping up buzz and playing the role of the crazed hype man. His promises were so ridiculous, his ambition so huge and his publicity stunts so ludicrous (and so groan inducing) that he simply had to deliver. "Power" set the stage perfectly, it was a tub thumping lead single that showed remarkable promise with its sublime production and its nods to prog rocks rich history of innovation, but it was merely a stage setter for what was to come. "Runaway" dropped, if that's even the right word, with a 45 minute art house music video/movie that was at times staggeringly beautifully (see the "Runaway" dance scene) and at times cringe inducingly bad (see all of Kanye's acting). Yet behind all this silliness and behind all the pomp laid one of the most awe inspiring works of the past decade.

The solemn strikes of a solitary piano key set the stage for an exploration of emotional fragility from one of the music world's biggest and most bloated egos. The production was haunting, "Runaway" was the kind the of track that sent shivers down your spine before you could even wrap your head around its lyrical content. At the track's heart was a cocky superstar who despite his fame and superstardom was and is a complete screw up at love and romance. Who when coming to terms with his own deepest emotions is just as confused and scared as the rest of us; whether than manifests itself in sending his bitch a picture of his dick or pleading for his lover to just run away before she gets tangled up in his web of emotionally infancy.

"I Was Never Much Of A Romantic, I Couldn't Handle The Intimacy", that one line sums up the entire track; "Runaway" is a toast to idiotic lovers, who screw everything up, who make the wrong decisions and can't stop themselves from thinking the wrong thoughts. It's the essence of self centred romantic self destruction. Ultimately, it's one of the year's most human tracks from one of world's most inhuman and unlikable egos.

"Runaway's" best, however, is saved till last; as biting strings accompany that solitary piano line Kanye's voice is ripped and distorted by auto-tune. Everything comes crumbling down, into one painful, drawn out mess. It's frustrating, heartbreaking, and completely unavoidable; "Runaway" trudges on with this sense of decaying beauty, a last soaring ode to what has been lost and what has been wasted because of our own, and his own, stunted emotional inadequacy. C'est Magnifique.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (20-11)

2010-12-23T16:32:00.014Z

20. "Window Seat" - Erykah Badu

(Universal Motown 2010, Erykah Badu)

Erykah Badu returned in 2010 with the slightly underwhelming New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh), it was always going to be a struggle to live up to expectation but Badu did herself no favours by releasing "Window Seat" as the lead single. A wonderful piece of minimal soul that was perfectly poised to take on the pop charts without sacrificing any of its emotional integrity. The track's pacing is gorgeous as Badu seems to drift to one mood to the next as she stares out the window, sometimes despairingly and sometimes with softer more reflective tones. Badu's control of mood is so subtle you can never quite tell whether she's singing with a tear in her eye or with a coy shake of the head and a wry smile as she croons: "I Need You To Me Miss Me".

19. "Angel Echoes" - Four Tet

(Domino 2010, Four Tet)

Some tracks just send a shiver down your spine. Even on my thirtieth or fortieth listen the distorted, fragmented, skipping vocal line that anchors "Angel Echoes" still manages to capture my imagination. "Angel Echoes's" opening is so nondescript you find yourself being lulled out of focus, you won't quite be able concentrate on such a flat arrangement, so when that ever so soft but piercing vocal sample begins to emerge you are immediately struck, as if caught by surprise. From then on in "Angel Echoes" never looks back marrying the hauntingly beautiful vocals to a fast evolving concurrent beat that feels disjointed at first but soon builds to a wonderfully understated and beautiful crescendo.

18. "Celestica" - Crystal Castles

(Fiction 2010, Ethan Kath)

Alice Glass found herself reborn in 2010, well on record at least. Gone was the wild woman dripping in blood and swinging punches; in her place stood a sensitive and fragile songwriter. Of course on stage, the old Alice was back, and in the live arena that visceral chaos is essential, but on record this softer more human version of Alice was far more interesting. A confused, frustrating, flirtatious and genuinely lovable woman, one who softly whispers: "When It's Cold Outside Hold Me, Don't Hold, When I Choose To Rest My Eyes, Coax Me, Don't Coax Me." It proved a pivotal moment for a band who have never struggled to appear cool but have often failed to forge emotional connections. Of course behind Alice's tender fragility laid a suitably irresistible slice of ambient indie disco courtesying of Ethan Kath making "Celestica" the ideal lead single for the latest evolution of Crystal Castles.

17. "Power" - Kanye West

(Roc-A-Fella 2010, S1)

Kanye has always had a knack for narration. While some have suggested that he lacks a sense of humour and that he takes himself far too seriously; they couldn't find themselves further from the truth. If My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy taught us anything it's that Kanye is keenly aware of himself, his image and the public's perception. Kanye uses these preconceptions to create space for artistic exploration; they serve as enablers for him to discuss whatever it is that he wants to. Therefore the choice to sample "21st Century Schzoid Man" was not only apt but incredibly witty. It was Kanye West telling the world that he gets the joke, and it was also the first warning that he was about to blow our collective minds. "Power" was bold, brash, addictive and incredibly inventive; and ironically, by letting his inner child run wild Kanye would conquer the world.

16. "Invisible Light" - Scissor Sisters

(Polydor 2010, Stuart Price)

It may seem like an obvious statement but the Scissor Sisters have this incredible capacity to capture any one aspect of the G-A-Y scene and definitively crystallize it in sound. If "Filthy Gorgeous" was a moment of drug laden and entirely shameless sexual madness then "Invisible Light" is something bolder and more reflective. Like "Filthy Gorgeous" it takes the stereo-types of the genre; simultaneously transcending and redefining them. "Invisible Light" is bigger, bolder and more ridiculous than its peers and yet it is somehow more meaningful. It all sounds ludicrous; the lyrics are so overblown and Jake's delivery is suitably sexualized, but even though "Invisible Light" has all the hallmarks of parody it never feels anything but credible. Even when Ian McKellen emerges with the year's best cameo (sorry Robert and Mark E. Smith), it serves to add humour but it never detracts from "Invisible Lights" emotive pull or its dance floor credibility. After all, that is the point, that when your surrounded by all this excess, all this depravity and all this ridiculousness you can still be enticed forward, taken completely and entirely by lust. It's that one unique feeling that the Scissor Sisters have managed to soundtrack so perfectly; being struck by the "Invisible Light" in the midst of the grotesquely gorgeous depths.

15. "Glitter Freeze" - Gorillaz feat. Mark E. Smith

(Parlophone 2010, Gorillaz)

Mark E. Smith dancing to laser gun synths and an burbling LCD Soundsystem style groove. It sounds ridiculous, or at least like a late night piss up somewhere in Manchester, but in fact it was the premiere cut from Gorillaz's world in decay sci-fi opus Plastic Beach. Dancing in the apocalypse is a phrase used so often that it borders on cliche, and yet it perfectly represents "Glitter Freeze". You feel as if your space fighter has lost control, that your spiraling aimlessly towards the ground and the ship's computer, the one upon which every aspect of your life relies, is failing, and the only person left to pilot the ship is the insane rambling northerner who has been babbling about the end of world for the past three decades. It sounds darkly humorous, even terrifying, but it's not, it's one of the sexiest dance floor hits the summer.

14. "Come With Me" - CEO

(Sincerely Yours 2010, CEO)

It seems that between Robyn and Ceo they've established, as if we didn't know already, that Scandinavia owns pop. No matter how creative, quirky or abstract their inspiration or the their soundscapes, it seems you just can't keep our northern neighbours from stumbling across irresistible hooks. I'm sure Ceo would love us to talk about the creative arrangement, the subtle samples, those stunning strings or that gorgeous flourish of harp, but we can't. They are all merit praise and the arrangement shows amazing craft but they will always be secondary to those smooth as silk melodies. "Come With Me" is a track that just glides, and even when the bass pumps and the samples rattle, the track never loses it's heavenly demure as it floats effortlessly past the listener. "Come With Me" has a wonderful fleeting quality that makes you want to return again and again to try grasp this airy and weightless wonder.

13. "I Walked" - Sufjan Stevens

(Asthmatic Kitty 2010, Sujfan Stevens)

You have to sit back and wonder where Sufjan Stevens would be if he gave up the ghost and decided to be a pop star. Honestly, listening to "I Walked" you just know that if he ever really wanted to conquer the world he could. The melodies on this track are so divine, the hooks so gorgeous and the lyricism so poignant that "I Walked" is simply impossible not to fall in love with. Musically it's just as strong; stylish scrapes, crystalline synths and the most wondrous harmonies of the year swell together to make "I Walked" an incredibly stirring listen. Yet for all of the track's layers and artistic depths its most touching and memorable moments are its most simplistic. The way Sujfan softly coos "Lover Don't Look At Me Now", and of course the gorgeously defiant cadence as he's sweetly grandstands: "For At Least I Deserve The Respect Of A Kiss Goodbye". Make no mistake, this is the most perfect pop music that next to nobody will hear. Just how Sufjan has managed to avoid releasing "I Walked" as a single remains an inexplicable mystery.

12. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" - Arcade Fire

(Mercury 2010, Marcus Dravs)

"They Heard Me Singing And They Told Me To Stop, Quit These Pretentious Things And Just Punch The Clock, These Days My Life I Feel It Has No Purpose, But At Late At Night The Feelings Swim To The Surface"; it's a simple sentiment but one that has rung so true for so many of us. Being told to fly straight, give up your silly fantasies and just get on with "life". It's frustrating and it sparks internal rebellion, you want to run away and indulge yourself with people who really "get you". Of course, as Regine finds out in "Mountains Beyond Mountains" the bright lights of the city aren't always what they seem, and the same pressures that plagued your life and your conscious at home will find a way of catching up with you.

It's heartbreaking stuff, but then again, "Mountains Beyond Mountains" is all about being caught in the moment and giving yourself over to an idea so completely that it drives and sustains you. Behind all this empathetic exploration is a glorious new wave disco synth line and a dancefloor stomp that just a year ago would have seemed incompatible with Arcade Fire's aesthetic, but today it feels natural. Evidence that Win and Regine will try anything to fully realize their artistic vision. "Mountains Beyond Mountains" is 2010's soundtrack to being completely and utterly lost in the moment.

11. "I Can Change"/"All I Want" - LCD Soundsystem

(DFA 2010, The DFA)

"I Can Change" and "All I Want" marked the emotive low point of This Is Happening. After the thrills of "Drunk Girls" and "Dance Yrslf Cln" and before the chin up resolution of "Home", Murphy is reduced to a bitter, confused and pleading emotive state as he yearns for his lovers pain. "All I Want" is vicious but never feels malicious, these are the cold and unsentimental words of a lover spurned. Of course this is Murphy we're talking about and his resolve soon breaks and he once again finds himself pleading to be taken home.

"I Can Change" drops the Bowie references (well to an extent) and sounds like more joyous fare, yet while Murphy's sense of irony may return, his lyricism is no less poignant. Transitioning from the too cool for school lover who'll never change ("Bore Me, Hold Me, And Cling To My Arm") to the the knowing critic who is desperate to hold onto his lover while continuing to be the awkward know it all that alienated her in the first place ("Love Is A Curse, Shoved In A Hearse, Love Is An Open Book To A Verse Of Your Bad Poetry, And This Is Coming From Me"). The situations may be different, but Murphy still finds himself helpless and begging. Evidence that no matter how cutting, ironic and witty you may be, love is still fucking confusing.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (30-21)

2010-12-19T18:22:00.014Z

30. "I Feel Better" - Hot Chip

(EMI 2010, Hot Chip)

Hot Chip got serious in 2010 with an album dominated by straight bare faced emotion. Of course being Hot Chip while consumed with pleading love and tearful reflection they still managed to pen some of the year's most infectious singles. No one track captured their talent for making the extremely sentimental not only cool but incredibly danceable more than "I Feel Better". It is one of those rare tracks whose vocals are constrained and downbeat but whose beat manages to shimmer, bounce and erupt joyously. They toe the line perfectly; creating a substantial work, that while weighty, never feels weighed down. The strings which punctuated what is essentially a minimalist beat add gravitas to the work while Alexis' vocals feel vital without being forceful. The end result is a unique feeling perfectly captured; a celebration of love and hope by protagonists so jaded that they can only tentatively embrace their new found happiness.

29. "Looking For What" - Lindstrom & Christabelle

(Smalltown Supersound 2010, Lindstrom)

You just can't undervalue coolness. It may sound silly but you really can't. "Looking For What" sounds sexy from the word go as Christabelle delivers a cold but captivating performance on vocals. Switching between flat retorts and a sweet pre-chorus. At first "Looking For What" seems a little suspect. It is so slick, so cold, and so cool that you feel it must be a send up. You feel Lindstrom must be mocking hipsters world wide by creating an ironic lead single, but that track soon develops as Christabelle lets her hair down and Lindstrom's beat begins to fray at the edges. The track becomes human as Christabelle declares "Girl Kick Off Your Shoes And Feel Free" and Lindstrom allows thudding keys to break through the skipping synths as straight faced cool is replaced by a playful grin.

28. "Monster" - Kanye West feat. Rick Ross, Bon Iver, Jay-Z & Nicki Minaj

(Def Jam 2010, Kanye West)

If you weren't convinced already "Monster" should have definitively proven that Kanye West is one of the greatest producers walking the face the of earth. The beat for "Monster" is sick to say the very least mixing incomplete skipping vocals with odd angular grooves Kanye created a varied beat that changes mood and pace at will without ever running the risk of feel disparate. Nicki Minaj of course steals the show away from her male counterparts with 32-bars of pure energy; allowing her over blown character to run wild devouring everything and everyone in its path. Kanye, while unable to match Minaj, lays down some choice lines of his own: "You Will Never Get On Top Of This, So Mummy My Best Advice Is Just To Get On Top Of This." Ultimately "Monster" triumphs because it captures some 2010's top talents having a good time and playing around with one of the year's silliest concepts and sickest beats, what's not to love?

27. "Kasia" - Rolo Tomassi

(Hassle 2010, Diplo)

Rolo Tomassi took bold strides forward in 2010. First they recruited M.I.A's super-producer Diplo and then they set about taking their Jazz influenced Hardcore to the next level. It was no secret that on their debut Hysteria the most discussed jazz elements were more complimentary flourishes than core structures, but on Comsology Rolo Tomassi set about forging a more mature and considered sound. "Kasia" was the end result a sprawling track that isn't in a hurry, it floats gorgeously before entering into a wirey electronic groove, teasing the listener, you know the pounding riffage is coming but they make you wait, they tease it out. This allows both "Kasia's" tender and more visceral moments to carry genuine weight. "Kasia" suggests that truly great things are to come from Rolo Tomassi.

26. "Because The Night" - Bruce Springsteen

(Columbia 2010, Jon Landau)

It may have taken 32 years but "Because The Night", the pop masterpiece that Springsteen handed to Patti Smith on a plate, finally got an airing in its original form. It's a testament to Springsteen's talent and his commitment to artistic integrity that he gave away such a perfect pop song. In 1977 Springsteen wasn't in the mood for cheery pop he wanted to forge a dark and affecting LP and "Because The Night" didn't fit the bill so he began calling his friends. Patti Smith's version will always be the best, it just meant to more to her, but there is a real joy at being given this brief glimpse into music history and Springsteen's artistic process. Springsteen's version is earnest, tough and straight, it lacks the fragility of Smith's work but packs plenty of punch and is characterize by Springsteen determined drive. Ironically it was that quality that would lead him to spurn "Because The Night" to enhance Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

25. "Giving Up The Gun" - Vampire Weekend

(XL 2010, Rostam Batmanlij)

"Cousins" saw Vampire Weekend at their most energetic, full of bluster and pent up energy. It was a great taster, a warm up to the main event. "Giving Up The Gun" the second single from Contra showed Vampire Weekend at their best. A shuddering burbling groove propelled the track forward while quick injections of calypso guitar punctuated Erza's key lines before the synths oscillated into to one unwieldy beam of energy. While all this was going the track still manage to shimmer and sparkle around Erza perfectly pitched vocals. The melodies proved irresistible creating a charming and a surprisingly inventive whole; braver and more intricate than their critics would give them credit for, "Giving Up The Gun" is the kind of forward thinking pop that only Vampire Weekend can create.

24. "Cannibal" - Ke$ha

(RCA 2010, Dr. Luke)

Amazingly for a woman who relies almost entirely on sleazy sex rhymes the surprisingly subtle, if unsurprisingly infectious, "Cannibal" has a nursery rhyme like quality. Like all Ke$ha's best work the track layers shameless hooks ontop of one another, starting out as a cheeky sex rhyme it almost feels as though Ke$ha gets bored half way through the track and decides it's time for huge hands to the sky chorus and some dance floor synths. Of course this is all the product of meticulous design and Ke$ha and her co-writers are shrewd, and despite its brain dead facade so is "Cannibal". Ke$ha writes truly awful music, but she writes it better than anyone else, and this is the key to her success. Tracks like "Cannibal" are flithy and morose, and could be played for laughs, and while the jokes do come thick and fast, Ke$ha continues to keep a straight face putting the listener in a tricky position either be in on the joke or have the joke be on you. Most of course don't care, indeed thinking just kills the buzz.

23. "Conversation 16" - The National

(4AD 2010, The National)

High Violet was a masterpiece of perpetual gloom. The consistency of tone was remarkable; even when the mood was more upbeat Matt Beringer's vocals remained mournful. Despite dealing with such rich emotion and subtle textures it didn't stop The National from creating some moments of pop perfection in the form of some stand out singles. "Conversation 16" stood out instantly, you can almost hear Beringer taking a deep sorrowful intake of breath before he can muster the spirit to softly float through the opening verse. His vocals are gorgeous and you find yourself completely taken by his plight as he passes from one image and one experience to the next. The arrangement does a remarkable job of feeling poignant without crowding the track. The weight of regret and burden of belief may be heavy but "Conversation 16" manages to feel spacious and the track has a strolling quality. Allowing the track's sense of pity to become addictive rather than overwrought. "Conversation 16" simply feels low key, allowing its quiet self doubt to appear insurmountable.

22. "We Want War" - These New Puritans

(Domino 2010, Jack Barnett)

"We Want War" the signature track from These New Puritans breakthrough sophomore effort Hidden has a real monolithic quality. Sure it has a quirky ramshackle charm but at its core we find a band willingly attempting to create a work of great scope. Pounding tribal rhythms and swirling woodwinds never allow the track to settle, it feels constantly on edge, constantly alive, and as a result the listener has to be alive to every possibility. Even after multiple listens you'll never be quite sure what's waiting around the next corner as addictive rhythms rumble in and out of view while multi-part harmonies elide together. The work is so disparate and varied it's a tribute to These New Puritan's skill as composers that "We Want War" hangs together so convincingly; held by its formidable sense of foreboding. This is evidence of a band entering a purple patch.

21. "Rude Boy" - Rihanna

(Def Jam 2010, Stargate)

"Rude Boy" marks Rihanna's fourth entrant in this year list and that is no mean feat. Considering that I decided to exclude the superb "What's My Name?" it shows just how great a 2010 Rihanna has had. While other pop stars have penned better singles and assembled stronger albums over the years few will have penned a work as instantly credible as "Rude Boy". A great deal of praise must go to Stargate who is fast proving himself to be one of the most talented and versatile producer in pop music today. As a track "Rude Boy" remains constantly in your face. Rihanna's delivery is flat, serious, and yet brassy. There's no sass or cheek; it's straight, self assured resolution as Rihanna takes the role of sexual predator. A woman who gets it whenever she wants, from whoever she wants, always her own terms. Make no mistake this is premiere pop.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (40-31)

2010-12-18T20:21:00.014Z

40. "Over" - Drake

(Young Money 2010, Boi-1da)

Drake almost got lost in 2010. He had so much hype coming into the year, and despite delivering a sublime album he found himself overshadowed by Kanye's pop masterpiece and Big Boi's master class in progressive hip hop. Regardless, Drake's contribution should not be over looked, and "Over" is a classic example of what he does best. The track is loaded with attitude, has plentiful style and light but still impressive production. Drake is left to take centre stage and he flourishes in the glare of spot life with a self assured verse and one of the coolest choruses of the year, after all who doesn't like snarling "who the fuck are y'all"?

39."When The Wind Blows" - Iron Maiden

(EMI 2010, Kevin Shirley)

The Final Frontier saw Madien trying to push forward and evolve without sacrificing their core song structure. The results were certainly mixed but the surprisingly contemporary "When The Wind Blows" caught Maiden at the top of their post-80s game with a tender ballad that possessed the waltzing quality of Dance Of Death but with thoroughly contemporary and meaningful lyricism. It was great to hear Maiden taking the role of spokes person for a generation; showing the benefit of age they manage to sound sage and yet still engaged. No folklore, no myth, no metaphor this was Bruce Dickenson speaking plainly and creating a rich and immediate narrative. More of the same please boys.

38. "Month Of May/The Suburbs" - Arcade Fire

(Mercury 2010, Markus Dravs)

The Suburbs was always going to be one of the years most anticipated releases and to wet our appetites Win unleashed a double A-side single. "Month Of May" was a snarling assault on scenesters that saw Arcade Fire offering their take on the Ramones and the riff heavy rock of QOSTA. Of course, they're take was a little quirky but it added a short, sharp and almost lo-fi edge to their big band arsenal. While "The Suburbs" set the scene for the forthcoming album. A charming suburban waltz layered with overwrought emotion (check the "send me a son" verse if you don't believe me). It plinks and it plonks as Win marries reflection to depression via brief bursts of escapism as he revisits his past and the lives of so many others. The track has a soothing mythical air and as a one two punch "The Suburbs/Month Of May" proved irresistible.

37. "Vampire Money" - My Chemical Romance

(Reprise 2010, Rob Cavallo)

MCR gave up the ghost in 2010 and just decided to have a damn good time and the handclap filled, Sweet meets the Ramones stomp of "Vampire Money" characterized their new riotous and gloriously camp approach. "Well...3...2...1...We Came To Fuck, Let's All Party Till The Gas Man Comes" sums the whole affair; shameless thrills delivered with an ironic wink and a blown kiss. Chaos will undoubtedly ensue when they unleash this blast of frivolous punk bombast on next summer's festival crowds whether they're reluctant or not.

36. "Tell 'em" - Sleigh Bells

(Mom + Pop 2010, Derek E. Miller)

Picking just one track to represent Sleigh Bell's incredible art house bluster and their 2010 run of storming singles was nearly impossible; but when push came to shove I threw my weight behind "Tell 'em". It has all the Sleigh Bells trade marks; a sky scraper sized beat, a soaring riff, thunderous hand claps, a intoxicating cheerleader style string of vocals and a juddering sea soaring final riff. Then of course just when you think they've pulled out every trick in their arsenal an arpegiated synth line comes floating in. All these elements shouldn't work, it should be a nightmare but it's not, to put it as succinctly as possible: it's fucking cool.

35. "Basement Scene" - Deerhunter

(4AD 2010, Ben H. Allen)

Halcyon Digest was a sublime start to finish work and it feels wrong pulling a single track way from among its album mates but alas I had to make a choice and "Basement Scene" felt like the perfect representative. Chilled, dreamy, infinitely hummable and full of pithy endearing lyricism it captures Bradford Cox at his best. Creating music that shimmers and intoxicates the listener by creating an atmosphere and a sonic landscape for his audience to get lost within. "Basement Scene" may just be the most soothing melancholy ever committed to record. This is a record that transports you onto it's dreamlike plane, and that takes a special kind of talent.

34. "S&M" - Rihanna

(Def Jam 2010, Stargate)

If you haven't gathered by now, then I'll just have to tell you, Rihanna owned pop music in 2010. Not just with insanely catchy beats, but with brave arrangements, sassy character and a genuine charm. "S&M" saw Rihanna put slick R'n'B to one side and offer up a slice of driving, tub thumping power pop. The track just trusts forward relentlessly, and by being slightly retrospective and picking the best bits of electro-pop in the last decade she avoids feeling tired and scene like so many of her contemporaries. Oh and it of course it helps when you have a divinely sexy chorus: "I May Be Bad, But I'm Perfectly Good At It, Sex In The Air, I Love The Smell Of It, Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But Chains And Whips Exite Me."

33. "Lights" - Interpol

(Matador 2010, Interpol)

2010 saw Interpol giving up the pop ghost and returning to grim faced emotive gloom. While at times it felt tired in other moments it ignited as on the haunting lead single "Lights". Paul Banks stands out alone against a spacious soundscape and delivers a rich and stirring lead vocal performance punctuated by heart breaking cries of "That's Why I Hold You Dear". It may have felt too late in the day but it recalled the mood and emotion first approach of their stunning debut Turn On The Bright Lights. The track spirals away, it doesn't aim to please, it doesn't aim for the charts it simply immersed in it's own deeply personal moment.

32. "Not In Love" - Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith

(Fiction 2010, Ethan Kath)

Question: How do you make a great track even greater?

Answer: Add Robert Smith.

Robert Smith was initially impressed by Alice Glass and Ethan Kath when they supported the Cure on their NME awards show big gig at the O2 Arena. They seemed like an unlikely pairing sonically, but the aesthetic connection was always there. That being said I doubt anyone expected their collaboration would work this well; creating one of the winter's biggest indie disco hits and giving Crystal Castles the smooth emotive face they've always lacked (even if they didn't necessarily need one). A wonderful example of what can happen when two distinct but infinitely creative generations come together.

31. "Tightrope" - Janelle Monae feat. Big Boi

(Bad Boy 2010, Nate Wonder)

"Tightrope" saw the collision of two of 2010's biggest creative forces, but let's face it, for all his talents Janelle totally blew Big Boi out of the water. Monae is relentless it feels as though she is hunting down the beat, staying insatiably on edge, always driving forward. Big Boi for his part is smooth as silk providing a slower change of pace. That statement alone should give you an idea of just how on it Janelle is. "Tightrope" almost feels like a stream of consciousness as Monae rocks from one random thought and one internalized conversation to another over a fun and thrilling arrangement that marries bursting jazz energies to sexy soul and propulsive pop. Utterly irresistible.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (50-41)

2010-12-15T18:14:00.014Z

50. "Life Coach" - Fang Island

(Sergeant House 2010, Keith Souza)

"Life Coach" is a hypnotizing waltz of a track with a great lurching beat. You get the sense that the band are only just in control of the behemoth that they have created as the track flows unweildly from one place to the next. Their is a genuine bursting quality to the record, as if every last second of the track refuses to be contained, it's shudders and crunches with a kind of joyous energy perfectly summarized by the kinetic quasi-nursery rhyme lyrics. Full of life, energy and expression; "Life Coach" gives the illusion of chaos while Fang Island carefully maintain control of one of the year's daffiest tracks.

49. "Tyrant Destroyed" - Twin Shadow

(4AD 2010, Chris Taylor)

George Lewis Jnr. sure knows how to make a first impression. "Tyrant Destroyed" the lead single and album opener from his captivating debut Forget possesses a wonderful sleepy charm. It caresses its way into your mind before embedding itself in your cranium. The track is a charm ditty about the deep regrets of a lover spurned and a love lost; Lewis tells his tale in such soft tones you can never quite tell if he's overcome by resignation or depression, either way the track works to perfection. Intelligent reflection delivered with the pop prowess of Vampire Weekend and the soulful gloss of Grizzly Bear.

48. "Rhinestone Eyes" - Gorrilaz

(Parlophone 2010, Gorrilaz)

Plastic Beach was an incredibly diverse record tied together by a greatly detailed and continuous concept of a bizarre and deeply unsettling artificial world of recycled plastic electro garbage. As a result the singles always felt unnatural and odd when displaced from the main work, there were, however, some notably exceptions including the gorgeous "Rhinestone Eyes". Glorious glitzy dancefloor synth lines seem to shower down from above while Damon mournfully trudges through his downbeat verse. The end result is a quirky (naturally), slice of depressive but never downbeat death disco.

47. "Goodbye" - Best Coast

(Mexican Summer 2010, Lewis Pesacov)

In the surf rock revival of 2010 there have been a plethora of highs and lows; moments of brilliant experimentation and awkward embarrassment, but of all the bands who have staked their claim to the surf rock crown it was the band who played it straight who proved the most endearing. Beth Cosentino wrote short sharp effecting pop songs, and at it's best, even on the divinely melancholic Surfs Up, that is what Surf music has always been about. "Goodbye" is a shady ironic pop song, you can imagine Beth awkwardly scratching the back of her head as she sings the line "Every time You Leave This House, My Life Falls Apart". The track goes straight to the heart of emotional frustration; Beth isn't clear or focused but that's her charm, she doesn't know what what will make her happy, but she knows that she isn't, and sometimes the expression of confusion and of those emotions that you can't quite put into words, end up making the most powerful sentiments and the most affecting pop songs.

46. "Blah Blah Blah" - Ke$ha feat. 3Oh!3

(RCA 2010, Benny Blanco)

You have no idea how much it pains me to put the name 3Oh!3 in any article that includes the word "best" but alas thanks to their association with Ke$ha they are due some hand me down praise. Anyway, in one simple statement Ke$ha summed a decade of binge drinking, sexualization and idiocy: "Don't Be A Little Bitch With Your Chit Chat, Just Show Me Where Your Dick's At." "Blah Blah Blah" is a social document of our times, an unintended commentary on 24 hour drinking culture, of blaring synths, inane lyricism, and moral apathy. Good times first, consequences second, hooks over meaning, body before brains; auto-tuned art where even the rappers are phoniesthis was music of the moment that defined the moment.

45. "One Life Stand" - Hot Chip

(EMI 2010, Hot Chip)

From an artist and a track devoid of emotional sensitivity to a group who choose to dance with tears in their eyes. "One Life Stand" is classic Hot Chip in many ways, sensitive, mysterious, oddly sexy, outwardly nerdy, intricately layered, completely unavoidable and possessing a dark and a times unsettling edge. "One Night Stand" shifts effortlessly from charming calypso groove to sharp stainless electronica before bursting into jagged indie balladry. The track revolves around Alexis' sublime central hook "I Only Want To Be Your One Life Stand, Tell Me Do You Stand By Your Old Man?" He has such a tender delivery you can almost picture him staring at his shoes and awkwardly hoping his love will stay with him to the end of time. Few other acts could, or would even dare, to inject this much emotion into what is essential fun time electro-pop.

44. "Oh So Protective One" - Girls

(True Panther Sounds 2010, Chet White)

Why does nobody else seem to listen to Elvis Costello these days? Well whatever the reason, Girls are certainly handed a huge advantage by so readily taking up his mantle of pent up emotional out pourings delivered with a barbed tongue. "Oh So Protective One" is Girls at the top of their game retro-inspired pop music dripping with emotion and loaded with instantly quoteable lines. Girls end up sound-tracking a mournful sixties prom night, complete with romantic failure, repressed emotion and lonesome reflection. The tragic is finale is punctuated by a rich horn solo that transforms stoned regrets into a state of wonderfully miserable ecstasy.

43. "I Only Know (What I Know)" - James Blake

(R&S Records 2010, James Blake)

James Blake is so talented it's positively unseemly. The haunting and distant "I Only Know (What I Know)" was pieced together from old snippets of Blake playing bursts of piano recorded on a PC microphone. As a result you get this wonderful static sound that James plays around with, letting it fizz and thrust forward as little glimmers of harmonies rise suddenly only to be ushered away quickly. Jabs of unfinished piano lines flitter into view softly before receding as if they are just on the edge of the sonic horizon. The use of silence in itself is incredibly bold, the way he let's phrases just drop abruptly and shimmer out of focus hazily, only to be replaced by nothingness. Strings are mutated and stretched to create something that's equal parts bleak, beautiful and imposing. Incredible artistry that dares to defy definition.

42. "Ready To Start" - Arcade Fire

(Mercury 2010, Markus Darvs)

You have to wonder if Win Butler woke up one morning and said: "Arcade Fire need a set opener that will win over 40,000 strong crowds instantly." I mean that has to have happened right? "Ready To Start" is just too energetic and too focus to be anything but the product of meticulous design and predetermined focus. Aside from its devastating immediacy "Ready To Start" is full of sharp pithy lyricism, typical overwrought emotion and a string of remarkably hummable punchy pop one liners. "The Business Men Are Drinking My Blood, Like The Kids At Art School Said They Would" yeah tell me about it Win.

41. "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" - Alica Keys

(J 2010, Noah "40" Shebib)

Alicia Keys is fast becoming the most frustrating artist walking the face of planet earth. How can she write ballads as powerful and as perfectly pitched as "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" and yet never settle down and focus on one coherent 40 minute record? It's a real annoyance, if this Alicia Keys turned up over 12 tracks she very well could very well be the best artist in the world right now. Perhaps it's her choice of writing partner, perhaps more praise is due to Drake for his co-writing credits on this track than he's previously received. Well whatever the case, "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" is stirring majestic pop of the highest order.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (60-51)

2010-12-14T18:03:00.013Z

60. "Man Down" - Rihanna

(Def Jam 2010, Shama Joseph)

Rihanna dominated the charts like no other in 2010 (even as we speak she has two singles in the UK top ten), yet while much of her best work came in the form of singles she also produced some staggering album tracks on Loud. "Man Down" was one such work, Rihanna decides to use her Barbadian accent to punctuate this slice of dance-hall inspired dark humour. Rihanna sings beautifully about shooting and killing her lover in grand central station, the track has a wonderful melodramatic quality; it's humorous and over-elaborate but it's also touching thanks, in large part, to Rihanna's wonderfully controlled delivery.

59. "On My Way Home" - Rumer

(Altantic 2010)

There are so many accolades a young artist can aspire to; an Ivor Novello, a Mercury Music Prize nomination, a five star review, and hipster approval courtesying of Pitchfork amongst other things, but few artists just beginning to make their way in the world can expect a five star recommendation courtesying of John Prescott. While the former Deputy Primeminster might not garner her credibility he certainly assured Rumer some media attention, and thankfully for her sake she delivered with tender ballads like "On My Way Home". Subtle, slow, not showy in the least, "On My Way Home" is classic soul, that plays within the rules but manages to hit all the right notes. (Sorry no video)

58. "Gemini" - Wild Nothing

(Captured 2010)

Shoegaze lamentations laid over classic eighties indie guitar work has become all the rage in the last few years. Thankfully, rather than being a watered down derivative Wild Nothing manage to sound both crisp and dreamy by substituting genuine innovation for immaculate delivery. "Gemini" is a wonderfully textured work, with a real soft and floaty quality the track manages to give the impression of being airy and lightweight, without actually being lightweight, the result is an endearing and substantial work. "Gemini" is what I imagine being haunted by The Smiths would sound like, and believe it or not, that's a good thing.

57. "Write About Love" - Belle & Sebastian feat. Carey Mulligan

(Rough Trade 2010, Tony Hoffer)

When it comes to the most distinctive sounds in music today, it's hard to think of a band more easily identifiable than Belle & Sebastian. Given their love of 60s pop music you'd think they'd sound derivative but they still don't; Stuart Murdoch still sounds like Belle & Sebastian and so does "Write About Love", and that's no bad thing. This is glorious charming and immediate pop music the kind that makes you wants to sing, dance and run around screaming your heart out all at once. You may be able to set your watch by Belle & Sebastian's sound, but you'd be hard pressed to think of a band who pen better pop songs.

56. "Space" - M.I.A

(XL 2010, M.I.A & Switch)

M.I.A had a rough year in 2010 but it didn't stop her from penning a gorgeously escapist day dream called "Space". The track first emerged as a leak called "All Dat I See" before being fully revealed on /\/\/\Y/|. In the early months of the year there was still genuine hope for her forthcoming LP and "Space" created a frenzy. Supposedly a response to violence in Sri Lanka the track actually worked best as a weightlessly exploration of freedom starting with wonderfully direct line "Gravity Is My Enemy".

55. "Fire With Fire" - Scissor Sisters

(EMI 2010, Stuart Price)

Some track's take genuine balls; when a pop group pen a track so big in scope and so shameless as "Fire With Fire" they risk a life time of ridicule if said track should flop. Jake Shears must have been terrified when he had to take to the stage of Glastonbury just a week after "Fire With Fire's" release and belt out that first verse. Luckily for him he had nothing to fear, as "Fire With Fire" is yet another brazen eighties anthem delivered with the Scissor Sisters' usual panache. Grand, inescapable and bold; qualities that at one time or another all great pop stars must display and that "Fire With Fire" has in spades.

54. "Bang Bang Bang" - Mark Ronson

(Columbia 2010, Mark Ronson)

Mark Ronson may just be the king of retrospection, while many others have attempted to revitalize the 80s few have succeeded quite as handily as Ronson. Part of Ronson's success is due to his sheer irrevence, it's hard to avoid "Bang Bang Bang's" charm, it's quirky awkward but always immediate. It's dated synth are produced with a nod and a wink and Q-Tip delivers a playful rap with a soothing tongue in cheek flow. While all this is going on Amanda Warner sets about serving up some self assured hooks with a real swagger that verges on being obnoxious. The whole thing came together in such a slick fashion that "Bang Bang Bang" became instantly quotable and eminently hummable.

53. "Queen Of Denmark" - John Grant

(Bella Union 2010, John Grant)

Has misery, self-doubt, bitterness, hate and depression ever been this much fun? Honestly John Grant sounds like he's having a riot across Queen of Denmark like the Rufus Wainwright singing an uber Queen ballad but with more humour and wit than either of those acts could ever muster. It's all about those ridiculous one liners, John Grant is the king of melodrama, he switches from the heartbreaking to the ridiculous mid sentance ("Whose Going To Be The One To Save Me From Myself, You Better Pack A Stun Gun And A Crow Bar"). John Grant's humour makes him completely unpredictable, you can tell a jokes coming, but you need God like prescience to guess the punch line. Honestly, even on the sixth listen I'm still surprised to hear: "I Hope You Know That All I Want From You Is Sex, To Be With Someone Who Looks Smashing In Athletic Wear." WTF right? But in a good way.

52. "Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do" - Robyn

(Konichiwa 2010, Klas Alhund)

Robyn ironically rages over a sexy and low key electronic beat. That's it, that sums up "Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do", it's simple but it's incredibly effective.

Okay longer version: Robyn leads us through everything that's killing her from her label and her PMS to her heels and her mother, it's a strangely captivating listening, as the arrangement gets steadily complex with electro burbles and subtle strings all building to one big bass drop. Gorgeously subdued, out of the spiraling quasi-rant come some genuine gems "Can't Sleep It's Killing Me, My Dreams Are Killing, The TV Is Killing Me, My Talking Is Kiling Me" but of course if you're not in the mood for reflection you can just dance to one of the year's most hypnotic beats.

51. "Super Heathen Child" - Grinderman feat. Robert Fripp

(Mute 2010, Nick Launey)

So how do you make one of the year's best singles even better? Add Robert Fripp of King Crimson fame of course. The god of left of centre prog rock was a natural fit for Grinderman's bizarre and barmy second album. Lyrically Nick Cave is just a riot firing out feral lyrics with a sense of menace only equalled by his humour: "You Think Your Great Big Husaband Will Protect You? You Were Wrong. You Think Your Little Wife Will Protect You? You Were Wrong." It's all a riotous good time and of course Fripp is on hand to delivered a sky scrapper sized solo that feels jaunty, uncomfortable and most of all cool as all hell. Oh and the video isn't bad either.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (70-61)

2010-12-13T16:00:00.014Z

70. "Acapella" - Kelis feat. David Guetta

(Will.i.am 2010, David Guetta)

Despite containing the brilliant single "Bossy" Kelis Was Here, Kelis' 2006 LP, was an commercial failure. "Acapella", the lead single from Fleshtone, therefore marks a noticeable change in direction for a woman who was once R'n'B's wild child. More relaxed, reflective and expansive "Acapella" is a slice of Balearic sunshine. David Guetta provides a typically serviceable synth line for Kelis' vocals to ride gently upon. "Acapella" proves that maturity and the considered approach suits Kelis down to the ground.

69. "I Am Not A Human Being" - Lil Wayne

(Young Money 2010, Lil Wayne)

It's been a rough year for Wheezy. Rebirth was a crime against humanity and if the derision of the critics wasn't enough Wayne's own stupidity landed him with an eight month prison sentence for weapons charges. It was looking bleak for a man who just two years ago was being hailed as Hip Hop's newest savior. Luckily in September Wayne burst back onto the scene with "I Am Not A Human Being" an urgent slamming single that felt instantly essential and more importantly saw Lil Wayne re-engaged with the music industry.

68. "Returnal" - Oneothrix Point Never

(Editions Mego 2010,Daniel Lopatin)

Daniel Lopatin stepped into one of the music world's most oversaturated markets when he decided to employ his arpeggiator to create the luscious skipping electronica of "Returnal". As is the trend in modern indie the whole affair has a ghostly and uncomfortable gothic glaze but at the tracks heart are these wonderful ambient flitters. The track has a great sense of depth, as different elements appear in the sonic background only to dart forward into the foreground, giving "Returnal" a vivid three dimensional experience full of movement and contrast, that feels ethereal if somewhat unsettling.

67. "Little Girl" - Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse Julian Casablancas

(Capitol 2010, Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse)

"Little Girl" was the surprising star of the long awaited collaboration Dark Night Of The Soul. This was short sharp and divine pop music, Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse's arrangement flows softly and has a wonderful intermediate pace perfectly suited to Casablancas' semi-rapped drawl. The Strokes front man's performance is among his best; his voice is sexy and engaging as his lines roll together building to an incredibly slick mid track guitar solo. Of course being Casablancas it's full of soundbytes and quickfire lyrical gems, and none was finer than: "The World Is Always Amazed At How Much Cash You Made, But Not At How You Made It, It's Just Strange". Sleek, sexy and atomspheric pop perfection.

66. "I Just Love You More" - Kate Nash

(Geffen 2010, Bernard Butler)

There was so much hope for Kate Nash's second album My Best Friend Is You, sadly Kate found herself in a frustrated state of mind searching for direction, and while that lead to some stand out moments it never translated into a truly moving statement. Back in March there was still genuine hope however and "I Just Love You More" got a lot of people excited as Kate turned her hand to some grimy dirty and above all atmospheric grrrl rock that recalled Karen O, PJ Harvey and surprisingly Love Is All. Rather than being a straight up derivative Kate brought her unique nonchalance and condescending sense of humour to the table, creating the feeling of a mild mannered girl getting obsessed, rocking out and then laughing at herself.

(Sorry Live recording only)

65. "Pyro" - Kings Of Leon

(RCA 2010, Angelo Petraglia & Jacquire King)

Come Around Sundown seemed to alienate Kings Of Leon's elder and newer found fanbases simultaneously as it was neither rocked hard nor was it loaded with immediate pop songs. Instead The Kings opted for a subtler approach. Slow gliding ballads, mournful laments and sun drenched instrumentation became the record's modus operandi. At their worst the Kings were now tedious, at their best, as on "Pyro", they were thoughtful and emotional rockers capable of carving out poignant ballads that would forge emotional connections with 50,000 fans at a time.

64. "Domestic Scene." - The Radio Dept.

(Labrador 2010, Johan Duncanson)

Shoegaze inspired pop appeared to reach it's zenith in 2009 with Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and The Horrors capturing the nation's imagination. Of course The Radio Dept. have been plugging away with their tender melodies and hazy walls of noise since the year 2000 but they only really garnered major attention with this year's Clinging To A Scheme. A charming record perfectly summarized by the patient and observant "Domestic Scene". A track that's in to rush to make an impact or to make it's point, instead it's happily to float gently and enter the listeners subconscious by gradual osmosis with it's subtle and sublime guitar work.

63. "Only Girl (In The World" - Rihanna

(Def Jam 2010, Stargate)

With each passing year Rihanna keeps inching closer to making that perfect pop record that we know she's capable of. She can do the lot; cutesy pop, R'n'B game changers, club bangers, gorgeous ballads and tub thumping pop, but she just can't quite put it all together. No matter "Only Girl (In The World)" sees Rihanna stamping her stilettos back onto the dance floor with a gorgeous groove, a soothing verse and a chorus so mammoth that it is positively inescapable. Rihanna truly has the midas touch, she can take all the most tired elements of dance and breathe new life into them instantly. Now don't forget to bounce when the bass drops.

62. "Little Freak" - Usher feat. Nicki Minaj

(LaFace 2010, Blac Elvis)

Usher is fast becoming the most frustrating artist in the world. How can he make a track as brilliant as "Lil Freak" and an album as insipid as Raymond v Raymond. It's become the pattern of the last five years, killer lead single, dreadful record; well regardless of the disappointment "Lil Freak" still finds Usher at his confident self satisfied best. Blac Elvis beat is subtly crafted; classic swirls surround Usher and dirty bass and horn accompany Minaj before the track builds to one big dirty bass outro. Now ask yourself, why can't he do this all the time?

61. Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na) - My Chemical Romance

(Reprise 2010, Rob Cavallo)

So who is the feel good party band of 2010? Wait...My Chemical Romance...that can't be right...surely? Well it is. Jagged Japan-o-pop guitars, sliding and spirally solos, inane lyrics, bouncy rhythms and shout it out loud hooks made "Na Na Na" the most inescapable pop song of the winter. After all who doesn't like shouting "Na Na Na"? It may lack the pomp and circumstance of the fabulously ludicrous "Welcome To The Black Parade" but as a lead single it's hard to think of anything release this year that's been this much fun. So come on, let's all hit a party with gas can because everyone wants to change the world but nobody wants to try apparently, well yeah, whatever.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (80-71)

2010-12-12T01:50:00.013Z

80. "Stay Close" - Delorean

(Mushroom Pillow 2010, Delorean)

Few were predicting Spanish synth pop to take off in 2010 and well it didn't, but that didn't stop Delorean from producing one superb ablum and one delightful slice of sun drenched synth serenity called "Stay Close". As is the way with these things "Stay Close" was unleashes on the UK in the midst of a frozen January but it didn't detract from the tracks innocent charms. "Stay Close" remains proof positive that given the chance the rest of mainland Europe can compete with the Scandinavians for the pure pop crown.

79. "Fuck You" - Ceo-Lo Green

(Elektra 2010, The Smeezingtons)

You just knew Ceo-Lo wouldn't drop just any old lead single to hype the release of The Lady Killer but "Fuck You" still managed to exceed all expectation. Not just because of the salacious chorus but because of the sheer melodrama of the track. The ludicrous cries of "Why!" where Ceo-Lo transforms himself into a giant blubbering baby are just unbelievable; when performed live you're left with a visual that's simply impossible to forget. "Fuck You" may not be revolutionary but it was totally unpredictable, imagine trying to envision this track in 2009; I'm still amazed it exists, and what's more, it's a hit!

78. "Derezzed" - Daft Punk

(Walt Disney 2010, Daft Punk)

Next summer just can't come fast enough. Seriously, can you imagine the reaction when Daft Punk drop this beat into the mix? It already feels like a natural transition between "Television Rules The Nation" and "Robot Rock". Sorry, I should describe the track, but with Daft Punk it's never about the one minute and forty four seconds of the single, it's about the possibilities, and "Derezzed" is a Pandora's box of pandemonium ready to be loosed on 2011's festival fields.

77. "Tornado" - Jonsi

(XL 2010, Jonsi)

Go may have been a bit too safe and Sigor Ros like for some, but behind it's relative conservatism laid some works of staggering beauty and limitless scope. "Tornado" is such a busy track, while Jonsi's vocals and the strings soar, cymbals crash, and subtly rattle while flourishes of piano punctuation key phrases. Then there's that fabulous percussive blasts that brings the track to it's conclusion. Grand, epic, imaginative, gorgeous; what else did you expect from Jonsi?

76. "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" - Owen Pallett

(Domino 2010, Owen Pallett)

Owen Pallett will always draw comparisons to Sufjan Stevens, so it was a relief in 2010 to see both men release two sublime and completely different LPs. "Lews Takes Off His Shirt" was one of the stand out moments on Heartland as the track marries electro burbles with classic woodwind instrumentation and deep oozing horns. The track has real life, colour and a wonderful sense of excitement to it. For a song that cries "I'm Never Gonna Give It Too You" Pallett has in fact given too much, creating a lush soundscape that you can lose yourself within for hours at a time.

75. "Flash Delirium" - MGMT

(Columbia 2010, Andrew Van Wyngarden)

MGMT scared the holy hell out of a lot NME readers when this track leaked on line in early 2010. The boys from MGMT said they were willingly trying to make the silliest track they could imagine, and while it might not be the silliest track ever released it's certainly a surrealist's paradise. "Flash Delirium" is exploding with ideas, and has more sublime hooks laid into it's incredibly dense four minutes than there were to be found on the entirity of Congratulations, and that ladies and gentlemen, was no mean feat.

74. "I Saw The Light" - Spoon

(Merge 2010, Britt Daniels)

Everything about Spoon has always been in the pocket; this is a band who are tight, sharp, controlled and most of all streamlined. Well that's the bad Spoon were, but that all when out the window on Transference; a record that in many ways was just another sublime Spoon record, but in another sense was a grand departure. Rough and ready guitar work, blaring levels, wayward choruses; Transference was less a precise bite and more of a big soaring hay-maker. "I Saw The Light" contains all these elements while managing to seamlessly drop back into classic Spoon midway through, with a gorgeous piano break over-layed with some unseemly distorted burbled vocals. Will Spoon ever put a foot wrong? Even when it's rough it still feels right.

73. "I Think Ur A Contra" - Vampire Weekend

(XL 2009, Rostam Batmanglij)

After supplying 32 minutes of sublime precision engineered pop Vampire Weekend decided to end their glorious second album Contra with the uneasy beauty of "I Think Ur A Contra". Erza's vocals remain picture perfect through almost oblivious to the twisting turning labyrinth of instrumentation that exists behind him. The way the band meld patted drums, melancholic strings and ethereal synths together is heavenly. I'm still not sure how they got there but Vampire Weekend somehow managed to end up with one densely layered calypso beat. You've got to give them credit, they'll find away to fit calypso riffs and African drums into anything, and more impressively they always seem to make it work.

72. "Come Tomorrow, Come Today" - Edwyn Collins

(Heavenly 2010, Edwyn Collins)

When the faintly sexy disco funk of "Come Tomorrow, Come Today" kicks in you almost forget you're listening to Edwyn Collins, not because this is out of his comfort zone, but just because his affable vocal never quite sits with the beat. Surprisingly, that's one of the track's great strengths. It feels as though Edwyn is doing his very best just to keep up, he has a lovely local pub singer charm, especially when he starts earnestly crooning. However, the happy go lucky pop teeters from pleasant to perfect when that brief sawing Johnny Marr guitar line slides in, it's brief, but it completes that track adding a helpful dose of bite.

71. "Telephone" - Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce

(Cherrytree 2010, Darkchild)

Few could have conceived that the short, sharp and essentially meaningless "Telephone" would spawn a bloated cinematic epic of a video. It did of course, and sadly it distracted from what is actually a masterfully arranged slice of pop ecstasy. "Telephone" is densely layered from softly strummed guitars, to ringing phones and staggering blasts of synths, every inch of this track has been masterfully orchestrated and carefully written. It's hard not to love that pulsating finale and the big woofing bass that accompanies Beyonce's verse. Like it or not, this is the hottest pop on the planet, and you know what, you should like it.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (90-81)

2010-12-11T15:54:00.013Z

90. "Pass Out" - Tinie Tempah

(Parlophone 2010, Labrinith)

Each year spawns its own designated club banger, and while "Pass Out" really conquered the nations dance floors in 2009, it transitioned it's way onto mainstream radio rotation in 2010. "Pass Out" felt like the coming to together of, and climax to, a great series of movements in British urban music. A dubby beat, a energetic breakdown and some sharp but largely raucous pop lyricism; "Pass Out" is perfect pop that should endure beyond its brief moment in time, even if the scenes that gave birth to it won't.

89. "Circuit Breaker" - Mark Ronson

(Columbia 2010, Mark Ronson)

Another year another disappointing Mark Ronson record, for whatever reason the superstar pop producer just cannot focus over twelve tracks. No matter, while the LPs may disappointed the singles never do and the Legend Of Zelda tribute "Circuit Breaker" is an 8-bit triumph. Oddly, no one prior to Ronson really took the 8-bit aesthetic into the mainstream. Ronson took the risk, and it paid of handsome, ratcheting up the hype prior to Record Collection's September release.

88. "Love & War" - Neil Young

(Reprise 2010, Daniel Lanois)

Le Noise was a remarkable marriage of Daniel Lanois studio sonics and Neil Young's unshakeable blustler. Oddly however, it was the album's most conventional moment "Love & War" that really struct a chord. Part mournful lament, part resilient shrug of the shoulders and part sorrowful shake of the head; "Love & War" found Neil Young in a reflective but ultimately confused state of mind, and the track's lack of a clear conclusion only added to its charm.

87. "Hypnotize U" - N.E.R.D feat. Daft Punk

(Star Trak 2010, Daft Punk)

Let's face it, N.E.R.D's production hasn't been up to scratch lately. There usually sharp and energetic beats have become flat and cliche, thankfully Daft Punk came to the rescue on "Hypnotize U" giving the track a spotless Eno meets Kraftwerk soundscape for Pharrell to letch over. Oh and boy how he letches, you can practically hear him panting at the back your neck. Sexy, perverse and undeniably cool; "Hypnotize U" is everything a N.E.R.D track should be.

86. "Did It On'em" - Nicky Minaj

(Young Money 2010, Bangladesh)

Pink Friday was such a tease. It's been a long time since an album started so promisingly only to go down hill at a cataclysmic rate. "Did It On'em" saw Minaj at the top of her game rocking over a sublime beat that refused to play to expectation. It's not all beat however, Nicky brings her A game as she promises to take a shit on the entire rap game. It's Minaj at her cocky, self assured best, but the question still remains where oh where was this Nicky on the rest of Pink Friday?

85. "Your Soul And Mine" - Gil Scott-Heron

(XL 2010, Richard Russell)

On an album of astounding breadth "Your Soul And Mine", Heron's most traditional effort, may just be his best. A slice of ghetto poetry delivered in beautiful voice and with the assuredness of an elder statesman. Richard Russell's production is also deserving of praise as his 21st Century electro-industrial hiss add a real cinematic quality to Scott-Heron's already powerful gravitas.

84. "Enter The Ninja" - Die Antwoord

(Cherrytree 2010, DJ Hi-Tek)

If you didn't feel just a little bit uncomfortable the first time you watched "Enter The Ninja" then your lying. Or perhaps I should rephrase, if your a man and you didn't feel a little uneasy watching Yo-Landi dancing in their internet (or should that be "interweb") sensation of a video then your definitely a liar. Often dismissed "Enter The Ninja" was actually a sublimely produced work full of humour and oozing with an awkward style that against all the odds still feels fresh after a year of heavy rotation.

83. "Tron Legacy (End Titles)" - Daft Punk

(Walt Disney 2010, Daft Punk)

Those expecting something more were left disappointed this month when Daft Punk delivered a film soundtrack that sounded, well, like a film soundtrack. However, there were some beautiful moments hidden in the rather spiritless Tron Legacy including the fabulous "...End Titles". A track which burbles and pulsates in classic Sci-Fi fashion before exploding into life with one glorious cinematic flourish. A suitable grandiose finale to a project that has dominated Daft Punk's landscape for far to long. Hopefully they'll get back to doing what they do best sooner rather than later.

82. "Ready For The World" - How To Dress Well

(Lefse 2010, Tom Krell)

Haunting skipping beats, ethereal vocals that always seem to flitter away just as soon as they begin to sink it, sound familiar? Well sadly yes, the haunted hipster shtick has been done to death in the last few years, but thankfully Tom Krell has perfected the art on How To Dress Well's captivating debut. Rather than just a lazy cliche, captivating is the word; "Ready For The World" captures your attention, first, as a curiosity but then as a slippery skipping masterpiece. Simply sublime.

81. "Cold War" - Janelle Monae

(Wonderland Art Society 2010, Nate Wonder)

Janelle Monae gave the worlds of pop, soul and funk one giant kick up the arse in 2010 when began to set the stage for The ArchAndroid in early February. "Cold War" was brimming with energy and fire, and yet still managed to maintain its soulful roots and slick pop control. Most of all Janelle Monae and "Cold War" felt fresh. The track had a wonderful airiness, it breathes and bustles, it feels urgent, energetic and immediate but never frantic. In short; "Cold War" gave soul it's fiery spirit back.

The Top 100 Singles/Songs Of 2010 (99-91)

2010-12-09T22:26:00.018Z

It's December and that can mean only one thing, yep you guessed it, tedious end of year lists, and I've got plenty of them for you. We're starting with the 100 Songs and Singles of 2010, and the Album's list will begin soon after, and if we have time before the new year I might just throw in a few surprises along the way.

Qualifiers: Now most of the tracks will be pulled from albums released in 2010, but exceptional singles released in 2010 from 2009 LPs will also be included. This year I've kept the title broad as I will dip between the key tracks of the year and the best songs of the year, so my apologies if you'd prefer an either or, but you are being treated to both.

So let's get this show on the road.

100. "Hahahaha jk" - Das Racist

(March 2010, No Label)

"We're Not Joking, Just Joking, We are Joking, Just Joking, We're Not Joking" well it turns out Das Racist are definitely joking on the gorgeously laid back "Hahahahaha jk". The facetious stoner rap band wagon just won't stop rolling and Das Racist are a fine addition to the 2010 crop and this track best summaries their carefree flow. "Hahahaha jk" is full of punchlines and obvious, but not too obvious, references perfect for watching life pass you by on hazy summer evening.

99. "Well, Well, Well" - Duffy

(October 2010, Polydor)

The Roots beefed up Duffy's sound with a biting and funky arrangement and Duffy followed suit, upping her game and delivering a sharp, energetic and snappy verse. The star of the show was of course Duffy's long notes and the delicious snap in her voice as she delivered a frankly inescapable chorus. Classy pop.

98. "Round & Round" - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffetti

(June 2010, 4AD)

Before Today was an album of staggering breadth; Ariel Pink hoped sub genres at will creating gorgeous psychedelia dream pop at every turn. Picking just one track to represent such a sublime album is no mean feat but "Round and Round" was that record's moment of pure pop immediacy with gorgeous harmonies that wash gently over the listener building to the moving plea of "Just Hold On".

97. "Alejandro" - Lady Gaga

(May 2010, RedOne)

"Alejandro" may sound more than a little reminiscent of Ace Of Base but it's still utterly brilliant. Pageantry, pantomime and excessive campness; "Alejandro" is the kind of beautiful silliness that only pop can produce. Like all Gaga's best work "Alejandro" possesses a great driving propulsive quality that keeps even the most cynical of heads nodding while Gaga lays on the theatrics.

96. "Devil's Spoke" - Laura Marling

(March 2010, Virgin)

Laura Marling's superb sophomore LP I Speak Because I Can launched the folkster from quirky outskirts to the top of NME's Cool List. Whether that placement turns out to be a curse or a blessing remains to be seen (after all it didn't serve Beth Ditto all to well). Regardless, Folk is always best when it has a real stomp; dignified delivery suppressing feral emotion, and with "Devil's Spoke" Laura Marling captured a untamed carnal energy perfectly.

95. "Blame Game" - Kanye West ft. John Legend

(November 2010, Kanye West)

The "Blame Game" marked the emotional low point of Kanye West's Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It saw Kanye's huge ego struggling to deal with the most basic issues of rejection. Using auto-tune and studio wizardry he created multiple internal narratives, from the meek to the violent, that were woven together to create a spell binding narrative. One of the best and most emotional powerful tracks of the year.

94. "Flash Over" - Klaxons

(August 2010, Polydor)

The Klaxons return ended in disappointed, as their once fervent fanbase had moved on and been replaced by a sweeping sense of apathy. It didn't help of course that Surfing The Void was a mediocre effort. Amid the growing pains were some genuinely irresistible singles including the riotous "Flash Over" a track that sent this summer's festival fields into rampant sweaty ecstasy.

93. "Dynamite" - Tiao Cruz

(July 2010, Dr. Luke)

Ah summer brings the worst out in us doesn't it? More wars happen in summer than in any other season and more musical war crimes take place too (well maybe with the exception of Christmas). However behind all this awfulness, there are certain tracks that are so simplistic and so much fun that they become genuine anthems. Tiao Cruz's "Dynamite" is just such a track, shameless, simple, fun; sometimes that's all you need.

92. "Hard Enough" - Brandon Flowers & Jenny Lewis

(September 2010, Daniel Lanois)

Brandon Flowers' Crossfire was largely derivative and patronizing but it did have some genuinely touching moments including the silky smooth pop of "Hard Enough". Keep It Simple Stupid, when Brandon Flowers' adheres to this guide line he tends to get it right, flamboyance isn't his thing, nor is urban story telling, he's not Eno and he's not Springsteen but he is a damn fine popstar. And when his vacant tones blended with Jenny Lewis strained coos they forged a small piece of pop perfection.

91. "Teenage Dream" - Katy Perry

(July 2010, Dr. Luke)

Whisper it...Katy Perry is actually starting to get quite good. She seemed to forget herself this year; she used to be the girl who wrote amazing singles and terrible albums, this year she wrote a surprisingly decent LP and some pretty regrettable singles. Now, there was one exception of course; "Teenage Dream" was a blast of driving pop that was infectious without being vapid, and for Perry, that was a major triumph.

System Of A Down And Slipknot Are Set To Return This Summer, But Should We Care?

2010-12-04T20:56:00.016Z

System Of A Down And Slipknot Are Set To Return This Summer,

But Should We Care?

In many ways the 21st Century festival circuit has been defined by reunions and legendary returns. The big question looming before Reading, Download, Isle Of Wight, Glastonbury, V and Sonisphere has often been, not which young band will step up, but which legendary act will return.

Of all the crazes of the past ten years the reunion, or re-live the past craze, is one of the easiest to understand. With so many mechanism with which to engage with music its unsurprising that the fans of the 21st Century have gained a great appreciation for the past, and, as we all know, there are few feelings more frustrating than that of missing out.

After all, we cannot help when we were born, nor can we magically spark a love for a band, it has to occur naturally, and for so many, it happens after the fact. Indeed, Rage Against The Machine found themselves transformed into one of the biggest bands in the world only after their retirement. They had always been popular, but in their prime, they played second fiddle, they were always the bridesmaids and never the bride at Reading Festival year after year. Yet come 2008, some eight years after their much publicized break up, they were catapulted to the top of the bill, and the headline slots have never stopped coming since.

Metal and hard rock has been affected by this craze more than other genres because, let's face it, the 21st Century hasn't been kind to metal. There have been some quite magnificent works created at the fringe, but few bands have transcended their own niches and provided those generation defining LPs that catapult you from the second stage to the top of the bill.

Five bands have tried, with varying levels of success:

Linkin Park: were the first, riding the nu-metal band wagon for all it was worth they combined irresistible hooks with agnsty lyrics designed to entice teenagers the world over. They were a huge success commercially, but artistically they've never shown any real merit, and, like so many of the 21st Centuries young upstarts, they've become a act of diminishing returns. Still popular, still satisfying, but sadly, still uninspired.
Rammstein: The German industrial rock gods set the ball rolling in the mid nineties but only really came to festival headlining prominence in the 2000s. Full of bluster and possessing one of the greatest stages shows one earth they earned the right to top the bill at Sonisphere last year, but despite their fearsomeness live show, their sonic limitations and one dimensional industrial metal bluster will always hold them back from true relevance.
My Chemical Romance: Catchy hooks, impeccable looks, and an army of teenage fans is always a sure root to world domination. Unfortunately for MCR they also happen to be one of the most divisive bands walking the face of the earth. The "emo" tag may be fading, but for the time being, they are too hated to provide the unifying, generation defining moments that we crave.

For better or for worse that leaves System Of A Down and Slipknot (and no, I'm not counting the Lostprophets and Audioslave failures as serious attempts at snatching the hard rock crown). Both bands peaked commercially and arguably creatively in the 21st Century; but does their return signal new hope for hard rock fans or are they simply the latest editions to the reunion circuit?

Perhaps more than any individual band the arrival of the Sonisphere festival has injected some urgency into the metal world. Now not only are their double the number of metal headline slots available, but there is genuine competition and conflict back in the metal world as the two mammoth festivals compete for our custom. This year Download has pinned their hope on System of a Down and Sonisphere has bet the house on Slipknot.

Slipknot have hardly been away, headlining Download just two years ago they finally made their long awaited step up from subs to full blown headliners. It was a historic and career defining moment for the Iowa nine piece but it was followed by an unexpected tragedy; the death of bassist Paul Gray.

Paul Gray's death threw the Slipknot off course, starting wild speculation about the band's future that was effectively ended with this morning's announcement by Sonisphere. The band, thanks in large part to Paul's death, are enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity, topicality and buzz. There is already talk that their headline slot at Sonisphere festival will be special a secial moment, but it won't.

Let us not forgot, despite their success at Download Festival, Slipknot are effectively a band on the decline. If Subliminal Verses was the perfect marriage of the band's guttural bombast and perchance of inescapable pop hooks, then All Hope Is Gone was an unimaginative side step. Full of attitude, full of hooks, but distinctly lacking in gravitas. 2008 felt like Slipknot's moment, their chance to conqueror the world, but it the end it appeared that they assumed Metal's thrown by default. Mortgaging the good will they'd earned in the past decade rather than reaching out and snatching the throne for themselves.

So now, two years later, and after two years of honest evaluation, Slipknot are still one of the biggest bands in the world with a formidable but distinctly passe live show. They have buckets of hits and now, with Paul's death, a sense of history, but essentially, they have nothing new to offer. They have effectively no reason to be on the scene, and their return to headliner Sonisphere seems cynical and flat. Metal still needs Slipknot, they are still the standard bearer, but they still aren't worth getting excited about, their the leading light among a dim bunch, and no amount of personal history can change that.

System Of A Down on the other hand have been revealed as the ace up Download's sleeve. The reunion that hard rock fans have been calling for ever since 2005, not because they missed out on System the first time, but simply because they missed them.

At the time 2005's Hypnotize and Mesmerize left fans deflated as, in the eyes of many, they compared unfavourably to System Of A Down and the hit laden Toxicity.

Yet looking back with 20/20 hindsight the double album/release of Hypnotize and Mesmerize showed a band at the top of their game attempting to seize the moment and do something special. System of a Down showed real bravery, and real ambition, marrying throwaway fun with thoughtful pointed critiques and unrivaled bombast.With a brazen confidence that boarded on nonchalance System were taking the role of scene leaders that no other band seemed capable of fulfilling.

Now, looking forward to 2011, System's is not a nostalgia trip; this is a band who are sorely needed return from a hiatus. Metal needs System to be out there; making double albums and pushing away at the boundaries of a genre that has been long absent from the mainstream and has a stale and decaying image (deserved or not).

System's 2011 return to headline Download Festival should therefore be viewed as a celebration of 21st Century metal's true leading lights; a band that are constantly challenging themselves, and constantly moving forward. They may fall flat on their faces but you can be assured that Serj and Daron will at least try, and when it comes to mainstream metal headliners in the 21st Century that's all you can really ask for.

Daft Punk Should Stop Making Albums, Immediately.

2010-12-04T20:42:00.004Z

Daft Punk Should Stop Making Albums, Immediately.

It's About Time The French Dance Deities Gave Up The Ghost, Stopped The Con,

And Stopped Releasing LPs Altogether.

Why do they bother honestly? Could there be any more pointless records than those made by Daft Punk?
A vicious cycle was created in 1997 when Daft Punk released Homewerk; an album, which despite featuring in every top 100 list of the 1990s from the mighty Pitchfork to my humble blog, was and still is utterly pointless.
2001’s Discovery would go on to be more revered, and more beloved, but it too was an exercise in wasting the world’s collective time and money.
Then Daft Punk truly gave the game away with 2005’s Human After All, a record that made no attempt to hide its sheer pointlessness
Okay, so by now you may be quite rightly perplexed, how can records that are held in such high regard be so flippantly derided. Well the answer is simply; Daft Punk don’t make good albums, they just don’t.
We’ve been going through the same process over and over and over again, and yet for some reason, the world seems to have some kind of collective amnesia when it comes to a Daft Punk album release.
So let’s review the process: Daft Punk arrive after an infuriatingly long wait at a seemingly random moment with a new album. By this point an uncontrollable wave of anticipation has developed, and the album disappoints.Homewerk and Discovery were fragmented awkward records, that didn’t flow in the slightest, staggering between moments of remarkable brilliance and uncomfortable irrelevance.
The critics of the day, doing their duty, dole out 3/5 reviews, and the music world seems strangely deflated, and thenit happens. Daft Punk decide to play live and they blow everyone away. Creating mesmeric two hour long mixes, never stopping to soak in applause, never wasting a second, always mixing, merging and layering beats, they force groups of 50,000 people to dance relentlessly, and then they stop, they stop playing and vanish for another five years, starting the cycle a new.
For others the experience is different, they don’t see Daft Punk live, instead they venture out to a club and hear the way “Da Funk” and “Aerodynamic” intertwine so brilliantly into the mix, how the tracks manage to simultaneously elide with and transcend those records that they are fortunate/unfortunate enough to be mixed with.
Then of course there are the remixes and samples. Artists as far afield as Kanye West and Rollo Tomassi will pinch and borrow Daft Punk’s inescapable beats unleashing them on a new and unprepared audience. In Kanye’s case he rode “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” all the way to the top of the charts.
Then the grand re-think occurs. Two or three years after Daft Punk depart the scene and go on another endless hiatus, those critics who once were skeptical begin to rewrite those mediocre reviews. Suddenly Homewerk becomes a five star classic, and suddenly music fans begin to speak of Daft Punk in hushed reverent tones all over again, setting themselves up for the next disappointment.
The mystery has been uncovered. Daft Punk don’t make proper LPs, and Homework, Discovery and Human After All certainly haven’t got any better, it’s just that their true purpose has been revealed. Daft Punk create collections of beats, samples and hooks, designed to layer and intermix with one another in the live arena.
Entire tracks like “Short Circuit”, “Steam Machine” and “Rollin And Scratching” exist only so that they can be reduced down to 15 samples which can seamlessly provide a segue from one hit to the next, or to beef up that final bass drop of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”.
So as critics scratch their heads and wonder why the long awaited Tron Legacy Soundtrack sounds so patchy, and while millions of fans rant in frustration “I waited five years for this!?!?!”; we should all remember that Daft Punk, whisper it, don’t make good records, they never have.
It’s time Daft Punk gave up the ghost and started releasing strings of singles and EPs and stopped getting everyones’ hopes up, because even though we should know what to expect, we can’t help but get carried away everytime a Daft Punk record is looming on the horizon.
Still thirteen years after Homework it’s hard to be mad, Daft Punk still make the best worst albums in the world, andTron Legacy is no exception.
So please Daft Punk lets have an end to disappointing faux albums and let’s have more moments like these:

Chico & Rita Review

2010-12-02T22:57:00.006Z

Chico & Rita Review

Chico And Rita, CinemaNX’s latest animated offering, is the brain child of Oscar Winning Belle Laqoue (1993) director Frenando Trueba and revered designer and artist Javier Mariscal. The two men bonded over their love of the Cuban jazz explosion of the late 1940s and early 50s when they collaborated on Trueba’s Latin jazz documentary Calle 54. This shared passion for the sound and spirit of 50s Cuba led them to start work on a feature length animated romance that they hoped would celebrate and capture a unique moment of societal strife and creative exploration.

On these terms Treuba and Mariscal succeeded; creating a gorgeous animation full of life and energy. Mariscal’s cityscapes are simultaneously sublime and whimsical. Havana is warm and vibrant, while still maintaining a cluttered and disorganised feel. Every scene is burgeoning either with painstaking detail or loose bright splashes of colour. Chico and Rita is truly a joy to behold. A chaotic pleasure to be gleaned from these hand animated scribbling that has been sorely missing in the age of Pixar’s clean, crisp and ultimately utilitarian computer generated graphics.

You forgive Treuba indulging in cinematic clichés, as even the most tired of scenes are given new life in Marisical’s glorious world. In New York Rita stares solemnly out of her high rise apartment window; in any live action film, this overly familiar visual would be greeted with a groan, but in Chico and Rita’s world it seems new. The quirks of Mariscal’s animation captures the busy essence of New York’s skyline in a way that no video or photograph ever could.
The variety of location is one of Chico and Rita’s great strengths. We get the contrast between imperialist extravagance and the life affirming spirit of the pre-revolution ghetto in Havana; we’re invited into the ice cool underground jazz clubs of smog laden New York before we’re jetted off to smoky Parisian walkways. Each city is given its own character and its own unique quirks, but none shines as brightly, or is as intoxicating as 40s Havana.

Musically Chico and Rita is sublime. As we journey across the world’s we’re treated to the sounds of all Jazz’s greats; Dizzy Gillespie unleashes a knotted trombone solo in Paris, while Chano Pozo‘s injection of rumbling percussion into Latin jazz is captured in New York. Everyone you’d hope to see make an appearance does (Thelonious Monk, Tito Peunte, Charlie Parker, etc.), and they’re all showcased in a satisfying but complimentary way which doesn’t take away or distract from the film’s core narrative, it’s engaging love story. Surprisingly then, jazz is used best, not in Chico and Rita’s superstar showcases, but in its subtle sound tracking. Dramatic car crashes, sultry footsteps and evil glares, all are brought to life by delightful flourishes of horns and melancholic thuds of piano.

Sadly almost all the emotion in Chico and Rita comes from the instrumentation and not the films two leads. Rita is not without her charms, a typical fiery but ultimately fragile heroine; she is easy to fall for as she stumbles from one distressing situation to the next. The same cannot be said of Chico, who is quite simply the most unlikeable romantic lead in cinematic history. His every decision, action and comment is morose and self involved. What I presume were supposed to be flirtatious one liners come across as cruel, unnecessary and charmless insults. As a result it’s hard to become fully engaged in the films romance. All the strife and hardship is caused by Chico, and by the end of the film you’ll find yourself at best hoping he doesn’t get the girl, and at worst not caring.

To make matters worse Chico and Rita are never kept apart long enough to allow genuine pathos to develop. Instead they are together, then apart, then together, and then apart again, so quickly, that their romance is more dizzying than epic.

Despite this key flaw that lies at the heart of Chico and Rita’s romance, the unmistakeable sense of atmosphere emanating from the musicianship and artistry more than compensates. The passion and emotion comes from the love of music, and while the romance between the two characters never ignites; it’s hard not to be moved when Rita, full of abandon, dances with a distinct sensual intensity while Chico playfully manipulates his piano keys.

Kanye West: The Man Who Taught The World To Talk (again)

2010-11-28T19:33:00.019Z

Kanye West: The Man Who Taught The World To Talk (again)

It has only been three days since the release of Kanye West fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the world’s critics and music writers are already at each others throats. The second Pitchfork doled out their first 10.00/10.00 score for a new recording since Radiohead’s Kid A the entire music world appeared sit up and take notice.

The Guardian reacted stronger than most throwing out two blogs in two days both decrying, not West’s album as such, but Pitchfork and Drowned in Sound's overwhelming positive reaction to it. Dorian Lynskey’s Guardian Music Blog really kicked the debate into the next gear when he told the world “it’s always worth pausing for breath when hyperbolic music spawns hyperbolic prose.” The reaction was predictably furious. Over two blogs and one review Kanye has already racked up a remarkable 500 comments with every expert The Guardian has to offer, from dupstep and grime lover Rosie Swash to indie Neanderthal Tim Jonze, throwing in their own two cents.

But while this largely facile debate about whether Kanye’s ...Dark Fantasy is a 10 out of 10 or a 4/5 continues, something truly special has been going on in the background. People of all persuasions, of all genres, have begun debating on and off line. From the hipster forums and pop gossip sites to your local bus stop; the arguments have been intense, underlined by great passion. What makes these debates and arguments so special is that for the first time, in what feels like an eternity, people are arguing about music on serious intellectual and emotional level.

Rather than talking about Gaga’s latest outfit or the latest in a seemingly endless array of top 100 lists, people are engaging in serious musical discussions and critical dissections. In the last week alone I’ve had huge arguments about everything from production credits to the proper use of Auto-tune. The latter, rather than being dismissed as a pop gimmick used by hated artists, is being discussed seriously. Questions have come thick and fast; when, where and how should it be used? Is Kanye just playing around with a new toy for the sake of it or is he creating a rich nightmarish landscape or his egotistic ramblings? Should he auto tune a voice choir or let their voices soar naturally? Is Auto-tune unduly hated? Is it not as credible and revolutionary to vocals as distortion, effects and sustain pedals were to guitar playing?

Elsewhere hip hop purists are waging war on seemingly everyone.; decrying Kanye’s lack of values. He raps about himself, his ego, his cars, his bitches. They argue hip hop should be about having a positive message, that it should be about storytelling and strife, and that his ridiculous self indulgence is just the latest horrid mutation in hip hop’s depressing devolution. While others, myself included, have argued that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a grandiose look into a world of excess; a glimpse into the mind of a paranoid egomaniac who despite his fame still struggles with the most basic emotions of dejection and jealously.

This is just a mere grain of sand in the Sarah Desert of a debate that this album has stirred. As, despite what Kanye’s hip hop critics may want to believe, Kanye West has transcended that genre; he sits alongside Lady Gaga as one of the world’s two biggest pop stars. And in making an album so shamelessly self centred and so shamelessly ambitious he has unified every corner of the musical spectrum in discussion on a deep level. Beyond “Ooooh...look at what she’s wearing”, or ugh...what did that dick head just say? Kanye has forced the world to listen to his record, even if their only reaction was to say; “so this is what all the fuss was about?”

For the past eleven years we’ve lived in the post-Kid A world; where creativity and innovation has flourished on fringe. Each genre has retreated into a variety of niches, where those unifying generation defining moments have been few and far between. The Arctic Monkeys briefly captured the UK’s imagination but they were too hopelessly colloquial to conqueror on the world stage. 2010 saw Arcade Fire shoot to the top of the charts with the gorgeously cathartic The Suburbs, but try starting a conversation about Win Butler and co. down you local pub and see what happens. Now Lady Gaga has had no trouble getting the world talking, and in The Fame Monster she created an album worth getting excited about, but she’s too pop, it’s not her fault of course, but try getting an Animal Collective or Gojira fan to pick up a copy, they just won’t, it’s sad, but it’s true. That’s just where we are in 2010.

Kanye West however, had no such problem. He’s been a magnet for controversy (Taylor Swift and George Bush know this better than most) and while he may be begrudged by many, few dispute that he’s unleashed four highly stylized and exciting records. Plus, deserved or not, hip hop has more credibility than pop and provokes less backlash than indie; so the audience was always ready and waiting. This is where the ambition comes in; by creating a mammoth multi-layered album, full of star studded guest spots, slick production and relatable human emotion, Kanye made something that could excite both the music critics and the world at last.

Then of course there was the hype. Dating back to the Taylor Swift incident Kanye has bombarded the world with his relentless hard sell. A one minute teaser for the King Crimson sampling “Power”, a thirty minute mini-movie proceeding the brilliant “Runaway”, the arrival of his strangely captivating twitter account and of course the GOOD Friday give aways. Kanye whipped up hype in spades, and ...Dark Fantasy delivered.

Whether My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy is a five star masterpiece or a flawed but impressive effort hardly matters. By sacrificing himself and his ludicrous ego for ridicule and by laying all his eccentricities out their in one grandiose sixty eight minute slab; Kanye taught the music world to talk again. And most importantly he taught us all to talk to each other once more. So who cares if in ten years time Kanye’s ...Dark Fantasy isn’t our generations Dark Side Of The Moon, at this specific moment in time, he’s given the world the unifying moment we’ve been lacking for what seems like an eternity.

Crystal Castles @ The Camden Roundhouse (Live Review)

2010-10-24T12:03:00.002+01:00

Crystal Castles @ The Camden Roundhouse

There was a time when the prospect of a Crystal Castles gig was met more with trepidation than anticipation. When touring their debut LP in 2008 Alice Glass and Ethan Kath could hardly have been accused of being reliable. Turning up late, scrapped shows and cancelled tours became all too common. If you were lucky enough to attend one of the gigs where Alice actually managed to turn up, then there was the small matter of what condition she’d be in. Staggering on stage in near paralytic condition, fighting audience members, passing out before the show’s end and delivering performances that could kindly be described as inaudible quickly formed Crystal Castles’ modus operandi. The band soon found themselves with a powerful live mythology, for better or worse (and there were some truly great moments too), a Crystal Castles live show had become an event.

Fast forward two years and Crystal Castles find themselves in a very different place. They followed up the stylized, albeit one dimensional, 8-bit rage of their debut with the considered layered electronica of Crystal Castles II. Suddenly the buzz words for Crystal Castles were maturity and credibility. They found themselves drawing tentative comparisons to electronica’s heavy hitters The Knife & LCD Soundsystem. This was all good and well, except Crystal Castles had pitched themselves as Iggy & The Stooges of electronica. The anarchic wild child of the genre; the notion of bringing subtlety and serenity to their live shows seemed completely absurd. Therefore tonight, the first date of their UK tour, at a sold out Camden Roundhouse seems pivotal.

As soon as Alice Glass strode on stage it became clear that you were witnessing a band with renewed focus and drive. With a set list that remarkably managed to reconcile their two divergent aspirations; drawing from their two albums equally while throwing in a splattering of pre-album oldies.

The anarchy and unpredictability is still there. Alice spent almost the entire set battling her way through a heaving crowd. Bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand mic in the other she stood on audience members shoulders and crowd surfed her way through every other track. Then in a truly bizarre, you had to be there moment: she began walking across the shoulders of the front row, crotch thrusting with every step before falling headlong into one of many circle pits. Her whole performance had a ramshackle charm a bizarre marriage of seduction, primal brutality, inebriation and vulnerability.

While insanity occupied the front of stage Ethan Kath and the band delivered an incredibly tight and urgent set that satisfied on multiple levels all across the electronica spectrum. The brain dead thrills of “Doe Deer” and “Reckless” were reminiscent of a Pendulum gig giving the crowd plenty of opportunities to hurl themselves headlong into one another. At other times the set was genuinely moving (“Celestica”, “Empathy”, “Crimewave”) with the fragile cries of “When I Chose To Rest My Eyes, Coax Me, Don’t Coax” providing the kind of poignancy normally reserved solely for a Fever Ray show. The rest settled into an energetic middle ground that recalled Daft Punk at the height of their live powers.

Tonight Crystal Castles were blessed with an insatiable sold out crowd who turned the Camden Roundhouse into one giant sweaty circle pit. Alice and Ethan cannot expect to be greeted so enthusiastically every time they step on stage; yet with a show this tight and engaging Crystal Castles will not struggle to win over whichever audience is put in front of them. Tonight we were given a snap shot of a band in transition, making bold strides in the right direction, reconciling their many contradictions to put on a show that was equal parts brutality and beauty. The days of aesthetics and antics are numbered; Crystal Castles are on the fast track to art house credibility.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The Seventies (45-41)

2010-09-03T00:42:00.009+01:00

45. Electric Warrior - T-Rex

(Fly 1971, Tony Visconti)

"I Danced My Self Into The Tomb", a line from the sublime "Cosmic Dancer" offers the perfect one sentence synopsis of Electric Warrior. As this record appears to be on a mission to dance, groove, and fuck its way to heaven. As the listener finds himself bombarded with luscious sexy beat, after luscious sexy beat. The lyricism may sound shallow, but the musician ship is anything but. The arrangements are surprisingly weighty and remarkably subtle. "Cosmic Dancer" feels like a great melodrama, remarkably, as the instrumentation swells you may actually find yourself being moved by this the silliest of tracks. While elsewhere the seemingly single groove and riffs combos are actually richly layered walls of noise that continue to grow in mass and potency until the explode into one great musical orgasm (seriously give "Jeepster" a closer listen). Of course at the centre of the LP is a raucous "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" but you'll find it playing second fiddle to the gloriously elusive "Monolith" or the bizarrely serious "Girl". Electric Warrior is one glorious mess of contradictions; it should be (and really is) a very silly Glam record full of cheap thrills and OTT sexuality, but it's ends up feeling like a smart, sassy, and complexly arranged masterpiece (one which effortless transcends Glam-rock's brief moment in time). Whatever the case Electric Warrior is one hell of a smoky, sexy, gorgeous record, and that cannot be denied.

44. Blue - Joni Mitchell
(Reprise 1971, Joni Mitchell)

Blue is still the album that the majority of female singer songwriters aspire to. It really sets the template for the confessional, bare bones, my life is an open book LP. Mitchell has often said that she had nothing to hide at this point in her life. She was happy to lay everything down for the listener, and to just get it off her chest. More impressive, however, than Mitchell's sad tales are her piercing melodies. Her voice was always an underrated tool, when her vocal spikes it can really touch the listener deep inside. Her vocals just grab you on the comparatively lighthearted openers "All I Want" and "My Old Man". Her playing while subtly is still remarkable; using usual tunning allowed Mitchell to switch chords and sounds with great ease. This enables tracks to change both sonically and emotionally at any moment. At times Mitchell's melody and engaging playing can actually distract the listener from a track's emotion depths (You can forgiven for missing the sorry story of a little girl being put up for adoption on "Little Green"). "Blue" (what else) serves as the album's centrepiece, and the melancholy resigned flatness of Mitchell's delivery of the line "Lots Of Laughs, Lots Of Laughs" is just heart breaking. Blue's greatest success is ultimately its ability to be both engaging and miserable. Mitchell's arrangements and singing are so consistently vibrant that record is never allowed to become moribund. In the end, Blue is beautiful, smart, honest, complex, and more moving than you could ever imagine.

43. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

(Columbia 1970, Simon, Garfunkel & Halee)

We often talk about bands going out at the top of their game. This often refers to an early death like Curt Cobain or Jeff Buckley, or after a fractiously split (see The Smiths), but what we really mean is that these acts broke up in their prime. Not necessarily at the very top of their game, whereas we can legitimately say that the partnership of Simon & Garfunkel dissolved at its absolute apex; both creatively and commercially. Bridge Over Troubled Water wasn't only their biggest hit maker, it is widely regarded as their best album, and their moment of undisputed mainstream dominance. At the time it must of been hard to imagine that Paul Simon wanted to do more artistically, after all what could top this? Thirty-six minutes of the most beautiful pop folk music imaginable. It is no wonder the public bought this album in their millions, each track is somehow more charming than last (and that's no mean feat considering the album's title track is also its opener). "The Boxer" is subtly emotive without sacrificing it's direct accessibility, "Celcia" and "If I Could" are addictive pop of the highest order, and almost any track could have been released as a single. The sneaky lyricism of the Beatles apping "Baby Driver" along with the steadfast sorrow of the album's title track suggest the misery and unrest of the times without ever threatening to bring the mood down. Simply put Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of the greatest pop album's ever penned; irresistible, addictive, and oozing with soul and artistry, what else could you possibly ask for?

42. Neu! - Neu!

(Brain Records 1972, Conny Plank)

Neu! must have been insane. Seriously, Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother must have been certifiable. Who in their right mind would break from Kraftwerk? Who on earth in 1972 would suggest that Kraftwerk weren't creative enough, weren't daring enough, and weren't pushing the envelop far enough? Well Neu! did and against all the conventional wisdom in the world they were right. They took the best elements of Kraftwerk's early sound, and threw the gauntlet down with their brilliant self titled debut. Taking the harsh minimalist electronic structures and introducing driving rhythm. Giving the tracks genuine grooves and sense of propulsion; laying the foundation for thirty years of experimentation and the development of modern day electronica and anything that even vaguely described as indie disco. After all that's what Neu! were. At their best they created music that was fascinating, challenging but danceable at the same time. When all the coolest kids around the world heard "Hallogallo" they were floored; this was cool, this was beautiful, and this was something that they could all do themselves. Soon every band worth its salt would need a synth player, and soon Kraftwerk would have to pull their fingers out and respond. These were exciting times, this was creative warfare, this was true innovation, this was a glimpse into the future sound of popular music, and boy oh boy did we like it.

41. Histoire de Melody Nelson - Serge Gainsbourg
(Philips 1971, Jean-Claude Desmarty)

The expression "dirty old man" is normally good for a giggle or a shudder, but when it comes to Histoire de Melody Nelson it feels strangely appropriate summation. Serge Gainsbourg always had the image of an old letch, smoky, dirty but somehow endearing, but on Histoire de Melody Nelson he kicked things up to a whole new level. The musical equivalent of Lolita, it feels as though the dirty but captivating old man is whispering softly in your ear. As if he's trying to ensnare a young nymph. The result is both strangely captivating but also unconformable, you feel both engaged and on edge. This sense of fractious tension is heighten by the gorgeous arrangements that stab and saw with an uneasy menace. At times the arrangements conjure images of chases and struggles as seen on the brilliant L'Hotel Particulier. Through the thick groovy arrangements, and amidst Serge's many lines and lamentations, is the consistent plea, or perhaps cry, of "Melody"; it has the bizarre air of a father, a lover and a threat all at once. It's certainly creepy stuff, but more often than not you'll find Histoire de Melody Nelson utterly irresistible, even if your left unsure whether you've just experienced love, lust, or rape.

This Week's Singles: August 30th

2010-08-31T17:17:00.003+01:00

"Why Don't You Love Me?" - Beyonce (THE SINGLE OF THE WEEK)

A red hot stylized Beyonce video is normally a cover for a bad single or a retro-pop pastiche but pleasingly "Why Don't You Love Me?" proves to be nothing of the sort; as it captures Beyonce at true apex of her game. She's strong, sassy, dominating but also desperate and emotionally fragile. Quite simply "Why Don't You Love Me?" is the best non-ballad Beyonce has released in what seems like an eternity. The beat is propulsive, it grinds and grooves in compelling fashion. This fast, layered, groove seems almost at odds with Beyonce's vocal performance at first before the two eventually elide to complement one another in thrilling fashion. Vocally Beyonce is at her best; she's domineering, and her sweet but powerful coos at 4:12 and especially at 2:52 are a sheer joy to experience. Her raspy rangy assaults is irresistible, as she stampedes tumultuously over the beat. Her final shrieks of "There Is Nothing Not To Love About Me" are so direct and powerful you'll almost feel as if she's grabbing by your lapels and screaming down your throat. Truly terrifying, but utterly tremendous. A creative, forward thinking track that scrambles up pop's past placing new textures and new sounds, alongside raw blood curdling emotion.

"Paranoid" - Dansette Junior

Dansette Junior are setting their sights high with "Paranoid"; a track that is broad in scope with huge anthemic sweeps and crushing synths. Unfortunately while most of the major hallmarks are in place for a chilled dance anthem, the track simple fails to kick on into a higher gear. The pre-chorus is a huge unifying moment of reverberating synth noise but the chorus falls flat. You want that one thumping hook to come in, that hands to the sky and bounce moment to arrive but it never quite does. Certainly a worthy effort, but in an overcrowded marketplace "Paranoid" does little to truly distinguish itself.

"Keep The Fire (Bar Nine Remix)" - Gold Hawks

Gold Hawks' "Keept The Fire" features one of the most annoyingly whiny vocal hooks I've ever heard. Honestly Brian Molko would shudder. This track is just bending over backwards in an attempt to feel momentous but instead it leaves you miserable. At its worst "Keep The Fire" feels confused. It undoubtedly has it moments, and I imagine an instrumental mix would be highly enjoyable, but as is, it simply tries far too hard. Less exciting than the premier 8-bit noise nicks, and much less inventive than art-house electronica's heavyweights; "Keep The Fire" is ultimately forgettable and scene. A case of trying far too hard. Stripping back the sound, and a move towards subtle minimalism could well salvage this track. I wouldn't be surprised to find a better, more sparse, mix lurking out there, somewhere.

"History" - Groove Armada feat. Will Young

Have groove Armada been listening to Crystal Castle's, Lindstrom and The Knife? It sure sounds like it. "History" feels like a natural blend of Groove Armada's renounced laid back approach with subtle blips of electro-noise and imposing quasi-industrial atmospherics. It's great to hear a Groove Armada single push closer to the avante guard while still retaining it's core pop accessibility. Will Young's vocal addition is a good one, especially when he cuts loose before fading into the mix in haunting fashion. This isn't A grade cutting edge material but it's certainly an intriguing listen, and a tell tale sign that Groove Armada are not content to rest on their laurels and their name value.

"Power" - Kanye West

Who other than Kanye West would sample King Crimson? Who other than Kanye could actually make it work? No one I suspect. Kanye's flow isn't his tightest on "Power" but the beat pounds, smashes, and convulses it's listener into submission. This is the sound of brutal grinding rap mosh pits, the beat just won't quit, the groove is just so thick and so relentless. Everything about "Power" is overblown, it's huge, it's mammoth; giant walls of noise, hide layers and layers of hidden depth. Hear that subtle key line underneaththe percussion and garish choir? Not to mention the subtly guitar work, and the trippy emotive finale. "I Know Damn Well I'm Killing This Shit", damn right Kanye is killing it; if this is a sign of things to come, Kanye will have regained his art house credibility quicker than you can say "best video of all time!". An essential purchase.

"Teenage Dream" - Katy Perry

The title track from Katy Perry's sophomore LP is suitably obnoxious. It appears she's on a mission to release all of Teenage Dreams least interesting works before she actually gets round to showing off the creativity that deep down we know she possesses. "Teenage Dream" is of absolutely no artist merit, it's positively grating (even more so than "California Gurls") and it can't match up to her first album's singles. Yet, I'd be surprised if this track does anything other than shoot straight to number one. Perry can do much better, she has already penned superior tracks, I'm just wondering if she'll ever actually get round to releasing any of them.

"Hot-n-Fun" - N*E*R*D feat. Nelly Furtado

While there's no denying that "Hot-n-Fun" is the kind of track Pharrell and co. could write in their sleep, you can't help but fall for the tracks insanely sexy beat (as Pharrell is more than happy to point out). There is not much else to say, honestly; "Hot-n-Fun" puts a premium on brain dead sexy thrills, and that's exactly what it delivers with the typical N*E*R*D knowing swagger we've come to love.

"Please Don't Let Me Go" - Olly Murs

The recipient of over a million YouTube views, I suspect "Please Don't Let Me Go" won't struggle to shift units. Musically it's neither here nor there; it's pleasant enough, but almost instantly forgettable. The cooling summer vibes, while bland, will be fun while they last, but I suspect the sun won't shine on Olly Murs for particularly long, if at all.

"Shine On Forever (Photo Frame)" - Same Difference

The X-Factor's mission to return pop to the sorry state of affairs that existed before the mid 2000s pop revolution continues to be reprehensible. For a while with Girls Aloud, and to a lesser extent Leona Lewis, it appeared they'd got the idea and had embraced creative experimentation, but alas sadly, with each passing year the more they revert to type. Thankfully La Roux, Annie, Robyn & Florence Welch continue to keep the good ship pop pointing in the right direction, while the X-Factor continues to offer up drivel like "Shine On Forever". Despite Same Difference's best efforts (and I sincerely hope this is not their best effort) they are swimming against the tide; pop has changed for the better in the country, and it appears there may be no going back now. Awful.

"DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again" - Usher feat. Pitbull

Despite the occasional surprisingly brilliant release it appears that Usher has set about reverting to type with another appallingly over produced, convoluted jam. "DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again" is so artistically, and emotionally vacant that I find myself being overwhelmed with apathy. Must try harder Mr. Usher, we know you can do better than this.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The Seventies (50-45)

2010-08-24T23:14:00.011+01:00

So were this a top 100 I'd already be half way they there, but alas I'm not. If you remember I decided to cut this top 100 to a top 90 as I didn't want to repeat myself or talk about Bowie endlessly. However at the half way point I've decided to list what would have been the albums ranked 100-90. So here are those albums that just missed out. (I may do a full write up of numbers 100-91 at a later date). I would like to point out that some of these albums are superior to those rate 90-70 but in this list I was trying to tell the story of the dedicate and the prominent acts rather than write about Floyd, Can or Bowie ten times over.

100. Station To Station - David Bowie

99. The Pleasure Principle - Gary Numan

98. Tago Mago - Can

97. III - Led Zeppelin

96. Music For 18 Musicians - Steve Riech

95. Meddle - Pink Floyd

94. Call Me - Al Green

93. Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder

92. Aladdin Sane - David Bowie

91. Armed Forces - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

50. The Cars - The Cars

(Elektra 1978, Roy Thomas Baker)

Kicking off the top 50 is The Cars self titled debut LP. It's hard to think of a more perfect new wave statement. Ric Ocasek perfectly captured the sound and the mood of an entire scene on one thirty five minute slice of new wave, but essentially, pop brilliance. There was no filler to be found. Across these nine tracks Ocasek forged his own mini greatest hits collection. Every tracks hook is somehow more memorable than the last and the guitar work is simple but irresistible. It's all short sharp infectious stuff. The album really kicks into overdrive when Ocasek unleashes the irresistible"Just What A I Needed" a track that captured both a moment in time and the sound of the decade to come. The Cars were ahead of the time, positioned somewhere between Blondie's pop rock dominance and Gary Numan's synth-pop eccentricity they found the perfect marriage of synths, power chords and immediate choruses; that would form the template for a thousand imitators. Far from just out right hit makers when the time came to take things down a notch The Cars proved they could write intriguing atmospheric numbers too with the divine closers "Moving In Stereo" and "All Mixed Up". The Cars was the official transition, this was the beginning of the end for the seventies and the slow dawn of the nineteen eighties.

49. Talking Heads: 77 - Talking Heads

(Sire 1977, Tony Bongiovi)

The Talking Heads could have easily named their debut record "Tentative Decisions" and perfectly encapsulated their entire bands sound and ethos in one fell swoop. Sure the Talking Heads made great revolutionary pop music, but they never sounded settled and they certainly never felt comfortable. They sounded tentative, full of nervous energy; just as you think you've settled into a comfortable groove, the guitars with suddenly spike, the tempo suddenly changes and David Byrne's vocal suddenly spikes. "Happy Day" for example, could have been a charming ballad but it's constantly on edge thanks to Byrne pitchy vocal, and that's why that track, and this record as a whole, is so damn exciting. It combined sharp jagged new wave punk with high end intellectual pop music; Talking Heads; 77 was art rock before people were ever pedantic enough to come up with such labels. The guitar work, the bass grooves and the song structures still thrill, "Who Is It?" is an absolute riot, it still feels unpredictable and frenzied three decades on.

The Talking Heads laid the ground work for the avante guard pop and indie that was to dominate the charts in the noughties (and still does in many respects).This was the forebare of the indie disco record; Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem still worship at the alter ofTalking Heads: 77. By sounding uneasy, unsettled and uncomfortable the Talking Heads managed to make mainstream music that appealed to outsiders, scenesters and the art house all at once. Their unconventional songs about love ("No Compassion") and society ("Don't Worry About The Government") tip toed the line between irony and sincerity creating a delicious sense of intrigue providing the perfect counter balance to those inescapable unsettled grooves...Ai Yi Yi Yi Yah!

48. The Specials - The Specials

(2tone 1979, Elvis Costello)

Some records are woven together with certain periods in history, they become documents of our time, and genuinely sound track societal movements. The Specials remains one of the most poignant and emotional reminders of Britain's past. Whatever your view on Margret Thatcher or the 1980s, The Specials captured a moment in time, a moment of great social tension. Unemployment was rampant and racial tensions were at an all time high; town's like Coventry weren't fun places to be, but out of these unsettled times came and band and album that transcended the tension and squalor that surrounded it. It's actually the humanity and feel good energy of The Specials that makes it so endearing all these years later. You just can't dislike The Specials, they seemed morally above their times, and seemed capable of documenting without patronizing their surroundings. "A Message To You Rudy" and "Do The Dog" feel like pleas and reasoned arguments to the rude boys and enraged fascists. The Specials turned aggression and depression into shimmering pop music. The message was simple and heartbreaking "Just Because You're Nobody, It Doesn't Make You No Good".

This was smart, emotional, intellectual and most of all irresistible pop music. By blending punk, pop, new-wave, West Indian Dance hall together the Specials crystallized a new sound in ska. This sound and more importantly their lyrical style is still changing the face of pop music today; if it wasn't for The Specials who knows where pop would have ended up? You can hear their sound and lyrical style in Lily Allen and their soul in Amy Winehouse the 21st Centuries great pop revolutionaries. It wasn't always complex or poetic but it was simple, direct and honest (sound familar?) and that made them more relatable and more loveable than a million imitators. Yet before we get too carried away with overly verbose vitriol; we have to remember that behind all the histrionics laid layers and layers of timeless hits: "Too Much To Young", "A Message To You Rudy", "Concrete Jungle", "Do The Dog", "Monkey", "Blank Expression" and "Doesn't Make It All Right".

47. Hunky Dory - David Bowie

(RCA 1971, Ken Scott & David Bowie)

If the late sixties saw Bowie treading the water of pop domination and creative experimentation, then Hunky Dory was the moment when he unleashed all his initial potential in one concentrated blast. Of course there was more to come but Hunky Dory was the warning shot across the bough. This was smart, well constructed pop of the highest order; the opening salvo made that very clear with the irresistibly vibrant "Changes" and "Oh! Pretty Things" grabbing the listeners attention. From then on in Bowie set about re-imagining the pop landscape. He gave widescreen country guitar work a sexy outer spacial flavour on "Eight Line Poem", while giving dance hall music a make over on "Kooks". In this way Hunky Dory feels like one of the great transitional records as the sounds of the sixties evolved into the glam rock and electro experimentation of the 70s. Hunky Dory highlighted Bowie's great talent for taking established sounds and expanding them, giving them a broader more cinematic and sexy scope. The best results can be seen of the awe inspiring "Life On Mars?" and the tragically under appreciate brilliance of "Quicksand". It's these mid album works that have aged the best; "Quicksand" sounds fresh, exciting and vibrant but most of all, thanks to some truly brilliant production, it still sounds thoroughly contemporary. On Hunky Dory Bowie's palate was broader, more well realized, and ultimately more interesting than his pop peers. After all no one else was making anything as cool as "Andy Warhol" or as snappy as "Queen Bitch". This was high IQ, highly varied pop music, and despite the odd misfire (see "Song For Pop Dylan"), ultimately Hunky Dory was the sound of pop to come.

46. The Man-Machine - Kraftwerk

(Kling Klang 1978, Ralf Hutter & Florien Schnieder)

Kraftwerk's second entry on the countdown comes in the form of their most underrated work; The Man-Machine. While no one actually considers this record to be anything less than excellent it's position among music's elite is often downplayed. Normally the argument goes along these lines; "The Man-Machine is too obvious" which is a fair case to make. Kraftwerk declaring them "The Robots" is hardly complex or subtle, but then neither was Computer Love and that album has never been so readily discarded. Conceptual simplicity to one side, you can't help but feel that people are missing the point of this record entirely. The Man-Machine was designed to be immediate, rather than focusing on capturing a certain idea in sound, Kraftwerk just made the music that came naturally to them, and they were all the better for it. It is the sound of the The Man-Machine that continues to influence contemporary heavy weights like Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem. You can hear Daft Punk grooves and loops on almost every track, you can even notice the subtle synth evolution from "The Robots" to "You Wanted A Hit" as you listen to the stainless steel grooves. "Spacelab" by contrast seemingly inspired the Legend Of Zelda soundtrack and still looms heavy over today's 8-bit scene. In between the moments of inspiration Kraftwerk assembled their most direct and filler free LP; stacked to the brim with not just great creativity but legitimate hits. "The Model" stands proud as the records centrepiece, breaking from the album's core concept it remains a stand out moment of pop brilliance, while "The Man Machine" endures as Kraftwerk's fan's favourite hit. Kraftwerk were never supposed to sound this good, and this accessible, it just doesn't compute. The Man-Machine may not have been the initial revolution but it's the record that above all others continues to influence, inspire and drive 21st Century Electronica.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The Seventies (55-51)

2010-08-23T23:46:00.007+01:00

55. Raw Power - Iggy & The Stooges
(Columbia 1973, David Bowie)

Raw Power is one of those rare albums where the remaster (by Iggy Pop) actually sounds noticeably better than the original. Iggy decided to beef up the sound that Bowie stripped down and weakened, but to be honest sonic frailty hardly matters because Raw Power is a hell of a record. Iggy is on irresistible form as he screams and sickly seduces on tracks like "Penetration". While Raw Power feels less cohesive and complete than Fun House it is still a masterful creation loaded full of fan favourites and legitimate classics. "Search & Destroy", "Gimme Danger" and "Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell" provide one of the most raucous and memorable opening salvoes in rock and roll history. However the hits simply refused to dry up as the dance hall proto-punk of "Raw Power" grinds on relentlessly, while "Shake Appeal" has become the sound of a thousand stage invasions all across the world. "Death Trip" concluded the affair in suitably ridiculous fashion, with Iggy screaming like a lunatic about his own "Death Trip". If any album crystallized the image of a band in the public consciousness it's Raw Power. A wild raving, thrill ride that feels like it's help together by chewing gum and cocaine snorts. Having just experienced Iggy live for the fifth time this month
I
can assure you that Raw Power and "Death Trip" are just as wild and uncontainable as ever.

54. Parallel Lines - Blondie
(Chrysalis 1978, Mike Chapman)

In 1977 Blondie decided to stop pulling punches and unleash the full fledge irresistible pop record we all knew they were capable off. Listening back to Parallel Lines in 2010 you are immediately struck by just how little filler there is on this record. Spreading the song writing duties around really upped Blondie's game as they fired out continuous slices of engaging thrilling pop music. "11:59" is a favourite of mine, the guitar work really propels the track into a power chord waltz before Deborah Harry steals the show with one of those performances where you just want to chase her, there's just a sexy sense of elusiveness to her vocals. Speaking of Harry stealing the show "Fade Away And Radiate" is far more composed and considered than anything Blondie had previously offered and the big looming arrangements adds to the sense of grandeur and excitement. Parallel Lines saw all the stars align for Blondie; consistency, creative and hits. Oh boy and I do mean HITS "Sunday Girl", "Heart Of Glass", "Picture This", "One Way Or Another" and "Hanging On The Telephone". Yet despite this big dose of heavy hitters, the album never feels imbalanced, you never find yourself waiting for the next big single, you are always engaged and constantly transfixed. Pure Pop Perfection.

53. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

(Vertigo 1970, Rodger Bain)

Sometimes a record's importance and influence out strips it's quality, and to an extent that is true of Black Sabbath. It is only marginal in Black Sabbath's case, as behind the great histrionics and the storytelling laid a brooding, richly, atmospheric, and occult album. Of course Black Sabbath is the originator, sure there were earlier influences, there were probably louder records, there were certainly creepier records but none of them brought it all together in the way Black Sabbath did. This was the birth of heavy metal as we know it today. Rich brooding instrumentals, big wide open knowingly blown landscapes, big solos and even bigger chords. This was brash music, it wasn't subtle, hell it wasn't intellectual, but it was daring and it was damn groovy too. Honestly just try to resist the monstrous chord and rhythm groove that concludes "Sleeping Village". Picking this album up in 1970s opened kid's minds, it gave them a new way to express themselves and most importantly it gave them new heroes. In Iomni they had the riffage, in Butler they had the grooves and in Ozzy they had the image and the voice. Perfection would come later (later that year in fact) but in the February of 1970 Black Sabbath were just happy with kick starting the revolution, and laying down some thick jams in the process.

52. Rocket To Russia - The Ramones

(Sire 1977, Tony Bongoivi)

It's ironic (and pure chance I should add) that Rocket To Russia and Black Sabbath landed next to one another in this countdown. After all, I just decided that the revolution was less important than artistic perfection in Sabbath's case, yet for the Ramones, the perfect culmination of their achievements (Rocket To Russia) finds itself behind their original revolution (The Ramones). At the end of the day it simply comes down to personal preference as really it matters little where Rocket To Russia places, because it is a classic five star album, and no listing can change that.

This was the sound of the Ramones at their absolute zenith. There are few LPs in music history more instantly loveable than Rocket To Russia. Unlike American Beauty this isn't necessarily easily listening, Rocket To Russia still sounds edgy and cool but it's so fundamentally accessible, it remains music for the masses. It's stacked full of brilliance and more importantly variety, slowies, quickies, brain dead romps and ironic rockers. Whatever the mode of delivery it's all irresistible. "Cretin Hop", "Rockaway Beach", "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker", "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow", "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Surfin' Bird" there's brilliance around each and every corner. Blink and you'll miss it, Rocket To Russia is lightening in a bottle. La-Bot-Om-Ee!

51. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac

(Warner Bros. 1977, Fleetwood Mac)

Rumours is a monster. In almost every sense of the world, it's gigantic, unwieldy, it's mean, totally inescapable and most importantly it's the stuff of legend. Oh and that isn't just pointless hyperbole, I like so many others, knew the story, knew the drama and knew the sales figures of Rumours before I'd even heard the record. So where to start? The internal tension? The jabs? The emotional brutality or music itself? You know what; I am going to talk about the music. (If you do want to hear about music's greatest melodrama search out BBC4's masterful documentary).

Of course the first feeling most of us get, and the feeling I still get when listening to this album is one of deflation. "Second Hand News" starts the record and you feel yourself taking a deep intake of breath and subconsciously you hear yourself saying "So this is it huh?". Yes Rumours is a mere pop album but what a pop album. "Second Hand News" grows with each passing verse slowly luring you in before you are taken softly by the staggering beauty of "Dreams". A truly timeless track that hits you simultaneously with it's irresistible chorus and it's open hearted honest verse; "Now Here You Go Again, You Say You Want Your Freedom, Well Who Am I To Put You Down". It may seem arbitrary to say it, but the underlying tensions really elevate the albums less interesting tracks, you find yourself almost subconsciously reading into every last line in even the most bland of efforts. Soon however the quality of the record shines through, as "Go Your Own Way" fades into "Songbird", right before "The Chain" really brings the record to life. Vibrant, immediate and soulful; Rumours is great pop music, there's no two ways about it.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The Seventies (60-56)

2010-08-22T22:10:00.009+01:00

60. American Beauty - The Grateful Dead
(Warner Bros. 1970, Stephan Barncard)

It has become easy to forget that in amongst the great artistic statements and sonic experimentation of the 1970s they're lied some of the greatest populist successes of all time. It has become almost fashionable to ignore such releases. After all, I myself often denied Wings, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles and of course The Greatful Dead their well earned kudos for many years. Yet when composing a list of this sort it is foolhardy to ignore such popular and comprehensive works. American Beauty is one such work, it's charming from start to finish, it's supremely well executed with each track managing to be somehow more endearing than the last. American Beauty focused almost exclusively on love which always bodes well for commercial success. The album is stacked full of irresistible pop music "Ripple", "Candyman", "Super Magnolia" and of course the albums inescapable opener "Box Of Rain" are among the bands best work. In between the stand outs are laid back and melodious slices of day dream pops perfect for wasting days away. While it can get a little to saccharine at times American Beauty has the good taste to be short, albeit very sweet. "Truckin'" appears at the albums climax, serving as a final stamp of approval on The Grateful Dead's total commercial dominance.

59. Red - King Crimson
(Island 1974, King Crimson)

Depending on whether you consider In The Court Of King Crimson to be an master work or an atrocity, Red is either King Crimson's greatest moment or a stunning return to form and a final moment in the sun for the fractious King Crimson in it's original form (well sort of). The biggest surprise on Red is not Fripp's mind blowing prog excellence or one of their trade marked freak outs, but just how accessible and admirable this LP is. It seems like a strange concept but in 1974 King Crimson created an album that was actually far reaching and relatable. It sounds like a back handed compliment, but it's really not, making prog for the masses is not easy (just ask Dream Theatre). Yet at this one moment in time King Crimson brought it all together; emotive landscapes, impressive guitar work, weird instrumental quirks and engaging melodies and lyricism. "Fallen Angel" with it's New York City narrative is positively engaging and "Starless" formed their greatest master work since "21st Century Schziod Man". The latter's lyrical woolliness was more than compensated for by a thrilling and brooding arrangement. It seems bizarre to say it, but out of King Crimson's most fractious moment came their most cohesive and complete work.

58. Exodus - Bob Marley & The Wailers
(Tuff Gong 1977, Bob Marley & The Wailers)

Legend was the title given to Bob Marley's world concurring greatest hits collection, and it's a perfectly fitting summation of Bob Marley the man and Bob Marley the musician. He is in a sense a myth, an Icon, shrouded in a cloak of love and adulation it's easy to forget that he was always most comfortable as a globe straddling pop star rather than albums artist. After all, while everyone and their mother owns a greatest hits collection, how many have actually delved into Marley's back catalogue? Those who do find a largely hit a miss collection from an artist as prone to vague meaningless jamming as irresistible pop singles. Exodus is the one notable exception, the one Marley album that works from start to finish with a real sense of effortless brilliance. While the vitriol and energy that made Marley a live legend are missing, the thick laid grooves are captivating and instrumentation on Exodus is his most engaging. "Natural Mystic" sets the tone and demeaner for the entire record. In many ways Exodus is the Marley concept executed to perfection. What would normally be filler is transformed into soothing grooves that eventually swell to a run of irresistible and increasingly intense singles. The perfect marriage of spacious jams and focused hits. "Exodus", "Jamming", "Waiting In Vain", "Three Little Birds", "One Love/People Get Ready" and particularly the beautiful "Turn Your Lights Down Low" complete a run of unstoppable singles that not even MJ's Thriller could hope to match. This is the stuff Legends are made of, so put down Legend and pick up Exodus.

57. John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon

(Apple 1970, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector)

The Plastic Ono Band remains one of histories most harrowing records. After under going Primal Therapy and forcibly confronting his most traumatic child hood memories John Lennon entered the studio and recorded his greatest solo album. Full of deep introspection and brutal honesty The Plastic Ono Band stands apart from other singer songwriter's efforts due to it's sheer ferocity. While Antony Hegarty may be brutally honest, he can't match those blood curdling screams that conclude "Mother". It's still remarkable that a scream so guttural, so mournful, and so hate filled could sound so damn tuneful. As an album The Plastic Ono Band is spare, basic chords, minimal instrumentation, simplistic vocal arrangements, there are no bells and whistles it's just one man alone screaming his lungs out. It's amazing to think that the now overly covered to the point of artistic bankruptcy, "Working Class Hero" was once too radical and daring to ever consider releasing. While the track's scorn is eventually turned on it's author (like so much of Plastic Ono Band) you can't help but relate and feel moved by it's most simplistic and iconic lines; "As Soon As You're Born They Make You Small, By Giving You No Time, Instead Of It All" and "There's Room At The Top They Are Telling You Still, But First You Must Learn To Smile As You Kill". It's simple, it's direct, it's scornful and most importantly it's a frank admission of grief, guilt, and self loathing. Pure simplicity, simply perfection.

56. Songs Of Love & Hate - Leonard Cohen

(Columbia 1971, Bob Johnston)

While the arrangements may have become richer and more involving, at it's heart Songs Of Love & Hate is all about Leonard Cohen lyricsim and his choppy guitar work. Songs Of Love & Hate is split into two halves, not just by the natural format of vinyl but as a work as a whole. The first half is made of engaging songs where you get wrapped up in Leonard's deep bassy vocal, you find yourself hypnotically lulled into world. You feel the resentment on "Avalanche" and the sexuality on "Last Year's Man" and of course you'll smile a wry smile at Leonard's near country stomp along "Diamonds In The Mine". It's hard not to laugh as Leonard uncharacteristically tells the band to "take it away". If the first half was marked by it's engaging nature, then the latter half is characterized by it's sheer brilliance. "The Love That Calls You By Name" starts on shaky footing before growing into one of Leonard's greatest works, while "Famous Blue Raincoat" is a song writing marvel as Cohen leads us through a strange love triangle over one of the most stirring and affecting arrangements of his entire career. "Joan Of Arc" rounds off the trio of classics and features some of Cohen's most memorable one liners ("Then Fire, Make Your Body Cold, I'm Gonna Give You Mine To Hold") while "Sing Another One, Boys" almost feels like showing off. A masterful live performance at the legendary Isle Of Wight festival to cap off a remarkable album. As you'd expect from Cohen this album is emotionally brutal but it's also one of his most pleasurable, and surprisingly, accessible albums. Cohen's second finest hour.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The Seventies (65-61)

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65. Y - The Pop Group

(Radar 1979, Dennis Bovell)

Back in 1979 Bristol was hardly renowned as a creative hot spot, and the notion of the "Bristol Sound", let alone Trip-Hop, was completely unheard of. However things were slowly beginning to change as The Pop Group released the genuinely revolutionary Y. You can almost trace the entire artistic expansion back to this one cutting edge masterwork. Y is the sort of record that sounds just as daring and intriguing in 2010 as it did in 1979. The way in which styles flow into one another is just glorious; fuzzing uncomfortable electronica, moody Television like post punk stylings, West Indian infused drum beats, sudden inexplicable blasts of free form jazz and avante guard noise making. It's still sounds wonderfully eclectic, but unlike so many fusion artists The Pop Group held their experimentation together with tight and addictive bass grooves; this was a record that had a sense of unity and direction. Y is one of those strange albums that ages well, "She Is Beyond Good And Evil", "Thief Of Fire" and "We Are Time" undoubtedly sound better, cooler and ultimately more palatable today they they would have thirty one years ago.

64. For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music

(Polydor 1973, Chris Thomas)

For Your Pleasure is one of my favourite records, and if you are an unashamed fan of pop music you will love this record to. While no one doubts that it was daring and challenging at the time For Your Pleasure is first and foremost an engaging pop record. It's the standard that the mainstream should aspire to. A record that's instantly accessible but thought provoking at the same time. Even at it's most direct and catchy For Your Pleasure maintains a sense of the unexpected; "Do The Strand" and "Editions Of You" are wittier and cheekier than their contemporaries without being any less infectious. Yet it's those moments when Eno really cuts loose that steal the show; the warped synths of "In Every Dream Home A Heartache" creates a foreboding atmosphere while Brian Ferry delivers a gripping verse. It's one of his greatest performances as he delivers cruel dark lines in a delicious dead pan. The super serious façade is of course broken by the ludicrous line "Inflatable Doll, Love Ungrateful, I Blew Up Your Body, But You Blew My Mind". Despite the obvious tonal differences you can't help but feel a symbiotic link to Pulp's ironic epic "This Is Hardcore". Brian Eno is of course allowed his weird out moment in "The Bogus Man" giving the album it's true art house chops (if it hadn't earned them already) . Despite all the internal tensions, by the time "Grey Lagoon" and "For Your Pleasure" roll around you can't help but be convinced that For Your Pleasure is the sound of a band having the time of their lives, revelling in their own wit and their own creativity.

63. "Heroes" - David Bowie

(RCA 1977, David Bowie & Ton Visconti)

One of the great struggles for all artists is how to follow up a "great album". Luckily by 1977 David Bowie had garnered plenty of experience in this field. Aladdin Sane followed Ziggy Stardust and even though it's forgotten now following up the provocative Station To Station with Low was no mean feat. It was the aforementioned Low that presented Bowie with his greatest dilemma; how to follow another career best album (more on that later). Bowie was never one to baulk from a challenge bouncing right back with with Heroes. A gorgeous album that combined the talents of three of music's great pioneers; Bowie himself, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp. The result was a captivating album that saw Bowie's distinctive tones melding into these wonderfully lucid arrangements. Recorded in Berlin Heroes managed to capture the unsettled division of the times while also embracing the Krautrock/synthpop scene that was leading the world in pop innovation. The nods to Kraftwerk and Neu! are hardly subtle (nor were they meant to be), and while Heroes' instrumentals are still looming and melancholic Heroes feels positively uplifting after the bleak introspection of Low. Heroes was the mid point in Bowie's Berlin trio, and represented his new commercial height and his return to ground breaking form. An album's whose quality is only diminished by comparisons to masterpiece of a forebear. Proof that sometimes more of the same, is exactly what's needed.

62. Tribute To Jack Johnson - Miles Davis

(Columbia 1972, Teo Macero)

The two track fifty two minute Tribute To Jack Johnson is a captivating stand out work. Almost forty years later it remains difficult to define; Jazz fusion? Who cares? Most see it as the leading light in the early formation of Jazz-rock. "Right Off" has a rough around the edges live feel, like it's just a bunch of guys sitting around jamming. The guitar starts the affair with a classic rock riff and soon Miles jumps in with a rip snorting solo and then the band hit full flow jamming and grinding their way through twenty minutes of visceral excellence (yes that's right visceral jazz). The guitar riffs are still uneasy; they bite and fizzle, bursting out of the record as if your old vinyl record is slowly cracking. "Yesternow" by contrast is a more considered classic affair. Low key and solemn it's a track that wafts with cool composed sense of desolation. It's gorgeous and the perfect counterpart to the loose rip roaring patchwork of an opening track. Two perfectly parts of one mind blowing package that ends with a wonderful whirling finale.

61. On The Beach - Neil Young

(Reprise 1974, Briggs, Harman & Schmitt)

Following the commercial triumph of Harvest it seemed the world was waiting for Young to marry his brand of infectious endearing folk-rock and harsh affecting lyricism into one start to finish masterpiece. After all, no one doubted Harvest's quality, or more surprisingly it's accessibility, but it felt uneven and in a way unsatisfactory. On The Beach by comparison was the complete start to finish listen the world had been awaiting. It didn't feel as daring as After The Gold Rush but what it lacked in all encompassing variety it made up for in focus and cohesion. Tracks cascade into one another beautifully "See The Sky About To Rain" is perfectly married to the mesmerizing "Revolution Blues"; whose spite laden lyricism is the perfect transition to the country blues stomp of "For The Turnstiles". Things get really bleak and scathing as "Vampire Blues" rolls into the harrowing "On The Beach" with it's sparse and mournful arrangement centred around one simple sentiment "I Need A Crowd Of People, But I Can't Face Them Day To Day". Many consider On The Beach to be Young's greatest work and it's easy to see why; On The Beach is the perfect balance between deep emotion, scathing lyricism and accessible engaging musicianship.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The Seventies (70-66)

2010-08-20T22:17:00.011+01:00

70. Machine Head - Deep Purple

(Purple Records 1972, Deep Purple)

One of the holy trinity of albums that would go on to define and create Heavy Metal as we know it today. Back then, it was just hard rock, and no one rocked harder or faster than Deep Purple. Listening back to "Highway Star" it's almost impossible to believe that a track that vibrant and that fresh could possible have been made in the nineteen seventies. That, after all, was Deep Purple's greatest asset; they sounded years ahead of the curve. Machine Head is unfortunately seen as the lesser release; Black Sabbath and Paranoid will always be more revolutionary and mystical and Led Zeppelin's IV will always be better, but let us not forget Deep Purple had the grooves. So forget it's betters, Machine Head was a game changer, just throw on "Maybe I'm Leo" and get lost in the thick crunching grooves.

69. Deja Vu - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
(Atlantic 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)

"Now Witness, The Quickness, With Which We Get Along" were the lines from the strangely fitting album opener "Carry On". After all, in 1969 Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young dropped one of the most memorable and impressive debuts their era, and the world was clamouring for a second taste. While Deja Vu may have fallen short of start to finish brilliance it was assured follow up that made the world sit up and take notice. These were no one hit wonders, this was serious business. Their brand of folk rock still remains remarkable. The guitar licks punctuate the soft and subtle arrangements while the multiple layer vocals slide together into a beautiful dreamy harmony. Part of me wants to write "classic Cosby, Stills, Nash & Young" but that's of course that's stating the obvious, but its true. By the end of the seventies the great vocal harmony groups would be more or less gone, and now it's a refreshing to relive this gorgeous and soothing sound. Deja Vu was and is an absolute pleasure to listen to.

68. Transformer - Lou Reed

(RCA 1972, David Bowie & Mick Ronson)

That David Bowie is a really helpful chap; when his former idol Lou Reed was struggling to find his feet the prince of pop decided to lend him a hand. Along with Mick Ronson, Bowie gave Lou Reed a glam make over and a more polished and accessible sound than ever before. Lou Reed for his part was no slouch bringing a mix of gloriously witty groovers ("Take A Walk On The Wild Side", "Vicious") and richly expressive pleas for help ("Perfect Day"). Yet for the most part it was the sexy and droll rumbling anthems like "Make Up" and "Hangin' Round" that made Transformer so incredibly infectious. It's no surprise that all these years later that Transformer remains Reed's most successful album and the one his legion of disciples and imitators line up to pay tribute to.

67. Starsailor - Tim Buckley

(Straight 1970, Tim Buckley)

As reinventions go, the transformation of Tim Buckley is among the most astounding in music history. Starting out as the beloved "great voice" of America he slowly morphed into an experimental outcast and hero of the avante guard. While Buckley's early work was certainly more popular and undoubtedly more accessible it was rarely this thrilling. "Come Here Woman" must have scared the life out of listeners in 1970, it's so unsettling and uncomfortable and Buckley's vocals are positively terrifying. As he gets more deranged and more menical with each passing line. Things would only get more unsettling from there on in as Buckley would croon over shimmering chimes, devilishly plucked guitars, thudding symbols and even the pitter patter of horse's hoofs. Yet those who persevered would be treated to the ludicrous thrills of "Moulin Rouge" and eventually to his most loved masterpiece "Song To The Siren". It's a beautiful piece that just stops you in your tracks, the perfect combination of a haunting arrangement and a captivating vocal performance. It was the perfect centrepiece to cap one of the best and most daring albums of its age.

66. Surf's Up - The Beach Boys

(Reprise 1971, The Beach Boys)

During the 1970s The Beach Boys and Beach Boy's records fell out of main stream favour. During this period of considerable anonymity The Beach Boys did anything but fall of the wagon creatively. They created some of their best, most creative, and most challenging works. Surf's Up was the pick of the bunch and went on to become a fan favourite and a relatively big seller. Listening to it now it's no surprise. The intricacy of the contradictory juxtaposed harmonies and the trippy layered arrangements feel right at home with today's avante guard virtuoso Animal Collective. Some of the tracks almost catch you off guard with creative twists and engaging arrangements. "Don't Go Near The Water" is one of the great album openers, "Student Demonstration Time" is quite fittingly a riot, and the winding melodies of "Looking At Tomorrow (Welfare Song)" is a treacherous unnerving delight. Yet its the staggering semi-finale note of "'Til I Die" that ties this emotive masterpiece together. There is certainly a post-Beatles feel to the vocals it doesn't diminish the unexpected creativity and quirky epicness of a real lost classic. Surf's Up greatest strength is that you can't go more than two or three tracks without being taken aback by a moment of absolute brilliance. In the 21st Century Surf's Up has become even more relevant; it feels like a gloriously expansive battle cry for green envoirmental activists world wide. But more that all this, Surf's Up is the best The Beach Boys record not named Pet Sounds.

This Weeks Singles: August 23rd 2010

2010-08-20T17:11:00.004+01:00

"Start Without You" - Alexandre Burke feat. Lanza Morgan

"Start Without You" is impressive; it has been a long time since I last heard a pop single that was this vapid, this bland, this morose, this repetitive and this uninspired. Granted Burke is obviously playing the track for laughs with a cheeky arrangement that bursts, without warming, into Carribean shimmy in time for the chorus. Lyrically the track is uniformly embarrassing. Burke appears to be attempting a cheeky girls on top anthem, but unlike Lily Allen, or even the Sugababes, this track lacks any feeling of sincerity and is more akin to her previous eye roller "Broken Heels". Tragically, it has clear "fun summer hit" potential.

"Saint Or Sinner" - Aggro Santos

Back in 2007 Aggro was causing a stir with his slick (albeit crude) punchlines and crunching grime beats. Fast forward to 2010 and he's the latest Grime MC to get the Mainstream make over. Surprisingly his charisma and image suits the clean cut populist image better than most, and while many may scream sell out, his previous work was hardly "edgy and intellectual". In reality it was anything but. "Saint Or Sinner" sounds thoroughly dated but isn't unappealing. There nothing about "Saint Or Sinner" that is remotely essential, but if you want a fun throwaway jam, you could do much worse (see above).

"God & Satan" - Biffy Clyro

While Only Revolutions may have left many long term Biffy fans cold, there is no doubt that the album and its subsequent singles have been an absolute triumph. Conquering the radio waves even more thoroughly Puzzle, Only Revolutions was crammed full of charming low key balladry and "God & Satan" is no exception. While the lyrics are so blunt and direct they may leave the listener groaning on occasion, the arrangement is remarkably stirring and the strings swell so deliciously that "God & Satan" cannot help but succeed. Effortlessly charming.

"Crossfire" - Brandon Flowers

The Killers were never a band short of ambition; they were the masters of the gloriously anthemic indie-pop anthem. So when Brandon Flowers announced a hiatus and a solo project many expected artistic experimentation and an outlet for creativity that may have been vetoed by his former band mates. It was surprising then to hear "Crossfire"; a track that feels like a hybrid of Sam's Town's lyricism and Day And Ages' sound. There is a certain disappointment that greets such a predictable outcome, but there is still reason for optimism. Flowers may be in Springteen-lite mode but you suspect that his hybrid sound (minus a truly killer guitar solo) is where the Killers' best work ultimately lies, and "Crossfire" is no exception. A fine pop single, more low key and infectious than outright anthemic but still a welcome addition to Flowers' ever expanding back catalogue.

"Another World" - The Chemical Brothers

The contemporary dance world has been overtaken by the likes of Pendulum and Chase & Status so it's actually refreshing to hear two old pros like The Chemical Brothers taking it down with piece of spacious laid back electronica. "Another World" may not be boiling over with new ideas but it's conceptually gorgeous. The track has a great open ended feel, it's as if the track is gentle washing over you, as if your merely passing through it. It has an ethereal quality mixed with blasts of steam like percussion, it's a short track that feels far more epic and opened ended than it's 2:56 running time would suggest. (Note: the video included is the five minute album version, the tree minute single has had embedding disabled by request)

"Defender/Magic Carpet Ride" - Gabriella Climi

Xenomania (Girls Aloud) and Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen) turn their hand to prodigious youth Gabriella Climi with dissapointing results. "Defender" has all the hall marks of It's Not Me It's You era Lily Allen; a twirling light electronica driven by soft sounding keys. Kurstin's soft shimmering arrangements were the perfect contrast to Lily Allen's harsh lyricism and sugary deceptive vocals. However, next to Climi's bland uninspired lyricism and limp balladry his arrangements appear utterly forgettable.

"Magic Carpet Ride" the other half of this double A side release is the polar opposite. This time the arrangement is anything but subtle. It's big and imposing. It has a cheeky big band feeling that actually helps to show off Climi's raspy tone, unfortunately while this is a fun retrospective dabble it's ultimately inessential.

"Wonderful Life" - Hurts

"Wonderful Life" almost warrants a five star review for it's quite frankly hilarious music video. I hope that Hurts were intending to parody the super serious, overly stylized but ultimately vacant music video. A cheap shot at White Lies and Glasvegas or a unintentionally comical misfire? Whatever the answer the video almost manages to distract the listener from a rather unimaginative slice of synth-pop. Synth-pop can be a wonderfully charming genre at it's best but it is desperately in need of new ideas. Sadly these innovations are not forth coming on "Wonderful Life".

"Upside" - Kano feat. Michelle Breeze

It's great to hear a genuine sense of urgency and drive behind Kano's rhymes. "Uspide" sees the classic contrast of slow chorus and rapid fire verse. With a warm horn arrangement powering the track Kano spits his hit and miss rhymes at a refreshing pace, his cadence gives the track a real sense of rhythm. At times his vocals feel more like an added layer of instrumentation rather than a focused lyrical assault. Sadly the track leads to a rather limp and unsatisfying conclusion, which is a shame, because otherwise this is a short, sharp and effective pop single.

"One " - Sky Ferreira

Sky Ferreira certainly earns points for quirkiness on her heavily auto-tuned single "One". Goofy burbling synths, intense repetition and knowingly silly vocal effects certainly give this internet darlings latest effort a healthy dose of charm. For all the garish effects, it's really quite understated and pleasant (qualities you really can't take for granted these days). In the post Allen, post Gaga, Perrified world; the market for quirky female solo artists is rather over subscribed, and while Sky may lack the vocal power of Marina & The Diamonds she has enough girlish charm to succeed on a cultish level. Both contemporary and a willing throwback, "One" isn't good per se, but it's not bad either. Approach with a knowing pinch of salt of and you might just enjoy yourself. (This track will not age well)

"Watching Birds" - Stornoway

Stornoway are latest the recipients of a post Glastonbury boost having been highlighted on the BBC's coverage. "Zorbing" was a natural hit, whereas "Watching Birds" is less obviously and more scatter shot. Despite its inconsistency "Watching Birds" has layers and layers of hooks, both catchy rhymes and infectious vocals, this track is almost too stacked and too chaotic as each hook cascades carelessly into the next. Stornoway's ability to switch between the super serious and the loose and carefree is quite brilliant. "Watching Birds" won't blow you away, but as vibrant slice of quirky British summer time pop you could do a lot worse.

"Dynamite" - Taio Cruz (THE SINGLE OF THE WEEK)

There is a fine line between brain-dead thrills and cringe inducing embarrassments. Alexandre Burke found her self on the wrong side of this line with "Start Without You", Taio Cruz however is more shrewd. "Dynamite" is a slice of unpretentious fun. The chorus is intentionally euphoric and happily spreads feel good vibes. Taio is careful not to big foot the track; he doesn't appear self centred, he's just out for a good time and his enthusiasm carries track. The beat is low key and infectious and unlike so many of his contemporariness (or even his own past efforts) he avoids a guady in your face sound. Next to Akon and The Black Eyed Peas, Cruz appears positively charming. It's this central likeability that makes this track a sure fire club banger and helps the track overcome it's complete lack of originality. Ulimately "Dynamite" has a feel good energy that recalls Yves La Rock's party starting (or concluding) "Rise Up". A surprisingly agreeable success.

Classic Single Of The Week:

"Pull Shapes" - The Pippettes

It's been fire long years since the Pippettes trail blazed the retro-pop revival with a simple but staggering album; full of gorgeous strings and beautiful melodies. They're due to make their return later this year, and what better way to celebrate the forerunners of the British pop revival than by reliving their finest moment "Pull Shapes". It is quite perfectly the most perfectly pure pop song ever composed. Every last note is in its right place. Each melody and three part harmony is utterly inescapable. Infectious, refined and utterly endearing make no mistake this is pop music done right. This is pop music how Phil Spector imagined it, perfectly produced and full on wonderful little flourish (notice the big bass drop on "I Like To Hip Hop"). "Pull Shapes" is the perfect example of how to make the fundamentally un-intellectual into art. Ultimately it's the ideal expression of one of life's great desire; "I Just Want To Move, I Don't Care What The Songs About".

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The 70s (75-71)

2010-06-09T19:30:00.010+01:00

75. Off The Wall - Michael Jackson

(Epic 1979, Quincy Jones)

Thriller will always have a special place in history, after all as LP's go, Thriller is bigger than life itself. It's so entrenched in the narrative of our times that it's easy to forget that on an artistic level it pales in comparison to Off The Wall. Like Thriller, Off The Wall had a core of five star singles; "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough", "Rock With You" and "Off The Wall" were perfect disco-motown hybrids and were cooler if not catchier than anything the BeeGees ever wrote. Yet what makes Off The Wall truly special, and MJ's best, is it's sense of balance and fluidity. Off The Wall is an album with a defiant evolving groove and a young tender heart. The way disco charms of "Girlfriend" roll into the sorrowful but never bitter "She's Out Of My Life" is a delight. It recalls the listeners first love and his first break up; Off The Wall is a record of fun, innocence, heartbreak and optimism. It's carefree youth encapsulated in both it's naivety and in all it's dirty funky disco glory. With Jackson reminding us after the trails and tribulations of love there's nothing like dressing up, going out, and Burning The Disco Down.

74. Imagine - John Lennon

(Apple 1971, Lennon, Ono & Spector)

After Plastic Ono Band provided a shock to the world's collective system, Imagine must have seemed like a real relief. This was the Lennon album the general public had been waiting for, it was the album they had always expected. Despite lacking the raw thrills of it's predecessor, Lennon still had a few tricks up his sleeve. The honesty of Plastic Ono Band recordings transfered over to the Imagine sessions and gave the world the beautiful and heartbreaking "Jealous Guy". Simple sharp and to the point, Lennon pulls no punches on one of the most emotive tracks ever penned. "How Do You Sleep?" is perhaps the greatest shock; an utterly scathing and unrelenting attack on Paul McCartney. It's almost unpleasant to hear Lennon let rip: "A Pretty Face May Last A Year Or Two, But Pretty Soon They'll See What You Can Do" ouch. I normally hate "diss" records but "How Do You Sleep?" is simply too well crafted with it's swirling layered strings. Outside of it's sit up and take notice moments, Imagine is comprised of the catchiest and most addictive pop music of Lennon's post Beatles' career. It's an album that can't help but satisfy. Oh and of course there's the title track, but you probably don't remember it, it's not even worth talking about really.

73. Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! - Devo

(Warner Bros. 1978, Brian Eno)

Okay seriously did I just put this album ahead of John Lennon, Michael Jackson, George Harrison and Bruce Springsteen? I mean this has to be the stupidest album of all time, have you heard "Mongaloid", I mean it's positively morose! Why on earth would I ever include this monstrosity in the top 1,000 let alone the top 90? Maybe I had an "Uncontrollable Urge"...christ this album has got me making terrible puns now. I mean why how could any human being call this music...oh right I forgot they are not mere mortals, THEY ARE DEVO!

Now In all seriousness, what Devo created in 1978 was a blast of sheer synth pop heaven. There are a million reasons why we shouldn't like Devo, the silly hats and the sheer irreverence of their music for starters, but at the end of the day there is one simple reason why people keep coming back to this silly little album. Because across twelve tracks there is not one single song that is anything less than addictive. Quirky and inane, yes, brilliant and surprisingly influential, you better believe it. Now remember, They Are Devo and it's best not to ask questions.

72. Rocky Horror Picture Show OST

(Rhino 1975)

It's testament to the Rocky Horror Picture Show's enduring influence that in a months time, I'll be at the Sonisphere metal festival and their Friday night has a Rocky Horror Theme. Seriously in 2010 a festival that plays host to over sixty thousand people is holding a night in honour of a classic seventies cult movie (and the musical of course). So why has Rocky Horror endured? Maybe it's the sheer camp delight, maybe it's Susan's Sarandon's bussom, or maybe it's just that we all long to be sweet transvestites transexual Transylvania. All these factors probably do come into play, but the real answer lies in the perfect marriage of over the top concepts with brilliant timeless music. Rocky Horror has all the silly cringe inducing elements that make musicals both incredibly popular and unpopular at the same time, but it manages to subvert them, creating something that's just cool. As an album Rocky Horror Picture Show actually works better than the movie itself, it's more coherent without sacrificing any of the inane Rocky Horror randomness. Meatloaf still explodes out of no where only to disappear just a quickly, Tim Curry remains larger than life even if you can't see him prancing around in his tights, oh and "The Time Warp" kicks even harder on record than it does on the silver screen. You can visualize the movie scene for scene, you can picture every image, and you can genuinely appreciate how brilliantly crafted each and every one of these camp classics truly are.

71. Pearl - Janis Joplin

(Columbia 1971, Paul A. Rothchild)

After all that silliness, it almost feels disrespectful to talk about Janis Joplin and Pearl, but really, it simply goes to show just how diverse and intriguing a decade the seventies truly were. Joplin was more of a hang over from the sixties, with her raw blues and folk elements dominating Pearl. For Joplin herself Pearl marked a more straight forward approach casting aside her Blue Grass and Country background. This simplification allows Joplin to really find her voice and make her ultimate artistic statement with blood curdling blues. While Joplin was a product of the sixties Pearl with it's dark, desperate cries and her, dare I say heavy metal showmanship (Robert Plant would be proud of the "arh...arrrrwwwh...aaaarhs" on "Half Moon") remained a thoroughly contemporary record. Pearl bled emotion, and it's Joplin's virtuous vocal that continues to captivate music lovers long after her death.

"Cry Baby" has elements of stripped down blues, heart wrenching soul and even gospel preaching but it's all tied together by the showmanship of a true rock and roll star. Despite "Cry Baby's" brilliance, Pearl happens to be one of those unique albums where the singles are blown out of the water by the album tracks. The winding jaunt of the excellent "Me And Bobby McGee" can't measure up the powerhouse closer "Get It While You Can". A track which contrasts world weary cynicism with strength of character and iron willed determination. In a way it reflects Pearl in it's entirety; it's relentless, it's determined, it's earnest and it's desperate but never weak and rarely fragile. Pearl is about strength, strength of belief, strength of spirit and the strength of one young lady's incredible voice.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The 70s (80-76)

2010-06-08T22:56:00.009+01:00

80. The New York Dolls - The New York Dolls

(Mercury 1973, Todd Rundgren)

So who was Mr. Stephen Morrissey's favourite band during his formative years? That's right, The New York Dolls. Now, that's a pretty big endorsements, but tying The Dolls in with Morrissey actually does a disservice to their great influence and to the sheer quality of this album. The New York Dolls stands shoulder to shoulder with both Funhouse and Raw Power as the great pre-punk or protopunk pioneers. The New York Dolls unlike the Stooges weren't accomplished musicians, they often plagiarized riffs, and even the most casual of music fans will notice a striking resemblance to the Rolling Stones, but that's what made them great. They were low down, they were dirty, and most of all they were sleazy, or to put it in their own words they were "Trash". Raw, rough around the edges, uncompromising "Trash"; intentionally out of tune and out of time they embodied the everyone can be a rock star spirit of punk. Of course they were too androgynous and too glam, to truly be considered punk, but that hardly mattered, because they had the spirit and they had the tunes; "Personality Crisis", "Looking For A Kiss" and "Subway Train" were unstoppable. Simply put, if The Rocky Horror Picture Show were a band it'd be The New York Dolls, and that's the greatest compliment I can give this band, and this album.

79. All Things Must Pass - George Harrison

(Apple 1970, Phil Spector)

This album could easily be subtitled: "How to ruin the perfect album by George Harrison". Now of course that's an exaggeration and All Things Must Pass is anything but ruined, it's actually a gorgeous soothing and harmonious listen, but it's undermined by a selection of random jams that conclude the album. It's hardly a detraction, because few fans ever actually listen to those final few tracks, but it does lower this album from a potential top thirty finish. It's a shame, as the bulk of All Things Must Pass is made up of gorgeous and heartfelt pop music that never fails to bring a tear to this reviewer's eye. It's hard to describe why tracks like "Run Of The Mill" and "The Art Of Dying" are so affecting; perhaps it's the marriage of Harrison's sharp tones and neat guitar work with Phil Spector's legendary wall of sound production, or maybe it's Harrison's talent for broad far reaching sentiments. It's impossible to say, but I suspect it's really the undefinable magic that accompanies the one Beatle who had an unending supply of public good will. All Things Must Pass sees Harrison addressing spirituality more directly than he ever did during his time with the Beatles, but the album never feels preachy; it feels more like a gentle reminder to consider your life, your actions and to think beyond yourself. Or as Harrision put it, and far more succinctly than I, "Beware Of Darkness". Sombre, reflective, melancholic; yet beautiful, uplifting and inspiring, forty years on and All Things Must Pass is still an inspiring and affecting listen.

78. Darkness On The Edge Of Town - Bruce Springsteen

(Columbia 1978, Jon Landau)

Springteen delivered his breakthrough record in 1975. When Born To Run hit the stores it established him as one of his or any generations biggest stars, and the subsequent tours turned him from working man's hero into a stadium rocker of Mercury-eske proportions. Then a series of legal proceedings meant the world had to wait three years for the follow up, it may have been a momentum killer but it didn't dampen the sense of expectation. Those who kept the faith were rewarded with one of Springsteen's greatest LP's and another classic album cover. Now call me shallow, but I just knew I was going to love this album when I saw that ice cool brooding cover, but I know enough about art what about the music, right?

"Badlands" has gone down in history as one of the great album openers, with Springsteen's lyricism reaching stirring new heights "It Ain't No Sin To Be Glad Your Alive, When I Find One Face That Ain't Looking Through Me, When I Find One Place, I Want To Spit In The Face Of These Badlands", it was angry, it was desperate and it was hungrier than it had any right to be. The energy never subsides as the guitars soar and slice in the grizzly sleazy scream-a-thon "Adam Raised Cain" and across the entire album the sax and axe attack are relentlessly brilliant. Springsteen's characters continued to transition from down on their luck everymen to low down but somehow admirable scum bags, as seen on the weighty "Racing In The Street". Elsewhere the album had it's hit a miss moments, but Springsteen's determination and earnest enthusiasm turned throwaway tracks like "Promised Land" into powerful sing-a-longs and eventually into live anthems. The album was cemented as a classic by it's closing cuplet "Prove It All Night" and "Darkness On The Edge Of Town". They struck a stark contrast; a rambunctious feel good sing-a-long and a throat shredding ball of raw emotion. In retrospect it's clear that Darkness On The Edge Of Town was the welcome halfway house between Nebraska and Born To Run, combining the darker themes that were to come with the uplifting energy of what came before.

77. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John

(MCA 1973, Gus Dugdeon)

While Elton John's legacy as one of music's great showmen has never been in doubt, his skills as a songwriter and as a true artist have never really been spoken of in just reverent tones. Which is one of music great tragedies, as at his height Elton John wrote not only great singles but he also crafted one of music greatest double albums. Yes, I am talking about Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and yes, I am being deadly serious. A million albums have been compared to the White Album but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the closest any artist has ever come to recreating it's carefree and expansive joy. John loaded this double album with barmy tales, infectious hooks and gloriously over blown arrangements. One minute your emersed in super serious balladry, the next your thrown into a show tune, then a prog epic, then glitzy tale of camp sleaze and then out of blue your hearing about "Bennie And The Jets" or the Jamaican beaches. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is all over the place, and that's it's charm, Elton John throws himself at every genre he can think of bringing his unique band of melodrama to everything he touches. Of course it contains instantly recognizable anthems "Candle In The Wing" and "Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting", but these classics are almost cast aside by the over the top tales and frivolity of "All The Girls Love Alice", "The Ballad Of Danny Bailey" and "I've Seen That Movie Too". What makes Goodbye Yellow Brick Road remarkable is just how quickly it passes by, it's pure undistilled fun, and despite the genre hoping madness, at the end of the day Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is pure unadulterated pop at it's best.

76. Autobahn - Kraftwerk

(Phillips 1974, Conny Plank)

Had Kraftwerk's career ended in 1973 they would have been revolutionary visionaries and cult heroes, but they wouldn't have been world straddling superstars they are today and they may not have been one of the most influential bands of all time. Autobahn transformed Kraftwerk's cold and mechanical style into something glorious, something groovy and something that was accessible to millions across the world. Listening to the title track now it's still awe inspiring and it's a cliche to say it, but Autobahn sounds just a fresh today as it did in 1974. While Electronica, dance, hip-hop and all kind of hybrid pop and rock spin offs have evolved from these electro-pioneers, their core sound has never aged, it's still other worldly. The pulsating rhythm is still addictive, those mangled electronic cries sound more relevant than anything industrial wizard Trent Reznor has done in the last decade, and that eerie synth sound still sounds like a science fiction vision of the future thirty six years on. Kraftwerk would go on to create better works, but Autobahn is the moment electronica arrived, audiences in Europe, the UK and the US were wowed by staggering grooves, it's shimmering lines and it's tongue in cheek sense of humour. Kids across the world had their eyes opened to new possibilities and unheard of sounds, but it's important not to forget, that first and foremost they were having fun dancing and chilling to "Kometenmelodie 2". It's one of those strange quirks of music, that we get so obsessed with holding Kraftwerk on some-kind of impenetrable pedestal of almighty deference, that we forget that they made damn good music, and damn good pop music at that. Autobahn changed history; and for too long when it's come to influence the old tale has gone "The Beatles and then everyone else", well from now on we must remember it goes; The Beatles, Then Kraftwerk and then everybody else.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The 70s (85-81)

2010-06-06T01:05:00.008+01:00

85. L.A. Woman - The Doors

(Elektra 1971, The Doors)

Released just months before Jim Morrison's death, L.A. Woman holds an interestingly place in The Doors cannon. It doesn't sound like any other Doors record, it's a full on blues record, and Jim isn't in particular good voice, he's grainy, strained and his voice even cracks on occasion; but it only adds to the charm of one of the all time great blues records. Despite it's melancholy, L.A. Woman still feels like a light hearted record full of in jokes, and over the top imagery. The album is bookended by two stone cold classics "The Changeling" and "Riders On The Storm". What happens in between the two is unsettling and inconsistent, and it can be a mighty trudge at times but it's more than worth the considerable endeavor. The Doors as a band are tighter than ever, with a cool blues sound highlighted by a truly mesmeric organ/keys performance adding a winding hypnotic fair ground feel the mix, making easily my favourite blues record of all time, and The Doors second best effort.

84. The Payback - James Brown

(Polydor 1973, James Brown)

James Brown was an artist who was always more at home on stage than in the recording studio, now that's not to say that the Godfather Of Soul didn't make some great records, he most certainly did, but his works were rarely mentioned in the same breath as Bowie or Floyd. The Payback however changed things, it was Brown's legitimate classic, slowing things way down, Brown opted for big open ended sprawling jam sessions; that rather than exposing the bands limitations, instead highlighted just how tight a unit they had become. The album was crammed full of gorgeous grooves and the kind of jams that just soothed their way into your subconscious; "The Payback" floats like a dream, "Mind Power" was a gloriously laid back call to arms, and the ironically named "Time Is Running Out Fast" was the album's centre piece. As a work it shows that Brown was confident enough in his band to let them exchange solos across a largely instrumental twelve minutes of pure jazz-funk ecstasy.

83. Van Halen - Van Halen

(Warner Bros. 1978, Ted Templeman)

The 70s as a decade spawn a series of albums that would change the course of music history forever, creating the sounds and genres that would dominate the next thirty years of music making, and while Never Mind The Bollocks... may grab the headlines it's Van Halen that would have the biggest and most immediate impact on the music scene at large. Hair metal, speed metal and thrash were waiting just around the corner and they all have their roots in this one album, and Eddie Van Halen's legendary finger tapping style. Now the reason Van Halen's role in rock history is underplayed is quite obvious; the album's sheer self indulgence, it's shallow and revels in the superficial, to put it as succinctly as possible it's an album that has nothing to say. Regardless what critics like myself may say (and have said) this record inspired a generation of kids to start playing their guitars as loud and as fast as they possibly could, while the rest of the world was content to dance and sing-along to "You Really Got Me" and "Ain't Talking About Love".

82. Hotel California - The Eagles

(Asylum 1976, Bill Szymczyk)

When I came to draw up this shortlist I was genuinely dreading the prospect of listing Hotel California and The Eagles. It must have been at least a decade since I last picked up this record and put it on. Yet much to my surprise, it suddenly clicked, I felt the magic that made Hotel California one of the best selling records of all time. Now don't worry, I'm not going to start telling you that Hotel California is some grand artistic statement of Neutral Milk Hotel proportions, I've just finally grasped it's appeal. Hotel California is perhaps the best all round MOR record of all time, while Joshua Tree is so often drowned in praise, Hotel California is a far more consistent, coherent and sonically intriguing work. It lacks the emotional depth of U2's money making juganaught but Hotel California had a wonderful up lifting groove and a swirling sense of musicality. Full of charming melodies and those intricate little lyrical details that transform a mediocre track into a full blown anthem. At it's worst Hotel California circums to saccharine sickiliness (see "The Last Resort") and at it's best it's a satisfying groovy goliath (see "Victim Of Love"). Like the best MOR records Hotel California is instantly familiar, endless anthemic but never lightweight and rarely dull.

81. My Aim Is True - Elvis Costello

(JVC Victor 1977, Nick Lowe)

Sometimes a phenomenon just erupts and sweeps away everything in it's path, Elvis Costello was one of those phenomena. He seemed completely out of keeping with everything that surrounded him, he looked like an anachronism, even in '77 he appeared dated; but when he opened his mouth he unleashed upon the world a series of albums that were sleeker, shaper, smarter and more infectious than anything else on the rock scene. It's rare that an artist can be so unashamedly poppy and yet so defiantly intellectual. Weaving complex and often misleading narratives Costello arrived fully formed as a song writer even if he was yet to uncover his signature sound and his backing band. Almost every track on My Aim Is True is irresistible, even his smutlziest ballad ("Allison") was utterly captivating, beautifully contrasting the coos of "my aim is true" with the thudding shouts of "stop". My Aim Is True plays like a classic barroom record, except we don't/didn't have bars and saloons in the UK, and in many ways it feels like the natural forerunner to current critical darlings The Hold Steady and Girls. Costello managed to bring a new twist to old sounds "Mystery Dance" never sounds remotely dated because Costello's verse is so sharp and his lyrics twist so beautifully. Then of course there was that closer, you know, the one about "Watching The Detectives"; that clanging guitar still sends chills down my spine, and Costello's verse is positively pedophiliac you almost feel dirty as the words "She Gets Down And Begs" slither from his lips. In short, My Aim Is True was the perfect debut, this ladies and gentlemen is how you make an impact.

The Top 90 Greatest Albums Of The 70s (90-85)

2010-06-05T16:43:00.012+01:00

Now I know what your wondering, why ninety, right? Why not 100? Why Not 75? Well there is a simple answer, there are 90 albums that I genuinely want to talk about, picking 100 is too arbitrary, half heartedly including ten albums just for the sake of it simply doesn't sit comfortably with me. Nor does the notion of eliminating fifteen just to achieve a more round number. So it may be awkward looking, but trust me this 90 feels right.

Now before I tell you to sit back and enjoy, I must reassure you that this list will be concluded within the next two months, if not sooner. I know I've been unreliable lately, but I've been very busy working for 411mania and genuinely living my life. However I have ample time to update five albums each and every day. Finally, one more in house note, I do fully intend to restart the Top 1,000 singles of the 2000s around September, and hopefully have it finished by Christmas.

Now for those of you new to the Cultural Evaluation Facility, this list is judged on critical quality, influence, importance and of course my own personal preference, with the overall aim of telling the story of the decade, now lets begin shall we? We Shall.

90. Band On The Run - Wings

(Apple 1977, Paul McCartney)

After a hit and miss start to his post-Beatles career, McCartney was feeling the weight of critical scrutiny like never before; while Lennon and Harrison were greeted into the art house elite with open arms. Not to be deterred McCartney resolved to blow the world away with Band On The Run an ultra-slick melodic assault of Abbey Road-eske collages. It may well be the one of the most overrated albums in pop history, but it's certainly anything but a bad record, as it contains most of McCartney's best post-Beatles work. "Band On The Run" is a meandering riot, "Jet" remains strangely addictive, "Mrs. Vandebilt" is a classic piece of joyful McCartney granddad music and "Let Me Roll It", McCartney's rebuke to Lennon, remains McCarntey's best attempted a singing the blues. Inconsistency, is rampant, but Band On The Run remains a damn good time; it may be over produced and it certainly lacks substance, but it has an endless supply of slick hooks and fun melodies, and remains a sublime slice of pop music.

89. Alive! - Kiss

(Casablanca 1975, Eddie Kramer)

Alive!'s place in music history as been severely marred by the "overdubbing" accusations and admission, but whatever the case, Alive! remains one of the most enjoyable listens in rock and roll history. Kiss never were an albums band, sure they made some decent records, but who wants to "appreciate" Kiss? Kiss we're unashamedly shallow, they were showman, and records constrained Kiss more than anything, so a live album was the perfect solution, and it should come as no surprise that Alive! remains their best selling and best loved LP to date. It's stacked full of hits "Deuce" sets the the tone, "Strutter" lets you know you in for the night of your life, and by the time "Cold Gin" thunders into "Rock And Roll All Nite", overdubbing will be the last thing on your mind.

88. Dreamboat Annie - Heart

(Mushroom 1976, Mike Flicker)

The 1980s would see women prove definitively that they could rock just as hard as the boys, and in retrospect Heart's brand of folk meets rock music feels like a natural transitional, if not a trailblazing, record. While they were often pigeon holed as a novelty the strength of their melodies, the sheer catchiness of their hooks and the smooth accessible gleam of their production meant that over thirty years later, with the aid of Guitar Hero, Heart would still be winning new fans. "Magic Man" summed up their entire appeal, big chunky slamming chords, a sweet addictive melody, a bold spunky vocal combined with a strong folk twinge that builds and grows into a prog epic, it's classic Heart, and now it's very much classic rock. Then of course there's that intro to that song, "Crazy On You" remains Heart's defining work, and a song that's never really fallen out of vogue; Eminem sampled it free of irony just as easily as he did Aerosmith. It seems the further removed we get from Dreamboat Annie's original release the more influential, the more important, and the more essential it becomes.

87. A Night At The Opera - Queen

(EMI 1975, Roy Thomas Baker)

A Night At The Opera may just be the single most overrated album of all time; it's the one truly cohesive Queen record, and it seems that critics are obsessed with laying all their praise for the band as a whole onto this one record. Despite this huge stock of good will, A Night At The Opera is not a five star album, but it is a damn good one, and a much loved one, and at the end of the day that's far more important. A Night At The Opera is forty three minutes of sheer pomposity that refuses to take it's self too seriously, and is yet to cleverly crafted to ever be considered a throwaway. It manages the near impossible feat of feeling both irreverent and substantial, and completely over the top without being remotely self indulgent. It also sees Queen broaden their remit, Freddie delivers a selection of music hall ditties ("Good Company", "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon" &"Seaside Rendevouz") with a wink and a nod either side of the trippy studio experimentation of "The Prophets Song". In between the silliness there's plenty of room for hard rock as "Death On Two Legs" still feels like the blue print Muse would use for stadium sized sonic expansion thirty years later. While at the other end of the spectrum sure fire singles "My Best Friend" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" send everyone home happy with two monstrous sing along, before "God Save The Queen" brings the curtain down in the most ludicrous fashion imaginable. A triumph of pure ambition mixed with the utterly ridiculous.

86. Bat Out Of Hell - Meatloaf

(Epic 1977, Todd Rundgren)

Behold the greatest marriage in rock and roll history. It must have been love at first sight when the Jim Steinman first laid his eyes upon Meatloaf. The over the top composer of pop rock musical theatre epics finally found the one man who perfectly encapsulated his vision. Meatloaf was the ultimate showman, too grotesque for musical theatre, too unfashionable for pop music, but somehow Jim Steinman transformed him into one of the world's biggest superstars. Bat Out Of Hell was a the soundtrack to the broadway musical that never could never have actually existed. And in all honesty, it still baffles me how this record ever got made, I mean Springsteen meets Wagner in the middle of the Rocky Horror picture show must have been a tough sell. Well however it happened, it did get made, and thank god it did because the world was treated to one of the silliest slices of pure fun imaginable. "Bat Out Of Hell", "Two Out Three Ain't Bad", "You Took The Words Right Out My Mouth" and "Paradise By Dashboard Lights" are preposterous epics that only Meatloaf could have pulled off. It may be chronically unfashionable to say it, but snobbery to one side, Bat Out Of Hell is legitimately one of the greatest albums ever recorded, even if it's utterly impossible to explain why.