Music is such a fascinating part of our society. Everyone has some sort of relationship with music that is unique to the individual, the same can be said for film but I think it applies better to music. There are people whose lives revolve around music, whether that be making music or being involved in the production aspect or even just running the gigs. Music is personal no matter the scale, the obscurest bands from the obscurest places will have at least someone who will hold them in their hearts and the biggest most influential bands will have access to an abundance of hearts, each just as important. Everyone has their own unique music taste, no two people will completely like or even know the same music, we build a portfolio of the music we love and that is our unique stamp. Very few things these days are as unique and personal as our music taste and even then it constantly evolves and it is completely situational, music is measured through experience, emotion and connection which is why I think it prevails as one of the true subjective art forms. I love music, I could happily spend my life listening to music and floating around gigs which is what compelled me to write another long emotional rambling piece about some of my personal portfolio of music. These are some albums that I consider to be the foundations of my love for music, the albums that I consider to be influential and essential to my life. This could be a long one so feel free to scroll through and pick out an album , the albums are in no particular order and I am certainly not an expert on what makes music of any worth, meaning most of this will be instinctual ramblings! Without further ado, here's Some Music and Some Thoughts About Music.
I’ve compiled a playlist of the albums that you can find HERE
Modest Mouse - Building Nothing Out of Something
'And I'm lonesome when your around/And I'm never lonesome when I'm by myself/And I miss you when you're around'
It was so tough to pick a single album from West Coast 90s rock outfit Modest Mouse, they are one of the first bands I felt belonged to me, if that makes sense. I discovered them through a suggestion yet appreciated them on a very personal level when I was a bit younger. Building Nothing out of Something was released in 2000 as a sort of compilation album, including songs from various EPs, I always felt this album was greatly underappreciated in the band's 26 (?) year long discography, it was the Modest Mouse album I got into first and keeps this overall musical energy that I find very nostalgic. Rather than the more rustic vibes of something like Lonesome Crowded West or the bigger produced and more energetic Good News For People Who Like Good News, this falls nicely between the two with an incredibly personal detail within the writing yet a melancholic and unique musical production. With a constant use of this scratching guitar running throughout several songs juxtaposed by how slow and quiet some songs are, it's an atmospheric and emotional album at its core and I love it for that. Highlights include: Interstate 8, one of the he first Modest Mouse songs I ever heard and fell in love with, All Night Diner, a super catchy and high energy song, Medication, Broke and Whenever You Breathe Out, I Breathe In fill out the emotion and change up the pace throughout. It is a fantastic album as a whole, managing to touch on some heavily emotional and self-deprecating topics and venture into some emotional low tones yet also remain extremely listenable with some songs that are incredibly entertaining.
Talking Heads - Fear of Music
'This ain't no party/This ain't no disco/ This ain't no fooling around'
This section has been rewritten 3 times now because I couldn't decide between putting this album or Remain in Light as my favourite Talking Heads album. To be clear, my favourite Talking Heads album is still Stop Making Sense but it seems like cheating to include a live album from a band whose history is defined by the album's they released. Fear of Music is such a unique and interesting album, it involves everything I love about Talking Heads yet it manages to balance their quirky energy with this underlying dark and mysterious tone. David Byrne's lyrics feel the most potent here, as the album explores his unique alien-like interpretations of things as simple as Cities, Drugs and Electric Guitars which gives this entertaining atmosphere whilst also amplifying that idea of 'Fear'. The production is experimental and compelling, with so many tracks having this spiky and unnatural rhythm yet remaining completely and utterly danceable. Contrasting tracks like Life During Wartime and I Zimbra, two of the higher energy and more well known tracks, with Drugs and Mind which are these surreal, janky and almost experimental tracks gives the album a lot of texture. I always believe that Talking Heads is a band best enjoyed with other people, their high energy and ability to remain entertaining has resulted in many a fond memory of dancing with friends to this band, however Fear of Music is their strongest album due to how succinct and focused it is whilst remaining as entertaining as the rest.
Wolf Alice - Visions of a Life
‘One step after the other’
Nostalgia has a lot of power over this list, which I'm not afraid to admit at all. Nowadays my listening habits are a little more sporadic, I tend to listen to singles and individual tracks more than albums due to how little time I've had to actually listen to full albums. I mention this because Wolf Alice are the first band I went to go see live on my own, at a time when I only listened to full albums and for that reason I hold this album in a very personal spotlight. I remember, for the first time, being excited for a band releasing new music, I was so excited for this release as I'd fallen in love with My Love Is Cool and I was not at all disappointed by Visions of a Life. The main selling point for Wolf Alice, above Ellie Roswell's phenomenal voice, is their versatility and ambition to make their albums so varied and interesting. They have songs like Yuk Foo on the heavier side, with songs like Planet Hunter going into soft dream-pop and then the title track Visions of a Life sounding completely unlike anything else. Yet the musical talent and writing never feels strained by this ambition, Roswell's ability to always maintain a remarkable level of relatability is incredible and the album's overall tone is spacey and intangible. I had a lot of fun revisiting this album, it holds up really well and I think there's this exciting energy to the album that is due to how quickly the band ascended to fame yet it still remains authentic and unique. Highlights include Space & Time, a real high energy driving indie rock tune, After The Zero Hour which is a beautifully quiet folk/fairytale song and of course Don’t Delete The Kisses, the band’s most popular track and an incredible accomplishment.
Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle
‘But I’ll fade away/And I hate to fade alone/Now there’s only M.E’
I don’t often talk about my love for this album enough in person, I have this weird idea that Gary Numan is a guilty pleasure of mine but I’ve come to realise there is absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. The Pleasure Principle is a phenomenal album, it is such an important album, such an exciting album and such a powerhouse of energy and wit. I’ve owned this album for a while now and right now I am re-listening to it whilst writing this piece and the second it began with Airlane I remembered why I decided to include it to this list, I cant listen to those opening few bars without smiling and nodding my head with excitement for what’s to come. Numan’s signature pioneering synth and riding bass contrasted against his iconic whiny high pitch vocals is such a flawless combination and I could not tell you why, there is just something with how this album manages to maintain such an exciting energy that I find mesmerising. Not only does it contain three absolutely iconic tracks in Cars, Films and M.E but it also manages to cover some truly exciting bases, with a few tracks being slower and more musically ambitious such as Complex and other’s maintaining what makes Numan iconic whilst still feeling fresh and exciting like Observer. I always have so much fun with this album, it is a piece of music history which has influenced so many albums, some of which are on this list, yet I honestly believe it still stands up massively today. Infectious, entertaining and wildly ambitious, if you haven't given The Pleasure Principle a chance, I promise you will find yourself dancing in your chair.
The Avalanches - The Wildflower
‘There is magic in the splendour and desire to surrender’
Initially, I found myself at odds with The Avalanches. I couldn't quite work out what they were and what exactly they were going for. Every track I listened to from their first album seemed to have this ineffable charm yet almost seemed to lack any identity that really stood out to me. However, that was until I listened to their second album Wildflower in full and something just clicked with me, the lack of identity was that charm that I found so intriguing. This album has to be listened to in full, it has so many moving parts and ideas running through yet The Avalanches’ iconic sampling technique results in a product feeling tight and absolutely fascinating. There is a difficult task when talking about an album like this because of just how many moving parts there are throughout, there are so many samples and collaborators working together in different capacities yet none of them quite stand out. Unlike something like a Gorillaz album which features guest musicians as the focus of a track with Damon often taking a back seat for whoever is collaborating, Wildflower is an album where no one is the star but the music itself. It has this consistent beat and energy to it, a sort of carnival of joy and energy with an underlying darker theme of melancholy that seems to dart through the tracks hidden by the concoction of hedonistic fun. Highlights are obviously Because I’m Me and I’m a Folkstar, two tracks that are so easy to relax into and enjoy whilst tracks like Frankie Sinatra and Noisy Eater add a layer of silliness and entertainment. Endlessly relistenable and a product so distinct and enthralling, I must have listened through this thing so many times during lockdown that I practically know the tracklist off by heart.
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
‘She started shakin’ to that fine, fine music/You know her life was saved by rock n’ roll’
As much as I love the iconic The Velvet Underground & Nico, there is just something about Loaded that i find myself turning to way more often than that banana. Perhaps it is because this is evidently one of The Velvet Underground’s least favourite album, famously it was an attempt at creating as many hits as possible in one album, hence the name: Loaded. As a result, it has less of a defined identity than their other work and notoriously production was a nightmare, however I can not deny that they kind of achieved that original goal in my opinion. This album is just full of such an incredible range of tracks that I absolutely adore, I’ve been a fan of The Velvet Underground for a few years now and I am still blown away when I see this album’s tracklist. It’s less artistically authentic as their debut album, with the focus being on trying to be more upbeat and danceable, which I think works in their favour as it never feels unlike a VU album but also feels so fun and energetic. Reed’s solo stuff always has this cheeky wit to his lyricism which I think is demonstrated best here, the tracks throughout this album inhabit multiple people and swing through individual observation and universal feeling. You can put this album on and have the absolute time of your life, the iconic guitar hooks that run through tracks like Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ and Rock & Roll are so much fun and really ramp up an already energetic album to another level.
Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I just Sit
“We either think that we’re invincible or that we are invisible/Realistically we are somewhere in between/We all think that we are nobody but everybody is somebody else’s somebody”
Please for the love of god listen to some Courtney Barnett, I have a theory the world would be substantially better if we all took some more time in our day to listen to Courtney Barnett. Hyperbole aside, Barnett may be one of my favourite lyricists of all time, the Australian singer has this magic ability to be philosophical, relatable and incredibly entertaining with her writing. I tried to narrow this list down to one of each area of music I am into, perhaps there are some overlapping here and there but Barnett is my choice for modern solo singer-songwriter. It is all in the writing, the amount of wit, sincerity and storytelling that goes into what Barnett explores is so endearing and it’s very rare that lyrics are the most memorable part of music I enjoy. Opening with the absurd charm behind a song like Elevator Operator, one of Barnett’s purely storytelling songs painting a narrative about a man being misinterpreted as suicidal, it is so entertaining and full of these little charming metaphors and vivid imagery that runs throughout what Barnett is writing about. As someone who has very little idea about the technical aspect of music, there is something comforting about Barnett’s folk origins and lyricism matched with a running core of ineffable rock, something between blues and modern indie with twinges of psychedelica the album keeps you on your toes so much that the wandering mind that characterises Barnett’s writing feels accomplished and fleshed out. A really charming album which proves Barnett as one of my favourite writers and a musician brimming full of entertaining ambition and lyrical proficiency.
Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
“You gotta give love or your love will walk away/And you gotta stay loose it’s the only way to stay”
This piece is probably getting a bit arduous to read through at this point. As per, my ambition and need to talk has surpassed what people actually want to read. But I’m not doing it for the reader, it is vastly evident this blog is my own little canvas of whatever needs to leak out of my head. I bring this up in relation to this album for some very obvious reasons if you have listened to this album. You may not have heard of Harry Nilsson or this album but you will have almost definitely heard a song on this album before, that’s one of my favourite things about Nilsson and ultimately what makes him a fantastic artist. He was known as ‘guy who sang X’ but applying to like 10 songs, yet he was an insanely talented classically trained singer and released several albums to so much critical success and is often held up as one of the pioneers of several trends in modern music. But still not enough people talk about him and especially not this album which is this bizarre collection of genre, lyrical tone and musical style, dashing through traditional pop, blues, swing, rock and roll and whatever is going on with Coconut. Nilsson evidently never took himself too seriously, he has the ability to perform something like Without You with that passion and emotion but put it on an album with Coconut and Gotta Get Up, songs simultaneously about stupid concepts with complete and utter musical commitment. I always have so much fun with this album, every song pulls and pushes you down a different road and with every relisten I find myself drawn to a different single more than the others. Just pure fun from a crazy talented artist.
Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy
“Don’t you realise our bodies could fall apart any second?”
The interesting challenge about this piece is that my music taste is completely based on situational nostalgia, I like every single one of these albums because they are attached to a certain moment in my life or even a specific person, it is hard to recommend an album based on a very personal association. Car Seat Headrest are such a specific moment in my life, they were the anthem of post-college pre-covid Jo and relistening to them is tinged with glorious nostalgia. Nothing about Will Toledo’s writing is positive, in fact it is very far from it but I consider that period of my life to be brimming with excitement and the weird melancholic edgy big scale indie rock of Car Seat Headrest somehow manages to sustain that emotion. This is an album with such a succinct emotional backbone in its tone, I struggled to choose between this and either Teens album but I think Toledo manages to find a succinct tone that emulates nostalgia with this raging ambition tinged with emotion. I can’t quite put into words the feeling that this album gives off, it’s the equivalent of wiping a tear with a laugh after breaking the tension during an emotional conversation with a close peer, it’s an album about release and moving forward. This mostly comes from the arrangement, for a relatively lo-fi album it manages to feel grand in its atmosphere, songs like Sober to Death and Bodys feel so big in their scope yet with small stakes and witty lyrics. Like I said, I’m bad at communicating these weirdly more personal albums to me because I don’t quite know why I adore Car Seat Headrest other than that gut emotional response to their work which peaks with this album.
Radiohead - The Bends
'When you think you’ve got the world all sussed out/They’re the ones who will spit at you/ You will be the one screaming out'
Eventually a Radiohead album was bound to show up on this list, not many bands have a career with such a high reputation as Radiohead with most of their albums being highly regarded and some even being regarded as some of the most influential albums of all time. I adore their work, the mix of melancholic brit-rock and constant ambition to attempt to try something new hit 16 year old Joseph at a time where he needed it. However, this album is probably a controversial pick for Radiohead fans as it isn’t often talked about as anything but ‘the one before OK Computer’ which is fair enough as Radiohead are the kind of band with such highs that the more predictable albums get forgotten about. This is still my favourite Radiohead album, I think it rides that 90s alt rock line so well with these beautiful little inklings of what Radiohead would become, whilst conceptually OK Computer and Kid A are way more concise albums as a whole, this has my personal favourite arrangement of singles. There is a duplicity to the album, constantly wavering on the brink of a breakdown and coming to terms with that by alternating between anger and melancholy. Tracks like High and Dry, Street Spirit and Fake Plastic Trees all take a slower approach, focusing on Yorke’s lyricism and vocal performance to elicit these haunting emotional motives whilst tracks like The Bends and Just are bigger more chaotic emotions as the music tends to approach gorgeous crescendos. There is just something so unique and interesting with how this album is put together, I find so many of the tracks moving in ways I didn't expect and there are genuinely two of my favourite songs of all time on this album which is reason alone to put it on this list. Emotional, provocative and ambitious without trying to reinvent the rulebook and instead relying on improving on their musical roots.
Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue
'Make a point of having fun/It'll help you get through life/"Life sucks and love is dumb"/Golly that's a real life'
After a few heavy hitters, how about an album most people haven't heard of! Red, Yellow & Blue is the debut album for the fascinating Toronto indie rock band Born Ruffians and it is equal parts silly, emotionally ambitious and ridiculously catchy. I just find this album so listenable, there is this absolutely gorgeous energy and enthusiasm behind the music, weirdly it feels like such a full sound for a three-piece just starting out with a strong focus on the lead singer’s vocals as the core of the music. I don’t quite know how to define Born Ruffians in terms of genre, in fact I don’t really like anything they’ve released since because it lacks the very specific sound behind this debut album. There is a sense of playful and hedonistic community that tracks throughout, with that lead vocal performance being so efficiently entertaining and energetic whilst the other components seem to dance around and maintain the energy. It is definitely not an album for everyone and that is due to a lot of the reasons I find it so appealing, the vocals are so diverse and imperfect but are 100 percent what makes Born Ruffians, Luke Lalonde has this gorgeous ability to inhabit whatever unique energy each song requires. Match this with unique percussion elements punctuating every song and a bass guitar doing so much work when it is allowed to be in the forefront. I genuinely find this twee, goofy and unpredictable energy the album is working through to be so endearing and so much fun to listen to that I can not recommend it enough.
BONUS ROUND - Huddersfield Lot
I mentioned a couple times my love for live music, in fact the weird thing about writing a list like this is that I’d much rather be watching a band I knew nothing about live than listening to one of these albums on my own at home. I mention this as one of my closest relationships to music is Huddersfield and the weird niche that is the extraordinary Huddersfield live music scene and I figure with this being a sort of platform in some sort of capacity I would shout out a couple of my favourite albums from up north!
Don Gonzo - Active Ingredients
Once Don Gonzo starts to work for you, there is no escape from this band’s crushing musical power. I love this album for feeling so full and having so many moving elements, a mix of psychedelica and garage rock rumbling through charming lyrics and irony. They are a band that are so entertaining to listen to but are on a different level when watching live, something about the power Don Gonzo pumps out is infectious and bold.
Two Pound - Go Out
It is already weird enough recommending your friend’s music to people but it is even weirder when it’s a band like Two Pound. A band completely set in musical authenticity, always chasing your expectations and making you feel ill prepared for whatever is about to come. Elements come and go through no sense of consistency, lyrics range from dry and witty to surprisingly endearing and musically the band jumps through several different genres within one song. You’ll be surprised how much this album sticks with you, often that alienating confidence is disarming but Two Pound prove their worth with incredible skill.
PENNY - My Secret Powers
After listening to the last two albums you might think you’ve got a gauge on what Huddersfield music is like but then an artist like PENNY comes through and blows everything away. An album I hold very close to my heart, emotional vulnerability is a pattern throughout the music I love and there is something about My Secret Powers that is melancholy and deeply personal yet ridiculously fun to listen to. The balance of PENNY’s gorgeous voice and the band of talented musicians composing catchy pop ballads with an emotional core makes the album consistent and effective. It succeeds from being short and sweet, with clear effort going into the composition of each song and consistently keeping you hypnotised by the magic that is PENNY, listening to this one makes me miss Huddersfield a lot.
Samh - Fat of the Apple
This is one of those albums that is more symbolic in its placement as any of Samh’s albums could be here as he is an artist that I have enjoyed for many years and have seen live countless times. What happens when you combine a lyric forward singer with an earthy and emotive voice with a band composed of some of Huddersfield’s most talented musicians? Fat of the Apple is what you get. At its core it is folk-rock that isn’t afraid to actually put some energy and effort into the composition, with a brilliant mix of tone and pace running throughout, Sam plays with your expectations at all times. Honestly, if you are ever in Huddersfield and Samh is playing nearby I implore you to check him out as listening to this album you can tell how it is even more effective in front of an audience.
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
“I wouldn't change one stupid decision/For another five years of life”
Even though I did mention that this list is in no particular order, I’ve cheated a bit by finishing on this album. This is an album that has encapsulated the last few years of my life, to be more specific it is actually LCD Soundsystem that has been the running beat of my adult life so far. The brainchild of James Murphy, there is no defining element in what makes LCD Soundsystem what they are but James, it is almost completely impossible to define what makes any of the components here work. You would define it as dance music made by someone not involved in modern dance music, it is much more about musical ambition and addressing ideas that are bold and personal simultaneously. Murphy is an outstanding lyricist, he is a storyteller with intrinsic vulnerability and so many songs on this album portray Murphy as a floating insecure emotion in a whirlwind of musical hedonism. It’s not often you get a mix of songs on an album like this that are both equally emotional and danceable, whether it be the opening track Get Innocuous! With its unwavering commitment to a beat and an energy or the melancholy lyric based songs like Someone Great. I’ve spent so many nights dancing to LCD Soundsystem, it is weirdly one of my favourite pastimes and that is because they are so effortlessly catchy yet full of passion and emotion that you can’t help take control. I had the privilege of seeing them live a couple of months ago and I think that night is going to be one of the defining live music experiences of my life. Murphy has this extraordinary ability to weave community through the mix of emotional vulnerability and energetic rhythm. Initially I really struggled to pick which album to put on this list but when I saw the double hitter of Someone Great and All My Friends, I realised Sound of Silver is a one of a kind album. Those two songs are emotional whirlwinds, consisting of true emotional heights and core unpredictable melodies, both starting feeling alien and frustrating and the ascending into cathartic releases of pure authentic emotion. Murphy is a genius, he is a one of a kind musician and LCD are a band that have had an unwavering hold over my life and emotion that is difficult to put into words.
And there we have it. I realise this is probably one of the most inaccessible and weirdly inconsistent pieces I have ever written as it has been an ongoing and evolving piece for the last few weeks. One of the weird things that is hard to put into words is how one communicates their love for music, it is such an intrinsically personal thing yet I find myself so reliant on sharing that experience with others. A common through line through the albums I love is eliciting emotion, a factor about music that I always find myself in awe of. I never know how I am going to respond to a song in the moment but every album on this piece has made me very emotional at different times in my life. Thanks for reading, or at least for skimming and reading about an album you know, it means a lot. And next time you see me, let's go listen to some music together.