10 Pulp – Hits

I got into Pulp way after they split up. I mean I was around for Brit Pop but I went to a state school in South London. No this is not some sort of ‘bad boy’ pose, but it was jungle, drum and bass, garage, hip hop, soul as the staple crop which I embraced with open arms. Not until I was at university did I get into live music, and with my OCD I had to lap everything I missed out up like a rabid dog.

After leaving university I got my first temp job. As part of my routine of trying to get into a 9-5 mindset I would listen to the radio on the long X68 bus ride back to Norwood from Russell Square, as I was staying with my parents at that time. Then out of nowhere Pulp – Babies came on. For whatever reason life started to make sense. A warm rush and feeling came out of nowhere and then the song was gone. Missing the song name, it took me a trip to a second hand CD store a few weeks later to find out the song was called Babies.

Picking a greatest hit should be banned, even more so it’s so high up on the charts. But I’m afraid it has to be done, as this is one of the finest collection of songs I’ve heard put together. Showcasing the wonderful Sunrise, which has one of the greatest build up of euphoria I’ve ever heard, to the rave build up of Remember The First Time, to the harshness of Razzamatazz. In the ideal world, yeah I would want to put my favourite song of any band and call it my own album, but this album brought together the ideas and showed how outstanding Pulp were.

So why can we let a greatest hits still stand in the top 10 albums of the decades? Why can’t I make a compilation and call it my favourite album of all time? You can do whatever you like, but I guarantee when you hear that song from 1993 with that simple riff… honestly when I meet the one she will know she’s getting a marriage proposal when I get on one knee and quote Babies to her.

9 Radiohead – In Rainbows

It’s a bit conventional isn’t it? Sometimes you have to make the obscure and leftfield to realise that if you go down that route of all that you’ve learnt from your abstract days to your more conventional roots, you will find that middle ground to create something spectacular. The Prodigy removed their chip from their shoulder to create Invaders Must Die and Radiohead came up with In Rainbows.

Some of the tracks on the double CD are just classics. From the distorted final section of Bodysnatchers, to the wonderful beat of 15 Step, to the utterly simple but luscious Faust Arp, to the double drums of Bangers and Mash. There’s a hell of a lot going on here but all these tracks represent all that make Radiohead a fantastic band.

There is no other band like them on this scale who have the balls to reinvent themselves constantly and without fear of ostracising their fan base, for sake of wanting to be that whining “fuck you I won’t do you tell me” attitude or it’s a genuine want to explore their multiple sides of music making. Irrespective this album came out and reinforced my opinion of Radiohead bein my favourite band of all time.

8 Q-Tip – The Renaissance

Something clicked when I heard this album. A feeling I haven’t had from hip hop in a long time. I probably haven’t had this feeling for an album since listening to Pete Rock & CL Smooth – Appreciate, or when I first Illmatic by Nas.

The symbolic MPC covering his face bought me in and then the production kept me there. With Q Tips unique voice cutting through the samples, the tight snare patterns and the bubbling basslines. It all came together like I have not heard in a long time, and instantly made me jump on my MPC and tried to make a hip hop track, which I did (watch out for King Bell Featuring Chima Anya).

That plug aside, this album really reignited my love for hip hop, for production and for just good music with a good groove. As much as I love the live music scene, there’s something about the swing on the MPC working with a nice deep bassline that creates a groove that is will make you want to the South London gunfinger skank.

7 Beck – The Information

This album is just insanely good. Beck going back to his hip hop roots in part, Beck going back to his laid back electronic version of Mellow Gold, Beck going back to making a straight up excellent album. Don’t get me wrong he’s been on form for ages, but this album personified just how good a producer he really is, and is definitely one of the best solo artists out there.

6 The Avalanches – Since I Left You

Samples, samples, samples…jeeezzussss.

There’s so much going on with this album it’s almost hard to get your head around it. Trying to identify where each sample originated from, well if you got a few weeks to spare then be my guest (check youtube to see where some of the samples came from.

The style, the swagger, the execution, the guests, the songs, the ideas… From a production point of viewpoint this album is just too much to get your head around. This is easily one of those albums which makes you scratch your head and think looking at that track you’re so proud off, to almost turn of your set up and call it a day. ALMOST being the operative word though.

The contextual journey, the layers and the beauty of it all. The genre bending ideas, the scratching, the beats… sometimes your head wants to explode. And not because they are putting way too much into the track, but the complexity of it all, the subtleties are just what makes this album on another level.

However, the most important thing is if you don’t listen to all of that, it’s such a beautifully constructed album and putting it on and enjoying it for what it is can easily be done. And that’s the beauty of great production, you can ignore and be totally unaware, or you can focus on the intricacies and be in awe of it.

5 Zero 7 – Simple Things

I just spent a lot of my student loan on records, a lot of breakbeat hardcore, funk, hip hop, 80s mainly…  I am in HMV in Oxford Street to end of my rounds down the Soho record shops, when all of a sudden I hear the sound of a really sustained/high attack Rhodes. The Fender Rhodes is one of my favourite keyboards, so anytime I hear it I have to stop in my tracks. Then Sophie Barkers voice came through and with that really laid back beat I had to buy it on vinyl instantly. A strange combination mixing up Head in the Clouds by Manix with Destiny, it was fun to have none the less.

The era of the laid back chill out albums was one to grace many university bedroom stereos. Annoyingly grace is probably the correct term to use. However this album stood the test of time, and received a constant battering over the years. It started to propel my love for writing music again, working on simple keyboard parts rather than intricate parts, and working on trying to layer sounds to bring out the desired affect. But when I was trying to make music on a Yamaha DJX keyboard it was not the same; being a poor student sucks when you can only prioritise vinyl and alcohol over spending money on music software.

All that aside, Sia Fuller was definitely the star vocalist on the album, not to play down everyone else’s role of course. Her vocals on Destiny just oozed sex, oozed an appeal which was so great it made you feel warm/sexy/dirty/filthy inside. The entire album seemed to really bring that feeling out of you. It’s not overly complicated if you listen to the basis of the melodies, but what sounds they use, and how they layer them are very important into creating a texture which you just want to rub all over your face.

4 PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

When an album speaks out to you, you don’t really know what say back. Living in Toronto at the time, this album spoke the East Coast language to me. Track after track after track on a daily basis walking through the College and Spadina cross section, waiting for the Streetcar to get to work, and being an Englishman in (New) Toronto and all that, this album use to SHOUT at me.

Hearing her talking about “This Mess We’re In,” reminded me of all the travelling mess I was in, and brought a poignant tear of happiness and sadness as I basked in the minus 20 stale cold sunshine at 7:30am in the morning.

So much imagery of happiness and sadness was soundtracked by this album. However listening to it a few years on and the imagery and the memories have changed, the settings of driving around London in my car over the sun setting over Chelsea bridge replaces the downtown Toronto vibe.

This is where the album goes to another level, it wasn’t just an album of a particular time and place, this album creates the ultimate soundtrack to any time and place. I could be in the Mountain Province of the Philippines and listening to this album would fit that time and place, I could be in a house in Richmond watching the dog run in the garden and this album would fit that time and place. The simple fact is this album can fit anywhere I bring it, which puts this album in a league of its own… almost. Why isn’t this number 1? Who knows? It’s significant enough to be, but I guess the last three albums just edge it for other reasons.

3 Broken Social Scene – You Forgot In People

This was the album that made me want to go and see what Canada was all about. The Canadians have made the last three spots in this chart and are definitely the champions of songwriters for this decade in my eyes. The Canadian music scene has been hampered by Nickleback, Brian Adams and Nelly Furtado. All of them are ok in their own right (Summer of 69 is a sick tune). But after discovering Broken Social Scene due to their cool name, I bought in.

The varying sounds, the angular sounds infact, the variation the beauty of the pieces, the noise, the airy and serene tracks. It was an utter journey to take you through various emotions from pure energy of Almost Crimes, back down again with Pacific Theme, to a weird feeling of a love-anti-love song of Lovers Spit.

Greatly complicated music, written and structured in a highly musically technical avant-garde way, but some what accessible in some way shape or form. Maybe still a little bit art rock for some, watching this all come together to form a live show is something specatular. Koko 2006 was probably one of the best gigs of my life, with all number of guests playing their hearts out to one of the musical journeys I’ve seen. Too many cooks spoil the broth, well not when you see 4 guitarists change midway through a song to form a brass section. Fucking-A.

2 Stars – Your Ex-Lover Is Dead

Montreal baby. What a fantastic area of Canada, the more ‘European’ influenced part of Canada it’s known for, but the arts scene in Montreal is fantastic. As a result this band produced one of the best albums of the decade, coming from something pretty average before hand (and afterwards aswell) to produce an album about love and falling out of love.

No one wants to make a break up album, but it just happens sometimes. The pain is easier to talk about rather than the good times, and with music it’s easier to express pain. Pain however not in some emo way, but dealing with it in a mature way which involves irrationality and then careful clear thought mixed all within one album.

Going to the album and the styles, there’s a whole lot on offer here, from beautifully composed string based ballads, to a guitar and a synth string over vocals, to dirty electronic crescendo full on balls out type song… all the emotions of going through the ups and down of love is represented in a non-preachy way. Infact the beauty of a relationship and heartache is personified in this album somewhat perfectly throughout this journey, to create one of the best albums written in a long time.

1 The Arcade Fire – Funeral

This was one of the albums to get me over to Canada like Broken Social Scene and Stars… but unlike the others it always simmered along rather than being so immediate. Throughout the times there would be moments of loving Rebellion, mixed with sounding just like any other song. But when the track will catch you on a moment and you listen to all the elements that make this track what it is, the acoustic 4/4 kick drum, the repetitive but layered piano, the subtle guitar, the vocals, the strings… The composition, is just out of this world and everytime I hear it I only wish I made a song like this.

But the beauty is, it’s just not about listening to this song as this song is just apart of the greater tapestry which makes this brilliant album. Tracks range from an instant feeling to go lie on the grass and put your music player up to full listening to Haiti, to wanting to let out an emotional yelp to Tunnels to wanting to stomp around to Lights Out and wanting to speak French to Une Année Sans Lumière, this is one album which has it all.

Why this album is number one? Well there is a fine line between the top 4, but what seals the deal with this album is the fact it’s all done acoustically, in terms of instrumentation. The ideas of combining electronic music ideas (the dancier drums mainly) but doing it with such a restrained use of the instrumentation, gives this album such a refreshing edge to a lot of the albums out there this decade.

The unfortunate thing of making music this intricate is the replication of playing this live. Having seen them live it was not the experience I wanted in terms of the album as it lacked that special something.  Putting it all together, it feels to me that this concept personifies a big life lesson.

Carpe Diem, seize the day, because tomorrow may be too late. Carry on what not?!? Yeah this is the ultimate cheesy turn of phrase to end on, but it really shows that if you’re in a magic inspiration spot in your life, you should go for it, write that album, make that film. Because when that magic is gone, so may be that window of opportunity of doing something you may not ever replicate again. I mean hey, it’s not all doom and gloom and that’s not to say you’ll only be as good as ‘that album’ for say, but as that kid said in The Girl Next Door “because in your heart you know, that the juice is worth the squeeze.”

And that is what sums up Hentucky today, to why this very website still exists today and why I am here spending time typing this instead of sleeping.