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If you take away all the Glamrock influences from this album it probably would sound like John
Cage's "4' 33' ". Bowie and Bolan would surely like the fact that they are still that influential.
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Charismatic lead singer, Sophisticated lyrics. All well and good,
but without that distinctive organ sound they wouldn't have got anywhere.
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| Radiohead |
| OK Computer |
| 1997 Review |
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Sandwiched between their grunge mediocrity and their electronic indulgence phases they released
this, a historic moment for guitar music in the 90s and beyond.
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| Thin White Rope |
| The Ruby Sea |
| 1991 |
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A raw voice, a great guitarist and some very fine songwriting. Allegedly this band broke up
because they couldn't pay the rent with their earnings. How sad is this ?
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| Yeah Yeah Yeahs |
| Show Your Bones |
| 2006 |
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The only band in the 00s who could follow a great debut with an even better sequel. They replaced
the weird and hectic bits with some melodic sing along parts which against all odds made perfect sense.
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| The Streets |
| Original Pirate Material |
| 2002 |
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Where other Hip hop albums impress at first with a huge production but get a bit boring later on,
this one gets better and better. The flow or the words and rhymes is superb, the stories told
really amusing.
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| Belle & Sebastian |
| Tigermilk |
| 1996 |
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As this, their debut, wasn't released until after their third album, following
their career was a bit like watching a film in reverse. So although this didn't
offer anything new it was a welcome addition to their already fascinating body of work.
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| Nick Drake |
| Pink Moon |
| 1972 |
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The melancholic and introspective nature of this record is often seen as a prediction of things
to come, when in fact it's largely due to the minimal arrangements. His premature death can be
seen as the greatest loss of musical talent ever.
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Released in the year Britpop broke big this splendid collection of acoustic gothic lullabies was not very well
received. But as with impressionistic painting (as seen on the cover) time will finally prove them right.
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| Mazzy Star |
| She Hangs Brightly |
| 1990 |
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A voice so fascinating, so full of wonder, mystery and longing that the accompanying music is
absolutely incidental. But astonishingly it's on par in quality.
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Crystal clear guitar lines, hushed vocals and no synthetic sounds. There were a lot of bands in
the 80s who sounded exactly like this, but few of them were as good as Real Estate in 2014.
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| Blondie |
| Eat To The Beat |
| 1979 |
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This album was an early chance to see how pop music in the 80's would sound. And there's a
direct line to be drawn from its standout track Atomic to 80's classic Blue Monday.
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Purist might prefer "Daydream Nation" but for those who like to hear a melody now and then
this album is the better choice. But of course you could hear the hardcore community shouting
"Sell out!".
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| This Mortal Coil |
| It'll End In Tears |
| 1984 |
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This album featured the Cocteau Twins at the peak of their powers. But, as this was a showcase
for all artists of the 4ad label, they could not do all songs. That's why Big Star's haunting
"Holocaust" got ruined.
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Even more immediate and instantly likeable than their 'Different Class' opus.
Along with St.Etienne they embodied a renaissance for pure, perfect pop in the 90s.
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| Antony And The Johnsons |
| I'm A Bird Now |
| 2005 |
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At first it's the voice that overwhelms. You will not find anything remotely resembling this.
That idiosyncratic outsiders like him still have a place in a cultural landscape of conformity and
superficiality is a miracle.
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Probably the best Krautrock album of them all. Mostly a guitar and drum based affair, the
dynamics they create thereby are incredible.
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| Starsailor |
| Love is Here |
| 2001 |
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Their first EP was a great start and this, their first full length release was even better. Travis
might have been more popular and Coldplay may have sold more records but they have nothing
to match the quality of these songs here.
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Certainly on of the most underrated bands of all times. Subtle gothic undertones and some very childlike
vocals add up to a record The Cure tried to make for decades but failed.
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| Throwing Muses |
| The Real Ramona |
| 1991 |
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Although it may contain two or three rougher songs as well, at the core this a real pop album.
The band could have ended up as millionaires but sadly they split, thereby allowing
much lesser talented bands like L7 and Hole to make all the money.
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