No.74 - ‘In Silico’ by Pendulum (2008)

“In a trail of fire I know we will be free again; In the end we will be one; In a trail of fire I'll burn before you bury me; Set your sights for the sun…”

I remember watching Glastonbury 2009 on the BBC, anticipating seeing the Specials play live, back together with Terry Hall on vocals! But, surprisingly, the best performance by far was a drum and bass band. Not just DJs or producers, but the drums, bass, guitar and an incredible vocalist playing the coolest synth guitar I’ve ever seen. 

This is probably the only drum and bass act to appear in this list. Although I respect the genre, the fact that most albums are digitally manufactured just doesn’t float my boat. Having already purchased ‘In Silico’ i was already a Pendulum liker, but the fact that live musicians, alongside production, were playing this music made it all the better.

They certainly have a unique sound. Closest to the Prodigy but far more melodic and rockier. In fact, the band finds it’s roots in rock and metal. There are some decent instrumentals on the album but the best songs in my opinion are the superbly vocalised selections. Rob Swire’s vocals are brilliant, and he would possibly make my top 5 all time favourite vocalists. Some excellently crafted songs are on this album but I often describe ‘Propane Nightmares’ as an almost perfect song. Excellent introduction, use of brass, beautiful melody, fantastic vocals, chord structure, build up, energy, and very anthemic. Also, not on this album, but check out their superb cover of Coldplay’s ‘Violet Hill’.

Pendulum formed in 2002, in Perth, Australia, and then relocated to the UK. ‘In Silico’ reached No.2 in the UK album chart. It has never been released as a stand alone vinyl, but only available in box set with their other releases.

Favourite songs -  Propane Nightmares, The Tempest, The Other Side, Granite