Top 100 Greatest Albums (According to this guy)

“And I feel it's going down, ten feet below the ground;  I'm waiting for your healing hand, one touch could bring me round ; I feel we're going down, ten feet below the ground;  It's just the way I'm feeling…” I’ve always had a soft spot for early 2000s indie rock, the root being 2001s ‘The Album’ compilation, which I received at Christmas. A few songs stood out as new discoveries for me; My Vitriol’s ‘Always The Way’, (no spoilers) by (no spoilers) who are still to feature, and ‘Buck Rogers’ by the excellent Feeder. Having heard a few of their songs on the radio, it wasn’t until i purchased their Singles compilation some years later that I realised they weren’t just another Foo Fighters copy but had an ability to write incredible music. In fact they are one of the biggest UK rock bands, and if  you are a fan of the Foos and other grungey bands, Feeder will be right up your street. Heavier than most indie rock rock bands, Feeder write a mix of very catchy, high ener...

“ High tide,  summer in the city;  The kids are looking pretty, but  isn't it a pity that the sunshine  is followed by thunder;  With thoughts of going under, a nd is it any wonder why the sea is  calling out to me …” The date was 20th August 1995, and I was in my living room eagerly listening to the radio. Never can I remember a radio countdown as well as this one. Who would take the No.2 slot? ‘Roll with it’ came on and I gave a woop; Blur’s ‘Country House’ took the title. Growing up, Blur were the band for me, but I was a big fan of ‘Whats The Story Morning Glory’. Over time, Liam’s vocals ended up grating me more than a chunk of cheddar on a sanding machine; the lyrics didn’t really make sense and I was always drawn to songs like ‘Little by Little’ and ‘Half the World Away’. With the news of the end of Oasis, it was just another day, but on hearing Noel’s recent material, it was everything I wanted them to be, and more! Every song I was hearing on ...

“ I try to phone a friend, my credit’s in the red; I try to skip the fare, ticket inspector’s there; No no this can’t be right, I live an honest life; It seems sometimes you don’t cross the line, you don’t get by …” A wrecked CD is generally a good sign in the Temple household. It means it has a period of repeated play, normally in the car, with the case getting opened, lost, found, drink spilt, ripped etc; Essentially, they are held in high regard.  Having heard the singles on XFM and really enjoying them, the kudos goes to my wife again, who purchased the album, which soon became subject to much listening… One of my favourite indie albums, and true working class heroes of the UK music scene, Hard-Fi’s debut album is full of energy and narrates every day life for every day people. Songs about being strapped for cash, family breakdowns, making mistakes, unhappy employments…things that most of us can relate to. The upbeat songs are excellent and catchy. The slower songs are beautifu...

“I don't know if you saw it coming or not; All I know is that I saw the end result; It can’t have been a pretty thing; You looked like your world caved in…” Have you ever had a geek moment that helped you discover new music? For example: I quite like airshows and military aircraft, so when I see a CD called 'Chocs Away', with a cover featuring members of a band wearing vintage pilot gear, fake handlebar moustaches and the band name coloured in army camouflage, its an obvious must buy!  Snuff were already on my radar; having heard of this UK punk band with trombone, they were an inquisitive notion for this ska fan.  After enjoying the Chocs Away single, I bought the accompanying album, ‘Disposable Income’. As a music lover more into his modern punk rock, this is the closest to raw UK punk that we will see in this list. But not all of the album is straight punk and the variety one reason I rate it so highly. Although it's sometimes hard to understand Duncan’s vocals easil...

“ Easy easy money baby, red wine from the well. He’s inspired , taste acquired, watch out mademoiselle” I honestly can’t remember where I heard of The Fat Cats, and why I bought this album, but my gosh was it one of my best discoveries! So much was my excitement for these songs that ‘Deadbeat’ went on to inspire a large variety of my writing with the band Little Blue Light. Take a pinch of Madness, a swig of the Stray Cats, even a small measure of Barenaked Ladies and some overdriven guitar and we are only part-way to describing the unique sound of this album. A mash up of boogie woogie, ska, swing, punk and rock; there is nothing quite like this out there. Very piano driven, with a strong sax throughout, and excellent vocals. The songs are super catchy and not one is alike, as they flow through various genres.  The piano right at the forefront of the compositions really set it apart from other punk albums. It gives the music a crispness, a swing, and an overall fantastic sound. Ha...

“  It's whereabouts that won't cave in;  Scenes of violence protect this;  In aching heart that will begin to wrestle  with obstruction;  And I'd stay for ages, if i could;  To wake you …” Another UK alternative rock band left behind, when once adequately played on popular radio. You never hear a peep of Hundred Reasons on the likes of XFM or Absolute anymore. Hearing the likes of ‘If I Could’ blasting on my radio in the early 2000s, we fast forward a decade to finding the CD in charity shop for a couple of quid and thinking “I’m sure i’ve heard Hundred Reasons before and like them.”  Through that one simple moment, ‘Ideas Above Our Station’ has possibly  been one of the most defining albums for me personally.  This album hit my musical senses at a time where I had listened to a lot of ska punk; buying CDs just because of the genre, and was starting to get a little tired of poor quality bands and a lack of diversity.  My tastes were chan...

“Standing on the cliff face, highest fall you'll ever grace ;  It scares me half to death;  Look out to the future, but it tells you nothing ;  So take another breath…” Who’d of thought there would be two FIFA game references in this album countdown? Well back in 2013, the soundtrack gave my ears the joy of hearing ‘The Weight Of Living Part ii’. It wasn’t until more recently, through consistent radio play that Bastille became one of my favourite modern indie rock/pop bands. In a similar way to the Hoosiers’ stand out songs, as mentioned in my blog a few days back, Bastille shine through the Indie fog with their unique style. Three things I love about Bastille: The pounding drums that make you feel like you’re in the middle of an epic adventure movie, the strong choiresque harmonies and, above all, Dan Smith’s sublime lead vocals. They love to tell stories, of history, life and mythicality. The melodies are beautiful; the tone of voice is like honey for the ears. Incredib...

“I'm tired of having to look good, pretend  that we feel good;  Never let it show that we could be  anything less than completely obsessed;  With the contents of our wallets and the way that we're dressed…” A band i always wanted to see live, but never had the opportunity, Capdown were probably the headliners of the UK ska punk scene in the early noughties. The genre generally stayed underground in the UK, and I was surprised to find their ‘New Revolutionaries’ CD single in HMV, back in 2003. Perhaps they broke out of the underground? I didn’t enjoy that single as much as their previous two albums, but the album that followed three years later, “Wind Up Toys” was excellent. The aptly named track ‘Surviving the Death of a Genre’ shows that ska punk in the UK had pretty much died out by that point and was to remain underground. Capdown have an ability that seems to escape other ska punk bands. The likes of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Less Than Jake, for example, hav...

“ Everything you love turns to dust;  You'd make more of it but you felt rushed,  By all that's periphery;  You held tight, but on the contrary;  The trick to life is not to get too attached to it … ” Whenever I mention The Hoosiers to colleagues, they haven’t a clue who I’m talking about. Even when singing ‘Worried About Ray’, I’m greeted by blank faces. When their debut album was released, two songs in particular were played all over popular radio. Then after a year or so  they faded a little into obscurity, apart from a  core fanbase. But the name has never escaped me and ‘The Trick To Life’ remains a favourite. There is so much joy in these songs. Musically, the big numbers are full of bounce, which give them an almost 1920s/30s vibe, and the so called “album fillers” are just as catchy, well crafted and brilliantly written songs. Adding a nice measure of background brass and keys to the band and we have a very pleasing sound. It’s rare that many bands ...

“ If you’re scared then walk away; ‘Cause there’s no need to be ashamed, yeah we all feel the same; I fell in love with rock and roll, until I found out it was false; It plastered on a face for me… ” Another musical aspect that grabs my attention is a strong Scottish voice. Im not sure why, but it just suits rock music so well! So when I heard the Glaswegian tone of alternative rockers Twin Atlantic, I was drawn right in.  Take the melodies of Biffy Clyro, and the raucousness of Hundred Reasons, then you pretty much have the sound of Twin Atlantic. Really catchy songs, superbly intricate and soaring melodies with excellent vocals to top it all off. A boatload of high energy songs and also some with a Highland folky feel. It escapes me where I first encountered the band but a memory of a one off play on Radio X comes to mind. Very unfortunate to never hear them played again, but was very glad to notice when I did. The song was “Free” - strong piano intro, building up verses and a ch...

“But when you rely on a lie that’s true; And no-one believes in things you do; ‘Cause half the lies you tell ain’t true …” “Oh! A new British punk band…” were my thoughts when hearing ‘The Bartender and the Thief’ for the first time. Although those hopes weren’t fulfilled, ‘Performance and Cocktails’ was the first indie-rock album that I truly enjoyed. Kelly Jones has a great voice, and he really pushes it in this album. A very different feel to their following release (although Mr Writer is possibly my favourite Stereophonics song). The whole album is consistent with a good mix of up tempo songs, very well known and loved singles and some good downbeat tunes. In my opinion, the rockiest album they’ve released and probably one of the reasons I like it so much - the highlight for me being ‘Half the Lies You Tell Ain’t True’  The album received mixed reviews; Rolling Stone magazine describing them as “Oasis trying to be Radiohead.” Poppycock, I say! It ended the year as  the 5th...