Top 100 Greatest Albums (According to this guy)

“ Who shot that arrow in your throat, who  missed the crimson apple?  It hung heavy on the tree above your head;  This chaos, this calamity, this garden once was perfect;  Give your immortality to me …” The Hush Sound are one of my favourite discoveries from Spotify in the last few years. Although they are sometimes described as “Indie Pop”, they are more alternative with a swing influence and folky feel. This album would certainly cater for a varied audience! Take a dialled down Panic At The Disco, mix in Ben Folds with some early No Doubt and we’re getting close to the sound. They are very  piano driven, supported well with guitar  and even a healthy bit of brass. Melodies are excellent and the songs would sit very well in an old musical, such is their unique sound for a rock band.  These traits appear to come from the background of Greta Salpeter and Bob Morris; the former a classical pianist, and latter a rock guitarist.  It’s very refreshing ...

“ Throw a coin in a fountain of dust, white  noise, her ears are ringing;  Got a ticket for a midnight hanging,  throw a bullet from a freight train leaving…” Beck; most famous for his mid-nighties hits such as ‘Where it’s at (I’ve got two turntables and a microphone), Devil’s haircut (in my mind), Loser (baby, so why don’t you kill me), and many more. ‘Odelay’ is arguably his most popular album to date, but ‘Guero’ knocks it right out of the park, in my opinion. This is one of those albums i go to when I dont want to be hit by a wall of noise (no matter how coherent and excellent that noise may be). It’s actually one of my chill-out albums. The two upbeat tracks, and probably the most well known on the album are ‘E-Pro’ and my favourite, ‘Girl’. Hearing both of these on XFM when released (but once again, lost to the ages) was always a joy. ‘Girl’ just flows so well as a song.  In fact this whole album flows, and thats why its so easy to chill to. There is an age to ...

“Toast to tears of time’s past glories; This ageless clock chime stalls; Where to kiss the lips of that love forgotten; To fly where no others have soared …” Back in the early noughties, I would set my tape recorder to record at 2am. I had discovered  ‘The Lockup’, a weekly punk rock and hardcore radio show on BBC Radio 1, hosted in LA by Mike Davies. As i slipped the first cassette into my walkman on my way to school, I was instantly hit with a frantic banjo and pounding bass drum introduction followed by the raucous overdriven guitar, fiddle and accordion…this was Flogging Molly and Drunken Lullabies.   With influences including the Pogues, Dubliners, and the Clash, this album pulls out plenty of hectic, yet melodic, celtic punk tunes with a splashing of more traditional Irish tinged folk songs. The lyrics are poetic, whilst “decrying the ills of modern society”  - All Music . At first, it seems hard to differentiate between certain songs but after plenty of years of li...

To those who don’t know me, this top 100 albums wont be like any other you’ve seen.  To those who do know me, a lot of the albums may come as a surprise. But if anyone is expecting a list like those featured on popular radio stations or tv shows, then you will be disappointed, I am no-one special in the eyes of humans, so why should I take this on and publicise it?  Well, I am passionate about music, passionate about the bands I've discovered and love to introduce people to these bands. At the ripe old age of 35, I realise that the list isn't even a full compilation of what i will discover, both old, recent and future, but with 30 years of that time, being in and around music, and having listened to the greats of different genres alongside those left behind, I feel my palette is currently wonderfully coloured.  I also don't get to share with many people my musical tastes, and finding it awkward to spark up a conversation, this is a format that settles one’s heart. To pai...