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Owned:

Air - Moon Safari
Air - The Virgin Suicides
The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha
Arab Strap - Elephant Shoe
Arab Strap - The Red Thread
Atlas Sound - Logos
Barzin - Barzin
Barzin - My Life in Rooms
Beach House - Beach House
Beach House - Devotion
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles - Revolver
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Beirut - Lon Gisland EP
Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk
Billy Corgan - The Future Embrace
The Black Heart Procession - Six
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Bram Stadhouders - The Ship Comes
Brian Eno - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Camera Obscura - Underachievers Please Try Harder
Camera Obscura - Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi
Camera Obscura - Let's Get out of This Country
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Catherine Wheel - Chrome
Chapterhouse - Whirlpool
Club 8 - Club 8
Club 8 - Nouvelle
Club 8 - Spring Came, Rain Fell
Coastal - Halfway to You
Cocteau Twins - Four-Calendar Café
Cocteau Twins - Milk & Kisses
Cocteau Twins - Victorialand
Cocteau Twins - Treasure
Cocteau Twins - Peppermint Pig Ep
Cocteau Twins - Lullabies EP
Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Con Dolore - Sailor's Warning
Con Dolore - This Sad Movie
Copeland - In Motion
The Cure - Faith
The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys
The Cure - Disintegration
Dave Matthews Band - Everyday
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
David Sylvian - Secrets Of The Beehive
Daydream Nation - Bella Vendetta
Daydream Nation - Daydream Nation
The Daysleepers - Drowned In a Sea of Sound
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Death Cab for Cutie - The Open Door EP
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP
Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour
Delays - You See Colours
Delays - Everything's The Rush
dEUS - Vantage Point
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Doves - Lost Souls
Doves - Lost Sides
Doves - Some Cities
Doves - The Last Broadcast
Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild
Eels - Electro-Shock Blues
Embrace - Out of Nothing
Embrace - Fireworks
Engineers - Three Fact Fader
Feeder - Polythene
Feeder - Swim
Feeder - Yesterday Went Too Soon
Feeder - Echo Park
Feeder - Comfort in Sound
Feeder - Pushing the Senses
Feeder - Silent Cry
Feist - The Reminder
Fiel Garvie - Caught Laughing
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
For Against - Coalesced
For Against - Shade Side Sunny Side
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Garbage - Garbage
The High Violets - To Where You Are
The Horrors - Primary Colours
The House of Love - The House of Love
Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows
Idlewild - The Remote Part
Idlewild - Warnings/Promises
Idlewild - Make Another World
Idlewild - Post Electric Blues
Imogen Heap - Ellipse
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Interpol - Antics
Interpol - Our Love To Admire
Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti is...Skyscraper
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
Joy Devision - Unknown Pleasures
Kill Hannah - For Never & Ever
Kill Hannah - Until There's Nothing Left Of Us
Lifehouse - Stanley Climbfall
The Long Winters - When I Pretend to Fall
The Long Winters - Putting the Days to Bed
Lorna - Writing Down Things To Say
Lush - Split
Lush - Spooky
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible
The Magic Numbers - Those the broken
Magic Bullets - a Child but in life yet a DOCTOR in love
The Meeting Places - Numbered Days
The Meeting Places - Find Yourself Along the Way
Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories The World Is Grey I’m Tired Let’s Wash Away
Mojave 3 - Ask Me Tomorrow
Mojave 3 - Out of Tune
Mojave 3 - Excuses For Travellers
Mojave 3 - Spoon & Rafter
Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You
Muse - Sing for absolution EP
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything
Nada Surf - Let Go
Nada Surf - Lucky
Neil Halstead - Sleeping On Roads
Nirvana - Incesticide
Nirvana - Nevermind
Nirvana - In Utero
Nirvana - Unplugged In New York
Noah and the Whale - The First Days Of Spring
Oceansize - Everyone Into Position
Oceansize - Home & Minor EP
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher Than The Stars EP
Pete Yorn - musicforthemorningafter
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd - Wish You Where Here
Placebo - Placebo
Placebo - Black Market Music
Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing
Placebo - Sleeping With Ghosts
Placebo - Meds
Placebo - Battle For The Sun
Placebo - Once More With Feeling
Pulp - Different Class
Pulp - This Is Hardcore
Radiohead - Pablo Honey
Radiohead - The Bends
Radiohead - My Iron Lung
Radiohead - OK Computer
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Radiohead - Amnesiac
Radiohead - Hail To The Thief
R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
R.E.M. - Out Of Time
Ride - Nowhere
Ride - Birdman EP
Ride - Leave them all behind EP
Ride - Twisterella EP
Saybia - Eyes On The Highway
Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
Should - Feed Like Fishes
Sigur Rós - ( )
Sigur Rós - Takk...
Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun
Sigur Rós - Hvarf - Heim
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Slowdive - Just For A Day
Slowdive - Souvlaki
Slowdive - Catch the Breeze
Slowdive - Pygmalion
Slowdive - Pygmalion Outtakes
The Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins - Machina/The Machines of God
The Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
The Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth - Dirty
Sonic Youth - Goo
Sonic Youth - EVOL
Soul Whirling Somewhere - Please Sennd Help
Starrfadu - A Narrow Road to Silence
Starrfadu - And Yes... Our Thoughts Were Elsewhere
Starsailor - Love Is Here
Starsailor - Silence Is Easy
Starsailor - All The Plans
The Stone Roses - Turns Into Stone
Sparklehorse - Good Morning Spider
Suede - Coming Up
The Sundays - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
Syd Barret - The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barret - Barret
Tegan and Sara - The Con
The Thrills - Teenager
Thirteen Senses - Contact
Tim Christensen - Honeyburst
Travis - The Invisible Band
Travis - The Man Who
Travis - 12 Memories
The Upper Room - Other People's Problems
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
U2 - The Best Of 1980 - 1990
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground - The Best Of The Velvet Underground
The Verve - Urban Hymns
The Vines - Winning Days

Wanted:

Airiel - The Battle Of Sealand
The Album Leaf - One Day I'll Be on Time
The Appleseed Cast - Two Conversations
Adorable - Against Perfection
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Carissa's Wierd - Songs about Leaving
The Clientele - Strange Geometry
Club 8 - The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming
Club 8 - Strangely Beautiful
City & Colour - Sometimes
Cranes - Forever
The Daysleepers - Hide Your Eyes EP
The Daysleepers - The Soft Attack
Eisley - Room Noises
Eisley - Combinations
Edward Shearmur - K-Pax: Original Motion Picture
Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees
Explosions in the Sky - The Rescue
Fosca - The Painted Side Of The Rocket
Hammock - Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo
Idaho - Hearts of Palm
Kurt Vile - Constant Hitmaker
Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy
The Mary Onettes - The Mary Onettes
The Mary Onettes - Islands
Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
The Radio Dept. - Pet Grief
The Radio Dept. - Lesser Matters
Sway - The Millia Pink and Green EP
Sway - winter heart ep

My 60 Favourite Records of the 2000s are:

Air – The Virgin Suicides [Original Motion Picture Score] (2000)
PJ Harvey – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000)
Queens of the Stone Age – Rated (2000)
Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
Radiohead – Amnesiac (2001)
Low – Things We Lost in the Fire (2001)
Millionaire – Outside the Simian Flock (2001)
The Shins – Oh, Inverted World (2001)
The Strokes – Is This It (2001)
Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World (2001)
The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)
Zita Swoon – Life = A Sexy Sanctuary (2001)
2 Many DJ's – As Heard on Radio Soulwax, Pt. 2 (2002)
Beck – Sea Change (2002)
Blackalicious – Blazing Arrow (2002)
Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
The Chemical Brothers – Come With Us (2002)
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Hörse of the dög (2002)
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
Milwaukee Wildmen – Psychosomatic (2002)
Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For The Deaf (2002)
Stuurbaard Bakkebaard – Chuck (2002)
Supergrass – Life on Other Planets (2002)
Tom Waits – Alice (2002)
Tom Waits – Blood Money (2002)
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
Blur – Think Tank (2003)
Calexico – Feast of Wire (2003)
Radiohead – Hail To The Thief (2003)
The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
Tindersticks – Waiting for the Moon (2003)
Drive-By Truckers – The Dirty South (2004)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)
Kings of Convenience – Riot On An Empty Street (2004)
Tom Waits – Real Gone (2004)
Antony & The Johnsons –I Am a Bird Now (2005)
The Arcade Fire – Funeral (2005*)
Iron & Wine and Calexico – In the Reins (2005)
dEUS – Pocket Revolution (2005)
Eels - Blinking Lights And Other Revelations (2005)
My Morning Jacket – Z (2005)
Ian Siegal – Meat & Potatoes (2005)
Sufjan Stevens – Come Feel The Illinoise! (2005)
Belle & Sebastian – The Life Persuit (2006)
The Knife – Silent Shout (2006)
Mastodon – Blood Mountain (2006)
The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (2007)
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver (2007)
M.I.A. – Kala (2007)
The National – Boxer (2007)
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
Feist – The Reminder (2007)
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (2008^)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008)
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008)
Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules And Love Affair (2008)
TV on the Radio – Dear Science (2008)
The Flaming Lips – Embryonic (2009)

*) 2004 in Canada & U.S.
^) 2007 in U.S.

I've made a lot of decadelists, like most musicnerds. Top 10 follows in december! Yeah!

2 Many DJ's
A Brand
Admiral Freebee
Air Traffic
Alexisonfire
Anouk
Anti-Flag
Arctic Monkeys
Bart Peeters
Beastie Boys
Billy Talent
Björk
Boys Noize
Busy P
Daan
Das Pop
De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig
dEUS
Diablo Blvd.
Discobar Galaxie
Dr. Lektroluv
Eagles of Death Metal
Enter Shikari
Erol Alkan
Faith No More
Fake Problems
Four Year Strong
Freaky Age
Glasvegas
Goose
Hayseed Dixie
Hercules and Love Affair
Janez Detd.
Jasper Erkens
John Butler Trio
Justice
Kaiser Chiefs
Kevin Seconds
Klaxons
Kraftwerk
La Roux
Lady Linn and her Magnificent Seven
Mad Caddies
Magnus
Marilyn Manson
Maxïmo Park
Mike Scott
Millencollin
Mixhell
MSTRKRFT
Muse
My Chemical Romance
N*E*R*D
Panic! At the Disco
Pendulum
Pete & The Pirates
Placebo
Reel Big Fish
Samim
Selah Sue
Soulwax
Streetlight Manifesto
Strike Anywhere
The Blackout
The Galacticos
The Ghost of a Thousand
The hickey underworld
The Kooks
The Maccabees
The Offspring
The Raconteurs
The Rifles
The Ting Tings
Them Crooked Vultures
Thursday
Tiga
Vampire Weekend
Vive la Fête
Yevgueni
Zebrahead

Previously: My top 200 tracks 1990-99 Pt.01a: 200 to 181
Previously: My top 200 tracks 1990-99 Pt.01b: 180 to 161
Previously: My top 200 tracks 1990-99 Pt.02a: 160 to 141
Previously: My top 200 tracks 1990-99 Pt.02b: 140 to 121
Previously: My top 200 tracks 1990-99 Pt.03a: 120 to 101
Previously: My top 200 tracks 1990-99 Pt.03b: 100 to 81

80
Consolidated
You Suck
You Suck / Crackhouse (The Tim Simenon Remixes)
1993

Rude, crude, and something of a dancefloor smash, Consolidated's ultra-political output took a neat turn into sexual politics with this track, when they got The Yeastie Girls in to provide a rap detailing the delights of cunnilingus. Aside from it's headline-grabbing vocals, it's not hard to see why it became a dancefloor favourite - it's thumping beat is somewhat infectious...

79
Marilyn Manson
Angel With The Scabbed Wings
Antichrist Superstar
1996

Back in the 90s, Brian Warner's alter-ego was actually something thrilling to listen to: particularly on this staggering concept album, the album that made him an arena-level rockstar and offended an awful lot of people along the way, too (both religious types and sneering alternative types - he must have been doing something right to get them both on the same side...). This track was initially, perhaps, lost in the torrent of fury and hate that this album brought forward, but once a few listens passed, it finally revealed itself as one of the highlights of the album - with much of the electronic effects stripped away, this was a raw, feral four-minutes that gets better and better with every listen.

78
Beastie Boys
Sabotage
Ill Communication
1994

Just in case you needed reminding, the Beastie Boys weren't always about hip-hop - they could rock too, as this awesome funk-rock pastiche (and soundtrack to imaginary cop show) showed in spades. Obviously best appreciated in conjunction with the legendary video...

77
Kill II This
Crucified
Deviate
1998

Amid the stampede of nu-metal bands in the late 90s, some more interesting bands did appear. Kill II This were one of those, owing more to the industrial metal of earlier in the decade than anything else. Not all of their material was great, it has to be said - the band all-but-disowned the first album other than the title track, and the last album wasn't up to much either - but the two in between were certainly of interest. The standout on second album Deviate was this monster - opening with scratching and heavy-duty techno, before a thunderous industrial metal juggernaut storms through it all. A rather unusual touch were the quasi-gospel backing vocals, which while they didn't always work on other tracks, sure as hell did here. Random fact: main man Mark Mynett nowadays is a senior lecturer in the music technology department at the University of Huddersfield...!

76
The Mad Capsule Markets
Tribe
OSC-DIS(OSCILLATOR IN DISTORTION)
1999

No, I had no idea what the hell this lot were on about, either. They had apparently been around for some years in Japan before they first broke through in Europe with this fantastic, techno-metal beast, with impenetrable lyrics but one hell of a groove. They subsequently gained quite a fanbase over here, too, even if they were never quite as impressive as this again.

75
Mansun
She Makes My Nose Bleed
Attack of the Grey Lantern
1997

Is this where I admit to being something of a Mansun fanboy back in the day? At one point, I had everything - including the white label CD release of Egg-Shaped Fred - released up to the third album, although a large proportion of my CD collection being stolen a long time ago meant I don't have it any more. I still listen to the band with some fondness, though, particularly the lofty aims of the first album. One of the later singles from that album is my choice here, one of the more straight-up indie rock tracks here but still with some glorious harmonies and those quite odd lyrics about a dominant lover...

74
Sonic Youth
100%
Dirty
1992

I've no shame in admitting that my interest in Sonic Youth's output ceased in 1994 or thereabouts, having found just about everything they've done since profoundly boring. The reason is tracks like this - a searing, thundering tribute to a roadie of theirs who was murdered, and the storming opener to their most commercial album by far.

73
Pantera
Mouth For War
Vulgar Display of Power
1992

One album where the cover summed up exactly what was going on - this was thrash/groove metal that was like repeated punches to the face, such was the aggression contained within. And this was the first of those - seemingly a challenge by Phil Anselmo to whoever was talking shit about him to come and say it to his face. Good luck, folks...

72
The Afghan Whigs
Fountain and Fairfax
Gentlemen
1993

Greg Dulli's band were never quite like other "alt-rock" bands. With a clear love of soul/R&B music from decades past, their sound stood out to say the least. None more so than on their finest album, Gentlemen, where Greg Dulli's frank honesty about his and male failings in general made for some brilliantly observed songs. This one - about trying to give up the booze, apparently - was one of many highlights on the album, and Dulli's vocals on this track are simply awesome - the wracked emotion in his voice clearly from personal experience of what he was singing about...

71
Suede
Killing of a Flash Boy
Sci-Fi Lullabies
1997

One of few bands able to release a B-sides compilation that was easily the equal of the "A-sides", hearing them all together on Sci-Fi Lullabies perhaps made a convincing case that the first CD at least was the best album they ever released. And one of the centrepieces of that first CD was this track, a snarling, spiky glam-rock stomp with all of the sexual ambiguity and darkness that Suede did so well in the early years. It was also an astoundingly good live track, too.

70
Liberty 37
Pig
When We Say EP
1999

One of a handful of Tool-esque bands that appeared around this time, Liberty37 played it less deliberately obtuse, hard-rocking in sound at times but with clear, intelligent lyrics for the most part (and frequently referencing Bill Hicks and Tool in their lyrics and themes, too). Their second album sank without trace, but the first album was a joy to listen to. Better still was this B-side, a slow-burning missive of anger that had vocalist Ishmael Lewis calming enunciating every single syllable clearly of lyrics that screamed revenge. By some considerable distance their most powerful live track, too...

69
Idlewild
Captain
Captain
1998

And yes, I know this sits above the track that it is more than a little bit of a nod to (Slint's Good Morning Captain, if you needed to ask). Back in the days when Idlewild were still a small band from somewhere in Scotland, they were also still interesting, a spiky, rough'n'ready post-rock-influenced punk band who were yet to turn into a dull R.E.M. clone. This EP - all 19 minutes of it, of which six minutes were the last track of six - flew by in a flurry of youthful energy, but it was the title track that was king here. A bit slower, but all angular rhythms and Roddy Womble's rasping, partly-screamed vocals adding to the excitement. The biggest shame is that Idlewild seemed to be trying to erase this from their history: quite why it wasn't on their best-of a few years ago I have no idea.

68
Therapy?
Knives
Troublegum
1994

The finest one minute and fifty-six seconds Therapy? ever recorded, this is a short, pounding metal track of tongue-in-cheek hatred and self-loathing (it's tempting to suggest this was a pisstake of the grunge scene) that opened their most successful - and best - album by miles.

67
The Beta Band
Dry The Rain
Champion Versions
1997

The Beta Band's first single, a marvellous, shambling electronic-folk track that quite rightly caused something of an indie sensation (and initially was an absolute bitch to get hold of until The Three EPs compilation followed eighteen months or so later). I'm not exactly sure what it is that made me love this track so much - maybe it's the pure simplicity of it, maybe it's just that it's a brilliant song, plain and simple.

66
My Bloody Valentine
Only Shallow
Loveless
1991

The glorious, in-turns-screeching-then-dreamy opener to one of the critic's favourite albums of the 90s, this track took the whole idea of quiet-LOUD to insane extremes - opening with a cacophony of squalling guitars (multitracked and through god only knows what effects pedals), before settling into a mellow feather bed for Bilinda Butcher's vocals to float on - and the two sections trade places for the rest of the song. It's bloody marvellous, and really, it lives up to the hype. Honestly.

65
Fear Factory
Demanufacture
Demanufacture
1995

It really is hard to overstate just how revolutionary this sounded when it first dropped. The first really seamless attempt at bringing together extreme metal and industrial electronics, the whole album is a masterpiece, but more than anything it's the opening (title) track that left jaws on the floor. The machine-like riffing, the tool-like precision of the drumming...this really was cybermetal, and the band have spent fifteen years unsuccessfully trying to better it.

64
One Minute Silence
Brainspiller
Available In All Colours
1998

Presumably a comment on the salivating mass media when it comes to another serial killer on the loose, this was a marvellously tongue-in-cheek track that even went to the lengths of creating fake news reports and station idents to back up the subject matter. Musically, of course, it's what OMS always did so well - chunky, riff-tastic funk-rap-metal...

63
Rammstein
Bück Dich
Sehnsucht
1997

Long-since removed from R+ live sets, this track (it translates as Bend Over, by the way) was at one point the climax, so to speak, of the live set, where Till would lead out a be-gimped Flake onto the stage, unveil a dildo from his trousers, and I'm sure you can guess the rest. The track itself is great on record - rampaging industrial metal that R+ do so well - but live it really is something else (and is about ten times heavier, too). Need I remind you that this (live) video is not especially worksafe?

62
dEUS
Hotellounge (Be The Death Of Me)
Worst Case Scenario
1994

One of dEUS' most majestic songs, a musing on getting old, and reflecting on the past with a rueful smile, it's also one of their most tender songs, too. Much of the first dEUS album was reflective, but never quite like this. It's weird, bluesy-rock feel is gradually chipped away and replaced by fuzzy, surging rock, before returning to the original calm to close. Older live versions used to add an additional verse at the end, and I was never sure why this wasn't kept in for the recorded version...

61
Add N to (X)
Metal Fingers in My Body
Avant Hard
1999

This band's endearingly retro take on electro - only using analogue synths, not to mention their image - certainly made them stand out among the legions of other electro bands at the turn of the century. It also helped that they wrote a number of spectacularly odd tracks, too, of which this was certainly the wierdest. The robot-fetishism only hinted at in the repeated (robotic voiced) title refrain of this otherwise (kinda) straightforward electro-rock track was made really bloody obvious by the ultra-not-worksafe video...of a girl ordering a robot, umm, escort, and then being, er, pleasured. A lot.

Shortly: My top 200 tracks 1990-99 Pt.04b: 60 to 41

Best Live Acts I've Seen In The 2000s (random)



Tom Waits



The Arcade Fire


Calexico



Drive-By Truckers



Radiohead


dEUS



The Flaming Lips


Beastie Boys




Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds


LCD Soundsystem

(zelfgemaakt, jazekerss)

Wilco

As explained earlier, here's the second half of the first part of my rundown of 90s songs.

Previously: My top 100 tracks 1990-99 Pt.01a: 200 to 181

180
dEUS
Sister Dew
The Ideal Crash
1999

An impossibly sad song, a slow, minimalist track that lyrically deals with a man confessing to the titular character his crime. dEUS have never come close to the naked emotions of this track since, or to that matter before it, either, and it's such an affecting track that I can only listen to this once in a while.

179
The Dandy Warhols
Every Day Should Be A Holiday
...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
1997

Way back before they were soundtracking Vodafone adverts, this band of American slackers were writing wonderful summer pop songs like this, psychedelic electro-pop that hooked me from the first moment I heard it (and I ended up buying the album on import months before it was eventually released over here).

178
They Might Be Giants
Birdhouse in Your Soul
Flood
1990

One of the greatest and most enduring indie pop songs, perhaps, the reason it is a bit further down this list is that it does every now and again grate if overplayed. But still, it's probably the only song ever sung from the point of a nightlight, has a quirky video and the kind of chorus that bolts itself behind a sturdy door in your head...

177
The Future Sound of London
My Kingdom
Dead Cities
1996

The lead single from FSOL's darkest album, this beautiful, elegant track brought together Blade Runner samples and a feeling of a decaying London on a soft bed of electronics that carries the listener along for five blissful minutes. The video, with London being invaded by all kinds of computer-generated aliens, is well worth a look, too, even if some of the effects have dated a little.

176
Downset
Empower
Do We Speak a Dead Language?
1996

A little surprised, I have to say, that this band lasted as long as this year. But then, seeing as they were formed originally from the ashes of one of the very first rap metal bands (Social Justice) I guess it's kinda apt that they should outlive most of their followers, too. This song also has the "honour" of being the first song I saw performed live in London once I'd gone to Uni (and also that was the first gig I ever reviewed, too. Happy days...), and that makes it a little special to me - but either way, this is searing stuff that like much of Downset's material, features lyrics that are considerably less destructive than many other rap-metal acts. Vocalist Rey Oropreza instead chose lyrics that encouraged listeners to make a positive difference to their life - and this song's message was no different, as it simply burns with it.

175
Roni Size / Reprazent
Brown Paper Bag
New Forms
1997

When drum'n'bass kicked off in a big way in the mid-to-late 90s, it was remarkable that each of the names that broke through to the dance mainstream all had such different styles within the same broad remit. Roni Size may not have had success on the same level as Goldie, but his winning of the Mercury Music Prize twelve years ago for the extraordinary New Forms perhaps gained him greater musical recognition. And it was tracks like this that were really special - the broad, jazzy sweeps fused perfectly with the charging drum'n'bass, and the full nine minute version passes in a flash.

174
Snog
Hooray!!
Buy Me... I'll Change Your Life
1997

David Thrussell's strange, strange band welcomes the end of world…in pop form. Well, I say pop. This is twisted, strange stuff, but it does have a habit of burrowing into your head and becoming one of those earworms that won't quite shift. For all it's apocalyptic lyrics, too, it's bright and summery as his songs go - but then, perhaps that's the point...

173
Marion
Time
This World And Body
1996

To some, this fact that this band never had the success of other bands lumped in as "Britpop" was criminal - and I'm one of them. Infinitely more talented than certain other north-west based peers, with a clutch of killer singles, they sadly vanished into a haze of drug problems, and their (also brilliant) second album limped into view some years later with barely a wimper, and sank without trace. Something of an unlucky band, really, and tracks like this remind me of what could have been: a glorious, aching lament to lost love and reflections on past mistakes, and Jaime Harding's vocal performance is something to behold.

172
Mercury Rev
Chasing a Bee
Yerself Is Steam
1991

Way back in the mists of time, before Mercury Rev cleaned up, kept off the drugs, kicked out original singer David Baker and turned to (blissfully great) Americana, they were a very odd band indeed, drenching completely "out there" pop songs in masses of fuzz and feedback. And sometimes, those pop songs would fight to the forefront - and Chasing A Bee is one of those moments. It's epic, beautiful and wonderfully mental.

171
Apoptygma Berzerk
Deep Red
7
1996

One of Apop's earlier singles, I have to admit that I didn't know this even had a video until I was trying to find a link for this. With the changes this band have gone through stylistically in the past ten years or so, this sounds like almost a different band entirely - a thumping electro-goth track that rightly is still part of Apop live sets even now (and it reminds me, I must use it in a DJ set again sometime...).

170
Rocket from the Crypt
Middle
Scream, Dracula, Scream!
1995

RFTC: one of the greatest rock bands of the 90s. Fact. Also a fact: one of my biggest regrets is never seeing them live. Anyway, rather than choosing perhaps one of the more obvious singles, this is the short (minute-long) opener to their breakthrough album Scream, Dracula, Scream. A torrent of gang vocals, a surging beat, and a clever pacing that steps up the track each verse until it bursts into life...before stopping way too quickly. Either way, if you ever wanted a reminder as to whether rock'n'roll can still be great decades after it first began, here's your pointer.

169
Jocasta
Change Me
No Coincidence
1996

Not all mid-90s indie in the UK was Britpop. One of the bands on the fringes for a while were Tim Arnold's first stab at the pop world, followed by a prolific solo career that has seen some unusual influences. Not that Jocasta were particularly normal - although like other bands I'm mentioning here, both my girlfriend and I are struggling to remember anything other than this song (I did have the album way back in the mists of time) - mixing in poetry influences (the lyrics are marvellous) as well as a harder, rockier sound than many other indie bands of the time. Anyway, this song is simply a perfect example of why there was so much more to the mid-90s indie scene than Blur, Oasis and Pulp.

168
Evil Superstars
B.A.B.Y.
Boogie-Children-R-Us
1998

I can remember little about this band, other than this track. What I do recall - they were a Belgian band who supported both dEUS and Girls Against Boys over here at some point, and they had a handful of great songs, of which this in particular stood head and shoulders above the rest. A strange, really quite sleazy drawl over an electronic backing, this was good fun if nothing else.

167
Meat Beat Manifesto
Radio Babylon
Original Fire
1990

An absolute stone-cold electronic classic, the year it comes from depends on which version you have. I have it on Original Fire, which dates from 1997, but sonically it's obviously older, and in fact dates from around 1990. A dub-influenced, quasi-breakbeat underpins things, and it's tracks like this that make me wonder how exactly they were ever lumped in as industrial (signing to Wax Trax! seemed to be the main reason!). MBM's influence is huge, though, and while they may have had better songs, to me they never made a better dancefloor track than this, period.

166
Stone Temple Pilots
Silvergun Superman
Purple
1994

A band perhaps somewhat unfairly maligned at the time - seen as riding on the coattails of the grunge bands, and perhaps also because they ended up with greater success than many of them. Whatever the reason, their mix of hard rock, whimsical pop and much, much darker moments certainly caught the ear of many. This was always my favourite song, though, a perfect balance of the elements above, the brusing verses and melodic, lighter chorus contrasting well. It was the opener on their comeback tour in the US, too (a shame they never came over here).

165
Pulp
I Spy
Different Class
1995

1995 was Pulp's year in Britpop terms, without a doubt - Different Class was probably the finest album of the Britpop period, and that wasn't just down to the singles (as great as they all were). It was down to tracks like this - the 60s film-soundtrack sweep, and the fuming, spiteful lyrics detailing a tale of suburban jealously and revenge. In fact, I'm not sure Jarvis Cocker ever wrote lyrics better than this.

164
Primal Scream
Come Together
Screamadelica
1991

No, not the truncated and butchered single version, but the original, epic album centrepiece. Screamadelica may have been endlessly dissected over the years, but at it's heart it is simply an awesome fusion of rock and dance that perhaps just came along at the right moment. This track's blissed-out dub textures and gospel samples (and, perhaps, it's oh-so-slightly hippyish tendencies) make it a glorious summer track - so writing this in a cold mid-November perhaps it loses a little of it's impact. Still, the fact that I'm still listening to this eighteen years on perhaps helps to explain just how good this is.

163
Monster Magnet
Powertrip
Powertrip
1998

Where Dave Wyndorf proclaims his desire to become a full-time rock star, and let's be honest, this sure as hell sounds like the deal worked out well for him. A massive, stadium rock track, a world away from their more stoner rock beginnings, but frankly the sound suits Dave and the band well. The over-the-top video is a hoot, too...

162
The Delgados
Pull the Wires From the Wall
Peloton
1999

A now long-departed indie band from Glasgow, who were much more spiky than their sometimes dreamy sound often suggested. Often it was Emma Pollock's casually detached vocal delivery - and caustic lyrics - that made the difference, as here. Although the sweeping orchestral backing helps too.

161
Autechre
Second Bad Vilbel
Anvil Vapre
1995

Nearly fifteen years old, and probably still ahead of it's time, this track's mechanised, pounding rhythms thrilled then and they still thrill now. I've never dared try to play this in a DJ set at an industrial club, perhaps I should sometime - but it's steadily shifting pace probably would scare the dancefloor away. Shame, as enjoyed really loud this track is extraordinary.

Friday: My top 200 tracks 1990-99 Pt.02: 160 to 121

These are the bands I remember seeing live:

2 Unlimited

a balladeer [2] [Photos on flickr]
Absynthe Minded
Amsterdam Klezmer Band [2] [Photos on flickr]
An Gardai
Arling & Cameron

Bad Religion
Balkan Beatz [2]
Benjamin B.
Bettie Serveert [5]
Andrew Bird
Blumfeld
Boh Foi Toch
Brainpower
Claudia de Breij
Bush

Caesar [3]
Casiokids
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Claw Boys Claw
Clouseau
C-Mon & Kypski [Photos on flickr]
Codeine
Cooper
Cosmic Psychos
Cropdusters
Cypress Hill

Ellen ten Damme [2]
Daryll-Ann [2]
David Gilmour Girls
Dead Meadow
Dead Moon [3]
Deinum
dEUS [3]
DeVotchKa [Photos on flickr]
De Dijk
Dinosaur Jr. [Photos on flickr]
Doe Maar

The Ex
The Ex + Tom Cora
Extince

Faith No More
Fatal Flowers
Faun [Photos on flickr]
Liam Finn [Photos on flickr]
Frank Black
Frank Black and the Catholics
Fratsen [3]
Fugazi

The Gathering
The Girls
Gogol Bordello [2] [Photos on flickr] [Photos on flickr]
Gore
Gorefest
Gram [Photos on flickr]

Hallo Venray [3] [photos on flickr]
The Harries
Kirstin Hersh
Julia P. Hersheimer [2]
Hit Me TV
The Horse Company [Photos on flickr]
Hotel (the Amsterdam HOTEL, not featured on last.fm)
The Hot Stewards [Photos on flickr]

Ilse DeLange
Infadels [Photos on flickr]

PJ Harvey
The Jack Of Hearts
Jammah Tammah
Johan [3]
John Cale
Junkie XL [2]

De Kift [2] [Photos on flickr]
Tim Knol

L7
Leaf
The Lemonheads [2] [Photos on flickr]
Levellers [2]
LPG [2] [Photos on flickr] [Photos on flickr]
Lul

The Mahones [Photos on flickr]
André Manuel
André Manuel & De Ketterse Fanfare [2] [Photos on flickr] [Photos on flickr]
Merry Pierce
Milow
Moke [Photos on flickr]
Mudhoney

Nerve
No Means No
Normaal [Photos on flickr]

Klaske Oenema
The Opposites
Ottoboy The One Man Trash Band [Photos on flickr]

Pete Philly & Perquisite [Photos on flickr]
Pigmeat
The Pilgrims
Prodigal Sons
Public Enemy

Racoon [2]
De Raggende Manne [2]
Rapalje [3] [Photos on flickr] [Photos on flickr]
Reboelje
Lou Reed
De Rollende Donder Revue
Rollins Band [Photos on flickr]
Room Eleven
RotFront
Rowwen Hèze

The Scene [2]
The Serenes
Shane Shu [Photos on flickr]
Shantel & Bucovina Club Orkestar
The Sheer
Simmer
Les Singes
Skindred
Soulwax
Soundgarden
Spinvis
De Staat [Photos on flickr]
Stevie Ann
Suede
Superamazoo

The The
The Ting Tings [Photos on flickr]
The Toy Dolls
Tröckener Kecks
Tuesday Child
Twarres

Urban Dance Squad [2]

Van Dik Hout
Värttinä
Voicst [3] [Photos on flickr] [Photos on flickr] [Photos on flickr]

We Are Scientists [Photos on flickr]
Ween
Wipers [Photos on flickr]
Within Temptation

Ygdrassil
Dhafer Youssef

Zulu 9.30

ДДТ [2] [Photos on flickr]

Калинов Мост

Манго-Манго