1) Wire – 154: I was into wire a few years ago. A fellow musician had all the vinyl and was thoroughly obsessed. I did my best and duly listened to Pink Flag and Chairs missing from begininning to end. Repeatedly. And then I forgot all about Wire, for a long time. Thanks to Ciaran’s newly found obsession with Wire, I’m back on the bandwagon… 154 is a standout album, a strange brew of punk, experimental noise and pop.
2) Robyn Hitchcock – Fegmania: I’ve been a devout Hitchcock fan for as long as I can remember, but somehow this album fell under the radar. Upon recently discovering it, Fegmania has quickly become my go-to Hitchock album, the one that I always wished he had made (and, as it turns out, he did). Jangly, melodic and still very strange.
3) Colin Newman – Commercial Suicide: It’s the guy from Wire, but his subtler and more ambient solo project. Some great songs on this album, especially the closer “How Can I explain the Delay”
4) Echo and the Bunnymen – Echo and the Bunnymen: It took me a very long time to get into these guys. I found their first three albums a little too overwrought and dramatic. Although I’ve come to appreciate Ocean Rain and Porcupines in all their glory, I would have to say that the self-titled fourth album is as close to perfection as they got. It’s a 180 degree flip from their earlier material, an unhurried and assured batch of outright pop anthems.
5) Arthur Russell – Another Thought: Great album… takes a while to get into, but once you do, the songs stand out as some of the best you’ve ever heard. Can’t get enough of that disco-cello.
