BITE-SIZED LIVE REVIEWS!!!

It's been a pretty hectic few months here at No Static Towers regarding live shows. We seem to be in one of those rather fabulous cycles where most of my favourite bands and artists are touring at the same time and subsequently hardly a week has gone by without at least one visit into our nation's capital to get hot and sweaty and fling myself around to some stupendous tunes. Long may it continue! Hopefully, this post will give you a little taste of some of the sights and sounds I've recently experienced.



ANGEL OLSEN: The Roundhouse 23/5

Angel Olsen's gig at The Roundhouse in Camden took place less than a week after the horrific terrorist attack in Manchester that claimed the lives of 22 innocent people - mainly children - who were enjoying a night out of music and fun. Understandably, there was a subdued atmosphere inside the venue - indeed, even though it was advertised as a sell-out, there were definitely a large number of no-shows by ticket holders who had obviously felt reluctant to venture out to a concert. I myself had thought twice about attending, but after some soul-searching, I decided I wasn't going to let the terrorists win and off I went. Coupled with the fact that Olsen's mighty third album - the astonishing My Woman - had nabbed the #1 spot in my Best Albums Of 2016 list, this meant that I happily found myself front and centre when Olsen and her tremendously attired band - all powder blue 50's style suits and Western ties - strode onto the stage and delivered a glorious hour and a half of magnificent songs. Olsen herself alluded to the previous week's atrocity and thanked us deeply for making the trip to see her. There was also a lovely touch from the band, with 22 light blue balloons tied to the stage equipment. Musically, My Woman was a quantum leap forward from Olsen's previous two records - as good as those were - and live on stage the songs are beefed up even more. The band were on fire, with guitarist Stewart Bronaugh on particularly smoking form. The scuzzy power-pop of Shut Up And Kiss Me was an early highlight, and the twin peaks of My Woman - Sister and Woman - were even more extraordinarily epic live than they are on record. And that's saying something. Olsen herself owned the stage, both mesmerisingly delicate on Unfucktheworld, and then forcefully rocktastic on the gargantuan tsunami of wonder that is Not Gonna Kill You. The latter's refrain of  "It's not gonna break you, it's just gonna shake you" was notably pertinent too, so soon after Manchester. Fantastic stuff from Olsen and the perfect example of music as catharsis.


BUFFALO TOM: Islington Assembly Hall 9/6

In 1992, Boston indie/grunge trio Buffalo Tom released their third album: the simply superb Let Me Come Over. It was their crowning achievement and the moment all their early potential and nascent songwriting chops coalesced and flowered into bloom. It stopped me in my tracks and blew my mind in 92, and it still does the same to me today. Subsequent releases never quite matched up - although they all have their stellar moments - and there has been long periods of inactivity since. However, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that landmark record, the Tom have reconvened and made a short trip to Europe in early June for a handful of shows so they can play the whole damn album in full. Truly, my indie-rock chalice doth overflow! The night was split into two sets, the first being a trawl through the rest of the Tom catalogue. Singer and guitarist Bill Janovitz was on sparkling form with his repartee and self-deprecating humour, as he and his two cohorts - bassist Chris Colbourn and drummer Tom Maginnis - rattled through shoulda-been mega-hits like Summer, Sodajerk, Treehouse, Wiser and the monumentally moving I'm Allowed. The second half of the evening was the real meat on the bone though as - after a 15 minute break for refreshments and, for Janovitz at least, a fresh shirt - the guys returned and struck up the chords of LMCO's opening track, Staples. What followed was a gloriously life-affirming 45 minute Proustian rush of grungy riffs, powerhouse drumming, jangly chords and - during the spine-tingling chorus of Taillights Fade - grown men in the audience openly weeping. And that's without even mentioning the wonder that is Larry. Arguably their finest moment, and the song that should have made them superstars, the rendition of which on this particular evening had the entire room singing lustily into the air and throwing their arms around the person nearest to them. And considering the majority of the audience was made up of rotund and balding men of a certain age, it made for quite a spectacle. And it's a song about a lost cat! There was just time for a quick encore of early fave Birdbrain - as well as a new song from their forthcoming PledgeMusic funded new album - and then the Tom were gone. A wonderfully memorable night.


PROPHETS OF RAGE: Brixton Academy 13/6

Rage Against The Machine. Public Enemy. Cypress Hill. Three brilliant bands who straddled the worlds of rap and rock like gods in the late 80s and early 90s. Not only did they all make music of real power, but they all managed to successfully integrate politics and anti-fascist polemic into their music without the listener feeling as if they'd been bashed over the head by it. Rage Against The Machine however have not made a new album for almost two decades, and in recent years both Public Enemy and Cypress Hill have faded from view somewhat - both bands having been overtaken by a new breed of hip-hop artist. To be fair, the three musicians in RATM - guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Timmy C and drum titan Brad Wilk - did go on to record three excellent albums with the late and very much missed Chris Cornell as Audioslave. That band though, ceased to exsist 10 years ago, so a new outlet was needed. With Rage's vocalist Zack De La Rocha seemingly turning his back on music, Morello and co have teamed up with PE frontman Chuck D and Cypress linchpin B Real to form Prophets Of Rage. Originally put together last summer as a riposte to the ass-backwards idiocy of Donald Trump and his unstoppable rise to power, the response to the bands live shows was so ecstatic that it was an absolute no-brainer to continue on and tour the world - as well as making music - the first fruits of which will be with us in September on their self-titled debut album. In early June, the group played their first British show at the mad as a box of frogs mud-fest that is Donington's Download Festival, before a quick jaunt down the M1 to Brixton for this quite incendiary show. Correctly surmising that the sold-out crowd would quite happily wait for the new album before hearing most of it, only 3 new songs were aired so what we were treated to instead was a phenomenal 90 minute journey through the best of all three original band's back catalogue. B Real took on the lions share of De La Rocha's vocals on the majority of Rage tracks - his nasal whine bringing a new flavour to classics like Know Your Enemy, Take The Power Back, People Of The Sun and Bullet In The Head. Chuck D took centre stage for a storming rendition of Fight The Power - the lyrics of which are sadly just as pertinent today as they were in 1989. B Real and Chuck D also clubbed together for a rip-roaring medley of all their classic hip-hop joints - mashing up Insane In The Brain, Bring The Noise, I Aint Goin Out Like That and Welcome To The Terrordome to serious mosh-worthy effect.

 As a unit on stage, the sextet - with PE's DJ Lord spinning the beats at the back - are as exciting as anything I've witnessed, and tight as a gnat's chuff musically. Aside from the pummeling intensity though, there was time for reflection as midway through the set, Morello placed a mic stand in the centre of the Brixton stage before a lone spotlight picked it out. Then he, Timmy C and Wilk performed a beautifully understated instrumental version of Audioslave's Like A Stone - with Brixton's 5000 strong crowd taking over the vocals. As tributes to Chris Cornell go, it was one of the most hearfelt and moving. There was only one way to finish of course, with B Real introducing the final song with the words: "These are dangerous times, people. And dangerous times call for dangerous songs. This is the most dangerous fucking song in the world". To this day, Rage's 1992 masterpiece Killing In The Name still raises the hairs on the back of your neck and causes the adrenaline to flow. The Prophets Of Rage version is no different and the atmosphere inside Brixton - already at fever pitch - was amped up a thousand fold as the band built the song up to it's firestorm of a climax. Listening to 5000 people - mostly thirty and fortysomethings with kids, mortgages and the like - screaming "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me!" whilst raising both their middle fingers to the sky was quite simply hilarious, thrilling and magnificent in equal measure. I haven't had that much fun in ages.


GUNS N ROSES: Olympic Stadium 17/6

I last saw Guns N Roses live in 1993 at the soulless crater that is The Milton Keynes Bowl. They were at the arse-end of their imperial period - the stratospheric heights of the Appetite For Destruction days long behind them. The hubris of releasing two albums on the same day in 1991 - although both Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 contained superb moments - had damaged their credibility in a major way. Cool as fuck rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin had left the band - never to return - and bassist Duff McKagan was so wasted on heroin and booze that his pancreas eventually exploded. Mercurial frontman Axl Rose's massive ego had all but consumed him and his relationship with lead guitarist Slash had trickled to a non-existent puddle. That performance in 93 had it's moments, but there were technical issues, frosty onstage disagreements, and - as would become the norm in future years - Axl's timekeeping and reluctance to adhere to the curfew meant huge swathes of people left the venue halfway through the gig just to be able to get home. The possibility of the band living up to all the early predictions made of them and becoming the biggest band in the world seemed laughable. Over the following two decades, Rose would continue to alienate both Slash and McKagan to the point that they both left the band they founded. Rose limped on with a revolving bunch of hired hands and toured continuously - all the while sullying the legacy of a once great rock and roll band. Somewhere in the middle of all that, there was a new album in Chinese Democracy which unfortunately fell flat on it's face commercially. The likelihood of a full-blown reunion of the original line-up seemed as remote as Ed Sheeran writing a good song. Especially after Rose joined AC/DC last year for a huge world tour to replace Brian Johnson. However, rumours and rumblings of a rapprochement between the previously warring members started to circulate last summer and incredibly, almost in the blink of an eye, Rose, Slash and McKagan had made up and announced the huge Not In This Lifetime tour - so named after a quote from Rose a few years ago when asked if GnR would ever reform. Reviews of the US gigs were uniformly positive and the British leg arrived in June with two totally sold-out shows at Stratford's Olympic Stadium. The prospect of seeing three fifths of the original group was obviously something 160,000 stone-cold rock fans just couldn't pass up.

Rose has seemingly learnt from past mistakes and sticks to the allotted start time - the crowd can't quite believe their eyes when the band bound on stage at 8:00. Slash immediately catches the eye - his look hasn't changed in almost 30 years so why change now? Black leather trousers? Check. Sleeveless denim jacket? Check. Huge black top hat? Check. A mass of tumbling black curls obscuring his face? Check. Tremendous. On the other side of the stage stands Duff, who has absolutely no right to look as fit, healthy and downright cool as he does considering what he's been through. The rest of the band is made up of keyboardist Dizzy Reed - who's been with Rose off an on since 91, guitar prodigy Richard Fortus and powerhouse drum machine Frank Ferrer. The five of them together make a hell of a noise as they strike up the chords to It's So Easy - one of 8 tracks from Appetite given an airing on this particular evening. Rose himself then runs on stage, carrying a few extra pounds for sure and looking like a strange cross between Charlie Drake and Simon Cowell. But, wonders will never cease, he's waving and smiling and spends the rest of the night looking like he's having the time of his life. Vocally he still has it in spades too - his scream during a magisterial Welcome To The Jungle hitting all the notes it should and sounding even better than the recorded version. He puts in a monumental shift and is ably matched by his long-standing comrades. Slash's solos are a wonder to behold and Duff just exudes all kinds of poise and presence. The show is stuffed full of hits - You Could Be Mine is extraordinary and Sweet Child Of Mine almost brings the house down only to be beaten to the punch by a quite frankly stupendous 15 minute rendition of November Rain. Paradise City closes the show in astounding style, accompanied by fireworks, confetti and tens of thousands of punters screaming "TAKE ME HOOOOOOOME!!!!" as loud as their lungs will allow.

 There were niggles - way too many covers (although their version of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun was lovely) and far too many costume changes for Rose which left Slash and Fortus to pick up the slack with a series of instrumental guitar wig-outs. I wouldn't have minded if Roses's outfits were worth the bother - there's probably a right time to wear a Union Jack cowboy hat and matching bandana, t-shirt and jacket combo - but it's more likely to be when you're celebrating the Queen's 100th birthday on The Mall. Not when you're trying to look good whilst fronting one of the great rock and roll bands. Sack the stylist, Axl. All in all though, the whole gig - all two and a half hours of it - was a fantastic surprise and a thoroughly decent way to spend a Saturday night. What happens now for GnR is anyone's guess. More touring? A new album maybe? I doubt even the band have any clue. For now though, this gig will do nicely.


TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: Hyde Park 9/7

The annual Barclaycard British Summertime Festival in Hyde Park is a strange beast. Massively corporate of course, with high-class bars and eateries dotted about the site and an overwhelming choice of ticket packages to choose from. It does however attract some of the finest musical guests. This year there were appearances from Green Day, The Killers, Phil Collins, Kings Of Leon, Pixies, Elbow, Tears For Fears and on the final day, a rare UK visit from Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers. Celebrating 40 years at the rock and roll coalface, this gig was advertised as a full-blown greatest hits extravaganza and that's exactly what a sell-out crowd of 60,000 die-hard fans got. For my money, Petty doesn't get enough recognition in this country for his stellar library of songs - he's revered back home in the States of course - so to see him and his band fill out such a huge venue was wonderfully heartening and thoroughly deserved. After a splendid support set from Fleetwood Mac doyen and modern day faery queen Stevie Nicks, Petty and co arrive on stage to rapturous acclaim. Kicking off with early stalwart Rockin Around With You - which Petty explains was the first song they ever played in England way back in 78 - the band deliver classic after classic, veering from slow, bluesy shuffles like Mary Jane's Last Dance to the pristine sheen of Free Falling and I Won't Back Down. Nicks reappears too for a perfectly serviceable run through her big hit duet with Petty from 1981 in Stop Draggin My Heart Around. There's also time for a splendid little acoustic section drawn solely from possibly the most underrated album in the Petty canon - 1994's Wildflowers. Petty still looks and sounds exactly like he's always done, that nasally drawl of his sounding perfect on a hazy summer's eve, whilst the Heartbreakers themselves are on marvelous form. Just like Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band, this is a group of musicians who have played together for so long - they were Mudcrutch for a good few years before becoming The Heartbreakers - that they know exactly what each of them are going to do before they even do it. There's no chaff at all with these guys - it's all wheat. Guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboard maestro Benmont Tench deserve special mention. The set ends with early humdingers Refugee and the timeless American Girl - which has many of the punters, mostly of pensionable age, frugging furiously across the Hyde Park grass. Wonderful stuff.

Just a selection there of my recent gigular highlights. I also managed to fit in trips to see Oxford shoegaze legends Ride, performing songs from their first album in 20 years to an adoring throng. There was a splendid evening of gnarly, throbbing stoner rock with Arbouretum, an extraordinarily funksome and shirt-moisteningly groovy couple of hours in the company of Lettuce, as well as a night of sparkling Britpop era hits from Richard Ashcroft who filled out Brixton in July and mixed up his excellent new material with Verve classics like Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work. I was also lucky enough to catch The Grizzled Godfather Of Grunge himself - the mighty Mark Lanegan - who brought his current band to Camden in June and regaled us with a haunting selection of electronica-infused blues tunes. On top of all that, indie rock royalty came to Hyde Park the day before Tom Petty, when the peerless Pixies used their allotted hour as the support act for the Kings Of Leon (which must have been some kind of bizarre technical error, surely?) to remind everyone of their brilliance, rattling off barnstormer after barnstormer. Gouge Away, Debaser, Monkey, Bone Machine, Where Is My Mind, Hey, Wave Of Mutilation, Vamos. All present, correct and utterly stunning.

2017 only gets better though: Coming up on the horizon are gigs from Endless Boogie, The National, Sigur Ros, Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos, Living Colour, Beth Ditto, The Breeders, Grizzly Bear, Metallica, Steely Dan, Slowdive, Fleet Foxes, Sun Kil Moon, Mastodon, Dinosaur Jr and many more! And oh yeah, just the small matter of The Green Man Festival in Wales. Watch this space for a full report!  

HALF-TERM REPORT!!!
The 25 Best Albums Of The Year....So Far!

So, here we are then - just over 6 months into what is already a remarkably healthy year for new albums and what's the state of play? I have to admit that I've struggled to keep pace with the relentless torrent of startling new releases - and the second half of 2017 looks even stronger with new albums on the way from big-hitters like Arcade Fire, The War On Drugs, The National and the much anticipated resurrection of the magnificent LCD Sound System. As a little taster for my end of year Top 50 - which at this rate could easily grow into a Top 100 - here is my current pick of the best records released so far this year. If you haven't heard any of these, then rectify that oversight immediately!!! 
(And before I'm inundated with heated comments about the validity of my number one pick, I know it's only a mini-album but it's so frickin brilliant I really have no other choice....)

25: The Magpie Salute  'The Magpie Salute'
24: Nadia Reid  'Preservation'
23: Thurston Moore  'Rock N Roll Consciousness'
22: Robert Cray & Hi-Rhythm  'RC&HR'
21: The Afghan Whigs  'In Spades'
20: Slowdive  'Slowdive'
19: The Feelies  'In Between'
18: The Jesus And Mary Chain  'Damage And Joy'
17: Elbow  'Little Fictions'
16: Cigarettes After Sex  'Cigarettes After Sex'
15: Spiral Stairs  'Doris And The Daggers'
14: Jane Weaver  'Modern Kosmology'
13: Grandaddy  'Last Place'
12: Spoon  'Hot Thoughts'
11: Depeche Mode  'Spirit'
10: The Moonlandingz  'Interplanetary Class Classics'
9: Little Cub  'Little Cub'
8: Sun Kil Moon  'Common As Light And Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood'
7: Endless Boogie  'Vibe Killer'
6: Mark Lanegan Band  'Gargoyle'
5: Ride  'Weather Diaries'
4: Pumarosa  'The Witch'
3: Fleet Foxes  'Crack-Up'
2: Jesu/Sun Kil Moon  '30 Seconds To The Decline Of Mother Earth'
1: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever  'The French Press'

LIVE REVIEW
LEFTFIELD Brixton Academy 13/5

In 1993, after plugging away for a couple of years as DJ's and producers, London based duo Neil Barnes and Paul Daley - otherwise known as Leftfield - released a quite startling collaborative single with ex-Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited frontman John Lydon. The song was called Open Up and anyone who heard it blaring through the speakers at their local dance or rock club was not only blown away by its gargantuan power, but also most likely found themselves asking the same question: "Who the hell is this???"
Leftfield answered that question a year or so later with the release of their debut album, Leftism. It was then, and still is now, an exceptionally groundbreaking record - fusing old school acid house beats with dub, reggae and skyscraping electronica, all topped off with a sprinkling of African tribal rhythms. There was absolutely nothing else released in 1995 that sounded anything like it - and to be honest, not much since has really come close. The album was a massive success, garnering acclaim across the board and hoovering up awards like nose candy. The peak of the duo's success was undoubtedly the night they performed here at Brixton and were so loud they actually caused the ceiling of this venerable old venue to crack under the pressure. There simply was no bigger dance act at the time - Barnes and Daley had changed the whole scene and were embraced by the rock firmament as well, performing at Glastonbury and other festivals across the globe. Following it up though was a tough ask, and although 1999's Rhythm And Stealth has it's stellar moments - Phat Planet for one - the relationship between Barnes and Daley fizzled out and Daley left the band in 2002. Barnes carried on producing and remixing before finally returning to the fray in 2015 with the excellent Alternative Light Source album. Whilst touring that record, it became obvious to Barnes that there was a brand new audience out there who were discovering Leftism for the first time which is why, 22 years on, Barnes has re-released Leftism as a double-disc special edition featuring 11 brand new remixes of the original 11 tracks. Not only that, he has returned to Brixton with his current band to perform the entire album in full. Does it still stand up?
Well, the fact that inside the venue it's absolutely heaving is a very good sign. I've been to sell-out nights here before but it feels like they've let in at least an extra 100 people on this occasion - and by the looks of it, everyone seems to have their 'rave heads' on as it were. There's chaps walking round who are balding of pate wearing t-shirts that are straining to hold back the tide of that middle-aged spread, but their faces look 20 years younger - wide-eyed with anticipation and glowing with the effects of certain, ahem, refreshments. Indeed, I'm asked at least 4 times in my first half an hour inside if I need anything to "keep me going". It really is 1995 all over again....
When Barnes and his crew - programmer Adam Wren and live drum maestro Nick Rice - amble onstage just after 9, the reaction from the crowd is deafening. Welcomed back like conquering heroes, they take their positions and launch straight into Leftism's opening track, 'Release The Pressure'. A glorious anthem of peace, unity and belonging, it sets the night up perfectly. With vocals from MC Earl Sixteen, the song glides and drifts majestically before kicking in with a massive jolt of pulsating techno. Verily, the dancing had begun. What follows is an extraordinary hour or so of  eclectic house and techno flavours, the aforementioned dub and reggae and - on the wildly exciting Afro-Left - possibly the greatest all-out tribal African rave shindig ever witnessed. There's a spectacular light and laser show to accompany the sounds - always handy as dance bands aren't particularly interesting to watch on stage. But it's the music that matters, and tunes such as Space Shanty and the frankly spectacular Storm 3000 haven't aged a day and cause the majority of tonight's audience to give it some serious 'big box, little box' as if the last two decades had never existed. Then it's time for the hits. The original vocalist from the song Original - Toni Halliday from the long-defunct Curve, as well as Mr Lydon himself - unfortunately don't put in appearances, and although the former's replacement Tarantina acquits herself well, she's no match for Halliday's smoky, ethereal vocals. It's the only real misstep this evening, and it's not repeated when it comes to the rendition of the song that started it all in the first place - Open Up. Nobody can replicate Lydon's atonal squeal anyway so why bother? In his place, the original video is played over the stage backdrop and his vocals are turned up to the max. Barnes and co - with Nick Rice on drums really earning his corn here - steam through an extraordinary version of the track which builds and builds - seemingly getting louder and louder by the second - until the cranium-rattling finale, climaxing with 5000 souls screaming the classic refrain: "Burn Hollywood, burn! Taking down Tinseltown!" Utterly tremendous.
Performing classic albums in their entirety is increasingly common these days - it's a tried and tested way for many bands and artists to guarantee sell-out shows - but if any act deserved to showcase one of their records it is most certainly Leftfield with this truly epochal and monumentally influential offering. Tonight's show was a roaring success, and as an extremely sweaty but exultant throng leave the venue - no doubt stiff of knees and aching of backs - there's no doubt that my original query of whether the album still stands up live has been answered ten times over - with bells on. Stupendous.

SETLIST

Release The Pressure
Afro-Left
Melt
Song Of Life
Original
Black Flute
Space Shanty
Inspection (Check One)
Storm 3000
Open Up
21st Century Poem
  

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

THE WAR ON DRUGS 'HOLDING ON' 

In 2014, Adam Granduciel - backed by his revolving band of session musos - released his third album 'Lost In A Dream' and, due to it's utter magnificence, quickly became my new favourite band. After a three-year hiatus, during which Granduciel has signed to a major label, The War On Drugs are returning to the fray and this track is the first single to be released from the upcoming 'A Deeper Understanding'. Once again, it's another glorious rush of widescreen Americana, peppered with driving guitars and delicate electronica flourishes. And the video - starring Banshee and The Wire stalwart Frankie Faison - is a thing of pure wonder. I love this band!

SEATTLE'S SECRET WEAPON:
The Sublime Soul Of Shawn Smith

Back in 1993, whilst he was riding high on the back of the huge, global success of their debut album 'Ten', Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard took some time out from the overwhelming rollercoaster of his day job to return to his home city of Seattle and kick back, relax and maybe make some music with friends. Joining forces with ex-Malfunkshun drummer Regan Hagar and bassist Jeremy Toback, the trio started to rehearse and found themselves coming up with a batch of slinky, funky grooves that were a world away from the relentless grunge rock assault of Gossard's day job. One thing was missing though: a co-writer and vocalist who could maybe help to mould these tunes together and turn them into proper songs. Gossard knew exactly who to call: Step forward please, Mr Shawn Smith.
The fact that almost 25 years later I find myself writing an appreciation of this man's phenomenal talents and hoping that whoever reads this piece may go out there and discover his work for themselves - when really the man should be a worldwide superstar - just shows how impossible the music business can be. In my view, Smith is an incredible songwriter, a compelling performer, and - most importantly - blessed with one of the finest voices ever to wrap itself around a microphone. He's up there with Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and the late, great Prince Rogers Nelson when it comes to delicious soulful vocal ability.
So, who IS Shawn Smith???
Born in Spokane, Washington in 1965, Smith discovered music early and after tripping out on artists as diverse as Elton John, Kiss and - oh yes - The Partridge Family, he threw himself into mastering the piano and the drums and started to pen his own songs. A move to California in his late teens came to nothing so he relocated back up to Seattle and dove headlong into the burgeoning alt-rock scene of the late 80s. In a bold move that would prove to be a taster for how his later career would pan out, Smith decided to spread his talents across a number of different bands. First out of the traps were a short-lived combo called Love Co who eventually morphed into Satchel. Featuring the aforementioned Regan Hagar from Malfunkshun - a local funk rock band fronted by Andrew Wood who had left to form Mother Love Bone - as well as guitarist John Hoag and bassist Corey Kane, Satchel set to work on their debut record. However, also at that time, Smith was throwing his hat into the ring with local production wizard Steve Fisk - who had recently produced records for The Posies, Low and Soul Coughing as well as being on engineering duties for local big guns Nirvana and Soundgarden. Fisk was renowned amongst his peers for his slightly idiosyncratic way of working and once he and Smith paired up, they quickly wrote, recorded and released a startling collection of songs under the name of Pigeonhed. Released in early 1993, it was an album of bizarre beats and rhymes, with a grimy almost industrial edge to it. It was also my first introduction to Smith's voice after I discovered it in a box in the basement of long lost and much lamented Soho music emporium Mr CD. The cover drew me in first - a grainy photo of a huge pile of garbage - and once I got the staff to play the CD for me it was the incredible voice of the singer, who I assumed was a young black guy, that made me part with my hard-earned. However, the only photo I could find in the CD booklet was of a couple of pasty looking white dudes. Surely not?

(Remember kids, this was way before internet search engines and the like. My options for finding out more information were somewhat limited...) The album was raw, at times half-baked and came across as a little unfinished, but Smith's mellifluous, keening falsetto was a thing of wonder. Whatever this guy did next, I thought, was going to be rather special. Unbeknown to me of course, what he did next was to not only return to the Satchel ranks and continue working on their album, but to also answer that call from Stone Gossard and help out with his musical adventure. Obviously, due to the Pearl Jam connection, this particular project garnered a lot more press in the lead-up to it's release, and when it reached the shelves in the late spring of 93 - and after a brief legal skirmish with another band over the name - 'Shame' by Brad was rapturously recieved. As a massive PJ fan, I rushed straight out to purchase it and it was only then - after listening to maybe 20 seconds of the opening song - did I realise that the Shawn Smith of Pigeonhed was the Shawn Smith of Brad. My cup runneth over! 

As I mentioned earlier, that first Brad album was a world away - sonically - from Pearl Jam's 'Ten', and was certainly much more accessible than PJ's sophomore offering 'Vs', which was only a few months away from release itself. Combining Chilis-style funk with delicate piano ballads akin to early, peak-period Elton, 'Shame' was an absolute treat. Not only one of the finest albums from that particular purple patch for North American alternative rock, but just one of the finest rock albums of the last 40 years, period. Although garnering a minor hit single in this country with the terrifically groovy '20th Century', the album really didn't take off sales-wise - a real surprise when you consider how monstrously huge Pearl Jam were at the time. However, anyone with ears could tell that, along with the glorious music on offer, it was Smith's vocal ability that really stood out. I awaited his next offering with bated breath....

After a brief tour with Brad - including a brace of dates in the UK - his next move was to head back to the Satchel ranks and complete that first album. Released in the summer of 1994, 'EDC' was another sterling collection of piano-led rock music, interspersed with dialogue clips from the movie 'Reservoir Dogs' - a huge, cultural cornerstone at that time. One track in particular really stood out though. Closing out the album in some style, the ballad 'Suffering' was - and still is - an utter pearl of a song. A young Chris Martin may have been listening, as Coldplay later built their entire career on similar-sounding songs, but Smith's songwriting has barrell-loads more emotional heft and 'Suffering' is a prime example. The song was also brought to wider attention when it was used during one of the most affecting scenes in one of the 90's most affecting movies - 'Beautiful Girls'. Again though, large record sales passed Smith by. Perhaps the fact that he was dividing his time between three bands, even three brilliant bands, was confusing the majority of the record-buying public. Obviously then, the safest and sanest thing to do to rectify that situation was to record and release a lo-fi solo album under his own name. Obviously.
'Let It All Begin' was the name of that solo album and again, it was so full of brilliant songs that if it had been released by any of the big commercial bands around at that time, it would have been hailed as a masterpiece. As it was though, mainly due to the fact that it was distributed by a tiny independent label with pretty much zero promotion, it disappeared without trace. Smith's next move was to jump back on to the Brad/Satchel/Pigeonhed tricycle and within 18 months all three bands had released their second albums: Brad with 'Interiors'; Satchel with 'The Family' and Pigeonhed with 'The Full Sentence'. Normally when an artist is that prolific and releases everything they've recently recorded, the quality control can waver slightly - for proof, just listen to the second half of the once mighty Prince's career. However with Smith, that certainly wasn't the case. None of those three records were completely flawless, but they were still streets ahead of most rock music from the other side of the pond at that time, and certain tracks - most notably Brad's 'The Day Brings' and 'Glory Bound' by Pigeonhed - were simply fantastic. It was undeniable proof - if it were needed - that not only was Smith the finest white soul singer of his generation, if not of all time, but he was also quickly becoming one of the finest songwriters too.

Around the turn of the century there was another flurry of activity with a second solo album called 'Shield Of Thorns' and another Brad record in 'Welcome To Discovery Park'. Once again though, commercial success was sorely lacking, although Smith did sell a couple of songs to HBO for use in the TV show 'The Sopranos' which I hope aided his financial situation. There was a few years of silence from Smith for a while there in the noughties - aside from some web-based activity and sporadic live gigs in the US - but eventually more music was forthcoming. A split album of lost Brad and Satchel songs, a third solo album, 'Best Friends?' by Brad, Satchel's 'Heartache & Honey' as well as another new project called All Hail The Crown. (Indeed, the only act missing from this raft of releases were Pigeonhed who seemingly had ceased to exsist - although rumours abound of new music from the pair. Huzzah!) All of these albums were at once big, bold and brilliant as well as spine-tingling and deeply moving. Typical Smith fare then. Yet again though, the world wasn't listening.
For me, one of the reasons for this lack of interest from the majority of the music-buying public could well be the dearth of live appearances over the last quarter-century. There was that small tour from Brad to promote 'Shame' back in the day, and I certainly remember Smith embarking on a brief UK tour about a decade or so ago, but I can't recall any other dates. Of course, what with Gossard's continuing success with Pearl Jam filling his days, Brad tours had become almost impossible to pull off. Which is why, four years ago and just after the release of their fifth album 'United We Stand', the announcement of a UK tour by the current formation of Brad - Smith, Gossard, Hagar and bassist Kevin Lowe - was met with such excitement and salivation from the Smith faithful. I was lucky enough to attend their gig at the Islington Academy and it was one of the finest nights of my gigular life and everything I wanted it to be. Since then, Smith has been back over to Britain for two intimate tours - the latest being last month - where he has accompanied himself with a piano and delivered simply breathtaking and heartbreaking versions of his finest songs. His gig at The Half Moon in Putney a few weeks ago was utterly stunning as Smith delved deep into his catalogue and blew the audience away with astonishing versions of  'The Day Brings', 'Buttercup', 'Time O' The Year' as well as 'Shame's magisterial centerpiece 'Screen' - which could well be one of the ten best songs ever written. He also had time to thrill us with a startling cover of 'Sometimes It Snows In April' - originally recorded by his hero Prince. And there was also 'Wrapped In My Memory', another sensational piano ballad written as a tribute to Smith's fallen musical compadre Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone. On this particular night though, the song took on an even more poignant and emotional air, as that very morning the news that Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell - another close friend of Smith's - had been found dead. There wasn't many dry eyes in the house by the song's end I can tell you. Smith then ended the show with a gargantuan mash-up of 'Purple Rain' and Mother Love Bone's 'Crown Of Thorns'. It was quite simply magnificent and Smith was genuinely moved by the reaction from the audience. It was another exceptional performance from an astoundingly talented artist whose music should, by rights, be sitting on every record shelf in the world.
A couple of years ago, in an interview Smith gave to Classic Rock magazine, he made a comment about how, although he was obviously blessed to be doing what he loves for a living and still being in a position to get his music out there, he was a little disappointed that larger commercial success had seemed to pass him by. He made mention of self-esteem issues and a possible lack of drive but in the end was comfortable with where he was. I've since read some reports on the internet that state that Smith is "technically homeless, not in a good place emotionally and reliant on financial help from others". I would of course like to take these comments with a pinch of salt and hope there's little truth there, but if not, I hope he has a support network of family and friends who are helping him as well as telling him - on a regular basis - that he is an incredible singer and a true artist. Since that last official Brad release 5 years ago, Smith has concentrated on putting his music out there digitally - mainly through his Bandcamp site which is awash with loads more tremendous tunes - and I urge you to investigate forthwith. And I implore you all to give Shawn Smith some of your time, purchase some of his records and fall in love with his music. Quite frankly, it's nigh on impossible not to.

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK: SOUNDGARDEN 'JESUS CHRIST POSE'

Had to post this today. Soundgarden's finest 6 minutes with a video for the ages. Blasphemous and brilliant all at once, with a topless Chris Cornell at the absolute zenith of his testosterone-fuelled rock god magnificence. Billowing of hair and flared of nostril, and coming across like a wild, heavy metal infused Palomino, surging through the air and galloping forth toward Valhalla. How we'll miss him. 

SAY HELLO TO HEAVEN: The Death Of Chris Cornell And How Grunge Shaped My Life

Another day, another fallen rock hero. Waking up yesterday to the news that Chris Cornell - the singer and founding member of the mighty Soundgarden - had been found dead at the age of 52 from an apparent suicide, stopped me in my tracks and sent me rushing straight to the hefty Cornell section of my CD collection. Since the late 80's, Cornell's work with Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog and Audioslave - as well as his solo efforts  - have been mainstays of my listening enjoyment. Not just for the music, which for the most part has been thunderously heavy and ridiculously exciting in equal measure, but also for his astonishing four-octave voice which could both scream and wail melodically and also rumble and roar in a lower register that fitted the grunge era perfectly. The fact that he is no longer with us and that there will be no more music from him is a massive loss. The real tragedy of course, is the void left behind for his wife Vicky and their two children Toni and Christopher, as well as his daughter Lillian from his first marriage. No Static At All sends it's condolences to them all - as well as the Soundgarden crew and Cornell's extended family and friends.

Cornell was born and raised in Seattle and after a troubled childhood shaped by his parent's divorce, he threw himself into drink, drugs and music. After meeting guitarist Kim Thayil and bass player Hiro Yamamoto in 1984, Soundgarden were born. Recruiting Matt Cameron on drums the quartet set about recording and their debut album Ultramega OK was released in 1988. A snarling, cranium-rattling beast of a record, it was very much in thrall to classic 70's rock such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but with enough clout and musical nous to mark them out as something a bit different to the gaggle of hairspray and lipstick drenched poodle rockers that were selling millions at the time. Yamamoto soon left and was replaced by Ben Shepherd and the band toured frequently, as well as releasing a couple of excellent EP's in Fopp and Screaming Life and a rushed second album in Louder Than Love. However, unbeknownst to the majority of the music business and the record-buying public at that time, something was afoot in Washington State and by the time Soundgarden had signed to a major label in 1991 and released the frankly astonishing BadMotorFinger album, grunge had burst forth from the driving rain and dense foliage of Seattle and - at a stroke - taken the rock world by storm. Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Screaming Trees all signed to majors in the wake of BadMotorFinger's success - it sold a million and begat three hit singles, with the monumental Jesus Christ pose being the pick of the bunch - but the other Seattle band that industry experts felt would give Soundgarden a run for their money were Mother Love Bone. Led by flamboyant frontman - and Cornell's best friend - Andrew Wood, MLB married the heavy, sludgy sound of grunge with sparkly glam-rock and were on the cusp of a huge breakthrough with their debut album Apple, when Wood died of a massive heroin overdose. Cornell, utterly bereft at the loss of his friend at just 24, channeled his grief into a set of songs that didn't quite fit the Soundgarden template. Hooking up with the only members of MLB that wanted to continue with music - Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament - and drafting in Cameron from his own band, Cornell named the collaboration Temple Of The Dog and a self-titled album was released soon after. A gorgeous collection of songs, riven through with sadness of course, it contained two of Cornell's finest compositions in the haunting Say Hello To Heaven and the spine-tingling duet with the then unknown Eddie Vedder on Hunger Strike. Vedder, Gossard and Ament went on to form Pearl Jam and throughout 1992, the aforementioned bands ruled the roost - topping charts worldwide, selling out tours and breaking through into mainstream culture in a way not seen since punk rock in 1977.

By the time Soundgarden returned in 1994, grunge was dying out having been saturated with lesser talents and bandwagon jumpers - Hello Bush! - and the original progenitors were branching out into different musical directions. The next Soundgarden album - Superunknown - was their masterpiece. A huge, monolithic slab of psychedelic blues-infused heavy metal, punctuated with epic, radio-friendly alt-rock ballads like Black Hole Sun, it sold 10 million copies and turned the band into superstars. Unsurprisingly, Cornell found it hard to cope with the pressures of fame - as well as the breakdown of his first marriage - and turned to heroin. Schisms between band members became chasms, and by the time of  1996's Superunknown successor - Down On The Upside - the writing was on the wall. Cornell and Thayil's working relationship was non-existent and after a stilted and uncomfortable tour, the band split. Thayil and Shepherd drifted musically, Cameron joined Pearl Jam and Cornell released a polished, Beatles influenced solo album called Euphoria Morning. His next move was a shock though. Hooking up with ex-Rage Against The Machine members Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Timmy C and naming themselves Audioslave, they released a magnificent self-titled debut album before diminishing returns set in over the course of two more records. Rumours abounded at the time that Morello in particular was unhappy with Cornell's addictions and his reluctance to get clean. But, get clean he did, and after Audioslave's dissolution, Cornell remarried, became a father and threw himself back into a solo career. The first fruits of this new chapter were eclectic to say the least. First, there was the theme song to the James Bond movie Casino Royale in 2006. One of the best Bond themes, it brought Cornell back into vogue and took him to the top of the charts. There was another solo album - Carry On - that covered all bases, including a hushed, acoustic take on Billie Jean. Then there was a odd, slighty worrying diversion into RnB with Scream. Produced by Timbaland, it favoured Autotune, EDM flavours and spartan funk rhythms. It's critical and commercial failure perhaps explained Soundgarden's reunion in 2010, but friendships were healed and a splendid new album - King Animal - was released in 2012. The band toured the album solidly, and since then Cornell has released a fourth solo record - the joyous, spiritually aware Higher Truth - as well as touring with his old Temple Of The Dog cronies in North America last year to commemorate 25 years since their album. He had currently been touring with Soundgarden before going back into the studio with them to record a new album, and had just played a gig with them on Wednesday in Detroit when he was found in his hotel bathroom, apparently dead by his own hand. A full, wildly creative life, tragically cut short.

I was 19 when I first heard Cornell's voice, screaming out of my beaten up old stereo system in my grotty little bedsit in the wilds of Surrey in 1989. I loved it immediately and even though I was listening to all kinds of music at the time with jangly indie, ethereal shoegaze, shuffling dance and brain rattling techno all vying for my headspace, I found room for this new type of heavy rock that was creeping it's way eastwards toward the UK from somewhere in America. Fast-forward a couple of years and Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney and all the rest had basically taken over my listening and gigging life. Myself and a few like-minded souls from my local area were hooked in and all of these bands - and the lifestyle that came with it - became our soundtrack and our way of being. We prided ourselves on trying to look as scruffy as possible with bags of clothes bought from charity shops and second-hand boots being the norm. We grew our hair. We attempted to grow Cornell-esque facial hair. We drank. We smoked. We snorted. We tripped. Saturday night rock clubs became sacred, weekly vigils where we bowed down to the Gods of music. Gigs were joyful, boisterous affairs usually taking place at scuzzy little venues that sadly no longer exist. Soundgarden at The Astoria. Nirvana at The Kilburn Ballroom. Alice In Chains AND Screaming Trees at The Town And Country Club. Pearl Jam at The Marquee. We danced, moshed and crowdsurfed and came home bleeding. And, of course, we stood shin-deep in mud and braved the driving rain - very Seattle - at 1992's Reading Festival to watch Nirvana and a full supporting cast of grungy compadres take over the main stage on the Sunday. And it was all fantastic. Through it all, the music was always there. And, 25 years later, it still is. These days, my taste in music is as broad a church as it's ever been, but Soundgarden - and the rest of those wonderful grunge-era bands - are the ones I keep coming back to. They soundtracked a part of my life that shaped who I became as an adult, and it's fair to say I may not be writing this blog if they hadn't. For that, and for many other reasons, Chris Cornell has my eternal gratitude.
Rest In Peace CC, and thank you for the music.

"Please, mother of mercy, take me from this place. And the long winded-curses, I keep here in my head. Say hello to heaven, heaven, heaven...."  

Chris Cornell Playlist

(All Songs Performed By Soundgarden Unless Otherwise Stated)

Flower
Loud Love
Rusty Cage
Outshined
Jesus Christ Pose
Slaves And Bulldozers
Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Say Hello To Heaven  (Temple Of The Dog)
Four-Walled World  (TOTD)
Reach Down  (TOTD)
Hunger Strike  (TOTD)
Seasons  (Solo)
Birth Ritual
Right Turn  (Alice Mudgarden)
My Wave
Spoonman
Black Hole Sun
The Day I Tried To Live
Fell On Black Days
Superunknown
Pretty Noose
Blow Up The Outside World
Burden In My Hand
Can't Change Me  (Solo)
Cochise  (Audioslave)
Like A Stone  (Audioslave)
Show Me How To Live  (Audioslave)
I Am The Highway  (Audioslave)
Be Yourself  (Audioslave)
Been Away Too Long
Bones Of Birds
Rowing
Higher Truth  (Solo)

               Chris Cornell 1964 - 2017






  

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK: GRANDADDY:
'NOW IT'S ON'
Less than a month ago I went to see Grandaddy live at The Roundhouse in Camden. Last week, I posted my live review of said gig. This morning I awoke to hear the awful news that bassist and founder member Kevin Garcia had passed away at the shockingly young age of 41 after suffering a massive stroke. Terribly sad of course, and made all the more poignant due to the memory I have - just 4 short weeks ago - of the man grooving away on his bass behind Jason Lytle on the Roundhouse stage whilst wearing a massive grin and looking like he was having the time of his life. Here at No Static At All I send my condolences to his wife and family and also to the rest of the Grandaddy guys.
Here is my own small tribute, a clip of the band giving it their all on Letterman some years ago.
RIP KEVIN GARCIA.

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK: BETH DITTO 'FIRE'

Beth's back. Bow down, people. Bow the hell down.....

LIVE REVIEW
GRANDADDY 3/4 The Roundhouse

In 2006, when Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle called time on the band after 15 years at the indie-rock coalface and four excellent albums, there was little mention in the music press of their demise. Fans of course were saddened and upset at the prospect of no more music from Lytle and crew, but in the main there was just a gentle shrug of the shoulders from most followers and life moved on. Which is why, 11 years on from the initial split, I am finding the critical and commercial response to the reformed Grandaddy's new album - the really rather wonderful Last Place - and the near sell-out tour to promote it, so heartening. I was lucky enough to catch Grandaddy live a couple of times during their first go-around, and as good as those gigs at The Astoria and Shepherd's Bush Empire were, I honestly didn't think they'd ever be able to fill out a venue such as The Roundhouse. But fill it they have, and the atmosphere inside Camden's venerable old circular institution is sparkling.
Spewing forth - in a chundering explosion of plaid shirts, baseball caps and fulsome beards - from Modesto, California in the early 90's, Grandaddy was put together by Lytle, as well as bass guitarist Kevin Garcia and drummer Aaron Burtch. As is befitting of a bunch of punk fans and ex-skateboarders, their early releases were lo-fi, ramshackle and a little rough around the edges. After signing with a major label in 96 however, the group knuckled down big-time and their debut release - Under The Western Freeway - married chugging, uptempo indie with woozy Americana to glorious effect. It was their second album though, The Sophtware Slump - released in 2000, that cemented Grandaddy's place at the top table. A concept album about man's relationship with technology, which Lytle wrote and recorded alone in his farmhouse while dealing with post-millennial tension and a severe drink and drugs habit, it was quickly hailed as the American OK Computer. Chock full of glorious melodies and choruses to die for, it topped end of year polls across the board. The subsequent tour however nearly killed the band, and although the follow-up album Sumday was another corking collection of songs, the cracks were starting to show. By the time of Just Like The Fambly Cat's release in 2007, the band were already over. Lytle released a couple of down-home solo albums afterward as well as moving into producing for others, but the prospect of a full Grandaddy reunion were slim.
But, a decade later, and here we are. And, as the band shuffle on stage in the same blizzard of beards, caps and shirts, it's almost as if time has stood still. There's a rapturous response from the faithful though - most of whom have seen a few too many winters - and after a quick bit of noodling on his keyboard from Lytle, the band launch into Hewlett's Daughter, one of the standouts from Slump. Indeed, the bulk of the set comes from that magnificent second album. And why not? Hearing a few thousand souls lustily singing along to the catchy-as-man-flu chorus of The Crystal Lake - the 'big' hit - just reiterates what a splendid record it was, and still is. There's a fair few new songs dotted throughout tonight as well - and the material from Last Place stands toe-to-toe with the early classics. Evermore in particular goes down a storm. There's little conversation from Lytle or the rest of the band - bar a few thank-yous - but the joy at being back in the spotlight is plain to see on their faces. The main set concludes with He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot - which for my money, is their finest song. As close to Shine On You Crazy Diamond or Paranoid Android as any other band has ever come, it's an epic electronica-infused ballad split into three movements. On record, it's a thing of utter wonder and I defy any of you to not fall in love on first listen. Tonight however, it's on a different level and I'm not ashamed to say that there may have been a little bit of chin-wobble from your faithful scribe. After a brief backstage rest, the band reappear for a gorgeous version of the new album's big , cuddly ballad The Boat Is In The Barn and then a fantastic run through the fuzzy and fizzy power-pop rush of Summer Here Kids. All in all, tonight was a triumph. There's no official word from Lytle about future Grandaddy releases, but if this turns out to be the final act of this finest of bands, then it's a thoroughly deserved epilogue.

SETLIST:

Hewlett's Daughter
"Yeah" Is What We Had
Laughing Stock
Way We Won't
The Crystal Lake
So You'll Aim Toward The Sky
Evermore
Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)
Levitz
A.M. 180
I Don't Wanna Live Here Anymore
He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot
Now It's On

The Boat Is In The Barn
Summer Here Kids

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK (3): JELLYFISH 'THAT IS WHY'

And at Number 1.....But of course. The greatest day-glo power-pop rock n rollers ever. I've said it before - and will no doubt say it again and again - how this most magnificent band never took the universe by storm is beyond me. Sigh.

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK (2): BUFFALO TOM 'TAILLIGHTS FADE'

And at Number 2.... Boston's finest alt-rock indie trio with one of their greatest ballads. Can't wait to see this lot do this live in June.

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK (1): BRAD 'BUTTERCUP'

To coincide with my recent list of the 30 Most Underrated Albums Of The Last 30 Years, here's the bunch who featured at Number 3 in that rundown. A Seattle super-group of sorts, this was the opening track from the album Shame. Just listen to that astonishing voice. Shawn Smith , I salute you sir.

THE 30 MOST UNDERRATED
ALBUMS OF THE LAST 30 YEARS!!!

We all have them. Those fantastic lost records that we love so much. The ones that we think everyone else in the entire universe should listen to. The ones that we think should have been Number One for weeks, nay months, on end. The ones that never get mentioned in the usual Greatest Albums Of All Time lists. You all know what I'm talking about. For some of you it may be an album that got you through those tough final years at school. For some, it may be an album that soundtracked a glorious trip abroad. And for some, it may even be the album that you played constantly through a difficult break-up. And where there's one, there's usually tons more. For this piece, I have decided to narrow my list down to a particular time-frame - otherwise I'd be here all week to be honest. This selection focuses on albums released during the bulk of my record-buying life - the last 30 years. The albums you will read about here have been with me through the major ups and downs of my life and are still hugely important to me today. And they all most definitely come under the banner of MASSIVELY UNDERRATED...........

30: VANESSA PARADIS 'VANESSA PARADIS'

After a reasonably successful acting and singing career as a teenager - including one massive hit in the UK with the ageless Joe Le Taxi - Mademoiselle Paradis suddenly threw us all a curveball in 1992 by hooking up with blinkers wearing rock-fixated show pony Lenny Kravitz (both musically and romantically) to deliver this glorious combination of late 60's psychedelia, blue-eyed soul and crunchy funk. An absolute blast from top to bottom, and oozing French class, the album contained one big hit single in Be My Baby, as well as a cover of The Velvet's Waiting For My Man. Fab. And this is still the best thing Kravitz has been involved with since his debut from 1989.
Key Track: THE FUTURE SONG

29: HOBOTALK 'BEAUTY IN MADNESS'

A quite wondrous album from Scottish band Hobotalk - which was basically one chap called Marc Pilley - who released this debut offering in 2000 to some pretty hefty critical acclaim, as well as a Mercury Music Prize nod. A quiet, gentle collection of heartfelt, acoustic-led Americana, this was an album that should have nudged the band ahead of the likes of Travis and Snow Patrol in the 'lighters in the air anthems' queue. Unfortunately, nobody really gave a fig and Hobotalk sputtered to a halt a few years later. A real shame.
Key Track: I WAIT FOR YOU

28: EG & ALICE '24 YEARS OF HUNGER'

Released in early 91, this was a collaboration between former Brother Beyond muppet Eg White and model/singer/dancer Alice Temple. Nestling somewhere between Steely Dan, Prefab Sprout and Prince, the duo's one and only album was full of gloriously sophisticated soulful pop music that swooned, swayed and sashayed in spectacularly splendid style. Despite this, the album died a death on release and promptly disappeared. White released a couple more solo albums later in the 90's before resurrecting himself as a songwriter for hire for artists such as Adele, Will Young, Pink and Florence Welch. Temple, who's astonishing voice pretty much made this album what it is, escaped to the USA and basically retired from music all together. 
Key Track: INDIAN

27: LUNA 'PENTHOUSE'

Dean Wareham was once the singer and guitarist in late 80's dream pop indie combo Galaxie 500. An extremely underrated band in their own right, they released three very special albums before Wareham acrimoniously left the group to form Luna in late 1991. After two decent albums of Velvets inspired indie, this delightful third appeared in 95. Chock full of chiming jangle and lush instrumentation, this was Luna's masterpiece. There were many albums since but nothing came close to this and it's monumental centrepiece, 23 Minutes In Brussels. They eventually split in 2005 before reuniting a couple of years ago for sporadic dates. It's great to have them back.
Key Track: 23 MINUTES IN BRUSSELS

26: DADA 'PUZZLE'

A three-piece power-pop trio from California, Dada released this debut album in 1992 and even though they looked the part - with their straggly hair and frayed plaid shirts - they never really fitted in to the whole grunge scene that was straddling the globe at the time. Peddling a more blue-collar rock sound, dripping with Beatles/Cheap Trick pop smarts, they were unsurprisingly more successful back home - although not by much. Dropped by their label after their second album, they've been scratching around off and on ever since. A travesty really as the songs on this cracking little album still stand up today.
Key Track: DIZZ KNEE LAND

25: UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH 'ALMOST HERE'

Debut album from an Oxford band led by Andy Yorke - brother of Radiohead's Thom. Released in 1998 - at the absolute apex of Radiohead's fame - there was much industry chatter over possible nepotism, but on hearing this album the general feeling was that there was some serious songwriting chops within all the Yorke genes. A quietly devastating collection of hushed, acoustic ballads, Almost Here now seems like a precursor to the kind of songs Coldplay broke through with a couple of years later. There's far more emotional heft here though. The band called it a day after their second album in 2000.
Key Track: BUILDING

24: STRESS 'STRESS'

Stress were a very short-lived psychedelia infused funk rock band from the early 90's who released one album and then promptly imploded. A trio of Hendrix and Lennon worshiping disciples dressed in flower power shirts and loon pants of contrasting widths, it was no surprise to see them lumped in with Lenny Kravitz and the like. Indeed, I saw them support The Kravmeister in 1991 and I most certainly remember exclaiming that they would be HUGE. I was wrong on about a million different levels of course but this corking record still gets played in my house.
Key Track: DAYTIME BELIEVER

23: GIN BLOSSOMS 'NEW MISERABLE EXPERIENCE'

A melodic, slightly grungy rock band from Arizona, the Gin Blossoms hit big in the wake of the success of fellow US College Rock faves Counting Crows. First released in 1992, New Miserable Experience took on a new lease of life a year or so later when the song Hey Jealousy got picked up by radio stations across the globe. A superb slice of janglesome driving rock, the single was just the tip of the iceberg. As a whole, this album was as good as anything R.E.M. released in the second half of the 90's. And coming from me, that's pretty much stratospheric praise. Their success was overshadowed somewhat though by the firing from the band and eventual suicide of principal songwriter Doug Hopkins. The rest of the group never really recovered.
Key Track: FOUND OUT ABOUT YOU

22: SOUTH 'FROM HERE ON IN'

Formed in the late 90's in North London, this mysterious trio found themselves being mentored by Ian Brown from The Stone Roses and signed to cult DJ James Lavelle's record label Mo Wax in quick succession. Multi-instrumentalists all, their sound was reminiscent of the late 80's baggy scene as well as finding room for the more trip-hoppy dance beats of the time. An extraordinarily groovesome listen, there were three more albums over the next decade, but none of them were anywhere nears as good as this one.
Key Track: PAINT THE SILENCE

21: MAD SEASON 'ABOVE'

A proper grunge supergroup, this. Featuring Layne Staley from Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, Barrett Martin from Screaming Trees and bassist John Baker Saunders. Borne out of various different meet-ups at various different rehab facilities - the 90's were a dark time, people - the resulting project was finally released in late 94, just as the grunge scene was listening out for it's death knell. It must be said however, that this was one of the finest examples of that particular genre. Dark and doomy of course, but wonderfully heavy and bursting with tunes. Plus, there's a cameo from gravel-voiced rock monolith Mark Lanegan. The tragic deaths of Staley and Saunders meant this stayed a complete one-off.
Key Track: RIVER OF DECEIT

20: JOSH ROUSE 'DRESSED UP LIKE NEBRASKA'

From the wonderfully named town of Oshkosh in Nebraska, folk/roots singer-songwriter Rouse appeared on the scene in 1998 with this tremendous raft of songs that struck a similar chord to peak-period Jayhawks or even the more acoustic side of Bruce Springsteen's canon. Brimming with chiming guitars and choruses to die for, this was the perfect soundtrack to speeding up the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible. Rouse is still going too - there have been ten more albums since all covering a variety of different musical styles - but I still keep coming back to this one.
Key Track: LATE NIGHT CONVERSATION

19: MORPHINE 'CURE FOR PAIN'

Slinking out of Boston in the late 80's, Morphine were a real anomaly compared to the rest of the alternative Massachusetts scene - bands like Throwing Muses, Pixies and Dinosaur Jr for example. Fusing jazz and blues influences with a grungy, downbeat rock sound, their most interesting aspect was that there were no guitars. Fronting a rhythm section of drums and various saxophones, vocalist Mark Sandman thrashed away at his two-string bass, giving them a deep, throbbing feel. They basically came across as the kind of band Jack Kerouac would have been in if he was born in the 60's. Cure For Pain was their second album and contained all their best songs. There were three more records before they disbanded after Sandman's untimely passing whilst performing in Italy in 1999.
Key Track: BUENA 

18: FEVER RAY 'FEVER RAY'

Karin Dreijer Andersson is nominally one half - along with her brother - of bonkers Swedish dance duo The Knife. In 2009 however, with her day job on hiatus, she completely knocked my socks off with this astonishing collection of stark and glacial - she is Swedish after all - electronica. Veering away from The Knife's more uptempo floor-fillers, this was enigmatic, gothic and austere but with enough playfulness dotted throughout so as not too be too gloomy. Coming across like Kate Bush fronting Disintegration-era The Cure, it was far and away my favourite album of that particular year.
Key Track: DRY AND DUSTY

17: BLUMFELD 'ICH-MASCHINE'

German indie, anyone?
In 1992 I found myself in possession of a sleeveless cassette tape that had been left behind at some social gathering or other. Upon listening to it, I discovered it featured a whole bunch of artists I liked - Tom Waits, Tori Amos, Dinosaur Jr - but also four short, sharp tracks of snappy, snarling indie-rock very much in the vein of Pavement and the Pixies. As this was a time before the internet, it took me many years to discover the group behind these songs. Hailing from Hamburg and plying their trade for nigh on twenty years before their dissolution in 2007, Ich-Maschine was their debut offering and is still a thoroughly superb listening experience.
Key Track; GHETTOWELT

16: SIMPLE KID '2'

Simple Kid was the nom-de-plume of Irish singer-songwriter Ciaran McFeeley who released his first album in 2003 and this second effort a couple of years later. Recording all of his music at home on an 8-Track cassette player before feeding them into his computer whilst simultaneously looping a variety of guitars and banjos into the mix, the results led many to cast him as a Celtic version of Beck. The first album was a ramshackle but endearing affair, but the songs on the second were a quantum leap forward. Fusing country, folk and rock together with dance beats and sweeping electronica, the whole project boded well for McFeeley's future. Unfortunately for any listeners, he decided the music game wasn't for him and retired into obscurity shortly afterward.
Key Track: SEROTONIN

15: IRON & WINE 'OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS'

Iron & Wine is basically one man - South Carolina's Sam Beam. Fulsomely bearded and in possession of a beautifully delicate voice akin to Nick Drake or Elliott Smith, in 2004 he released this second full-length album which was a more expansive affair after his relatively lo-fi debut. A stunning set of songs covering all of life's big themes like love, death, ennui - you know, the major stuff - it was full of gossamer-thin melodies and lyrics that brought a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye. Beam has since expanded his sound further with his more recent releases encompassing more traditional Americana tropes. 

Key Track: NAKED AS WE CAME

14: LEWIS TAYLOR 'LEWIS TAYLOR'

Now this really was something very special indeed. London born multi-talented music and studio wizard Taylor released this astonishing debut through Island Records in 1996. Sounding for all the world like a young Brian Wilson hooking up with What's Going On era Marvin Gaye and driving round to Paisley Park for a session with Prince, this was a fantastically lush and stunningly realised cornucopia of modern soul. Awash with multi-tracked vocals and pristine instrumentation, the sky really was the limit for Taylor. As is so often the case though, he was unable to handle much of what came his way, and after a darker sophomore album and some offcuts here and there he drifted away. A real loss.
Key Track: LUCKY

13: SPARKLEHORSE 'VIVADIXIESUBMARINETRANSMISSIONPLOT'

Mark Linkous was born in Virginia in 1962 and after surviving a broken home and an itinerant adolescence, he threw himself into music full-time before bestowing himself the Sparklehorse moniker and releasing this incredible debut in 1995. A real mish-mash of styles, Vivadixie... embraced ramshackle indie, alt-country balladeering, crunchy rock and roll and esoteric sound-scapes, all hanging together nigh-on perfectly. Like a younger Tom Waits, Linkous had delivered the ideal late-night drinking opus. Whilst touring it though, he overdosed on a mix of heroin and anti-depressants in a London hotel room - collapsing with his legs pinned beneath him and laying undiscovered for fourteen hours. The resulting six-month paralysis and extensive recuperation led to much darker material across his next three albums, and then - tragically - to his suicide in 2010.
Key Track: COW

12: SPAIN 'SHE HAUNTS MY DREAMS'

Second album from California-based Josh Haden and crew. Spain were - and still are - a gorgeously chilled bunch of jazz-influenced musicians who - with this album in particular from 1999 - hit on that perfect sweet spot of hazy country and late-night blues jams that drifted along quite magically. Their previous album had contained the track Spiritual, which was later covered by The Man In Black himself, Johnny Cash. The songs on this album were even better though, and should be investigated forthwith. After a decade-long hiatus through most of the noughties, Haden reconvened Spain in 2012 and has continued producing glorious music ever since.

Key Track: NOBODY HAS TO KNOW

11: THE REAL PEOPLE 'THE REAL PEOPLE'

In the early 90's I found myself working in a branch of a much-missed chain of record stores. Unlike the dwindling number of music emporiums around today where staff and customers alike are forced to listen to the - and I use this term loosely - popular hits of the day, I was able to play pretty much whatever I liked. One day in early 91, this debut album from a ruddy-faced bunch of rascals from Liverpool appeared in the shop and I couldn't stop playing it. In fact, my working day didn't really start properly until I'd given it a spin each morning. Short, sharp and sweet, the twelve tracks within were drawn from the same well as the indie-dance big hitters of the time, The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays, but with a summery, jangly backbone that brought to mind The La's with Johnny Marr on guitar. (As a side note, I still maintain that Noel Gallagher was listening very closely to this when writing Definitely Maybe.) There were sporadic releases here and there over the next few years, but really, this lot were all about this debut album. 
Key Track: WINDOW PANE 

10: G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE 'GL&SS'

Formed in Philadelphia in 1993, this lot were a spectacular melange of laid-back grooves, slapdash hip-hop and crackly, old-timey blues textures that on paper at least, sounded like a recipe for disaster. Upon hearing this magnificent debut album - and most certainly watching them live - it all made perfect sense. Led by G Love himself - Garrett Dutton to his mum - a long, lanky and languid frontman perched on a stall with his guitar and harmonica, with Jeff Clemons on drums and Jimmy 'Jam' Prescott on the double bass, the trio's sloppy and relaxed attitude belied the strength of their songs and musicianship. The perfect soundtrack for top-down driving, dusty outdoor basketball courts and skateboarding on the sidewalk - although it still sounds fantastic whilst travelling on the 363 through Peckham on a drizzly Wednesday morning.
Key Track: FATMAN

9: SUNHOUSE 'CRAZY ON THE WEEKEND'

In the mid-90's when film director Shane Meadows was making his first feature, he contacted an old work-mate of his from their time together at Alton Towers to provide the music. Gavin Clark had been trying to escape his dead-end humdrum West Midlands life by writing songs but had as of yet been unsuccessful. Meadows eventually used Clark's songs in his first full-length movie, Twenty Four Seven. Downbeat, bleak and drenched in sadness and poignancy, the tracks struck a chord. Clark was signed, formed a band, called themselves Sunhouse and waited for lift-off. Unfortunately, Clark's personal demons and troubled history caused fractures and friction almost immediately and by the time this stunning album was released, Sunhouse were no more. Sitting somewhere between early Tom Waits and Elliott Smith, this album is a tough listen certainly, but a hugely rewarding one. Clark never really recovered though. After trying again with another band called Clayhill, collaborations with UNKLE and then some solo work, he drifted back to the margins and sadly died two years ago. A compilation of his work, Evangelist, was released posthumously and is also excellent.
Key Track: HARD SUN 

8: THE BELOVED 'HAPPINESS'

You know when people say "If you remember the 60's, you weren't really there"? Well, I can pretty much say the same thing about the period between 1988 to 1991. An intense blur of memories and blank spaces, it's the music from that time that helps my ageing cerebellum put the pieces back together. This album in particular reminds me of late-night raving in darkened fields in the wilds of Surrey with nothing more than the odd pill-based refreshment and a bunch of like-minded souls for company. Formed by Jon Marsh and Steve Waddington in the mid-80's and originally a bog-standard indie band, the duo - like many of us at the time - embraced the whole Acid House scene and ran with it, combining both elements into this stonker of a debut. Released in 1990, the album was aural the equivalent of an acid trip, with full-blown uptempo bangers like Hello and Scarlet Beautiful, right through to the blissed-out comedown of The Sun Rising. The duo eventually went their separate ways and Marsh continued as The Beloved with his wife before moving into DJ-ing.
Key Track: HELLO

7: WORLD PARTY 'GOODBYE JUMBO'

In 1990, World Party won Album Of The Year at the inaugural Q Magazine awards and the stage seemed set fair for them to become one of the UK's biggest bands. That it never really turned out that way is testament not only to the vagaries of the music business in general, but also because most people don't see a good thing when they hear it. World Party were formed in 1987 after Karl Wallinger left his previous employers - raggle taggle folkies The Waterboys - frustrated with a lack of opportunities to write. Surrounding himself with a crack team of session musicians, and after a decent debut album, this second collection focused on the state of the planet and the ecological snafu the human race were responsible for, marrying those lyrical concerns with Beatles-esque pop, 70's soul, lush orchestration and on some tracks, out and out funk. It sounded - and still does - utterly glorious. Wallinger's next album, 93's Bang, aimed for the stars and fell slightly short, and there were a couple more albums before he was struck down by a massive brain aneurysm in 2001. Now thankfully fully recovered, Wallinger is back on the road touring.
Key Track: AIN'T GONNA COME TILL I'M READY

6: LOWGOLD 'JUST BACKWARDS FROM SQUARE'

Formed in the late 90's after meeting at the University of Hertfordshire, this great lost indie band suffered some of the worst luck in he world during their all-too brief career. Record labels collapsing days after they signed, wages being withheld, tours not paid for, drummers leaving left, right and centre, comeback singles promoted and then cancelled at the last minute, debts so stratospheric the three guys in the band had to take day jobs to buy guitars. It beggars belief that they were able to record three albums, with this debut from 2001 being the pick of the bunch by some distance. An absolute belter of a record, Just Backwards... covered similar ground to the debut albums from Elbow and Coldplay that were hitting big at the time, but the songs were just so much better. Full of spectral, chiming guitar fills, chugging riffs and choruses that wrapped their arms around you and wouldn't let go, this was tremendous fare. Unsurprisingly, considering all their trials, Lowgold split for good in 2009. 
Key Track: LESS I OFFER 

5: MARK KOZELEK & JIMMY LAVALLE 'PERILS FROM THE SEA'

To be fair, this entire list could have been made up of Mark Kozelek albums. With the exception of 2014's Benji - which he recorded under his Sun Kil Moon arm - hardly any of his projects have garnered any serious critical acclaim. It's possible that there are just too many of his records out there - he is ASTONISHINGLY prolific - but nobody ever said that about Prince during his peak years. Since 1992 Kozelek has released albums with his first band Red House Painters, his second group Sun Kil Moon, solo projects  and a number of collaborations - the best of which was this stunning collection, recorded with electronica enthusiast Lavalle from the band The Album Leaf. With a hushed and delicate musical backdrop from Lavalle, Kozelek's lyrical themes were - like the majority of his recent work - farmed from events and experiences from his day-to-day life. The trials of touring, difficulties with airlines, insomnia, and on the heartbreaking Gustavo, the dilemma of how to deal with the deportation of your illegal immigrant handyman. There were also two of the most beautiful songs Kozelek has ever written in He Always Felt Like Dancing and Sometimes The Wonder Of Life Prevails which should soften the hardest of hearts.
Key Track: HE ALWAYS FELT LIKE DANCING

4: MATTHEW SWEET 'GIRLFRIEND'

Born in Nebraska but spending the majority of his adult life in Georgia, 52 year old Sweet has been churning out sparkly power-pop records for close to thirty years now. Most of them are worth a listen, some more than once, but nothing he's done before or since comes close to the majesty of the work on his third album, released in 1991. Girlfriend was written in the wake of his divorce, and it's lyrics are understandably dark and scathing in places, but the music is an utter joy. Recorded with New York punk rock royalty in Television's Richard Lloyd as well as Robert Quine and Fred Maher from Lou Reed's backing band, Sweet married the left of the dial discordia of late period post-punk with sunny, Byrdsian jangle to splendid effect. The whole album is joyous, but the first six tracks in particular could be the greatest opening salvo of any album I've ever heard. Like the majority of artists on this list though, Sweet garnered some critical acclaim but slipped the net and even though he's still out there ploughing his furrow, his time has gone.
Key Track: EVANGELINE

3: BRAD 'SHAME'

In 1992, after the globe-straddling success of Ten, Pearl Jam's guitarist Stone Gossard found himself back home in Seattle with some downtime. Hooking up with local musicians Regan Hagar and Jeremy Toback, he also enlisted the help and assistance of Seattle's secret weapon - vocalist and songwriter Shawn Smith. Smith is someone I will wax lyrical about until the cows come home: possessed of a quite incredible voice that brings to mind Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke at their peak, whilst also retaining a rock edge that fitted perfectly with the funky grunge musical palette that Gossard was working on. Originally calling themselves Shame but forced into a name-change after threatened legal action by a band of the same moniker fronted by a chap called Brad Wilson - hence the new name. This album was meant to be nothing more than a side-project, but due to the Pearl Jam connection, gained enough buzz to allow for further records. This is still their best collection of songs though - running the gamut from fists-in-the-air rockers, slinky funk and heart-in-the-mouth piano ballads. Smith's extraordinary talents can also be heard with his other bands Satchel and Pigeonhed as well as a raft of splendid solo albums.
Key Track: SCREEN

2: BUFFALO TOM 'LET ME COME OVER'

Coming together at the University of Massachusetts in the late 80's, singer/guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn and drummer Tom Maginnis befriended local legend J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr and persuaded him to produce their first two albums. Unfairly nicknamed Dinosaur Jr Junior, there was most definitely a little too much influence from Mascis on those records. This third album however, produced by Kolderie and Slade and released in early 1992, was a quantum leap and an absolute tour de force. To this day, it's still my favourite album from that fertile and fecund period of alt-rock. Indeed, in an ideal world and with a prevailing wind, it could have been as big as Nevermind. Grungy guitars, pop smarts, anthemic choruses, and an incredibly moving song about a lost cat - truly, all life is here. The Tom released three more albums during the 90's before taking ten years off. There have been two more albums since their reformation. Cracking records all but this is their masterpiece - and it's 25 years old this year. Man alive.
Key Track: LARRY

1: JELLYFISH 'BELLYBUTTON'

Anyone who knows me well won't be surprised to learn that this is number one in the list of The 30 Most Underrated Albums Of The Last 30 Years. Not only is it most definitely that, it's also my favourite album of all-time, which by extension, makes it the greatest record ever made. You can keep your Revolvers, your Dark Side Of The Moons, your OK Computers - all splendid albums obviously, but none can hold a candle to this gigantically glorious power-pop confection. From the cover art to the sleeve notes - and all points inbetween - Bellybutton is just perfect. Rising from the ashes of short-lived - and yes, criminally underrated - SF glam rockers Beatnik Beatch, singer and stand-up drummer Andy Sturmer and keyboard wizard Roger Manning hooked up with teenage guitar virtuoso Jason Falkner in 1989 and set about work on their debut. Signing a major label deal and hooking up with Bee Gees producer Albhy Galuten gave the band a platform to basically throw everything into the songwriting process to see what would stick. The results were - and as I may have stated - still are utterly magisterial. Imagine a large mixing bowl full of The Beatles, ELO, XTC, Badfinger, The Beach Boys - as well as the late 80's psychedelia scene, 70's Motown, glam rock and the Laurel Canyon folk-rock vibe. Throw in some ice cream, jelly babies and sparkles and you're still only halfway there. Ten faultless songs that never fail to make me smile, the album was the soundtrack to a summer travelling around Europe in 1991, and upon my return I assumed the rest of the world would have fallen in love with it as well. Imagine my disdain and despair then when I realised this was not the case. Falkner left Jellyfish not long afterward to form the really rather special - and yes, criminally underrated - The Grays. Sturmer and Manning kept at it and went balls-to-the-wall with their second magnum opus, Spilt Milk. Again, the world wasn't listening and the pair went their separate ways in 1994. Sturmer drifted off to Japan where he has spent most of the last two decades writing music for television. A waste, quite frankly. Manning and Falkner have kept going, releasing various different projects over the years. Wonderfully, at last year's Glastonbury Festival, they both turned up as part of Beck's backing band. So, watching them at home on the telly performing on the Pyramid Stage to 100,000 people, I finally got to see what it might have been like if Jellyfish had made it. It was a beautiful thing.
Key Track: THE WHOLE FRICKIN' ALBUM, OBVIOUSLY........    

Have I missed anything? Do you have albums that you feel are criminally underrated? Albums you reckon should be sitting atop the above list? Feel free to let me know via the comments link below. Healthy debate awaits!