THIS IS A JOURNEY INTO SOUND

As i began discovering Indie music from 1994 onwards, my attention was inevitably drawn to the artists who had influenced the then current crop of bright young things. As a young 'un, i had been aware of a few Indie bands, but i was too young to appreciate or understand what i saw as "sixth former" music - the exceptions being Carter USM, Jesus Jones, and a few others from the "Indie-dance" contingent, although my knowledge of these acts was limited to a few hit singles and inclusions on NOW/Hits compilations. Now with available income and a host of music weeklies and monthlies to read, my education began. One of the most commonly mentioned influences was The Smiths. I'd been just 10 when they'd split up, and i'd heard a couple of their last few singles - i have very clear memories of watching them perform "Sheila Take A Bow" on TOTP,  and i'd seen the video to "Girlfriend In A Coma", but that was the extent of my knowledge of...

Following on from my last chart-related post, there was a disturbing development recently. All- conquering pop muppet Ed Sheeran released his new album - ÷ or Divide - and, due to chart rules that now allow any downloaded or streamed track to enter the SINGLES chart, every track from said album entered and took over the Top 20. Even Sheeran himself seemed a bit alarmed by this, commenting that something was not quite right. Indeed. Surely the compilers of the charts are failing to comply with the trades description act when the SINGLES chart is full of songs that are not officially released as singles, whether physical, downloads or streams? It's an appalling state of affairs, and it's about time that the people behind The Official Charts company either changed the rules or dropped the SINGLES part of the chart name and just called it the Top 100 Tracks or Songs.

Towards the end of 2002 an important anniversary took place - important, that is, if you love music and have a nerdy obsession with all the related facts and figures! On November 14th it was the 50 years since the first UK singles chart was compiled and published, in the pages of the newly relaunched New Musical Express. Initially a Top 12, created by Percy Dickins ringing around 20 major record stores and compiling their sales reports, it was devised as a gimmick to increase the sales of the NME, but quickly caught on. Other publications would create their own charts over the following years, as would various Pirate radio stations, leading to some differences in opinion - most famously The Beatles' "Please Please Me", which was their first chart topper according to most charts, but not in the now officially recognised Record Retailer (now Music Week) trade magazine - even on the BBC and Top Of The Pops charts. What it created was a national pastime and obsession - the Su...

As 2002 grew older, the list of great Rock  - in different forms - albums got longer. Aside from the bands of the Garage/Punk revival and harder stuff like Queens Of The Stone Age, Indie bands still got a look in. Idlewild released The Remote Part, widely considered to be the best album of their career. They were maturing into a band who could write thoughtful and melodic songs more reminiscent of R.E.M. and Teenage Fanclub, whilst still retaining some of their earlier fire. Blasts of buzzsaw guitar on the likes of "A Modern Way Of Letting Go" sit next to the melancholy jangle of "American English", the orchestral touches of lead single (and their only Top 10 hit) "You Held The World In Your Arms", and the mandolin-smothered "Tell Me Ten Words". It's a record that feels more grown up, but still bares its teeth like an angry youth. Another homegrown band who stood out for me were The Cooper Temple Clause. Mixing angry guitars with elect...

So. As i'd said in a previous post, a few bands towards the end of 2001 opened the floodgates for a tidal wave of vibrant and exciting new rock bands, influenced by late 60's garage rock, punk, post-punk and indie. And fuck me, did it feel good to hear them! Although there had always been a handful of records that i liked most years, this was the first time that i felt part of something new and important, and it set the tone for the next few years. And it also set me on a path to discovering some more of the older music that had influenced the current crop. There was a slew of great singles this year, but it was more about the album for me. I listened to The Strokes' Is This It again recently, for the first time in years, and it took me right back to a time when the airwaves, music tv channels, and music press were full of these new bands week after week. One band, whose dark and moody look and sound caught my attention, had actually released their first album in spring 200...

11th March, 2002 marked the beginning of a new national radio station, the first in 32 years. BBC 6 Music was the first of the BBC's digital stations to be launched as part of the gradual switch over from analogue broadcasting. But it was far more than that. 6music was a station with a different attitude. Not only was it dedicated to playing a broad spectrum of alternative music from punk to indie to soul to jazz to trip-hop to electronica and dance, from the past and present, but the presenters were people who were genuinely passionate about the records they played, and were given far more free reign than usual. Amongst the presenters were several musicians: Suggs, Bruce Dickinson, Brinsley Forde. The rest of them were well known music writers and seasoned DJ's such as Stuart Maconie, Janice Long, Bob Harris, Liz Kershaw, and the guy who would open the station at 7am, Phill Jupitus, who had spent many years as a punk poet, compere, DJ on LBC, comedian, tv personality and well ...

Before the "garage rock" revival began mid-2001, the sort of alternative bands who were successful were of the very ordinary variety: the tedious, meat-and-potatoes rock of Stereophonics, the whiny, insipid, piss-thin indie of Travis, and the equally whiny indie of Colplay. Introspective lyrics, easy on the ear melodies, and absolutely no balls. Words like "worthy", "crafted", "real music" were bandied about. In other words, boring. Where was the passion? The rebellious rock'n'roll spirit? Tucked between their legs in pursuit of a wider audience no doubt, writing songs that would get played on Radio's 1 and 2, music that would appeal to the older audience as well as indie-oriented students and teens. I'm not suggesting that every song should be packed with power chords and feedback - there's nothing wrong with quieter songs and introspective lyrics per se, but it can still be done with some passion and soul. Travis had actuall...