John's Best of 1995

Okay, so I'm a little late this year in compiling my Best Of Last Year music list. Nonetheless, here are my personal picks from 1995.

Radiohead, The Bends

The most intense and ambient recording I'd heard in a long time. John Leckie's production imbues this album with an amazing atmosphere, swirling sounds in the distance, evoking distant cities and lending the songs a certain power. One of those albums that reminds me of great bands (the Beatles, King Crimson, Nirvana, XTC, etc.) but stands out on its own.

Portishead, Dummy

Smoky hip-hop, very dark and rich, simmering in its own ambience. This got a lot more play around my house than any other album this year (mostly because of my wife).

Dodgy, Homegrown

Technically released in 1994, I didn't find out about it until May of last year. Seventies rock for the Nineties, updated and with its own positive spin. Even the downers come out looking good. Nice wah-wah guitar, too.

David Yazbek, The Laughing Man

Power pop! I had to work in England for a month to find this but it was worth it! Excellent electric piano work, twisted and unexpected lyrics and melodic changes, and nicely polished to boot. Also stylistically diverse, always a bonus.

Boo Radleys, Wake Up!

Lighter than Radiohead, but there are some great tracks on this album, which reminds me more of the Partridge Family than Nirvana. Loads of backwards tracks on this album. Gotta love it.

P. Hux, "Deluxe"

More power pop, but this is a little more distorted and straightforward than Yazbek. More consistent, too. Some great songs, cynical lyrics, and powerful sentiments. If you liked "Another Satellite" on Testimonial Dinner, you'll like this album.

Matthew Sweet, 100% Fun

The Partridge Family had a real day. Matthew Sweet takes light poppy songs and makes them dark, grungy, and rough. But for all its careful mistakes and wrong notes, Mr Sweet knows what he's doing. "Lost My Mind" was one of the best tracks of the year, with "Walk Out" a close second.

Pooh Sticks, Optimistic Fool

Not their best effort, but well worth a listen. I still don't understand the idolization of Hue Pooh Stick, but these guys write and perform great pop songs. This album seems darker than the last two, but still has its positive moments. If it weren't for the loss of inertia on side two, this would have been an excellent record.

That Dog, Totally Crushed Out

An updated and cynical take on puppy love, complete with lipstick, love letters, and a bottle of vodka or two. More grunge, featuring violin and a female perspective. Loads of fun, but it goes deeper than you think.

Honorable mentions go to the Sing Hollies in Reverse Hollies tribute album, for Jon Brion's track "Sorry Suzanne", the best headphone song I've heard (over and over) in years; Urge Overkill Exit the Dragon which annoyed me at first but grew and grew, very inconsistent yet some classic songs; Blur The Great Escape, but you knew that; King Crimson THRAK, which blew the doors out and brought back memories of The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix; Robert Fripp A Blessing of Tears, ambient frippery worth listening to, and unlike his other recent Frippertronics works it's not annoying; The League of Crafty Guitarists: Intergalactic Boogie Express, a live document in all its flawed glory; and of course A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs of XTC, which has a few great tracks and a few yawners.

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