This time it’s all about the Music………
I very much live in the past when it comes to music some of the old timers are still putting out new stuff though and thats how i mostly survive !! So here we go, again in no particular order.
1 Fields Of The Nephilim
What can you say about these guys, going for 30 years now and they still sound fantastic and there is also always the promise of another album just around the corner ! You thought they had peaked in 1990 when they put out Elizium, but they didn’t ! The peak always seems to come with the last piece of music they put out, so its actually Mourning Sun which came out 10 years ago now, a full 15 years after Elizium !!
2 The Innocence Mission
When you need a break from the pure intensity of the Fields Of The Nephiim there is nothing better than to dip into the dreamy catalogue of ‘The Innocence Mission’. It’s like listening to albums full of beautiful lullabies. It’s pretty heavily religiously influenced (catholic) but damn it sounds so good, Karen Peris’s voice is just sublime. They have been around since the dawn of time, well the late 80’s at least and they are still going strong. With a new album expected this autumn things are looking good !! Which is good since it’s been 5 years since the last one !
3 10,000 Maniacs
From the name you would think they were a death thrash metal band, far from it ! Actually they are more like a folk / protest / band with a conscience from the mid – late 1980s. There was a split in the 1990’s at the height of their powers when the lead singer Natalie Merchant quit to go solo, the band carried on but they were never quite the same without Natalie fronting. That said the 5 albums produced with her contain 3 absolute classic albums ‘In My Tribe’, ‘Blind Mans Zoo’ and ‘Our Time In Eden’. Those three albums have been with me throughout my life and will probably be so right to the end !
4 Natalie Merchant
Since i love the maniacs i followed Natalie Merchant when she left. She produces some of the most amazing music. First came Tigerlilly which is just sublime, all the things that i didn’t like so much from the maniacs was removed, and extra melancholy was added ! It was just the perfect album for me. Next up 3 years later came Ophelia and oh my lord is this an amazing album. If there is one album i could make people listen to it would have to be this one. More albums have followed, all of them brilliant in different way.
5 All About Eve.
Yes, even after all this time and probably 20 years of no really new material they still make the top 10. The 4 Albums they produced are just the soundtrack to my early youth ! I can never let them go ! Despite being the girl who embarrassed herself on top of the pops Julianne was just the epitome of gothic princess, and image helped along with her doing regular backing vocals for Goth gods The Mission.
6 Maria McKee
You might remember her for Show Me Heaven (Days Of Thunder), but thats not why i love her. She has such a gorgeous southern twang in her voice it’s hard to resist. Try her cover of barstool blues for a taste of what she is really like. She is also an awesome songwriter, i hate the song ‘a good heart’ covered by Fergal Sharky….but yep, thats one of hers !
7 Saint Etienne
To me St Etienne just define summer (even ‘i was born on christmas day’ !), it’s just perfect summer simple pop music. Nothing heavy, just pure pop !! You just can’t help but love it !
8 The Mission
Goth Gods since the 80’s, still going strong with Wayne Hussey also touring solo and acoustic and making a brilliant job of it !
9 Aretha Franklin
What can you say about Aretha, she really is the queen of soul ! What a voice ! If you don’t believe me just listen to my favourite track of hers ‘Angel’.
10 Adele
Well Adele just simply has to have a spot, such a great voice and such amazing songwriting.
God awful dress sense though.
