Nothing can be as affecting in the cinema as a well-chosen song. I don't mean music that has been written specifically for the film, or songs that play over the credits, or musical numbers that are fully integrated into the plot. Instead, this about songs that already existed in their own right, but which directors chose to supplement their images, making these films much better than they would have been without:
6. All Saints: Pure Shores.
The Film: The Beach (Danny Boyle, 2000).
Based (not particularly well) on Alex Garland's cult novel of the same name, The Beach features a young Leonardo DiCaprio as the hero Richard, who journeys to a secluded commune on a beach in Thailand with a pair of French backpackers. Once there, his feelings for the female traveller (Virginie Ledoyen) develop to the point where they can no longer maintain their pretences and dive into the sea to make passionate love to the sounds of... a British girl band? Indeed, but All Saints were no Spice Girls: they were musically and lyrically self-sufficient, and Pure Shores is actually the perfect song to accompany the film's blossoming romance. Languid, summery and upbeat, it marks the point where the film stops trying to cram the plot of the novel into as short a space of time as possible and instead becomes a portrait of the idyllic environment of the beach, a place as yet unspoiled by the tourist trail. The underwater scene is a classic example of Boyle's eye-poppingly colourful visual aesthetic, meaning this scene alone pretty much makes the entire film worthwhile:
5. Gary Jules: Mad World.
The Film: Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001).
Arguably a masterpiece even without this song, Donnie Darko is without question one of the most complex and confusing films ever made, right up to the concluding scene where (spoiler alert) a falling jet engine is sent back in time by the hero to crush him to death in his bed and thus prevent any of it from ever having happened in the first place. What makes that last scene so special, however, is undoubtedly Gary Jules' cover of the Tears for Fears song Mad World. As the truth about the film's characters is revealed in the moments leading up to Donnie's death is revealed, the song adds its own level of emotion to the plot, asking the question of whether the small-town concerns of any of the characters are really worth anything when viewed in the context of the "end of the world" that has been foreshadowed throughout the film. Either way, no one can deny that it all adds up to a poetically beautiful piece of cinema:
4. Stealers Wheel: Stuck in the Middle With You.
The Film: Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992).
The story of a failed bank robbery, sliced and diced into an almost incomprehensible order in trademark Tarantino fashion, Reservoir Dogs is actually fairly understated in comparison to the director's later works. There is, however, one brutal, iconic scene that stands out from the rest. Having captured a policeman and brought him back to his gang's warehouse, Michael Madsen's Mr. Blonde ties him to a chair and, with the sounds of Stealers Wheel's one-hit-wonder Bob Dylan spoof Stuck in the Middle With You echoing on a radio in the background, proceeds to cut his captive's ear off. Setting such a gory concept to inane musical backing is something that makes Tarantino unique as a director, and this scene stands out in Reservoir Dogs as the one that has been referenced and parodied countless times in other works. Yet at the same time the song's lyrics reflect the criminals' predicament: they are literally stuck in the middle of a city filled with police, with no way out. Be warned: while we are spared seeing the actual cutting itself, this is still pretty grim:
3. M.I.A.: Paper Planes.
The Film: Slumdog Millionaire, (Danny Boyle, 2008).
The second Danny Boyle film on this list, proving the director has a distinct sense for finding the right songs to complement his filmmaking. Slumdog Millionaire follows Jamal as he attempts to win a fortune on India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, where, by a staggering coincidence, all of the questions match up to episodes in his life. A slightly improbable premise, but one with ultimately rewarding results, as it would take a heart of stone to resist the feelgood factor of the closing scenes. Sri Lankan/British hip-hop artist M.I.A. provides the soundtrack for one of the film's most affecting scenes as the young Jamal and his friend Salim try to make a living on the railways, the ever-changing background providing a glimpse of the majestic variety that makes up the subcontinent. The song is at once western and eastern, traditional and modern, the ideal complement to a film dealing with the rapid modernisation of the Third World as much as the adventures of its protagonist:
2. Mr. Loco: Religious Man.
The Film: Nacho Libre (Jared Hess, 2006).
Nacho Libre is the best film ever made about a Catholic monk who secretly dreams of leaving his life of piety to become a professional wrestler, and all other opinions are false. A large part of its appeal lies in the entertaining and charming soundtrack, mostly by US alternative hero Beck but also with contributions from Mexican artists. Religious Man was written by 1970s Mexican band Mr Loco, and features during the film's opening credits and penultimate scene as Jack Black - playing a Mexican version of his usual character - finally claims victory in the ring and saves the day for the orphanage where he used to work. It's a predictable ending, and one that would seem very tired were it not for the honest brilliance of this song: it is genuinely uplifting, and yet modest enough that the scene as a whole doesn't become overblown. Anyone who does not feel stirred when watching is a soulless automaton completely devoid of human emotion. Sadly neither scene seems to be available on the legal part of the internet, so here's the song on its own:
1. Elton John: Pinball Wizard.
The Film: Tommy (Ken Russel, 1975).
I know I said I wasn't going to allow musical numbers, but just watch: it's Elton John playing a pinball machine piano alongside The Who in a concert hall while wearing enormous shoes. It's a superlative example of postmodernist musical filmmaking, an explosion of sound and colour made at a time when the average television set was still black and white. It's one of The Who's better songs made great by an artist who many people now forget was actually a supremely talented musician. It seems incredible that the entirety of western culture didn't simply give up after having witnessed it. At the end of the day, it's the definitive example of how one song can raise the level of an entire film simply by its inclusion, and few others can match it.
Surely the most popular, celebrated and successful singer to emerge from the depths of Pontypridd, Tom Jones has nonetheless been something of a forgotten entity for much of the past decade. Now, however, things seem to be on the up: an assured and entertaining showing as a judge/coach on the BBC reality show “The Voice” has moved him back into the public consciousness, and the veteran has decided to see in the fifth decade of his career – and the 72nd year of his life – by recording a host of new songs, culminating in a studio album.
“Hit or Miss” is Jones’ second single to be released recently, following on from the Jack White collaboration “Evil.” But while that song was a chest-beating, thumping blues number featuring Sir Tom’s vocals at their mighty best, “Hit or Miss” falls sadly short of that mark. The pleasantly low-key instrumentation lends the track a warm country vibe, but Jones’ voice is definitely beginning to show its first signs of aging, sounding more grizzled than soulful. The result of a lifetime of excess? Almost certainly, but the new, world-weary tone seems quite fitting as one of the music legends of the 20th century looks to head into the beginning of the end of his career with a pleasing amount of dignity.
Overall, a positive indication of things to come for Tom Jones.
We begin today with a little semantic clarification. When discussing underrated music, people often seem to confuse the word with underappreciated. This doesn't quite add up: for instance, none of the artists I mentioned in my last post could be accurately described as underrated because they're rated very highly by those who are aware of them. They just aren't very well known; hence, underappreciated. On the other hand, there is indeed a wealth of music out there that, despite less than humble origins, remains largely undiscovered by the world. The following are just a few of the hidden gems that have yet to break the surface of music history:
5. Chris Cornell: Euphoria Morning (1999)
In the years between the dissolution of Soundgarden in 1996 and their reunion last year, frontman Chris Cornell had something of a wilderness phase. Yet while the mediocre Bond theme You Know My Name and the dire Timbaland-produced album Scream may not be among his finer works, his solo debut is of a different character altogether. Despite being commercially unsuccessful, Euphoria Morning did receive positive critical reviews, and it's not hard to see why: as soon as the opening chords of Can't Change Me come crashing in, dripping with '60s-style reverb and backed by minimalistic drums and bass, it is clear that this is will be a well-produced, honest work. And indeed it is - gone is the grungy chordal style of early Soundgarden, as Cornell instead favours his later songwriting, presenting 12 original, polished alternative rock cuts that are far from the generic, radio-friendly post-grunge that began to dominate the airwaves at the turn of the millennium. Cementing his place among music's finest vocalists, Cornell switches between acoustic whimsy (Sweet Euphoria), Radiohead-esque ballads (Preaching the End of the World) and even a stripped-back blues track (When I'm Down). It may not be quite at the level of Soundgarden's Superunknown, which stands among the best albums of the 1990s, but Euphoria Morning definitely deserves a little more recognition as one of the most well-rounded works of Chris Cornell's career.
4. Muse: Showbiz (1999)
At around the same time Chris Cornell was launching his solo career, a three-piece rock group emerged from the wilds of Devon with a debut album and no shortage of ambition. They didn't know it at the time, but they would go on to be one of the world's biggest music acts, selling millions of albums and collecting a handful of awards in the process. Showbiz, however, has been relegated to the sidelines: it reached only 28th position in the UK charts on its release in 1999 and has been surpassed significantly by their four subsequent albums, all now considered milestone works in modern rock music. The reasons for this are not entirely evident, however. Ultimately, Showbiz delivers every musical element that made the band great over the following years, with influences ranging from Rage Against the Machine and Radiohead to Brahms and Beethoven. Matt Bellamy's voice sounds as good as ever, complemented by his shimmering piano lines from the off, while Chris Wolstenholme's earth-moving bass and Dom Howard's intricate drum work provide the backdrop for Bellamy's cathartic vocals. The songwriting, too, is strong, ranging from the heartfelt acoustic ballad Unintended to the stomping glam rock of Sober. Indeed, the album is considerably more coherent than the group's distinctly bland last release, Resistance. As for why Showbiz remains Muse's forgotten work, we can only guess.
3. Peter Doherty: Grace/Wastelands (2009)
Singer/songwriter Pete Doherty is mostly famous for two things: his turbulent, drug-fuelled relationship with Kate Moss and his turbulent, drug-fuelled relationship with The Libertines. While the latter did in fact produce a large amount of significant music, the circumstances in which it was grounded meant that it was doomed to failure, as the group imploded in 2004. Doherty proceeded to spend his life in and out of rehab, and it seemed that one of the most promising talents of the early 21st century had gone to waste. Grace/Wastelands, however, was a sign that all was not lost. Opening with the jaunty acoustic track Arcady, the album showcased Doherty's songwriting prowess to its full potential, as he presents a bleak, bittersweet portrait of the modern world, through the eyes of a man who has seen it all. The title's hint at T.S. Eliot is no coincidence, as lines from his poetry are adapted into Doherty's songs, especially the creeping Broken Love Song. The album's 12 cuts run the gamut from indie rock to folk, by way of ballads and even a music-hall jazz number (Sweet By and By). The closing Lady Don't Fall Backwards is as heartbreaking a love song as any of the past decade. Ultimately however, it's actually not too hard to see why Grace/Wastelands was overlooked by the public - by 2009, they had lost interest in Doherty's headline-grabbing antics to the extent that, regardless of how accomplished a work of songwriting Grace/Wastelands may be, it was always destined to be simply a tragic reminder of what could have been for the space of more than just one album.
2. The Horrors: Strange House (2007)
The Horrors have found fame recently with two albums, Primary Colours and Skying, released in 2009 and 2011 respectively and earning the group significant mainstream airtime and a Mercury Prize nomination. Reminiscent of the ambient rock of Brian Eno and the psychedelic melancholy of '80s indie groups such as The Happy Mondays and The Smiths, they create vast, sweeping sonic landscapes of meticulous detail - at its best, breathtakingly beautiful music. Prior to this however, the band had unleashed a very different beast altogether. 2007's Strange House features none of the intricate subtleties of their later works, presenting instead a vigorous blast of gothic punk, embellished by crunching organs straight out of a vintage horror film. The work begins with Jack the Ripper, a grindingly slow cover of Screaming Lord Sutch's '60s jazz number. The band create a truly terrifying sound, with Joshua Hayward's guitar slithering around Rhys Webb's almost Oriental-sounding organ line and Rugby School alumnus Faris Badwan's surly vocals cutting through through the mix like a hacksaw through metal. Then, without warning, they kick into a higher gear, and the song becomes a frantic gallop of thrashing metal with enough intensity to rival early Metallica recordings. The tone of the album having been established, The Horrors continue with their frantic, hysterical aesthetic, from Badwan's melodramatic screeching on Gloves to the closing Death at the Chapel, which apes the fairground blues-rock of Dr. Feelgood. Yet what makes Strange House such an underrated work in The Horrors' back catalogue is not just its musicianship and evocative mood, but also the fact that they sound like a completely different band here, almost completely unrecognizable from their current selves. The album serves as a reminder of how a radical change of sound can sometimes prove beneficial for a group, while also forming the bedrock on which all of The Horrors' future success will be built.
1. The Beatles: Help! (1965)
Help! was The Beatles' 5th studio album, released just as the hype of Beatlemania was dying down and just before they began to redefine music history with Rubber Soul and Revolver. Spanning 14 songs, it's full of milestones tracks from the band's middle period, from the memorable title track to the now-classic Yesterday, which remains the most-covered song in history. Alongside those iconic tunes are the folksy Love Got to Hide Your Love Away, the pop-rock Ticket to Ride, George Harrison's love song I Need You: pretty much every song on the album foreshadows the elements of The Beatles' work that would go on to make them the greatest, biggest-selling group ever. Three part harmonies bubble to the surface above inspired chord progressions and Paul McCartney's melodic-yet-never-intrusive basslines, while Ringo Starr's drumming remains the foundation on which their songs are crafted. Help! was the moment when The Beatles stopped being just another Merseybeat pop group (regardless of how popular they may have been) and started to develop into a truly world-changing group of musicians. Yet it is never named as anyone's favourite Beatles work, and whenever a list of the greatest albums of all time is compiled, Help! is forgotten in favour of Sgt. Peppers and Abbey Road. It was a great album before The Beatles started to become famous for releasing great albums, and for that reason, it may just be the most underrated album of all time.
Published in Warwick University student newspaper The Boar, March 2012.
When thinking of Sweden, there are a few things that spring to mind. Snow, Ikea, Volvo. The female supporters of their national football team. A positive, liberal attitude towards life in general. All nice things for sure. Musically speaking, the country’s output is largely along the same lines: when taken in comparison with the darker aesthetic of neighbours Norway and Finland, Swedish music tends to align with Scandinavia’s status as a community of healthy, prosperous people on top of the world. It’s ABBA and Robyn rather than Lordi and Immortal. Avatar, then, are an oddity: a melodic death metal band from Gothenburg; a combination that shouldn’t really work. Or does it?
Black Waltz begins in an unassuming fashion with Let Us Die: a single-note guitar riff is gradually manipulated by a phaser effect before being blended into the arrival of a second guitar. Then, before interest is lost, all Hell breaks loose. The band comes crashing in, drums and bass doubling the tempo and bringing the song up to the speed and intensity of a rampaging herd of elephants, with all the finesse to match as vocalist Johannes Eckerström contributes the expected death-metal roar. Over the top of the chaos, however, comes an indication that all is not as it seems: a singular, frenetic harmonica lick. That’s right – a harmonica in a Scandinavian metal album. Moving from the opening salvo, Avatar do not relent, and yet at the same time manage to sound significantly more cultured than they rightfully should. Torn Apart is somewhere between Muse and Enter Shikari, while the title track careers between a circus waltz, a heartfelt guitar line, and thunderous, off-kilter thrash. Closing with the majestically slow, 9-minute satanic metal/blues crossover Use Your Tongue really does seem an appropriate way to put an end to the madness.
Black Waltz is not just another uninspired release by a Scandinavian metal band with questionable musical ability and a predisposition for blowing up churches. The 11 tracks segue together as a cathartic symphony of bombast and terror - a demonstration of just how far a metal band can push themselves with the help of a little creativity, and actually pretty catchy on top of all that. Sweden should produce music like this more often.
I'll be the first to admit that I have been known to be a hipster to a fairly extreme level. Scroll through my iPod and you'll find no end of artists that have ploughed through their careers without much mainstream recognition, relegated forever to the depths of obscurity. Not that I mind particularly - in keeping with that side of my personality, I kind of like the fact that I appreciate music that others may never get the chance to hear. Unsurprisingly, this kind of attitude comes in for a huge amount of abuse on the internet, simply because it's little more than arrogance. And so today I shall be playing my part in making the world just that little bit more aware of:
5. 4 Non Blondes
4 Non Blondes are a fairly typical case of the one-hit wonder. Emerging from South California in the early 1990s, they had some mainstream success with What's Up? before disappearing from view completely. The group disbanded in 1994 while attempting to record a follow-up album to 1992's Bigger, Better, Faster, More! and that, effectively, was that. Nonetheless, Bigger was arguably one of the most underrated alternative rock albums of the decade, missing out on high chart positions but blending blues, rock, soul and funk with disconcerting ease. Opening with 1970s-style blues-rock (Train), the album slides effortlessly between genres until the chaotic acoustic funk-metal of No Place Like Home finishes off the work with a bang. The group's musicianship remains spectacular throughout, with vocalist Linda Perry being the standout member - her impressively powerful voice holds nothing back from beginning to end. What's more, the songwriting is as good as any other comparable band from the era.
Hipster Rating: 3/10
If you can't recall What's Up?, the video may help:
It remains one of the definitive songs of the era, and was even covered by characters from the cartoon series He-Man, which seems like a pretty good benchmark in terms of success. In addition, Perry went on to write songs for an impressive array of pop singers, from Alicia Keys to Christina Aguilera. It may not have been by the most conventional methods, but 4 Non Blondes actually did have their fair share of fame.
4. Rasputina
Nirvana aficionados may remember that, during the band's final tour, they were occasionally accompanied by a cellist. This culminated with their now iconic Unplugged Live in New York show, where said cellist performed alongside the group for the entire set. Her name was Melora Creager, and she had in fact been the leader of her own band, Rasputina, for a few years prior. Consisting of various combinations of cellists, guitarists and drummers over the course of their career, Rasputina dabbled in folk, cabaret, punk, industrial - pretty much any genre of rock music to have been successful over the past two decades was re-interpreted with their trademark vintage gothic aesthetic. Creager shines as a songwriter, her lyrics dealing with everything from media mind control to feminism, while the instrumentation of their music ensures Rasputina sound unique in the truest sense of the word.
Hipster Rating: 5/10
They only released one music video, because such things are too mainstream:
With The Olde HeadBoard weighing in at a ridiculously low 86,000 YouTube views, Rasputina are pretty obscure for a band who toured with Marilyn Manson at one point, which is a decent claim to fame. Also, fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will have heard Transylvanian Concubine featured in an episode. Despite this, Rasputina's fanbase consists mostly of the (presumably very small) percentage of Nirvana fans who bothered to look up their cello accompanist and then actually liked her work, and intellectual goths. This level of talent deserves better than that, especially as the band are still going strong in the 20th year of their career.
3. The Black Box Revelation
Belgium's youngest garage punk two-piece exploded onto the scene in 2007, releasing 3 albums in 5 years. Well, exploded on Belgian radio - the rest of the world seems to be taking its time acknowledging the music of Jan Paternoster and Dries van Dijck. Their debut album, Set Your Head on Fire was a riot of minimalistic guitar, crashing percussion, and Paternoster's abrasive vocals. The pair shifted between blues, punk and even the odd acoustic tune, creating an enjoyable sense of cheerful experimentation. Following on from that, 2010's Silver Threats drove the group into darker territory, with a murky atmosphere and an ultimately heavier sound. The lyrical content was also noticeably more intense, with Paternoster coming across as a much more introverted vocalist. Last year's My Perception sent The Black Box Revelation in another direction again, with its cheerful and catchy pop-rock tunes melting into a lo-fi symphony that matches the Rolling Stones in their early prime.
Hipster Rating: 7/10
Their videos are consistently exceptional so this was a hard choice, but have a listen to Rattle My Heart from My Perception:
Then watch the videos for My Perception, Love Licks, Sleep While Moving and Never Alone/Always Together. These are among the most innovative audio-visual works of the past ten years, and yet the closest the band have come to mainstream success is being played on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show once. That said, they are still young, and a couple of their videos have exceeded the 500,000 views milestone on YouTube, so clearly they do have fans out there. Just not as many as they rightfully should have.
2. Tub Ring
Chicago's most intellectual experimental punk act took off in 2001 after enlisting Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance as a producer.Their debut studio album The Drake Equation largely aped the chaotic sounds of Spruance's former group, yet while Mr. Bungle often took up to 10 minutes per song to transition between sounds and moods, Tub Ring crammed all of their insane, genre-bending hyperactivity into tracks generally less than 4 minutes long. The result was a breathless, frenetic blast of noise that does not make for easy listening. And yet at times Tub Ring switch into an altogether gentler mode, such as the piano ballad Numbers or the smooth jazz interlude on No More Refills. Since then, the group have continued to refine and define their sound, becoming increasingly more reliant on solid songwriting than musical shock value. The Fermi Paradox is a notably outstanding album, underpinned by a lyrical thread on mankind's unwillingness to accept scientific progress.
Hipster Rating: 9/10
As with Rasputina, Tub Ring apparently find music videos too mainstream and have only released two in their 9-year history. Here's Faster:
Not a single video related to their music has over 50,000 views on YouTube, and the vast majority are yet to be upgraded to 360p definition. They have never had an album or single in a mainstream chart position, and while their music may not be the most accessible, it's hard to understand why they are so much less popular than, say, System Of A Down or Mindless Self Indulgence, who began championing a similar sound at a similar time. For all of their effort and commitment, the band can claim Plain White T's as their most successful touring partners, which is quite unimpressive for a group with so much talent and versatility. With a career that has already lasted over 10 years, it looks like Tub Ring may never achieve the commercial breakthrough they deserve.
1. Major Parkinson
Comprising six slightly deranged individuals from Norway, Major Parkinson are actually the most recently-formed band in this list, having released their debut album in 2008. The self-titled effort was a somewhat cagey affair, mixing crunching guitars with acoustic heartache and clips of circus music. Vocalist Jon Ivar Kollbotn led proceedings, his voice switching between a seductive growl, a delicate falsetto, and the bark of a disgruntled Victorian aristocrat. The work as a whole was split in two by the tearjerking ballad Casanova, with the songs on either side forming a maelstrom of borderline chaos that throws itself in every possible direction and ultimately goes nowhere, in the best possible way. The album ends with the epic double closer pairing Awkward as a Drunk and The Greatest Love, summing up the whole gamut of emotions previously displayed. And if that wasn't enough, Major Parkinson completely redefined their sound with 2010's Songs From A Solitary Home, the heavy riffs replaced by vintage pianos, Hawaiian steel guitars, orchestral backing and a tuba solo. Again, the set is divided by a short ballad piece, this time the Tom Waits-style Card Boxes and ends with a double closer, the euphoric Adville and the world-weary The Transient. Music as ambitious as this does not appear often, and their third album, already in progress, should be well worth the wait.
Hipster Rating: 10/10
Despite all of this, you've probably never heard of them; they are pretty obscure after all. But unlike other hipsters who would want to keep it that way, I for one will happily promote their music to anyone who has bothered to read this far, or who will listen to me in the future. As with The Black Box Revelation, their videos are as innovative as anything else around at the moment, so I recommend you give all four a watch. The latest single, Heart of Hickory, is probably the most accessible so here it is:
And Death in the Candystore also deserves a mention in order to show the group's versatility:
In an ideal world, these guys would be bigger than the Beatles.
Thanks to a global phenomenon known as "the internet," music in the past decade has become truly worldwide. Thanks to services such as YouTube and Spotify, it has become possible to access material that in the past would have been out of reach for an English-speaking youth living in the Home Counties countryside. But this comes at a price: surely music loses at least some of its value when the lyrics become unintelligible? How else can the listener fathom the true depth of what that Finnish black metal band is on about without first learning the language? These artists have proved it's not always necessary:
6. Rammstein: Reise, Reise (2005)
The Language: German
Rammstein emerged from the former East Germany in the mid-1990s, disillusioned by the lack of job prospects in their recently-reunified country and unleashing their Teutonic fury through the medium of song and a darkly industrial musical style. Reise, Reise appeared relatively late in their canon, but remains one of their most popular albums, having spawned a few mainstream hits and successful videos. It's not hard to see why: while earlier works were pretty minimalist in terms of songwriting, this album shows a broad spectrum of moods, from the vicious thrash of Mein Teil - based on the widely-publicised story of Armin Meiwes, the German who advertised himself as a cannibal on the internet before murdering the (consenting) young man who answered his call - to the operatic love song Ohne Dich.
Why You Don't Need to Learn German to Appreciate it:
Really, German is the only language appropriate to match the sheer brutality of Rammstein's music. Former Olympic swimmer Til Lindermann heads the group, morphing his voice between a guttural growl and a full-blown Wagnerian bass. Yet while the lyrics definitely add another dimension to the music for German speakers, the overall power of the album ensures that, for those who don't understand, the words become irrelevant. Musically speaking, it's as innovative as anything in modern rock, and this means that the casual listener shouldn't get bored or feel alienated by the admittedly pretty entertaining vocals. In any case, the video for Amerika presents an ingeniously sarcastic attack on capitalism that can be related to on a pretty universal level, made easier by the English chorus:
5. Pato Fu: Isopor (1999)
The Language: Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese
Relatively unknown outside their native Brazil, the art-rock group from Belo Horizonte was founded in 1992 and is headed by Japanese-Portuguese vocalist Fernanda Takai. Isopor was their 5th studio album in 7 years, and is probably their most accessible work to date: 12 tuneful, cleverly-harmonised cuts of a decidedly innocent nature, drawing on influences ranging from glam rock to early grunge, with an overriding atmosphere of futuristic experimentation. Takai's voice rests peacefully on top of the musical landscape, remaining the focal point of the album, but not becoming all-pervasive either. It's understated, entertaining and ultimately a pleasure to listen to.
Why You Don't Need to Learn Portuguese or Japanese to Appreciate it:
For a start, both languages are pretty hard to learn from an English perspective. Regardless of that, however, this album's musical strengths more than make up for the slightly bizarre sounds emanating from Takai's vocal chords. The whole aesthetic immerses the listener from the opening track, the futuristic Made in Japan, through the creeping title song and the trippy acoustic number Depois to the closing Olimpiada 2000, a cheerful tribute to the Brazilian team's journey to the forthcoming Sydney Olympics. The pure sonic joy on show here allows the listener to forget the lyrics completely; the vocals merely become another melody added to the mix. The video for Made in Japan is an intelligent, albeit unsubtle, metaphor for Japan's imminent domination of world industry and, like Amerika, benefits English-speaking listeners by having an English chorus:
4. Kaizers Orchestra: Violeta Violeta Volumes I and II (2011)
The Language: Norwegian
Kaizers Orchestra emerged from the south of Norway at the beginning of the past decade, and rapidly found success in their native land as one of the first Norwegian groups to sing in their own language outside of the decidedly unwholesome black metal scene. Their popularity has not relented, and their jilting jazz/folk/rock song Ompa til du dør was voted the Norwegian song of the decade in a nationwide radio poll. Their Violeta Violeta project is the group's contribution to music this decade, consisting of a trilogy of albums, of which two have so far been released. The works blend Scandinavian folk music with alternative rock and a Springsteen-style affection for stadium-filling anthems, with frontman Janove Ottesen providing heartfelt melodies superimposed over the often unpredictable music.
Why You Don't Need to Learn Norwegian to Appreciate it:
Quite simply, the first two Violeta Violeta albums are a musical delight. Beginning with a 60s-style ballad in Philomen Arthur & the Dung, the project kicks off with a delicious touch of melodrama before progressing through alt-rock heartache and Beatles-esque harmonizing, all backed up by accomplished orchestral arrangements and sweeping instrumentation. It's music to inspire true passion in the very soul of the listener, and Ottesen's lilting, poetic Jægen dialect seems wholly appropriate when taken in this context. The sound of Kaizers Orchestra is the sonic recreation of driving past the country's majestic fjords and valleys, of viewing snow-topped mountains covered in faded-blue pine forests. It is achingly beautiful stuff, and the best part is there's a whole album yet to come. Here's the video for Hjerteknuser, the second single from Volume I. Enjoy:
3. Fatal Bazooka: T'as Vu (2007)
The Language: French
The brainchild of Suresnes satirist Michaël Youn, Fatal Bazooka are, on the face of it, an urban French hip-hop group like any other. Yet the album cover of T'as vu suggests otherwise, lampooning the admittedly rather ludicrous cover of 50 Cent's The Massacre, with the usually skinny Youn given a cartoonish makeover, the traditional rapper's gun being replaced by a water pistol. What follows is a ruthless spoof on all of the most ridiculous aspects of rap culture, from violent lyrics and aggressive sexuality to the repetitive beats that form the backdrop to such music. This is compounded in the video for J'aime trop ton boule in which Youn, parodying Sean Paul, enters a club purportedly on the lookout for a woman before descending into a homoerotic fantasy that ridicules the often homophobic content of hip-hop.
Why You Don't Need to Learn French to Appreciate it:
The French you learned in school won't help much. In fact, the French taught at university standard only goes part of the way to deciphering the multiple levels of slang, swearing and invented nonsense on show here. Partly drawing on the verlan vernacular currently popular among youths in France, the lyrics come at such a rate that even a native speaker would struggle to keep up with Youn's inherently complex diatribe. Yet perseverance is worthwhile for those with even a rudimentary understanding of the language, and for those who have forgotten all of their French, the impotent fury with which Youn spits out his raging lyrics in the language of Baudelaire and Proust is hilarious in itself. The Frenchness of it all is completely necessary in the parody element, as shown in the video for Fous ta cagoule (Put on your balaclava), a cautionary tale on the dangers of improper attire in the cold weather of the Alps that has racked up an astonishing 11 million views on YouTube, a testament to the universal accessibility of Fatal Bazooka's work. Watch it and try not to laugh at the sheer overblown silliness of it all, and then realise just how similar it is to so much modern music:
2. Die Antwoord: $O$ (2010)
The Language: Afrikaans, Xhosa
Die Antwoord burst onto the global music scene in 2009 in true "internet sensation" fashion, the video for their debut single Enter The Ninja going viral on YouTube (today, it has over 8 million views). What was truly amazing, however, was that no one could seem to work out exactly what angle the group was taking. Depending on whether or not they were serious, they were either the best or worst rap group to appear in some time. And yet, in an age where 5 minutes on Wikipedia would reveal the true identities of Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er as a pair of art-school students from Johannesburg who had in fact released a number of albums together prior to this, they are still managing to keep listeners guessing. $O$ was no exception, as without their surreal, overblown videos, the duo managed to sound relatively straight-laced, and yet somehow, at the same time, completely ridiculous. Their recent release TEN$ION already looks set to be one of the best albums of 2012.
Why You Don't Need to Learn Afrikaans or Xhosa to Appreciate it:
This is cheating somewhat, as enough of the album is in English for it to be largely intelligible to an English speaker. However, the way in which the pair switch between their native Afrikaans and the language of their country's colonial past is a perfect metaphor for the post-Apartheid confusion that South Africa has suffered, with Diplo's Xhosan verse on Evil Boy addressing the decidedly sophisticated theme of the ostracism of tribal youths who refuse forced circumcision. Meanwhile, the depth to which Ninja and Yo-Landi (real names Watkin Tudor Jones and Yolandi Visser) immerse themselves within their characters creates a truly disturbing ambiance. This is especially evident when taken in conjunction with Jones' past projects, the futuristic music/comic-book crossover The Contructus Corporation, the psychedelic hip-hop of Max Normal,and his surreal solo work. But regardless of all this, Die Antwoord's music remains the prevailing masterpiece of satire, simultaneously forward-thinking and advanced, and yet equally back-to-basics and derivative. Jones himself demonstrates some impressive vocal skills, shown here in the group's promotional video Zef Side (WARNING: this video contains strong language and weird humour. Watch at your own risk):
1. Sigur Rós: Takk... (2005)
The Language: Icelandic, Volenska
Arguably the most internationally famous group on this list, Sigur Rós' ethereal, orchestral music broke out of their native Iceland just before the turn of the Millennium, sounding as if it had bubbled out of a geyser or dripped as melting ice from a glacier in the group's homeland. The spirit of their music embraces the spirit of the entire world in its brilliantly epic, grandiose forms and feelings. This lead to the group being commissioned to write the score for the David Attenborough documentary Planet Earth, which, according to the internet, is officially the best TV series ever made. It's really not hard to see the appeal of their music: tuneful and peaceful for the most part, it occasionally breaks off into phases of dissonance and tension, like all of the masterpieces of classical and popular music fused into one. Keyboard player Kjartan Sveinsson is responsible for most of the writing and orchestral arrangements on display, and Takk... remains the band's most successful and popular album.
Why You Don't Need to Speak Icelandic or Volenska to Appreciate it:
If you haven't heard of Volenska before, that may
be because it doesn't actually exist. Rather, it is the name given to the
nonsensical vocal ramblings of singer Jón Thór Brigisson,who often
switches between his native Icelandic and the invented language within the
same song. Therein lies the appeal of the band's music: words become
meaningless, as language becomes just another instrument to add to the already
beautiful mix of harmonies. It transcends the very concept of lyrics, or what
it means to be understood as a vocalist: Birgisson's fragile falsetto in itself
conveys more emotion than the average vocalist can do with even the most
complex words. The ultimate effect is cathartic, spectacular, wondrous... really, hyperbole cannot
do even the slightest justice to the ineffable power of the music on display.
The singleHoppípollahas been used on everything fromPlanet Earth to football adverts to the trailer forSlumdog Millionaire. And my cousin's wedding.Takk... really is the ultimate accessible foreign-language
album, because the language itself is simultaneously irrelevant and ideal, the
music becoming something anyone can appreciate, regardless of their background.
Music, after all, is the world's universal language.
Let's be honest here - ever since Bill Hailey brought rock 'n' roll to white people everywhere, the guitar has been the instrument everyone wants to be good at. For uncool, pale youths all over the world, it symbolises a free pass to fame, fortune, women and respect. And yet for for every talented individual to emerge from their bedroom brandishing a few promising tunes, there are dozens of no-hopers who will continues to bash away at the strings for all eternity. This is dedicated to those who, like me, will probably never reach the level of:
John Mayall and Eric Clapton: Bluesbreakers (1966)
There may have been pioneering guitarists before him - Chuck Berry and BB King spring to mind - but Eric Clapton deserves credit as the first true guitar hero. Throughout the 1960s, he garnered controversy as people painted walls with the phrase "Clapton is guitar god" in his honour (they were simpler times back then). To his credit, he played with a prowess and precision that hadn't really been heard before, and his acerbic yet creamy tone went on to grace many an album, to the extent that he's still going today. But Bluesbreakers was where it all started: 12 covers of blues standards, with Clapton blasting away over the top of it all. Many would argue his playing with Cream is superior, but the simple clarity shown here is evidence to the contrary:
Unfortunately for John Mayall, one of the few instrumental tracks on the album is seen today as one of the best.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis: Bold as Love (1968)
In 1967, there emerged a guitarist so incredible he made Eric Clapton give up and walk off stage during a jam session. A guitarist so unbelievably talented, he achieved more in four explosive years than most others achieve in an entire career. Hendrix, who grew up in poverty in Seattle, learned the guitar by pretending to play on a broomstick, and then a ukulele his father found in a garage. Never learning to read music, he relied instead on synaesthesia (seeing sounds as colours), freakishly long fingers, and drugs. Quite a lot of the latter, if the album cover of Axis: Bold as Love is anything to go by. Anyway, while his debut effort Are You Experienced? may have been responsible for his most successful songs and Electric Ladyland was no doubt his most ambitious work, Axis definitely shows the full spectrum of Hendrix's ability, from acid jazz to psychedelic rock to feedback-based noodling. The majestic closing track Bold as Love is also notable as one of the first uses of a synthesizer in a mainstream album. But all analysis aside, just watch the man play:
Technically not the best guitarist ever, but unquestionably the greatest. He may have burned out spectacularly at the age of 27, but his legacy remains in the fingers of every serious guitarist alive today.
Black Sabbath: Paranoid (1970)
Believe it or not, there was a time when Ozzy Osborne was actually a respected vocalist, rather than a just a lunatic arguing with his wife on reality TV. His band, Black Sabbath, were also pretty famous as the creators of the entire metal genre, with Paranoid regarded as their early magnum opus. While guitarists of the 60s had been writing songs about whatever they'd been seeing on LSD trips, Black Sabbath identified with the plight of the common man, channelling into their music the extensive fury and frustration that presumably comes after a lifetime spent in Birmingham. Guitarist Tony Iommi may have lost the use of two fingers in an industrial accident, but he adapted his playing style around this to create what musicians today will recognise as "a riff." The album's title track and Iron Man are seen today as staples of early metal, with Iommi the driving force behind both songs. Any self-respecting shredder should be able to bash out the guitar lines of both songs, conveniently packaged into one video here:
The same goes for War Pigs from the same album, the least eloquent attack on the Vietnam war ever written.
1971 - 1989
The 1970s and 80s were not positive decades for the guitar. Prog-rock artists seemed to think that a 30-minute solo was justifiable when in reality it was pure self-indulgence, and the glam-metal of Kiss or Motley Crüe barely deserves recognition in such a serious forum as this. Nevertheless, the 1980s occasionally threw up a positive indication of things to come:
Metallica: Kill 'em All (1983)
Metallica's debut may have been largely ignored on its release, but has since sold 3 million copies worldwide, a testament to the ability on show here. 10 brutal, breathless, thrash cuts that effectively rendered the punk aesthetic on which they were based irrelevant. Of course it's all as fast and frantic as the genre from which thrash emerged, but at the end of the day, there's just too much skill involved. While original guitarist Dave Mustaine may have contributed most of the creative influence for this album before his dismissal, Kirk Hammett entered the fray with more then enough talent to shred through the licks left for him with aplomb. The group may have made their name by making their sound slower and heavier on 1991's self-titled release, but Kill 'em All stands as a testament to Hammett's guitar-playing skill simply by being so... fast. Listen to the opening track here and then try to imagine the fingers of a human being moving at that speed, with that level of precision:
Thrash may be an object of ridicule nowadays, but when hearing the band in their primal form like this, it's easy to see why adolescent boys spent hours headbanging their brains into oblivion to music of this power and intensity.
Joe Satriani: Surfing With The Alien (1987)
The most cerebral entry on this list, as well as one of the more obscure, Surfing With The Alien has stood the test of time as a benchmark in guitar innovation. Instrumental from beginning to end, the album showed a generation of nerds that a great guitarist really could be created by hours of relentless practice. Satriani, a guitar teacher with the looks of Lord Voldemort and the stage presence of an office desk, proved that any aspiring guitarist could have a platinum record if they could commit the modal system to memory. He's also responsible for most of the techniques considered standard for the instrument today - two-finger tapping, pick tapping, serious use of a delay pedal? All his idea. But Surfing With The Alien isn't just an exercise in virtuosity: every track on the album is a carefully crafted piece of music - it's tuneful, enjoyable and at times almost catchy. It's an obvious choice as one of his better-known tracks, but have a listen to Satch Boogie and then go off with a guitar and the corresponding tablature and attempt to get your hands to comprehend what's going on here:
He's a good guitarist, is what I'm trying to say.
The 1990s: pretty much any rock album released
Thanks to some rather unkempt youths from the American Northwest and the aforementioned Metallica, the 90s saw an explosion of outstanding rock albums. I've managed to single out three that sum up the zeitgeist better than anything else, so with apologies to Nirvana, Peal Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Primus, Ween, Steve Vai, and even Blur, Oasis and Nine Inch Nails, here are the big three:
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
Prior to the 1990s, the Chili Peppers had been just another post-punk band grinding away in Los Angeles, only with slightly more funk influence than could be considered healthy. However, the death of original guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988 led to the introduction of John Frusciante and a new, more focused sound. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was recorded in an abandoned mansion in the California hills and stands as Frusciante's most creative work before his 6-year heroin bender shortly afterwards. Every guitar line jangles unnervingly against Michael "Flea" Balzary's twisting basslines, resulting in a dark, paranoid sound that is only occasionally relieved by more melodic work such as the now-classic Under the Bridge. The rest is intense, brooding postmodernist experimentation - no one else could have dreamed up a lick to fit over the crashing bass riff of Give It Away at all, let alone added such a bizarre tune as Frusciante eventually produced:
Effectively atonal, it rides on top of the drums and bass with ease, never intruding and yet at the same time complementing the Chili Peppers' exceptional rhythm section perfectly. This song was one of their first to gain mainstream success, and yet the actual sound of it is so challenging that it's hard to believe listeners preferred this to their previous feel-good tunes. But clearly something worked, as Blood Sugar Sex Magik propelled the group to a level of fame that is yet to die down.
Rage Against the Machine: Rage Against the Machine (1992)
Emerging from the same LA punk scene as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and with all of the anti-establishment anger displayed by the self-immolating Buddhist monk pictured on the cover of their self-titled debut, Rage Against the Machine were not a band to be taken lightly. Zack de la Rocha's provocative, political lyrics became the chief source of controversy surrounding the band, to the extent that it is often forgotten just how musically good they were. Guitarist Tom Morello produced a performance on this album that he has found hard to follow ever since, manipulating the sound of his guitar across the full sonic spectrum and establishing the DigiTech Whammy pedal as something other than a way of making tuneless noise. Every riff and solo contained within this work challenges expectations of the sounds an electric guitar is capable of making, from the squealing solo on Killing in the Name to the phaser-laden riff on Wake Up, a track so futuristic it was featured over the closing credits of The Matrix. This compilation of solos is all the evidence Morello needs in favour of his status as a guitar genius:
Notice how on Testify, hesimply pulls out the lead and plays with that, because the conventional technique of playing the guitar with one's hands is just not good enough for Tom Morello.
Ugly Kid Joe: America's Least Wanted (1992)
Sounding a lot like fellow Californian rockers Guns 'n' Roses and looking a lot like fellow Californian rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ugly Kid Joe were never the most original band in the world. Nor were they the most astute: this was unintelligent music for musically unintelligent listeners. But at a time when most rock music was either about depression or the adverse effects of US capitalism, this largely-forgotten album came as a breath of fresh air - it was just good, old fashioned fun, music for music's sake, and the product of five friends playing whatever they wanted, not caring one bit whether it earned them success or how they were judged for it. Nonetheless, the twin guitar stylings of Klaus Eichstadt and Dave Fortman are actually very accomplished, and the end result is so big-hearted and cheerful, it's hard not to get carried away. Listen to the drum break and subsequent guitar solo about 3 minutes into Busy Bee:
Don't try and pretend you didn't smile after hearing it.
Bumblefoot: 9.11 (2001)
For those not familiar with the works of Ronald Jay Blumenthal (who sensibly goes by the stage name Bumblefoot), he is best known as the latest guitarist to throw his talent into the revolving door of Guns 'n' Roses musicians.Prior to that, however, he released a number of truly brilliant solo albums that went almost completely unnoticed by the public. Which is a shame because some of those albums contain standards of songwriting that are rarely seen in mainstream rock today. 9.11 is not one of those albums. Released as a non-profit charity CD following the events of the titular date, it strives instead to be as insane as is musically possible, including funk, psychedelia, metal, baroque, an orchestral arrangement, flamenco, jazz flute and beat poetry. Thal's playing style is beyond belief, chiefly because, despite the barrages of sound on display, he pronounces each lick with such precision and clarity that not a single note misses the listener's ears. Every single track on this album is worthy of a space on this page, but instead here's Thal as a member of Guns 'n' Roses, performing a highbrow, sophisticated version of the Pink Panther theme:
9.11 was the guitar album to end all guitar albums. Forever. The End.
John 5: Songs for Sanity (2005)
Except it wasn't, quite. After having found fame as Marilyn Manson's guitarist, John 5 released a number of solo albums, of which Songs for Sanity is the strongest. It has all the diversity of 9.11, only with more metal-based adaptations of bluegrass tunes - and that can only be a good thing. Real name John Lowery, John 5 is also, with the exception of Tom Morello, the only artist on this list not to be influenced by any kind of substances during his writing process, ensuring his boundless creativity is for the most part kept under control by rationality. Although he did once throw a guitar at Marilyn Manson onstage, so perhaps rationality isn't quite the right word here. Also, he sometimes plays with a TV on his head:
Ultimately, John 5 is a reminder that playing the guitar can be fun. And, after all, isn't that what it should be about?
Arguably a masterpiece even without this song, Donnie Darko is without question one of the most complex and confusing films ever made, right up to the concluding scene where (spoiler alert) a falling jet engine is sent back in time by the hero to crush him to death in his bed and thus prevent any of it from ever having happened in the first place. What makes that last scene so special, however, is undoubtedly Gary Jules' cover of the Tears for Fears song Mad World. As the truth about the film's characters is revealed in the moments leading up to Donnie's death is revealed, the song adds its own level of emotion to the plot, asking the question of whether the small-town concerns of any of the characters are really worth anything when viewed in the context of the "end of the world" that has been foreshadowed throughout the film. Either way, no one can deny that it all adds up to a poetically beautiful piece of cinema:
