Top Tens

[Soda Jerk]

Now, Post Hardcore means whatever you want it to. Anything heavy with melody is tagged as such. Whatever. It's not important really, but the first wave of Post Hardcore - i.e. bands and people who's roots were firmly planted in hardcore punk breaking away from that and expanding it into something completely different - was, and still is golden. There's not many bands who are still pedalling music which has evolved from the first wave of hardcore. The only ones I'm really interested in these days are J Robbins and Walter Schreifels of the aforementioned Jawbox and Quicksand respectively

This is one of Robbins' more recent projects, though it's still from 1999, but it has aged well. Burning Airlines are one of my favourite bands.

And Walter, as we all know, does Rival Schools, who are the bomb (This song is a demo recording for the 3rd unreleased Quicksand album, but is also my favourite track from the first RS record)

There's too many offshoots of what can be considered Post Hardcore to condense into 10 tracks, but they are the ones I would consider important to the genres formative years.

(actually, I did 11, because I'm a cunt)

[The Milner]

Im going to go for top ten cheesy pop punk songs from the late 90's early 00's, in no particular order,

Not the most well known band, i found them completely by accident one day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dY4KjMdMVE

Lit were cool, most bands with three letter names are cool,

Fenix Tx, what a great song about a hot bit of minge

Prob the best Offspring song imo,

The obvious one

[The Milner]

The not so obvious one

These guys were the height of cheese but still good

A band that never quite got there but had this hit,

Prob in my top 5 all time fav songs

I said no particular order, but i think this could possibly be my all time fav song from the punk(?) genre, might be slightly more skate punk that pop punk but still,

[Soda Jerk]

Undeclinable are so rad. That song is amazing.

[Shaki]

Can somebody write something below me so that when I log in tonight and click "what's new?" this thread will appear and I can have a listen.

[Stroopy121]

Shaki is a poove.

xx

[Guest Giles Walker]

I'll go with something like 'Top Ten American Indie songs that I listened to when I was an undergrad in the mid-90s'. I guess some of these aren't so well known these days.

Turns out i didn't know very much about American indie songs from the mid-90s then. Where did you go to school in the mid 90s? Was there a big scene for this stuff in Aberdeen (if you were there) at that time?

I got dragged to awful britpop gigs at that time and hated it.

[Guest Giles Walker]

I found this Minor Threat family tree online, which bands should i check out?

I like the fact that this is just randomly on the wall of some building in America.

[Soda Jerk]

As many as you can. There's some really varied stuff that they've all been involved with. Fugazi is the obvious one, but I think Embrace have aged remarkably well considering how primitive that style of music was.

Dag Nasty and Bad Religion are also essential, if punk is your bag.

[Mr Owl PhD]

Turns out i didn't know very much about American indie songs from the mid-90s then. Where did you go to school in the mid 90s? Was there a big scene for this stuff in Aberdeen (if you were there) at that time?

I got dragged to awful britpop gigs at that time and hated it.

I was at college in Manchester. Everyone there was into Britpop too. I was a lonely child.

[Swingin' Ryan]

Turns out i didn't know very much about American indie songs from the mid-90s then. Where did you go to school in the mid 90s? Was there a big scene for this stuff in Aberdeen (if you were there) at that time?

I got dragged to awful britpop gigs at that time and hated it.

This segues nicely into my Top ten! A lot of my favourite bands are mid-to late 90's UK indie bands that get either overlooked by or wrongly mixed in with Britpop. I suppose this is a top ten UK indie from the Britpop era, the qualifiers being they were released around the 93-99 mark and fall under the 'indie' umbrella.

Hefner - Hymn for the Cigarettes

Lovely bratty, scratchy, tongue-in-cheek Indie-Pop belter.

Cornershop - Sleep On the Left Side

Everyone knows Brimful of Asha, but Cornershop were actually secretly Britain's answer to Beck at his finest.

St Etienne - Former Lover

This might be the invention of 'Folktronica', it's fucking gorgeous either way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8c1wHMBif0

The Wedding Present - Dreamland

Primarily an 80's band but still had some great albums through the Britpop era and after.

The Divine Comedy - Tonight We Fly

Baroque pop beauty. The Northern Irish Scott Walker

[Swingin' Ryan]

Black Box Recorder - Child Psychology

Band created by the Godfather of the Britpop fringes Luke Haines, he wrote

a book called "Britpop and My Part in it's Downfall

Manic Street Preachers - Sculpture of Man

The Brit awards etc might make them seem more mainstream,but in 1994 Oasis did 'Supersonic', Blur did 'Parklife' and the Manics did this.

BMX Bandits - Kylie's Got a Crush On Us

This is the kind of tune that gonks like Wavves have been chewing on their baseball

caps trying to write for the last few years.

Stereolab - Everybody's Weird Except Me

Any band that slips in musical nods to Esquivel is OK by me, if anybody wants a 1950's Exotica top ten I'd be more than happy.

The Beautiful South - Old Red Eyes Is Back

Paul Heaton writes stories like Mike Leigh and melodies like Brian Wilson, the Beautiful South might seem uncool because mum's liked them, but they're actually really, really cool.

[Jaaakkkeee]

Does it have to be a top 10 of a genre? Can I do a top 10 that I think people should check out?

[Stroopy121]

Does it have to be a top 10 of a genre? Can I do a top 10 that I think people should check out?

You could do a top 10 to listen to while you poop if you really fancy. A theme OR genre.

xx

[Paranoid Android]

Just listened to all the UR stuff in the opening posts. I already knew Don't you want it and Jupiter Jazz from Jackmaster's fabriclive mix and I'm familiar with Drexciya but the rest was all completely knew to me and all brilliant.

[Guest Giles Walker]

if anybody wants a 1950's Exotica top ten I'd be more than happy.

Yes please, another area i am not too clued up on.

[Soda Jerk]

The Beautiful South - Old Red Eyes Is Back

Paul Heaton writes stories like Mike Leigh and melodies like Brian Wilson, the Beautiful South might seem uncool because mum's liked them, but they're actually really, really cool.

Agreed, and good choice of song. Paul Heaton is a severely under-appreciated lyricist. He wrote socio-political satire better than most punk bands. The band went off the rails when they replaced the original female vocalist, but they released wall-to-wall hits before that. The Housemartins are brilliant too.

[colb]

BMX Bandits - Kylie's Got a Crush On Us

This is the kind of tune that gonks like Wavves have been chewing on their baseball

caps trying to write for the last few years.

Duglas is a musical genius.......

[TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH]

So, I could probably do a Sonic Youth top 10, an Americana top 10 or a "Smashing Pumpkins songs that you've never heard" top 10. What would people like most?

This is one of the best threads in ages, really enjoying the contributions.

[Stroopy121]

All three, Jan.

Gun to my head I'd pick Americana.

xx

[Murrr]

East Coast Hip-Hop

The east coast, for me, has always produced the most compelling hip-hop. New York took the old-school hip-hop of the '70's and '80's and emphasised lyrical dexterity while utilizing harder-edged beats and sample collages. It's a perfect place for genre newbies to get started, in my opinion, as the region's produced so many undisputed classics compared to other parts of the world.

Let's start with a couple of early classics.

Boogie Down Productions - "My Philosophy"

Big Daddy Kane - "Ain't No Half Steppin'"

Neither KRS-One (BDP) or Big Daddy Kane are doing anything particularly notable these days, but they're both vital, trend-setting MCs. A lot of old hip-hop sounds dated today, especially in terms of production, but you can't really mess with the intensity and consciousness KRS brought, or Kane's lyricism and flow.

Eric B & Rakim - "I Ain't No Joke"

Rakim, The God Emcee, is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest to ever grace a mic. He set a benchmark. Nobody could touch this guy in terms of vocabulary and skill, and modern MCs still aspire to hit his standards. His solo career was a bit hit & miss, but you can't argue with some of the work he put out with Eric B. Paid in Full is a stone cold classic.

Let's turn the microscope on a couple of notable producers.

Gang Starr - "Full Clip"

Guru was always an enjoyable MC "with his monotone style," but DJ Premier made Gang Starr enjoyable for me. An essential producer. Once you know Primo, you can recognise one of his beats within seconds. He's regarded by many as the greatest producer of all-time. You don't have to agree with that (I don't necessarily), but his early use of scratches, funk/soul samples and his trademark drum sounds. Nobody epitomises New York hip-hop like Premier, for me.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - "They Reminisce Over You"

DAT SAX. Even if you've never deliberately listened to hip-hop in your life, you probably know the sample. A huge influence on notables like J Dilla and 9th Wonder. The above track speaks for itself.

Continuing soon...

[Murrr]

Alright, part 2. Back to the MCs.

Nas - "The World is Yours"

Nas' debut album, Illmatic, is widely-regarded as the greatest hip-hop album of all-time. The World is Yours is probably its most recognisable song, and it was produced by the aforementioned Pete Rock. Nas has spent his entire career trying to catch-up with Illmatic, but it's an impossibly high standard. This is a new level of storytelling and lyricism. Focusing on Nas' experiences growing up in Queensbridge, it's rough, rugged and dark and oh yeah, it also features extensive DJ Premier production.

A Tribe Called Quest - "Check the Rhime"

Intelligent, articulate and with a softer edge than many of their east coast peers, Quest Tribe are just as vital. They've released at least one classic album, but their first three releases are all essential. Smooth, jazzy beats create a laid-back soundscape for Q-Tip and Phife's smooth rhymes: the former has become one of the genre's most respect artists, mostly down to his work with Tribe.

Wu-Tang Clan - "Protect Ya Neck"

Wu's 36 Chambers debut is a gutter classic. It's raw, it's nasty, it's an uttercut to the jaw and a knee to the gut. Filthy, grimy beats and rough, in-your-face rhymes. If you put this CD on for the first time and the opening few bars of Bring Da Ruckus don't make you want to fight somebody, hip-hop probably isn't for you. Seminal, and the group's members have been responsible for a few classic solo albums themselves, particularly GZA's Liquid Swords and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.

Big L - "All Black"

Under-rated. Outrageous punchlines and a razor-sharp flow. Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous is more than worthy of your attention. He died in 1999 after being shot nine times in the face in what remains an unsolved murder.

Notorious BIG - "Kick in the Door"

I debated putting this on the list because he's not one of my favourites, but I don't think you can make an east coast compilation without Biggie. This Primo-produced track is his best track for me, but it doesn't even appear on Ready to Die, his only essential LP. The guy's legacy has been raped by Puff Daddy over the years, but he was immensely inspirational with his thick flow and deep delivery.

[Teabags]

I'm surprised you don't include Cannibal Ox. I know they didn't do much buck but The Cold Vein is easily one of my favs. Though I guess it was hardly a pioneering album.

[Teabags]

Contemplating wether or not to do a Norwegian Black Metal top ten. I'm sure most music fans will have heard or know a lot of the stories surrounding it so might be kind of redundant?

[Stroopy121]

Contemplating wether or not to do a Norwegian Black Metal top ten. I'm sure most music fans will have heard or know a lot of the stories surrounding it so might be kind of redundant?

That sounds fucking excellent, do it!

xx