About five years ago, a friend visited, we popped down the the Lighthouse on Walmer Strand for a few pints, and they had a band on....

I suspect I became aware of PSB when they performed at a 6Music Festival, and enjoyed their mix of spoken word samples and music. I...

Attracted to the band by word of mouth and the silly name, I downloaded this album (possibly not legally) and enjoyed it, so picked it up...

I've long enjoyed Jah Wobble's diverse body of work, and thanks to his relentless gigging in smaller venues, I've seen him several times...

My first experience of Gil Scott-Heron was B-Movie on NME’s C81 tape, his polemic against Reagan, and many years later found a...

I'd never heard of Led Bib until this album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize '(left-field no chance of winning but nominated to...

I first saw TV On The Radio on BBC2 Later doing Dancing Choose, and it stood out from everything else on the show, loud exciting, an...

I don’t remember how I was introduced the Portico Quartet, possibly through Stuart Maconie’s BBC 6 Music show, but something about their...

As a long time Steely Dan fan, the flurry of activity in the early 2000s both from the Dan, and Donald Fagan solo was much appreciated,...

This is the HMHB album where I saw the band and bought the t-shirt in Cambridge with the family. They were, as you’d expect, superbly...

While he’s still one of my favourite musical artists, I think that by the time this was released my obsession was subsiding, and this was bought more out of habit than genuine excitement. It certainly doesn’t get played as much as the earlier stuff, and I can’t help thinking the conceit of issuing two albums in one package (rather than just a double album) is partly responsible. Abattoir Blues opens with Get Ready For Love , a full on rock hymn, and a stunning start, before a

Another band who seemed to be everywhere for a short time, then went away. Taking the minimalism of the garage band right down, this duo...

Yes, they’re silly and their big furry animal-clad fans are an embarrassment, but they do make some nice music. I first encountered the...

I bought this based on reviews at the time, and I’m not sure I’ve listened to it for a decade. Everyone raved about this album, as the...

I went through a bit of a Primal Scream phase at the turn of the century, bought this when it first came out and don't recall being...

I don't know what attracted me to Sigur Rós. The bleak look of the CD cover? The Icelandic mystery? The fact that their CDs were £1 in...

It's chill out time, with Air's debut, Moon Safari. I was introduced to this by a friend the year after release, and heard it a lot at...

I'm a big fan of Japanese author, Haruki Murakami. The strange thing I find about his books is that while I really enjoy reading them,...

Beck's Odelay album, his most successful in UK, is the 1996 entry in this section. I'm more familiar with its successor, Mutations , and...

We're 30 years on from his debut, Scott (already reviewed) and it's safe to say Scott's teenage heartthrob days are behind him. This...