Irish Albums Turning 5 to 45 in 2024

From The Frames to Fontaines D.C, Sorcha Richardson to The Cranberries, Jafaris to Lankum, 2fm's Dan Hegarty looks at some of the Irish albums that will be turning five to 45 in the year 2024.

The Frames - Dance The Devil… (ZTT, 1999)

Dance The Devil… is album number three by The Frames, but you could argue that it’s their fourth because there are two versions of their previous record, Fitzcarraldo. Let’s not argue though, let us highlight what’s great about the album that The Frames delivered in June of 1999.

As an album, Dance The Devil… has so many striking moments, whether that’s the depth and beauty of Star Star, the frantic alt-pop tune that is God Bless Mom, or the atmospheric bounce from Holocaine. In many ways there’s a big sound off this album, but it does not feel in any way overblown. Their next album For The Birds would chart a different course; a new chapter for the band. The Dance The Devil… chapter is still every bit as thrilling as it was when it arrived 25 years ago.

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The Cranberries - No Need To Argue (Island Records, 1994)

Trying to produce songs and record a follow-up to a hugely successful debut album presents many challenges. Doing it when you’re on a frantic touring schedule adds a number of new dimensions to the task.

Somewhere amid touring their debut, The Cranberries wrote and recorded this landmark album. Featuring incredible songs like Ode To My Family, Daffodil Lament, I Can’t Be With You and Zombie, it’s a record that would consolidate The Cranberries as one of the most successful bands of the 1990s.

Lethal Dialect x JackKnifeJ - 1988 (Self Released, 2014)

Don’t let the title fool you, 1988 by Lethal Dialect x JackKnifeJ arrived in 2014. It’s dual part song and story, much like Lethal Dialect’s previous albums, but this being a collaborative record has a different feel.

The addition of Jess Kav’s vocals on the tracks Headstrong, 26 Laws and Energy makes a brilliant album something altogether better. Damien Dempsey and 4Real guest on tracks too, which further adds to the record. Standing at 47 minutes in duration, your only wish would that there could have been more tracks, which is a wonderful complaint.

Sorcha Richardson - First Prize Bravery (Faction Records, 2019)

After spending the previous few years in the US, Sorcha’s debut album arrived following her move home to Ireland. She had previously released several strong singles that did not make it onto this album. Listening to the album then and again now, you cannot help but be struck at how cohesive and accomplished First Prize Bravery is.

Opening with the track Honey and closing with Honey Heavy; what you find in between are tracks that are at the kind of standard that artists like Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile reach. Standouts here are Oh Oscillator and High In The Garden, but in highlighting these, it’s appropriate to point out that there is not a dull moment.

Kid Silver - Dead City Sunbeams (Jetset Records, 1999)

Here’s an album that flew below most people’s radars when it was released, and in the years since. Kid Silver was the creation of Ken Griffin, then of Rollerskate Skinny fame, and more recently of August Wells, Favourite Sons, and High Leaves.

Dead City Sunbeams was released shortly after Rollerskate’s break-up. The tracks could be described more as sunset pop tunes rather than sun drenched. Listening to it in 2024, it’s hard to place it in time; the album is individual and thought provoking, and remains one of Griffin’s finest artistic triumphs.

Cathy Davey - Something Ilk (Regal/EMI, 2004)

There is no doubt that Cathy Davey has released stronger albums than Something Ilk. but as debut albums go it serves as quite the introduction to her music. That’s not a slight against her, as the three albums that she released subsequently easily rank as some of the best released in their respective years.

From the singles Clean & Neat, Cold Man’s Nightmare and Come On Over to tracks that await you deeper into the album like Holy Moly and About Time, it’s an album that takes many interesting twists and turns.

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire (Island Records, 1984)

It’s hard to know where to start when you look at U2’s career in the 1980s. Do you talk about that iconic performance at Live Aid in 1985? Or 1987’s The Joshua Tree? In many ways their 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire heralded them as one of the bands of the 1980s.

Alongside the single Pride (In The Name Of Love) and the iconic Bad it has exceptional tracks like Wire, Promenade and Elvis Presley And America. Combining their own artistic growth, this album would be their first studio collaboration with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. This would prove to be hugely significant on The Unforgettable Fire and into U2’s future.

Lankum - The Livelong Day (Rough Trade, 2019)

With all the love and positivity that’s been flying around for Lankum’s 2023 album False Lankum, you’d almost be excused for forgetting about the impact that The Livelong Day made when it was released in late 2019.

It’s a masterfully created album that is equal part thought-provoking as it is musically adventurous. Ode To Lullaby, Bear Creek and The Wild Rover are tracks that you can truly get lost in. The Livelong Day is a 56-minute adventure that paints many different textures and imagery.

The 4 Of Us - Songs For The Tempted (CBS Records, 1989)

If you were to transport yourself back in time to Ireland in August of 1989, you would quickly notice that The 4 Of Us were the band that seemingly everyone was talking about. It was that month that their debut album Songs For The Tempted was unleashed to their rapidly growing fan base.

Few songs are truly timeless, and while tracks like Drag My Bad Name Down, Washington Down and Mary don’t sound like they were created in 2024, they’ve aged with such grace. Mary in particular has become woven into the fabric of Irish culture of the time, and still hits that nostalgic/emotional trigger for many just about every time they hear it.

HAVVK - Cause & Effect (Veta Records, 2019)

HAVVK are a band that have been working tirelessly for the last number of years. Their debut album Cause & Effect arrived in November of 2019. If you place any of the tracks from this album on a mixtape alongside material from The Breeders, Momma, or Wolf Alice, they’d sound like they were in the right kind of company.

There is a degree of timing and luck that go towards an artist attaining that next level of success. Considering the pedigree of the songs that HAVVK brought us on this album and the follow-up (2021’s Levelling), that big next step is only a sliding door away.

In Motion - The Language Of Everyday Life (Dead Elvis Records, 1994)

For a long time, In Motion’s debut and only album The Language Of Everyday Life was largely lost over time. As good as it is, it didn’t make an enormous impact when it was released, which wasn’t helped by the band breaking up soon after it was released. It would be hard not to see an album of this quality not gaining a wider audience if the band had got to tour it a little more.

As an album The Language Of Everyday Life is a glorious burst of perfectly formed guitar pop. The underexposed nature of how the tracks were recorded only adds to its charm. Key tracks here are In Daylight, Honey Sweet Soul and Hollow Blow. Listening to these songs is like watching those rays of sunlight seeping into the room in the early hours of a golden summer’s morning.

The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia (Virgin Records, 2004)

Let’s Bottle Bohemia arrived under a year and a half after the release of The Thrills’ debut album So Much For The City. Much like The Cranberries a decade before them, it was a case of where did they find the time to write and record this album?

However they found the time, they managed to deliver an album that was a worthy follow-up to their hugely popular debut. Because the two albums came in such close succession, it’s easy to get muddled about what song is on which. In truth, they both sit well together, and each contains those glorious guitar pop tunes; Saturday Night and Not For All The Love In The World are two of the best from Let’s Bottle Bohemia.

Nina Hynes - Creation (Reverb Records, 1999)

It could be argued that this is an EP more than an album, but let’s settle on referring to it as a mini-album. You would find it hard not to appreciate the quality of the songs that come together to form this record.

Opening with the enchanting William Tell, it then explodes into life with This Magic Stuff, which has a similar beauty and intensity to Jeff Buckley’s Mojo Pin or Eternal Life. Hynes would go on to release many albums, but for those who are new to her music, Creation is the best place to start on a fascinating journey through her music.

Jafaris - Stride (Diffusion Lab, 2019)

Nominated for 2019 Irish Album of the Year at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize, Stride was one of the favourites to win that year. In the years leading up to its release, Jafaris had gone through several artistic metamorphoses. By the time it came to the recording the album, he had grown to be a superbly gifted songwriter, vocalist, and performer.

The album’s title track is just one of the high points here, but there are many others too. Time and Brother’s Keeper are beautifully crafted songs, as is the album’s closing number Ghost.

Something Happens - Planet Fabulous (BMG, 1994)

There is a common misconception that Something Happens best work appears on their first two studio albums. 1992’s Bedlam A Go Go has one of their finest moments in the track Daisyhead, which is one of the great lost early 1990s pop tunes.

1994’s Planet Fabulous has many fine moments too. It yielded some strong singles like Are You My Girl? and C.C. Incidentally, but perhaps the pick of the other tracks are Rosewood and Momentary Thing.

Laura Izibor - Let The Truth Be Told (Atlantic Records, 2009)

If you were to listen to songs such as Shine and From My Heart To Yours for the first time today, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they were recorded in the last few months.

In the years before the release of the album, Izibor had been heralded as a real talent. She won the 2fm Song Contest while still in school, and scooped the Hope for 2006 prize at the Meteor Music Awards that some year. Let The Truth Be Told displays her supreme talent.

Sinéad O'Connor - Universal Mother (Chrysalis Records, 1994)

When you consider the dizzying heights of fame the Sinéad O’Connor was experiencing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it’s fascinating to listen to her development as an artist that seemed unhindered by what was going on around her. Sinead’s debut album The Lion & The Cobra (1987), the multi-million selling I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990) and 1994’s Universal Mother are vastly different albums from one another.

From the tender John I Love You, In This Heart and her interpretation of Nirvana’s All Apologies to the trip-hop infused Thank You For Hearing Me and Fire On Babylon, this is an album of great variation and depth. Universal Mother is classic Sinéad O’Connor; an album that you cannot help but hear the sincerity, strength, vulnerability, and unique raw talent.

Kormac - Doorsteps (Bodytonic, 2014)

There are many charming stories behind how an album came to have the title that it ends up with. Doorsteps by Kormac can certainly be counted as one of those.

Featuring collaborations with people like Irvine Welsh, Speech Debelle, Vyvienne Long, and Baijka, Kormac quite literally travelled to them to record their pieces for the respective tracks. The result is a captivating journey through sound and vocal imagery, which never gets old or any less engaging.

Revelino - Revelino (Dirt Records, 1994)

Here is an album that should have launched Revelino into the indie/guitar pop stratosphere. Listen to tracks like Libertine, She’s Got The Face and Happiness Is Mine; they still sparkle all these years later.

Until the album was reissued a couple of years ago, Revelino were a band that had been largely lost over time. The songs on Revelino wear their age well, and don’t sound out of place alongside the best from back then and from the present day.

Twinkranes - Spectrum Theatre Snakes (Twisted Nerve, 2009)

Spectrum Theatre Snakes is one of the most unusual albums that you’re likely to hear. Simply put, it just doesn’t follow any kind of formula, which is what makes it so good.

Named by many music fans as one of the albums of the year in 2009, it’s thus far Twinkranes’ only album. Opening with High Tekk Train Wreck, it storms its way through the seven tracks leaving a psychedelic krautrock dust cloud on its wake.

A House - Wide Eyed And Ignorant (Setanta/Parlophone Records, 1994)

If you were to bring up Wide Eyed And Ignorant in conversation, it is quite possible that you’d hear the words should have or could have at some point shortly after. In truth this album had all the elements to make A House - wait for it - a household name.

The album that preceded this (I Am The Greatest) is often referred to as A House’s classic, but there is a compelling argument to put Wide Eyed & Ignorant in the same category. With the singles Why Me? and Here Comes The Good Times, it has a real pop element to it, but when you become familiar with it, you realise it’s an album of considerable depth and charm.

The Boomtown Rats - The Fine Art Of Surfacing (Phonogram, 1979)

Landing in June of 1979, The Fine Art Of Surfacing is album number three from The Boomtown Rats. It features the band’s biggest hit I Don’t Like Mondays, but there is a whole lot more to it than that. It was their third studio album is as many years, so if you’re going to use the word prolific, make sure to use it all in capital letters.

In their early years they were categorised alongside punk bands, and at this stage of their career they were sometimes referred to as new wave; both were bad fits. If anything tracks like Nice N Neat and Diamond Smiles illustrated the band’s pop prowess.

Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel (Partisan Records, 2019)

So much has been said and written about this band and this album. It’s as complete a debut album as you could possibly hope to hear. Possessing brilliant singles like Chequeless Reckless, Big and Boys In The Better Land, here is an album that would have impressed regardless of which decade that it was released in.

Dogrel connected with people in a way that you do not see all the time. It wasn’t just because it has great songs, it’s also because there’s a sincerity in them that’s hard not to respect.

Compulsion - Comforter (One Little Indian Records, 1994)

Formed after the break-up of Thee Amazing Colossal Men, Compulsion were a brilliant group that should have been far more successful than they were. This was a different sound for what was a much better band.

There was a tougher edge to their music that set them aside from the Grunge stragglers at the time, but they didn’t fit with the forerunners to what became Britpop either. Don’t let the title fool you, Comforter gives you a virtual kick in the ass when you listen to it.

The Murder Capital - When I Have Fears (Human Season, 2019)

Here’s an album that has more intensity and passion than most acts manage to squeeze into an entire career. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that it has the songs to back up any of the expectation that preceded its release.

Often compared to acts like Idles, Whipping Boy and Fontaines D.C at the time, The Murder Capital captured their own sound on this album. Produced by Flood (U2, Curve, Depeche Mode), When I Have Fears was rightly heralded as one of the finest debuts of the year.

The Plague Monkeys - The Sunburn Index (Crosstown Records, 1999)

Arriving a year after their impressive debut Surface Tension, The Sunburn Index would be The Plague Monkeys’ final album. In many ways, it carried on from where the debut finished; soundtracking those twilight hours with beautiful sombre tones and the distinctive ethereal vocals of Carol Keogh.

Like many albums of the time, it has in some ways been glossed over by time. It landed in those tedious dial-up days of the internet. If it had been released 10 years later, things might have been different. File this as an under-exposed gem from one of the best Irish bands of the late 1990s.

The Redneck Manifesto - I Am Brazil (Trust Me I’m A Thief, 2004)

I Am Brazil is the third album from The Redneck Manifesto, and it is an absolute beast of a record. Balancing the line between solemn and euphoric, they really do not miss a step throughout the 11 tracks that clock in at 43 minutes in total.

Working with producer Dave Odlum at his Black Box Studios in France, it proved to be a potent musical union. Take On Us and Another Day Of Hunting are incredible tracks, as are Bring Your Own Blood and closing track Good With Tempos.

Lir - Magico! Magico! (What Are Records? 1994)

There are two versions of Magico! Magico! by Lir. Known by fans as the Irish version, which was released in 1993, and the American version that arrived the following year. Both are built around similar songs that have an energy that the band were more than capable of replicating live.

This is a band that had the songs, the hunger, and a musicality like few others of their generation. Whether its big guitar tunes like The House Of Song and Traveller or ballads such as Good Cake Bad Cake and In A Day, Lir were and still are a special band.

Soak - Grim Town (Rough Trade, 2019)

How did Bridie Monds-Watson handle the expectation following her RTÉ Choice Music Prize winning and Mercury-nominated debut Before We Forgot How To Dream? The simple answer is, in quite stunning fashion. After seemingly endless touring, Soak didn’t rush into writing and recording her second album Grim Town.

Arriving four years after the debut, it shows Soak’s growth as a songwriter and musician. There’s always a degree of pressure to deliver when you have had success, and Grim Town delivered on every front. If you were to pick some of the finest songs, I Was Blue, Technicolour Too and Get Set Go Kid are two of the best.

Jacknife Lee - Muy Rico (Pussyfoot Records, 1999)

Garret ‘Jacknife’ Lee has spent much of the 1980s and 1990s in bands like Casablanca Moon, Thee Amazing Colossal Men, and the criminally underrated Compulsion. Where he travelled next was very much a leap of faith.

Muy Rico would be a significant jump towards what he is known for today, that being a Grammy-winning producer, remixer, collaborator and solo artist. The album is as unpredictable in sound as it is charming. The single Cookies still releases those aural endorphins some 25 years on since it was released.

Alphastates - Made From Sand (Magi Records, 2004)

Made From Sand is the first of two albums that Alphastates released. It followed the popularity that the band gained from their track Sometimes, which not surprisingly is one of the key songs on this album.

It’s certainly not the case of an album living off the quality of one track; others like Last Day Of Summer, Addicted and What You Are bubble with what could be described as dreamy electro-pop sound. They would follow this album with the impressive Human Nature album in 2007, before going their separate ways several years later.

The Black Velvet Band - When Justice Came (Elektra, 1989)

Like fashion, styles and sounds in music have a habit of coming back around if you wait long enough. Here we are in 2024 listening to When Justice Came from 1989, which sounds decidedly current again.

The album’s opening and title track starts with what sounds like a carnival, which is fitting because what follows on the album is very much a carnival of sound. We Called It is a straight up blues rock number, while Let It Flow has more of a post-Beatles John Lennon ballad sound to it. Perhaps the standout track is The Way That We Are, soulful and steeped in sincerity.

Sack - You Are What You Eat (Lemon Records, 1994)

Here is a band that have more great guitar pop tunes than most people realise. Many of these songs exist of their second album (1997’s Butterfly Effect), but You Are What You Eat isn’t short of potency either.

Opening with the would-be anthem Colorado Springs, you then encounter tracks like Indian Rope Trick, What Did The Christians Ever Do For Us? and Magnetism which is like the mid-point between Idles and Surfer Rosa-era Pixies.

Bell X1 - Blue Lights On The Runway (Belly Up Records, 2009)

At this stage of Bell X1’s career, the band had hit that sweet spot where song writing is concerned. Blue Lights On The Runway was their first post major label album, but it sounds as lush and complete as anything they had brought us before.

Whether it’s the Talking Heads-esque single The Great Defector or album track A Better Band, it is clear that Bell X1 had indeed become an even better band. It was and still is a statement from a group that have yet to release a weak album.

An Emotional Fish - Sloper (Warner Music, 1994)

Following what must have been a busy late 1980s/early 1990s, An Emotional Fish uncovered another layer to their artistic arsenal on their third album Sloper. Replacing the big anthems, here they offer more subtle tracks that seem to grow in both beauty and maturity as the years pass.

The track Clowns could have fitted seamlessly on the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction, which opened in cinemas later in 1994, while Summertime is one of their best songs that not enough people heard. It’s a pity that a band of this calibre only got to release three albums, but all three are mightily impressive.

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar (Smalltown America, 2009)

And So I Watch You From Afar's debut is best described as wonderful balance of brute force and tenderness. Listening to it 15 years on, it sounds as exhilarating as it did the day it exploded onto our radars.

Set Guitars To Kill is still incendiary, If It Ain’t Broke… Break It is perhaps the best song title you could come across (the song isn’t bad either), while the tracks The Voiceless and Eat The City, Eat It Whole are the musical equivalent of a sunset fading at the end of a long summer’s evening. There’s a ferocious beauty within this album, and it’s quite unlike anything else of its time.

Hozier - Hozier (RubyWorks/Island Records, 2014)

It’s hard not to think of that song when you’re talking about Hozier’s debut album. 10 years on, his song writing has blossomed, but you cannot deny that Take Me To Church is the track that kicked open the door for him.

He wouldn’t have gotten far if his debut album didn’t have anything else of substance on it. That it certainly does; In A Week is a beautiful song, while there is something deeply spiritual about To Be Alone. If you haven’t listened to this album in a while, it’s really worth paying another visit.

Power Of Dreams - Become Yourself (Novel Records, 1994)

Power Of Dreams were nothing short of prolific between the years between the years 1990 and 1994, releasing four studio albums. Become Yourself was the fourth of these, and it wouldn’t be another 27 years before they would follow this up, but we weren’t to know this at the time.

Opening with the hard-hitting Poisoned, you can’t help but notice how the band have matured in both sound and song writing. While it doesn’t have what’s commonly known as an obvious hit, it captures a band on the cusp of what could have been another fascinating chapter. That story would go on hold for many years, reigniting with the release of 2021’s Ausländer album.

Whenyoung - Reasons To Dream (Virgin/EMI Records, 2019)

Reasons To Dream is an album that is laden with pop tunes. Not the sugar-coated variety, the kind of songs that could connect with the seasoned music fanatic and the seasonal passer-by.

You could draw comparisons to acts like The Last Dinner Party, or classic act like The Cranberries and Fleetwood Mac, but in essence they’re a little removed from all three. There are no filler tracks here; The Others, Never Let You Go, Blank Walls and A Labour Of Love are four highlights.

Republic Of Loose - This Is The Tomb Of The Juice (Loaded Dice Records, 2004)

If you ever want to hear an album that sounds like a party, This Is The Tomb Of The Juice should be near the top of your list. The Loose (as they’re affectionately known) captured a frantic late-night cocktail of grooves on this record.

Kiodin Man is one of the standout songs, as is Something In The Water. Hold Up which was one of the singles remains one of their best songs. In the years that followed they would release more albums, and they continued to improve as a band. This Is The Tomb Of The Juice is a memorable opening account from this dearly loved band.

Maia Sofia - Bath Time (Trapped Animal Records, 2019)

When you talk about individuality, Bath Time is an album that has it from start to finish. There are those vocalists like St. Vincent, Glen Hansard and Bjork that are difficult to confuse with any others, and Maia Sofia is certainly one of those unique vocalists.

Listening to the songs The Glitter, Cobweb and The Wife Of Michael Cleary, it’s clear to see why it was nominated for Irish Album of the Year at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize. From seeing her perform these songs live, you cannot help but feel her ability as a singer, song writer and performer will continue to blossom.

Paddy Casey - Amen (So Be It) (Sony Music, 1999)

It’s true; Paddy Casey’s debut album Amen (So Be It) is quarter of a century old this year. How does it sound after this passage of time? Extremely well actually.

There’s a live feel to this album that you don’t hear that often. Fear is a great opening track, and it really sets the scene of what follows. Everybody Wants should have been a bigger song for Paddy, but he would score this success several years later with Saints & Sinners from his second album.

Daithi - L.O.S.S. (Strange Brew, 2019)

Sometimes you only get to appreciate an album's true qualities after numerous listens. Love at first listen is common, but those masterful touches don’t always reveal themselves immediately. This is very much the case with Daithi’s 2019 album 'L.O.S.S.’

With its many moods and textures, it has the feel of a soundtrack. The cast of contributors that includes Sinead White, Bell X1’s Paul Noonan, Ailbhe Reddy, Sinéad White play leading roles. If ‘L.O.S.S.’ was a soundtrack, it would be to a movie that you would regularly revisit.

The Radio – Kindness (Reekus Records, 2004)

If you’re looking for a good example of album that could be called a lost gem, Kindness by The Radio would be a great contender. And that’s exactly what it was at the time; a contender to go on and become a record that could make that pivotal breakthrough.

The original line-up which features on Kindness was made up of Annie Tierney (formerly of Chicks, and would go on to be in Tieranniesaur and Yeh Deadlies), Steve M (ex-Rollerskate Skinny) and Mark Dennehy (previously in Johnny Pyro). Remember Me, Remember You is a downbeat beauty, while Whatever Gets You Through The Day has an uplifting triumphant feel about it. It’s such an impressive album that far too few people got to hear.

Gilla Band - The Talkies (Rough Trade, 2019)

Known as Girl Band at the time, Gilla Band brought us their album The Talkies four years after their incendiary debut Holding Hands With Jamie. By the time in landed, it was without question one of the most anticipated albums of 2019.

Produced by the band, the album is filled with ferocious beauty from beginning to end. Listening to these songs for the first time is like waiting for a volcano to erupt; you know that the eruption is coming; you’re just not quite ready for it!

Heathers – Here, Not There (Aunthill Records, 2009)

Here, Not There is another album that has two versions. The first arrived in 2008, but by the time the re-issue arrived a year later things had really started to get moving for the duo. Formed by twin sisters Ellie and Louise Macnamara, Heathers seemed to have a song writing intellect that most bands take years to acquire.

Remember When was most people’s introduction to the band. Like Sinead O’Connor’s Mandinka or One Horse Town by The Thrills, Remember When is one of the songs that is a big part of the story of Irish music from the year and years around its release. Margie and Fire Ants were other favourite from an album that sounds like it could have been released last week just as much as a decade ago.

Sultans Of Ping – Teenage Drug (Epic/Rhythm King, 1994)

If their debut album Casual Sex In The Cineplex had kicked open the door for the Sultans, their follow-up (which arrived in what seems like a nanosecond after) may well have set the door alight. It’s a raucous rock record that has a lot more to offer than history would suggest. Michiko is one of the best songs that the band wrote, and Wake Up And Scratch Me is every bit as potent as any of the singles that appeared on their debut.

It was ambitious releasing a 14-track follow-up album, and in retrospect, they might have scaled it back slightly. Over all, the growing confidence of the band, their musicianship and attitude make this an enjoyable re-listen.

All Tvvins - Just To Exist (Faction Records, 2019)

After delivering their extremely impressive debut album IIVV in 2016, the duo (Conor Adam’s and Lar Kaye) teamed up with James Vincent McMorrow in a production and collaborative capacity. The partnership helped sharpen their pop sensibilities.

The tracks Build A Bridge and Warm Crush are two of the tracks that helped this album have a wider appeal, as did No One Is Any Fun, which features Sorcha Richardson. The term 'pop song' has many different connotations, but here it simply means skilfully crafted songs that could connect with anyone.

Kerbdog - Kerbdog (Vertigo, 1994)

Listening to Kerbdog’s debut album is like the audio equivalent of being hit over the head with a chair. It kicks off with End Of Green and doesn’t lose velocity until the last note of the closing track, Scram.

Often praised for their second album On The Turn, their debut was far more than a stepping stone to this. Beneath the noise, there are pop tunes hidden in the depths. It’s another case of pen versus sword; without the songs, the noise counts for little, and this debut offers a great deal more than you may have first noticed.

Legion Of Two - Riffs (Planet Mu, 2009)

Legion Of Two is the combination of Alan O'Boyle (who you might remember from Decal) and David Lacey (of Dinah Brand). Riffs is a balance of electronic tracks treated with live percussion and drums.

You don’t have to invent something entirely new to create an album of real substance, and Riffs truly is that. Turning Point is a piece of brilliance, as is the title track. Albeit stylistically different, here’s an album that would stand up on every level if you could play alongside DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing and Never, Never Land by UNKLE.

Gavin Friday & The Man Seezer - Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves (Island Records, 1989)

After the end of The Virgin Prunes, Gavin Friday set off on another artistic adventure which would bring him to vastly different places than that of his former band. Teaming up with Maurice Seezer, the music was no less creative, just enthralling in an entirely different way.

Virgin Prunes were art rock soaked with in punk spirit, while Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves finds Friday & Seezer flexing their theatrical muscles with more of a nod to Jacques Brel than John Lydon.

From more conventional tracks like Man Of Misfortune to the offbeat charm of Next, it’s as individual an album now as it was in 1989.

Valerie Francis - Slow Dynamo (VF Records, 2009)

What a wonderful album Slow Dynamo is. If you were to do that annoying thing that us human beings do and reference current artists that you could liken the music on it to, then the names St. Vincent or Tirzah may come up.

Punches was the most popular track from it at the time, yet there are so many other joyous moments. At Most is an impeccably song, while the dreamy Like Glue is hard to get out of your head. It could be the soundtrack to those late hours, but it’s an album to listen to at any time and any season.

Therapy? – Troublegum (A&M Records, 1994)

You couldn’t put a piece like this together and not include Troublegum. This album had a huge impact commercially, but arguably the influence that it has had on fans and musicians in the 30 years since its release is far more significant.

With singles like Nowhere, Screamager and Die Laughing, Therapy? were dubbed Europe’s Nirvana at the time. They even made it onto Top Of The Pops; so if that’s not proof of their mainstream breakthrough, what is? Three decades on, Troublegum still causes tremors when it’s played at a suitable volume; what an album it is.

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