1999’s Top Thirty Albums

1. Moby ‘Play’ (Mute)
Epic, graceful and diverse. 1999’s and Moby’s finest album.

2. Jason Falkner ‘Can You Still Feel’ (Elektra)
Falkner follows-up ‘Author Unknown’ with this wonderful piece of Power Pop.

3. The Frames ‘Dance The Devil...’ (ZTT)Refreshed and re-invented, The Frames find a new groove.

4. Ben Lee ‘Breathing Tornados’ (Grand Royal)
Largely overlooked gem, that’s so hard not to like.

5. The Plague Monkeys ‘The Sunburn Index’ (Crosstown)
Another stroll into the atmospheric world of The Plague Monkeys.

6. Beth Orton ‘Central Reservation’ (Heavenly)

7. Folk Implosion ‘One Part Lullaby’ (Domino)

8. The High Llamas ‘Snowbug’ (V2)

9. The Flaming Lips ‘The Soft Bulletin’ (Warner Bros)

10. Pugwash ‘Almond Tea’ (Vélo)

11. Chris Cornell ‘Euphoria Morning’ (A&M)

12. Nina Hynes ‘Creation’ (Reverb)

13. Beck ‘Midnite Vultures’ (Geffen)

14. dEUS ‘The Ideal Crash’ (Island)

15. Ben Christophers ‘My Beautiful Demon’ (V2)

16. Pavement ‘Terror Twilight’ (Domino)

17. Ben Harper ‘Burn To Shine’ (Virgin)

18. Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Californication’ (Warner Bros)

19. Foo Fighters ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’ (Rosewell)

20. David Bowie ‘Hours’ (Virgin)

21. Fountains Of Wayne ‘Utopia Parkway’ (EastWest)

22. Afro Celt Sound System ‘Volume 2: Release’ (Realworld)

23. Blur ‘13’ (Food)

24. Sebadoh ‘The Sebadoh’ (Domino)

25. Luscious Jackson ‘Electric Honey’ (Grand Royal)

26. Cotton Mather ‘Kontiki’ (Rainbow Quartz)

27. The Living End ‘The Living End’ (Reprise)

28. Arsonists ‘As The World Burns’ (Matador)

29. Art Of Noise ‘The Seduction Of Claude Debussy’ (ZTT)

30. Paddy Casey ‘Amen (So Be It)’ (S2)

Compilations/ Collections:

1. Kid Loco ‘Jesus Life For Children Under 12 Inches’ (Yellow)

2. Red House Painters ‘Retrospective’ (4AD)

3. Various ‘Abstraction Of Sound Logic–A Collection Of Slo-Fo Hits’ (Folkrum)

4. The Beastie Boys ‘Anthology/Sounds Of Science’ (Grand Royal)

5. The Divine Comedy ‘A Secret History’ (Setanta)

6. Ramones ‘Anthology/Hey Ho Let’s Go’ (Warner Archive)

7. Alice In Chains ‘Music Bank’ (Columbia)

8. O.S.T. ‘Austin Powers–The Spy Who Shagged Me’ (Maverick)

9. Various ‘Fire & Skill–The Songs Of The Jam’ (Ignition)

10. Tori Amos ‘To Venus And Back’ (Atlantic)

’99 brought out many fine albums, along with the expected quota of disasters and duds. The Charlatans fall under the former with ‘Us And Only Us’ (Universal). They’re one of the few survivors from the early 90s boom that saw so many great names dissolve. Kula Shaker fell far too early for a band of their stature. ‘Peasants, Pigs And Astronauts’ (Columbia) was their finest moment, but didn’t stop their demise.

Echo & The Bunnymen didn’t fair quite as badly, although as good as ‘What Are You Going To Do With Your Life’ (London) was, they still got dropped by their record label. Jason Falkner, Shed Seven and Mark Owen suffered similar fates, which suggests that music’s future climate is getting more difficult to predict.

Brian’s ‘Bring Trouble’ (Setanta) was one of many Irish records which was an unexpected pleasure. Others from The Revenants, The 4 Of Us and Snow Patrol brought much to applaud.

Ocean Colour Scene and Elenor McEvoy continued to lose the plot. ‘Snapshots’ (Columbia) was a very tiresome affair from someone who offered so much potential a few years ago.

The unexpected solo album from Michael Hutchence holds many moments of magic. Super Furry Animals’ ‘Guerrilla’ (Creation) didn’t disappoint and Will Oldham’s guise as Bonnie Prince Billy gave another angle to view the jilted genius.

The hype (Shack, Witness, Blondie, etc.), the greatness (Bowie, Divine Comedy, Kid Loco...) and the slightly bizarre (The Wormholes, Alan Lambert and Joan Of Arse) made 1999 a year that will evoke fond memories in years to come.

Remember these names (they’ll be with you soon): Badly Drawn Boy, Kid Rock, The Marbles, Saville, Kid Silver, Gus, David Kitt, Moa, The Whitlams and Fixed Stars.

Pretty Fly For White Guys! Are they the next Pumpkins, Janes Addiction or Alice In Chains? No, says vocalist Declan O’Shea, they’re Cyclefly.

Ireland’s contribution to Hard Rock has been pitiful during the last ten years. With the exception of Therapy? And Kerbdog, nobody has managed to leave any lasting impression on a genre that is slowly regaining some of its credibility.

Groups like Korn, Foo Fighters and (the slightly irritating) Marilyn Manson have been the main characters behind the rehabilitation.

Another newer name is the Irish/Italian band Cyclefly. Comparisons have been made between them and many of Rock’s giants, none of which Declan O’Shea is particularly comfortable with.
“I suppose with this being our first album, it’s bound to happen,” he offers, almost laughing. “Your influences always manage to come through in some way or another, but it’s not just the obvious stuff that people have been identifying us with.

“Bowie is one person who’s had a huge effect on me, I listened to him a lot when I was growing up. There’s other bands like The Pixies and Rush who have always been pretty cool. I think that our next album will be a definite progression and we’ll have found more of what will be our own sound.”

It was O’Shea’s red dreadlocks, green PVC attire and wild stage display that first caught the eye of the public. The media soon latched onto this and started trying to make him out to be some sort of Marilyn Manson-type clone.

“That was ridiculous. The thing is, all of this glam stuff was done in the Seventies by Marc Bolan, David Bowie and others. I think it’s more of a tongue-in-cheek thing now and that’s where any of my tendencies towards this kind of thing come from. People have written that I’m going to be the next kind of sick boy… eh, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Their debut album ‘Generation Sap’ was recorded in mid-’98 in the same LA studio that Nirvana came up with ‘Nevermind’. It was here that they teamed up with producer Sylvia Massy (Tool, Red Hot Chilli Peppers & Skunk Anansie). Since its release last summer the reviews have ranged from great to appalling, the latter being a more common response in Europe than in America.

“A lot of the audiences that we’ve played to in the States haven’t really got what it is that we’re doing. There’s been a load of people who have though and that gives you so much belief and makes you want to try even harder.

“America is more open to Rock music,” he continues, “but more mainstream stuff like Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls. Over here people are a little more cynical about this kind of stuff, but that’s fine too. Music is all about that, you like it or you don’t.”

The band has served their apprenticeship through the years in the previous guise of Dogabone. Since then they’ve toured with Bush, Live and were on the bill at Woodstock ‘99. Rock ‘n’ Roll can be a difficult way of life!

Definitions of Sound

A musical journey through the Sixties, Seventies, Eighties and Nineties, told by friends and guests. These are the albums that made a century of music for the following people.

Klass Janzoons (dEUS)
Beck ‘Odelay’ (1996)
“‘Odelay’ gives a whole new view on Pop music. I think that Beck is such an original performer and songwriter. This is a revolutionary album in so many ways and it still has mass appeal.”

Steve Wall (The Walls)
The Beatles ‘Revolver’ (1966)
“We were living in a house in Harold’s Cross and that’s where I got introduced to music. ‘Revolver’ just blew me away, especially the sound of the guitars. That jagged, searing sound still makes the hair on my neck stand up.”

Simon Emmerson (Afro Celt Sound System)
Captain Beefheart ‘Trout Mask Replica’ (1968)
“Not a lot of people know him, but he’s one of the most important musicians to come out of America. It’s a very difficult album to listen to, but parts of it have resonated through Punk, Alternative Rock and even Dance music.”

Darlene (Singer/Songwriter)
Beck ‘Mutations’ (1998)
“This was where he went back to the roots and those sweet organic sounds. You could have unplugged all of those instruments and they’d still be able to play what you hear.”

Brendan Murphy (The 4 Of Us)
Planxty ‘Planxty’ (1973)
“This would be my desert island disc because it’s so vibrant and it makes me think about being Irish as well. It goes deeper than just making you happy, it brings you back to what people might have been listening to one hundred years ago.”

Thomas Walsh (Pugwash)
XTC ‘Skylarkin’ (1987)
“It came out in 1987 when there was all this crap like Europe and Jason Donovan floating around. This was like a phoenix from the flames for me and when you consider that doing the retro thing back then wasn’t very fashionable, it made it even more special.”

Trey Anastasio (Phish)
My Bloody Valentine ‘Loveless’ (1991)
“‘Loveless’ was such a ground-breaking record for its time. So many bands copied that sound. Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, the list goes on. When you listen to it now, it still sounds fresh.”

Russ Pollard (Sebadoh)
Neil Young ‘Decade’ (1977)
“It’s the most beautiful record I’ve ever heard. He wouldn’t necessarily be my favourite singer, but the quiver in his voice, the feeling that he’s in the room with you really moves me.”

Ashley Keating (The Frank & Walters)
Belle & Sebastian ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ (1997)
“When we first moved to New York it was a bit of an upheaval and that album gave me the feeling that everything was going to be alright. It was like the first time I heard The Smiths, you know that someone else out there feels what I’m feeling.”

Glen Hansard (The Frames)
Slint ‘Spiderland’ (1991)
“Having been a Pixies and Sonic Youth fan, this album seemed really worked out. There’s chaos, but there’s incredible structure in the chaos. It made me buck-up a lot and was very inspiring in the making of our record.”

Ken Griffin (Kid Silver)
The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
“I heard it when I was thirteen and I honestly didn’t know what I was listening to. I didn’t understand its sentiments or where it was coming from. It kicked off another side to music that people have been trying to recreate ever since and nobody’s come close.”