David Landgren - Massive Attack, Nick Cave, SonicYouth, Madredeus,Divine Comedy, The Fall, Liz Phair, The The, The Future Sound Of London, Mazzy Star

TOP 10 LIST David Landgren (France)

1. Massive Attack Protection (Circa) A mesmerizing blend of soul, dub, rap and hip-hop. THE album of the year. Review coming early in '95.

2. Nick Cave Let Love In (Mute) Nick Cave has left the tropical climate of Brazil back in the grimy, gloomy weather of England. His music, and his work with the Bad Seeds, is stronger than ever. A clearing of the slate, so to speak, and a new direction for the next half of the decade.

3. Sonic Youth Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star (Geffen) Let's hear it for Starfield Road_! A crucial album in the Youth's discography; a certain maturity in their musical approach. And Kim Gordon is my favorite woman in rock. Don't let anyone fool you: Kim is the force of Sonic Youth.

4. Madredeus O Espirito Da Paz (EMI) Contemporary music from Portugal. Guitar, accordeon and violin etc. Teresa Salgueiro's voice is sublime. Makes Sade or others look like beginners. This, or Existir, is a secret worth finding out about.

5. Divine Comedy Promenade (Damaged Pop/Virgin) Delightful English pop, at times sounding like Michael Nyman or Philip Glass; along with the same songwriting power as Partridge and Mould of XTC. Far more impressive than last year's Liberation, already a good album. Neil Hannon is a man to watch.

6. The Fall Middle Class Revolt (Cog Sinister/Permanent) I'm hardly objective: I own everything Mark E. Smith and The Fall have ever produced except some one-off remixes that no doubt have escaped my notice. The song City Dweller alone makes this otherwise flawed album worth it. See also The Infotainment Scan.

7. Liz Phair Exile In Guyville (Matador/EMI) Everyone knows about this. I heard about it this year. If you don't have it because you don't perceive the whole issue to be a load of hype, all I can say is go and listen to it at a friend's house. You'll go out and buy it pronto. The Rolling Stones comparison is nonsense. Who cares? The album stands on its own merits.

8. The The Burning Blue Soul (4AD) Remastered, reissued and renamed on CD. I have this on worn out vinyl, acquired back when Matt Johnson was not yet known as The The. A stark, gloomy album, to be placed alongside The Cure's Pornography. Matt plays all the instruments, with a bit of help from Gilbert and Lewis of Wire. The keystone piece to understanding The The.

9. The Future Sound Of London Lifeforms (Astralwerks/Caroline) - A couple of months ago I read the review of this album here in Consumable and after listening to it on my own, I wasn't disappointed. A really good album to play (and there are 2 CDs!) back to back with U.F. Orb.

10. Mazzy Star So Tonight That I Might See (Capitol) Great duo from Nowhereville, America. Music at the point of fracture. Hope Donovan has one of the more captivating voices around in music today. Just had to mention it.

Disaapointment: Royal Jelly, Royal Jelly (Island) Bob gave this to me to review. I listened and listened, but still I couldn't think of a single redeeming feature. May it sink quietly without a trace. I dislike musicians who thank God in the liner notes. Keep religion out of rock!