Top 5 - Simon West
1) The Verve, Urban Hymns (Virgin). An absolute classic, from the opening strings on "Bitter Sweet Symphony" to the final 'Fuck You!' of "Come On". Urban Hymns has offended some long-time Verve purists as too commercial, but it's hard to find fault when the songs are as good as this. Every track is a winner, particularly the moving "The Drugs Don't Work" and the wonderful "Velvet Morning". "I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me," sings Richard Ashcroft, and The Verve have provided those sounds for the rest of us.
2) Oasis, Be Here Now (Epic). Every song on this third effort is rock-solid Oasis, and for the first month after it was released, I was convinced it was the best album of the decade. The glow faded rather more quickly than with the previous two albums, but Be Here Now is still a bloody good album, suffering only from several otherwise brilliant songs that simply go on too long, and a tendency toward overproduction. Still nothing here that quite matches the attitude and excitement of their debut, Definitely Maybe, but the Oasis juggernaut continues an amazingly consistent run of high quality songs - their B-sides still put most A-sides to shame. With Noel Gallagher publicly demanding change from himself and his band, the next album should be an interesting one...
3) The Prodigy, The Fat Of The Land (XL/Maverick). Two of the best singles in recent years in "Firestarter" and "Breathe" and not inconsiderable hype meant The Prodigy's third album had a lot to live up too. It did. The previously mentioned singles justify the purchase alone, and most of the rest of the album matches that quality. Musical bloke Liam Howlett effortlessly blends hard guitar, slamming beats, hip hop breaks and samples, and in Maxim and Keith, two of the most alarming "vocalists" in memory. A near masterpiece.
4. The Charlatans, Tellin' Stories (Universal/MCA). The Charlatans return from yet another tragedy - this time the death of keyboardist Rob Collins, and release their most consistent album to date. Chemical Brother Tom Rowlands supplies beats and loops here and there, the Hammond Organ swirls, and the band knock out some of the best tunes of the year. "How High", "North Country Boy", "With No Shoes" and the title track are brilliant, joyous tunes, and the final track, the instrumental "Rob's Theme", is a poignant moment indeed. A glorious album.
5) Space Monkeys, The Daddy Of Them All (Interscope). Refer to the 12/4 issue of Consumable. Find Bob Gajarsky's review. Insert it here. Great stuff. Britpop, chemical beats, hip hop samples. The most variety in a single album I've heard this year. All of it's excellent, one hell of a debut. Check out especially "We Are The Supercool", the heavy "Ready For The Rampage" and the surprisingly charming ballad, "Sweetest Dream". This would probably be higher on my list, had I had it longer than 48 hours.
