Conclusions - are you hoping for a miracle?

So, what have we learned?

Was I expecting to be moved more? I listened to all this records during a quiet week at work. There are two ways I generally consume music these days: through Spotify at work or on my MP3 player during my daily commute. Neither can guarantee my full attention. I got a few good memories unearthed throughout all this, but mostly it was just the soundtrack to my day at the office.

One strong memory from this era was Illegal downloads. They were starting to really enter into my music consumption habits around this time, meaning I probably heard all these albums long before the release dates listed next to them. Although I should stress I own CDs of all these albums (bar Tom Vek). Downloading music always made me to buy more music, not less. I’ve had enough computers crash on me - one taking 16 GB of mp3s with it - to know that a physical copy is always better.

The only thing that’s stopping me buying the Tom Vek album is I’d just rip the handful of tracks I wanted and put the CD on a pile with the rest of my collection, perhaps never to be touched again. Chances are the sound quality of the download I have is just as good as any I could get from a ripped CD.

Paul Epworth was a common theme, producing four of these ten albums, as well as remixing several other songs for the dancefloor. After cutting his teeth here he then went on to co-write and produce one of the biggest selling records of all time, Adele’s 21, as well as her Bond theme Skyfall. Nice work if you can get it.

It was refreshing to hear so many people singing in their actual voice, not Generic English or Transatlantic Drawl. Even different parts of London get a look in. Saying that, this is a collection of almost entirely White Guys With Guitars. I guess it was a combination of my tastes not being all that diverse at the time, and the scene in general - not a whole lot has changed for indie in 2015. Going from one album to the next on Spotify, pretty much every time the next band I was going to review was in the previous act’s “Similar Artists” section. 

Another linking thread was loving the first album but then “drifting away” from a band. Why do so many bands release one amazing album and then gradually drop out of your life? There is that old cliche that you have your entire life to write your debut, and then six months for the follow up. But can it really be that simple?

Steve Lamacq had a theory that bands go through these 2-3 years of success as that matches student’s time at university when they have the time and lack of responsibilities to devote towards following a band obsessively. When the real world calls, these things fall down your list of priorities.

A lot of my favourite tracks from these bands aren’t actually from these albums. It would be interesting to do a follow up article on the follow up albums to all these records I’ve reviewed. Just looking at that list now…

Maxïmo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures
The Rakes - Ten New Messages
The Futureheads - News & Tributes
Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
Art Brut - It’s A Bit Complicated
The Cribs - Men’s Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever
Tom Vek - Leisure Seizure
Editors - An End Has A Start
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City

...I can see one stand out there (Cribs) and two I’ve never listened to (Kaiser Chiefs & Art Brut).

So, to sum up: it was good to re-assess these records. It’s reintroduced me to a handful of songs that will attempt to brighten my commute or working week. But nostalgia is still bollocks. It’s nice to revisit the past on occasions, but if you’re constantly looking back then you lose track of where you are and where you’re going.

You have been watching...

Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
The Rakes - Capture/Release
The Futureheads - The Futureheads
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll
The Cribs - The New Fellas
Tom Vek - We Have Sound
Editors - The Back Room
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm