Cocteau Twins
Incredible female vocals, dreamy guitar-laden landscapes, an artistic sensibility, and a relentless pursuit of their own individual sound.
Billy Bragg
The perfect balance of pop and politics. Billy Bragg can be strident, poignant, and downright hilarious. Great lyricist, great human being.
Kirsty MacColl
One of the vastly overlooked great songwriters of the last 20 years, along with a terrific voice and ability to harmonize with herself. Often funny and heartbreaking, simultaneously.
Aztec Camera
Great singer, great guitarist, great songwriter.
Elvis Costello
Although his more recent stuff has been disappointing, he was the dominant singer-songwriter for a long stretch in the late seventies and eighties.
Favorite Albums
Cocteau Twins
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Blue Bell Knoll
This one takes a while to get to know, but I never tire of it. Ethereal, hypnotic soundscapes--very dreamy and orignal.
The Jam
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All Mod Cons
Easily the best produced of all The Jam's albums--this one has a clean sound that is still true to the group's live energy. Many good lyrics about alienation in the modern British world.
Elvis Costello
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Imperial Bedroom
Always hard to pick between this one and Get Happy!! In the end I'll take quality over quantity--many great songs with quirky arrangements, unusual instruments, and lyrics of domestic discord.
The Smiths
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The Queen Is Dead
Hard to choose between this one and their debut, but I'll opt for this one--amazing lyrics, ranging from the ridiculous ("Vicar In A Tutu") to the devestating ("I Know It's Over") and darkly sublime ("There Is A Light That Never Goes Out."
Favorite Broadcasters
www.dataheaven.us
This station has a nice mix of classic alternative rock with some less familiar stuff too. Check out the website too, and make requests!
sirensofsong
This has all-female vocals! Tracks range from some ethereal favorites like The Cocteau Twins to more commercial stuff, including Sheryl Crow.
Power Pop Radio.com
The name says it all--artists include quite a range: mainstream (Beatles, Cheap Trick); US independents (The Shoes), and various other groups that aren't as popular as they deserve to be (Teenage Fanclub, Jellyfish).
Music For Your Movies
This is pretty Indie-oriented--a good place to discover bands that might be hard to hear otherwise.
soot_sprite
This is pretty good for rather ambient electronica--nice mood music, quite useful while working.
Cool Links
www.amazon.co.uk
Good place to keep up with the latest British releases.
