music

[7] Massive Attack, ‘Risingson’

Dense, edgy, sneering, eerie, blank, clammy, creepy, discordant and destructive, ‘Risingson’ has all the ingredients of a top pop tune. It came out quietly in the Summer, took Massive Attack to No.11, their biggest hit at that point, and was all but forgotten by the time of the Mezzanine album a year later. The band themselves remembered its dark hue, but copied it over and over until the album was a bore.

But I’ve moaned about that before.

Junior loves to prick the pomposity, poke fun at the serious. She grinned at ‘Risingson’’s sinister tones, swept all her books off the coffee table and played ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ over the top of it all. The effect was like one of those old children’s music boxes playing in a horror film. Freaked me out; she just stood there laughing.

[8] Hanson, Mmmbop’

I think it was The Face that described Hanson’s cherubic looks as “Kate Moss crossed with Kurt Cobain, Kate Moss crossed with Little Jimmy Osmond and Kate Moss crossed with Desert Orchid”. The big bruv did always look as if he’d be happier leaping the fence and getting away, but what would he do? The middle lad was the talent. It was like Jermaine and Michael, without the raging madness – as far as I’m aware.

‘Mmmbop’ has some of the starburst thrill of ‘I Want You Back’, but where the Jackson 5’s debut hit united the people, this just annoyed the arse off them. Precocity, you love it or hate it, it depends who’s delivering it. Plenty bought this – it was a No.1, for pity’s sake – and they can’t all have been kids. Um, there was me for a start.

Well, it’s a true pop moment, with zip and scratching, and some classic, poorly enunciated lines. It’s all about friendships that last and friendships that disappear in the blink of an eye. I think. Who cares? Junior saw its value as a ‘dance with your dad’ floorburner, her experience enhanced by not having to see their Moss hybrid chops.

[9] Finley Quaye, ‘Even After All’

Finley again. He polarises opinion. You either rather like his sunshine reggaefied rock and still play his debut now but not that slightly harder-edged commercial disaster follow-up, or you’re not that bothered about the little chap and would prefer to listen to some of that proper roots stuff like UB40. Bitter war rages between these factions.

This record’s made with a wonderfully light touch, the most mellow of warm guitar solos and a lyric that’s simple but fits like a glove. It’s worth hearing again.

Junior was excited as ever to hear the stereo start up – obviously walked a couple of steps to the table, just because she CAN. She swayed and waved her hairbrush, enjoying the calm before the teenage ultrapop storm to come.

[10] Blur, ‘Song 2’

And whoomph. Blur killed Britpop.

It only took two minutes as well.

Why didn’t anyone think of it before?

‘Song 2’ was given its due props by Junior, who flung herself from side to side during the choppy verses and headbanged perfectly in time to the speedrush chorus. She then made a dive for her dad’s notebook, trying to rip up her history like a short female Albarn.

She walked unaided for the first time today too. Fifteen steps the best consecutive effort. It wasn’t easy, but nothing is.

[11] The Blue Boy, ‘Remember Me’

A gruesome horror story, this – “Remember me, I’m the one who had your baby’s eyes”. Sickening stuff, but an irresistible and barrier-busting record. I mean, everyone loved it. The streets, bars and clubs vibrated to people stuttering “ging-gi-ga-ging-gi-gi-ging-ga-ging” or whatever. It was everywhere.

Can’t tell you much about the record’s provenance, who the Blue Boy was or anything. Well, I could if I researched it, but let’s leave it at it being a Marlena Shaw sample and a subtle yet propulsive Sure Is Pure remix. What more do you need?

Junior wigged out so hard, she hit her chin on the coffee table.

[12] Belle & Sebastian, ‘Dog On Wheels EP’

Tough to choose just one of Belle and Sebastian’s legendary EPs – tough to call them ‘legendary’, but we eschew understatement here – so ‘Dog On Wheels’ gets the nod for ‘The State I Am In’. I reckon the album version is better, so I played them back to back for Junior to judge. She disagreed with her dad, possibly not for the last time.

The rougher EP version had our baby Belle grinning and banging her hairbrush on the coffee table. Quite a raucous response to B&S, but then I’m not sure Junior’s going to be a twee, gingham-frocked, church hall sort of girl. She’s going to be a B-Girl, Acid Tess, Studio 54 rawk chick.

Speaking of the Mercury Prize (as I was in my head), how the hell did Belle and Sebastian’s fantastic The Life Pursuit not get a nod? Makes the whole thing look like a sideshow farce.

Ah.

[13] Daft Punk, ‘Around The World’

Dum dum dum, de do do do do do do-do der dum dum dum. SING ALONG.

I can’t get enough cute, glitterballed French disco, and nor should you. Junior loved it so much, I could’ve persuaded her to wear a luminous body sock and dance in formation with her mum (who’s rarely out of her luminous body sock). As it was, she was throwing some robotic shapes from the first bar, even modifying her moves when the bass thudded in. Music sounds better with her.

As the track bleeped and popped towards its sixth minute, Junior grabbed the electronic songbook and pressed the ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes’ button. It was as if Daft Punk were in the room, accompanying themselves, riffing on their own tune with da nursery rhyme funk.

We’ll be releasing our own limited edition glitch techno white label before the end of the year.

[14] Tricky, ‘Makes Me Wanna Die’

Paranoid, narcotic, sinister, disjointed and resolutely undanceable. But enough about me, sort of. Junior found a way to dance to Tricky’s brooding curio, but then the girl has rhythm and style beyond the common punter’s wildest dreams.

Is this record widely known? I used to play it to death, loved the Rhodes piano and Martina’s broken vocals, but I might have been the only one. It was the third single from Pre-Millennium Tension, yet still a Top 30 SMASH.

No.29, in fact.

[15] Finley Quaye, ‘Sunday Shining’

Finley was 1997’s one year wonder. Smash hit single, monster album, scene-stealing Brits appearance (in ’98, admittedly, but you know what I mean), Mercury nomination… hmm, apparently no Mercury nomination. He must’ve been gutted. The flippin’ Propellerheads got a nomination. ROBBIE BLEEDING WILLIAMS got a nomination.

Well, I thought Maverick A Strike was quite good. 60-70% of it anyhow. ‘Sunday Shining’ takes a Bob Marley tune, makes it interesting, adds some light rawk, a sprinkle of cool and maintains the ma-ri-ju-ana quotient. Wikkid, man.

Junior and the iDog hook into the sinuous beats and lazy, slinky guitar licks. “Yes, sweetheart,” I say, “I know Robert de Niro didn’t seem like much of a ‘hero’ in Meet The Fockers the other night. Finley’s referring to… erm, jeez, I dunno.”

He’s Tricky’s uncle, doncha know. These segues are getting worse.

[16] Super Furry Animals, ‘Demons’

“I have a dartboard memory, so I’ll forget any felony”. One doesn’t often link the words ‘Welsh’ and ‘genius’, but the Super Furries have been confounding received wisdom for years. ‘Demons’ isn’t their best, not that it matters to Junior. It draws her in right away, the psychedelia-lite pulling her towards the stereo where she can adopt her forthright chairman pose at the coffee table. But this is no Bored Meeting!

SFA were easily outstripping their Creation cohorts by this stage. Oasis had tanked hugely – nah, you won’t see the ‘D’You Know What I Mean’ drone here – and the Boo Radleys were desperately trying to stamp on the embers of their commercial success. Primal Scream were feigning a return to form with Vanishing Point, but you try listening to the singles (at least) now. I did.

So, hats off to the Welsh chaps. Junior liked ‘The International Language Of Screaming’ too. She could sing along to that.