The Smiths – Romance, riffs and English melancholy
In May 1982 Johnny Marr walked up to Steven Morrissey's door in Stretford with a proposal and a pile of records.
Big Soul – Black River Boogie
Black River Boogie, from Big Soul's Funky Beats (2001), is a short West Coast funk-rock cut that found a second home in French clubs.
Mezzanine – Massive Attack
Massive Attack’s 1998 Mezzanine darkened Bristol trip-hop with strained sessions, Horace Andy’s Angel, and Elizabeth Fraser on Teardrop.
Afterlife Interview with Joey Ramone
Riffs and Beats finds Joey Ramone in a CBGB alley, neon on, tall in leather, mic stand planted, a set that stays on two chords.
Noir Désir – Tostaky (Le Continent)
Tostaky (Le Continent), from Noir Désir's 1992 album Tostaky, is the hold-on shout that made the band a reference point in French rock.
Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.
Gorillaz’ Feel Good Inc. from Demon Days (2005): Albarn bass loop, De La Soul verses, windmill video, chart hit.
Big Soul – California funk-punk that France claimed
Big Soul, the 1995 self-titled debut by the California trio of the same name, is a homemade US album that broke first in France.
Modern Life Is Rubbish – Essex satire after a rough American tour
In May 1993, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish on Food Records after a rough American tour and a label that nearly buried the tapes.
The Strokes – Reptilia
The Strokes’ Reptilia, second single from Room on Fire (2003/04), is a lean Gordon Raphael rock cut that proved the New York five-piece could hit twice.