Okay. Here's the deal. In years to come, Radiohead are going to be the band that other bands try to emulate the success of. Simple as that. All their albums, from Pablo Honey to Kid A, are quite simply gorgeous, and the chances of you not having heard of them are minimal. Even if you come from Outer Mongolia or something.

I guess we have to start with "Creep", because that's what launched them on to their path of world domination, and I can't believe that there's a person alive who hasn't at least heard it. I suspect even my grandmother has (although she's likely to faint at the use of the word "fucking" in the chorus).

Years ago, Oasis claimed that they were gonna be as big as The Beatles. Oh how we laughed. I think Radiohead have achieved that. Their last tour sold out in minutes, the American audience love them (which is a rather big deal for an English band), and everything they do seems to be infected with a dose of the Midas touch. Even "Kid A", which had the music press sitting around wondering whether to be nice about it, because they couldn't decide whether or not the public were going to like it or not, rocketed straight to number one and set up camp there. And okay, it didn't immediately grab me in the way that "Pablo Honey" did (it's rather Aphex Twin in places, even I can see that), it's still had more than a few spins in my stereo. I will keep going back to this band, for years to come.

There are, obviously a million websites on this band, it's almost impossible to find just one for you... but hey, I like to make your life easy, so I've given it a go. Try this one, it's got some great links and is kept really well up to date. Never say I don't do anything for you lot...

Back to the beautiful people...

Grandaddy

Right. Grandaddy. Yes. Beards...oooh.

You're about to hear a lot of this band, I'm predicting. MTV have literally jumped on "The Crystal Lake", which isn't my favourite track, but if it means that the world will go buy "The Sophtware Slump", then I'm all for it. Another one of those great, overlooked albums of the last twelve months, this one has a song on it, called "Underneath The Weeping Willow", and it's for that song alone that I'd say.. get thee to the record shop and buy this album.

That's not to negate any of their other albums, oh no, "A Pretty Mess By This One Band", a little hard to get hold of (I managed to get it on import from amazon.com) is, although a teensy bit too short, absolutely ace, and "Under the Western Freeway" is a moment of lo-fi laid back genius, beautifully frail in places. But it's definitely "The Sophtware Slump" that's set this band up to be.. potentially huge, and now, when I say I like Grandaddy, there are people who actually say.. "yeah, the band with the beards, right?". So we're getting somewhere...

Another great thing about this band is that, unlike some, they understand the internet, and subsiquently their own website is a joy to behold. Full of touring news, beautifully laid out, and even with a *gasp* download section, where you can grab promos etc for new singles... Impressed? You will be....

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The Smiths

Okay, where to start on The Smiths? There's a good chance you've heard some of their music, and dismissed it as morose. Listen again, listen to the lyrics... I think you'll find a huge amount of dry wit in there...

Not only that, but "How Soon Is Now" has the best intro ever. And that's a fact. Johnny Marr's guitar playing, combined with Morrissey's gorgeous lyrics, make this one of the most influencial bands of all time. In an era when cheesy pap reigned supreme, The Smiths were a breath of fresh air, commenting on both social issues of their day, and also writing some incredibly beautiful love songs (please see "Jack The Ripper" for a great example).

I can't even pick my favourite Smiths song, let alone my favourite album.. I love them all for so many reasons. I remember, aged about 8 or 9, my sister had a "Now That's What I Call Music" tape (remember those?), that had "What Difference Does it Make?" on it. And at that point, I thought Johnny Marr was simply gorgeous... there was a little picture of him on the inlay sleeve, he and Morrissey were lying on a bed of flowers... mmmm... sorry, I'm wittering, I'll stop. I think one of the best gigs I've been to was Morrissey, Cambridge Corn Exchange, simply for when he played "Moon River" (I've finally got hold of a copy of the extended version of this after years of hunting... Happy? Me? Yes thanks.), and yes, I'm pathetic, it did move me to tears, and yes, I did use the amount of vodka I'd consumed as an excuse....

And so.. for someone starting out on a journey into what can only be described as the soundtrack to my life, a great starting point is The Shoplifter's Union which is simply packed full of delicious links to pretty much every Mozzer and Smiths site on the net. It's like.. your very own Smiths search engine...

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David Bowie

Now, there's probably not a huge amount that I can tell you about this man, that you don't already know. I think he's like marmite, you either love him, or hate him. Personally.. I love him.

He's one of those that I would give my right eye to see live. I didn't get to go to Glastonbury 2000, but watching it on Channel 4.. fuck.. did that look good... I'm listening to Bowie Live at the Beeb as I write this, and "Fame" is belting out... it's great. I love the way he can go from tender to powerful, with seeming ease. Apart from that, without Bowie, I'd have no V.U., so I owe the man a debt for that, if nothing else.

Writing about Bowie is incredibly hard, since there's so much to cover. From a personal standpoint, I remember my mother wandering around the house when I was younger singing "Rebel Rebel, you've torn your dress...", and stealing my brother's copies of his records, taping them and putting them back before he could find out that I had something in common with him (perish the thought). And also, when I was about 8 or 9, I got a pair of red slip on shoes (£1 from Freeman Hardy Willis if I remember correctly). It was around the time of "Lets Dance", and someone pointed to my feet, saying "put on your red shoes and dance the blues". And I remember being so chuffed to be associated with that song.... little things eh...

As for links... well.. the man was one of the first to realise the potential of the internet, and this is definitely reflected in his own website. There are so many Bowie websites out there, but that's probably the definitive, so we'll leave it there...

Pavement & Stephen Malkmus

Right. There's a lot of people who seemed to have heard of Pavement, but not heard any Pavement. If that makes sense. So, if you're wondering who these lo-fi demi-gods were, then tis time to enlighten you...

Obvious songs to check out... "Major Leagues"... a moment of sheer genius... "Shady Lane" (everybody wants one), and I'm quite fond of "Oh So Risky" too. Thing is, I'm always taken by anything that sounds... under produced. The second it starts to sound like the band isn't singing directly to me, then I lose interest. I think it's probably a product of being mates with people who'd sit around playing guitars at me, and it probably accounts for why I like the bands I do. And Pavement, on some of the live tracks I've got (sadly, I never got the opportunity to see them), have that quality in abundance...

Pavement officially split last November (although their own official website still hasn't stopped denying it!), much to my dismay at the time. In February though, Stephen Malkmus released his solo album, which is full of the same genius I knew and loved with Pavement... fortunately, I'd have been desperately disappointed to have found anything less...

As for Pavement on the world wide web.. their official site's a bit pants. It's not up to date at *all*. I prefer this one, a fan site that's a got a good few reviews, downloads, and other juicy tit-bits.

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Spiritualized®

Okay... things have been a bit quiet on the Spiritualized® front since erm... Jason Pierce sacked the entire band (they're now Lupine Howl, just in case you were wondering). We all got excited when Spiritualized.com sprung up, sadly, it's disappeared right now, so I'll link it if it turns up again.

There's only one song that can move me to utter tears. And that's "Broken Heart", track number nine on "Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space". It's just the most beautiful song ever. I travelled to Sheffield a few years ago to see this band, and whilst there got really bad bronchitus, and still refused to leave the gig until I had heard this song. It's utterly beautiful, the whole album's gorgeous, but that one track just reaches into my soul... it's simply delicious.

There aren't many bands with such soul grabbing power. Perhaps it's a personal thing, but Jason Pierce writes songs on such a personal level that I'm convinced you don't have a soul if you don't love them. There'd be no other explanation. The "Laser Guided Melodies" album is a treat too, full of mellow relaxing music. I went through a stage where I listened to this album when I when off to sleep, it's just beautiful.

Finding anything about this band on the net seems to be a rather arduous task however. All the sites I've found are either ugly (yes, despite how my own website looks, that does really bug me), or just plain dull. So just go to the NME site which has a good few bits of news about them posted on it. Fingers crossed, something better will come along soon...

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Supergrass

Ever started listening to a record, and thought, oh shit, yeah, I just remembered how much I like this band? Just happened to me... whacked on "Caught By The Fuzz" and thought, oh my god, that line "here comes my mum, she knows what I done", classic!

I'm pretty sure that there's not much I can tell you about this band that you don't already know. Other than I saw them in a club the size of a matchbox donkey's years ago, and they fucked up "Caught By The Fuzz", cracked up laughing and started again. And yes, I'm sad enough to have kept the set list, and plectrum, that I got squashed in the nicking of. Although, Matt walked off with the drumsticks, which he got signed, and I, being young was impressed. Anyway.....

You probably know that the video for Mary was banned for being all too nasty and gory etc. Except that, quite frankly, it's not that bad. If you're wanting to watch it, and see if it gives you nightmares, then go to the brilliantly named Children Of The Monkey Basket website, which is full of completely insane stuff. Definitely one of the better band websites. Although, having said that, most of the time the video won't bloody play, there's plenty of other crap on there to keep you entertained...

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Billy Bragg

Billy oh Billy, oh Billy boy. And before anyone says "who the fuck?", there's a good chance you've heard a Billy Bragg track, but just not known who it was. "New England" ring any bells? Mmm?

Okay, well, even if it doesn't, there's a good few B.B. tracks that are well worth digging out. Like "Saturday Boy", an utter gem about unrequited teenage crushes, St. Swithin's Day ("with my own hands, when I make love to your memory".. oh, perhaps that too can go in the top ten songs about fiddling?), Bad Penny (b side of Sexuality), which describes beautifully just how irritating we women really can be. I don't think anyone writes a song full of desperate hopelessness about the big L word.

And no section of Billy Bragg can ignore his political songs, so I haven't. See, I just mentioned them. I do like them too, just they don't touch me quite as much as the love songs do. Probably because I'm a soppy girl. And I will just say, check out "Levi Stubb's tears". I've not got any great B.B. websites for you either, they're all fairly dull. So I won't bother with that either, sorry.

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Jeff Buckley

On May 29th, 1997, Jeff Buckley waded out into the Mississippi, and drowned. Whilst some of us, who'd already discovered the "Grace" album, were saddened by this, for the most part, his talent went unrecognised.

After his death, the album that he was working on "Sketches (For My Sweetheart, The Drunk)" was released, containing the beautiful "You and I", and whilst it's a great album, when listening to it you can't help but get the feeling that if he'd been able to work on it, it could've been so much.. more. "Grace", the only album he released in his lifetime, is just the most gorgeous creation, "Last Goodbye" and the title track being my personal favourites.

Perhaps the saddest thing is that there was probably so much more to come, that we'll never hear now. Still, "Grace" is one album I wouldn't be without, so it's definitely worth picking up and having a spin of. Jeff Buckley's website is still going strong, although that horrid flash intro leaves a bit to be desired (I'm bitter, I hate flash, it crashes my internet explorer and there's seldom any need for it)...

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Doves

A couple of years ago, I bought an album on the grounds that a review said it was good - something I don't often do without hearing the band first. The album was "Lost Souls" and it actually was good.

It has to be said, the news that they were recording a follow up hit me with a little fear, which was soon evaporated on hearing the first single from "The Last Broadcast". Genius, sheer and utter genius. Released and the deleted on the same day in the UK, this single will probably become a bit of a collectors item at some point in the future, and was definitely indicative of just how good the album actually is.

Live, they're just as good. I went up to Manchester to see them not so long ago, and despite the fact that the headliners, New Order got the most raptuous reception, Doves nearly stole the show for me (mostly because my enjoyment levels are dropped slightly when I'm worried about people/beer landing on my head, as I was during New Order's set). Regardless, I heartily recommending running out now and buying every Doves release that you can find!

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Elbow

Elbow released their debut album "Asleep In The Back" to critical acclaim, and rightly so. Moody and often stunning in places, my personal favourite would be the track "Powder Blue", which for some reason makes my heart skip a beat every time I hear it. What more recommendation can you want?

Hailing from Manchester, like a gazillion other excellent bands, they're one of those bands that might be considered depressing, if you're without a heart I guess. However, they're about as far removed from that as possible in reality, the album is full of beautiful masterpieces. All I can hope is that they follow it up with another gorgeous album...

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Electric Soft Parade

Take two scarily young brothers. Add in some of their mates. Get them to release a Mercury nominated album before they leave their teens. And you have yourself Electric Soft Parade.

Originally called the Soft Parade before discovering that someone else had already used the name, the band released "Holes in the Wall" to a bundle of NME inspired hype. Fortunately, having caught them in concert before the hype set in, I knew that these young whippersnappers (how old do I sound???) are something rather special.

The resulting debut album is upbeat, guitar driven, brilliant stuff, another one of those albums that you go back to again and again. Stand out tracks are aplenty, especially the brilliant "Silent to the Dark".

And my fingers are crossed that they continue to provide more of the same (as they make their way through to adulthood!).

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