From Across The Pond 04.29.08: The 5 Greatest Albums From Europe

Posted by Sean Reid on 04.29.2008

After picking up the new Portishead album, Seán Reid looks at the 5 best albums to come out of Europe (and the world) ever.

Every few years, an album comes along which catches the entire music industry off guard and commands respect. It represents everything that is right with music and shows almost no flaws in its composition. Last week, an album just like this was released. 10 years in the making, the third album from British trip-hop collective Portishead, funnily enough titled ‘Third', was unleashed upon the world. The album is easily the best work to come from the band (And that's saying a lot, debut album ‘Dummy' is one of the finest albums of the 90s). It displays a band that has both grown within the past ten years, but has not forgotten their roots. Beth Gibbons' haunting, fragile but still insanely powerful voice is the crown jewel of this album. Very few singers, male of female, can convey so much emotion in both their sound and lyrics. Imagine Tori Amos singing about pain and death while Aphex Twin plays in the background and you are on the right track.

Now, I'll answer your first question right now: No, you haven't clicked the wrong link and stumbled into an album review. I'm talking about this record because, a day or two after non-stop listens to this record, I realized something; it belongs in ‘The List'. Now, onto your second question, "Seán, what the hell is ‘The List'?"

‘The List' is my view on what the 10 greatest albums ever made is. It's very rare when I consider something so recent to earn a spot onto it, but this record just has that quality about it. So, after careful thought I placed it at the number 5 spot. Yes, the record is that God damn good. Upon doing this, I realized something.

"My God, the top 5 records are now all from Europe!" (The only non-European release in the top 5 was Nine Inch Nails' ‘The Fragile'.) So, with this discovery in mind, I figured that it would be a good time to now let the list go public, since this column does focus on European music. I put a lot of thought into this, and I think that I can't think of any other record that belongs within my top five right now. So without further delay, allow me to introduce you to…

The Official ‘From across the Pond' Greatest Albums of All Time

(Disclaimer: Yes, I know you think that I'm missing this album or I that I have the order wrong. But remember one thing before you send me emails saying how I got it all wrong; this is all simply my opinion. I do welcome, however, emails giving your own top 5. Who knows I might see a record in there and go "Shit, I never actually listened to that, I'll pick it up" and suddenly it'll be at my number one spot!

Also, within my full top 10 there are pop albums, rock albums, prog albums, trip-hop albums and metal albums. This list isn't exclusive to one genre of music alone.)

Number 5: ‘Third' by Portishead

Well, what more can I add about this record that I already haven't mentioned in this column? People are sure to ask one question about this albums inclusion though; do I still consider Massive Attack a better band? The answer is quite simply yes. When it come to my fix of trip-hop, I am a much bigger fan of Massive Attack than I am of Portishead; but this does not stop Portishead from making much better records if you understand me.

See, a lot of Massive Attack albums will often have songs that just flow as well together, or tracks that are just plain bleh. But when Massive Attack writes a good song, they write a fucking masterpiece. It's just shame that they can't do what Portishead does so well, and write a masterpiece of an album.

Number 4: ‘Kid A' by Radiohead

Talk about reinventing your style. This album can easily take the title of most successful non-mainstream record of all time. Gone where the guitars, and in came the army of synths and loops. Taking influence from Aphex Twin in terms of music and the lyrical content of Naomi Klenns brilliant ‘No Logo', this record was a journey. While most people will say ‘The Bends' or ‘OK Computer' where better albums, I have to disagree. I'll always say that both of those albums have better songs than ‘Kid A', they simply don't flow together as beautifully or click with each other to create the bigger picture as the tunes within ‘Kid A' do. This is one of those albums that I have a very hard time listening to if I skip a song or two, as very little compares to listening to it from start from finish. I just feel like I'm cheating myself if I don't listen to the full thing.

Number 3: ‘Wish You Where Here' by Pink Floyd

Much like ‘Kid A', this record is bound to receive the same questions in terms of its inclusion. "But what about ‘Dark Side of the Moon' or' The Wall'? Surely these records are much better thought out and are intended to be listened too as an album, not a collection of hit singles."

This is very true, but what a lot of people don't realize is that ‘Wish…' is in fact the greatest concept album of all time. The band where under pressure to release another ‘Dark Side…' but Roger Waters decided to bring out this instead. Featuring an insane 26 minute track ‘Shine on you Crazy Diamond' it was both a tribute too Syd Barrett and the act of giving the music industry the middle finger.

The whole album just sounds epic, and conveys more emotion than any other Floyd record. It seems that the consent clashed between Waters and Gilmore brought out the best in both men and the band as a whole. ‘Dark Side of the Moon' has the passion, ‘The Wall' has the concept album, and ‘Wish You Where Here' has both.

Number 2: ‘( )' by Sigur Rós

This record shouldn't exist. Not only that, but it should not have been as successful as it was. An album, with no title, no track names, and all songs sung in a made-up language that means nothing at all. On paper, it sounds like failure. But, this isn't any normal band we are talking about here, this is Sigur Rós.

Despite the band claiming time and time again that they simply just play rock music, anyone who has heard them knows that they are more than that. It is impossible to describe what exactly Sigur Rós sound like, because there is simply nothing else like them. With this record, they manage to record 8 tracks of pure genius. Every detail is looked at to make sure they all work together perfectly. From the drum less, emotion driven journey of ‘Untitled #1' (Vaka for you hardcore fans), THAT beautiful change in scale on ‘Untitled #3' (Samskeyti) to the incredible 9 minute build-up to the climax of ‘Untitled #8' (The Pop Song), nothing can compare to the emotions this album can make you feel.

Not bad for an album that is just full of gibberish.

Number 1: ‘Homogenic' by Bjork

No surprises here for anyone who knows me. If someone asked me to let them hear what exactly music is meant to be, I'd play them this, because it embodies everything that music is meant to be: Freedom.

Bjork is an artist that follows no one else's rules, at times not even her own. She is always looking for ways to express herself and push the boundaries of what music is meant to be. And this record embodies that in more ways than one. Not only does this album flow brilliantly and sound ground breaking, it does what no other album produced before it or since has done: Despite all the songs working brilliantly as a collective, every track (and I mean every single one) on the album are brilliant pieces of art by themselves. Usually every album will have a song that lags behind others, but no song here does. The record follows the same line as ‘Kid A' in that it embraces hard electro music, but Bjork embraces it into her roots, rather than going down a different track all together.

From the beauty of ‘All is Full of Love' to the bass driven masterpiece that is ‘Hunter', this record has no flaws in it what so ever. I can think of something critical about every other album on this list, even if it's only a minor one. But I cannot find a single thing wrong with this album. It is perfect. No matter what style of music you listen to, this record deserves to be in your collection, or at least give proper listen.

And that's me for this week. Keep your emails coming, I enjoy reading them. Tis always good to hear that people are enjoying the thoughts and ramblings of this music fan.Don't forget to check out my bands page at www.bebo.com/bazukiband . Talk to you all again!