Mick Lewis’s Top Ten — July 16

by Mick Lewis
16 July 2006

1. Pink Floyd – Relics (bootleg)

   While Syd Barrett may have been creatively dead for the past 35 years, his passing last week brought on welcome recognition to the often-overlooked transcendence of the Barrett-led Floyd. I bought this bootleg reissue of Relics in the early ‘90s, before the compilation LP was officially issued on CD—it adds on the five additional songs from The Early Singles bonus CD that was included only with the Shine On box set, including the crucial “Apples and Oranges” and “Arnold Layne” b-side “Candy and a Currant Bun,” and three songs that appeared on the soundtrack to Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point.

2. Keane – Under the Iron Sea (Interscope)

   I’ve been listening to this nearly every day, and am thrilled to discover new depth in this magnificent sophomore LP. Current faves: “Leaving So Soon,” “Hamburg Song,” and “The Frog Prince.”

3. Lily Allen – Alright, Still (Regal Parlophone U.K.)

   21-year-old Allen’s debut single “Smile,” a summery, vaguely Caribbean groove that recalls pre-”Promiscuous” Nelly Furtado in sound, just went to #1 on the U.K. charts, and debut LP Alright, Still justifies this attention with slyly sassy ska-kissed kiss-offs to an ex, often reminding me of Electric Landlady and Tropical Brainstorm-era Kirsty MacColl if she were remixed by The Specials.

4. The Sleepy Jackson – Personality (Astralwerks/EMI)

   Bowery Ballroom show on July 24; LP comes out the next day.

5. Camera Obscura – Let’s Get Out of This Country (Merge)
   Tracyanne Campbell, I’m ready to be heartbroken!
6. Kirsty MacColl – From Croydon to Cuba: An Anthology (EMI U.K.)

   Listening to this revelatory summation of MaColl’s consistently interesting career only underscores the sad tragedy of her untimely demise in 2000.

7. Dirty Pretty Things – Waterloo to Anywhere (Interscope)

   Carl Barat settles any lingering doubts as to whether the spirit of The Libertines’s music has been lost with Pete Doherty’s excruciatingly banal descent.

8. Lambchop – Damaged (Merge)
9. Headlights – Kill Them with Kindness (Polyvinyl)
10. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere (Downtown)

    St. Elsewhere has jumped to #5 on the U.S. charts…