Record Collection

I made a list of my favourite albums, with my top thirty-ish at the top, and the rest in order by year, which you can stream on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc., if you wish. David Bowie is my favourite singer. Ladytron is my favourite group. My favourite period of music is the punk rock / new wave era from 1976-79, plus a few electronic things from the ’70s and ’80s until the present day. “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush is my favourite single of all time, followed by “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” by Tubeway Army, “Dear Prudence” by Siouxsie & The Banshees, “The Model” by Kraftwerk, “She’s in Parties” by Bauhaus, “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer, “Senses Working Overtime” by X.T.C., “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics, “Sunday Girl” by Blondie, “Our Lips Are Sealed” by Fun Boy Three, “Bedsitter” by Soft Cell, “Let’s Go Round There” by The Darling Buds, “What Difference Does It Make?” by The Smiths, “Mad World” by Tears for Fears, “Crucify” by Tori Amos, “This Is Not a Love Song” by Public Image Ltd., “S.O.S.” by ABBA, “Dress” by PJ Harvey, “Hymn” by Ultravox, “Duel” by Propaganda, and “Ghosts” by Japan.

My favourite music video is “Hungry like the Wolf” by Duran Duran, which is directed by Russell Mulcahy, whose subsequent film credits include “Highlander” and “Razorback”. The video was recorded on Sri Lanka, as part of a series of three promos (the others are “Save a Prayer” and “Lonely in Your Nightmare“). These are among the first by a British group to be set in such a distant overseas location. The previous year, Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was a worldwide cinema hit, and this may have been part of the inspiration for this video, which also contains several visual references to Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now”. Under Russell Mulcahy’s direction, the camerawork and editing has an urgency that matches the muscular, animalistic nature of the music. The video is notable in that it was one of the first to be broadcast on MTV to show an interracial kiss, something that is relatively rare to see in a music video, even to this day. Although the clip looks as if it was made with an almost unlimited budget, remarkably it cost less than £20,000 to produce. However, it wasn’t all quite as glamorous as might at first appear: whilst filming in Sri Lanka, the guitarist, Andy Taylor, managed to drink a quantity of elephant’s urine after falling into a lagoon, and this led to part of the group’s Australian tour having to be postponed while he recovered in hospital with dysentery (this is a stomach infection, whose symptoms include fever, dehydration, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhoea). Singer Simon Le Bon has stated that he was inspired to write the lyrics to this song by the story of “Little Red Riding Hood”, with Simon singing from the point-of-view of the wolf. The distinctive electronic backing is the result of connecting a drum machine to a sequencer and a Roland Jupiter-8 keyboard on a random setting. This part of the single is taken directly from the demo, as the group was unable to replicate the sound of the original recording.

Finally, my favourite YouTube channel is ThatPoppyTV, which is the creation of singer-songwriter Poppy. The channel has over 400 videos, which combine popular culture themes (which Poppy gently pokes fun at) with surrealist elements. The videos are generally short, typically 20-40 seconds, perhaps intended to mirror the length of a tweet as a form of modern communication. Poppy’s videos are strikingly imaginative, often amusing, sometimes puzzling, but always perfectly executed, such as this interview with Poppy. The songs contained within Poppy’s two albums and two e.p.s (all of which she has made available to stream on ThatPoppyTV) explore topics such as technology, climate change, A.I., veganism, the treatment of animals as commodities, the influence of the Internet on modern life, and much more. Poppy’s music is as eclectic as the catalogue of subjects she examines: starting with the power-pop of her debut single, “Everybody Wants to Be Poppy“, to songwriting that shows the influence of Japanese and Korean pop music, such as “Moshi Moshi“, from Poppy’s accomplished first album, “Poppy.computer”, to more recent nu-metal recordings, such as “X” [with strobe effects], about life in a cult (Poppy was once the leader of her own church), and my very favourite song that Poppy has recorded, “Play Destroy“, from her second album, “Am I a Girl?”. I’ve been vegetarian for nearly 30 years. When Poppy writes in the lyrics of her song “Meat” that animals in a slaughterhouse see their family, brothers, sisters, parents, murdered before their eyes, this was the first time I considered this. Poppy has her own unique way of interpreting the world, and she is able to help us to see things in a completely new way. For this reason, I would describe Poppy as a highly individual and important artist.

David Bowie: Let’s Dance [l.p., 1983] Low [1977] Diamond Dogs [1974] Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) [1980] The Man Who Sold the World [1970] The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars [1972] Young Americans [1975] Lodger [1979] Outside [1995] Hours [1999] Reality [2003] The Next Day [2013] ★ [2016]

David Bowie [ii]: Golden Years [7” single, 1975; with flickering video effects] Look Back in Anger [U.S. 7” single, 1979]

Gary Numan: The Pleasure Principle [1979] Replicas [1979] Tubeway Army [1978] Living Ornaments ’79 [live, 1979] Telekon [1980] Dance [1981] I, Assassin [1982] Warriors [1983] Berserker [1984] Metal Rhythm [1988] Sacrifice [1994] Exile [1997] Pure [2000] Jagged Edge [2008] Dead Son Rising [2011] Savage (Songs from a Broken World) [2017] Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind) [2013] Intruder [2021] My Name Is Ruin [streaming single, 2017]

Gary Numan [ii]: after “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” reached #1 in June 1979, Gary pulled the plug on his Tubeway Army stage name in time for the release of his next single, “Cars”, which was to be the second of two British #1 singles in 1979, together with two #1 albums in the same year, “Replicas” and “The Pleasure Principle”]

Raven Numan: Gary has three daughters, all of whom are artistically talented; the eldest, Raven, has started to write and record her own music; for her first single, My Reflection, Raven chose the subject of body image and anorexia; this is a difficult subject to write about, but she does so with sensitivity, and the result is sure to be of immense value to many people; you can keep up with Raven’s latest music on her YouTube channel: Just a Number [single, 2024]

Talking Heads: Talking Heads ’77 [1977] More Songs about Buildings and Food [1978] Fear of Music [1979] The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads [live, 1982] Speaking in Tongues [1983] Naked [1988] Little Cratures [1985] True Stories [1986] This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) [live, 1983]

Blondie: Blondie [1976] Plastic Letters [1977] Parallel Lines [1978] Eat to the Beat [1979] Autoamerican [1980] Heart of Glass [7″ single, 1979; my favourite recording by Blondie was never released as a single: it’s the final track on side one of the group’s fourth album: Accidents Never Happen; from “Eat to the Beat”]

X-Ray Spex: Germfree Adolescents [1978; this is my favourite album of all time] Art-i-ficial [live, 1978]

X-Ray Spex [ii]: Oh Bondage Up Yours! [7” single, 1977; although X-Ray Spex’s debut single was banned by the BBC and failed to chart, the title phrase took on a new life for many years after its initial release as a slogan on t-shirts and badges and as a phrase in popular culture]

Japan: Quiet Life [l.p., 1979] Tin Drum [1981] Gentlemen Take Polaroids [1980] Visions of China [7″ single, 1981]

Soft Cell: The Art of Falling Apart [1983] Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret [1981] This Last Night … in Sodom [1984] Cruelty without Beauty [2002] *Happiness Not Included [2022] Happiness Now Completed [2024] Torch [7″ single, 1982]

Marc Almond: The Stars We Are [1988] Enchanted [1990] Vermin in Ermine [1984] Stories of Johnny [1985] Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters [1987] Tenement Symphony [1991] Marc and the Mambas: Untitled [1982] Torment and Toreros [1983] Tears Run Rings [7″ single, 1988; Marc sings and co-writes with Soft Cell]

Grace Jones: Warm Leatherette [1980] Nightclubbing [1981] Living My Life [1982] Hurricane [2011] Pull up to the Bumper [7″ single, 1981; with flickering time-lapse effects]

The Doll: Listen to the Silence [1979] Desire Me [7″ single, 1979]

Duran Duran: Rio [l.p., 1982] Duran Duran [1981] Seven and the Ragged Tiger [1983] Notorious [1986] Pop Trash [2000] Red Carpet Massacre [2007] All You Need Is Now [l.p, 2010; with flickering video effects] Paper Gods [2015] Future Past [2021] Is There Something I Should Know? [7″ single, 1983]

Arcadia: So Red the Rose [1985] Goodbye Is Forever [7″ single, 1986; Arcadia is Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, and Roger Taylor from Duran Duran in a one-off side project; “So Red the Rose” is my second favourite Duran-related album, after “Rio”]

Marina and the Diamonds: The Family Jewels [2010; this is my favourite album of the 21st century] FROOT [2015] Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land [2021] Hollywood [from “The Family Jewels”]

Ladytron: 604 [2001] Light & Magic [2002] Witching Hour [2005] Velocifero [2008] Gravity the Seducer [2011] Ladytron [2019] Time’s Arrow [2023] Marnie: Crystal World [2013] Ace of Hz [from “Gravity the Seducer”]

Austra: Feel It Break [2011] HiRUDiN [2020] Chin Up, Buttercup [2025] Future Politics [2017] Olympia [2013] Katie Stelmanis: Join Us [2008] Lose It [from “Feel It Break”; with strobe effects]

Austra [ii]: (without strobes) this is the sound from which Austra’s debut album takes its title: The Beat and the Pulse [from “Feel It Break”]

Computer Magic: Davos [2015] Scientific Experience [2012] Mindstate [2015] The Absurdity of Human Existence [2021] Danz [2018] Hiding from Our Time e.p. [2010] Hiding from More of Our Time e.p. [2010] Electronic Fences e.p. [2011] Kitsuné: Orion e.p. [2012] Obscure But Visible e.p. [2016] Fuzz [from “Davos”; with strobe effects]

Computer Magic [ii]: if you are unable to watch the previous clip, try “Give Me Just a Minute” from Danielle’s fantastic, otherworldly album “Davos”, or “A Million Years” instead.

Ladyhawke: Ladyhawke [2008] Anxiety [2012] Wild Things [2016] Time Flies [2021] Paris Is Burning [from “Ladyhawke”]

Ladyhawke [ii]: the first song by Ladyhawke that I heard was “Professional Suicide“, which was playing over the speakers in a Dr. Martens shoe shop near Covent Garden. I was too shy to ask staff what CD was playing, so I memorised the chorus and looked this up when I got home. Upon hearing Ladyhawke’s debut album, I instantly fell in love with Phillipa’s music, and she is one of my favourite songwriters to this day.

Lissie: Catching a Tiger [2010] Back to Forever [2013] Carving Canyons [2022] Castles [2018] My Wild West [2016] Covered Up with Flowers e.p. [2011] Cryn’ to You e.p. [2014] Pursuit of Happiness [live, 2010; from “Covered Up with Flowers”]

The Jam: Setting Sons [1979] Sound Affects [1980] All Mod Cons [1978] In the City [1977] The Gift [1982] Going Underground [7″ single, 1980]

The Stranglers: Black and White [1978] Rattus Norvegicus [1977] No More Heroes [l.p, 1977; with strobe effects] The Raven [1979] Aural Sculpture [1984] Norfolk Coast [2004] Suite XVI [2006] Golden Brown [7″ single, 1982]

J.J. Burnel: Euroman Cometh [1979] Freddie Laker (Concorde & Eurobus) [7″ single, 1979; Jean-Jacques Burnel is the bass guitarist and occasional singer with The Stranglers. “Euroman Cometh” is my second favourite Stranglers-related album after “Black and White”. The music video was recorded at Carnaby Street, central London.]

The Undertones: The Undertones [1979] Hypnotised [1980] Teenage Kicks [7″ single, 1977]

Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols [1977] Pretty Vacant [7″ single, 1977]

Kraftwerk: Trans-Europe Express [1977] The Man-Machine [1978] Computer World [1981]

Roxy Music: Avalon [1982] Flesh + Blood [1980] Manifesto [1979] For Your Pleasure [1973] Jealous Guy [7″ single, 1981]

Roxy Music [ii]: Angel Eyes [7″ single, 1979] All I Want Is You [7″ single, 1974]

Bryan Ferry: In Your Mind [1977] The Bride Stripped Bare [1978] Boys and Girls [1985] Bête Noire [1987] Is Your Love Strong Enough? [7″ single, 1986; Bryan is the singer and primary songwriter with Roxy Music]

Kate Bush: The Kick Inside [1978] Lionheart [1979] Never Forever [1980] The Dreaming [l.p., 1982; with flickering LASER effects] Hounds of Love [1985] The Sensual World [1989] The Man with the Child in His Eyes [7″ single, 1978]

Kate Bush [ii]: Army Dreamers [7″ single, 1980] Experiment IV [7″ single, 1986]

Siouxsie & The Banshees: The Scream [1978] Join Hands [1979] Kaleidoscope [1980] Juju [1981] Through the Looking Glass [1987] Superstition [1991] Downside Up [2004; B-sides compilation recorded 1978-94] Hong Kong Garden [7″ single, 1978]

The Creatures: Miss the Girl [7″ single, 1983; The Creatures is Siouxsie and Budgie from The Banshees in an occasional spin-off project]

Siouxsie & The Banshees [ii]: Metal Postcard & Jigsaw Feeling [live, 1978; from “The Scream”; these are my two favourite songs from The Banshees’ debut album]

Adam & The Ants: Dirk Wears White Søx [1979] Kings of the Wild Frontier [1980] Zerøx [7” single, 1979]

Adam Ant: Friend or Foe [1982] Vive le Rock [1985] Strip [1983] B-side Babies [1994; recorded 1980-85] Goody Two Shoes [7″ single, 1982; Adam’s first solo single]

Adam & The Ants [ii]: Ants Invasion & Killer in the Home [live, 1981; from “Kings of the Wild Frontier”; sometime during the ‘90s, I bought a second-hand vinyl edition of this album for 5p from Portobello Road Market; upon hearing the record, I played it every day for the next two weeks]

Ramones: Ramones [1976] Leave Home [1977] Rocket to Russia [1977] Road to Ruin [1978] End of the Century [1980] I Just Want to Have Something to Do [from “Road to Ruin”]

The Damned: Damned Damned Damned [1977] Music for Pleasure [1978] Machine Gun Etiquette [1979] Phantasmagoria [1985] Anti-Pope [live, 2017; from “Machine Gun Etiquette”; with frequent flashing images]

Buzzcocks: Another Music in a Different Kitchen [1978] Love Bites [1978] Spiral Scratch e.p. [1977] Time’s Up! [studio demos recorded live, 1976] Boredom [live, 1980; from “Spiral Scratch”]

Pete Shelley: Homosapien [7″ single, 1981; Pete’s first solo single after leaving Buzzcocks; once banned by the BBC, who guessed correctly that the title is a cheeky reference to Pete’s homosexuality]

Magazine: Real Life [1978] Secondhand Daylight [1979] The Correct Use of Soap [1980] No Thyself [2011] Shot by Both Sides [7″ single, 1978]

Ultravox! (original line-up, with John Foxx): Ha!-Ha!-Ha! [1977] Ultravox! [1977] Systems of Romance [1978]

Ultravox (second line-up, with Midge Ure): Vienna [l.p, 1980] Rage in Eden [1981] Quartet [1982] Lament [1984] The Voice [7″ single, 1981]

John Foxx: Metamatic [1980; this is my favourite electronic album of all time] The Garden [1981] Interplay [2011] Underpass [7″ single, 1980]

The Shirelles: Will You Love Me Tomorrow? [7″ single, 1960]

Dion: The Wanderer [7″ single, 1961]

The cast of “West Side Story”: America [from the film “West Side Story”, which is a contemporary re-imagining of the play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, directed by Robert Wise, 1961]

Lesley Gore: It’s My Party / She’s a Fool [medley, 1963]

Petula Clark Downtown [7″ single, 1964]

The Mamas & The Papas: California Dreamin’ [7″ single, 1965]

Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ [7″ single, 1965]

The Seekers: Georgy Girl [7″ single, 1966]

The Supremes: You Can’t Hurry Love [7″ single, 1966]

The Monkees: Daydream Believer [7″ single, 1967]

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band [1967] 1962–1966 (The Red Album) [1973] Eight Days a Week [7″ single, 1964]

The Doors: The Doors [1967] Strange Days [1967] Waiting for the Sun [1968] The Soft Parade [1969] Light My Fire [7″ single, 1967]

Scott McKenzie: San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) [7″ single, 1967; counterculture anthem to flower power and the 1967 summer of love]

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced [1967] Axis: Bold as Love [1967] Electric Ladyland [1968] Purple Haze [7″ single, 1967]

The Moody Blues: Days of Future Passed [1967] In Search of the Lost Chord [1968] Nights in White Satin [7″ single, 1967]

Gene Pitney: Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart [7″ single, 1967]

Sandie Shaw: Puppet on a String [7″ single, 1967]

Procol Harum: A Whiter Shade of Pale [7″ single, 1967]

Pink Floyd: Echos [2001; Recorded 1967-93] See Emily Play [7″ single, 1967]

Dusty Springfield: Son-of-a Preacher Man [7″ single, 1968]

Manfred Mann: Mighty Quinn [7″ single, 1968]

Desmond Dekker & The Aces: Israelites [7″ single, 1968]

Steppenwolf: Born to Be Wild [7″ single, 1968]

The Kinks: The Ultimate Collection [2002; recorded 1964-84] Come Dancing [7″ single, 1983]

Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger & The Trinity: This Wheel’s on Fire [7″ single, 1968]

Marmalade: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da [7″ single, 1968]

Shocking Blue: Venus [7″ single, 1969; presenter Jimmy Savile is on screen during the first and last 15 seconds]

The Rolling Stones: GRRR! [2012; recorded 1963-2012] Gimme Shelter [7″ single, 1969]

Candi Staton: I’m Just a Prisoner [1970] Music Speaks Louder than Words [1977] Nights on Broadway [7″ single, 1977]

Black Sabbath: Paranoid [l.p., 1970; with flashing images] Black Sabbath [1970]

Middle of the Road: Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep [7″ single, 1971; wonderfully silly and charming worldwide #1 written from the point-of-view of a baby bird who wakes in his nest to find that his mother and siblings have flown away without him]

The Rattles: The Witch [l.p., 1971]

Fanny: Hey Bulldog [live, 1971 or 1972]

T. Rex: Electric Warrior [1971] The Slider [1972] Dandy in the Underworld [1977] Bolan’s Zip Gun [1975] Children of the Revolution [7″ single, 1972; “… I drive a Rolls Royce ‘cos it’s good for my voice …” – Marc Bolan]

The Who: Who’s Next [1971] Quadrophenia [1973] Who Are You [1978] Tommy [1969] Won’t Get Fooled Again [live, 1978, originally 1971; flickering LASER effects starting at 6.39 minutes until end]

Edwin Starr: Involved [1971] War & Peace [1970]

James Brown: Get on the Good Foot [1972] Black Caesar [1973] There It Is [1972] The Payback [1973] Reality [1974] Living in America [7″ single, 1985; with flickering time-lapse images]

David Bowie: Starman [7″ single, 1972]

Yusuf / Cat Stevens: Morning Has Broken [7″ single, 1972]

Chicory Tip: Son of My Father [7″ single, 1972; written by Giorgio Moroder with English lyrics by Pete Bellote, this prototype electropop single is the first ever British #1 with a predominantly electronic sound]

Don McLean: American Pie [live, 1972]

Ike & Tina Turner: Nutbush City Limits [7″ single, 1973; after escaping an abusive marriage to Ike, Tina slowly rebuilt her career; eight years’ later, this is the song that catapulted Tina to the status of international superstar: What’s Love Got to Do with It?; 7″ single, 1984]

David Essex: Rock On [7″ single, 1973]

The Hues Corporation: Rock the Boat [7″ single, 1974]

Roxy Music: Street Life [live, 1974; “… watch what you say, or think, or do …” – Bryan Ferry; this string of words could have been written with 2023 in mind]

Labelle: Nightbirds [1974] Pressure Cookin’ [1973] Lady Marmalade [7″ single, 1974]

Queen: The Game [1980] The Works [1984] Greatest Hits [1981] Killer Queen [7″ single, 1974]

Commodores: Machine Gun [1974] Caught in the Act [1975] Movin’ On [1975] Nightshift [7″ single, 1985]

Maxine Nightingale: Right Back Where We Started From [7″ single, 1975]

Sailor: A Glass of Champagne [7″ single, 1975]

Pussycat: Mississippi [7″ single, 1975] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF0TdafrWvE

Gloria Gaynor: Reach Out, I’ll Be There [7″ single, 1975]

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel: Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) [7″ single, 1975; Although the group normally writes all of its own material, Duran Duran used to perform a live cover of this song as part of the encore during the 1982 Rio tour: Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile); this ended up eventually as the B-side to Duran Duran’s U.K. and U.S. #1 The Reflex; 7″ single, 1984; with flickering television interference effects]

Ralph McTell: Streets of London [7″ single, 1975]

Cher: Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? [live, 1975; from Cher’s television variety show, “The Cher Show”; twenty years’ later, Cher recorded this beautiful single: Walking in Memphis; 5″ c.d.s., 1995]

The Meters: Fire on the Bayou [1975] Rejuvenation [1974] Cabbage Alley [1972]

The Real Thing: You to Me Are Everything [7″ single, 1976]

Deniece Williams: This Is Niecy [1976] Let’s Hear It for the Boy [7″ single, 1984]

The Runaways: The Runaways [1976] Queens of Noise [1977] Cherry Bomb [7″ single, 1976]

Elton John: Don’t Go Breaking My Heart [7″ single, 1976; duet with Kiki Dee]

Leo Sayer: You Make Me Feel like Dancing [7″ single, 1976]

Tina Charles: I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance) [7″ single, 1976]

Cliff Richard: Devil Woman [7″ single, 1976]

Fox: S-S-S-Single Bed [7″ single, 1976; the singer is Susan Traynor a.k.a. Noosha Fox; Susan is the mother of Ben ‘Bad Science’ Goldacre]

David Dundas: Jeans On [7″ single, 1976; introduced by Jimmy Savile; three of the five dancers on stage are Sue, Patti, and Lulu, who will soon take their places as part of Top of the Pops’ fantastic dance troupe Legs & Co.]

Earth, Wind & Fire: Spirit [1976] All ‘n’ All [1978] I Am [1979] Let’s Groove [7″ single, 1981]

Jethro Tull: Songs from the Wood [1977] Heavy Horses [1978] Stormwatch [1979] Ring Out, Solstice Bells [7″ e.p., 1976]

Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life [1976] Hotter than July [1980] Master Blaster (Jammin’) [7″ single, 1980]

Eddie & The Hot Rods: Teenage Depression [1976] Do Anything You Wanna Do [7″ single, 1977]

ABBA: Eagle [European 7″ single, 1977; with flashing mirror ball effects]

Wire: Pink Flag [1977] Chairs Missing [1978] 154 [1979] A Bell Is a Cup … Until It Is Struck [1988] Object 47 [2008] Nocturnal Koreans [2016] Mind Hive [2020]

Cerrone: Supernature [7″ single, 1977; flickering video effect for 8 seconds starting at 3.04 minutes]

The Boomtown Rats: The Boomtown Rats [1977]

The Damned: Neat Neat Neat [7″ single, 1977]

The Saints: (I’m) Stranded [1977] Eternally Yours [1978]

Thelma Houston: Don’t Leave Me This Way [7″ single, 1977]

The Outsiders: Calling on Youth [1977]

David Bowie: Be My Wife [7″ single, 1977]

The Vibrators: Pure Mania [1977]

Baccara: Yes Sir, I Can Boogie [7″ single, 1977]

Cameo: Cardiac Arrest [1977] We All Know Who We Are [1977] Ugly Ego [1978] Secret Omen [1979] Cameosis [1980] Feel Me [1980]

The Clash: The Clash [1977] Combat Rock [1982] Sandinista! [1980] Complete Control [7″ single, 1977; strobe at 3.09 minutes for 1 second]

Mother’s Finest: Another Mother Further [1977] Iron Age [1981]

Chic: Chic [1977] C’est Chic [1978] Risqué [1979] Le Freak [7″ single, 1978]

The Radiators from Space: T.v. Tube Heart [1977]

Bob Marley & The Wailers: Exodus [l.p., 1977] Survival [1979] Kaya [1978] One Love / People Get Ready [7″ single, 1977]

Patti LaBelle: Patti LaBelle [1977]

The Carpenters: Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day) [7″ single, 1977]

The Emotions: Rejoice [1977] Flowers [1976]

Tom Robinson Band: 2-4-6-8 Motorway [7″ single, 1977]

Billy Preston: A Whole New Thing [1977] Late at Night [1979]

Donna Summer: I Remember Yesterday [1977] A Love Trilogy [1976] Bad Girls [1979] Lady of the Night [1974] Love to Love You Baby [1975] Donna Summer [1982] State of Independence [7″ single, 1982]

Giorgio Moroder: From Here to Eternity [1978]

The Police: Outlandos d’Amour [1978] Regatta de Blanc [1979] Ghost in the Machine [1981] Synchronicity [1983] Message in a Bottle [7″ single, 1979; The Police had two U.K. #1 singles in 1979, this is the other: Walking on the Moon]

The Adverts: Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts [1978]

Warren Zevon: Werewolves of London [7″ single, 1978]

Dr. Feelgood: Private Practice [1978]

Blondie: Picture This [7″ single, 1978]

Althea & Donna: Uptown Top Ranking [1978]

Andrew Gold: Never Let Her Slip Away [7″ single, 1978]

Avengers: Avengers e.p. [1978] We Are the One e.p. [1977]

Renaissance: A Song for All Seasons [1978] Scheherazade and Other Stories [1976] Northern Lights [7″ single, 1978]

Penetration: Moving Targets [1978] Resolution [2015]

Hot Chocolate: Every 1’s a Winner [7″ single, 1978]

Slaughter and the Dogs: Do It Dog Style [1978]

The Lurkers: Fulham Fallout [1978] God’s Lonely Men [1979] I Don’t Need to Tell Her [7″ single, 1978]

Crass: The Feeding of the 5000 [1978] Stations of the Crass [1979]

Marshall Hain: Dancing in the City [7″ single, 1978]

Hamilton Bohannon: Summertime Groove [1978]

Generation X: Generation X [1978] Valley of the Dolls [1979] Your Generation [7″ single, 1977; with rapid back-and-forth camera motion; starts with a fantastic introduction by Marc Bolan]

Rose Royce: In Full Bloom [1978] Car Wash [1976]

Eruption: I Can’t Stand the Rain [7″ single, 1978]

Patti Smith Group: Easter [1978]

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: This Year’s Model [1978] Get Happy!! [1980] Imperial Bedroom [1982] Trust [1981] Blood & Chocolate [1986] King of America [1986] The Imposter: Pills and Soap [7″ single, 1983]

Norma Jean: Norma Jean [1978]

The Rezillos: Can’t Stand The Rezillos [1978] Top of the Pops [7″ single, 1978]

Raydio: Raydio [1978] Rock On [1979]

Sally Oldfield: Water Bearer [1978] Mandala [7″ single, 1980]

Parlet: Pleasure Principle [1978] Invasion of the Booty Snatchers [1979] Play Me or Trade Me [1980]

A Taste of Honey: A Taste of Honey [1978] Boogie Oogie Oogie [7″ single, 1978]

The Brides of Funkenstein: Funk or Walk [1978] Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy [1979]

Brian and Michael: Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs [7″ single, 1978; written about the great L. S. Lowry, who painted working class life in 20th century Manchester and Salford]

Disco Zombies: South London Stinks [2020; recorded 1978-81]

Gibson Brothers: Cuba [7″ single, 1978]

The Fall: Singles, Vol. 1 [2017; recorded 1978-85]

Lene Lovich: Stateless [1978] New Toy [7″ single, 1981]

Stargard: Stargard [1978] What You Waitin’ For? [1978] The Changing of the Gard [1979] Nine Lives [1982]

Sham 69: Hurry Up Harry [7″ single, 1978]

Kleenex / LiLiPUT: First Songs [2016; recorded 1978-82]

Boney M.: Nightflight to Venus [1978] Daddy Cool [7″ single, 1976]

The Kids: The Kids [1978; punk rock from Belgium]

Rachel Sweet: Fool Around [1978] Then He Kissed Me / Be My Baby [7″ single, 1981]

Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove [1978]

The Cars: The Cars [1978] Candy-O [1979] Panorama [1980] Shake It Up [1981] Just What I Needed [7″ single, 1978]

The Normal: T.V.O.D. b/w Warm Leatherette [7″ single, 1978]

Lipps, Inc.: Funkytown [7″ single, 1979; with flashing disco lights and picture noise where film has snagged in the cutting machine]

Delta 5: Singles & Sessions 1979-81 [2006] See the Whirl [1981]

Stiff Little Fingers: Inflammable Material [1979] Nobody’s Heroes [1980] Go for It! [1981] Suspect Device [7″ single, 1978; with frequent flashing images and video interference effects; “question everything you’re told” – Gordon Ogilvie; the group is from Belfast, Northern Ireland; at this time, N.I. was about ten years into its thirty years-long Troubles conflict; in this track, the lyrics criticise both the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Army, and U.D.A. / I.R.A. terrorists for their drawn-out war]

The Modernettes: Teen City E.p. [1979]

Sister Sledge: We Are Family [l.p., 1979] Lost in Music [7″ single, 1979]

Chrisma: Hibernation [1979] Chinese Restaurant [1977]

Amii Stewart: Knock on Wood [7″ single, 1979]

Gang of Four: Entertainment! [1979] Solid Gold [1981] Content [2011]

The Flying Lizards: Money [7″ single, 1979]

Suzi Lane: Ooh, La, La [1979]

The Tourists: Reality Effect [1979] Luminous Basement [1980] I Only Want to Be with You [7″ single, 1979; with pre-Eurythmics Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart]

Dynasty: Your Piece of the Rock [1979]

Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick [7″ single, 1978]

The Gap Band: The Gap Band II [1979] The Gap Band III [1980] The Gap Band IV [1982]

M: Pop Muzik [7″ single, 1979]

Kool & The Gang: Ladies’ Night [1979] Celebrate! [1980] Something Special [1981]

The Buggles: Video Killed the Radio Star [7″ single, 1979; the singer is Trevor Horn, who will later produce landmark records by ABC, Dollar, Grace Jones, Pet Shop Boys, Simple Minds, Seal, Marc Almond, t.A.T.u., LeAnn Rimes; less well known, but almost as intricate follow-up: Living in the Plastic Age; 7” single, 1980]

U.K. Subs: Another Kind of Blues [1979] Brand New Age [1980]

The Selecter: On My Radio [7″ single, 1979]

Sparks: No. 1 in Heaven [1979] Hello Young Lovers [2006]

Joe Jackson: I’m the Man [1979] Look Sharp! [1978] Steppin’ Out [7″ single, 1982]

The Specials: The Specials [1979] More Specials [1980]

Roxy Music: Dance Away [7″ single, 1979]

Iggy Pop: New Values [1979] Party [1981] The Idiot [1977]

Anita Ward: Ring My Bell [7″ single, 1979]

Lowlife: Leaders e.p. [1979]

Dave Edmunds: Riff Raff [1984] Information [1983] Girls Talk [7″ single, 1979; written by Elvis Costello, who later recorded it as a B-side]

Betty Wright: Betty Travelin’ in the Wright Circle [1979]

Skids: Scared to Dance [1979] Days in Europa [1979; remixed 1980] Into the Valley [7″ single, 1979]

The Dickies: The Incredible Shrinking Dickies [1979] Dawn of the Dickies [1979] Stukas over Disneyland [1983]

Fischer-Z: Word Salad [1979] The Worker [7″ single, 1979]

Wardell Piper: Wardell Piper [1979]

The Ruts: The Crack [1979] In a Rut [live, 1980]

Minny Pops: Drastic Measures, Drastic Movement [1979] Sparks in a Dark Room [1982]

Toyah: Sheep Farming in Barnet [1979] The Blue Meaning [1980] Love Is the Law [1983] Anthem [1981] The Changeling [1982] Good Morning Universe [7″ single, 1981]

Duffo: Duffo [1979]

Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures [1979] Closer [1980] Substance [1988; recorded 1977-80] She’s Lost Control [live, 1979]

Yachts: Yachts [1979]

The B-52’s: The B-52’s [1979] Wild Planet [1980] Cosmic Thing [1989] Song for a Future Generation [7″ single, 1983]

Fleetwood Mac: Tusk [1979] Rumours [1977]

Sniff ‘n’ The Tears: Driver’s Seat [7″ single, 1979]

The Slits: Cut [1979] Revenge of the Killer Slits e.p. [2002]

The Cure: Seventeen Seconds [1980] Faith [1981] Pornography [1982] Japanese Whispers e.p. [1983] The Top [1984] The Head on the Door [1985] The Walk [7″ single, 1983]

Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables [1980] Plastic Surgery Disasters [1982] Frankenchrist [1985]

Visage: Visage [1980] Demons to Diamonds [2015] Hearts and Knives [2013] Fade to Grey [7″ single, 1980]

A Certain Ratio: The Graveyard and the Ballroom [1980]

Martha & The Muffins: Metro Music [1980] Echo Beach [7″ single, 1980]

Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth [1980]

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark [1980] Organisation [1980] Messages [7″ single, 1980]

KaS Product: Black & Noir [1990; recorded 1980] Try Out [1981] By Pass [1983] TRIBUTE [2022]

Pretenders: Pretenders [1980] Pretenders II [1981] Learning to Crawl [1983] Back on the Chain Gang [7″ single, 1982]

Fad Gadget: Fireside Favourites [1980] Under the Flag [1982]

The Teardrop Explodes: Kilimanjaro [1980] Reward [7″ single, 1981]

Berlin Blondes: Berlin Blondes [1980]

Siouxsie & The Banshees: Israel [7″ single, 1980]

The Beat: I Just Can’t Stop It [1980] Wha’ppen? [1981]

Jona Lewie: Stop the Cavalry [7″ single, 1980]

The Piranhas: The Piranhas [1980]

X.T.C.: Black Sea [1980] Drums and Wires [1979] The Dukes of Stratosphear: Psonic Psunspot [1987] 25 O’Clock e.p. [1985] Making Plans for Nigel; 7″ single, 1979]

Dalek I Love You: Compass Kumpas [1980]

The Bodysnatchers: Let’s Do Rock Steady [7″ single, 1980; The Bodysnatchers recorded two singles and two Radio 1 sessions for John Peel, then split when singer Rhoda Dakar left; upon recruiting a new lead vocalist, Jennie Matthias, the group would find even greater success under a new name: The Belle Stars; if you look carefully, you can see an early, long out-of-date Top of the Pops logo that was in use between 1966 and 1969 to the right of the stage]

Diana Ross: Diana Ross [1980] The Boss [1979]

Killing Joke: Killing Joke [1980] Revelations [1982] Night Time [1985] Love like Blood [7″ single, 1985]

Black Uhuru: Sinsemilla [1980]

Sue Wilkinson: You Gotta Be a Hustler (If You Wanna Get On) [7″ single, 1980; hardcore gangsta rap from the 1980s]

X: Los Angeles [1980] Wild Gift [1981]

The Vapors: Turning Japanese [7″ single, 1980]

The Psychedelic Furs: The Psychedelic Furs [1980]

Split Enz: I Got You [7″ single, 1980]

The Wipers: Is This Real? [1980] Over the Edge [1983]

The Passions: Michael & Miranda [1980] Sanctuary [1982] I’m in Love with a German Film Star [7″ single, 1981]

The Lambrettas: Beat Boys in the Jet Age [1980]

Bauhaus: In the Flat Field [1980] Mask [1981] Bela Lugosi’s Dead [12″ e.p., 1979]

Disco Zombies: South London Stinks [2020; recorded 1978-81]

Motörhead: Essential Noize [2005; recorded 1979-84] Ace of Spades [7″ single, 1980]

Spizzenergi: Do a Runner [1980] Spikey Dream Flower [1981]

Jon & Vangelis: I’ll Find My Way Home [7″ single, 1981]

The Human League: Dare [1981] Hysteria [1984] Travelogue [1980] Reproduction [1979] Secrets [2001] Credo [2011] The Sound of the Crowd [7″ single 1981; with flickering video effects]

ABBA: The Visitors [1981] The Album [1977] The Definitive Collection [2001; recorded 1972-82] Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man after Midnight) [7″ single, 1979]

Squeeze: Big Squeeze [2002; recorded 1978-96] Is That Love? [7″ single, 1981; with flashing video interference effects effects throughout]

Godley & Creme: Under Your Thumb [7″ single, 1981]

Ultravox: All Stood Still [7″ single, 1981]

Melissa: Be My Doctor in Love Affairs [7” single, 1981; Melissa ♥]

Imagination: Body Talk [1981] In the Heat of the Night [1982] Just an Illusion [7″ single, 1982]

Heaven 17: Penthouse and Pavement [l.p., 1981] The Luxury Gap [1983] Temptation [7″ single, 1983; with an uncredited vocal by Carol Kenyon; the music video has a German Expressionist theme, with slanting interior stage sets that seem inspired by a film such as “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”]

New Order: Movement [1981] Power, Corruption and Lies [1983] Technique [1989] Substance [1987; extended mixes and B-sides recorded 1981-87] Blue Monday [12″ single, 1983; this is the group in sound and vision: The Perfect Kiss; 7” single, 1985; the group plays live in the studio in this music video, which is directed by Jonathan Demme, who is most famous as the director of “Silence of the Lambs” six years’ later]

Dollar: Hand Held in Black and White [7″ single, 1981; another perfect pop single written and produced by Trevor Horn: Mirror Mirror (Mon amour); 7″ single, 1981; with flashing images during the first 35 seconds and between 2.00 and 2.15 minutes; the Christmas theme of this video is due to the single’s release date of November 1981: perhaps the group was hoping for a Christmas #1; to their credit, Thereza and David really did jump through a sugar glass window]

Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin: It’s My Party [7″ single, 1981]

Trio: Trio [1981] Trio and Error [1983] Da Da Da (I Don’t Love You You Don’t Love Me Aha Aha Aha) [7″ single, 1982]

Odyssey: I Got the Melody [1981] Hang Together [1980] Odyssey [1977] Going Back to My Roots [7″ single, 1981]

The J. Geils Band: Freeze Frame [1981] Centerfold [7″ single, 1981]

The Go-Go’s: Beauty and the Beat [1981] God Bless the Go-Go’s [2001] Vacation [1982] We Got the Beat [7″ single, 1981; after The Go-Go’s split, Belinda Carlisle’s fantastic first solo single from 1986 is called Mad about You]

Visage: Mind of a Toy [7” single, 1981]

The Cure: Charlotte Sometimes [7″ single, 1981]

Duran Duran: Careless Memories [7″ single, 1981]

Kim Carnes: Bette Davis Eyes [7″ single, 1981; with strobe effects]

The Police: Spirits in the Material World [7″ single, 1981]

Aurra: Send Your Love [1981] A Little Love [1982] Live and Let Live [1983]

Landscape: Einstein a Go-Go [7″ single, 1981; jolly-sounding electropop song about the potential for a nuclear war]

Gina X Performance: Voyeur [1981] Nice Mover [1978]

Tenpole Tudor: Eddie, Old Bob, Dick and Gary [1981] Swords of a Thousand Men [7″ single, 1981]

The Mo-Dettes: The Story So Far [1981]

Bucks Fizz: The Land of Make Believe [7″ single, 1981]

Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls and Marches e.p. [1981]

Hazel O’Connor: Will You? [7″ single, 1981; from Hazel’s fantastic movie, “Breaking Glass”, as is Eighth Day]

The Adicts: Songs of Praise [1981]

Susan Fassbender: Twilight Café [7″ single, 1981]

Department S: Sub-stance [1981]

Bow Wow Wow: See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! [1981] When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going [1983] Your Box Set Pet (The Complete Recordings 1980–1984) [2018] Do You Wanna Hold Me? [7″ single, 1983; Bow Wow Wow managed to get banned from the Top of the Pops studio after only two appearances; this was due to the guitarist, Matthew Ashman, wearing a t-shirt printed with a black and white image of a woman’s naked breasts during a live broadcast of the show; this bit of faux outrage was almost certainly the brainchild of manager Malcolm McLaren; here is the group’s first appearance from four weeks’ earlier: Go Wild in the Country; 7″ single, 1982]

Flue: One and a Half [1981]

Phil Lynott: Yellow Pearl [7″ single, 1981; “it’s Thursday, it’s still number one, it’s Top of the Pops!”; between July 1981 and March 1986, a 15-second edit of Yellow Pearl was the soundtrack to the Top of the Pops opening title (with flashing logo on this, and the next link); this short film describes how the title was made]

Holly and the Italians: The Right to Be Italian [1981]

Yazoo: Don’t Go [7″ single, 1982]

A Flock of Seagulls: I Ran [7″ single, 1982]

ABC: The Lexicon of Love [1982] How to Be a … Zillionaire! [l.p., 1985; with flashing images between 2.20 until 2.37 minutes] Beauty Stab [1983] Alphabet City [1987] The Look of Love (Part One) [7″ single, 1982; with flashing logo for the first 2 seconds; “sisters and brothers should help each other” – the singer is Martin Fry, who is one of my favourite lyricists from this period; Martin delights in wordplay, and has a genuine love of the English language, but his playfulness always has purpose; for me, ABC’s “The Lexicon of Love”, Duran Duran’s “Rio”, and Simple Minds’ “New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)” are the three best albums of the year, and amongst the best of the decade; with a string arrangement by Anne Dudley: All of My Heart; 7″ single, 1982]

Toyah: Brave New World [7″ single, 1982]

Simple Minds: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) [1982] Empires and Dance [1980] Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call [1981] Sparkle in the Rain [1984] Once upon a Time [1985] Good News from the Next World [1995] Graffiti Soul [2009] Big Music [2014] Walk between Worlds [2018] Glittering Prize [7″ single, 1982]

Soft Cell: Say Hello, Wave Goodbye [7″ single, 1982]

Shalamar: Friends [1982] The Look [1983] Three for Love [1980]; A Night to Remember; 7″ single, 1982; the group includes Jeffrey Daniel, who is credited with introducing body-popping to the U.K. after his two solo Top of the Pops appearances promoting this song; the lady singing is Jody Watley, who was desperately unhappy in the group, due in part to her fractious working relationship with the other lead singer, Howard Hewett; after leaving in 1983, Jody found a new sense of purpose later this decade, making some great solo records, and won a Grammy in 1988 for best new artist]

Toto Coelo: Man o’ War [1983] I Eat Cannibals [7″ single, 1982; five beautiful ladies wearing dresses made out of plastic dustbin liners; climbing to #8, this is Toto Coelo’s only U.K. #40 hit, making the group a genuine one-hit wonder, however I really loved the follow-up, which reached #54: Dracula’s Tango (Sucker for Your Love; 7″ single, 1982]

Depeche Mode: Leave in Silence [7″ single, 1982]

Kim Wilde: Child Come Away [7″ single, 1982; flickering acoustic spectrum effects for the first 13 seconds, and from 2.45 minutes until end]

Haircut 100: Pelican West [1982] Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) [7″ single, 1981]

Talk Talk: The Party’s Over [1982] It’s My Life [1984] Talk Talk [7″ single, 1982]

Toni Basil: Word of Mouth [1981] Toni Basil [1983] Mickey [7″ single, 1982]

Toto: Africa [7″ single, 1982]

Japan: Cantonese Boy [7″ single, 1982]

David Essex: Me and My Girl (Nightclubbing) [7″ single, 1982]

Robert Palmer: Some Guys Have All the Luck [7″ single, 1982]

Madness: One Step Beyond [1979] Absolutely [1980] Seven [1981] Rise and Fall [1982] Mad Not Mad [1985] Our House [7″ single, 1982]

The Jam: Town Called Malice [7″ single, 1982; “… what’s the point in saying destroy, I want a new life for everywhere …” – Paul Weller a.k.a. God]

Altered Images: See Those Eyes [7″ single, 1982]

The Belle Stars: The Clapping Song [7″ single, 1982]

Carly Simon: Why? [7” single, 1982; transferred from a damaged V.H.S. tape, with flickering drop-outs at 1.15, 2.45, 2.56, and 2.59 minutes, for 1 second]

The Dots: Helen in Your headphones [7″ single, 1982; this super-fun single reached U.K. #96; from what I have read, this may be the only record ever released by The Dots; in a more perfect world, this would have been #1]

Au Pairs: Sense and Sensuality [1982] Playing with a Different Sex [1981]

Nicole: Ein bißchen Frieden [7″ single, 1982; this year’s Eurovision winner, sung by Nicole Hohloch, representing Germany; when Nicole performed her song at the closing ceremony of the contest, she made a spontaneous decision to sing parts of the song in four different languages: German, French, Dutch, and English; she was just seventeen at the time; this is close to the full English version that was #1 in the U.K. for two weeks following the contest: A Little Peace; 7″ single, 1982]

Sad Lovers & Giants: Epic Garden Music [1982] Feeding the Flame [1983] The Mirror Test [1987]

Mobiles: Mobiles [1982] Drowning in Berlin [7″ single, 1981]

Berlin: Pleasure Victim [1982]

Evelyn King: Get Loose [1982] I’m in Love [1981] Smooth Talk [1977] Love Come Down [7″ single, 1982]

Thomas Dolby: The Golden Age of Wireless [1982]

Monsoon: Ever So Lonely [7″ single, 1982]

The 39 Clocks: Subnarcotic [1982] Paint It Dark [1981]

Mari Wilson: Just What I Always Wanted [7″ single, 1982]

Our Daughter’s Wedding: Moving Windows [1982]

Junior: Mama Used to Say [7″ single, 1982]

Modern Art: Underwater Kites [1982]

Fat Larry’s Band: Zoom [7″ single, 1982]

Rational Youth: Cold War Night Life [1982]

Daryl Hall & John Oates: Maneater [7″ single, 1982]

British Electric Foundation: Music of Quality & Distinction [1982]

Dionne Warwick: Heartbreaker [7″ single, 1982]

Blitz: Voice of a Generation [1982] Second Empire Justice [1983]

Missing Persons: Spring Session M [1982] Rhyme & Reason [1984] Dreaming [2020] Destination Unknown [7″ single, 1982]

Fear: The Record[1982]

Steve Miller Band: Abracadabra [7″ single, 1982]

Elisa Waut: Elisa Waut [1982]

Eurythmics: Love Is a Stranger [7″ single, 1982]

Devo: Oh, No! It’s Devo [1982]

Billy Idol: White Wedding (Part One) [7″ single, 1982]

Kid Creole & The Coconuts: Tropical Gangsters [1982]

Blancmange: Happy Families [1982] Mange Tout [1984] Living on the Ceiling [7″ single, 1982]

Michael Jackson: Thriller [1982] Off the Wall [1979]

The Maisonettes: Heartache Avenue [7″ single, 1982]

Sharon Redd: Redd Hott [1982]

Bardo: One Step Further [7″ single, 1982; Sally Ann Triplett ♥]

Mick Karn: Titles [1982]

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts: I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll [7″ single, 1982]

Modern English: After the Snow [1982] Ricochet Days [1984]

China Crisis: Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms [1982] Working with Fire and Steel [1983] Flaunt the Imperfection [1985] Tragedy and Mystery [7″ single, 1983]

Prince Charles & The City Beat Band: Stone Killers [1982] Combat Zone [1984]

Before we continue to the next section, let’s have a short commercial break; here are three visually stunning television adverts that were on the box at about this time: Wrangler: What’s Going On? [1982] Maxell: Break the Sound Barrier [1982] Lee Cooper: Don’t Be a Dummy [1978; the figure in the Maxell advert is Peter Murphy, who is the singer with Bauhaus; the voice in the Lee Cooper commercial is Gary Numan]

The 39 Clocks: Subnarcotic [1982] Paint It Dark [1981]

Yazoo: Nobody’s Diary [7″ single, 1983; this year, 1983, is my favourite individual year in music, followed by 1982, 1984, and then 1979]

Tears for Fears: The Hurting [1983] Songs from the Big Chair [1985] Raoul and the Kings of Spain [1995] Shout [7″ single, 1984]

Tears for Fears [ii]: Change [7″ single, 1983] Pale Shelter [7″ single, 1983]

The Belle Stars: Sign of the Times [7″ single, 1983]

Thompson Twins: Quickstep and Sidekick [1983] Into the Gap [1984] A Product of … Participation [1981] Set [1982] Babble: Ether [1996] The Stone [1993] Tom Bailey: Science Fiction [2018] Lies [7″ single, 1982]

Eurythmics: Touch [1983] Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) [1983] Be Yourself Tonight [1985] In the Garden [1981] Who’s That Girl? [7″ single, 1983]

Kissing the Pink: Naked [1983] Certain Things Are Likely [1986] The Last Film [7″ single, 1983]

Wham!: Fantastic [1983] Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) [7″ single, 1983]

The Police: Every Breath You Take [7″ single, 1983]

Annabel Lamb: Riders on the Storm [7″ single, 1983]

Ultravox: We Came to Dance [7″ single, 1983]

Midge Ure & Mick Karn: After a Fashion [7″ single, 1983; with occasional flash transition effects; one-off team up between Midge Ure from Ultravox and Japan’s bass guitarist Mick Karn]

Indeep: Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life [7″ single, 1983]

Simple Minds: Waterfront [7″ single, 1983]

Simple Minds [ii]: Don’t You (Forget about Me) [7″ single, 1985] All the Things She Said [7″ single, 1986; with flickering digital star-field background throughout] Sweat in Bullet [7″ single, 1981]

Cyndi Lauper: She’s So Unusual [1983] A Night to Remember [1989] Girls Just Want to Have Fun [7″ single, 1983]

Lionel Richie: Can’t Slow Down [1983] All Night Long (All Night) [7″ single, 1983]

Eddy Grant: Killer on the Rampage [1982] Can’t Get Enough [1981] Electric Avenue [7″ single, 1983; written in part about the 1981 Brixton race riots]

Donna Summer: She Works Hard for the Money [7″ single, 1983]

Nick Heyward: North of a Miracle [1983] Whistle down the Wind [7″ single, 1983; this was intended as the first single of 1983 for Haircut 100, with whom Nick was the singer and primary songwriter; Nick found the band’s sudden success and the focus on himself as a heartthrob highly stressful and became extremely depressed; the response of the rest of the band was to throw him out of the group, as they now considered him to be a bit of a drag (there wasn’t much awareness of mental health in those days); Nick’s terrific debut solo album gives a hint of how a second Haircut 100 album might have sounded had he stayed]

Rick Springfield: Human Touch [7″ single, 1983; I recently re-watched all 103 episodes of “The Six Million Dollar Man” and all 60 episodes of “The Bionic Woman” … yes, it’s not only music from the 1970s that I like, it’s films, television, fashions too … anyway, saddo that I am, I recognised Rick working as an actor in a 1977 episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man”, and also in a 1978 story from “Battlestar Galactica”, and two from the late ‘70s “Wonder Woman” T.V. series]

Pat Benatar: Love Is a Battlefield [7″ single, 1983]

Billy Joel: Uptown Girl [7″ single, 1983; the lady in the video is Christie Brinkley, who was one of the world’s best known supermodels at this time]

Cabaret Voltaire: The Crackdown [1983] Micro-Phonies [1984] Drinking Gasoline e.p. [1985] Just Fascination [7″ single, 1983; another slightly unnerving video: Sensoria; 7″ single, 1984; with flickering television interference effects for the first 30 seconds, and some time-lapse images at intervals throughout]

Carmel: The Drum Is Everything [1984] Everybody’s Got a Little … Soul [1987] Bad Day [7″ single, 1983; with a superb live vocal by Carmel McCourt]

Peter Schilling: Error in the System [1983] Things to Come [1985] Major Tom (Coming Home) [7″ single, 1983; these two albums are English language editions of Peter’s original German records “Fehler im System” and “120 Grad”]

New Order: Confusion [12″ single, 1983]

Missing Persons: Walking in L.A. [7″ single, 1983; recorded live at the U.S. Festival]

Spandau Ballet: True [l.p, 1983] Parade [1984] Gold [7″ single, 1983]

U2: War [1983] The Joshua Tree [1987] Sunday Bloody Sunday [live, 1983; from the concert film and V.H.S. & Betamax home videocassette “Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky”; originally from “War”, as is my favourite song by U2: New Year’s Day; 7″ single, 1983; with flickering explosion effects]

White Door: Windows [1983]

A Flock of Seagulls: Listen [1983] A Flock of Seagulls [1982] Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) [7″ single, 1982]

Fun Boy Three: Waiting [1983] The Colourfield: Virgins and Philistines [1985]

Bonnie Tyler: Total Eclipse of the Heart [7″ single, 1983]

Re-Flex: The Politics of Dancing [1983]

Kajagoogoo: White Feathers [1983] Islands [1984] Too Shy [7″ single, 1983]

Anne Clark: Changing Places [1983]

Central Line: Nature Boy [7″ single, 1983]

Blue Zoo: Two by Two [1983]

Tracey Ullman: Breakaway [7″ single, 1983]

Genesis: Genesis [1983] Invisible Touch [1986]

Tracie: Far from the Hurting Kind [1984] The House That Jack Built [7″ single, 1983]

Paul Haig: Rhythm of Life [1983]

Altered Images: Pinky Blue [1982] Happy Birthday [l.p., 1981] Bite [1983] Mascara Streakz [2022] I Could Be Happy [7″ single, 1982]

Herbie Hancock: Future Shock [1983] Sound-System [1984]

Paul Young: No Parlez [1983] The Secret of Association [1985] Love of the Common People [7″ single, 1982]

The Glove: Blue Sunshine [1983]

Mary Jane Girls: Mary Jane Girls [1983] Only Four You [1985] In My House [7″ single, 1985]

Nona Hendryx: Nona [1983]

Big Country: The Crossing [1983] Steeltown [1984] In a Big Country [7″ single, 1983]

Pulsallama: Pulsallama [2020; live studio recording from 1983]

Irene Cara: Flashdance … What a Feeling [7″ single, 1983; from the movie “Flashdance”; Irene also had an unexpected U.K. #1 the previous year in 1982 with her fantastic theme from another film: “Fame”; rest in peace, beautiful Irene]

René & Angela: Rise [1983]

The Rock Steady Crew: (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew [7″ single, 1983; strobe lights feature prominently in this clip, including an extended strobe section starting at 2.53 minutes until end]

The Farmer’s Boys: Get out and Walk [1983]

ABC: That Was Then but This Is Now [7″ single, 1983; flickering video effect starting at 3.16 minutes until end]

Mtume: Juicy Fruit [1983]

Men without Hats: Rhythm of Youth [1982] The Safety Dance [7″ single, 1983]

Syreeta: The Spell [1983]

Rufus & Chaka Khan: Ain’t Nobody [7″ single, 1983]

ZZ Top: Eliminator [1983]

The Pointer Sisters: Break Out [1983] So Excited! [1982] Automatic [12″ single, 1984]

Culture Club: Colour by Numbers [1983] Kissing to Be Clever [1982]

S.O.S. Band: Just Be Good to Me [7″ single, 1983]

Divinyls: Desperate [1983]

Madonna: Madonna [1983] Like a Virgin [1984] True Blue [1986] Ray of Light [l.p., 1998; with frequent flashing images] Beautiful Stranger [5″ c.d.s., 1999]

Billy Bragg: Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy e.p. [1983] Between the Wars e.p. [1985] Brewing Up with Billy Bragg [1984]

Xmal Deutschland: Fetisch [1983] Tocsin [1984] Viva [1987] Devils [1989] Incubus Succubus II [7″ single, 1983; flickering, super-damaged V.H.S. transfer]

Xmal Deutschland [ii]: Mondlicht [from “Tocsin”; translates to ‘moonlight’] Augen-blick [from “Tocsin”; translates to ‘constantly’ or ‘at any time’]

Gleaming Spires: Walk on Well Lighted Streets [1983]

Depeche Mode: Construction Time Again [1983] Some Great Reward [1984] Black Celebration [1986] Music for the Masses [1987] Violator [1990] Playing the Angel [2005] Speak & Spell [1981] A Broken Frame [1982] Ultra [1997] Get the Balance Right [7″ single, 1983]

Depeche Mode [ii]: New Life [7″ single, 1981; with flickering oscilloscope effects; this is Depeche Mode’s first appearance on Top of the Pops; within three years, the group will go from bouncy to glum: Blasphemous Rumours; 7″ single, 1984; the lyrics of “Blasphemous Rumours” discuss suicide from the point-of-view of a mother who is angry at God for having let her daughter die; as such, self-harm is a prominent theme, and also some of the song-words may upset a person with strong religious conviction]

R.e.m.: Murmer [1983] Reckoning [1984] Fables of the Reconstruction [1985] Life’s Rich Pageant [1986] Document [1987] Green [1988] Out of Time [1991]

Echo & The Bunnymen: Ocean Rain [1984] Crocodiles [1980] Heaven up Here [1981] Porcupine [1983] Echo & The Bunnymen [1987] Reverberation [1990] Ian McCulloch: Candleland [1989] Electrafixion: Burned [1995] Never Stop [7″ single, 1983]

Lloyd Cole & The Commotions: Rattlesnakes [l.p., 1984] Easy Pieces [1985] Lloyd Cole [1990] Don’t Get Weird on Me Babe [1991] Perfect Skin [7″ single, 1984; with strobe effects from 2.27 until 2.34 minutes]

The Smiths: The Smiths [1984] The Queen Is Dead [l.p., 1986; with frequent flashing images throughout this short film, and strong suicide references in the lyrics to the second of three songs starting at 6.27 until 10.28 minutes] Strangeways, Here We Come [1987] Louder than Bombs [1987; U.S. B-sides compilation] How Soon Is Now? [7″ single, 1985]

Frank Chickens: We Are Frank Chickens [1984]

Bangles: All over the Place [1984] Different Light [1986] Everything [1988] Sweetheart of the Sun [2011] Bangles e.p. [1982] Manic Monday [7″ single, 1986]

Prince & The Revolution: Purple Rain [1984] 1999 [l.p., 1982] Controversy [1981] Dirty Mind [1980] Prince [1979] Parade [1986] Sign “☮︎” the Times [1987] Raspberry Beret [7″ single, 1985]

Sheila E.: The Glamorous Life [l.p., 1984] Romance 1600 [1985] Sheila E. [1987] A Love Bizarre [7″ single, 1985]

Malaria!: Compiled 1981-84 [2001; Malaria!’s early vinyl releases issued on CD]

Howard Jones: Human’s Lib [1984] Dream into Action [1985] What Is Love? [7″ single, 1983; Howard’s music combines the latest electronics of the day with philosophical lyrics that reflect his Buddhist beliefs: New Song; 7″ single, 1983]

Sade: Diamond Life [1984] Promise [1985] Stronger than Pride [1988] Your Love Is King [7″ single, 1984; the music video for Sade’s next single has Amanda Pays in it!: Smooth Operator; 7″ single, 1984]

Nik Kershaw: Human Racing [l.p., 1984; with flashing video effects] The Riddle [l.p, 1984] Dancing Girls [7″ single, 1984]

Krystol: Gettin’ Ready [1984]

Bryan Adams: Reckless [1984] Run to You [7″ single, 1984]

S.P.K.: Machine Age Voodoo [1984] Metal Dance [7″ single, 1983]

Kim Wilde: Teases & Dares [1984] Kim Wilde [1981] Catch as Catch Can [1983] Select [1982] Another Step [1986] Closer [2025] Kids in America [7″ single, 1981; Kim made a really terrific album this year; from it, this is one of the harshest and most cold and icy examples of electro-funk I’ve ever heard:The Second Time; 7″ single, 1984; with strobe editing effects for the first 7 seconds]

The Icicle Works: The Icicle Works [1984]

Alison Moyet: Alf [1984] The Minutes [2013] Other [2017] Love Resurrection [7″ single, 1984; Alison’s first solo single after Yazoo]

Billy Idol: Rebel Yell [1984] Eyes without a Face [7″ single, 1984]

Shannon: Let the Music Play [l.p., 1984] Do You Wanna Get Away? [1985] Sash! featuring Shannon: Move Mania [5” c.d.s., 1998; with flickering time-lapse images]

Sylvester: M-1015 [1984]

Laura Branigan: Self Control [7″ single, 1984; also love Gloria from 1982; with strobe effects]

Nena: Nena [1983] Fragezeichen [1984] 99 Red Balloons [7″ single, 1984; English translation of 99 Luftballons, which was a Europe-wide hit a year earlier in 1983; Gabriele Kerner ♥]

Alphaville: Forever Young [1984] Afternoons in Utopia [1986] Big in Japan [7″ single, 1984]

The Mighty WAH!: A Word to the Wise Guy [1984]

David Sylvian: Brilliant Trees [1984] Secrets of the Beehive [1987] Forbidden Colours [7″ single, 1983; with Ryuichi Sakamoto; David’s first single after leaving Japan]

David Sylvian [ii]: Red Guitar [7″ single, 1984]

David Sylvian [iii]: The Ink in the Well [7″ single, 1984]

The Higsons: The Curse of The Higsons [1984]

The Stranglers: Skin Deep [7″ single, 1984; let’s quickly rewind 4 years: Who Wants the World?; 7″ single, 1980]

Level 42: Hot Water [7″ single, 1984]

Blancmange: Don’t Tell Me [7″ single, 1984; with strobe effects]

Dali’s Car: The Waking Hour [1984]

Thompson Twins: Lay Your Hands on Me [7″ single, December 1984; this is how the group looked and sounded at the start of the year: Doctor! Doctor!]

Bananarama: Bananarama [1984] True Confessions [1986] Drama [2005] Viva [2009] In Stereo [2019] Masquerade [2022] Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) [7″ single, 1983]

Red Guitars: Slow to Fade [1984] Good Technology [7″ single, 1983]

Indians in Moscow: Indians in Moscow [1984]

Maria Vidal: Body Rock [7″ single, 1984]

Dead or Alive: Sophisticated Boom Boom [1984] Youthquake [1985] You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) [7″ single, 1984; with flashing mirror ball effects]

Billy Ocean: Suddenly [l.p., 1984] Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) [7” single, 1984; with LASER effects and an extended strobe section starting at 2.30 minutes until 3.02]

Swans Way: The Fugitive Kind [1984]

Alvin Stardust: I Won’t Run Away [7″ single, 1984; relatively rare to hear a pop song about the subject of commitment in a relationship; during the 1970s, Alvin helped to keep a generation of children safe while crossing the road]

Cocteau Twins: Garlands [1982] Head over Heels [1983] Treasure [1984] Pearly Dewdrops’ Drops [7″ single, 1984]

This Mortal Coil: Song to the Siren [7″ single, 1983; Elizabeth Fraser sings with Cocteau Twins]

Prefab Sprout: Swoon [1984] Steve McQueen [1985]

BBC News 1984-10-23: this is Michael Buerk’s television news report about the famine affecting Ethiopia during 1983-84; among the millions watching was The Boomtown Rats’ singer Bob Geldof and his partner, music journalist Paula Yates, who were both galvanised into action: within six weeks, Band Aid’s single was written (together with Midge Ure from Ultravox), recorded and mixed in 24 hours with about 40 of the best known musicians of the time, and in the shops for the public to buy; Bob’s original aim was to raise about £70,000 for famine relief, but instead the single raised over £8 millions, with a further £150 millions generated the following year at the Live Aid concerts]

Band Aid: Do They Know It’s Christmas? [7″ single, 1984; this was #1 for five weeks over Christmas, and was for many years the highest-selling single in the U.K. with 3.8 millions sold, a record it held until 1997; it was #1 in at least 16 countries around the world; if you have been watching some of the videos on this page, you may have already seen many of the faces in the crowd: Jody Watley, Duran Duran, Bananarama, Paul Young, Spandau Ballet, George Michael from Wham!, Midge Ure and Chris Cross from Ultravox, Glenn Gregory and Martyn Ware from Heaven 17, Bono and Adam Clayton from U2, Paul Weller ex of The Jam, and Sting ex of The Police]

Band Aid [ii]: The Story of the Official Band Aid Video [videocassette, 1984; this behind-the-scenes film has footage from Sarm West recording studio and interviews with some of the participants; part of the legacy of Band Aid is it inspired a generation of musicians to become involved in activism, such as U.S.A. for Africa, Artists United Against Apartheid, Amnesty International’s ‘A Conspiracy of Hope’ tour, and later its The Human Rights Concerts, and Dionne Warwick’s taboo-breaking U.S. #1 raising money for AIDS research: That’s What Friends Are For; 7″ single, 1985]

Fiat Lux: Hired History [1984]

Propaganda: A Secret Wish [1985] Outside World [2002; remixes and B-sides from 1984-85] Noise and Girls Come Out to Play [2012; remixes and B-sides from 1984-85] Act: Laughter, Tears and Rage [1988] Claudia Brücken: Love: And a Million Other Things [1991] Beginn [2018] Onetwo: Instead [2007] p:Machinery [7″ single, 1985]

Scritti Politti: Cupid and Psyche ’85 [1985] Provision [1988] Hypnotize [7″ single, 1984]

Haywoode: Arrival [1985] Roses: Remixes & Rarities [2018] Roses [7″ single, 1985]

Ruth: Polaroïd/Roman/Photo [1985]

Suzanne Vega: Suzanne Vega [1985] Solitude Standing [1986] 99.9F° [1992] Nine Objects of Desire [1996] Left of Center [7″ single, 1986]

a-ha: Hunting High and Low [1985] The Sun Always Shines on T.V. [7″ single, 1985]

Eurythmics: Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves [7″ single, 1985; duet with Aretha Franklin]

‘Til Tuesday: Voices Carry [1985]

Robert Palmer: Clues [1980] Secrets [1979] Double Fun [1978] Riptide [1985] Pride [1983] Sneakin’ Sally through the Alley [1974] Pressure Drop [1975] Some People Can Do What They Like [1976] Heavy Nova [1988] Best of Both Worlds [7″ single, 1978]

Robert Palmer [ii]: Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor) [7″ single, 1979] Johnny & Mary [7″ single, 1980] Addicted to Love [7″ single, 1986]

The Power Station: The Power Station [1985] Some like It Hot [7″ single, 1985; this year, Duran Duran decided to experiment with career suicide by breaking into two new groups for a year; Simon, Nick, and Roger formed a group called Arcadia, which built on the atmospheric, ethereal elements of Duran Duran, while bass guitarist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor created a heavy mix of funk and rock as The Power Station, named after the New York studio in which the group recorded, together with singer and stylistic chameleon Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson from Chic playing drums; none of the three Taylors in Duran Duran are related!; the video features Tula, who was fairly well known as a glamour model in the 1980s; Tula was born male, and was one of the first to discuss her transition surgery publicly, including on chat shows such as Russell Harty’s evening t.v. show (this is the same series on which the often rude Harty was famously beaten up by Grace Jones); this is The Power Station’s second single: Get It On (Bang a Gong); 7″ single, 1985]

The Bolshoi: Giants [1985] Friends [1986] Lindy’s Party [1987] Country Life [1988]

Sting: The Dream of the Blue Turtles [1985] … Nothing like the Sun [1987] Russians [7″ single, 1985; cold war theme taken from Sting’s debut solo album, “The Dream of the Blue Turtles”; Sting is, of course, the singer and primary songwriter with The Police; the following song is taken from Sting’s second album, “… Nothing like the Sun”, written about the disappeared in Chile (under the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, many thousands of Chilean nationals were murdered by the state; in this song, the female partners and loved ones related to the dead protest these murders by dancing alone in the streets, holding a photograph of their dead loved one): They Dance Alone (Cueca solo); 7″ single, 1988]

The Style Council: Our Favourite Shop [1985] The Singular Adventures of The Style Council [1989]

Princess: Princess [1985] Say I’m Your Number 1 [7″ single, 1985]

The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy [1985] Darklands [1987] Automatic [1989]

Level 42: World Machine [1985] Running in the Familyy [l.p., 1987] Standing in the Light [1983] True Colours [1984] The Pursuit of Accidents [1982] Level 42 [1981] The Sun Goes Down (Livin’ It Up) [7″ single, 1983]

New Model Army: No Rest for the Wicked [1985] Vengeance [1984] The Ghost of Cain [1986] Thunder & Consolation [1989]

King: Bitter Sweet [1985] Steps in Time [1984] Love & Pride [7″ single, 1984; better still: The Taste of Your Tears; 7” single, 1985]

Moral Support: Insanity [1985]

The Cult: Love [1985] Electric [1987] Sonic Temple [1989] She Sells Sanctuary [7″ single, 1985; from the same year: Rain]

André Cymone: A.C. [1985] Livin’ in the New Wave [1982]

The Damned: The Shadow of Love [7″ single, 1985]

Cherrelle: High Priority [1985] Fragile [1984]

Jennifer Rush: The Power of Love [7″ single, 1985; Jennifer is the first woman in British chart history to attain a million-selling single; “The Power of Love” is co-written by Jennifer, and is the highest-selling single of the year, and the ninth best-selling of the entire decade]

The Dazz Band: Hot Spot [1985]

Marillion: Fugazi [1984] Kayleigh [7″ single, 1985]

Play: Red Movies [1985]

Colonel Abrams: Trapped [7″ single, 1985]

10,000 Maniacs: The Wishing Chair [1985] In My Tribe [1987] Blind Man’s Zoo [1989] Secrets of the I Ching [1983]

Strawberry Switchblade: Strawberry Switchblade [1985] Since Yesterday [7″ single, 1984; with flickering animation effects]

Big Audio Dynamite: This Is Big Audio Dynamite [1985] No. 10, Upping St. [1986]

Duran Duran: A View to a Kill [live, 1985; angry performance of the current U.S. #1, raising funds to fight famine in Africa at the first Live Aid; the group was fragmented into two disparate factions at this time, and in fact two members left over the next twelve months: this is the last performance of the original line-up for nearly twenty years]

Latin Quarter: Modern Times [1985]

Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms [l.p., 1985; with flickering charcoal animation effects throughout] Dire Straits [1978] Communiqué [1979] Money for Nothing [7″ single, 1985; with video interference effects from 2.43 until 2.48 minutes; co-written by Sting, who also sings guest backing vocals: “I Want My M.T.V.”; this is probably my favourite from the group: Sultans of Swing; 7″ single, 1978]

Delmonas: Dangerous Charms [1985]

Erasure: Wonderland [1986] The Circus [l.p., 1987] The Innocents [1988] Wild! [1989] Chorus [l.p., 1991] I Say I Say I Say [1994] Oh l’amour [7″ single, 1986; the moody figure playing synths in these videos is Vince Clarke, who was once Depeche Mode’s main songwriter until he left the group after its first album to create a new duo with Alison Moyet called Yazoo, who made three of my favourite singles of 1982-83; this is the third, Yazoo’s debut single: Only You; 7″ single, 1982]

Pet Shop Boys: Please [1986] Actually [1987] Behaviour [1990] Disco [remixes of first four singles and two B-sides, 1986] Heart [7″ single, 1988; my favourite P.S.B. single; if you listen to just one album from 1986, try “Please”]

The Blow Monkeys: Animal Magic [1986] She Was Only a Grocer’s Daughter [1987]

The The: Infected [1986] Mindbomb [1989] Soul Mining [1983] Uncertain Smile [7″ single, 1983]

Koo dé Tah: Koo dé Tah [1986] Too Young for Promises [7″ single, 1986; Koo dé Tah never had much chart success outside its native Australia / New Zealand; this is a great shame, as for me, singer Tina Cross has one of the most extraordinary voices I’ve ever heard; let’s listen to another from the group: Think of Me; 7″ single, 1986]

Katrina and the Waves: Waves [1986] Katrina and the Waves II [1984] Walking on Sunshine [1983] https://k2s.cc/file/ab16b5d47e966?site=vipergirls.to
Peter Gabriel: So [1986] Peter Gabriel III [1980] Peter Gabriel IV [1982] Peter Gabriel [1977] Games without Frontiers [7″ single, 1980; with almost undetectable backing vocals by Kate Bush, who is heard much more prominently on this disc from 1986: Don’t Give Up]

Kim Wilde: You Keep Me Hanging On [7″ single, 1986]

Dee C. Lee: Shrine [1986]

Bruce Hornsby & The Range: The Way It Is [7″ single, 1986]

Five Star: Silk & Steel [1986] Luxury of Life [1985] The Slightest Touch [7″ single, 1987; with flickering plasma effects]

Anita Baker: Rapture [1986]

World Party: Ship of Fools [7″ single, 1986]

Nu Shooz: I Can’t Wait [7″ single, 1986; the first sampling synthesisers, such as the Fairlight CMI from 1979, cost around $30,000, however by the mid 1980s, this technology had become much more affordable, with a cost of around $2,000; this enabled a new generation of musicians to experiment with new sounds that had never really been heard in music before]

Go West: Go West [1986]

Vicious Pink: Vicious Pink [1986] West View [2022; compilation of early vinyl releases and demos recorded circa 1982-85] Take Me Now [7″ single, 1986; Vicious Pink Phenomena (the group’s original name) is well known to fans of Soft Cell, as Josephine and Brian sang backing vocals on Soft Cell’s debut album “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”, including on songs such as “Seedy Films”, “Entertain Me”, and “Chips on My Shoulder”]

Bananarama: Venus [7″ single, 1986]

Donna Allen: Perfect Timing [1986]

Furniture: The Wrong People [1986] Brilliant Mind [7″ single, 1986]

Paul Simon: Graceland [1986]

Stacey Q: Better than Heaven [1986] Two of Hearts [7″ single, 1986]

That Petrol Emotion: Manic Pop Thrill [1986]

Janet Jackson: Control [1986] Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 [l.p., 1989; with strobe effects] The Velvet Rope [1997] The Pleasure Principle [7″ single, 1987]

Run-DMC: Raising Hell [1986] Run-DMC [1984]

Steve Winwood: Back in the High Life [1986] Roll with It [1988] Arc of a Diver [1980] Higher Love [7″ single, 1986; Steve’s daughter, Lilly Winwood, recorded her own version of “Higher Love”, together with her father playing piano and singing backing vocals; for me, the true beauty of the song is revealed for the first time in Lilly’s version]

Hipsway: Hipsway [1986]

Doctor & The Medics: Laughing at the Pieces [1986] Spirit in the Sky [7″ single, 1986; with complex repeating patterns]

Stan Ridgway: The Big Heat [1986]

We’ve Got a Fuzzbox and We’re Gonna Use It: Bostin’ Steve Austin [1986] Fuzzbox: Big Bang! [1989] International Rescue [7″ single, 1989; Fuzzbox also recorded a typically unparalleled, one-of-a-kind interpretation of Spirit in the Sky]

Julian Cope: Saint Julian [1987] My Nation Underground [1988] Peggy Suicide [1991] Interpreter [1996] Jehovahkill [1992] World Shut Your Mouth [1984] Fried [1984]

The Sisters of Mercy: Floodland [1987] First and Last and Always [1985] Vision Thing [1990] Some Girls Wander by Mistake [1992; compilation of early singles and e.p.s from 1980-83] This Corrosion [7” single, 1987; how beautiful is Patricia Morrison … Dominion; 7” single, 1988; still my favourite: Temple of Love; 7″ single, 1983]

The Pastels: Up for a Bit With … [1987]

Belinda Carlisle: The Best of Belinda, Volume 1 [1992; recorded 1987-91] Heaven Is a Place on Earth [7″ single, 1987]

Joyce Sims: Come into My Life [1987]

Swing Out Sister: It’s Better to Travel [1987] Surrender [7″ single, 1987]

Madame X: Madame X [1987]

Pebbles: Pebbles [1987] Mercedes Boy [7″ single, 1988; with flash photography effects; U.S. #5: Girlfriend; 7″ single, 1987; Perri Arlette Reid ♥]

George Michael: Faith [1987] Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 [1990] Older [1996]

Midnight Oil: Diesel and Dust [1987] Beds Are Burning [7″ single, 1987]

Pepsi & Shirlie: All Right Now [1987]

Scarlet Fantastic: No Memory [unreleased demo, 1986; with strobe effects; to my ears, the group’s original demo is much punchier than the re-recorded 7″ mix that was a top thirty hit eventually, a year later]

Exposé: Exposure [1987]

Hue & Cry: Seduced and Abandoned [1987] Labour of Love [7″ single, 1987; one of several anti-Margaret Thatcher anthems on this page, such as “Never Stop” by Echo & The Bunnymen, “Pills and Soap” by The Imposter a.k.a. Elvis Costello, and also most of the lyrics during the verses of “Shout” by Tears for Fears]

Public Image Ltd.: Happy? [1987] Compact Disc [1986]

Mel & Kim: F.L.M. [1987] Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend) [7″ single, 1986; Mel died far too young at 23 due to pneumonia as a complication of her cancer treatment; together with her sister, Kim, she achieved a U.K. #1 with her next single: Respectable; 7” single, 1987; with camera flash effects]

The Housemartins: The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death [1987] London 0 Hull 4 [1986]

Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction: Tattooed Beat Messiah [1987] … High Priest of Love [1986] I Am Rock [2002] Prime Mover [7″ single, 1987]

Black: Wonderful Life [1987]

Taja Sevelle: Taja Sevelle [1987] Love Is Contagious [7″ single, 1987]

William Orbit: Orbit [1987]

Sinéad O’Connor: The Lion and the Cobra [1987] Fire on Babylon [7″ single, 1994; after Sinéad’s recent death, I was reminded of a song she recorded in 1992 with Jah Wobble, who once played bass with Public Image Ltd., called Visions of You; this wasn’t a big hit (#35), but is one of my favourites of the year]

The Christians: The Christians [1987]

Jody Watley: Jody Watley [1987] Larger than Life [1989] Still a Thrill [7″ single, 1987]

Living in a Box: Living in a Box [1987] Gatecrashing [1989]

Tiffany: I Think We’re Alone Now [7″ single, 1987; Tiffany was only sixteen when this became a U.S. and U.K. #1 in 1987 and 1988; she built her initial fanbase by playing mini-concerts at shopping malls across America; 32 years’ later, Tiffany recorded a new version of her song, which I like even better: I Think We’re Alone Now; streaming single, 2019]

Wet Wet Wet: Popped in Souled Out [1987]

Westworld: Where the Action Is [1987] Sick Cool [2018] Sonic Boom Boy [7″ single, 1987]

Curiosity Killed the Cat: Keep Your Distance [1987]

M|A|R|R|S: Pump Up the Volume [7″ single, 1987]

Wendy & Lisa: Wendy & Lisa [1987] Fruit at the Bottom [1989] Eroica [1990]

Brenda Russell: Get Here [1988] Piano in the Dark [7″ single, 1988]

Judith Hill: Golden Child [1988]

The Adventures: The Sea of Love [1988] Broken Land [7″ single, 1988; The Adventures is a group from Northern Ireland, here writing about its experience of the Troubles]

Pixies: Surfer Rosa [1988] Doolittle [1989]

The Primitives: Lovely [1988] Pure [1989] Spin-o-rama [2014] Crash [7″ single, 1988]

The Mission: Children [1988] God’s Own Medicine [1986]

All about Eve: All about Eve [1988] Scarlet and Other Stores [1989] Ultraviolet [1992] Martha’s Harbour [7″ single, 1988; with an electrifying live vocal by Julianne Regan; All about Eve also has a rockier side, which when combined with Julianne’s poetic lyrics creates a really unique sound: Road to Your Soul; 7″ single, 1989]

Was (Not Was): What Up, Dog? [1988]

Enya: Orinoco Flow [7″ single, 1988]

Voice of the Beehive: Let It Bee [1988] Honey Lingers [1991]

Tanita Tikaram: Ancient Heart [1988] Twist in My Sobriety [7″ single, 1988]

The Proclaimers: Sunshine on Leith [1988] This Is the Story [1987]

Eighth Wonder: Fearless [1988] I’m Not Scared [7″ single, 1988; written and produced by Pet Shop Boys, who also recorded the song later in the year on the “Introspective” album]

Tracy Chapman: Tracy Chapman [1988] Crossroads [1989]

Jane Wiedlin: Fur [1988] Rush Hour [7″ single, 1988; another adorable ex-member of The Go-Go’s; Jane is the co-writer of “Our Lips Are Sealed” with Terry Hall of Fun Boy Three; both groups recorded a version of the song, one bright and cheery, the other much more subdued]

The Wedding Present: George Best [1988] Bizarro [1989]

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians: Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars [1988] Ghost of a Dog [1990] What I Am [7″ single, 1988]

The Sugarcubes: Life’s Too Good [1988]

Martika: Martika [1988] Martika’s Kitchen [1991] I Feel the Earth Move [7″ single, 1989]

Johnny Hates Jazz: Turn Back the Clock [1988]

Ofra Haza: Shaday [1988] Desert Wind [1989] Im Nin’alu [7″ single, 1988]

The Bolshoi: Country Life [1988]

Fairground Attraction: Perfect [7″ single, 1988]

Mica Paris: So Good [1988]

Yazz & The Plastic Population: Wanted [1988] The Only Way Is Up [7″ single, 1988]

Everything but the Girl: Idlewild [1988]

Neneh Cherry: Raw like Sushi [1989] Homebrew [1992] Man [1996] Kisses on the Wind [7″ single, 1989; in 1990, with no effective medication in sight to mitigate against the effects of AIDS, Neneh contributed to a benefit album called “Red Hot + Blue”, which was put together to help raise awareness of this disease, and funds to combat it; the album also features U2, Thompson Twins, Erasure, Jody Watley, Annie Lennox from Eurythmics, Debbie Harry from Blondie, David Byrne from Talking Heads, and many others: this is Neneh’s terrific recording from the album: I’ve Got U Under My Skin; 7″ single, 1990]

Matrimony: Kitty Finger [1989]

The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses [1989] Second Coming [1994] Turns into Stone [1992; early non-album singles and B-sides, recorded 1988-90] Fools Gold [7″ single, 1989]

Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine [1989] The Downward Spiral [1994] Hesitation Marks [2013]

Transvision Vamp: Velveteen [1989] Pop Art [1988] Little Magnets versus the Bubble of Babble [1991] Baby I Don’t Care [7″ single, 1989]

David Byrne: Rei Momo [1989]

The Darling Buds: Pop Said [1989] Crawdaddy [1990] You’ve Got to Choose [7″ single, 1989]

The Wonder Stuff: Hup [1989] The Eight Legged Groove Machine [1988]

Desireless: François [1989]

Technotronic (feat. Ya Kid K): Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over) [7″ single, 1989]

Inner City: Paradise [1989]

Paula Abdul: Straight Up [7″ single, 1989]

Area: Between Purple and Pink [1989]

The Beloved: Happiness [1990] Conscience [1993] Hello [7″ single, 1990; with strobe effects; hello to a new decade]

Electribe 101: Electribal Memories [1990] Electribal Soul [2022]

Betty Boo: Boomania [1990] Grrr! It’s Betty Boo [1992] Where Are You Baby? [7″ single, 1990; much more of a mellow sound on Betty’s second album: Let Me Take You There; 7″ single, 1992]

Deee-lite: World Clique [1990] Infinity Within [1992]

Cathy Dennis: Move to This [1990] Touch Me (All Night Long) [7″ single, 1991]

Joe Strummer: Earthquake Weather [1989] Global a Go-Go [2001]

Alannah Myles: Black Velvet [7″ single, 1990]

The Charlatans: Some Friendly [1990] Up to Our Hips [1994]

Inspiral Carpets: Life [1990] Revenge of the Goldfish [1992] She Comes in the Fall [7″ single, 1990; with strobe effects]

River City People: Say Something Good [1990] This Is the World [1991]

Blue Pearl: Naked [1990] Naked in the Rain [7″ single, 1990; Blue Pearl is singer Durga McBroom, and Youth, who plays bass with Killing Joke; (Can You) Feel the Passion?; 7″ single, 1991]

James: Gold Mother [1990] Strip-Mine [1988]

Zoë: Sunshine on a Rainy Day [7″ single, 1991]

Seal: Seal [1991] Seal [1994]

Nirvana: Nevermind [1991] In Utero [1993] MTV Unplugged in New York [1994] Lithium [7″ single, 1992; with strobe effects]

Spin Doctors: Pocket Full of Kryptonite [1991]

Sophie B. Hawkins: Tongues and Tails [1992] Whaler [1994] Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover [7″ single, 1992]

Annie Lennox: Diva [1992]

Rozalla: Everybody’s Free [l.p., 1992; with strobes and LASER effects] Look No Further [1994] Are You Ready to Fly? [7″ single, 1992; flickering video effects for first eight seconds]

The Astronauts: Upfront and Sideways [1992]

PJ Harvey: Dry [1992] To Bring You My Love [1995] Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea [2000] Rid of Me [l.p., 1993] 4-Track Demos [1993] Is This Desire? [1998] Good Fortune [5″ c.d.s., 2000]

Morrissey: Your Arsenal [1992] Kill Uncle [1991] Viva Hate [1988] Southpaw Grammar [1995] Maladjusted [1997] You Are the Quarry [2004] Bona Drag [1990; non-album singles and B-sides 1987-90] The Last of the Famous International Playboys [7″ single, 1989]

Des’ree: Mind Adventures [1992] I Ain’t Movin’ [l.p., 1994; with occasional text flash-frames] Supernatural [1998] Feel So High [7″ single, 1992; always beautiful spiritual music from Des’ree; You Gotta Be; live, 1998]

Paul Weller: Paul Weller [1992] Wild Wood [1993] Stanley Road [1995]

Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes [1992] Under the Pink [1994] Boys for Pele [1996] From the Choirgirl Hotel [1998] Past the Mission [7″ single, 1994]

The Lightning Seeds: Sense [1992] Cloudcuckooland [1990] Jollification [1994]

En Vogue: Funky Divas [1992] Born to Sing [1990] EV3 [1997] My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It) [7″ single, 1992]

Daniel Ash: Foolish Thing Desire [1992] Coming Down [1991] Freedom I Love [2017]

Vanessa Williams: Save the Best for Last [7″ single, 1992]

Jade: Jade to the Max [1992]

Opus III: It’s a Fine Day [7″ single, 1992]

Kingmaker: Sleepwalking [1993] Eat Yourself Whole [1991] In the Best Possible Taste [1995] Everything Changed 1991-95 [2020, all three albums, plus radio sessions, and many, many, many B-sides]

SNAP! (feat. Summer): Welcome to Tomorrow [7″ single, 1994]

Toni Braxton: Toni Braxton [1993] Secrets [1996]

Corona: The Rhythm of the Night [7″ single, 1994]

Juliana Hatfield: Become What You Are [1993] Only Everything [1995] Julia’s Pony: Total System Failure [2000] Some Girls: Feel It [2003] Crushing Love [2006] Universal Heart-Beat [5″ c.d.s., 1995]

The Cranberries: Everybody Else Is Doing It, so Why Can’t We? [1993] No Need to Argue [1994] To the Faithful Departed [1996] Bury the Hatchet [1999] Wake Up and Smell the Coffee [2001] Zombie [7″ single, 1994]

Hole: Live Through This [1994] Celebrity Skin [l.p., 1998] Nobody’s Daughter [2010] Violet [7″ single, 1994; with flashing images]

Blur: Modern Life Is Rubbish [1993] Parklife [1994] The Great Escape [1995] Leisure [1991] There’s No Other Way [7″ single, 1991; with strobe effects from 3:07 to end; incidentally, my favourite ever recording by Blur is a long-lost B-side, the Beagle 2 Remix of “Far Out”]

Oasis: Definitely Maybe [1993] (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? [1995] Be Here Now [1997] Standing on the Shoulder of Giants [2000] Familiar to Millions [live, 2000] D’You Know What I Mean? [5″ c.d.s., 1997]

Gabrielle: Dreams [7″ single, 1993]

Slant 6: Soda Pop * Rip Off [1994] Inzombia [1995]

Liz Phair: Whip-Smart [1994] Juvenilia [1995] Exile from Guyville [1993] Whitechocolatespaceegg [1998] Liz Phair [2003] Somebody’s Miracle [2005] Soberish [2021] Supernova [7″ single, 1994; with strobe effects; as you can probably guess, the censored word from the second verse is “f#!*”]

Portishead: Dummy [1994] Portishead [1997] Third [2008]

N-Trance: Set You Free [7″ single, 1994; with flashing images]

Echobelly: Everyone’s Got One [1994] On [1995]

Garbage: Garbage [1995] Version 2.0 [1998] Only Happy When It Rains [5″ c.d.s., 1995]

Elastica: Elastica [1995; this is my favourite album of the Britpop era] Connection [7″ single, 1994; from the following year: Waking Up]

No Doubt: Tragic Kingdom [1995] Rock Steady [2001] Return of Saturn [2000] Hella Good [5″ c.d.s., 2002]

Joan Osborne: Relish [1995]

Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories: Tails [1995] Stay (I Missed You) [7″ single, 1994]

Salad: Drink Me [1995] Ice Cream [1997] Singles Bar [1995] Motorbike to Heaven [live, 1995; this is my favourite single of the Britpop era]

Sleeper: Smart [1995] The It Girl [1996] Pleased to Meet You [1997] The Modern Age [2019] Inbetweener [live, 1995]

Ash: 1977 [1995] Free All Angels [2001]

Helium: The Dirt of Luck [1995] The Magic City [1997] Pirate Prude e.p., [1994] No Guitars e.p. [1997] Superball [5″ c.d.s., 1995]

Throwing Muses: University [1995] Limbo [1996]

Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill [1995] Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie [1998] So-Called Chaos [2004] Head over Feet [5″ c.d.s., 1996]

The Corrs: Forgiven, Not Forgotten [1995] Talk on Corners [1997] In Blue [2000] Radio [5″ c.d.s., 1999]

Klark Kent (a.k.a. Stewart Copeland, who plays drums with The Police): Kollected Works [1995; recorded 1978-86] Don’t Care [7″ single, 1978; that’s Sting playing bass guitar wearing a gorilla mask!]

Menswear: Nuisance [1995]

Republica: Republica [1996] Speed Ballads [1998] Ready to Go [5″ c.d.s., 1996]

Sheryl Crow: Sheryl Crow [1996] Tuesday Night Music Club [1993] The Globe Sessions [1998] C’mon C’mon [2002] Wildflower [2005] My Favorite Mistake [5″ c.d.s., 1998]

Sheryl Crow [ii]: Steve McQueen [5″ c.d.s., 2002] If It Makes You Happy [5″ c.d.s., 1996; with flash effects]

Space: Spiders [1996]

Fiona Apple: Tidal [1996] When the Pawn Hits … [1999] Extraordinary Machine [2005] The Idler Wheel … [2012] Sleep to Dream [5″ c.d.s., 1996]

Lush: Lovelife [1996] Split [1994] Spooky [1992] Scar [1989] Topolino [1998, B-sides compilation] 500 (Shake Baby Shake) [5″ c.d.s., 1996; Lush had two singles that reached #21 this year; this is the first, from January: Single Girl; 5″ c.d.s., 1996; with some camera flashes]

Kula Shaker: K [1996] Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts [1999] Strangefolk [2007] Pilgrim’s Progress [2010] K 2.0 [2016] The Jeevas: 1-2-3-4! [2002] Cowboys and Indians [2003]

Sneaker Pimps: Becoming X [1996] Bloodsport [2002] Splinter [1999] 6 Underground [5″ c.d.s., 1996]

Babylon Zoo: The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes [1996]

All Saints: All Saints [1997] Saints & Sinners [2000] Studio 1 [2006] I Know Where It’s At [5″ c.d.s., 1997; third of five British number ones: Pure Shores; 5″ c.d.s., 2000]

Mariah Carey: Butterfly [1997] MTV Unplugged e.p. [1992]

Olive: Extra Virgin [1997] You’re Not Alone [5″ c.d.s., 1997; with flash editing effects]

The Donnas: American Teenage Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine [1998] Spend the Night [2002] Gold Medal [2004]

Destiny’s Child: Destiny’s Child [1998] The Writing’s on the Wall [1999] Survivor [2002] Beyoncé: Dangerously in Love [2003] B-Day [2006] I Am … Sasha Fierce [2008] Independent Women (Part One) [5″ c.d.s., 2000]

The Cardigans: Gran Turismo [1998] Super Extra Gravity [2005] Long Before Daylight [2003]

Shania Twain: Up! [Red Version, 2003] Come On Over [International Version, 1999] That Don’t Impress Me Much [5″ c.d.s., 1998; the Dance Mix that was a lead single in the U.K. and elsewhere internationally is by far my preferred version]

Black Box Recorder: England Made Me [1998] The Facts of Life [2000] Sarah Nixey: Sing, Memory [2011]

The Tamperer (feat. Maya): Feel It [5″ c.d.s., 1998]

Dido: No Angel [1999] Life For Rent [2003] Safe Trip Home [2008] Girl Who Got Away [2013]

B*Witched: C’est la vie [5″ c.d.s., 1998; ultimate guilty pleasure]

Suede: Head Music [1999] Coming Up [1996] Suede [1993] Dog Man Star [1994] Sci-fi Lullabies [1997; B-sides compilation] Metal Mickey [7″ single, 1992; five years’ later, my favourite single by Suede: Filmstar; 5″ c.d.s., 1997; with strobe effects]

Wamdue Project: King of My Castle [5″ c.d.s., 1999; with flash editing effects]

Kelis: Kaleidoscope [1999] Tasty [2003]

Nelly Furtado: Whoa, Nelly! [2000] Loose [2006] Turn Off the Light [5″ c.d.s., 2000]

Freezepop: Freezepop Forever [2000] Future Future Future Perfect [2007] Fancy Ultra-fresh [2004] Imaginary Friends [2010] Fantasizer [2020]

Mary Timony: Mountains [2000] Wild Flag [2011, as a member of the group Wild Flag] Autoclave [1997, as a member of the group Autoclave] It’s Real [2019, with Ex Hex] Rips [2014, with Ex Hex] Romance [live, 2011; Mary Timony is the singer and primary songwriter with the group Helium during the 90s; she often includes super-complex guitar patterns together with elements of medieval music in her songwriting for an unusual clash of ancient and modern]

P!nk: Can’t Take Me Home [2000] Missundaztood [2001] Try This [2003]

Christina Milian: Christina Milian [2001] When You Look at Me [5″ c.d.s., 2001]

Regina Spektor: 11:11 [2001] Soviet Kitsch [2003]

Shakira: Laundry Service [2001] She Wolf [2009] Whenever, Wherever [5″ c.d.s., 2001]

Hooverphonic: Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane [2002] The President of the LSD Golf Club [2007] A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular [1996] The Magnificent Tree [2000] Sit Down and Listen to [2003] Blue Wonder Power Milk [1998] Geike Arnaert: For the Beauty of Confusion [2011]

Christina Aguilera: Stripped [2002] Back to Basics [2006] Bionic [2010] Fighter [5″ c.d.s., 2003]

Ms. Dynamite: A Little Deeper [2002]

Sugababes: Overloaded: The Singles Collection [2006] Round Round [5″ c.d.s., 2002; earlier this year, Sugababes sampled “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” on the brilliant Freak like Me]

Holly Valance: Footprints [2002] State of Mind [2003]

Morcheeba: Charango [2002] Skye Edwards & Ross Godfrey: Skye | Ross [2016]

Appleton (a.k.a. Nicole and Natalie from All Saints): Fantasy [5″ c.d.s., 2003]

Butterfly Boucher: Flutterby [2003] Butterfly Boucher [2012]

CLIENT: Client [2003] Heartland [2007] Command [2009] City [2004] Zerox Machine [5″ c.d.s., 2007; with strobe effects]

ADULT.: Anxiety Always [2003] Gimmie Trouble [2005] Why Bother? [2007] The Way Things Fall [2013] Resuscitation [2001] This Behavior [2018]

Metric: Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? [2003] Fantasies [2009] Live It Out [2005] Synthetica [2012] Pagans in Vegas [2015] Art of Doubt [2018] Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton: Choir of the Mind [2017] Youth without Youth [5″ c.d.s., 2012]

Natasha Bedingfield: Unwritten [2004] N.B. [2007] Strip Me [2010]

Goldfrapp: Supernature [2005] Black Cherry [2003] Head First [2010] Alison Goldfrapp: The Love Invention [2023] Ride a White Horse [5″ c.d.s., 2006]

Invisible Ballet: Escaping Light [2005]

ANNIE: Anniemal [2005] Chewing Gum [5″ c.d.s., 2005]

Ciara: The Evolution [2006] Fantasy Ride [2009] Basic Instinct [2010]

Bat for Lashes: Fur & Gold [2006] Two Suns [2009] What’s a Girl to Do? [5″ c.d.s., 2006]

Salon Boris: I Am the Drug [2006]

Janelle Monáe: Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase) e.p. [2007] The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III) [2010] The Electric Lady [2013] Dirty Computer [2018] Cold War [5″ c.d.s., 2010]

Róisín Murphy: Overpowered [2007]

Emmon: The Art & the Evil [2007] Closet Wanderings [2009] Nomme [2011] Distance [5″ c.d.s., 2011; with flickering film effects throughout]

Dragonette: Galore [2007] Fixin’ to Thrill [2009]

The Veronicas: Hook Me Up [2007] The Secret Life of … [2005]

Katy Perry: One of the Boys [2008] Teenage Dream [2010] Prism [2013] Hot ‘n’ Cold [5″ c.d.s., 2008]

Santigold: Santogold [2008] Master of My Make-Believe [2012]

Parralox: Electricity [2008] State of Decay [2009] Metropolis [2010] Isn’t It Strange? [5″ c.d.s., 2010]

Emily Jane White: Dark Undercoat [2008] Ode to Sentience [2010] Blood Lines [2013] They Moved in Shadow All Together [2016]

Solange Knowles: Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams [2008]

Lykke Li: Youth Novels [2008] Wounded Rhymes [2011] I Never Learn [2014]

Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster [2009] Born This Way [l.p., 2011; with strobe effects] Bad Romance [5″ c.d.s., 2009]

Noisettes: Wild Young Hearts [2009] What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf? [2007]

La Roux: La Roux [2009] Trouble in Paradise [2014] Supervision [2020] Kiss and Not Tell [5″ c.d.s., 2014; with occasional flickering television interference effects from 3.21 minutes until end]

Lily Allen: It’s Not Me, It’s You [2009] Alright Still [2006]

Ellie Goulding: Bright Lights [2010] Halcyon [2012] Delirium [2015] Brightest Blue [2020] Burn [5″ c.d.s., 2013]

Florence + The Machine: Lungs [2010] How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful [2015]

Little Boots: Hands [2010] Tomorrow’s Yesterdays [2022] Arecibo e.p. [2008] Illuminations e.p. [2009] Remedy [5″ c.d.s., 2009; with occasional rapid-editing effects; this is my favourite single of the 21st century]

Tracey Thorn: Love and Its Opposite [2010] Record [2018] Out of the Woods [2007]

Ke$ha: Animal [2010] Warrior [2012] Cannibal e.p. [2010] Take It Off [5″ c.d.s., 2010]

The Hundred in the Hands: The Hundred in the Hands [2010] Red Night [2012]

Ambra Red: Electronic Creations for Special People [2010] Oh Boy [from “Electronic Creations for Special People”; one of the best electronic albums I’ve ever heard … please make another record, Ambra Red]

Xenia Beliayeva: Ever Since [2010] Riss [2018]

Natalia Kills: Perfectionist [2011] Trouble [2013] Mirrors [5″ c.d.s., 2010]

Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi [2011] One Breath [2013]

Dum Dum Girls: Only in Dreams [2011] Too True [2014] Kristin Kontrol: X-Communicate [l.p., 2016]

Poly Styrene: Generation Indigo [2011]

Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles II (Big Day Out Edition) [2010/11] Crystal Castles III [2012] Crystal Castles [2008] Alice Practice e.p. [2006] Celestica [5″ c.d.s., 2010]

Birdy: Birdy [2011] Fire Within [2013] Beautiful Lies [2016]

Zowie: Love Demolition [2012] My Calculator [5″ c.d.s., 2012]

Lana Del Rey: Born to Die [2012] Ultraviolence [2014] Lust for Life [2017]

Linea Aspera: Linea Aspera [2012] LP II [2020] Decoherence [streaming single from “LP II”; with flickering video effects]

Def Neon: Def Neon [2013]

The Hearing: Dorian [2013] Adrian [2016] Backwards [5″ c.d.s., 2016]

Charli XCX: True Romance [2013] Sucker [2014]

Vierance: Vierance e.p. [2013] Semblance e.p. [2014] Revalation [5″ c.d.s., 2013; with strobe effects]

Nik West: Just in the Nik of Time [2013]

CHVRCHES: The Bones of What You Believe [2013] Love Is Dead [2018] Screen Violence [2021] Lies [5″ c.d.s., 2013; with strobe effects]

Tomorrow’s World: Tomorrow’s World [2013]

Brody Dalle: Diploid Love [2014] Spinnerette [2009] Don’t Mess with Me [5″ c.d.s., 2014]

TEEN: The Way & Color [2014] Love, Yes [2016]

Tove Lo: Queen of the Clouds [2014] Talking Body [5″ c.d.s., 2015; with strobe effects]

St. Vincent: St. Vincent [2014] Masseduction [2017]

Kyla La Grange: Cut Your Teeth [l.p., 2014] Ashes [2012]

Keluar: Keluar [2014] Panguna e.p. [2015]

Void Vision: Sub Rosa [2014] Shari Vari e.p. [2014] The Source [from “Sub Rosa”; with strobe effects]

Electric Youth: Innerworld [2014]

Taylor Swift: 1989 [2014] Reputation [2017] The Tortured Poets Department [2024] Look What You Made Me Do [5″ c.d.s., 2017; with strobe effects]

Kitten: Kitten [2014]

Gold Zebra: Gold Zebra [2014] Drift Away [5″ c.d.s., 2014]

Gazelle Twin: Unflesh [2014]

Grimes: Art Angels [2015] Visions [2012] Miss Anthropocene [2020] Oblivion [5″ c.d.s., 2012; with strobe effects]

Say Lou Lou: Lucid Dreaming [2015]

Minuit Machine: Violent Rains [2015] Live & Destroy [2014] Infrarouge [2019] 24 heures [2022] Blue Moon e.p. [2013] Agoraphobia [from “Blue Moon”; with strobe effects]

Pale Honey: Pale Honey [2015]

Dear Rouge: Black to Gold [l.p., 2015] Phases [2018] Boys & Blondes [5″ c.d.s., 2017]

YACHT: I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler [2015] Chain Tripping [2019] See Mystery Lights [2009] Shangri-La [2011]

Meg Myers: Sorry [2015] Take Me to the Disco [2018] Make a Shadow e.p. [2014] Heart Heart Head [5″ c.d.s., 2013]

Steph Copeland: Public Panic [2015]

Teeth & Tongue: Give Up on Your Health [2016] Tambourine [2010]

Ari Mason: Creatures [2016] Neuropathy [2014] Musica Lunae [2017] Wanted: Songs of Desire e.p. [2014]

Olympia: Self Talk [2016]

Tancred: Out of the Garden [2016] Tancred [2013]

Sexy Suicide: Intruder [2016]

Savages: Adore Life [2016] Silence Yourself [2013] Husbands [from “Adore Life”]

Beau: That Thing Reality [2016]

The Pirouettes: Carrément carrément [l.p., 2016] Monopolis [2018] L’importance des autres e.p. [2014] L’escalier [from “Carrément carrément”; with strobe effects for 3 seconds starting at 2.40 to 2.43 mins; title translates to ‘the staircase’]

Mesa: Loner [2016]

Vallens: Consent [2016] In Era [2021] Tennessee Haze [from “Consent”; with flickering V.H.S. effects]

Sad13: Slugger [2016]

Esperanza Spalding: Emily’s D+Evolution [2016] Radio Music Society [2012]

Bleached: Welcome the Worms [2016] Ride Your Heart [2013]

AURORA: All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend [2016]

Hollie Stephenson: Hollie Stephenson [2016]

Tarja Turunen: The Shadow Self [2016] The Brightest Void [2016]

Burning Hearts: Battlefields [2017] Extinctions [2012] Aboa Sleeping [2009] Modern Times [from “Extinctions”; with strobe effects; another favourite: Folie à deux from “Battlefields”; English translation: ‘a madness shared by two’]

Adaline: Aquatic [2017] Modern Romantics [2011] Dear Illusion, [2020]

Bamboo: The Dragon Flies Away [2017] Daughters of the Sky [2019] Prince Pansori Priestess [2015] Always Running [from “The Dragon Flies Away”; with strobe effects]

Pumarosa: The Witch [2017]

Furniteur: Perfect Lavender [2017]

La Féline: Triomphe [2017] Adieu l’enfance [2014]

Lorde: Melodrama [2017] Pure Heroine [2013]

Gel Set: Body Copy [2017]

Amber Coffman: City of No Reply [2017]

Charlotte Gainsbourg: Rest [2017] 5:55 [2007]

Sneaks: It’s a Myth [2017] Gymnastics [2016]

Anna of the North: Lovers [2017] Dream Girl [2019]

Eivør Pálsdóttir: Slør [2017] Bridges [2015]

Chelsea Wolfe: Hiss Spun [2017] Abyss [2015]

Amy O: Elastic [2017]

Kite Base: Latent Whispers [2017] Transition [from “Latent Whispers”]

222: I’m Not Trying to Be You … [2017]

Alice Jemima: Alice Jemima [2017] Everything Changes [2020] Dodged a Bullet [from “Alice Jemima”]

My Gold Mask: Anxious Utopia [2017]

Pixx: The Age of Anxiety [2017] Small Mercies [2019] Fall In e.p. [2015] Waterslides [from “The Age of Anxiety”]

CLAVVS: World Underwater [2017] halfblood [2016] Feel It [2015] No Saviors e.p. [2019]

Mari Kattman: Stay Up [2018] Hover [2016] eat. e.p. [2020] drink. e.p. [2020] I Can’t e.p. [2021] Is It Really That Bad? e.p. [2022] In the Dark [from “Stay Up”]

Starcrawler: Starcrawler [2018]

Zaki Ibrahim: The Secret Life of Planets [2018]

Tess Roby: Beacon [2018]

L’Impératrice: Matahari [2018]

Anna Burch: Quit the Curse [2018]

Tiny Deaths: Magic [2018]

New Haunts: Worlds Left Behind [2018]

Watoo Watoo: Modern Express [2018]

Wild Moccasins: Look Together [2018]

A-Vox: Not Afraid [2018]

Kellarissa: Ocean Electro [2018]

Wume: Towards the Shadow [2018]

Mikaela Davis: Delivery [2018]

Vive la Void: Vive la Void [2018]

Gulp: All Good Wishes [2018]

Night Club: Scary World [2018] Requiem for Romance [2016]

Laura Carbone: Empty Sea [2018] Sirens [2015]

Mai Lan: Autopilote [2018]

Our Girl: Stranger Today [2018]

Brigitte Laverne: Wasted [2018]

The Breeders: All Nerve [2018] Cannonball [7″ single, 1993; ; with flickering video effects]

Mecha Maiko: Mad but Soft [2018]

Speedy Ortiz: Twerp Verse [2018] Foil Deer [2015]

ALEX & Megan McDuffee: Hero [2018]

Phantastic Ferniture: Phantastic Ferniture [2018]

Vital Idles: Left Hand [2018]

Tamaryn: Dreaming the Dark [2019]

Pure Bathing Culture: Night Pass [2019]

Ioanna Gika: Thalassa [2019]

Patience: Dizzy Spells [2019] Veronica Falls: Veronica Falls [2011] Waiting for Something to Happen [2013]

Blood Red Shoes: Get Tragic [2019]

Hante.: Fierce [2019] Her Fall and Rise [2014] This Fog That Never Ends [2016] Between Hope & Danger [2017]

Boy Harsher: Careful [2019] Yr Body Is Nothing [2016] Lesser Man e.p. [2014] Country Girl e.p. [2017]

Trixie Whitley: Lacuna [2019]

International Teachers of Pop: International Teachers of Pop [2019]

Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? [2019] dont smile at me e.p. [2017]

Carla dal Forno: Look Up Sharp [2019] Top of the Pops [2018]

Hana: Hanadriel [2019]

Rocketship: Thanks to You [2019]

Hurtling: Future from Here [2019]

Amy O: Shell [2019] Elastic [2017]

Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation: Sacred Dreams [2019] Mirage [2016]

The Bowdashes: Bouquet [2020] Grandeur [from “Bouquet”]

Retirement Party: Runaway Dog [2020]

Jetstream Pony: Jetstream Pony [2020] Worthless [from “Jetstream Pony”]

Cindy: I’m Cindy [2020]

Sorry: 925 [2020] Anywhere but Here [2022] Twixtustwain e.p. [2021] Right Round the Clock [from “925”; rapid editing effects starting at 2.04 minutes for 6 seconds; see if you can spot the two Tears for Fears album covers on display near the end of the video]

Anastasia Minster: Father [2020]

Es: Less of Everything [2020] Chemical [from “Less of Everything”]

Joy Downer: Paper Moon [2020]

Jennifer Touch: Behind the Wall [2020] Chemestry [from “Behind the Wall”]

Mint Julep: Stray Fantasies [2020] Broken Devotion [2016]

Varsity: Fine Forever [2020] Runnaway [from “Fine Forever”; with flickering V.H.S. video effects]

Sofie: Cult Survivor [2020]

Jessie Ware: What’s Your Pleasure? [2020] Soul Control [from “What’s Your Pleasure?”; with flickering LASER effects throughout]

White Poppy: Paradise Gardens [2020]

Lithics: Tower of Age [2020] Borrowed Floors [2016] Mating Surfaces [2018] Hands [from “Tower of Age”]

Sofie: Cult Survivor [2020]

Locate S,1 (a.k.a. Christina Schneider): Personalia [2020] Healing Contest [2018] Wicked Jaw [2023] Owe It 2 the Girls [from “Personalia”; flickering television effects throughout this video]

Night Glitter: Night Glitter [2020]

Public Practice: Gentle Grip [2020] Compromised [from “Gentle Grip”]

Wood River: More than I Can See [2020]

Why Bonnie: Wish on the Bone [2024] 90 in November [2022] Voice Box [e.p., 2020]

Worriers: You or Someone You Know [2020] Survival Pop [2017]

NINA: Synthian [2020] Sleepwalking [2018] The Beginning e.p. [2021] Nina Boldt & Ricky Wilde: Scala Hearts [2023] Automatic Call [from “Synthian”]

Nadine Shah: Kitchen Sink [2020] Holiday Destination [2017] Fast Food [2015]

High Waisted: Sick of Saying Sorry [2020] Modern Love [from “Sick of Saying Sorry”]

Katie Von Schleicher: Consummation [2020]

Melenas: Dias raros [2020] Melenas [2017] Ahora! [2023] Ya no me importa [streaming single, 2019; translates to ‘I don’t care any more’]

Σtella (a.k.a. Stella Chronopoulou) The Break [2020] Works for You [2017] Up and Away [2022]

Jordana: Something to Say to You [2020] Face the Wall [2022] Lively Premonition [2024] Big [from “Something to Say to You”; with flashing images]

Peaking Lights: E S C A P E [2020] The Fifth State of Consciousness [2017] Cosmic Logic [2014]

Sophie Hunger: Halluzinationen [l.p., 2020] Molecules [2018] Everything Is Good [from “Halluzinationen”]

Hayley Williams: Petals for Armor [2020]

Echoberyl: The Awakening of a Mutant Girl [2020] A Prey [from “The Awakening of a Mutant Girl”; my favourite electronic album of the year]

Hazel English: Wake UP! [2020] Just Give In / Never Going Home [2017] Shaking [from “Wake UP!”, my favourite album of 2020; my favourite sound from the album is Combat]

FRITZ: Pastel [2021] Die Happily [from “Pastel”; with flickering V.H.S. video effects]

Charlotte Wessels: Tales from Six Feet Under [2021] Soft Revolution [from “Tales from Six Feet Under”]

Goat Girl: On All Fours [2021] Goat Girl [2018] The Man [from “Goat Girl”]

GHLOW: Slash and Burn [2021] Not Fit for This [from “Slash and Burn”; with flickering video effects]

Freelove Fenner: The Punishment Zone [2021] Do Not Affect A Breezy Manner [2013] In The Bottle Garden [2009] In the Sound [from “Do Not Affect a Breezy Manner”]

Anna Fox Rochinski: Cherry [2021] Everybody’s Down [from “Cherry”]

Linn Koch-Emmery: Being the Girl [2021] Hologram Love [from “Being the Girl”]

Jane Inc.: Number One [2021] Faster than I Can Take [2022] Gem [from “Number One”]

KANGA: You and I Will Never Die [2021] Under Glass [2023] Eternal Daughter [2019] KANGA [2016] Godless [from “You and I Will Never Die”]

Meggie Lennon: Sounds from Your Lips [2021] Night Shift [from “Sounds from Your Lips”; with strobe effects]

Jane Weaver: Flock [2021] Modern Kosmology [2017] The Silver Globe [2014] The Amber Light [2015] Loops in the Secret Society [2019] The Architect e.p. [2017] Slow Motion [from “Modern Kosmology”]

Fine Place: This New Heaven [2021] Cover Blind [from “This New Heaven”; with strobe effects]

Fuzzy Lights: Burials [2021] Maiden’s Call [from “Burials”; complex rapid editing effects starting at 4.51 mins]

Judith Hill: Baby, I’m Hollywood! [l.p., 2021]

Ships in the Night: Latent Powers [2021] Myriologues [2017] Ships in the Night e.p. [2014] Dark Places” [from “Myriologues; with strobes and flickering images]

LoneLady: Former Things [2021] Hinterland [2015] Bunkerpop [from “Hinterland”]

Taraka Larson: Welcome to Paradise Lost [2021] Prince Rama: Xtreme Now [2016] Psychocastle [from “Welcome to Paradise Lost”; strobes from 2.51 mins]

Allie Crow Buckley: Moonlit and Devious [2021] Utopian Fantasy [2023] Nothing Sacred [from “Moonlit and Devious”]

Pencey Sloe: Neglect [2022] Don’t Believe, Watch Out [2019] Pencey Sloe e.p. [2017] All O.K. [from “Don’t Believe, Watch Out”]

True Lilith: Celestopia [2022] Alienation [from “Celestopia”]

Mightmare: Cruel Liars [2022] Enemy [from “Cruel Liars”; with strobe effects; Mightmare is Sarah Shook’s solo project]

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers: Nightroamer [2022] Years [2018] Talkin’ to Myself [from “Nightroamer”]

Weyes Blood: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow [2022] Titanic Rising [2019] Front Row Seat to Earth [2016] It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody [from “And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow”]

Josie Pace: IV0X10V5 [2022] Battleground [from “IV0X10V5”; with strobe effects]

Crystal Eyes: The Sweetness Restored [2022] Wishes [from “The Sweetness Restored”]

pearly: Silver of the Mirror [2022] Prettydarksexymusic e.p. [2020] Puppy [streaming single, 2020]

Warpaint: Radiate like This [2022] The Fool [2010] Warpaint [2014] Heads Up [2016] Exquisite Corpse e.p. [2009] Shadows e.p. [2011] jennylee: Right On! [2015] Heart Tax [2022; Jenny plays bass guitar with Warpaint] Burgundy [from “Exquisite Corpse”]

Oceanator: Nothing’s Ever Fine [2022] Things I Never Said [2020] January 21st [from “Things I Never Said”]

Intergalactic Lovers: Liquid Love [2022] Exhale [2017] Little Heavy Burdens [2014] Greetings & Salutations [2011] Delay [from “Greetings & Salutations”]

No Swoon: Take Your Time [2022] Again [from “Take Your Time”]

Reptaliens: Multiverse [2022] VALIS [2019] FM-2030 [2017] Wrestling e.p. [2020] Take It [from “Multiverse”; flickering V.H.S. effects throughout this video]

VERO: Unsoothing Interior [2022] BEG! [from “Unsoothing Interior” with flickering projection effects]

Unusual Architecture: Backwards [2022] Satellite [from “Backwards”; with flashing images]

Christin Nichols: I’m Fine [2022] Neon [from “I’m Fine”]

Molly Nilsson: Extreme [2022] These Things Take Time [2008] Europa [2009] Follow the Light [2010] History [2011] The Travels [2013] Zenith [2015] Imaginations [2017] Twenty-Twenty [2018] Days of Dust [from “Twenty-Twenty”]

Cannons: Fever Dream [2022] Heartbeat Highway [2023] Shadows [2019] Night Drive [2017] In a Heartbeat e.p. [2018] Hurricane [from “Fever Dream”]

Sinead O’Brien: Time Bend and Break the Bower [2022] GIRLKIND [from “Time Bend and Break the Bower”]

Dubstar: Two [2022] One [2018] Disgraceful [1995] You Were Never in Love [from “Two”; the singer is the fantastic Sarah Blackwood a.k.a. Client B, who together with Kate Holmes a.k.a. Client A, created CLIENT, who made some of my favourite electronic music of the past twenty years; my favourite single by the ‘90s incarnation of Dubstar is Not So Manic Now]

Rosalie Cunningham: Two Piece Puzzle [2022] Rosalie Cunningham [2019] To Shoot Another Day [2024] Purson: Desire’s Magic Theatre [2016] The Circle & the Blue Door [2013] Ride on My Bike [from “Rosalie Cunningham”]

Mitski Miyawaki: Laurel Hell [2022] Be the Cowboy [2018] Bury Me at Makeout Creek [2014] The Land Is Inhospitable and so Are We [2023] Puberty 2 [2016] Lush e.p. [2012] Retired from Sad, New Career in Business e.p. [2013] Washing Machine Heart [from “Be the Cowboy”]

Goodnight Louisa: Human Danger [2021] Get Your Hands off My Girlfriend [from “Human Danger”; with occasional flashing images]

GRAE: Whiplash [2022] Permanent Maniac [l.p, 2020] New Girl e.p. [2019] Woman’s World [from “New Girl”]

Sofi Tukker: Wet Tennis [2022] Treehouse [2018] Soft Animals e.p. [2016] Dancing on the People e.p. [2019] Drinkee [from “Soft Animals”]

annie hamilton: the future is here but it feels kinda like the past [2022] Annie Hamilton e.p. [2020] exist [from “the future is here but it feels kinda like the past”; with flickering images]

Findlay: The Last of the 20th Century Girls [2022] Forgotten Pleasures [2017] Off & On e.p. [2013] Night Sweats [from “The Last of the 20th Century Girls”]

Alyssa Gengos: Mechanical Sweetness [2022] Gothenburg English [from “Mechanical Sweetness”]

BROODS: Space Island [2022] Evergreen [2014] Conscious [2016] Don’t Feed the Pop Monster [2019] Free [from “Conscious”]

Cats on Trees: Alie [2022] Cats on Trees [2013] Neon [2018] Sirens Call [from “Cats on Trees”]

Hatchie: Giving the World Away [2022] Keepsake [2019] Sugar & Spice e.p. [2018] Sleep [from “Sugar & Spice”]

LIGHTS: PEP [2022] The Listening [2009] Little Machines [2014] Skin & Earth [2017] Siberia Acoustic [2013] Ice [from “The Listening”; with strobe effects]

Automatic: Excess [2022] Signal [2019] Skyscraper [from “Excess”]

Wet Leg: Wet Leg [2022] Wet Dream [from “Wet Leg”; brilliant and bonkers debut from W.L.]

Melody’s Echo Chamber: Unfold [2022] Melody’s Echo Chamber [2012] Emotional Eternal [2022] Bon Voyage e.p. [2018] Crystallized [live, from “Melody’s Echo Chamber”]

V.T.S.S.: Circulus Vitiosus e.p. [2022] Body Mind Hell [from “Circulus Vitiosus”; with strobe effects]

beabadoobee: Beatopia [2022] Fake It Flowers [2020] Our Extended Play e.p. [2021] Space Cadet e.p. [2019] Talk [from “Beatopia”]

NYXEN: PXNK [l.p., 2022; with strobe effects] Insomnia [stand-alone single, 2019]

Wombo: Fairy Rust [2022] Keesh Mountain e.p. [2021] Slab e.p. [2023] Snakey [from “Fairy Rust”]

Abbie Ozard: Water Based Lullabies e.p. [2022] Pisces [from “Water Based Lullabies”]

BERRIES: How We Function [2022] We Are Machines [from “How We Function”; with flickering images]

Goodnight My Darling: Goodnight My Darling [2022] Until I Return [from “Goodnight My Darling”]

xPropaganda: The Heart Is Strange [2022] Don’t (You Mess with Me) [from “The Heart Is Strange”; xPropaganda is Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag, who are former members of the group Propaganda, whose album “A Secret Wish” from 1985 is one of my favourite ever electronic records]

Fazerdaze: Morningside [2017] Break! [e.p., 2022; with flickering images]

Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul: Topical Dancer [2022] Charlotte Adigéry: Zandoli e.p. [2019] Blenda [from “Topical Dancer”; with flickering television noise effects; bold, audacious, sarcastic Charlotte]

Skye Wallace: Terribly Good [2022] Skye Wallace [2019] The Act of Living [2024] Tooth and Nail [from “Terribly Good”]

NoSo: Stay Proud of Me [2022] Parasites [from “Stay Proud of Me”; astonishing debut from NoSo]

Beach Bunny: Emotional Creature [2022] Honeymoon [2020] Blame Game [e.p., 2021] Prom Queen [e.p., 2018] Good Girls (Don’t Get Used) [from “Blame Game”; Lili has been making records for a few years, but I’ve only recently discovered her music; she is one of the best songwriters I’ve heard all year … this year, or any other year]

Death and Vanilla: Flicker [2023] Are You a Dreamer? [2019] Death and Vanilla [2016] To Where the Wild Things Are [2015] Out for Magic [from “Flicker”; flashing images during the last 5 seconds from 3.03 minutes]

Nabihah Iqbal: Dreamer [l.p., 2023; with flashing images] Weighing of the Heart [2017] This World Couldn’t See Us [from “Dreamer”]

Zohra: Murder in the Temple [2023] Look for Love [from “Murder in the Temple “; strobes in every scene of this video]

Paramore: This Is Why [l.p., 2023] The News [from “This Is Why”; with strobe effects; Hayley Williams made an absolutely stunning solo album in 2020 called “Petals for Armor”, and now Paramore is back with a much darker sound]

Maraschino: Hollywood Piano [2023] Hi Desire [from “Hollywood Piano”; Maraschino keeping it real with old-school synthpop]

Obey Robots: One in a Thousand [2023] Penfriend: Exotic Monsters [l.p., 2021] She Makes War: Brace for Impact [2018] Direction of Travel [2015] Porcupine [from “One in a Thousand”; As well as singing with her duo Obey Robots, multitalented Laura Kidd records solo as Penfriend and She Makes War, and she is also an awe-inspiring video artist]

Debby Friday: Good Luck [2023] So Hard to Tell [from “Good Luck”; with flickering images]

Jenny O.: Spectra [2023] New Truth [2020] Automechanic [l.p., 2013] Home e.p. [2010] You Are Loved Eternally [from “Spectra”; with flickering images; here’s another, without flicker: Well, O.K. Honey; from “Home”]

YULLOLA: Monastery of Love e.p. [2023] XOskeleton e.p. [2019] Bad Juju [from “XOskeleton“; heart-stopping latest e.p. by YULLOLA a.k.a. Ashwini Natarajan (who confuses her listeners further by crediting her writing and singing to her alter ego Jasper Lotti), which combines elements of Nirvana-like grunge, electronics, and music that sounds as if it might have been heard a thousand years’ ago in an ancient cathedral, together with her own very personal thoughts about her faith; this is an early live version of one of my favourite tracks from “Monastery of Love”: Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly]

Gena Rose Bruce: Deep Is the Way [2023] Can’t Make You Love Me [2019] Destroy Myself [from “Deep Is the Way”]

Battery Operated Orchestra: Compulsory Games [2023] Radiation [2016] Incomplete until Broken [2014] TSK!? [2013] Snare [2018] Yesterday Tomorrow and You [2020] AC/EP [2012] Observatory e.p. [2013] Unbecoming [from “Compulsory Games”; with flickering effects; The Sea; from “Radiation”; with complex repeating patterns and video interference effects]

Daughter: Stereo Mind Game [2023] Not to Disappear [2016] Music from before the Storm [2017] If You Leave [2013] His Young Heart e.p. [2011] The Wild Youth e.p. [2011] 4AD Session e.p. [2014] No Care [from “Not to Disappear”; with strobe effects]

Robin Kester: Honeycomb Shades [2023] Dark Sky Reserve [2025] Infinity Song / Blinds / Goodnight Argus [from “Honeycomb Shades”; three songs from Robin’s excellent debut album]

Amber Arcades: Barefoot on Diamond Road [2023] Fading Lines [l.p., 2016] European Heartbreak [2018] Where Did You Go? [from “European Heartbreak”]

Liela Moss: Internal Working Model [2023] Who the Power? [2020] My Name Is Safe in Your Mouth [2018] Transparent Eyeball [2024] Vanishing Shadows [from “Internal Working Model“; with flickering images and some strobes]

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: HANA [2023] Read My Lips [2001] Shoot from the Hip [2003] Trip the Light Fantastic [2007] Make a Scene [2011] Wanderlust [2014] Familia [2016] theaudience: theaudience [1998] Breaking the Circle [from “HANA”; Sophie helped to lift the spirits of many hundreds of thousands of people during the lockdowns of the 2020 pandemic with her weekly Kitchen Disco concerts on Instagram, all of which are archived on Sophie’s YouTube channel; this is one of my favourites from the kitchen: Take Me Home (A Girl like Me); from “Read My Lips”]

Cloth: Secret Measure [2023] Pink Silence [2025] Low Sun e.p. [2022] Never Know [from “Secret Measure”]

Dragon Inn 3: Trade Secrets [2023] Double Line [2018] Be on My Side e.p. [2019] What Kind of World Are You Living In? [from “Double Line”]

Wednesday: Rat Saw God [2023] Bath Country [from “Rat Saw God”]

Bunny X: Love Minus 80 [2023] Young & in Love [2021] Back to You [from “Young & in Love”]

Camp Claude: Moody Moon [2023] Double Dreaming [2019] Swimming Lessons [2016] Hero [from “Double Dreaming”]

Magic Wands: Switch [2023] Illuminate [2020] Wash the Tears Away [stand-alone single, 2021; with flickering V.H.S. dropout effects]

Orla Gartland: Woman on the Internet [2022] Everybody Needs a Hero [2024] Fizz: The Secret to Life [2023] Why Am I Like This? [e.p., 2021] Freckle Season e.p. [2020] You’re Not Special, Babe [from “Woman on the Internet”; yes, I know it’s 2023; here’s one I missed from last year]

Noa Lee: Airship [2023] Bleed [from “Airship”; with flashing images throughout; complex debut album from Nina Kortekaas and her band from Brussels, Belgium, which mixes electronica with elements of jazz, progressive rock, and much more; my favourite track is Needle]

ShitKid: Rejected Fish [2023] 20/20 ShitKid [2020] Fish [2017] Sort Stjerne! [2021, compilation of rare and unreleased tracks] dream sequence [from “20/20”; ShitKid is Åsa Söderqvist, queen of lo-fi, from Stockholm, Sweden]

Ché Aimee Dorval: The Crowned [l.p., 2023] Between The Walls & The Windows [2017] Casualties of Cool [2014] Underachiever [2009] Volume 1 e.p. [2014] Falling Under [from “The Crowned”]

Oh Land: Loop Soup [2023] Oh Land [2011] Wish Bone [2013] Earth Sick [2014] Fauna [2008] XTRA e.p. [2022] Renaissance Girls [from “Wish Bone”’; Oh Land is Danish singer Nanna Øland Fabricius; the soundscape on Nana’s latest album is at her most poppy, but with many interesting and unique ideas in her song-words]

Karen y los Remedios: Silencio [l.p., 2023] Las muchachas [from “Silencio”; rumour has it that Karen is more popular than paella in her native Spain]

Mint Field: Aprender a ser [2023] Sentimiento mundial [2020] Pasar de las luces [2018] Mientras esperas e.p. [2019; Quiero otoño de nuevo [from “Pasar de las luces”; amazing dreampop from Mexico]

Nadia Sheikh: Neverending Trial e.p. [2023] Quiet [from “Neverending Trial”; Nadia’s fourth e.p. is her most promising yet, showcasing her highly emotional songwriting; I’m really looking forward to Nadia’s first album when it arrives]

Cherry Glazerr: I Don’t Want You Anymore [2023] Stuffed & Ready [2019] Apocalipstick [2016] Haxel Princess [2014] Ready for You [from “I Don’t Want You Anymore”; with strobe effects; here’s another without strobes: Told You I’d Be with the Guys; from Apocalipstick”]

Zanias: Chrysalis [2023] Unearthed [2021] Into the All [2018] Unraveled [from “Unearthed”; Zanias is the solo project of Alison Lewis, who sings with Linea Aspera]

Pip Blom: Bobbie [2023] Boat [2019] Welcome Break [2021] Truth [stand-alone single, 2016; indie from Amsterdam]

Jenn Champion: The Last Night of Sadness [2023] Single Rider [2018] Coming for You [from “Single Rider”; with flickering television interference effects starting at 2.20 minutes]

Patio: Collection [2023] Essentials [2019] Luxury e.p. [2016] Sixpence [from “Collection”; with flickering mirror-ball effects; angular new wave from Queens, New York; in spite of the names of the records, neither “Collection” nor “Essentials” is a compilation]

Tessa Violet: MY GOD! [2023] Bad Ideas [l.p., 2019] Maybe Trapped Mostly Troubled [2014] Halloway e.p. [2016] Tessa popped up on my YouTube sidebar (which is normally populated with cat videos); on first listen, “Crush” is an instant favourite; with flickering images for the first 2 seconds; Tessa writes all of her own songs, with vivid, observant lyrics; here’s another fantastic single: I Like (the Idea of) You; from “Bad Ideas”; with flickering images for the first 9 seconds, and the last 1 second]

Annie Taylor: Inner Smile [2023] Sweet Mortality [2020] Telephone [from “Sweet Mortality”; with flashing images; these are the two albums that I’ve played the most over the past couple of weeks; confusingly, no one in the group is called Annie Taylor; the singer is the delightfully named Gini Jungi; the group is from Zurich, Switzerland]

Frankie Rose: Love as Projection [2023] Interstellar [2012] Cage Tropical [2017] Sixteen Ways [from “Love as Projection”; with strobe effects; Frankie once played drums with Dum Dum Girls, and in 2021, made a terrific electronic album called “This New Heaven” under the name of her duo Fine Place]

Blondshell: Blondshell [2023] Salad [from “Blondshell”; ✡]

N.n.h.m.n.: Circle of Doom [2023] Deception Island [2021] Church of No Religion [2019] Tomorrow’s Heroine e.p. [2021] For the Comfort of Your Exstazy e.p. [2022] Hungrige Liebe [from “Circle of Doom”; with strobe effects; this was a nice surprise: one of the best examples of dark wave that I’ve heard in years; the group is from Berlin; its name stands for “Non-Human“]

Bully: Lucky for You [2023] Losing [2017] SUGAREGG [2020] Feels Like … [2015] Hard to Love [from “Lucky for You”; with flickering video glitch effects]

NewDad: Madra [2024] Banshee e.p. [2022] Waves e.p. [2021] Nightmares [from “Madra”; with flickering images; dreampop from the west coast of Ireland]

Kah-Lo: Pain / Pleasure [2023] The Arrival e.p. [2021] GD Woman [from “Pain / Pleasure”; Kah-Lo is Faridah Demola-Seriki, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, before travelling to New York to study and record fiery afro-house]

a.s.o.: a.s.o. [2023] Go On [from “a.s.o.”; with strobe effects; named after Australian singer Alia Seror-O’Neill, the opening three tracks are perfect ‘90s-style trip-hop]

Bray me: DUH [2024] Grace Note e.p. [2019] イエスタデイ [from “DUH”; formerly known as Brave Jackass and Meme, Bray me is from Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, Japan]

The Fauns: How Lost [l.p., 2024; with flickering images on this, and the next link] Lights [2013] Mixtape Days [from “How Lost”; ever more sophisticated dream-pop from Bristol band The Fauns; just three albums in fifteen years, but always worth waiting for]

PACKS: Melt the Honey [2024] Take the Cake [2021] Crispy Crunchy Nothing [2023] WOAH e.p. [2022] Silvertongue [from “Take the Cake”’; Canadian indie by Madeline Link; in recent months, PACKS, TORRES, Pip Blom, and Cherry Glazerr have all made new records, all of whom I get super-excited to see has a new album!]

TORRES: What an enormous room [2024] Sprinter [l.p., 2015] Thirstier [2021] Silver Tongue [2020] Collect [from “What an enormous room”; with flickering video interference effects; TORRES is Mackenzie Scott, from Georgia, U.S.A.]

mary in the junkyard: this old house e.p. [2024] marble arch [from “this old house”; debut e.p. from Clari Freeman-Taylor and her band, who I think are going to be indie superstars in future; here are three songs played live: goop / ghost / tuesday]

Elettra Storm: Powerlords [2024] Higher than the Stars [from “Powerlords”; metal from Italy (Metalia?), with powerful vocals by Crystal Emiliani]

La Luz: News of the Universe [2024] La Luz [2021] Floating Features [2018] Strange World [from “News of the Universe”; with flickering V.H.S. dropout effects]

Parsnip: Behold [2024] When the Tree Bears Fruit [2019] Adding Up e.p. [2020] Rip It Off [from “When the Tree Bears Fruit”; I think Parsnip may eventually find an audience among those who appreciate the quirky style of a group such as Wet Leg; Parsnip is from Melbourne, Australia]

Eden Golan: October Rain [live, 2024; well done to Eden for standing up an anti-Semitic hate mob outside who tried to bully and intimidate her out of her contest; at another music festival, 364 mainly young people were murdered by Hamas, with about 40 taken hostage; there is evidence of sexual assault, including women’s dead bodies found with broken pelvises, others with mutilation of her breasts or her vagina; women experienced some of the most horrific cruelty on October 7th, exactly as you would expect from Islamist terrorists; October Rain contains the original lyrics to “Hurricane“, with strobe effects, censored by Eurovision as too political, that reference this day]

Evie Balfe: Do I Feel like I’m Happy Now? [2022] Losing Our Gravity e.p. [2020] According to Maybe [from “Do I Feel like I’m Happy Now?”; with flickering effects; Evie was one of the opening acts at Jewelia’s album launch party recently; Evie’s music is haunting and beautiful: Remember; from “Losing Our Gravity”]

The Marías: Submarine [2024] Cinema [2021] Hush [from “Cinema”; named after Puerto Rican born singer María Zardoya, who sings in English and Spanish; this is one of my favourite tracks from María’s latest album, with a striking visualiser: No One Noticed; from “Submarine”]

brother bird: another year [2024] Gardens [2021] something better [from “another year”; elements of indie, folk, and country combine on Nashville native Caroline Glasser’s latest album]

Dana Gavanski: LATE SLAP [2024] When It Comes [2022] Yesterday Is Gone [l.p., 2020] Wind Songs e.p. [2020] Bouncing Ball e.p. [2022] on her latest album, Dana has written two of my favourite songs that I’ve heard all year: How to Feel Uncomfortable and Singular Coincidence [from “LATE SLAP”]

Blushing: Sugarcoat [2024] Blushing [2019] Possessions [2022] Slyce [from “Sugarcoat”; with strobe effects; one of my favourite dreampop bands, from Austin, Texas]

Jewelia: Little Wins [2024] City of My Mind [2018] Invisible Wall [from “Little Wins”; lovely pop album from singer-songwriter Iulia Tache, with expressive, deeply personal lyrics; here’s another song from Iulia’s latest album: Strong in My Own Way; from “Little Wins”]

Luna Li: When a Thought Grows Wings [2024] Duality [2022] Alone but Not Lonely [e.p., 2021] What You’re Thinking [from “Duality”; with flickering effects; this is a bit more of a mellow sound, mixing R & B and electronics; Luna Li is Hannah Bussere Kim from Toronto, Ontario, Canada]

Chastity Belt: Live Laugh Love [2024] Chemtrails [from “Live Laugh Love”; ’90s inspired grunge from Washington, U.S.A.]

Annie-Claude Deschênes: Les manières de table [l.p., 2024; with frequent flashing images] Duchess Says: Sciences nouvelles [2016] In a Fung Day T! [2011] “Les manières de table” is Annie-Claude’s debut solo album, after singing with Duchess Says and Pypy; Annie-Claude is from Montreal, Canada: Negative Thoughts; from “Sciences nouvelles”]

Goat Girl: Below the Waste [2024] On All Fours [2021] Goat Girl [2018] ride around [from “Below the Waste”; post-punk from London]

Private Cabinet: Obscure [2023] Альцест [from “Obscure”; with strobe effects; I know what some of you are thinking: “he never puts anyone on this page who I’ve heard of”; well, here’s another: reminiscent of 1980s’ goth rock, such as The Cure or The Sisters of Mercy, sung entirely in Russian by Victoria Korneva; the title translates to ‘Alceste’, an eighteenth century opera, inspired by the play ‘Alcestis’ by Euripides]

Diamanté: American Dream [2021] Coming in Hot [2018] Ghost Myself [from “American Dream”; with flickering effects; inspired by late ‘80s hard rock, Diamanté is Boston native Diamante Azzura Bovelli]

Anja Huwe: Codes [2024] Rabenschwarz [from “Codes”; with strobe effects; it’s 35 years since Anja last made an album, which she recorded in 1989, with her fantastic post-punk group Xmal Deutschland; here’s something from 1983: Orient; from “Fetisch”]

Night in Athens: Wasted Reflektions [2024] Metropolis [l.p., 2021] Crime Seen e.p. [2022] Words Unspoken [from “Wasted Reflektions”; with strobe effects; darkwave by Tίνα Μπολέτη, who really is from Athens]

Nilüfer Yanya: My Method Actor [2024] PAINLESS [2022] Miss Universe [2019] Feeling Lucky e.p. [2020] Like I Say (I Runaway) [from “My Method Actor”; alternative rock from London]

YACHT: New Release [2024] I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler [2015] Chain Tripping [2019] See Mystery Lights [2009] Shangri-La [2011] Finger in Your Eye [from “New Release”; for years, I thought the group’s name refers to a type of boat, but it’s actually an acronym; Y.A.C.H.T. stands for Young Americans Challenging High Technology; the singer is Claire L. Evans; the duo is from Los Angeles, California]

Blush Always: An Ode To [2024] You Deserve Romance [2023] Coming of Age [from “You Deserve Romance”; Blush Always is Katja Yvonne Seiffert from Germany]

Eivør: Enn [2024] Slør [2015] Segl [2020] Bridges [2015] Upp Úr Øskuni [from “Enn”; Eivør Pálsdóttir is from Syðrugøta, Faroe Islands (a group of islands 320 km north of Scotland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark); Eivør sings in Faroese, Icelandic, and English]

Magic Fig: Magic Fig [2024] PS1 [from “Magic Fig”; with frequent flashing images; back to the ‘60s, baby, with psychedelic pop from Inna Showalter, who also sings with Blades of Joy and Whitney’s Playland]

Death and the Maiden: Uneven Ground [2024] Wisteria [2018] Death and the Maiden [2015] Waratah [from “Uneven Ground”; unnerving atmospheres from New Zealand with singer and bass guitarist Lucinda King; the group is named after a nineteenth century engraving by Edvard Munch]

Pixey: Million Dollar Baby [2024] Dreams, Pains & Paper Planes [2023] Sunshine State [e.p., 2022] Free to Live in Colour e.p. [2021] Colours e.p. [2019] Just Move [from “Free to Live in Colour”; Pixey is Elizabeth Sinead Hillesdon, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist from west Lancashire, who mixes ‘90s-style drum loops with elements of indie rock; longstanding listeners will know that I generally favour fairly doom-laden, depressing music, however, these are among the most energised and uplifting records that I’ve heard in years]

Glass Spells: Crystals [2024] Shattered [l.p, 2021] Glass Spells [2016] Desperate Love e.p. [2014] Mirrors e.p. [2020] Thrills [from “Shattered”; with strobe effects; synth-pop from San Diego, California]

girl in red: I’m Doing It Again Baby! [2024] If I Could Make It Go Quiet [2021] I’m Back [from “I’m Doing It Again Baby!”; girl in red is Marie Ulven, who often writes movingly about the ups and downs she has faced; Marie is from Horten, Norway]

Wiri Donna: In My Chambers [e.p., 2024] Being Alone e.p. [2022] The Gold [from “In My Chambers”; alternative rock from New Zealand by Bianca Bailey]

Tess Parks: Pomegranate [2024] And Those Who Were Seen Dancing [2022] Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe [2018] I Declare Nothing [2015] California’s Dreaming [from “Pomegranate”; with flashing images for the first 20 seconds and flickering time-lapse effects at intervals throughout; slow burning but rewarding dream pop with elements of late 1960s psychedelia; Tess is from Toronto, Canada]

total tommy: bruises [2024] Losing Out [from “bruises”; with frequent flashing images; debut solo album by Jess Holt, formerly of Essie Holt, who blends electro with indie rock; Jess is from Sydney, Australia]

Why Bonnie: Wish on the Bone [2024] 90 in November [2022] Voice Box [e.p., 2020] Athlete [from “Voice Box”; led by singer Blair Howerton, who often includes interesting feminist themes in the lyrics to her songs, such as “I know it’s easier to bury your uncertainties in a cloud of masculinity, guess it’s the curse you bear to talk over me”, from “Voice Box”; women’s rights are incredibly important, and it’s great to hear Blair speak up about things that matter to her; Why Bonnie is from Austin, Texas]

Friedberg: Hardcore Workout Queen [l.p., 2024] YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH e.p. [2021] My Best Friend [from “Hardcore Workout Queen”; not one but four: Friedberg is a four-piece London band created by singer Anna Friedberg]

Charlotte Wessels: The Obsession [2024] Tales from Six Feet Under Vol. II [2022] Tales from Six Feet Under [2021] Soft Revolution [from “Tales from Six Feet Under”; I decided to invent a new phrase to describe Charlotte’s music: art-metal; have a listen and you’ll hear why; Charlotte is from Zwolle, Netherlands]

Say Lou Lou: Dust [l.p., 2024; with some flashing editing effects on this, and the next clip] Lucid Dreaming [2015] Immortelle [2018] Wong Kar-wai [from “Dust”; Say Lou Lou is Swedish-Australian twins Elektra and Miranda Jansson Kilbey]

She Drew the Gun: Howl [2024] Behave Myself [2021] Revolution of Mind [2018] Something for the Pain [from “Revolution of Mind”; with complex repeating patterns and some flashing video interference effects; She Drew the Gun is Louisa Roach from Liverpool; varied mix of musical styles, teamed with Louisa’s thoughts about the world]

Sofie Royer: Young-Girl Forever [l.p., 2024] Harlequin [2022] Babydoll [from “Young-Girl Forever”; Sofie mixes synth-pop with elements of 1930s’ cabaret on her latest album; she sings in English, German, and French; Sofie is from California]

The Big Moon: Here Is Everything [2023] Walking like We Do [2020] Love in the 4th Dimension [2017] 2 Lines / This Love / Satellites [live, from “Here Is Everything”]

Our Girl: The Good Kind [2024] Stranger Today [2018] Something About Me Being a Woman [from “The Good Kind”; Our Girl joins a small number of groups who have a song title that is the same as the name of the band; others include Talk Talk, Visage, Living in a Box, Motörhead, and (almost) Big Country; as with many of the musicians on this page, these two clips don’t really do justice to how absolutely brilliant the group is; Singer Soph Nathan also plays guitar with The Big Moon, who you can hear above; Our Girl is from Brighton]

Gia Ford: Transparent Things [2024] Murder in the Dark e.p. [2020] Paint Me like a Woman [from “Transparent Things”; with strobe effects from 3.30 minutes until end; debut album from Molly McCormick, whose musical persona Gia Ford creates striking and intelligent sophisti-pop]

Dea Matrona: For Your Sins [2024] Away from the Tide e.p. [2019] Make You My Star [stand-alone single, 2020; with flickering V.H.S. dropout effects; Dea Matrona began as a busking duo, Orláith & Mollie, playing street concerts at their home city of Belfast, Northern Ireland; more recently, the group’s sound is bluesy indie rock with ears tuned to the 1970s; if you are in the mood for a longer performance, this is the whole of Dea Matrona’s fantastic debut album played live: For Your Sins: Live]

Caroline Polachek: Desire, I Want to Turn into You [2023] Pang [2019] Chairlift: Something [2012] Moth [2016] Does You Inspire You [2008] Ramona Lisa: Arcadia [2015] So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings [from “Pang”; Caroline is a woman of many aliases: her first three albums were made as part of her electronica duo Chairlift, with her first solo album issued under the name of Ramona Lisa, and another credited to her initials CEP; very little to complain about on any of Caroline’s records: Romeo; from “Moth”; with strobe effects]

Drahla: angeltape [2024] Useless Coordinates [2019] Third Article e.p. [2017] Default Parody [from “angeltape”; post-punk from Leeds; these are two of my favourite albums of the year]

LEATHERS: Ultraviolet [2024] Reckless [e.p., 2022; with strobe effects] Runaway [from “Ultraviolet”; LEATHERS is Shannon Hemmett, who plays keyboards with the Canadian group ACTORS; Shannon’s debut e.p. was one of my most played records of 2022; earlier this year, I was wondering if she ever got around to making an album; when I checked, her debut album was released that very day; Shannon is from Vancouver, British Columbia]

Larkin Poe: Bloom [2025] Blood Harmony [2022] Kin [2014] Peach [2017] Venom & Faith [2018] Self Made Man [2020] Easy Love (Part One) [from “Bloom”; roots rock from sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell from Atlanta, Georgia]

Sally Dige: Holding the Sun [2025] Holding On [l.p., 2017; with strobe effects] Hard to Please [2015] Forget Me [single, 2013; with strobe effects from 2.49 minutes for 2 seconds; synths and new wave from Berlin, which wouldn’t sound out-of-place in the indie Top 40 from 1981: Immaculate Deception; with flickering V.H.S. dropouts and T.V. screen interference effects; from “Hard to Please”]

Missionary Girls: Bleeding Out [2025] Everything Degrades [from “Bleeding Out”; powerful debut album from Missionary Girls with heavy, oppressive post-punk; the group is from Portland, Oregon]

Chikiss: Between Time & Laziness [2024] Ничего не бойся [2013] Four Forty-Five [from “Between Time & Laziness”; electronic new wave that sounds as if it was recorded on analogue synths in 1979; Galina Ozeran is from Saint Petersburg, Russia]

Kinlaw: gut ccheck [2025] The Tipping Scale [2021] SPIT [from “gut ccheck”; with strobe effects; after a melodic debut, glitchy industrial soundscapes on Sarah Kinlaw’s latest album; Sarah is from New York; HARD CUT; from “gut ccheck”; with flashing images for 1 second at 1.30 minutes]

Suzan Köcher’s Suprafon: In These Dying Times [2024] Suprafon [2019] Moon Bordeaux [2017] Blood Red Wine e.p. [2017] Cinnamon [from “Moon Bordeaux”; with strobe effects and flickering fairground lights; alternative rock with elements of 1960s-inspired psychedelia; Suzan is from Solingen, Germany]

QWAM: girls aren’t afraid of blood [2025] Something Bad [from “girls aren’t afraid of blood”; alternative rock from Brooklyn, New York, by Felicia Lobo]

Amaya Laucirica: Rituals [2018] Sway [2014] The Blue Hour [2025] Now or Never [from “The Blue Hour”; sweet-sounding dreampop, with direct, emotional lyrics; Amaya is from Melbourne, Australia]

Momma: Welcome to My Blue Sky [2025] Household Name [2022] Two of Me [2020] Interloper [2018] Rodeo [from “Welcome to My Blue Sky”; with flashing images; alternative rock from Los Angeles by Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten who both contribute vocals, guitars, and songwriting]

Wild Belle: Dreamland [2016] Isles [2013] Everybody One of a Kind [2019] Keep You [from “Isles”; Natalie’s previous group with her brother Elliot]

Natalie Bergman: My Home Is Not in This World [2025] Mercy [2021] Dance [from “My Home Is Not in This World”; with flashing images for the first 18 seconds; Natalie used to sing with a group called Wild Belle; these are her first two solo records, which combine 1960s-inspired sounds together with elements of gospel]

Claire Morales: Lost in the Desert [2025] All That Wanting [2018] On My Own [from “Lost in the Desert”; with flickering T.V. interference effect from 2.25 until 2.43 minutes; alternative rock from north Texas]

HAIM: I quit [2025] Days Are Gone [2013] Something to Tell You [2017] Women in Music Pt. III [2020] Down to be wrong [from “I quit”; another musical family, sisters Alana, Danielle and Este Haim return with their most varied and accomplished album yet, which often explores coming to terms with the downsides of life; HAIM is from San Fernando Valley, California]

Deradoorian: Ready for Heaven [2025] Find the Sun [2020] The Expanding Flower Planet [2015] Eternal Recurrence [2017] Decisive Pink: Ticket to Fame [2023] Saturnine Night [from “Find the Sun”; multi-instrumentalist Angel Deradoorian’s music is characterised by unconventional arrangements that sound unlike anyone else; she is from Los Angeles, California; Angel is also the name of my beautiful rescue cat, who I looked after / she looked after me for twelve years; this is Angel on a rare, supervised trip outdoors (I live near a large park, which is home to a population of urban foxes who roam at night, so she is not allowed out by herself); Angel had a bit of an unlucky start in life in that in her first year she was kicked by her owner on the side of her body, which broke most of her ribs; where her breast bone should be flat, Angel’s is knobbly, similar to a compound fracture in humans, in which pieces of broken bone stick out through the skin; as far as I know, I’m her fourth owner; her previous (third) owner moved away and left her to fend for herself in the courtyard; she was in a bad state when I started to look after her, virtually a living skeleton, infested with fleas, and was the most frightened cat I have ever seen; slowly, over about a year and a half, she started to become more confident; one of the games that Angel invented was to creep up behind me when she saw me standing with my back to her, and grab hold of my calf with both paws, then when I turn around, she would run away with her tail pointing up at the ceiling, which she seemed to think was hilarious; she also loved to play tennis, batting an oversized yellow ping-pong ball back and forth to me eight or ten times; she would often knock before entering a room by quietly tapping her nails on the wood and waiting for the door to open; I knew from the beginning that because of the way she was treated early on, she would likely remain mistrustful of humans for the rest of her life; she was an incredibly damaged person (as am I), but I could see her trying to show affection in her own way; Angel lived to be 18 years in total, which is equivalent to approximately 84 in human years; she died in March of this year; for months after, I wished I could die as well; really I feel as if a part of me has already experienced a kind of death]

Shura: I Got Too Sad for My Friends [2025] forevher [2019] Nothing’s Real [2016] World’s Worst Girlfriend [from “I Got Too Sad for My Friends”; fragile and gentle electronics, often with highly emotional, self-aware, insightful lyrics by Shura]

The Beths: Straight Line Was a Lie [2025] Expert in a Dying Field [l.p., 2022] Jump Rope Gazers [2020] Future Me Hates Me [2018] No Joy [from “Straight Line Was a Lie”; disappointingly, only one of the group is called Beth; the band is named after talented singer and songwriter Elizabeth Stokes; for me, “Expert in a Dying Field” is as good a song as anyone has ever written; the group is from Auckland, New Zealand]

Carrellee: Carrellee [2025] Scale of Dreams [2022] Heaven Or [from “Scale of Dreams”; with flickering video effects; starting as a folk singer, Sarah Pray made a dramatic shift to electronics on her two latest albums, which she says better reflect the intensity of some of her major life events]

Pacifica: In Your Face! [2025] Soltame! [from “In Your Face!”; indie pop from Argentina; Inés and Martina normally sing in English, however this is their first Spanish language recording, which translates to “Let Go!”]

Emika: Vega [2024] Falling in Love with Sadness [2018] DREI [2015] DVA [2013] EMIKA [2011] Run [from “Falling in Love with Sadness”; with flickering video effects for 3 seconds each at 1.29 minutes and 1.47 minutes; Ema is a classically-trained pianist and composer, who founded her own record label, Emika Records, creating electronic music alongside classical works; originally from Milton Keynes, she records at her studio in Berlin, following in the footsteps of many influential electronic artists who have made their music in this city]

SPELLLING: Portrait of My Heart [l.p., 2025; with ocasional flashing images between 1.05 and 2.05 minutes] Spellling & The Mystery School [2023; new versions of songs from Chrystia’s first three albums] Under the Sun [from “Spellling & The Mystery School”; no, not a typo, Chrystia Cabral returns with a much heavier sound on her latest album]

Rebecca Schiffman: Before the Future [2025] Rebecca Schiffman [2016] Little Mr. Civility [from “Before the Future”; lo-fi indie with elements of anti-folk and jazz from New York]

Kilo Kish: AMERICAN GURL [2022] Redux [2019] Reflections in Real Time [2016] Across e.p. [2014] Negotiations e.p. [2025] digital emotional [from “Negotiations”; playful mix of electronica, r & b, rock, and much more by Lakisha Kimberly Robinson, who is from Orlando, Florida]

Miki Berenyi Trio: Tripla [2025] Piroshka: Love Drips and Gathers [2021] Brickbat [2019] Kinch [from “Tripla”; during the 1990s, Miki was the singer with Lush, one of the greatest ever dreampop / shoegaze groups, two genres she helped to define; since the final Lush album in 1996, Miki started a new group called Piroshka, and more recently, this is the first album under her new title of Miki Berenyi Trio]

Sorry Girls: Dreamwalker [2025] Bravo! [2023] Deborah [2019] Hush Baby [from “Dreamwalker”; one photographic flash at 33 seconds and again at 1.53 minutes; indie pop with soulful vocals by Heather Foster Kirkpatrick, who is from Montreal, Canada]

The Beaches: Late Show [2017] Blame My Ex [2023] No Hard Feelings [2025] Heights e.p. [2014] The Professional e.p. [2019] Future Lovers e.p. [2021] T-Shirt [from “Late Show”; alternative rock from Toronto, Canada; sisters Jordan and Kylie Miller sing and play guitar, with Leandra Earl and Eliza Enman-McDaniel on keyboards and drums; one of the tracks on The Beaches’ latest album is called “Lesbian of the Year”, which must be the best song title of the year; here’s another fantastic song by the group: Blame Brett; from “Blame My Ex”]

Elisabeth Elektra: Hypersigil [2025] The Dream [single, 2023; brilliant ’80s-inspired electro by Elisabeth Ann Oswell, who is from Glasgow, Scotland]

Daisy the Great: The Rubber Teeth Talk [2025] Ballerina [from “The Rubber Teeth Talk”; after a couple of indie-folk records, the third album from Daisy the Great is about as different from its predecessors as it could possibly be; the group centres around a duo, Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker, who met when studying performing arts at Brooklyn, New York]

Marlaena Moore: Because You Love Everything [2025] Gaze [2016] Beginner [2014] Pay Attention, Be Amazed! [2020] Pacer [from “Because You Love Everything”; with flashing images from 2.30 minutes until end; dreamlike alternative rock from Edmonton, Canada]

Mermaidens: Mermaidens [2023] Look Me in the Eye [2019] Perfect Body [2017] Undergrowth [2016] Sister [from “Mermaidens”; powerful indie rock from Wellington, New Zealand; the group has two singers, Gussie Larkin and Lily West; these are some of my favourite albums that I’ve heard this year]

Helen Ganya: Share Your Care [l.p., 2025] polish the machine [2022] Heart to Heart Mirage e.p. [2022] Chaiyo! [from “Share Your Care”; with flickering V.H.S. dropout effects from 2.42 minutes for 16 seconds; Helen was raised in Singapore to Scottish-Thai parents; elements of traditional Thai instrumentation can be heard amongst sweeping electronics on Helen’s latest record]

Kiki Malinki: בעיה [from “לא אותו דבר”; alternative rock from Israel by Yasmin Raviv]

The Green Child: Look Familiar [2024] The Green Child [2018] Shimmering Basset [2020] Wow Factor [from “Look Familiar”; with complex repeating patterns and video interference effects throughout; synths and new wave on Raven Mahon’s latest album]

Horsegirl: Phonetics On and On [2025] Versions of Modern Performance [2024] Anti-glory [from “Versions of Modern Performance”; with strobe effects; Horsegirl recorded its first album while still at high school; the group has two singers, Penelope Lowenstein and Nora Cheng, with drummer Gigi Reece, all from Chicago originally, now working in New York]

IDER: Late to the World [2025] Emotional Education [2019] shame [2021] Know How It Hurts [from “Late to the World”; synthpop with reflective and confessional lyrics by London duo Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville]

Coral Moons: summer of u [2025] Fieldcrest [2021] poser [from “summer of u”; indie rock by Carly Kraft, who is from Boston]

Chloe Qisha: Modern Romance [e.p., 2025] Chloe Qisha e.p. [2024] I Lied, I’m Sorry [from “Chloe Qisha”; Chloe was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before moving to London to study psychology and eventually start writing and recording; I’m absolutely certain that Chloe is going to be a huge star in future]

Jessie Frye: Otherworld [2025] Kiss Me in the Rain [2020] Haven in the Woods [from “Otherworld”; intricate and emotionally expressive synthpop from Dallas, Texas]

Heartworms: Glutton for Punishment [2025] A Comforting Notion e.p. [2023] May I Comply? [stand-alone single, 2023; hypnotic mix of industrial and post-punk soundscapes by Jojo Orme; for me, Jojo is one of the most exciting and mysterious artists to emerge for many years, if not decades; here’s a track from her fantastic debut album, which is my favourite album of the year: Jacked; from “Glutton for Punishment”; with flashing images]

… it’s time to apologise once again for the infrequent updates this year; I’ve added 37 new artists, which more-or-less summarises what I have been listening to this year; I know it’s not the best way to hear them, all in one go … but … better late than never!; I’ve also replaced 118 broken links from earlier years, and added about 70 completely new videos, particularly over the period 1982-89 and during the 1990s; the new total is 981 clips; as always, still excited to share new music with you …