The Pipettes

This week I've actually been listening to Helen Love, but couldn't find a decent video for her. Furthermore, this is going to be my last post of 2006, so something released this year would probably be fitting. As Ms Love was the first to coin the term girl power (a good five years before The Spice Girls were unleashed on unsuspecting footballers and comedians), I thought The Pipettes would be a good choice.

In case the polka dot dresses didn't give it away, I think it's fair to say The Pipettes are probably closer to being successors to the Phil Spector girl groups of the 60's more than descendants of Scary, Minger, Chav, Chubby and Council of the 90's. The video places the Brighton girls in Russ Meyer's Into the Valley of the Dolls. Ace.

Neutral Milk Hotel

Neutral Milk Hotel are the Flying Scotsman for music trainspotters everywhere. Nobody likes them on first listen. They only produced two albums, the first of which (in my not-so-humble opinion) is a mess of noise, while the second is an Anne Frank concept album recorded with period instruments (if you're willing to invest the time and effort it is a sure thing to become one of your favourite albums of all time. Though you'll have no idea why). They played their first gig at a laundromat.

I don't think they actually made any music videos as such (the one linked here is a fan-made effort). I guess it's not really all that surprising: I can't imagine they were much in demand with MTV.

The Rakes

Leaving the early 90s behind and moving a bit closer to the present day… The Rakes. I was first introduced to these skinny Brits at a gig in Boston, where they supported Stellastarr*. Now, I adore Stellastarr*’s first album, therefore it pains me somewhat to have to say: They truly, truly suck live (thanks America. If there’s one thing I’m grateful to you for, it’s the term “suck”. No other word quite conveys how something can be so actively bad). When a band relies heavily on vocal harmonies, they should at least be able to hold a note. I’m looking at you, hot female bass-player. At times it was genuinely painful. Oddly, this sorry headline performance came during one of my favourite gigs of last year, saved entirely by the two, as then unknown to me, support bands (the other being Interpol/Joy Division lovechild, Editors. More from them at a later date).

The Rakes, taking the tricky first spot in a three-band line-up, positively brimmed with energy and enthusiasm, a welcome change from the usual Indie-boy affected nonchalance. And frontman Alan Donahoe is not afraid to dance like an electrified stick-insect on cheap whizz. A trait I always admire. I salute you, sir!

Pulp

I seem to be stuck firmly in the early nineties (I'm not quite sure why - even milk-bottle thick rose-tinted lenses can't hide the fact I was awkward, spotty, speccy, had crap hair and shit shoes. At least the acne eventually cleared up). Pulp were the perfect outlet for mis-shapes, mistakes, misfits, with front-man Jarvis proving skinny and enormous glasses weren't actually the end of the world (though I swear the NHS goggles my mum used to buy me were some kind of prototype re-entry shielding for the space shuttle).

I can't listen to this track without thinking back to my time working in the trendy, upper-class supermarket, Kwik Save, when the rebellious assistant manager let me play His'n'Hers over the tannoy system. How amused I was to watch the Sunday morning shoppers (predominantly female pensioners) expecting jingles for No Frills toilet cleaner instead be greeted by I want to take you home, I want to give you children.

The Stone Roses

Not just skinny white-boys with guitars, but skinny white-boys with guitars that want to make other skinny white-boys dance! Along with a few other of their Madchester contemporaries, The Stone Roses are credited with fusing dance and indie, and ushering the lost generation back to the dance floor. On evidence of this video, that may have been mainly achieved by demonstrating that it doesn't matter if you dance like a complete goon, you can still be a rock-star. Ian Brown's moves even fail to look cool when the camera switches to slow-motion and zooms in with the beat. After watching that, even I feel less self-conscious about shaking my stuff. At least the music has aged better than the video.