8.

R.E.M. – Murmur

Murmur is the album that launched 10,000 indie bands. It had a vibe and a sound unlike anything that was out there. I’m a huge R.E.M. fan and I like a lot of their records but this one was something completely different and unique. It had a sixties sorta influence, the lyrics were elliptical – you really couldn’t make out at all what Michael Stipe was singing. There’s always touch and mystery and beautiful harmonies; there are churning guitars; it’s psychedelic – all these things make it kinda hard to pin point what exactly the record sounds like. I don’t know how they managed to pull it off. When I listen to this record I realise that this doesn’t sound like any record ever. It really has its own sound. I don’t think it had any commercial success but everybody who is a serious musician loved this record.