Top Five – albums set in the future

In this latest installment of Slacker Shack‘s Top Five blogs, we delve into albums that offer us glimpses into alternate future worlds. Albums set in both the near future and many, many years from now. Here’s our five:

In at Number Five is Klaxons‘ “Myths Of the Near Future,” a forgotten (and sometimes mocked) gem that propels us into a neon-soaked future. Released in 2007, the album blends elements of new rave and post-punk, creating a sonic landscape that feels both nostalgic and futuristic. Tracks like “Golden Skans” and “Atlantis to Interzone” capture the essence of a vibrant and chaotic future, infusing futuristic concepts with an infectious oddness.

At the Number Four position, we’ve plumped for David Bowie’s iconic, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” Released in 1972, Bowie’s androgynous, alien Ziggy changed the rock landscape forever. Set against the backdrop of a crumbling Earth, the album explores themes of identity, fame, and impending doom. Much of the album was originally planned as a musical, which helps keep the loose concept together, and helped shape it into the masterpiece it is.

In the Number Three spot, we delve into the electronic realms of Kraftwerk’s “Computer World.” Released in 1981, this innovative and iconic album serves as a pioneering exploration of the symbiotic relationship between humans and technology. With minimalist yet infectious beats, tracks like “Computer World” and “Pocket Calculator” not only showcase the band’s electronic prowess but also foreshadow the increasing integration of technology into our daily lives.

Beaming into the Number Two position is the futuristic hip-hop odyssey, “Deltron 3030,” a collaborative effort led by Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and Kid Koala. Released in 2000, the album catapults listeners into a sci-fi narrative set in the year 3030, where Deltron Zero, the protagonist, battles corrupt governments and oppressive regimes. The seamless integration of Del’s sharp lyricism, Dan’s innovative production, and Kid Koala’s turntablism crafts a rich and immersive sonic universe. “

Taking the coveted Number One spot is Radiohead‘s groundbreaking masterpiece, “OK Computer.” Released in 1997, the album serves as a prophetic exploration of a dystopian near-future dominated by technology. Thom Yorke‘s haunting vocals and the band’s experimental soundscapes create an immersive experience, echoing the anxieties and uncertainties of a world on the brink of technological overload, and tracks like “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police” resonate with their timeless critique of societal disconnection, making “OK Computer” an enduring testament to the eerily prescient nature of Radiohead’s musical foresight.

What’s your Top Five?

Six more of the world’s worst and most hilarious album covers

View them and weep / giggle…

Check out some more terrible / chucklesome album covers here.

Classic 1960’s music concert posters

I’m a huge fan of classic music concert posters. The kind of work artists like Wes Wilson, Gunther Kieser, Rick Griffin and David Byrd were producing in the 60’s and 70’s. I have a few boards on Pinterest dedicated to iconic music art and photography. Here are four of my recent favourite finds (the first three are all Wes Wilson designs, the last is a Gunther Kieser)..

Beck’s ten best ‘high tempo’ songs

Here’s the first list in Slacker Shack‘s new Niche Lists series. Things will inevitably get more niche and obscure but I wanted to start with my top ten favourite ‘high tempo‘ Beck songs. He’s one of my favourite artists and I’m thinking of the kind of tunes you want on your music device as you’re walking about on a summers day, smirking at the niceties of life as they roll by, a skip in your skip and a twinkle in your eye. No ballads or introspective strummers here, just a top ten ‘in your face’ Beck tunes, as chosen by me:

Loser (from Mellow Gold)
Soul Suckin’ Jerk (from Mellow Gold)
Beercan (from Mellow Gold)
Devil’s Haircut (from Odelay)
Sexx Laws (from Midnite Vultures)
Milk & Honey (from Midnite Vultures)
Black Tambourine (from Guero)
Cellphone’s Dead (from The Information)
Youthless (from Modern Guilt)
Colors (from Colors)

I’ve obviously had to cut some favourites from the list like Where It’s At, The New Pollution, Girl, Timebomb and Dreams, but that’s the nature of the beast. Are there any apart from that? Does my list make you a little bit angry? Are there omissions you just can’t cope with? Tell all…

Niche ‘Best Of…’ Lists

Like many folk, I bloody love a good list. Sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than a little internal argument, followed by a firmly taken decision that results in a beautifully (and occasionally painfully) formed list. Something you can neatly file in your tastes drawer and use to preach at people when you’ve had too much to drink.

I remember reading Nick Hornby‘s novel, ‘High Fidelity‘ in my early 20’s and it was the lists that the lead character, Rob endlessly compiles that really pulled me in and got me hooked. I usually spend ages reading a book, but I flew through High Fidelity in a couple of sittings. Right now I can happily list my top five favourite albums of all time:

Love – Forever Changes
Beck – Mellow Gold
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Pig Lib
The Beta Band – The Three EPs
Pixies – Doolittle

My top five favourite films:

The Big Lebowski
Taxi Driver
The Shining
Blue Velvet
Punch Drunk Love

And even something random like, my top five favourite things to put on toast:

Bacon and eggs
Peanut butter and jam
Smoked ham and gherkin
Prawn cocktail
Moroccan hummus

But what I’ve been thinking about a lot recently are niche music and film lists. I’ve been watching loads of old Mark Kermode videos on YouTube and making lots of playlists on Spotify recently and little lists are always buzzing around in my brain.

As Facebook has proven, lists are also brilliant at creating conversations and debates, and I’d love it if readers of this blog added comments with some of their random film and music lists. For instance, I think there’s been a real dearth of decent comedy films over the past few years, so I’d love to know people’s top ten comedy films of the “twenty-tens” (aka the ‘teenties‘) so far. Or people’s top five new psychedelic bands (I’m a huge fan of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard).

Over the next few weeks I’m going to kick start this blog with a few random music and film lists that I hope will get a few conversations and debates started and if nothing else will give me a chance to shout about some things I love and maybe even I few albums and films I loathe too!

‘Manchester Icons’ collected – a new print

Between 2013 and 2017 I sporadically worked on fifteen portraits of cultural icons from the city of Manchester. Late 20th century men and women who’d made a real cultural impact on not only the city itself but the world at large.

With lots of help from friends and acquaintances (and lots of arguments later) I came up with the chosen fifteen icons. Stars from the worlds of music, film, TV and comedy. There were notable absentees like Morrissey, Ian McKellen and Liam Gallagher, but hey, you’ve got to stop somewhere, and fifteen sounded about right!

The final fifteen were as follows – Tony Wilson, John Cooper Clarke, Victoria Wood, Lemn Sissay, Mark E Smith, Shaun Ryder, Caroline Aherne, Danny Boyle, Ian Curtis, Johnny Marr, Maxine Peake, Les Dawson, Steve Coogan, Ian Brown and Noel Gallagher. You can view them all individually (and order prints) here.

Anyway, late last year, as some of the prints were getting snapped up as Christmas presents, I thought a nice way to conclude the project would be to collate all the icons in one print. Something for people who like my style and want to celebrate all the icons from across the series – so, here it is…

Low price A4 and A5 giclee mini-prints are currently available (mounted or unmounted) with a limited edition A3 print coming soon. You can order yours here.

Dunstan Doodles’ Manchester Icons slideshow

A slideshow I’ve put together featuring my Manchester Icons portraits…

All available as A3 sized giclee prints over at Dunstan Doodles.

Rest In Peace Leonard Cohen

Neil Young portrait

Here’s a new portrait I’ve recently finished. It’s A2 in size and prints are available on request (just leave a message below). I wanted to put a young Neil Young alongside a old Neil Young and this seemed like a nice simple idea…

Take a look at more of my illustrations over at www.dunstandoodles.com

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Pop Facts – Ed Sheeran

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