20 Watts

You’ve heard of Blur — you’ve jammed to the Verve — you’ve probably sung “Wonderwall” in the shower.   But if someone asked you to reel off your favorite bands from the Britpop movement, you’d have little choice but to “Slide Away” or “Stutter,” Elastica style.

Here at 20 Watts, we understand your pain.  There’s so much music in the world — and only so much hard drive space!  That’s why we’ve recruited a team of music fanatics to write comprehensive, 20-album guides to all their favorite genres.  THE 20 is more than a curated list — it’s the absolute best of a style or movement, condensed to a form you can play in one sitting.

So what’s the very best in Britpop?  20 Watts’ DAN KAPLAN has the answer.

DOWNLOAD: 20 Watts’ ESSENTIAL BRITPOP PLAYLIST

Let’s take a trip back to the mid-‘90s. Before Franz Ferdinand and The Libertines, there were Oasis, The Verve and the genre known as Britpop. Emerging from the ashes of the Madchester and shoegaze movements in the late ‘80s, Britpop took its main influence from British guitar rock from decades past, whether 1960s artists like The Beatles and the Kinks, or 1980s groups like The Stone Roses and The Smiths. Britpop served primarily as a response to the emergence of grunge by emphasizing good times and catchy pop songwriting styles.

At its peak, the genre was so popular that it even spawned its own mini-culture war: the “Battle of Britpop” chart competition between Oasis and Blur, in 1995. Sure, you’ll have heard “Wonderwall” and “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” and maybe even “Parklife” if you’re a connoisseur, but for the most part, the movement never really took off outside the U.K. Now’s your chance, so let’s revisit 1995 and soak up some Britpop!

BRITPOP ARTISTS

Oasis – Definitely Maybe

Ever want to be a rock star? Definitely Maybe is the album for you. Before Liam and Noel Gallagher’s dreams of rock stardom were realized, all they could do was sing about their dreams. But with chart hits like “Live Forever” and “Cigarettes and Alcohol,” as well as the concert staples “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and “Slide Away,” Definitely Maybe rocked Oasis to the top. It’s one of those rare albums with not a single track of filler to be found. For anyone dreaming of the top, treat Definitely Maybe as gospel.

Key Track: “Slide Away”

Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

If Definitely Maybe was the soundtrack to dreaming about being a star, then Morning Glory? is what it’s like to actually be one. A more audacious, better-produced effort than its predecessor, Morning Glory was the perfect next step for Oasis. Despite some glaring issues with its overall listening experience, the album has some of the best songs Noel Gallagher ever wrote, including “Some Might Say,” the title track and the Oasis songs everyone knows: “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova.” A sophomore slump this ain’t.

Key Track: “Some Might Say”

Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish

While Oasis was making noise up north, London-based quartet Blur was carving its own niche in the Britpop world. Blur forged its name in the U.K. by channeling a variety of light pop acts – The Kinks, The Beatles and David Bowie, to name a few. Modern Life is Rubbish is ultimately the band’s finest work, a solid hour of songs that encompassed everything the world knew about guitar rock. Damon Albarn’s Anglo-centric lyrics might deter some, but it’s nearly impossible to resist the album’s anthemic quality.

Key Track: “For Tomorrow”

Blur – Parklife

Let’s be clear: from a sonic standpoint, Blur didn’t really accomplish anything extraordinary on Parklife. The album was essentially a sequel to Modern Life, a rehash of concepts and sounds that had already been explored. The difference was that, this time around, the Britpop movement was ready to explode. Modern Life, while a superior album overall, was not a true commercial success. But Parklife gave Blur four Top-20 U.K. singles and, more importantly, it gave Britpop its kick-start.

Key Track: “This Is a Low”

The Verve – Urban Hymns

A good album can get inside listeners’ heads, but a truly great one can take them inside the performer’s mind. The Verve accomplished the latter with Urban Hymns, a stunning exercise in lasting pop songwriting. Singer Richard Ashcroft communicates his depression like nothing else, but turns it into something beautiful. By disguising his anguish underneath the gorgeous melodies of “Space and Time” and “One Day,” Ashcroft not only showed us his world, but gave the masses a grand musical statement.

Key Track: “Bitter Sweet Symphony”

Elastica – Elastica

These girls rock and roll with more swagger than most other bands from the Britpop era. By combining the catchy, hook-filled nature of established Britpop artists with a distinctive punk rock influence, Elastica successfully carved a niche for itself in the genre. Elastica is a fast, upbeat and, most importantly, fun album that you’ll develop an immediate addiction to. With a running time of just 38 minutes for 16 tracks, the band doesn’t leave you any time to get bored, just enough to let loose and rock out.

Key Track: “Stutter”

Pulp – Different Class

Be it the theatrics of frontman Jarvis Cocker or the overall theme of the album – related to British social classes – Different Class ends up being, well… weirder than just about anything else Britpop gave us. You’ve got upbeat numbers that influenced groups like Arcade Fire (“Mis-Shapes”), but some have an almost gothic feel to them (“F.E.E.L.I.N.G.CA.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E”).  It may be the weirdest album of the movement, but it’s also one of the few to transcend “music” and become simply “art.”

Key Track: “Common People”

Ocean Colour Scene – Marchin’ Already

Don’t be fooled by Marchin’ Already’s opening track. “Hundred Mile High City” is an upbeat, grooving rocker and as ballsy as anything Oasis gave us. But from there, Ocean Colour Scene travels a bit of a different route, channeling late-‘60s Rolling Stones and mid-period Kinks (his voice is actually the mid-point between singers Mick Jagger and Ray Davies), experimental enough to be called “out there,” but still discernable as pop. Marchin’ Already runs the compositional gamut with grace and is a must-hear from the era.

Key Track: “Hundred Mile High City”

Suede – Dog Man Star

Suede had perhaps the most diverse influences of any Britpop act. Give a quick listen to Dog Man Star and you’ll hear songs reminiscent of 70’s hard rock (“We Are the Pigs” sounds like a lighter version of KISS), Alice in Chains (“Heroine” – ironic, considering Britpop was essentially the antagonist of grunge) and even The Smiths (singer Brett Anderson does his best Morrissey imitation on “New Generation”). Suede sadly faded away after this album, but the band clearly left its mark on Britpop.

Key Track: “This Hollywood Life”

ARTISTS THAT INFLUENCED BRITPOP

The Stone Roses –The Stone Roses

Simply put, The Stone Roses is as close to a perfect debut as England has ever seen. As a part of the rock-meets-rave Madchester scene of the late ‘80s, the album isn’t just about the music; it’s about an entire movement. From the opening bass line of “I Wanna Be Adored” to the extended jam that closes out “I Am The Resurrection,” the album drenches itself in poppy psychedelia while still maintaining a distinctly danceable quality. Ever felt like you’re being completely enveloped by sound? If you haven’t, this album’s for you.

Key Track: “I Am The Resurrection”

Happy Mondays – Pills ‘n Thrills and Bellyaches

Happy Mondays emerged at the height of Madchester, which in turn grew out of rave. So there are two things about the band’s landmark album that come as no surprise. First, the band had one member, Bez, who did nothing but dance during live shows. Secondly, the album was produced in part by now-acclaimed DJ Paul Oakenfold, whose slick, psychadelic production compensated for Happy Mondays’ mediocre songwriting. To this day, Pills remains a huge influence on experimental Britpop.

Key Track: “God’s Cop”

The Smiths – Meat is Murder

If Britpop came from Madchester and shoegaze, and those two came from ’80s alt rock, then Morrissey and Johnny Marr were the grandfathers of the movement — the duo revolutionized alt rock with experimental guitar playing and increasingly melancholic lyrics. And while Meat is Murder isn’t quite their finest hour, it’s got everything one could need from the Smiths: atmospheric guitar pop, a little rockabilly and, oh yeah, one of the greatest songs ever written (“How Soon Is Now?”).

Key Track: “How Soon Is Now?”

The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead

While Meat is Murder is excellent, The Queen is Dead ultimately establishes itself as the definitive Smiths album by offering a better and more diverse collection of songs. The familiar ingredients – depression, innovation and über-melodies – are all there, but the band’s songwriting this time around channels them all into a far more impressive package. In the end, there’s not much more one can do with The Queen is Dead than sit back and marvel.

Key Track: “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”

Inspiral Carpets – Life

With influences ranging from punk rock to British Invasion and even post-punk, Life is one of the more entertaining listens that Madchester had to offer. It’s easier to hear the Inspiral Carpets influence in a band like Elastica than, say, one like Oasis or Blur, but Life preaches what would ultimately become common practice in Britpop – gathering examples from throughout pop music’s recent history, packaging them all together and calling the resulting sound one’s own. It’s fun, it’s fast, and it’s irresistible.

Key Track: “Real Thing”

Ride – Nowhere

Arguably the second most famous shoegaze album (the first being My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless), Nowhere combines a healthy dose of sonic experimentation with an undeniable sensibility for catchy guitar rock. Think early Verve, but with more distortion and slightly less sense for vocal harmonies. The latter quality can really be daunting; but once Ride settles into its element – right around the fourth song, “Polar Bear” – Nowhere becomes a truly enjoyable and essential listening experience.

Key Track: “Vapour Trail”

ARTISTS THAT WERE INFLUENCED BY BRITPOP

Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner gives us faster songs, edgier melodies and more descriptive lyrics than many of his Britpop predecessors, and on Whatever People Say I Am he channels all of them into an undeniably infectious package. While the band’s follow-up did, at times, get lost in experimentation, this debut keeps the Britpop M.O. close at hand. Songs like “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” and “Mardy Bum” say it best: it’s short, simple and catchy as hell.

Key Track: “A Certain Romance”

Kasabian – Kasabian

Kasabian rank among the few contemporary acts not to be found on Noel Gallagher’s shit list, and it’s a bit of a mystery exactly why. Oasis tended to make happy, uplifting songs, while Kasabian’s are darker, almost haunting compositions; Oasis was a straightforward rock ‘n’ roll band, while Kasabian is more psychedelic. Maybe Gallagher just heard Kasabian’s self-titled debut, a space-rock tour de force that is as trippy and atmospheric as anything you’ll hear.

Key Track: “L.S.F (Lost Souls Forever)”

Kaiser Chiefs – Yours Truly, Angry Mob

People often consider Kaiser Chiefs this decade’s version of Blur. Take that comparison as you will, but it’s hard to deny the similarities between the bands on Yours Truly, Angry Mob. From the opening chord strikes on “Ruby,” Kaiser Chiefs launches us into its driving, yet melodic brand of guitar pop. But the band sets itself apart by adding keyboards, hard-rocking passages and, most importantly, a more universally appealing set of lyrics into the mix.

Key Track: “Everything Is Average Nowadays”

Snow Patrol – Final Straw

Go ahead, hate on Snow Patrol if you wish. Pick on them for being too mainstream, too sentimental, whatever you’d like. The fact remains that the Scottish five-piece has perhaps the best understanding of catchy guitar pop than any band out there today. The two key ingredients are the ability to switch effortlessly between more rocking and slower songs and singer Gary Lightbody’s versatile voice. The band shows off both on Final Straw.

Key Track: “Run”

Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head

Less rocking and less straightforward than much of the Britpop catalogue, Coldplay’s A Rush of Blood To The Head remains an indisputably great pop record, albeit driven by piano instead of guitar. Influenced by Britpop’s lighter, more melodic moments – the Wonderwalls and the Bittersweet Symphonies, instead of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Stars and the Song 2s – Chris Martin and Co. serve up a low-key album with absolutely no filler. From “Politik” all the way through to the closing title track, A Rush of Blood to the Head takes you in and never lets up.

Key Track: “Clocks”