Muzak

The muffled sound of Fischerspooner's #1 being played in its entirety[*] in the flat upstairs has lead me into compiling a late entry for Norm's rock n pop best of poll. I'm deeply distrustful of these online lists - they same to combine the blogger's two worst faults of rampant narcissism and a taste for cloying imitation. Since this one comes with the Normblog seal of approval, however, I suppose it's ok to indulge. (NB: I find it's best to assume the Normblog seal of approval extends only as far as music and other fripperies, lest you end up accidently supporting the invasion of Iraq or Liam Byrne or whatever.) Non-definitively, off the top of my head, without looking at my music collection, and in no particular order:

1. Like A Prayer - Madonna
2. I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges
[hey! two pervy entries for starters! hoopla!]
3. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo - Pere Ubu
4. Shed Some Skin - Slow Gherkin
5. Push It - Salt and Pepa
6. My Love Lies Limp - ATV
7. Olio - The Rapture
[Can't recommend The Rapture highly enough. Never had the recognition they deserve.]
8. Set You Free - N-Trance [the greatest song of the 1990s, by some distance]
9. Another Girl Another Planet - The Only Ones
10. Hurt - Johnny Cash version

Hm. It'll do. (Why no early Violent Femmes?) Probably best not to examine the peculiar train of thought involved here. On a vaguely related theme, is "This Is Hardcore" the bestest Pulp album ever, or what? Eh? Eh?

[*] Anyone remember Fischerspooner? The only really decent tracks on #1 - the only recent decent things they have ever done, I suspect - are "Emerge" and that bonus track about coprophillia. I'm faintly impressed that anyone can be bothered rattling through the whole thing.