【Brett Anderson: soundtrack of my life 】

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff (1934):
Most of my waking hours as a child were filled with my father playing all these old geezers – Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Berlioz, Mahler. It was a constant dribble in the background. Sometimes, he’d bring me into the front room, sit me down and say: “Listen, son, this is absolute genius!” And I’d be [whinily]: “I don’t like it, Dad.” He was obsessive, to put it mildly. When Liszt’s birthday came around, he’d drive to Hungary in his beaten-up Morris Traveller, take a piece of soil and wear it round his neck in a phial for the rest of the year.

THE TRACK THAT MADE ME THINK I COULD BE IN A BAND
Cemetry Gates by the Smiths (1986):
The Sex Pistols’ songs were about real life, not Jim Morrison rock cliches. The Smiths also showed that pop songs could be about things other than boy meets girl. There’s such a wonderful discussion about death and mortality and history on Cemetry Gates. As a teenager, I found it amazing that someone could write a song so confidently about such a potentially boring subject matter and that drove me on.

THE ALBUM THAT MADE ME WANT TO MAKE ALBUMS
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush (1985):
I love how this album leads you along, like you’re this willing victim, one of the rats following the Pied Piper. [Suede’s second album] Dog Man Star wouldn’t have been the same album without Hounds of Love – it was totally inspired by it. Records that show that you can take a listener on a journey, create a real sense of space and a sound that is completely their own: those are the ones people love.

THE ALBUM THAT MADE ME FEEL LIKE A TEENAGER AGAIN
The Trials of Van Occupanther by Midlake (2006):
: This coming out coincided with a special time for me personally, when I first met my wife. It’s so easy to get jaded about music when you’ve been making it for a long time, when you get sent lots of stuff… and then one record comes along that makes you feel 14 again. I remember lying on my bed, drowning in the beauty of this. I love the way you don’t know quite what’s going on in the lyrics, so you follow little clues at your peril and make up your own stories. It reminded me how great oblique imagery is and how rejuvenating music can be.

THE TRACK THAT INSPIRES ME NOW
I Can’t Control Myself by the Horrors (2009):
I’m like a magpie these days, spending lots of time listening to anything people are talking about. I love Foals, Bat for Lashes, These New Puritans, but the Horrors are fantastic. They’re developing in a really interesting way, always coming back with something new. And this track sounds fantastic live, heavy, bright and intense. Between 1991 and 1996, I didn’t listen to any music other than ours, but now I think it’s important in the process of creating. It’s like breathing. I’m glad I shut myself off before, though, because it’s important to go through phases. After all, I never wanted to be the same person for the rest of my life.