20 albums celebrating 20 years in 2017
A toast to 1997
Radiohead 'OK Computer'
There's not many that can reach the melancholic heights (or lows) of Thom Yorke, is there? The Radiohead frontman is an overly languid mood on 'No Surprises', one of four singles taken from the group's third album 'OK Computer', his downbeat lyrics cruising above beautiful starlit melodies. It's clear that's what people were after; it hit number one on the UK Albums Chart and over four million copies have been shifted in total. 'Paranoid Android', 'Karma Police' and 'Lucky' were the three other singles, contributing to its status as their most critically-acclaimed bodies of work. DT
Roni Size / Reprazent 'New Forms'
The love for this was so high, Bristol drum 'n' bass icon Roni Size and Reprazent scooped the Mercury Music Prize. Even those without a taste for d'n'b are likely to have heard the massaging twangs of 'Brown Paper Bag', a track swimming in jazz influences that showed how much the genre could spread its wings. The album took flight, too, peaking at number eight in the UK Albums Chart, but it wasn't through any dilution of style. Roni and co. stayed true to the 'Reasons For Sharing' material that'd come on Talkin' Loud the year before, producing devilish boppers like 'Digital', the manic 'Railing' and majestic 'Heroes'. 'New Forms' is an ideal title for an album most certainly showcasing a fresh direction for d'n'b jungle. DT
