9. Prefab SproutSteve McQueen
There is no better songwriter ever. Paddy [McAloon]’s emotional agility and his capacity to develop completely novel images and metaphors that take you right to the heart of complex feelings is unmatched. Additionally, the production and pop hooks on this record are so damn good! All-time favourite? Definitely in the top three. I found it when it came out on a compilation about five years ago. It’s called Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80s Underground, a compilation of Top 40 songs from the ’80s that never broke to the level of Top 10. And ‘When Love Breaks Down’ was on that record, and I thought it was the best song I’d ever heard. So I got into their music through that. When I went and bought Steve McQueen, I was like, "Holy shit." It’s literally the best songwriting. ‘Appetite’ has lyrically got to be one of the most elegant things. I don’t know Bob Dylan’s music that well, but there’s definitely no poetry in Dylan as good as ‘Appetite’.
