1. Lou ReedBerlin

When I was at art school, I often didn’t do the work I should have during the day, so I’d have to pull all-nighters to catch up.  There was a point where I was threatened with being thrown out, so I had to buckle down, and even though I was more interested in seeing bands, I’d play albums to accompany me through the night. The one that was always on was Berlin, so I have such a sentimental attachment to it. I love Transformer too – it’s one of the best albums ever made – but in Berlin, he hasn’t become so veiled. Sometimes Lou would become a little bit inaccessible, but with this album, he’s really making it clear what he’s talking about.

It’s the sad, sad story of these drunk adult souls in Berlin, and it has a quality about it like a musical. It’s very atmospheric and emotive. And his voice… nobody else has a voice like that. It’s an instrument that immediately evokes a certain kind of vibe, able to draw you into these stories and these individual characters, with very simple but powerful lines. And this sounds awful, but it also allows you to sink into a kind of despair and misery in the story before it becomes a beacon of hope at the end, lifting you up and pulling you out. It also includes the only song I’ve ever heard that mentions Mary Queen of Scots.