Recently I had a chat with four piece indie rock band from Nottingham Blondes. In October 2020 their single Coming Of Age became an overnight hit on TikTok. Following this success Blondes have gone on to release a further four singles, play Reading and Leeds Festival and sell-out shows. So I asked them about five albums from five decades that influenced their music and style. Here's what they had to say.
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| Photo by Cole Blue |
60s - Rubber Soul - The Beatles (1965)
Stroud (guitar): I grew up listening to The Beatles because they're my dad's favourite band, and he always had their music on in the house.
When I was younger I was always into the earlier Beatles stuff more, but as I got older I got more into their later stuff because it’s a lot more inventive and interesting musically. This album is one of my favourites from them because it’s at the point where they kind of changed from their early naive songwriting and started being more experimental and writing deeper songs. It almost has a perfect balance of early type of Beatles songs to late. This album contains some of my all-time favourite Beatles songs as well, like ' Nowhere Man’, ‘Girl’ and In My Life’.
70's - Rumours - Fleetwood Mac (1977)
Alex (Guitar, Keys, Bass): This is an album my Dad introduced me to when I was younger and has stayed with me ever since. There's not a single bad song on it, in fact almost every song was a massive hit. To think that they were crafting this record all while their relationships with each other were disintegrating so dramatically there in the studio. The heartbreak and affairs and animosity all going on behind the scenes, inspiring them to write these iconic songs all about each other, it’s such a fascinating context that was obviously instrumental in the album creation. Besides all of that, the fact that Stevie Nicks wrote ‘Dreams’ in one 10-minute sitting out of literally 2 chords on a rhodes piano is just staggering. What a record.
80's - Happy? - Public Image Ltd (1987)
Tom (Bass & Keys): What a bloody lovely album. Every song bangs. The first time I heard of PIL was when I saw them live around 5 years ago, and I've been in love since. John Lydon's vocals are so unique and are accompanied by lovely jangly guitars and other experimental noises. He writes songs in such an emotional way and this really comes out in this album.‘Seattle ’ and ‘The Body are such huge tunes, both with a massive chorus. Lu Edmonds is a genius as a guitar player. It really shines on this album, and they are even better live.
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| Photo by Cole Bleu |
90's (What's The Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis (1995)
Will (Vocals, Guitar & Keys): I remember first hearing this album from start to finish in the car and immediately wanted to hear it played front to back again. There was something about this album that resonated with me more than any other I've listened to since. It's a huge inspiration to me as a songwriter. Every song is brilliantly written and transitions seamlessly into the next. If I'm correct I think every track started with just an acoustic guitar and a click track. For a mainly acoustic-driven album to have such an impact in the rock industry is a testament to how good the songwriting is.
2000's The College Dropout - Kayne West (2004)
Dave (Drums): Such an amazing album, a rollercoaster from start to end and an absolute masterclass in beat production and sampling. I've always loved the message that you don't have to take the conventional path in life to succeed. Not only is it sonically an incredible album, but the whole thing is a testament to Kayne's perseverance and love for his craft, even rapping with his jaw wired shut in ‘Through The Wire’.
Follow Blondes here
Instagram - @blondesband
TikTok - @blondesband
Spotify - Blondes
Apple Music - Blondes
Photos by Cole Bleu / Instagram @cole.bleu
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