1. Wild Billy Childish And The Musicians Of The British Empire | He’s Making A Tape
Given his output and disregard for any form of professionalism Billy Childish is a remarkably consistent songwriter, He’s Making A Tape is him at his most playful. I also very much enjoy the female vocal.

 2. Lambchop | The Old Gold Shoe
Kurt Wagner is one of my musical heroes and since this was the first song of his to jump into my ears it gotta make the list. For me Lambchop have the ability to take the ordinary and flip it without you even noticing, which is something I've since applied to my own records. Cheers, Kurt.

3. Scott Walker | The World's Strongest Man 
Behind those sunglasses of his lies a massive middle finger to convention, it also happens to be beautifully orchestrated and brilliantly written middle finger.

 4. James Luther Dickinson | Wine
I'm a recent convert to the world of drunk jams, to the point that I almost turn my nose up at recordings that seem too sober. That being said Wine is perhaps the drunkest song ever recorded, aside from that Harry Nillson song where he audibly burps at the beginning.

5. The Go-Betweens | Love Goes On!
A beautifully observed song about heartbreak that feels incredibly real, there's a slightly off-putting mariachi sounding bit in the middle but I'll forgive them for that.


6. Peter Hammill | Birthday Special
If that demon from The Exorcist crawled inside Roxy Music, they would play Birthday Special.

7. The Congos | Fisherman
It's Lee “Scratch” Perry's production that does it for me, he makes laid back seem otherworldly.

8. Karen Dalton | Something On Your Mind
I was recently tipped off about Karen Dalton and I’m all the better for it. I think she matches Elizabeth Cotten pound for pound in the world weariness stakes. In an actual fight I think Dalton would take Cotten, she was quite the reckless drunk by all accounts.

9. Wire | Another The Letter
I'm a slave to the one minute song and Wire are my ambassador to that fact. This song also sounds incredible, the bass, the keys, those drums, what a minute it is.

10. The Band | The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Whenever I need a lift I watch the live recording of this song from The Last Waltz. From Martin Scorsese's camera work to the genuine emotion on The Band's face, it captures the pain and joy of lives truly lived, and always gives me reason to keep going.