Three records that changed my life

I was recently asked to put together a small piece on the three records that I would consider to have had most impact on my life for Wolverhampton promoters Out of Step. After much nail-biting I managed to get it down to three, as there were a few others who I felt deserved the priviledge of being listed, but here we go, here are what I consider to be the three most important records in my musical development...

Vex Red - 'Start With A Strong and Persistent Desire' (I Am/Virgin, 2002)
2002. I had just turned 15. I was pretty much like any other 'alternative' kid in the school at the time. I liked all the obvious stuff that those 'alternative' kids liked. I even dyed my hair red like Kurt Cobain. I was ignorant to music from our own shores. Then I heard Vex Red. If there was one song that I could blame for my musical ephiphany, it would probably have been the first time I heard 'Itch'. I was blown away: here was a British band that I felt I could get excited about, who were making music unlike anything I'd heard before. They mixed alt-rock and electronic influences together to create an album which to me, was the closest thing to perfection I had ever heard, like some hybrid of the Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails - but from Surrey. They were also the first band I ever went to see. Sadly, in late 2002, the band split after being dropped from their label, leaving just this album and two singles as their legacy.

Joy Division - 'Unknown Pleasures' (Factory, 1979)

I went to University in Aberystwyth, and accordingly I spent most of three years there shrouded in sea-mist and surrounded by the slick-grey of wet concrete. Until I had lived in such bleak surroundings I had never really understood the bands' music. Yes, I had listened to it, processed the lyrics and knew it was a brilliant piece of art-as-music/music-as-art, but it is a whole lot more than that. Late 70s Manchester transposed itself over mid-00s Wales, and I loved every moment of it - from the insistent beat of 'Disorder' through to the last industrial throbbings of 'I Remember Nothing'. I would go as far to say it is the greatest record every commited to tape. Also, as an aside, Peter Saville's design for the record sleeve is probably my favourite of all time.

Mogwai - 'Rock Action' (Southpaw, 2001)
I've been a long time fan of Mogwai, and whilst most of their albums (and my love of them) is based on the building up slices of intense sound, this release was a lot more subtle in its experimentation with dynamics. There is a greater use of electronics, as well as a whole host of instrumentation outside of your traditional guitar/bass/drums combo, which leads to the creation of a densely textured soundscape. It's great music to get lost it, headphones on, eyes closed. To this day I would find it hard to name a more perfect instrumental track than '2 Rights Make 1 Wrong' - that banjo during the coda is enough alone to make you weep. Also, the time I had sex to this record was one of the most incredible, beautiful, and unforgettable moments of my life.

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You can read other people's choices over at the Out of Step blog here or perhaps even submit your own. They will be producing a little zine of their findings to give away at their next night on the 25th Jan, which will also be the first night they put on with bands.