2000-2010 was a landmark period for the indie rock revival that swept up the western music scene with the likes of Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and others all achieving widespread attention from the music press and the public with genre defining highlights. Some bands however weren't as much apart of the craze, not due to a lack of talent but simply because the landscape of the genre became so convoluted with mimicking and trend-jumpers that some simply got lost in the shuffle. It's a shame because many of these band's records more than give the break out artists a run for their money. The ten entries on this list epitomize those albums of the noughties that got lost in a sea of angular guitars and lyrical whimsy, that either commercially or critically didn't garner the appreciation that they deserved to.
10. Delays - You See Colours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuEQf_MIS4w The British musical landscape of the noughties was mostly recognized as a playground for the sharp and jagged guitar riffs of indie rock but some didn't follow that somewhat limiting formula. A prime example of this is the sugary pop rock of Southampton four-piece Delays. Released in 2006, You See Colours was a euphoric blast of 80's synth pop mixed with strutting guitar workouts which focused more on dreamy musical wonderment and sensitive lyrical longing rather than brash bravado, adding up to make an LP that really should have been more highly revered. It stood in stark contrast to the cookie cutter acts that over inflated the scene, providing soothing vocal harmonies and gated reverb drenched beats that still sounded very much indie rock in its musical makeup. Despite reaching Number 24 on the Official UK Album Charts, the record didn't propel the band like it should have done and it didn't garner enough press in music circles to really cement it as an unmissable album. Frontman and guitarist Greg Gilbert gives an incredibly passionate vocal performance throughout the eleven golden tracks here like on the beautiful, technicolor love song 'You And Me', the New Order tinged, pulse-pulping banger 'Valentine' or the ultra retro, synth led singalong 'Lillian', which are all further complimented by brilliant electric guitar stabs fused with futuristic electronic noodling making the record a colorful splash of different sounds and styles. Gilbert can elevate his voice to angelic highs or demote it to rasping lows giving songs like album highlight 'Hideaway' a great back and fourth dynamic that portrays the emotional components of the songs to the nth degree. You See Colours is a joyous record that still retains elements of heartache throughout, making this the perfect bittersweet pop-rock record of the noughties and one that deserved more attention than it attained at the time of release.
Music Journalism graduate and freelance writer from Northern Ireland, who enjoys scouring the music archives for the best sounds from the past and present. Writer for the awesome publications WhatCulture, Metal Injection, Scribol, The Gamer, and Prefix.
