Pale Blue Eyes’ Matt Board on the first and last albums he bought, and a go-to record
FIRST
Blur
‘The Great Escape’
(Food/Virgin, 1995)
“I bought this off the back of the single ‘The Universal’. It was pretty hard to compete with my dad’s incredible LP collection. Dad introduced me to loads of music, like the Cocteaus, Stereolab, This Mortal Coil, The Cure… but Blur was one I discovered myself. I loved the ace pop song arrangements, but also I was learning the guitar and remember loving Graham Coxon’s tones. This led to the beginning of a guitar pedal obsession…”
LAST
Keel Her
‘With Kindness’
(O Genesis, 2019)
“I’d been meaning to get this for a while. I always loved Rose’s [Rose Keeler-Schaffeler, aka Keel Her] effortless topline melodies and the cruisey song arrangements. The production is top, great synth lines and oscillating organs, and I absolutely love the Univox drum machine as well. The album artwork is by Rose too – we’ve had it framed and put up in our new front room in Sheffield. ‘No Control’ and ‘Complain Train’ are highlights.”
ALWAYS
Sigur Rós
‘Ágætis Byrjun’
(Smekkleysa, 1999)
“This record started a total Sigur Rós obsession, to the point where I went on a pilgrimage to Iceland years ago and made it to their Sundlaugin studio to record some demos. I love the manipulated found sounds and dynamic arrangements, which take you on a journey through sweeping, dense guitar tones. ‘Svefn-G-Englar’ is probably my favourite song ever. I still listen to this most weeks. It’s an album that has given me so much joy and often felt like a safe place to disappear.”
