albums of the decade - 4. Primal Scream - XTRMNTR

4. Primal Scream - XTRMNTR (2000)

The greatest DJ that ever lived was John Peel. He used to play Bulgarian folk and then Brazilian drum and bass. The clearest memory I hold onto though was his praise for this monster. He talked about how he had heard a lot of crazy stuff in over 30 years on the BBC, but that nothing had prepared him for this. It's total war, a fucking assault on your ears. 'Keep Your Dreams' is a beautiful ballad but apart from that, you have to be prepared. 'Exterminator' is almost like it pre-determined all the shit that was about to kick off over the next few years; it's incredible. It's basically the attitude of punk mixed with the execution of rock & roll with mad electronic shit going on all over the shop, and it's still not too heavy. 'Accelerator' is LOUD though. I think this album has single-handedly caused my tinnitus. Thanks John Peel. God bless.