Wolf Alice's Joff Oddie: the 10 records that changed my life

Introduction

After landing the band Mercury, Brit and Grammy award nominations, plus sellout tours in the UK and USA, it's safe to say that Wolf Alice's debut, My Love Is Cool, is one of the great success stories of 2015.

Key to the band's addictive alt-rock formula is Jaguar-toting guitarist Joff Oddie's pedal-laden textures, which weave around frontwoman Ellie Rowsell's hook-heavy vocals and forge a sound that pays its dues to everything from 90s grunge to classic pop and 60s folk.

With that in mind, we were keen to find out what drives Oddie's songwriting and tonal craft, and he duly obliged, letting us in on the 10 records that changed his life.

Wolf Alice tour the UK and Ireland in March 2016 – full dates are below.

4 March - Mandela Hall - Belfast, UK
5 - Olympia - Dublin, Ireland
7 - Keele Uni Students Union - Stoke-on-Trent, UK
10 - Academy - Manchester, UK
11 - UEA - Norwich, UK
13 - Academy - Oxford, UK
14 - Pyramids - Portsmouth, UK
16 - Barrowlands - Glasgow, UK
17 - Barbican - York, UK
19 - Academy - Leeds, UK
21 - Leas Cliff Halls - Folkestone, UK
22 - The Dome - Brighton, UK
23 - Rock City - Nottingham, UK
24 - Great Hall - Cardiff, UK
27 - The Forum - London, UK

1. Aphex Twin - Drukqs (2001)

“Richard D James is one of the most important and hands down most talented musicians that has been making music in my lifetime – his range is enormous and he has continued to release the most forward-thinking electronic music since he began in the early 90s.

“I had a hard time picking which of his albums I wanted to add here, but i feel Drukqs is the record that best shows his ability to write both some of the most visceral and equally beautiful music.

“If you need a lesson on rule-breaking, then listen to Aphex Twin.”

2. Nick Drake - Pink Moon (1972)

“This album has some of the prettiest guitar work, and I learned a great deal about the guitar from listening to and trying to learn this album.

“The production is all very minimal, which just shows how great a songwriter and guitar player he is that he can hold your attention for a whole record with just guitar and voice.

“I love his use of open tunings, and this record was a real catalyst in my own experimentation in that area.”

3. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

“When Is This It came out, The Strokes were easily the coolest guitar band on the planet, and at the time probably the coolest I had ever seen or heard. It was the first time I think that I had that real desire to be in a band.

“This is a record that I've played from start to finish since my brother brought it home when I was a kid, and I never tire of listening to it.

“I remember thinking that I had never seen such an accomplished guitar player – Albert Hammond Jr – that wasn't just a shredder or show-off. He played just enough, if that makes sense. Also, the way the guitars and bass work with each other in harmony and counterpoint sound more like arrangements for a string quartet in the way they interact with each other.

“Personally, I think it's the best guitar record that's been produced in the past 20 years.”

4. Boards Of Canada - The Campfire Headphase (2005)

“I got into Boards Of Canada in a big way when I was in my teens and a friend introduced me to the world of IDM. It came at a time that I believed indie music was starting to become a bit turgid, and it was a real breath of fresh air.

“People like Venetian Snares, Squarepusher, Four Tet was all I was listening to, and listening to all that really pushed what I believed I knew about what music was or could be.

“This Boards Of Canada record was possibly my favourite record at that point, and I still really love it now – and funnily enough, it has some really nice, interesting guitar tones throughout, which was rare for what I was listening to at the time.”

5. John Fahey - The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death (1965)

“I first heard about John Fahey from my US tour manager at the time (Dana Wachs of Vorhees), who had caught me listening to Elizabeth Cotten and had said that I must listen to John Fahey. This record is a folk guitar masterclass comprised entirely of solo guitar instrumentals.

“Some are interpretations of other old folk songs and some are his own, but the level of skill shown is incredible. His use of dissonance is unparalleled and his use of melody and timing baffles me.

“From first impression, it is a very simple set of folk songs, but the further you go in and try and learn what he is doing you realise just how nuanced his compositions are.

“In a very short space of time, it has become my favourite guitar record… possibly of all time.”

6. The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

“This is, in my opinion, the best record produced by the greatest guitar band of all time. I really started to get into the Velvet Underground when I first moved up to London in my late teens and soon became obsessed with them.

“It feels like every song on the record has a completely different identity and is trying to push or challenge something different with each track. Many bands have tried to marry the ideals of popularmusic with the avant-garde, but they were the first and remain the best.

“I also believe that John Cale's viola playing has inadvertently had a big effect on a lot of guitar players in the way that he used his instrument on that record. I remember hearing an interview with him about the making of that album and him saying about his use of drones and how there are songs where he would only play one note throughout the whole thing!

“Of course, he can seriously play the viola, but that lack of ego in only playing one note is something really special, and that I think a lot of guitar players could learn from.”

7. Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (1962)

“This is Bob's first record, and mainly just consists of old folk standards like House Of The Rising Sun and In My Time Of Dying. I get raised eyebrows when I say that this is my favourite Dylan record, but it's really so raw, and the guitar playing is so great.

“A lot of people have sung these songs before, but I get serious goosebumps listening to it – more so than any of his contemporaries at the time.”

8. Willy Mason - Where The Humans Eat (2004)

“This is my favourite album of all time. I first heard it when I was about 14 after my stepdad found him written about in the music pages of a newspaper. He played me Oxygen and I haven't looked back since.

“The songs are so deeply poignant and the production so raw and minimal – I think it was recorded in just under a couple of weeks if I'm right – that it has always been my go-to album when I get the blues.

“It immediately takes me back to being a teenager and all of the things that were happening around that time. Being from a rural area, gigs were never easy to get to, but we drove up to see him in Liverpool when I was a kid to watch him play. It was the first real gig I had been to, and that really did change things for me.

“A couple of summers ago, a couple of my friends booked him to play at their festival (Knee Deep – check it out; it's a great weekend!), and he played to a small field of my friends and family. One of my best festival moments.

“I would recommend this record to anybody.”

9. Sonic Youth - Evol (1986)

“Anyone who thinks they know anything about how to play offset guitars probably stole it from Sonic Youth, and being a Jaguar player I am in no way any exception to this rule. The guitar sounds on this record are still some of the most amazing and out there that I can think of.

“At the time of getting into Sonic Youth, I was already playing around with a lot of open tunings on the acoustic guitar, but seeing what they did gave me the confidence to translate what I already knew about alternative tunings to the electric and then to push it.

“One of the finest groups of noisemakers ever, and in my opinion, their best record.”

10. Blur - Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)

“I'm a big fan of pretty much all of Blur's records, but this is my favourite. I love all of the songs on it.

“Sometimes, I think people often overlook Blur as a 'that cheeky Britpop group', but they are such an incredible group of musicians. Alex James's bass lines are all fantastic, Damon Albarn has written some of the best tunes to come out of that era, and Graham Coxon was and is one of the best guitar players in the world.

“You try and learn a Blur song and you think, 'Ah, it's just going to be strumming some barre chords,' but you listen to what he is doing and it couldn't be further from that. One of the most creative guitar players ever and undisputed king of the anti-solo.”