Horsedrawn Wishes

The sophomore album from Dublin’s Rollerskate Skinny – the band were named after a phrase describing Holden’s sister Phoebe in J.D. Salinger’s teen classic Catcher In The Rye – sounded like Ireland’s answer to Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips. Each track was a mini-symphony blending buzzing guitars, unusual harmonies, urgent keyboards and warped melodies. Although percussionist Jim Shields (brother of MBV frontman Kevin Shields) had left the band, some critics compared its swirling wall of sound to Loveless – particularly on the stand-out ‘Speed To My Side’. Horsedrawn Wishes remains one of the most innovative sixty minutes of Irish rock music ever recorded.

No 33 in 2009, as voted for by over 200 Irish musicians.