The Auteurs - Chinese Bakery (Acoustic) (Hut, 1994)

Languid acoustic + cello take.

Delightful, lazy take on the 'Now I'm A Cowboy' single. An air of wistful resignation hangs over this version - like it's too hot to bother - where the studio version is caustic and sarcastic. A cello weaves gorgeously.

Download The Auteurs 'Chinese Bakery (Acoustic)' (indie, britpop, mp3) (Divshare)

Blur - For Tomorrow (Visit To Primrose Hill Extended) (Food, 1993)

Kinks-y slice of string-laden London loving.

Was this the start of Britpop? I know that 'The Drowners' came out first but I prefer not to sully Suede's name with the label Britpop, they were better than that.

Despite the scent of sulphur and cynicism that, for me, Damon Albarn carries with him, 'For Tomorrow' is a delight (as is the 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' album). This extended version let's the song stretch out, a breathless bike ride, looking out over London.

Download Blur - For Tomorrow (Visit To Primrose Hill Extended) (indie, Britpop, blur mp3)

Gene - For The Dead (Demo Tape, 1993)

Early promise on Gene's demo tape.

I received a copy of the Gene demo from their publicists of the time who must have handled a band who I fawned over. To be honest, I fell in love with 'For The Dead' and picked up the 7" when it eventually came out.

However, I never really took to Gene much beyond that track though it still stands up as a nicely-structured, well-crafted song with a certain loucheness, 'Drowners'-style dynamics and a very telling Morrissey growl towards the end.

Download Gene 'For The Dead (4-Track Demo)' (Britpop, indie, Gene mp3) (Rapidshare)

The Auteurs - Light Aircraft On Fire (Live at LSE 1999)

Splenetic, punky brilliance. Cellist forced to mimic sound of engine failure.

Part National Treasure, part national emetic, this live gallop through 'Light Aircraft On Fire' is from the late, who-gives-a-fuck phase and is pure searing, bile-stained genius.

Download The Auteurs 'Light Aircraft On Fire (Live at LSE, 1999)' (live indie mp3) (Rapidshare)

Download the whole 'No Dialogue With Cunts' live set over on archive:live+rare

Pulp 'This Is Hardcore' (Live at Wireless 2011)

A triumphant, epic performance from the live comeback.

'This Is Hardcore' is probably the single that signalled the end of Pulp's mainstream career. A bitter, twisted ballad of self-disgust and disillusionment.

It shouldn't work in the wide open spaces of a festival-style gig but it's just so big in scope and almost operatic in scale that it stands up to scrutiny.

Download Pulp 'This Is Hardcore (Live at Wireless 2011)' (indie Britpop mp3) (Box)

The Dears '22: The Death of all the Romance' (Bella Union, 2005)

Impossibly melodramatic, cinematic alt pop.

Is it really six years since this came out? I fell hard for The Dears on this album but haven't really gelled with anything they've done since. I stumbled on this track again and can feel myself falling for them all over again.

It's an almost ridiculous confection, driving rhythms, strings, heartbreak, romance, piano solo and a lovely male-female duet.

There's hints of The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen's swooning alternative rock best, Tindersticks' moon-in-the-gutter romance , the more imaginative end of Britpop or one of my favourite under-rated bands Animals That Swim even. However, on this album - 'No Cities Left' - Murray Lightburn was on fire, a singular talent.

It builds and builds to an exotic flamenco-tinged finale, towering piles of strings, criss-crossing vocals, slashing guitar... The End. Perfection.

It also has an incredibly cute and brilliant video.

Download The Dears '22: The Death of all the Romance' (indie, alternative, mp3) (Mediafire)

My Life Story '17 Reasons Why I Love Her' (Parlophone, 1996)

My Life Story's finest moment - elongated.

The original version - '12 Reasons Why I Love Her' - is a towering, (melo)dramatic piece of orchestral pop that snuck into the charts in mid-nineties under cover of Britpop. Absolute full-on heart-on-sleeve stuff from Jake Shillingford and his ensemble.

Through the excellent 'Mornington Crescent' album and singles like 'Funny Ha Ha', My Life Story built up to this statement of intent. String section stabs, thunderous drum roll intro, dramatic cello undertow, trumpet stabs, yearning vocals, no real chorus because it's pretty much all chorus.

This extended version adds a baroque intro that ratchets up the tension for when the drum roll finally drops, announcing the track and leading us into five extra reasons.

Ravishing.

Download My Life Story '17 Reasons Why I Love Her' (Indie, Britpop, mp3) (Mediafire)

Powder 'Afrodisiac' (Parkway, 1995) (mp3)

Short-lived Britpoppers deliver catchy guitar-led single shock.

Powder were signed to Britpop publicists Savidge and Best's Parkway label. Savidge and Best were the PRs who represented Suede, Pulp, The Auteurs and Menswear amongst others, which casts a slight air of suspicion over Powder but this is a cracking track.

Powder released a trio of singles but Pearl Lowe is now better known for endeavours outside the band and being mother of Daisy Lowe.

'Afrodisiac' was their second single and it's a firey, wirey mini-blitzkrieg with a machine gun chorus. Lyrics are total bollocks but that's part of the fun. Produced by Paul Tipler who also put the finishing touches on Midway Still's best indie rock stuff.

Knowing bandnames, publicists and the diminishing returns of Britpop aside, I still think this is a tasty single.

Download: Powder 'Afrodisiac' (mp3) (Rapidshare)

Listen: https://youtu.be/Q_R6vsX9sL4

My Life Story 'Funny Ha Ha EP' (Mother Tongue, 1994) (zip)

Proto-Britpop orchestral pop elegance from My Life Story.

This is an early self-released EP by the wonderful My Life Story who were a kind of flamboyant, major-key parallel band to The Divine Comedy or The Auteurs, releasing some gorgeous orchestral and baroque string-driven pop.

Busting a twelve-piece, heavily orchestral line-up, singer/songwriter/driving force Jake Shillingford cut a maverick figure in the pre-Britpop years - maybe something of a precursor to the wonderful Patrick Wolf, though going a little easier at the dressing-up box.

My Life Story later signed to EMI but never made the breakthrough they deserved and faded away, seemingly embittered by the experience of being processed through the major label machine. According to the Jake Shillingford website, he now lectures on the importance of autonomy in the music industry.

This EP shows them in fine form. 'Funny Ha Ha' is piled with swirling strings, catchy melodies, memorable lyrics and is utterly irresistable with 'Funny Peculiar' a companion, stripped-down chamber/lounge version. 'The Lady Is A Tramp' is a driving, strident groover and 'These Words Are Haunting' is a moodier end-of-the-relationship ballad, draped in picked and strummed acoustic guitar and some crazy flute.

A top quality EP package.

B-sides/rarities and greatest hits CDs are available direct from Jake Shillingford's online store and are highly recommended.

Tracklisting:
1. Funny Ha Ha
2. The Lady Is A Tramp
3. These Words Are Haunting
4. Funny Peculiar

Download My Life Story 'Funny Ha Ha EP' (320k mp3, ZIP) (Mediafire)

Blur 'Maggie May' (NME, 1992)

Blur delivered a proto-Britpop run through of the Rod Stewart golden oldie for the NME's 'Ruby Trax' charity compilation.

It bowls along rowdily like a gang of Pearly Kings in a transit van after an afternoon on the sauce.

The drums sound like cardboard boxes being beaten with kitchen roll tubes, a squelchy organ weaves drunkenly around like one of the Inspiral Carpets broke into the studio after hours, and Damon mostly sings within himself, unable to decide whether to get into the song and blast it out or 'ave it all ironical an' that instead.

Less essential than Suede's take on 'Brass In Pocket' but fun nonetheless.

Download Blur 'Maggie May' (mp3) (Mediafire)