Morphine

Morphine was a band that traded guitars for bass guitars and sax. Damn, it works. Their songs are groovy & catchy alternative rock gems that haven't lost anything in terms of originality and a sense of "I haven't heard this type of music elsewhere". During the 90's, the band delivered several great albums. One of my favorites is Cure for pain (1993). The title of the album probably refers to drugs and several of the songs include lyrics in which it is not clear whether the singer, Mark Sandman, talks about lovers or drugs (he died on-stage. Overdose). The sound is straightforward and the songs conjure an irresistable gush of life (however drug-induced...). Check out "All wrong" or "I'm free now". Morphine's third album, Yes, is also a fine proof of their skills.

The legacy of Morphine is, I think, honoured by spiky blues rock acts such as The Gossip and The BellRays. I also want to mention Norwegian band Ricochets, who represents almost the same kind of straightforward yet not boring type of rock n' roll outburst that Morphine was an embodiment of.