Momus

At this point in his career, it's immaterial how many albums Nick Currie has recorded under the Momus guise because he's carved out such a specific niche for himself that everything begins to blur a little, especially in the later years as he's become more experimental. Nevertheless, there is something about his 18th studio album, Joemus, that makes it stand out from the crowd. Perhaps it is the musical accompaniment provided by Joe Howe (aka Germlin), a fellow Scot whose blips and beeps add a freshness that doesn't overpower the words, which are the real stars of any Momus album. Or maybe it's the fact that Joemus doesn't appear to have any overriding theme that paints Currie into a corner, something he's had a tendency to do in the past. Either way, this is memorable for all the right reasons and demonstrates why Currie could be considered as Stephen Merritt's rather difficult, sex-obsessed cousin. Sharing a similar flair for words and a theatrical bent, he's one of pop's forgotten, fascinating performers and Joemus demonstrates why he's still relevant 25 years on.