154 was, for me, one of those rare and precious albums which had the ability to immediately stop time and space as soon as the first few notes hit my eardrums (only Philip Glass' album Glassworks has had such an effect on me). It became an experience. I don't remember what possessed me to actually listen to it. I thought the artwork looked horrible, so I would never have picked this up if I didn't have a choice. I do remember where I was though: in the back store of a music store in downtown Stockholm where I was working at the time (this is around 1999-2000). I must have been trying to figure out in which section to put the CD. Expecting some sort of Sex Pistols rip off (I knew these guys had roots in the UK punk scene), I was incredibly surprised to hear well constructed yet gloomy pop songs with a touch of experimentalism; not a barrage of bony guitar chords, but a lush and layered production. This is simply a must have pop masterpiece.