Sound Bites

Best of 2002 | Music

the 10 best albums of 2002 (no order)

hell has frozen over - there are no british bands on bill's top ten list, but many of the americans (and canadians) found here are rocking in an english style. the rest of europe is well represented, though.

 

the soundtrack of our lives - behind the music (universal)

leave it to the swedes. a little bit of the who, a dollup of the rolling stones, a dash of spirit's earth mother kookiness... you'll swear this is some lost classic from 1972. it rocks. it's groovy. the lyrics are, like, out there, man! the lead singer looks like dan haggerty as a trappist monk, the rest of the band play like they're taking their finals in Rock Moves 101. fifteen songs and all of them are excellent.

 

hot hot heat - make up the breakdown (sub pop)

did you hear? 1981 is the new black. most bands are just posers, rip-off artists, but hot hot heat have absorbed the nervy sounds of gang of four, xtc, joe jackson, dexy's midnight runners, the cure, etc. and made it their own. There are so many little parts on this record that are just perfect, right on.

 

flaming lips - yoshimi battles the pink robots (warner bros.)

this is nowhere near as good as the flaming lips' 1999 masterwork, the soft bulletin, this is still a fine record from one of the most interesting bands around today. the four-song "concept" of the title that opens the record doesn't do much for me, but then wayne coyne and company turn on their modern psychedelia and the rainbows flow from the speakers.

interpol - turn on the bright lights (matador)

the darker side of 1981 turns up on this NYC bands debut, steeped chameleons, the smiths, comsat angels, joy division and, er, red lorry yellow lorry. like HHH, interpol take their influences as a launching point, not as something to copy exactly. a classic for kids who aren't happy, but don't like their angst from the korns of the world that sounds best really, really loud.

nada surf - let go (heavenly uk)

i never got nada surf's breakthrough hit, "popular," and dismissed them immediately after. but i saw an acoustic performance earlier this year that really made me re-evaluate them and then i got a copy of let go and wondered if they had drastically become a much better band or if i just never gave them a chance. either way, this is a great pop record and every song is a winner. with everyone praising weezer, nada surf deserve a chance too. let go is currently import-only, but comes out on barsuk records in february.

lali puna - scary world theory (morr music)

this german group make chillout music in the vein of stereolab or broadcast, but lali puna's seems more natural, organic, warm. scary world theory is just a lovely album perfect for lazy sunday mornings or long drives in the car. reccomended to anyone who digs the aformentioned bands, as well as boards of canada and bjork's last couple of records. beautiful and delicate.

spoon - kill the moonlight (merge)

spoon used to be a bunch of pixies imitators but morphed into one of the better American bands around, though they sound like they're listening to a lot of British stuff (bowie, t-rex, rod stewart and elvis costello come to mind). the production is really stripped-down and you can hear every instrument as clear as a bell. the hooks are undeniable: witness the pop majesty of "Paper Tiger," "Someone Something" and "You Gotta Feel It." Yet it totally rocks too and they do it all in 35 minutes.

fischerspooner - #1 (ministry of sound)

i didn't want to like this CD or this band, but there's no denying it's fun. fischerspooner are probably the preiminent "electroclash" band -- i.e. NYC hipsters who ape '80s synth pop like gary numan, human league and the normal. oh it's so ironic! well, yes, but this album is ironic and good. some of the lyrics are a little out-there and goofy, but there's no doubt about the ice-cool beats and retro-melodies. capitol is re-releasing this next year, so you're warned.

cornelius - point (matador)

as elaborate and amazing as this japanese band's live shows are, listening to their albums might be considered missing the,er, point. their last american release, fantasma, was a greatest hits of their japanese CDs and it felt like it. but there's nothing disjointed about point. in fact, try and pull this apart and it doesn't work at all, you need to listen to the whole thing, in order to really get it. it's like exploration and theories on a single groove. and it's brilliant, in a krautrock sort of way. but if you get a chance go see them live... it's mindblowing.

the also-rans: royksopp - melody a.m., n.e.r.d. - in search of..., the soft boys - nextdoorland, jurassic 5 - strength in numbers, doves - the last broadcast, sugababes - angels with dirty faces, the coral - the coral, the streets - original pirate material, edwyn collins - dr. syntax, radio 4 - gotham!, clinic - walking with thee, ed harcourt - here be monsters, coldplay - a rush of blood to the head, luna - romantica, david bowie - heathen, queens of the stoneage - songs for the deaf, ash - free all angels, badly drawn boy - have you fed the fish?

 

singles of the year: sugababes - "freak like me," the rapture - "house of jealous lovers"

 

best record i forgot came out this year 'cause i had it last year (and classify it as so): wilco - yankee hotel foxtrot

 

biggest letdown: dj shadow - the private press; boards of canada - geodaddi

best live act: the polyphonic spree; the soundtrack of our lives; cornelius.

Best of 2001 | Music

Top ten of 2001

Albums

Shins – Oh Inverted World Beautiful melodies and even more beautiful words. Think the Zombies updated for the 00s. The only record this year I felt a need to really spread the word about.

Pernice Brothers – The World Won’t End In a perfect world, you'd be hearing every song on this album on Top 40 radio. But since that won't happen, they've mixed this as if it was. Not since the Fountains of Wayne's first album has there been pop this perfect. Minus half a point for sounding too much like ELO a couple times of the record.

Stars – Nightsongs Delicate tunes, sensitive lyrics and production that seems right off a Pet Shop Boys album. What's not to like?

Sloan – Pretty Together Sloan are so smart that they reinvent themselves on every album out of sheer boredom. Still trolling the 70s, this time they have melded KISS and Fleetwood Mac and yet they still sound like Sloan. Not as good as Between the Bridges, but really excellent nonetheless.

Grant-Lee Philips – Mobilize GLP isn't as Americana-sounding as he was in his Grant Lee Buffalo days and has embraced technology. That's a good thing. His songs are still great and his voice is amazing. Plus he's on the Gilmore Girls, not that that's a reason to put his album on a top ten list.

Hefner – Dead Media Songwriting-wise, Hefner's Darren Hayman is doing the same thing he always does -- arch, literate odes to love, sex and breaking up. On Dead Media though, almost all of it is played on old analog synths with some slide guitar for good measure. Smiths fans will like it.

Stephen Malkmus -- Stephen Malkmus SM ditches Pavement and makes his most enjoyable record since Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. He's also aiming for guitar-god status, with some boogie-rock solos mixed in with his Lou Reed fixations and songs about Yul Brenner.

Zero 7 – The Simple Things Yes, it sounds like Air meeting Morcheeba is some hip London club, but so what? Both those bands suck now. Somebody's got to fill the void and The Simple Things does it very, very well.

Animals that Swim – Happiness from a Distant Star I was initially dissapointed with ATS' third album, but have come to really like it. Singer/drummer Hank Stars' songs are like little movies about the seedy side of London. All of which are set to jaunty little tunes with plenty of trumpet.

Kingsbury Manx – Let You Down Be it Luna, Acetone or the early days of the Verve, I love the indie stoner rock. The Kingsbury Manx do the dreamy, languid, hazy thing better than just about anybody these days. That they write really good songs with Beach Boys harmonies doesn't hurt either.

Best record of 2001 that didn’t get released: Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Also-rans: Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World, New Order – Get Ready, Pulp – We Love Life, Chameleons – Why Call it Anything?, Rufus Wainright – Poses, Echo & the Bunnymen – Flowers, Human League – Secrets, Radiohead live, Mercury Rev – All Is Dream, I Am Kloot – Natural History, American Analog Set – Know By Heart, Trembling Blue Stars – Alive to Every Smile, The Strokes – Is This It, Weezer – S/T, Kings of Convenience – Versus, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci - How I LongTo Feel That Summer In My Heart, Travis – The Invisible Band, The Avalanches – Since I Left You, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – BMRC, White Stripes – White Blood Cells

Best live show: Sloan, Bowery Ballroom 11/19/2001

Songs

Travis – “Sing”

Jimmy Eat World – “Bleed American”

Belle and Sebastian – “I’m Waking Up to Us”

The Chameleons – “Miracles and Wonders”

Shins – “New Slang”