Dan's Top 5:
OK, this is admittedly a bit premature, but I really don't see any part of my list changing in the last two weeks of the year. I also realize that these albums were stumbled on by myself alone, so consider these my official recommendations for the year.
1. Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke - I got this album not even a month ago, and already Ladyhawke (alias of Pip Brown) has broken my top 5 on last.fm. This album summons ghosts of the 80's and never fails - it's like The Killers if they didn't go downhill after their first album. And if Brandon Flowers were even more of a woman than he already is. (Just kidding, Brandon.) There are no weak tracks at all, and it would be hard to even put together a top 5 list of tracks from this album. Look for that list in the future, because I'm all about trying to rank things that defy rankability. (Best song - "My Delirium")
2. Darker My Love - 2 - What I like about this album is that it has a wide range of influences. I can pick out a bit of early-era Black Sabbath, some U2, and even some earlier Snow Patrol. There's no single thing that makes this album particularly jump out at you, but it's solid, it sounds really good, and it has no weak tracks. If it got a bit more press, it would be one of those albums that will "save rock music." (Best song - "Pale Sun")
3. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular - This whole album is made of drugs. Then again, most of the classic albums throughout history are. But this is more like pure electro insanity. Overall, the sound is very original and fresh, and the first half of the album will just blow you away. The later tracks are a bit weak, though, which drives this album down the list. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some ecstasy to pop. (Best song - "Time to Pretend")
4. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple - You know it's a good year in music when Gnarls Barkley winds up this far down my list. This is another sophomore release that initially failed to live up to the strength of the debut album, only to become far more listenable as time goes on. And my, how it has since rebounded in my playlist. It's good to know that these guys are not just a flash in the pan. (Best song - "Going On")
5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend - Yeah, they're cheesy and über-white, but damn it, the music is catchy nonetheless. Though I will never forgive them for the annoying single "A-Punk," the whole album is vaguely reminiscent of Paul Simon's Graceland, Peter Gabriel, or some other African-laced 80's album. Hey, apartheid was horrible and all, but at least there was some great music to come out of it, right? (Best song - "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa")
Honorable Mention: Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak, Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, Muse - H.A.A.R.P. (Quite awesome, but easily bumped to make room for studio albums.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Once again I am reminded of how un-current my tastes are... even the new stuff I get into tends to be a year old (see M.I.A.). Anyway, here goes:
1. Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke - I really can't stress enough how much I like this album. If I were growing up in the 80's and Ladyhawke was around, I'd truly have been obsessed. As it stands I'm doing my best to get obsessed now, and so far it seems to be working. She might be my biggest musical crush since Muse? Favorites: Paris is Burning, From Dusk Till Dawn, Magic, Back of the Van, My Delirium, I mean, the whole damn album.
2. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple - A great follow-up to their debut album, and somehow they still seem to be under the radar, so their semi-underground appeal is maintained and they aren't omnipresent. Favorites: Run, Going On, A Little Better.
3. Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak - I love this album. I love this album a lot more than his last two albums. "Paranoid" might be my favorite song of the year, and it's certainly in my top 5 (list forthcoming, I'm sure, at some point).
4. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs - Not nearly as good as previous albums, but whatever.
5. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords - This album's placement at #5 is probably more a sign of how little new music I listen to than its overall greatness. Don't get me wrong, FOTC is one of the best things to happen this decade, but after the show/comedy acts this album was pretty underwhelming for me. There are numerous glaring omissions (I'm Not Crying, Sello Tape, If You're Into It, Bret You Got It Going On) and this album's version of "Robots" is maybe the worst there is (still good, but the eighteen youtube versions, and of course the show version, are better). Anyway, enough being an FOTC nerd, this album still kicked ass.
Showing posts with label albums by year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label albums by year. Show all posts
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Top 5 Years in Music
I felt like doing something huge for our 75th list. A quick note - This list employs album release dates as the main metric of quality. Some musical events are also noted. This is by far the most I've written for a Top 5 in quite some time. The only uncertainty I have is considering switching #4 and #5.
Dan’s Top 5:
1. 1994 - A tough call to go with this or '67, but I feel that '94 was more of a unversal happening, while the events of '67 were based too much in California. In 1994, Kurt Cobain commits suicide, which is kind of a downer, but eventually ensures that Nirvana will never die. More importantly, it marks the end of Grunge, and the music industry scrambles for anything to fill the void. Weezer's eponymous debut, universally known as The Blue Album, is released and is probably one of the best achievements of the 90's. Oasis debuts with Definitely Maybe. Beck debuts with Mellow Gold. Hootie and the Blowfish debut with Cracked Rear View. Also released are Green Day's Dookie and Soundgarden's Superunknown. The year proves to the world that good music has survived the end of the 80's and the beginning of the 90's. It's just now known as "alternative."
2. 1967 - The Summer of Love. The organization of the Monterey Pop Festival in California was probably the best thing to happen to rock music. Oh, and albums released included Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles), Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Pink Floyd's Debut), Are You Experienced? (The Jimi Hendix Experience's debut), and Disraeli Gears (Cream). Pretty decisive, but just not near and dear to my heart enough to call it #1.
3. 1982 - The 80's begins to take off, along with all its excess. Michael Jackson's Thriller is released, only to become the best selling album of all time. Iron Maiden's Number of The Beast, in my opinion the greatest metal album of all time, is also released. Singles included "Ebony and Ivory" (Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder), "Come On Eileen" (Dexys Midnight Runners), "I Love Rock and Roll" (Joan Jett), "Jack and Diane" (John Cougar Mellencamp), "I Ran" (A Flock of Seagulls), and "Africa" (Toto). It was the year that set the precedent for mega-hits that would define the 80's.
4. 1977 - Punk explodes in probably the briefest, yet most powerful musical movement ever. Meanwhile, progressive rock enjoys its final mainstream success. Low and "Heroes" are released by David Bowie, Peter Gabriel begins his solo career, and a number of notable albums are released, including Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols (The Sex Pistols), Talking Heads: 77 (Talking Heads), The Clash (The Clash), Point of Know Return (Kansas), and The Grand Illusion (Styx).
5. 1973 - A landmark year for a transition period in rock, with many beginning to claim that Rock and Roll is dead. Bowie releases Aladdin Sane and retires his Ziggy Stardust stage persona in July at the Hammersmith Odeon. The Dark Side of the Moon (my favorite album of all time) is released by Pink Floyd and would spend a total of 741 weeks (or 14 years) on the Billboard 200 charts. Band on the Run, arguably his best solo work, is released by Paul McCartney. CBGB's (Country, Bluegrass and Blues) opens in Manhattan. Also, Quadrophenia is released by The Who.
Honorable Mentions (chronological order):
1971 - Led Zeppelin IV, Madman Across the Water, and Who's Next are released. That's almost enough to warrant inclusion alone.
1985 - "We Are The World" is released and Live Aid proves to be the world's greatest concert and features Queen's greatest performance.
2005 - Good music refuses to die as bands such as The Killers and Franz Ferdinand enjoy amazing worldwide success. Pink Floyd are reunited for Bob Geldof's Live 8.
Ryan's Top Five
1. 1967 - Dan said it pretty well. I consistently change my favorite Beatles album, but Sgt. Pepper has probably spent the most time in the spot. I'll throw in some other random stuff that happened in '67: Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar for the first time onstage; The Beatles famously played "All You Need Is Love" live internationally (the first time this was ever done); The Doors performed "Light My Fire" on Ed Sullivan and refused to censor the (already pretty tame) lyrics; the first issue of Rolling Stone magazine was published; The Velvet Underground and Nico and John Wesley Harding were released; etc.
2. 1977 - Never mind the bollocks, this year fucking ruled.
3. 1964 - The beginning of the British invasion with The Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which would ultimately lead to an Anglophilia in America and, decades later, Ryan Fox; The Rolling Stones debut album; "A Hard Day's Night," both album and movie; The Kinks' "The Kinks"; The Beatles at one time owning all top 5 singles on the Billboard Chart; all in all, a good time to listen to tunes.
4. 1994 - I won't try to improve on Dan's interpretation of this year. Personally, I'll add that this was the year I finally got a CD player, and Weezer's "Blue Album," and Real Music began for Ryan.
5. 1969 - I wanted to include a year from the '80s because I do love New Wave, but honestly I can't pinpoint a single year from the decade; I like to pick and choose what good occurred in said decade (for example, "True" by Spandau Ballet). Anyway, Woodstock and the other best Beatles' album, Abbey Road, marked the end of an era.
Tim's Top 5:
1. 1966 – Yeah, sure, everyone loves 1967, but the foundation of 1967 was all in 1966, which had great contributions from all the essential artists of the 1960s -- The Beatles, Dylan, The Stones, as well as the greatest rock 'n' roll song of all time -- Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'". The Beatles – Revolver; The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds; The Who – A Quick One; Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde; The Rolling Stones - Aftermath; Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence; Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield; “Gimme Some Lovin’” by The Spencer Davis Group; “Hold on! I’m comin!” by Sam and Dave; “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” by The Temptations; “Red Rubber Ball” by The Cyrkle; “A Well-Respected Man” by The Kinks
2. 1972 – The birth of Big Star forces me to mention it, but the arrival of Springsteen, Ziggy Stardust, and Exile on Main Street make it easy to rationalize anyway. Big Star - #1 Record – Big Star; Bruce Springsteen - Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J; David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars; The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St.; Stevie Wonder – Talking Book; The Allman Brothers Band – Eat a Peach; The Eagles – The Eagles; Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come; Hot August Night – Neil Diamond; Al Green – Let’s Stay Together; Paul Simon – Paul Simon; Nick Drake – Pink Moon; “American Pie” by Don McLean; “Amie” by Pure Prairie League; “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper
3. 1965 – Not only did I not put 1967 first, it falls behind a year that's blessed with two Beatles albums. The Who and The Zombies release their first albums, the Stones release "Satisfaction"...and The Beatles abandon other people's work forever on Rubber Soul. Rock was reinvented like never before...and Highway 61 and "Like a Rolling Stone" enter the canon. The Beatles – Help!; The Beatles – Rubber Soul; Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home; Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited; The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man; The Who – The Who Sings My Generation; The Zombies – The Zombies; “Hang On Sloopy” by the McCoys; The Righteous Brothers – “Unchained Melody”; The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”; “California Dreamin’” – The Mamas and the Papas; “In the Midnight Hour” – Wilson Pickett; The Beatles - “We Can Work It Out”
4. 1997 – My favorite Guided by Voices album, The Old 97's first foray into a more rock-oriented sound, and some solid contributions from some artists that I'd figured were dead and gone make 1997 a solid choice here, though it's close with 1998. Elliott Smith – Either/Or; The Old 97’s – Too Far To Care; Cornershop – When I Was Born For the 7th Time; Bob Dylan – Time Out Of Mind; Ben Folds Five – Whatever and Ever Amen; Guided by Voices – Mag Earwhig!; Oasis – Be Here Now; Matthew Sweet – Blue Sky on Mars; Paul McCartney – Flaming Pie; Dandy Warhols - …Dandy Warhols Come Down; Jay-Z – Vol. 1 – In My Lifetime
5. 1975 – Born to Run and Blood on the Tracks are all that matter here, everything else is just gravy. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run; Big Star – Third; Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks, Queen – A Night at the Opera; Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years; Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here; David Bowie – Young Americans; Bob Marley and the Wailers “No Woman No Cry (live)”
Honorable mentions: The other stuff they mentioned. For the record, I'm only judging these years by the good music they contained. The fact that Hanson, Matchbox 20, and similar song terrorists existed was simply ignored.
Dan’s Top 5:
1. 1994 - A tough call to go with this or '67, but I feel that '94 was more of a unversal happening, while the events of '67 were based too much in California. In 1994, Kurt Cobain commits suicide, which is kind of a downer, but eventually ensures that Nirvana will never die. More importantly, it marks the end of Grunge, and the music industry scrambles for anything to fill the void. Weezer's eponymous debut, universally known as The Blue Album, is released and is probably one of the best achievements of the 90's. Oasis debuts with Definitely Maybe. Beck debuts with Mellow Gold. Hootie and the Blowfish debut with Cracked Rear View. Also released are Green Day's Dookie and Soundgarden's Superunknown. The year proves to the world that good music has survived the end of the 80's and the beginning of the 90's. It's just now known as "alternative."
2. 1967 - The Summer of Love. The organization of the Monterey Pop Festival in California was probably the best thing to happen to rock music. Oh, and albums released included Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles), Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Pink Floyd's Debut), Are You Experienced? (The Jimi Hendix Experience's debut), and Disraeli Gears (Cream). Pretty decisive, but just not near and dear to my heart enough to call it #1.
3. 1982 - The 80's begins to take off, along with all its excess. Michael Jackson's Thriller is released, only to become the best selling album of all time. Iron Maiden's Number of The Beast, in my opinion the greatest metal album of all time, is also released. Singles included "Ebony and Ivory" (Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder), "Come On Eileen" (Dexys Midnight Runners), "I Love Rock and Roll" (Joan Jett), "Jack and Diane" (John Cougar Mellencamp), "I Ran" (A Flock of Seagulls), and "Africa" (Toto). It was the year that set the precedent for mega-hits that would define the 80's.
4. 1977 - Punk explodes in probably the briefest, yet most powerful musical movement ever. Meanwhile, progressive rock enjoys its final mainstream success. Low and "Heroes" are released by David Bowie, Peter Gabriel begins his solo career, and a number of notable albums are released, including Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols (The Sex Pistols), Talking Heads: 77 (Talking Heads), The Clash (The Clash), Point of Know Return (Kansas), and The Grand Illusion (Styx).
5. 1973 - A landmark year for a transition period in rock, with many beginning to claim that Rock and Roll is dead. Bowie releases Aladdin Sane and retires his Ziggy Stardust stage persona in July at the Hammersmith Odeon. The Dark Side of the Moon (my favorite album of all time) is released by Pink Floyd and would spend a total of 741 weeks (or 14 years) on the Billboard 200 charts. Band on the Run, arguably his best solo work, is released by Paul McCartney. CBGB's (Country, Bluegrass and Blues) opens in Manhattan. Also, Quadrophenia is released by The Who.
Honorable Mentions (chronological order):
1971 - Led Zeppelin IV, Madman Across the Water, and Who's Next are released. That's almost enough to warrant inclusion alone.
1985 - "We Are The World" is released and Live Aid proves to be the world's greatest concert and features Queen's greatest performance.
2005 - Good music refuses to die as bands such as The Killers and Franz Ferdinand enjoy amazing worldwide success. Pink Floyd are reunited for Bob Geldof's Live 8.
Ryan's Top Five
1. 1967 - Dan said it pretty well. I consistently change my favorite Beatles album, but Sgt. Pepper has probably spent the most time in the spot. I'll throw in some other random stuff that happened in '67: Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar for the first time onstage; The Beatles famously played "All You Need Is Love" live internationally (the first time this was ever done); The Doors performed "Light My Fire" on Ed Sullivan and refused to censor the (already pretty tame) lyrics; the first issue of Rolling Stone magazine was published; The Velvet Underground and Nico and John Wesley Harding were released; etc.
2. 1977 - Never mind the bollocks, this year fucking ruled.
3. 1964 - The beginning of the British invasion with The Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which would ultimately lead to an Anglophilia in America and, decades later, Ryan Fox; The Rolling Stones debut album; "A Hard Day's Night," both album and movie; The Kinks' "The Kinks"; The Beatles at one time owning all top 5 singles on the Billboard Chart; all in all, a good time to listen to tunes.
4. 1994 - I won't try to improve on Dan's interpretation of this year. Personally, I'll add that this was the year I finally got a CD player, and Weezer's "Blue Album," and Real Music began for Ryan.
5. 1969 - I wanted to include a year from the '80s because I do love New Wave, but honestly I can't pinpoint a single year from the decade; I like to pick and choose what good occurred in said decade (for example, "True" by Spandau Ballet). Anyway, Woodstock and the other best Beatles' album, Abbey Road, marked the end of an era.
Tim's Top 5:
1. 1966 – Yeah, sure, everyone loves 1967, but the foundation of 1967 was all in 1966, which had great contributions from all the essential artists of the 1960s -- The Beatles, Dylan, The Stones, as well as the greatest rock 'n' roll song of all time -- Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'". The Beatles – Revolver; The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds; The Who – A Quick One; Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde; The Rolling Stones - Aftermath; Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence; Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield; “Gimme Some Lovin’” by The Spencer Davis Group; “Hold on! I’m comin!” by Sam and Dave; “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” by The Temptations; “Red Rubber Ball” by The Cyrkle; “A Well-Respected Man” by The Kinks
2. 1972 – The birth of Big Star forces me to mention it, but the arrival of Springsteen, Ziggy Stardust, and Exile on Main Street make it easy to rationalize anyway. Big Star - #1 Record – Big Star; Bruce Springsteen - Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J; David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars; The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St.; Stevie Wonder – Talking Book; The Allman Brothers Band – Eat a Peach; The Eagles – The Eagles; Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come; Hot August Night – Neil Diamond; Al Green – Let’s Stay Together; Paul Simon – Paul Simon; Nick Drake – Pink Moon; “American Pie” by Don McLean; “Amie” by Pure Prairie League; “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper
3. 1965 – Not only did I not put 1967 first, it falls behind a year that's blessed with two Beatles albums. The Who and The Zombies release their first albums, the Stones release "Satisfaction"...and The Beatles abandon other people's work forever on Rubber Soul. Rock was reinvented like never before...and Highway 61 and "Like a Rolling Stone" enter the canon. The Beatles – Help!; The Beatles – Rubber Soul; Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home; Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited; The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man; The Who – The Who Sings My Generation; The Zombies – The Zombies; “Hang On Sloopy” by the McCoys; The Righteous Brothers – “Unchained Melody”; The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”; “California Dreamin’” – The Mamas and the Papas; “In the Midnight Hour” – Wilson Pickett; The Beatles - “We Can Work It Out”
4. 1997 – My favorite Guided by Voices album, The Old 97's first foray into a more rock-oriented sound, and some solid contributions from some artists that I'd figured were dead and gone make 1997 a solid choice here, though it's close with 1998. Elliott Smith – Either/Or; The Old 97’s – Too Far To Care; Cornershop – When I Was Born For the 7th Time; Bob Dylan – Time Out Of Mind; Ben Folds Five – Whatever and Ever Amen; Guided by Voices – Mag Earwhig!; Oasis – Be Here Now; Matthew Sweet – Blue Sky on Mars; Paul McCartney – Flaming Pie; Dandy Warhols - …Dandy Warhols Come Down; Jay-Z – Vol. 1 – In My Lifetime
5. 1975 – Born to Run and Blood on the Tracks are all that matter here, everything else is just gravy. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run; Big Star – Third; Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks, Queen – A Night at the Opera; Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years; Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here; David Bowie – Young Americans; Bob Marley and the Wailers “No Woman No Cry (live)”
Honorable mentions: The other stuff they mentioned. For the record, I'm only judging these years by the good music they contained. The fact that Hanson, Matchbox 20, and similar song terrorists existed was simply ignored.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Top 5 Albums of 2007
We're going to jumpstart this thing...maybe we'll make it to weekly posts by the end of March or April.
Tim's Top 5:
2007 wasn't a bad year for music. It wasn't great, it brought disappointing albums from Kanye West, Jay-Z, an awful live album from Guided by Voices, and Fountains of Wayne, who managed to cash in on their fame by going into total hiding and not even getting their middling album promoted.
1) Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild -- Wow. There are a lot of bands that are such figureheads that their lead singer could branch off and create a great album on his own that's basically indistinguishable from the band's own work. Well, that's not what this album is. It's exceedingly brief, with a number of songs that are barely even long enough to be Robert Pollard-written, but it's mastery of the stripped-down musical ambience that a story like Into the Wild demands. I just can't envision how a story as magnificent as Into the Wild, merged with a soundtrack that's so perfect that even the book should be read to it, could be anything but the best film of 2007 (or, with little hyperbole, the best film in a decade), but that remains to be seen. "Hard Sun" is a great song, "Far Behind", "Society", "No Ceiling" and "Setting Forth" are all its peers or superiors. It took a second listen before I started to really enjoy it, it took me starting to read the book before I fell in love with it, but it's now an absolute essential to my playlist.
2) Bruce Springsteen - Magic -- I didn't notice that Radio Nowhere really did appear to be Springsteen channeling Eddie Vedder's voice until reading it in someone else's review, but it does seem true. The album as a whole is coherent, tight, and pretty even. It has definite highlights -- "Last to Die" and "Livin' in the Future" are among the best in recent years, but most of all it proved that The Rising was not a one-off, Springsteen's still more than capable of rocking out ("Radio Nowhere", "Last To Die"), but still has the ability to write evocative and emotional songs ("Terry's Song"). Perhaps most importantly, Clear Channel has refused to play anything from it, because it apparently commits the sacrilege of not giving George W. a big, sloppy kiss (though it's not necessary to treat it as a political album).
3) The Bravery - The Sun and the Moon -- Well, you can't write a band off just because their first album was disappointing. Granted, I only found out it was disappointing because I was so enamored with The Sun and the Moon that I bought the debut off ITunes a day later, but it is. The Sun and the Moon, on the other hand, has fed XM Radio two of the most pleasantly overplayed songs in Believe and Time Won't Let Me Go. The songs in between the two on the album fit in perfectly and capture the faux British sound that I clearly am totally susceptible to (let's be honest, Guided by Voices spawned it, Spoon is an obvious offspring of it, and The Bravery doesn't fall far from that tree, and neither do the Killers. Then about 75% of the other bands I like are British)
4) Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - American Land Edition -- I can't even begin to describe how much I thought the Seeger Sessions sounded like an awful idea. I wouldn't have ever listened to a single track from the album had I not landed tickets to see Springsteen at Giants Stadium in July. When I saw he was playing American Land to close out every show, I felt like I just about had to hear it and acquire it. That led to ITunes...which led to me buying the album. Now I can only say it's a shame that I'm ranking this behind Magic, because I think on so many levels this might be a better album, it's just not one you can just turn on and listen to in the same way. But what it surrenders in accessibility it makes up for in overwhelming greatness. This is one of those experiments that could have and probably should have gone horribly wrong. It didn't.
5) Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare -- Fluorescent Adolescent is one of my songs of 2007, Brianstorm is the most annoying single Arctic Monkeys have put out, and it's still great, it's just a totally listenable album that I think matches or exceeds the promise of their first album, even if this one pretty much stayed under the radar in both the United States and the U.K. (comparatively, it was still a #1 album in the UK, but it sold considerably less). This is what cements Arctic Monkeys in the "must buy" list. Now I just need to get back to the UK to get Who The F*** Are Arctic Monkeys for the price it should sell for.
Honorable Mention: The Shins - Wincing the Night Away -- It took me way too long to really enjoy anything on the album, and so much is wrapped up in the fact that Phantom Limb is the catchiest song of 2007 that I can't really say I'm a fan of the album as a whole; Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga -- Initially a disappointment, but it's a great album and The Underdog is definitely a rival with Phantom Limb for the song I'm most likely to listen to eight times in a row; The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible -- This is penalized for me having only listened to it once thus far (I bought it on a whim with The Sun and The Moon three weeks ago), but I think it could join a serious conversation for #5; lastly, Jay-Z - American Gangster -- Yes, I described it as disappointing, but I'm starting to appreciate it, and it has a couple tracks for the canon. I just don't want to pull a Sam's Town and look back a year later in disbelief that I didn't consider it an elite album.
The only album I know of that I feel like I need to hear from 2007 that's not on this list is Interpol, which I just got from the library. For now, it warrants an asterisk.
Take it away, other people, knowing full well that the Top songs of 2007 (where I really make my love for poppy, commercial music obvious) looms in the immediate future.
Dan's Top 5:
1. The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen – When Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) does anything, odds are it's going to be good. Add to that Paul Simonon (The Clash), Simon Tong (The Verve) and Tony Allen (Africa 70), and you have the definition of a supergroup. Oh, and Dangermouse produced it, too. The thing is, most supergroups have traditionally put out crappy music. Or so I'd assume. I imagine everyone involved would be overplaying their parts and egos would be clashing. Not the case here. And hey, it's British and it sounds British. There's a definite London motif about the album, to the point where it makes me wonder if I'm missing out on what they're singing about.
2. Panda Bear – Person Pitch – If it's possible that one song can carry an album, it would be the opener to this little masterpiece, "Comfy in Nautica." It's one of the best and most addicting musical pieces I've heard, and apparently I'm not alone in thinking so. Rolling Stone called it the #74 best song of the year. If nothing else, it earns you points when you listen to it because no one is listening to it either. Unless they pay attention to Pitchfork, which called it the best album of the year. Then again, they take the art of being a pretentious music snob to another level.
3. Radiohead – In Rainbows – Alright, maybe I have rose-colored glasses on when it comes to Radiohead, but I'd argue against that. To this day, I still don't like Pablo Honey, Kid A or Amnesiac. The rest of their discography, however, is fucking brilliant. That being said, I'd say that this album isn't as good as Hail to the Thief was. It's very chill, and with the exception of "Bodysnatchers," it stays that way the whole way through and offers not much else to listen to. It could have been better, but it's still amazing.
4. Gogol Bordello – Super Taranta! – Gypsy Punk Music. That's a pretty accurate description. And if that's not enough to get you interested in listening to this album, I don't know if the rest of the words that follow will do much else. I had the privilege of seeing the band live, and it's something else entirely. If you like taking into account a band's originally, then this band is one of the most original you could ask for. What is helpful is that I believe any thirty-second clip of the tracks from this album will give you a pretty accurate indication of what they sound like. So check it out.
5. Duran Duran – Red Carpet Massacre – This last spot was tough, but I have to go with my old favorite. I had already heard that Justin Timberlake and Timbaland had done a good job making pop music. They both collaborated with the Fab Five on "Falling Down," resulting in one of the best songs I've ever heard. That song and the rest of the album prove that Duran Duran can still sound fresh and original, and they haven't done that since The Wedding Album.
Honorable Mentions: Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet, The Bravery – The Sun and the Moon (didn't make the top 5 since Tim already mentioned it.), The Go! Team – Proof of Youth
Ryan's Top Five
I will attempt to make a credible list despite my lack of albums from last year. That said, the only stuff I've heard has to be the best, right? Right?
1. Various Artists - "The Darjeeling Limited" Soundtrack - OK, I am cheating here but still, this was the best album I bought last year. Awesome songs from The Kinks, et. al.
2. Kanye West - "Graduation" - Not nearly as good as College Dropout, but miles better than Late Registration. I love "Good Life" and "Flashing Lights."
3. Various Artists - "Hot Fuzz" Soundtrack - Cheating again. "The Village Green Preservation Society" is one of my all-time favorites.
4. The Editors - "An End Has A Start" - OK, this is probably better than #4 on this list, but I haven't listened to it enough to slot it any higher.
5. Talib Kweli - "Eardrum" - Talib Kweli is like a poet who raps--literally, he references Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, and others in songs from this album.
Tim's Top 5:
2007 wasn't a bad year for music. It wasn't great, it brought disappointing albums from Kanye West, Jay-Z, an awful live album from Guided by Voices, and Fountains of Wayne, who managed to cash in on their fame by going into total hiding and not even getting their middling album promoted.
1) Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild -- Wow. There are a lot of bands that are such figureheads that their lead singer could branch off and create a great album on his own that's basically indistinguishable from the band's own work. Well, that's not what this album is. It's exceedingly brief, with a number of songs that are barely even long enough to be Robert Pollard-written, but it's mastery of the stripped-down musical ambience that a story like Into the Wild demands. I just can't envision how a story as magnificent as Into the Wild, merged with a soundtrack that's so perfect that even the book should be read to it, could be anything but the best film of 2007 (or, with little hyperbole, the best film in a decade), but that remains to be seen. "Hard Sun" is a great song, "Far Behind", "Society", "No Ceiling" and "Setting Forth" are all its peers or superiors. It took a second listen before I started to really enjoy it, it took me starting to read the book before I fell in love with it, but it's now an absolute essential to my playlist.
2) Bruce Springsteen - Magic -- I didn't notice that Radio Nowhere really did appear to be Springsteen channeling Eddie Vedder's voice until reading it in someone else's review, but it does seem true. The album as a whole is coherent, tight, and pretty even. It has definite highlights -- "Last to Die" and "Livin' in the Future" are among the best in recent years, but most of all it proved that The Rising was not a one-off, Springsteen's still more than capable of rocking out ("Radio Nowhere", "Last To Die"), but still has the ability to write evocative and emotional songs ("Terry's Song"). Perhaps most importantly, Clear Channel has refused to play anything from it, because it apparently commits the sacrilege of not giving George W. a big, sloppy kiss (though it's not necessary to treat it as a political album).
3) The Bravery - The Sun and the Moon -- Well, you can't write a band off just because their first album was disappointing. Granted, I only found out it was disappointing because I was so enamored with The Sun and the Moon that I bought the debut off ITunes a day later, but it is. The Sun and the Moon, on the other hand, has fed XM Radio two of the most pleasantly overplayed songs in Believe and Time Won't Let Me Go. The songs in between the two on the album fit in perfectly and capture the faux British sound that I clearly am totally susceptible to (let's be honest, Guided by Voices spawned it, Spoon is an obvious offspring of it, and The Bravery doesn't fall far from that tree, and neither do the Killers. Then about 75% of the other bands I like are British)
4) Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - American Land Edition -- I can't even begin to describe how much I thought the Seeger Sessions sounded like an awful idea. I wouldn't have ever listened to a single track from the album had I not landed tickets to see Springsteen at Giants Stadium in July. When I saw he was playing American Land to close out every show, I felt like I just about had to hear it and acquire it. That led to ITunes...which led to me buying the album. Now I can only say it's a shame that I'm ranking this behind Magic, because I think on so many levels this might be a better album, it's just not one you can just turn on and listen to in the same way. But what it surrenders in accessibility it makes up for in overwhelming greatness. This is one of those experiments that could have and probably should have gone horribly wrong. It didn't.
5) Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare -- Fluorescent Adolescent is one of my songs of 2007, Brianstorm is the most annoying single Arctic Monkeys have put out, and it's still great, it's just a totally listenable album that I think matches or exceeds the promise of their first album, even if this one pretty much stayed under the radar in both the United States and the U.K. (comparatively, it was still a #1 album in the UK, but it sold considerably less). This is what cements Arctic Monkeys in the "must buy" list. Now I just need to get back to the UK to get Who The F*** Are Arctic Monkeys for the price it should sell for.
Honorable Mention: The Shins - Wincing the Night Away -- It took me way too long to really enjoy anything on the album, and so much is wrapped up in the fact that Phantom Limb is the catchiest song of 2007 that I can't really say I'm a fan of the album as a whole; Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga -- Initially a disappointment, but it's a great album and The Underdog is definitely a rival with Phantom Limb for the song I'm most likely to listen to eight times in a row; The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible -- This is penalized for me having only listened to it once thus far (I bought it on a whim with The Sun and The Moon three weeks ago), but I think it could join a serious conversation for #5; lastly, Jay-Z - American Gangster -- Yes, I described it as disappointing, but I'm starting to appreciate it, and it has a couple tracks for the canon. I just don't want to pull a Sam's Town and look back a year later in disbelief that I didn't consider it an elite album.
The only album I know of that I feel like I need to hear from 2007 that's not on this list is Interpol, which I just got from the library. For now, it warrants an asterisk.
Take it away, other people, knowing full well that the Top songs of 2007 (where I really make my love for poppy, commercial music obvious) looms in the immediate future.
Dan's Top 5:
1. The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen – When Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) does anything, odds are it's going to be good. Add to that Paul Simonon (The Clash), Simon Tong (The Verve) and Tony Allen (Africa 70), and you have the definition of a supergroup. Oh, and Dangermouse produced it, too. The thing is, most supergroups have traditionally put out crappy music. Or so I'd assume. I imagine everyone involved would be overplaying their parts and egos would be clashing. Not the case here. And hey, it's British and it sounds British. There's a definite London motif about the album, to the point where it makes me wonder if I'm missing out on what they're singing about.
2. Panda Bear – Person Pitch – If it's possible that one song can carry an album, it would be the opener to this little masterpiece, "Comfy in Nautica." It's one of the best and most addicting musical pieces I've heard, and apparently I'm not alone in thinking so. Rolling Stone called it the #74 best song of the year. If nothing else, it earns you points when you listen to it because no one is listening to it either. Unless they pay attention to Pitchfork, which called it the best album of the year. Then again, they take the art of being a pretentious music snob to another level.
3. Radiohead – In Rainbows – Alright, maybe I have rose-colored glasses on when it comes to Radiohead, but I'd argue against that. To this day, I still don't like Pablo Honey, Kid A or Amnesiac. The rest of their discography, however, is fucking brilliant. That being said, I'd say that this album isn't as good as Hail to the Thief was. It's very chill, and with the exception of "Bodysnatchers," it stays that way the whole way through and offers not much else to listen to. It could have been better, but it's still amazing.
4. Gogol Bordello – Super Taranta! – Gypsy Punk Music. That's a pretty accurate description. And if that's not enough to get you interested in listening to this album, I don't know if the rest of the words that follow will do much else. I had the privilege of seeing the band live, and it's something else entirely. If you like taking into account a band's originally, then this band is one of the most original you could ask for. What is helpful is that I believe any thirty-second clip of the tracks from this album will give you a pretty accurate indication of what they sound like. So check it out.
5. Duran Duran – Red Carpet Massacre – This last spot was tough, but I have to go with my old favorite. I had already heard that Justin Timberlake and Timbaland had done a good job making pop music. They both collaborated with the Fab Five on "Falling Down," resulting in one of the best songs I've ever heard. That song and the rest of the album prove that Duran Duran can still sound fresh and original, and they haven't done that since The Wedding Album.
Honorable Mentions: Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet, The Bravery – The Sun and the Moon (didn't make the top 5 since Tim already mentioned it.), The Go! Team – Proof of Youth
Ryan's Top Five
I will attempt to make a credible list despite my lack of albums from last year. That said, the only stuff I've heard has to be the best, right? Right?
1. Various Artists - "The Darjeeling Limited" Soundtrack - OK, I am cheating here but still, this was the best album I bought last year. Awesome songs from The Kinks, et. al.
2. Kanye West - "Graduation" - Not nearly as good as College Dropout, but miles better than Late Registration. I love "Good Life" and "Flashing Lights."
3. Various Artists - "Hot Fuzz" Soundtrack - Cheating again. "The Village Green Preservation Society" is one of my all-time favorites.
4. The Editors - "An End Has A Start" - OK, this is probably better than #4 on this list, but I haven't listened to it enough to slot it any higher.
5. Talib Kweli - "Eardrum" - Talib Kweli is like a poet who raps--literally, he references Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, and others in songs from this album.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Top 5 albums released in 1992
Tim's Top 5:
I'm still catching up with Dream Job and Breakfast Cereal Mascots to fill in (blogger swallowed the latter post after I'd finished praising Fruit Brute)...so I'm trying to force Ryan and Dan to catch up with me.
Wikipedia and ITunes got me to this list...
1) R.E.M. - Automatic For the People - The world didn't need New Orleans Instrumental #5, nor Star Me Kitten. This ends the list of things the world did not need that were included on this album. Find the River is one of the best closing songs to an album, it fits the mood so perfectly and yet it's still totally different from everything else on the album. Everybody Hurts is an important song, though one murdered by MTV. Sweetness Follows, Ignoreland, and Monty Got a Raw Deal are among the best songs R.E.M. ever put on an album.
2) Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience - This album took years to catch on, but it's booze-soaked, depressing, and masterful country-tinged Tom Petty broken heart rock. And occasionally you get a bout of near-optimism with songs like Alison Road. Followed by two utterly unnecessary albums, but Gin Blossoms fell somewhere in between The Old 97's and Big Star, laced with more than a touch of desperation. More than perhaps anything else from the 1990s, they seemed utterly sincere...until their second album.
3) Spin Doctors - Pocket Full of Kryptonite - This was the first CD I ever bought, and while I didn't buy it for the right reasons, I still love it (even though I've long since sold it to Homer's when I was trying to be cooler musically...I really wish I'd sold The Doors instead). The album spoke a lot about 1992 -- it was acceptable to be a Seinfeldian comic book dork obsessed with Superman, to be utterly unpresentable (thank you, Chris Barron, for making Kurt Cobain look OCD), and, apparently to say bitch on the radio. Without Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, we couldn't have had Meredith Brooks...and that's why this can't possibly be worth ranking at #3.
4) Dr. Dre - The Chronic - I bought it last year, that's how down with the vibe of 1992 I was. But it's got everything from Nothin' but a G Thang, which is one of the greatest songs of any genre ever to Bitches Ain't Shit, which is just wow. It's not great, it has more skits and intros than necessary (which is to say more than zero) and it inspired lots of bad rap albums, but it was a huge turning point for me and my interest in rap/hip-hop, because soon Snoop Doggy Dogg was a household name...and I was 12.
5) Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 months & 2 days in the life of... - This was the other side of The Chronic's coin -- utterly harmless rap/hip-hop that didn't glorify drug dealers, murderers or gang members, just hyper-literate people who took pride in what they'd overcome. It's preachy to no end, whether it's Mr. Wendal or Give a Man a Fish, but it's highly entertaining and warranted MTV's most premature unplugged special ever (although a possible except for D'Angelo, the last unplugged I recall for an artist I still have not yet heard of). "Tennessee" is one of the best mainstream tracks from the entire decade. Most important of all, it gave Baba Oje a job...and if you know to who I refer, you're officially old.
I challenge you to a game of horseshoes...a game of horseshoes!
Honorable mention: Eric Clapton - Unplugged -- from what I've heard, it warrants most of the praise it was lobbed...and I don't particularly like Eric Clapton, We Can't Dance - Genesis -- ah, they used to be entertaining; The Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall -- If I owned the album so I could have listened to all of it, it certainly would be in the top 5; Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted - an album I've listened to more than #4 or 5...but it's stuck here because I can't distinguish it from Crooked Rain Crooked Rain right now.
Dan's Top 5:
Wow, I didn't realize what a down year this was for music. This will be reflected in my list (with exception of my #1)
1. Peter Gabriel - Us - Some would call this a poor follow-up to "So," especially since there were 6 years between the two albums. Those people are known as douchebag idiots. Granted, it's not as good as "So," but this album still sports many Gabriel classics, such as "Come Talk To Me," "Steam," "Digging In The Dirt," "Blood of Eden," and one of his best songs ever, "Secret World."
2. Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine - I include this because a) I play "Killing in the Name" all the time on Guitar Hero II, and b) because I recognize it as the debut of a very revolutionary band. That being said, I haven't listened to all of it, but whatever I have heard by Rage, I have liked, so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here. Hopefully it adheres to the debut album paradigm and sounds more raw and original.
3. Bill Hicks - Relentless - Hey, no one said this was restricted to music albums. Bill Hicks is by far my favorite stand-up comedian, and this was his second and last comedy album before his death. By now, I've heard all the jokes way too many times for my own good, but they're still funny. The great thing about Hicks was his fearless criticism of the conservative government when they reigned supreme. He inspired countless members of today's comedy scene to incoprorate at least some social commentary, though most of those comedians really suck.
4. Eric Clapton - Unplugged - This is here not because of the acoustic version of "Layla" (quick capsule review - good, but sucks compared to the electric version), but the amazing "Tears in Heaven." Apart from these two songs though, the album seems pretty boring, with most songs written by people whose names are not Eric Clapton.
5. The Cure - Wish - There is no other reason I include this other than the song "Friday I'm in Love," which, as fans of mine (read: no one) will remember, was featured on the very first issue of "Best CD Ever"
Honorable Mention: Blind Melon - Blind Melon (come on, how can you not like "No Rain?")
Ryan's Top Five
Damn it, now that I have professional responsibilities again I can't post eight topics a day. I'm hoping to get back on slothy track by November, so bare with me for the time being, folks.
1992 was t minus two years before I got a CD player and thus got really into music (my favorite song was still Whip It by Devo and I spent most of my time trying to play drums to Beach Boys songs when I did listen to music I owned...everything else was radio singles, which will guide most of my list outside of #1).
1. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People - No argument here, Tim. One of those tweener bands for me, where I already know a lot but I feel I need to know more. The more I listen to Man on the Moon, the more I appreciate it (I initially was bored by it).
2. Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... - Oh man, did I love these songs. Tennessee was on one of my favorite songs, and I remember being sad when they stopped playing it on the radio (as I didn't understand how singles worked).
3. The Cure - Wish - Here for Friday, the best The Cure has to offer in my book.
4. Blind Melon - Blind Melon - No Rain. Also one of my early favorite songs.
5. Soul Asylum - Grave Dancer's Union - Here for Runaway Train.
Honorables: Dr. Dre, Spin Doctors (I dislike them because they were supposed to open for Hootie and the Blowfish in 1999 at my first ever concert and they backed out. Fuckers.), RATM.
I'm still catching up with Dream Job and Breakfast Cereal Mascots to fill in (blogger swallowed the latter post after I'd finished praising Fruit Brute)...so I'm trying to force Ryan and Dan to catch up with me.
Wikipedia and ITunes got me to this list...
1) R.E.M. - Automatic For the People - The world didn't need New Orleans Instrumental #5, nor Star Me Kitten. This ends the list of things the world did not need that were included on this album. Find the River is one of the best closing songs to an album, it fits the mood so perfectly and yet it's still totally different from everything else on the album. Everybody Hurts is an important song, though one murdered by MTV. Sweetness Follows, Ignoreland, and Monty Got a Raw Deal are among the best songs R.E.M. ever put on an album.
2) Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience - This album took years to catch on, but it's booze-soaked, depressing, and masterful country-tinged Tom Petty broken heart rock. And occasionally you get a bout of near-optimism with songs like Alison Road. Followed by two utterly unnecessary albums, but Gin Blossoms fell somewhere in between The Old 97's and Big Star, laced with more than a touch of desperation. More than perhaps anything else from the 1990s, they seemed utterly sincere...until their second album.
3) Spin Doctors - Pocket Full of Kryptonite - This was the first CD I ever bought, and while I didn't buy it for the right reasons, I still love it (even though I've long since sold it to Homer's when I was trying to be cooler musically...I really wish I'd sold The Doors instead). The album spoke a lot about 1992 -- it was acceptable to be a Seinfeldian comic book dork obsessed with Superman, to be utterly unpresentable (thank you, Chris Barron, for making Kurt Cobain look OCD), and, apparently to say bitch on the radio. Without Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, we couldn't have had Meredith Brooks...and that's why this can't possibly be worth ranking at #3.
4) Dr. Dre - The Chronic - I bought it last year, that's how down with the vibe of 1992 I was. But it's got everything from Nothin' but a G Thang, which is one of the greatest songs of any genre ever to Bitches Ain't Shit, which is just wow. It's not great, it has more skits and intros than necessary (which is to say more than zero) and it inspired lots of bad rap albums, but it was a huge turning point for me and my interest in rap/hip-hop, because soon Snoop Doggy Dogg was a household name...and I was 12.
5) Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 months & 2 days in the life of... - This was the other side of The Chronic's coin -- utterly harmless rap/hip-hop that didn't glorify drug dealers, murderers or gang members, just hyper-literate people who took pride in what they'd overcome. It's preachy to no end, whether it's Mr. Wendal or Give a Man a Fish, but it's highly entertaining and warranted MTV's most premature unplugged special ever (although a possible except for D'Angelo, the last unplugged I recall for an artist I still have not yet heard of). "Tennessee" is one of the best mainstream tracks from the entire decade. Most important of all, it gave Baba Oje a job...and if you know to who I refer, you're officially old.
I challenge you to a game of horseshoes...a game of horseshoes!
Honorable mention: Eric Clapton - Unplugged -- from what I've heard, it warrants most of the praise it was lobbed...and I don't particularly like Eric Clapton, We Can't Dance - Genesis -- ah, they used to be entertaining; The Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall -- If I owned the album so I could have listened to all of it, it certainly would be in the top 5; Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted - an album I've listened to more than #4 or 5...but it's stuck here because I can't distinguish it from Crooked Rain Crooked Rain right now.
Dan's Top 5:
Wow, I didn't realize what a down year this was for music. This will be reflected in my list (with exception of my #1)
1. Peter Gabriel - Us - Some would call this a poor follow-up to "So," especially since there were 6 years between the two albums. Those people are known as douchebag idiots. Granted, it's not as good as "So," but this album still sports many Gabriel classics, such as "Come Talk To Me," "Steam," "Digging In The Dirt," "Blood of Eden," and one of his best songs ever, "Secret World."
2. Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine - I include this because a) I play "Killing in the Name" all the time on Guitar Hero II, and b) because I recognize it as the debut of a very revolutionary band. That being said, I haven't listened to all of it, but whatever I have heard by Rage, I have liked, so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here. Hopefully it adheres to the debut album paradigm and sounds more raw and original.
3. Bill Hicks - Relentless - Hey, no one said this was restricted to music albums. Bill Hicks is by far my favorite stand-up comedian, and this was his second and last comedy album before his death. By now, I've heard all the jokes way too many times for my own good, but they're still funny. The great thing about Hicks was his fearless criticism of the conservative government when they reigned supreme. He inspired countless members of today's comedy scene to incoprorate at least some social commentary, though most of those comedians really suck.
4. Eric Clapton - Unplugged - This is here not because of the acoustic version of "Layla" (quick capsule review - good, but sucks compared to the electric version), but the amazing "Tears in Heaven." Apart from these two songs though, the album seems pretty boring, with most songs written by people whose names are not Eric Clapton.
5. The Cure - Wish - There is no other reason I include this other than the song "Friday I'm in Love," which, as fans of mine (read: no one) will remember, was featured on the very first issue of "Best CD Ever"
Honorable Mention: Blind Melon - Blind Melon (come on, how can you not like "No Rain?")
Ryan's Top Five
Damn it, now that I have professional responsibilities again I can't post eight topics a day. I'm hoping to get back on slothy track by November, so bare with me for the time being, folks.
1992 was t minus two years before I got a CD player and thus got really into music (my favorite song was still Whip It by Devo and I spent most of my time trying to play drums to Beach Boys songs when I did listen to music I owned...everything else was radio singles, which will guide most of my list outside of #1).
1. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People - No argument here, Tim. One of those tweener bands for me, where I already know a lot but I feel I need to know more. The more I listen to Man on the Moon, the more I appreciate it (I initially was bored by it).
2. Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... - Oh man, did I love these songs. Tennessee was on one of my favorite songs, and I remember being sad when they stopped playing it on the radio (as I didn't understand how singles worked).
3. The Cure - Wish - Here for Friday, the best The Cure has to offer in my book.
4. Blind Melon - Blind Melon - No Rain. Also one of my early favorite songs.
5. Soul Asylum - Grave Dancer's Union - Here for Runaway Train.
Honorables: Dr. Dre, Spin Doctors (I dislike them because they were supposed to open for Hootie and the Blowfish in 1999 at my first ever concert and they backed out. Fuckers.), RATM.
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