This concept is pretty simple - while it's not necessary that the rest of the album on which these songs appear are bad, the songs listed here stand head and shoulders above the rest, and very well may be the only reason you own the album (if you do). So while a song like "A Day in the Life" is amazing, you wouldn't list it here because it was on Sgt. Pepper, and that whole album was amazing. Personally, I'm not counting obvious one-hit wonders, as that is too cheap - it has to be an established artist, and a decent album in general. So with that introduction taken care of...
Dan's Top 5:
1. "Solsbury Hill" from Peter Gabriel by Peter Gabriel - I've repeatedly stated that this song is my favorite song ever. If you could combine sex, drugs, and Twinkies into a single consumable substance, the result would not make me feel as good as this song does. The preceding track, "Moribund the Burgermeister," is another favorite of mine, but a small part of its magic is derived from the fact that you know the next song is "Solsbury Hill." Unless your music player is on shuffle. Probably the key to its brilliance was that Gabriel wrote it as an explanation of why he left Genesis to pursue a solo career. Fortunately, he had enough momentum from this song to carry him through not one but two poor albums - and boy, was Peter Gabriel II bad - before finally releasing Peter Gabriel III, my favorite of his catalog and the record that started bringing him some commercial success with the single "Games Without Frontiers."
2. "Under the Bridge" from Blood Sugar Sex Magik by The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Some may wish to crucify me with extra-blunt nails for this. But to me, there is everything else on the album, which is collectively a pretty good study of modern funk and definitely RHCP's best album, and then there's this song, which is one of the greatest 90's alternative songs period. It was a time when RHCP decided to stop being so much of a joke band, but before they became a joke again for trying so often to reproduce the mellow, pop-oriented sounds of "Under the Bridge."
3. "I Might Be Wrong" from Amnesiac by Radiohead - In this case, the rest of the album is pretty bad. "Knives Out" is a pretty good song, and the rest are somewhat listenable at best. This particular song, however, really rocks. It features a main riff in drop-D tuning, and now that I mention it, an actual guitar track, which was such a rarity for this album. In my opinion (but not the opinion of very many others who would self-apply the label of "Radiohead fan") this was Radiohead at their lowest point. In my quest to eventually find all the Radiohead albums on vinyl, I'd happily skip Amnesiac were it not for this awesome little tune.
4. "Regret" from Republic by New Order - Man, I can't believe I missed this one originally. New Order is a great band (though I don't know if anyone else on the Top 5 committee is going to agree with me). There are a ton of great tracks in their catalogue (just pick up their "Singles" two-disc set and you'll see what I mean), but this song is by far my personal favorite, and it's the band's highest-charting single in the US. The rest of the album contains a handful of good songs, such as "World" and "Spooky," but "Regret" is one of those songs that might get you listening to New Order in the first place. I dare say it would be worth it to see New Order live if they just played this and "Ceremony."
5. "Every Breath You Take" from Synchronicity by the Police - There are a number of really good songs on the album, such as "King of Pain" and "Synchronicity II." But this song is a behemoth, destroying skyscrapers in Tokyo and sending schoolchildren fleeing in terror. It was one of the songs that dominated the 80's, despite the fact that is was a song about stalking someone and written with a dusty old chord progression straight from Motown (G, Em, C, D). Despite it being overplayed as all hell, it's still a really good song, and stands in a class of its own above even the rest of the Police's best album. Of course, those other songs I mentioned are damn good, so this has to drop down to #5 on my list.
Honorable mention: "True" from True by Spandau Ballet, "Notorious" from Notorious by Duran Duran, "Just Like Honey" from Psychocandy by The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Ryan's Top 5:
This was harder than anticipated. I've stretched the logic a bit. Hi, I'm Ryan.
1. "Hotel California" from The Very Best Of The Eagles by The Eagles - I'm sorry, but The Eagles suck. I remember hearing David Spade talk about how he went to an Eagles concert and they had the balls to open up with "Hotel California." It'd be pretty convenient, I suppose, if this happened. Beat the traffic!
2. "Free Bird" from Pronounced by Lynyrd Skynyrd - I apologize to any Skynyrd fans out there. Wait, no I don't. Anyway, I've never been a fan of most of their non-Free-Bird stuff. (I call it Hotel-California-Syndrome.)
3. "American Pie" from American Pie by Don McLean - OK, hotshot, you try listening to any of the other songs on the album without falling asleep. I'll wake you up when you're ready to admit defeat.
4. "Carry On My Wayward Son" from Leftoverture by Kansas - Well, I assume. I'll admit that I haven't made it through the entire album. Prove me wrong, closet Kansas fans, prove me wrong!
5. "Dream On" from Aerosmith by Aerosmith - Aerosmith does not have another song equal to this one. I already used the Best Of trick with The Eagles, though, and I don't feel comfortable doing it with Aerosmith ("Walk This Way" et. al. are pretty good...Aerosmith circa 1980-present just plain sucks, though. Do not tell me that the Walk This Way/Run DMC remix is good. No. No. No. No.)
Tim's Top 5:
I won't include compilations, greatest hits albums, or albums I don't own.
1. "Let's Get It On" from Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye - I own the remastered version of Let's Get It On that has bonus tracks on it. Thus, this has to top the list, because the two best songs on the album are "Let's Get It On". Sure, there's other songs on the album that are okay, "Distant Lover" would become a classic, but this song is so timelessly carnal and represents one of Marvin Gaye's best vocal performances ever. I don't know what percentage of children conceived in 1973 were conceived while this song was playing or were conceived as a direct result of this song, but I'd have to venture that it's probably greater than 1%.
2. "Roc Boys (and the winner is...)" from American Gangster by Jay-Z - The album is good, eventually, though it took its time to grow on me. But nothing else on the album has one shred of energy compared to this horn-laden endorphin dump that is really Jay-Z giving in to Kanye's pop sensibility in its entirety.
3. "Dry the Rain" from The Three E.P.'s by The Beta Band - Rob was right to play "Dry the Rain" in order to sell his copies of The Three E.P.s, because the other tracks on them...are uniformly not very impressive. "Needles In My Eyes" is my second favorite song on the album, apparently, and I've listened to it once.
4. "Common People" from Has Been by William Shatner - The Pulp song may be the best on its album, but it makes this otherwise largely-forgettable pastiche of odd songs and spoken word from William Shatner. There's something frightfully wonderful about him saying "chip stain grease" like it's something quaintly American.
5. "Spitting Games" from Final Straw by Snow Patrol - This song is so unlike most of what Snow Patrol has recorded, I don't know what exactly the music in the intro is composed of, but I wholeheartedly support it. I got hooked on this song when it was on MVP Baseball in some year, but I'd forgotten its existence until shortly after "Chasing Cars" began getting way too much airplay. It sounds heavily-produced like the first album from The Bravery (also guilty of appearing in MVP Baseball), but actually executed in a proper fashion. When they opened their concert in Camden with Spitting Games last year, I honestly felt like I was ready to go, it was going to be their high point, and I'd already seen OK Go. While I like the remainder of their work, it's just not on the same level.
Honroable mention: "Jeepster" from Electric Warrior by T. Rex - Electric Warrior is supposed to be the paragon of glam rock along with Ziggy Stardust. There's only one problem. The album's not very good. I had originally slotted it at #3 in my list before I realized that although I used to have the album during Cornell's free napster period, I don't have it now. So it warrants mention; "Nothin' Better To Do" from Boo-Tay by Bare Jr.; "No Name #1" from Roman Candle by Elliott Smith; "My Eyes" from The Boy With No Name by Travis
Showing posts with label elliott smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elliott smith. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Top 5 Albums Originally Released in 2004
You guys got a big jump on me, so now I'm getting my revenge.
1. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand – Man, they really need to put out a third album and start to burn out so I can stop singing their praises. The only weak song on the album is “Cheating On You”.
2. The Killers - Hot Fuss – This is the kind of album I can really get behind, because my favorite song from it has changed a half dozen times. It has Mr. Brightside, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, All These Things That I’ve Done, Change Your Mind, On Top…great stuff.
3. Elliott Smith – From A Basement On A Hill – It doesn’t sound anything like Elliott’s other work, but it has some of the best songs he would ever record (one of which appears on #5 as well). Coast to Coast, A Distorted Reality Is Now A Necessity to Be Free, (Ugly Before) Pretty, Twlight, Let's Get Lost -- it's haunting from start to finish because of what seems to be a number of references to suicide, but it's a great album regardless of the aura of desperation around it.
4. Kanye West – The College Dropout – It’s faded in its greatness because his last two albums have been disappointments, but it is from start to finish a must-listen. The weakest points of the album are the skits, obviously, but the weakest actual song…I guess it’s Get ‘Em High, which I don’t like. But that’s it. Smart, slick album.
5. Various artists - Future Soundtrack For America – OK Go’s cover of The Zombies “This Will Be Our Year” is a masterpiece; R.E.M., The Old 97’s, Elliott Smith, David Byrne, Jimmy Eat World (covering GbV, no less), Fountains of Wayne, and a powerhouse song from Tom Waits – it’s one of the best compilations I’ve ever come across, and it was intended to dethrone Bush.
Honorable mention: Chris White – Forbidden Style – It’s honestly one of the best comedy albums I’ve ever heard, even if he’s refined his audience interaction immensely in the last few years, but it’s also the kind of stuff targeted specifically at me; David Cross – It’s Not Funny – vastly superior to his debut comedy CD, which was really more politics than comedy; Badly Drawn Boy – One Plus One Is One – Ok, I’m not Ryan, I don’t love everything Damon Gough’s done. But oh lord, this CD is amazing. I’d include it in the top 5, but since it’s certain to be on his and I’ve only listened to it once, I’m going to leave it here; Jimmy Eat World – Futures.
Dan's Top 5:
Thank God Muse's Absolution is disqualified because of its 2003 UK release, or else I'd be throwing fits as to where to put it. Anyway, this was probably the best year for releases in the decade, so good choice of year, Tim. Getting on with it...
1. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - Originally released in the UK in 2004, so I'm safe. For me, this is probably the best example of inventive indie music ever, and I'm sure I've sung its praises enough before so that I needn't say them again. I never find myself not in the mood for this album.
2. The Killers - Hot Fuss - The fact that this album became popular and went multi-platinum has pretty much restored my faith in the musical taste of the rest of the world.
3. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - I remember first seeing an ad for this album at Crossroads, the local Blacksburg record store. It wasn't until later that I discovered how cool the album was after seeing the "Take Me Out" video. To me, it always seemed to be the counterpoint to Hot Fuss.
4. Keane - Hopes and Fears - I only truly know a few songs from it, but the single "Everybody's Changing" captured my heart that summer. Their follow-up in 2006 originally disappointed due to the awesomeness of this album, but I have since come to accept it.
5. Ambulance LTD - LP - This album contains one of the best songs ever, "Swim." All the other songs are fairly good as well, but that song in particular makes me want to write others that are like it. I also don't talk about this album enough, so what better opportunity?
Air - Talkie Walkie, Duran Duran - Astronaut, Green Day - American Idiot, Interpol - Antics, Patton Oswalt - Feelin' Kinda Patton (only left out because I felt like Ambulance LTD needed some cred), U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Zero 7 - The Space Between
Ryan's Top Five
More praise for The Killers, and some thieving from both of you guys.
1. Badly Drawn Boy - "One Plus One Is One" - Yes, this is one of my all-time favorite albums. Yes, this is a solid album start to finish. This has some excellent tracks but functions better as a solid whole. That being said, "Four Leaf Clover" is one of my favorite songs of all-time. Period.
2. The Killers - "Hot Fuss" - No argument here, I listen to any song from this album and I am immediately transported to 2004, when I listened to this constantly.
3. Kanye West - "College Dropout" - I initially ranked this lower because I for some reason was thinking this was the second album (which is actually Late Registration, of course). This is thus Kanye's best album and has some of the best hip hop (says DJ Fox-A-Mil', hip hop expert) of our time: "We Don't Care," "Jesus Walks," and "All Falls Down" are all three better than any other song on any other Kanye album (I do be tweakin' 'bout "Good Life" though).
4. Air - "Talkie Walkie" - I feel safe saying this is the best ambient French pop of the last 100 years. (I feel safe in that no one who is French reads this blog.)
5. David Cross - "It's Not Funny" - Tory got me fairly obsessed with this CD for a good period of time. I don't own too many comedy albums, but this and "These are Jokes" by Demetri Martin are probably my two favorites. "Oh, David, being a parent is so hard, it's so hard David... "Come on man, that's not hard, I'll tell you what hard is. Try talking your girlfriend into her third consecutive abortion. That's hard. That takes finesse."
1. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand – Man, they really need to put out a third album and start to burn out so I can stop singing their praises. The only weak song on the album is “Cheating On You”.
2. The Killers - Hot Fuss – This is the kind of album I can really get behind, because my favorite song from it has changed a half dozen times. It has Mr. Brightside, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, All These Things That I’ve Done, Change Your Mind, On Top…great stuff.
3. Elliott Smith – From A Basement On A Hill – It doesn’t sound anything like Elliott’s other work, but it has some of the best songs he would ever record (one of which appears on #5 as well). Coast to Coast, A Distorted Reality Is Now A Necessity to Be Free, (Ugly Before) Pretty, Twlight, Let's Get Lost -- it's haunting from start to finish because of what seems to be a number of references to suicide, but it's a great album regardless of the aura of desperation around it.
4. Kanye West – The College Dropout – It’s faded in its greatness because his last two albums have been disappointments, but it is from start to finish a must-listen. The weakest points of the album are the skits, obviously, but the weakest actual song…I guess it’s Get ‘Em High, which I don’t like. But that’s it. Smart, slick album.
5. Various artists - Future Soundtrack For America – OK Go’s cover of The Zombies “This Will Be Our Year” is a masterpiece; R.E.M., The Old 97’s, Elliott Smith, David Byrne, Jimmy Eat World (covering GbV, no less), Fountains of Wayne, and a powerhouse song from Tom Waits – it’s one of the best compilations I’ve ever come across, and it was intended to dethrone Bush.
Honorable mention: Chris White – Forbidden Style – It’s honestly one of the best comedy albums I’ve ever heard, even if he’s refined his audience interaction immensely in the last few years, but it’s also the kind of stuff targeted specifically at me; David Cross – It’s Not Funny – vastly superior to his debut comedy CD, which was really more politics than comedy; Badly Drawn Boy – One Plus One Is One – Ok, I’m not Ryan, I don’t love everything Damon Gough’s done. But oh lord, this CD is amazing. I’d include it in the top 5, but since it’s certain to be on his and I’ve only listened to it once, I’m going to leave it here; Jimmy Eat World – Futures.
Dan's Top 5:
Thank God Muse's Absolution is disqualified because of its 2003 UK release, or else I'd be throwing fits as to where to put it. Anyway, this was probably the best year for releases in the decade, so good choice of year, Tim. Getting on with it...
1. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - Originally released in the UK in 2004, so I'm safe. For me, this is probably the best example of inventive indie music ever, and I'm sure I've sung its praises enough before so that I needn't say them again. I never find myself not in the mood for this album.
2. The Killers - Hot Fuss - The fact that this album became popular and went multi-platinum has pretty much restored my faith in the musical taste of the rest of the world.
3. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - I remember first seeing an ad for this album at Crossroads, the local Blacksburg record store. It wasn't until later that I discovered how cool the album was after seeing the "Take Me Out" video. To me, it always seemed to be the counterpoint to Hot Fuss.
4. Keane - Hopes and Fears - I only truly know a few songs from it, but the single "Everybody's Changing" captured my heart that summer. Their follow-up in 2006 originally disappointed due to the awesomeness of this album, but I have since come to accept it.
5. Ambulance LTD - LP - This album contains one of the best songs ever, "Swim." All the other songs are fairly good as well, but that song in particular makes me want to write others that are like it. I also don't talk about this album enough, so what better opportunity?
Air - Talkie Walkie, Duran Duran - Astronaut, Green Day - American Idiot, Interpol - Antics, Patton Oswalt - Feelin' Kinda Patton (only left out because I felt like Ambulance LTD needed some cred), U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Zero 7 - The Space Between
Ryan's Top Five
More praise for The Killers, and some thieving from both of you guys.
1. Badly Drawn Boy - "One Plus One Is One" - Yes, this is one of my all-time favorite albums. Yes, this is a solid album start to finish. This has some excellent tracks but functions better as a solid whole. That being said, "Four Leaf Clover" is one of my favorite songs of all-time. Period.
2. The Killers - "Hot Fuss" - No argument here, I listen to any song from this album and I am immediately transported to 2004, when I listened to this constantly.
3. Kanye West - "College Dropout" - I initially ranked this lower because I for some reason was thinking this was the second album (which is actually Late Registration, of course). This is thus Kanye's best album and has some of the best hip hop (says DJ Fox-A-Mil', hip hop expert) of our time: "We Don't Care," "Jesus Walks," and "All Falls Down" are all three better than any other song on any other Kanye album (I do be tweakin' 'bout "Good Life" though).
4. Air - "Talkie Walkie" - I feel safe saying this is the best ambient French pop of the last 100 years. (I feel safe in that no one who is French reads this blog.)
5. David Cross - "It's Not Funny" - Tory got me fairly obsessed with this CD for a good period of time. I don't own too many comedy albums, but this and "These are Jokes" by Demetri Martin are probably my two favorites. "Oh, David, being a parent is so hard, it's so hard David... "Come on man, that's not hard, I'll tell you what hard is. Try talking your girlfriend into her third consecutive abortion. That's hard. That takes finesse."
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Top 5 Songs with State Names (or Similar Approximations) in Their Titles (East of the Mississippi River Edition):
Tim's Top 5:
1. Simon and Garfunkel – The Only Living Boy in New York – Ok, its association with the movie Garden State does take some joy from the song, since it’s lost all its obscurity value to people of my generation, but it's a very beautiful song that captures simultaneous youthful optimism and bitter sorrow.
2. Crosby Stills Nash & Young – Ohio - In my opinion, it’s hands-down the best song CSNY ever did, and it captures both sides of Neil Young really well, while having bitter and cutting lyrics about the inexplicable murder of four Kent State students by the Ohio National Guard.
3. The Strokes – New York City Cops – The best track off an album I’d never been all that into was left by the wayside when September 11 made it inappropriate to write a song about how New York City cops ain’t too smart. There’s not much to the song, and one could make an argument for leaving it off an album in any event…at least until they listened to it.
4. Elliott Smith – Georgia, Georgia – It’s a shame that New Moon was released only after I’d transferred all my music listening onto the shoddy IPod dock in my office, because Elliott Smith just doesn’t work on the system, because he’s ambient in and of himself. So I’m only discovering this song as a matter of research, but it warrants mention. The frantic pace and clear guitar work (you can practically hear his fingers on the guitar) would have made it a superb inclusion on Either/Or.
5. Rolling Stones – Sweet Virginia – It’s one of the more intriguing tracks on Exile on Main Street, which makes it emphatically worth including in this list. They do a good job in producing this to remove Mick Jagger’s from the rest of the track by a good distance, but the chorus really captures a Let It Be sort of feel of the Rolling Stones just being in a studio and working something out live. It sounds a lot like Springsteen’s work on The Seeger Sessions – very authentic. I really don’t listen to Exile nearly enough.
Honorable mention: R.E.M. – Leaving New York – It’s really literal, I know, but I’m okay with being the only person in the world who likes this song; Arrested Development – Tennessee; Countless artists, including Chuck Berry and The Beatles – Memphis, Tennessee; Neil Diamond – Kentucky Woman – yes, I like Neil Diamond.; The Jayhawks- Somewhere in Ohio
Ryan's Top Five
1. "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City" - Harry Nilsson - This is probably one of Nilsson's best, and one of his first hits from 1969. Incidentally, it's one of my favorites and it exemplifies what Nilsson's so great at: simple, happy pop songs done to perfection. (See: Me And My Arrow, The Puppy Song, Good Old Desk, The Town, Poli High, Down To The Valley, etc. etc. etc. etc.) Marry the cheeriness and simplicity of the song with Nilsson's vocals and you have a perfect pop song.
2. "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!" - Sufjan Stevens - One of the best songs, and maybe the best song, from one of the best and most complete albums of this decade. Sufjan uses a wide array of instruments and here crafts another cheery song with poignant lyrics that belie its happier exterior. "I cried...myself...to sleeeep last night..." Man, I love this song.
3. "Piazza, New York Catcher" - Belle and Sebastian - Here's a textbook band that I should be more into than, regrettably, I am (or rather, have tried to be). In any event, I love this track.
4. "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain - A great hard rock/proto-metal song from the 70's. Gains bonus points for its association with the Homerpalooza episode of The Simpsons.
5. "Tennessee" - Arrested Development - This was probably my favorite song of 1992, when I was 9. Arrested Development in 1992 could do anything, I'd dig it. A great song from a great album.
Dan's Top 5:
Wow, there's a lot of Georgia in here.
1. Ray Charles – "Georgia on My Mind" – Ray Charles' first #1 song, and for good reason. Forget that it became the state song of Georgia in 1979, or that Ray Charles didn't even write it. Sometimes, certain recordings become immortal. I even included this on one of my mix CDs, which was otherwise populated by rock tracks. Should be noted that it ranks #44 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
2. Frank Sinatra – "New York, New York" – Sure, this song may be a bit cliché, but for me, it's synonymous with the character that's unique to the city. I don't know about anyone else's opinion, but I always enjoy going to New York. Also the only Sinatra song I really like.
3. Brother Bones and His Shadows – "Sweet Georgia Brown" – Harlem fucking Globetrotters. I rest my case.
4. Charlie Daniels Band – "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" – It's rare that a song tells a story this complete. Gains massive points for being a Southern Rock song that's actually known by people who aren't Southern Rock fans (which is because most Southern Rock sucks.) But at the same time, it loses points because, as many people agree, the Devil's band actually rocks harder than Johnny's "winning" performance.
5. Brian and Stewie – "Road to Rhode Island" – I decided to include this song for a number of reasons. First, it reminds us of a time when Family Guy didn't suck ass, or at least not nearly to the degree it does today. Second, it's a decent parody of the classic Hope and Crosby numbers, lest they be forgotten. Third, it makes fun of Rhode Island, and successfully ("like a group of college freshmen who were rejected by Harvard and forced to go to Brown.")
1. Simon and Garfunkel – The Only Living Boy in New York – Ok, its association with the movie Garden State does take some joy from the song, since it’s lost all its obscurity value to people of my generation, but it's a very beautiful song that captures simultaneous youthful optimism and bitter sorrow.
2. Crosby Stills Nash & Young – Ohio - In my opinion, it’s hands-down the best song CSNY ever did, and it captures both sides of Neil Young really well, while having bitter and cutting lyrics about the inexplicable murder of four Kent State students by the Ohio National Guard.
3. The Strokes – New York City Cops – The best track off an album I’d never been all that into was left by the wayside when September 11 made it inappropriate to write a song about how New York City cops ain’t too smart. There’s not much to the song, and one could make an argument for leaving it off an album in any event…at least until they listened to it.
4. Elliott Smith – Georgia, Georgia – It’s a shame that New Moon was released only after I’d transferred all my music listening onto the shoddy IPod dock in my office, because Elliott Smith just doesn’t work on the system, because he’s ambient in and of himself. So I’m only discovering this song as a matter of research, but it warrants mention. The frantic pace and clear guitar work (you can practically hear his fingers on the guitar) would have made it a superb inclusion on Either/Or.
5. Rolling Stones – Sweet Virginia – It’s one of the more intriguing tracks on Exile on Main Street, which makes it emphatically worth including in this list. They do a good job in producing this to remove Mick Jagger’s from the rest of the track by a good distance, but the chorus really captures a Let It Be sort of feel of the Rolling Stones just being in a studio and working something out live. It sounds a lot like Springsteen’s work on The Seeger Sessions – very authentic. I really don’t listen to Exile nearly enough.
Honorable mention: R.E.M. – Leaving New York – It’s really literal, I know, but I’m okay with being the only person in the world who likes this song; Arrested Development – Tennessee; Countless artists, including Chuck Berry and The Beatles – Memphis, Tennessee; Neil Diamond – Kentucky Woman – yes, I like Neil Diamond.; The Jayhawks- Somewhere in Ohio
Ryan's Top Five
1. "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City" - Harry Nilsson - This is probably one of Nilsson's best, and one of his first hits from 1969. Incidentally, it's one of my favorites and it exemplifies what Nilsson's so great at: simple, happy pop songs done to perfection. (See: Me And My Arrow, The Puppy Song, Good Old Desk, The Town, Poli High, Down To The Valley, etc. etc. etc. etc.) Marry the cheeriness and simplicity of the song with Nilsson's vocals and you have a perfect pop song.
2. "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!" - Sufjan Stevens - One of the best songs, and maybe the best song, from one of the best and most complete albums of this decade. Sufjan uses a wide array of instruments and here crafts another cheery song with poignant lyrics that belie its happier exterior. "I cried...myself...to sleeeep last night..." Man, I love this song.
3. "Piazza, New York Catcher" - Belle and Sebastian - Here's a textbook band that I should be more into than, regrettably, I am (or rather, have tried to be). In any event, I love this track.
4. "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain - A great hard rock/proto-metal song from the 70's. Gains bonus points for its association with the Homerpalooza episode of The Simpsons.
5. "Tennessee" - Arrested Development - This was probably my favorite song of 1992, when I was 9. Arrested Development in 1992 could do anything, I'd dig it. A great song from a great album.
Dan's Top 5:
Wow, there's a lot of Georgia in here.
1. Ray Charles – "Georgia on My Mind" – Ray Charles' first #1 song, and for good reason. Forget that it became the state song of Georgia in 1979, or that Ray Charles didn't even write it. Sometimes, certain recordings become immortal. I even included this on one of my mix CDs, which was otherwise populated by rock tracks. Should be noted that it ranks #44 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
2. Frank Sinatra – "New York, New York" – Sure, this song may be a bit cliché, but for me, it's synonymous with the character that's unique to the city. I don't know about anyone else's opinion, but I always enjoy going to New York. Also the only Sinatra song I really like.
3. Brother Bones and His Shadows – "Sweet Georgia Brown" – Harlem fucking Globetrotters. I rest my case.
4. Charlie Daniels Band – "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" – It's rare that a song tells a story this complete. Gains massive points for being a Southern Rock song that's actually known by people who aren't Southern Rock fans (which is because most Southern Rock sucks.) But at the same time, it loses points because, as many people agree, the Devil's band actually rocks harder than Johnny's "winning" performance.
5. Brian and Stewie – "Road to Rhode Island" – I decided to include this song for a number of reasons. First, it reminds us of a time when Family Guy didn't suck ass, or at least not nearly to the degree it does today. Second, it's a decent parody of the classic Hope and Crosby numbers, lest they be forgotten. Third, it makes fun of Rhode Island, and successfully ("like a group of college freshmen who were rejected by Harvard and forced to go to Brown.")
Monday, December 10, 2007
Top 5 "Essential Album Artists"
Aha! Not so fast people...it's in quotes, therefore it's a defined term. Here's the definition:
Essential Album Artist -- You have to have every album. Period. There's something on every one of them that's worth owning, and not just easily replicated by buying a greatest hits comp and going to the concerts and singing along with 1/3 of the songs and being pissed they didn't play every hit. They have to have pushed out four albums -- not counting compilations -- and they have to do it with a band with the same name, you can't just declare Ben Folds a winner by counting his three actual albums with the eponymous Five and his two solo albums. Not that you would anyway. This list gives severe glory to those who lived fast. The Sex Pistols didn't last long enough, Bob Dylan lasted far far too long.
Tim's Top 5:
1) The Beatles - This is too easy. Every one of the thirteen albums is essential because they're all good, even if Please Please Me is too teeny-bop and The White Album is too admired by everyone. Best album: Abbey Road; Worst album: probably With The Beatles, but it still has absolute masterpiece songs on it, it's just also got Please Mr. Postman, which makes me weep inside.
2) Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith has a couple of careers, spending his early days with Kill Rock Stars recording quiet and rough albums, but eventually reaching the sprawling orchestral production of Figure 8. Not only are each of Elliott's albums essential, but he also made Good Will Hunting's soundtrack essential just by including an altered version of Between the Bars and Miss Misery. And, just for good measure, his album with Heatmiser -- Mic City Sons -- is even more essential than all the others, even though it doesn't count to the overall album total. Best album: Either/Or, though I love Figure 8; Worst Album: probably Elliott Smith, but it's still a great album.
3) Pearl Jam - If you like Pearl Jam, you understand that every album, every track becomes essential, because even if the album version of Bu$hleaguer sucks, you'll hear it on an official bootleg and realize it's the greatest song you've ever heard. They can release countless compilations, concert albums, and every time one hits my radar, I still consider buying it. I own them all and although I don't listen to them as much as I should, they're all essential. Best album: Yield; Worst album: Binaural was going to get my vote, then I remembered that they recorded Ten. Ten is the winner. It may have performed a great civic duty by bringing Pearl Jam to my 13-year old consciousness, but radio play has ruined its hope of being a respectable album.
4) The Clash - Sandinista! is a mess, but it's a mess that's still got a lot of value, it's just thinly sown among the 36 tracks, and it's being compared to two of the best albums anyone ever recorded. The Clash and London Calling should both be in the top 50 albums of all time, Best album: I'll say London Calling, because I know I'm supposed to, but I really think that The Clash might be the superior album in my own mind. And Give 'Em Enough Rope blows my mind too. Worst album: definitely Sandinista!, but it's well worth it for being the one person you know who owns the album and has actually listened to it.
5) The Old 97's - Helped in no small part by the small number of albums, each one has value. They run a number of genres in the time span, with the first two being definitely more dependent on country influences with the rock sounding more like Buddy Holly than the Beatleish pop influence that overruns Satellite Rides. In between, Wreck Your Life, Too Far to Care, and Fight Songs run the gamut, but each one has at least a half dozen commendable tracks. Worst album: I'm not enamored with Hitchhike to Rhome, which is too lo-fi country for me, but I think Drag It Up is their weakest effort, because it was an all too conscious effort to return to Hitchhike without the sense of youthful reckless innocence that made an innocuous debut acceptable.
Honorable Mention: Oasis - I don't own Standing on The Shoulder of Giants or What's The Story, but I could easily buy both; Bruce Springsteen - warrants serious mention just because he came surprisingly close for someone with a 35 year career, but Devils & Dust is just not a good album (Magic is, however), and I've never felt a need to own Human Touch or Lucky Town. R.E.M. - god, Reveal is awful. Shame on you, Michael Stipe.
Dan's Top 5:
1. Jimi Hendrix - You could argue that he released three albums as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and one with the Band of Gypsys, but really, all that truly changed was the bass player. There's no question where all the talent was. You shouldn't just buy Jimi's albums, you should have every song memorized. Any sort of "greatest hits" collection does not do the man justice, and "Band of Gypsys" is just as good as anything he did with the Experience. Four albums, no dead weight - the epitome of what this list should be.
2. Peter Gabriel - It's interesting to see how Peter's music has evolved from when he started as a solo artist to now. It's vastly different, but there was never any loss of quality. There really aren't any weak albums, unless you count his soundtracks. Assuming not, his second album was only a modest effort, but I'll forgive that since Peter Gabriel III was one of the best (and most underrated) albums ever.
3. The Beatles - I was going to try to come up with a different fifth artist, but I realized that (a) I couldn't think of anyone, and (b) the Beatles were good enough to be repeated in this list. I probably wholeheartedly agree with Tim here, and I'd like to add that it's because of the Fab Four that we have the standard of a band writing its own songs and consisting mainly of guitar, bass, and drums.
4. Radiohead - Not only do I have all albums, but I have all the B-sides as well. Weak albums include Pablo Honey, Kid A, and Amnesiac. Awesome albums include OK Computer, The Bends, and Hail to the Thief. I credit them with having re-established the album as a valid work of art. Now if only more than a handful of artists would put more effort into making complete albums.
5. The Police - Each one of the five studio albums they made has two big hits on it, as well as a handful of other good songs. Apart from Synchronicity, no album is phenomenal, but if you're going to listen to the Police, it's not that hard to just get all the albums.
Honorable Mention - Smashing Pumpkins, Blur. They would have made it were it not for one single album (Zeitgeist, Think Tank) in their catalogue. So much for last hurrahs. (Yes, I do know Blur are back together and recording a new album.) Also, Muse. Their first album - Showbiz - was decent, but not a must-have like their other three.
Ryan's Top Five
1. The Beatles - Best: Sgt. Pepper or Abbey Road. Worst: meh, why try.
2. Badly Drawn Boy - Man, I love Badly Drawn Boy. Best: One Plus One Is One. Worst: probably Born In The UK, though it's still good.
3. The Decemberists - Four studio albums, all excellent. Best: The Crane Wife (is one of the best albums of this decade).
4. John Lennon solo - Wings had a lot of crap. John Lennon did not. Best: Imagine or Plastic Ono Band, but I actually really like Double Fantasy, nuts to everyone else.
5. Harry Nilsson - All right, I don't own all of them, as some are difficult to locate. That said, I've heard tracks from all of them. Did I mention I love Harry Nilsson? Best: The Point!
Essential Album Artist -- You have to have every album. Period. There's something on every one of them that's worth owning, and not just easily replicated by buying a greatest hits comp and going to the concerts and singing along with 1/3 of the songs and being pissed they didn't play every hit. They have to have pushed out four albums -- not counting compilations -- and they have to do it with a band with the same name, you can't just declare Ben Folds a winner by counting his three actual albums with the eponymous Five and his two solo albums. Not that you would anyway. This list gives severe glory to those who lived fast. The Sex Pistols didn't last long enough, Bob Dylan lasted far far too long.
Tim's Top 5:
1) The Beatles - This is too easy. Every one of the thirteen albums is essential because they're all good, even if Please Please Me is too teeny-bop and The White Album is too admired by everyone. Best album: Abbey Road; Worst album: probably With The Beatles, but it still has absolute masterpiece songs on it, it's just also got Please Mr. Postman, which makes me weep inside.
2) Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith has a couple of careers, spending his early days with Kill Rock Stars recording quiet and rough albums, but eventually reaching the sprawling orchestral production of Figure 8. Not only are each of Elliott's albums essential, but he also made Good Will Hunting's soundtrack essential just by including an altered version of Between the Bars and Miss Misery. And, just for good measure, his album with Heatmiser -- Mic City Sons -- is even more essential than all the others, even though it doesn't count to the overall album total. Best album: Either/Or, though I love Figure 8; Worst Album: probably Elliott Smith, but it's still a great album.
3) Pearl Jam - If you like Pearl Jam, you understand that every album, every track becomes essential, because even if the album version of Bu$hleaguer sucks, you'll hear it on an official bootleg and realize it's the greatest song you've ever heard. They can release countless compilations, concert albums, and every time one hits my radar, I still consider buying it. I own them all and although I don't listen to them as much as I should, they're all essential. Best album: Yield; Worst album: Binaural was going to get my vote, then I remembered that they recorded Ten. Ten is the winner. It may have performed a great civic duty by bringing Pearl Jam to my 13-year old consciousness, but radio play has ruined its hope of being a respectable album.
4) The Clash - Sandinista! is a mess, but it's a mess that's still got a lot of value, it's just thinly sown among the 36 tracks, and it's being compared to two of the best albums anyone ever recorded. The Clash and London Calling should both be in the top 50 albums of all time, Best album: I'll say London Calling, because I know I'm supposed to, but I really think that The Clash might be the superior album in my own mind. And Give 'Em Enough Rope blows my mind too. Worst album: definitely Sandinista!, but it's well worth it for being the one person you know who owns the album and has actually listened to it.
5) The Old 97's - Helped in no small part by the small number of albums, each one has value. They run a number of genres in the time span, with the first two being definitely more dependent on country influences with the rock sounding more like Buddy Holly than the Beatleish pop influence that overruns Satellite Rides. In between, Wreck Your Life, Too Far to Care, and Fight Songs run the gamut, but each one has at least a half dozen commendable tracks. Worst album: I'm not enamored with Hitchhike to Rhome, which is too lo-fi country for me, but I think Drag It Up is their weakest effort, because it was an all too conscious effort to return to Hitchhike without the sense of youthful reckless innocence that made an innocuous debut acceptable.
Honorable Mention: Oasis - I don't own Standing on The Shoulder of Giants or What's The Story, but I could easily buy both; Bruce Springsteen - warrants serious mention just because he came surprisingly close for someone with a 35 year career, but Devils & Dust is just not a good album (Magic is, however), and I've never felt a need to own Human Touch or Lucky Town. R.E.M. - god, Reveal is awful. Shame on you, Michael Stipe.
Dan's Top 5:
1. Jimi Hendrix - You could argue that he released three albums as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and one with the Band of Gypsys, but really, all that truly changed was the bass player. There's no question where all the talent was. You shouldn't just buy Jimi's albums, you should have every song memorized. Any sort of "greatest hits" collection does not do the man justice, and "Band of Gypsys" is just as good as anything he did with the Experience. Four albums, no dead weight - the epitome of what this list should be.
2. Peter Gabriel - It's interesting to see how Peter's music has evolved from when he started as a solo artist to now. It's vastly different, but there was never any loss of quality. There really aren't any weak albums, unless you count his soundtracks. Assuming not, his second album was only a modest effort, but I'll forgive that since Peter Gabriel III was one of the best (and most underrated) albums ever.
3. The Beatles - I was going to try to come up with a different fifth artist, but I realized that (a) I couldn't think of anyone, and (b) the Beatles were good enough to be repeated in this list. I probably wholeheartedly agree with Tim here, and I'd like to add that it's because of the Fab Four that we have the standard of a band writing its own songs and consisting mainly of guitar, bass, and drums.
4. Radiohead - Not only do I have all albums, but I have all the B-sides as well. Weak albums include Pablo Honey, Kid A, and Amnesiac. Awesome albums include OK Computer, The Bends, and Hail to the Thief. I credit them with having re-established the album as a valid work of art. Now if only more than a handful of artists would put more effort into making complete albums.
5. The Police - Each one of the five studio albums they made has two big hits on it, as well as a handful of other good songs. Apart from Synchronicity, no album is phenomenal, but if you're going to listen to the Police, it's not that hard to just get all the albums.
Honorable Mention - Smashing Pumpkins, Blur. They would have made it were it not for one single album (Zeitgeist, Think Tank) in their catalogue. So much for last hurrahs. (Yes, I do know Blur are back together and recording a new album.) Also, Muse. Their first album - Showbiz - was decent, but not a must-have like their other three.
Ryan's Top Five
1. The Beatles - Best: Sgt. Pepper or Abbey Road. Worst: meh, why try.
2. Badly Drawn Boy - Man, I love Badly Drawn Boy. Best: One Plus One Is One. Worst: probably Born In The UK, though it's still good.
3. The Decemberists - Four studio albums, all excellent. Best: The Crane Wife (is one of the best albums of this decade).
4. John Lennon solo - Wings had a lot of crap. John Lennon did not. Best: Imagine or Plastic Ono Band, but I actually really like Double Fantasy, nuts to everyone else.
5. Harry Nilsson - All right, I don't own all of them, as some are difficult to locate. That said, I've heard tracks from all of them. Did I mention I love Harry Nilsson? Best: The Point!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Top 5 Lyricists
Lyrics are what compels me more than music, and this list is to honor those who have realized that lyrics are important and not to just be shoved in between the catchy instruments. I will give one example of their writing, though all of these definitely have much more to offer.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Conor Oberst - The front man for Bright Eyes who started writing music when he was about 13, and put out about 20 songs written from the time between age 13 and 15, all showing the technique of an established poet. It isn't so much cleverness of the lyrics, but the use of rhyme along with half-rhyme, assonance and alliteration to make lines fit together. Has also established about 4 other bands."There's a dream in my brain, that just won't go away, it's been stuck there since it came a few nights ago / and i'm standing on a bridge, in the town where i lived as kid with my mom and my brothers / and then the bridge disappears and i'm standing on air / with nothing holding me."
2. Damien Rice - Simply an incredible writer. Pairs music with his songs perfectly, and writes what some could say are the most depressing songs in existence, but always sings them with an incredible beauty. "Cheers darlin, I got years to wait around for you / Cheers darlin, I got your wedding bells in my ear / cheers darlin, you gave me three cigarettes, to smoke my tears away."
3. Maynard - Fronting Tool, Maynard James Keenan writes some of the most enigmatic lyrics to ever be written, but they still hold the ability to be poignant at least in meaning. He's also appeared in A Perfect Circle and has another band he's put together Puscifier. "Some say a comet will fall from the sky / followed by meteor showers and title waves / followed by faultlines that cannot sit still / followed by millions of dumb-founded dipshits / some say the end is near / some say we'll see armageddon soon / certainly hope we will /i sure could use a vaction from this / stupid shit, silly shit, stupid shit."
4. Roger Waters - I am an immense Pink Floyd fan, so much that they are one of my favorite bands, as fandom goes. One of the whole points behind Pink Floyd is obviously the trippy lyrics. "Oh, how I wish, how I wish you were here / we're just two lost souls swimmin in a fish bowl, year after year / runnin over the same old ground, and hav you found / the same old fears / wish you were here."
5. Cedric Bixler-Zavala - This may be premature, or a current bias, but these lyrics are some of the most awkward things I've ever read, and that's all there is to say about it. Oh, he sings for The Mars Volta, but stared with the band At the Drive-in. "You must have been phlegmatic in stature / the gates of thanos are spread-eagle wide / you let the shutters make sackcloth and ashes / out of a blind man's picaresque heart."
Ryan's Top 5:
This is a good idea for a list, but I'm feeling a bit boring, as you'll see, so all my answers would probably make the editors at Rolling Stone happy--which means, of course, that my list sucks.
1. John Lennon - For me it was a close call between Lennon and Simon, but I'm going to have to go with the walrus on this one. I don't believe that songs are simply poetry put to music. Occasionally, Paul Simon can write songs that, while great, are more poetic than musical (see: The Dangling Conversation, which is like a poem with background music. Good, though). Anyway, not much sense trying to explain Lennon's greatness, so here's a random quote: "Always know sometimes think it's me / But you know I know when it's a dream / I think I know I mean, ah yes / but it's all wrong / that is I think I disagree / Let me take you down..."
2. Paul Simon - Not to discount Garfunkel's contribution to the band--namely, big hair--but Simon has an amazing way with words. You want examples, I mean, take your pick--The Boxer, I Am A Rock, Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, America, etc. etc. etc. "Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again / Because a vision softly creeping / Left its seeds while I was sleeping / And the vision that was planted in my brain / Still remains / Within the sound of silence." Bonus points for never burning out and producing crap (see: McCartney, Paul), and also solving apartheid in South Africa with Graceland.
3. David Bowie - "I'm an alligator, I'm a mama-papa coming for you / I'm the space invader, I'll be a rock 'n' rollin' bitch for you / Keep your mouth shut, you're squawking like a pink monkey bird / And I'm busting up my brains for the words." I think that pretty much says it all.
4. Harry Nilsson - There were rumors in 1970 that if Paul left the band, Nilsson could've stepped in. That, of course, would have led to Nilsson, Lennon, and Ringo all dying of liver failure by 1973, but it's still neat to think about. "Have you ever watched a moonbeam / As it slid across your windowpane / Or struggled with a bit of rain / Or danced about the weathervane / Or sat along a moving train / And wondered where the train has been..."
5. Paul McCartney - Has done just about everything possible to soil his musical record as of late, but he wrote some of the best songs ever recorded: Eleanor Rigby, Yesterday, Hey Jude, etc. As we've all heard these songs nine-hundred times, I'll forego the lyrics.
Honorable mentions: I won't try to sneak these guys in this time around, but I do think, given some more time, they could be on this list: Sufjan Stevens, Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy).
Dan's Top 5:
1. David Bowie - I think that if I have to explain Bowie to you, you're not worth talking to. A candidate for being overlooked lyrically, though, since the music is so strong. "And you / You can be mean / And I / I'll drink all the time / 'Cause we're lovers / And that is a fact / Yes we're lovers / And that is that."
2. Warren Zevon - Songwriting with sardonic dark humor? Sign me up. Honestly, Werewolves of London, though his greatest hit, isn't very indicative of his true talent. "I'm very well aquainted with the seven deadly sins / I keep a busy schedule trying to fit them in."
3. Damon Albarn - Blur, Gorrilaz, The Good The Bad and The Queen. They're all good. "She says theres ants in the carpet / Dirty little monsters / Eating all the morsels / Picking up the rubbish."
4. Paul Simon - It still astounds me that with all he did in Simon and Garfunkel, he still had enough left in him for a very good solo career. That rarely ever happens. "When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school it's a wonder I can think at all / And though my lack of education hasn't hurt me none, I can read the writing on the wall."
5. Colin Meloy - The Decemberists are, according to Colbert, "hyper-literate prog rock," and that couldn't be possible without Colin Meloy. Though I've had their music in my possession for quite some time, I truthfully have only been listening for the last few days. But their specialty for morose sea shanties and upbeat songs about myriad fictional characters lands them a spot in the Top 5. "And they tell her not to say a thing to cousin, kindred, kith or kin or she'll end up dead / And they throw her thirty dollars and return her to the harbour where she goes to bed, and this is how you're fed."
Honorable Mentions: Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney, excluded as they've been named by Ryan, who did them adequate justice.
Tim's Top 5:
1. Bob Dylan - No question here. Stuck Inside of Mobile (With the Memphis Blues Again), Idiot Wind, Tangled Up in Blue, All Along the Watchtower, It Ain't Me Babe, all great songs...and he would win for My Back Pages alone if it really came down to it. Time Out of Mind's tracks like Love Sick and Not Dark Yet continue the tradition, even if his last two albums aren't really worth mentioning. Who else could have written The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll and actually turned it into a decent song?
2. Bruce Springsteen - Few artists could have put together an album like The Rising without coming off as a dreadfully trite assemblage of flag-waving garbage. But it's just the sheer volume of great songs that Springsteen has written that involve characters without making them as repetitive as things like Ben Folds' solo work where nearly every song has to have named characters. Born to Run, Thunder Road, Brilliant Disguise, American Skin -- this is great stuff.
3. John Lennon - He does lose some for his all-too-sentimental period around Double Fantasy, but he wrote the Beatles' best material. Imagine, Tomorrow Never Knows, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Instant Karma...McCartney is good, but not on this level...and seriously, McCartney wrote a song called Biker Like an Icon.
4. Elliott Smith - He picked up the John Lennon introspective torch, but took it way farther. Ballad of Big Nothing is one of the best written songs I've heard even though it's extremely simple. Figure 8 may have been his lyrical peak with Stupidity Tries, Son of Sam, but Either/Or isn't far off and From a Basement on A Hill has some great stuff.
5. Noel Gallagher - Sure, I was in high school when (What's the Story) Morning Glory came out, but it had some songs that really struck me as well-crafted -- Don't Look Back in Anger, Some Might Say, really everything except for She's Electric and Chapagne Supernova. And I prefer Definitely Maybe with Rock n' Roll Star and Cigarettes and Alcohol, which really warrants (by itself) a spot higher than 5th.
Honorable mention: Bernie Taupin (hard to admit, but in the 1970s, Elton John actually recorded decent music); Neil Young, Adam Schlesinger/Chris Collingwood (since they're two people, I had to settle for honorable mentioning them), Billy Corgan.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Conor Oberst - The front man for Bright Eyes who started writing music when he was about 13, and put out about 20 songs written from the time between age 13 and 15, all showing the technique of an established poet. It isn't so much cleverness of the lyrics, but the use of rhyme along with half-rhyme, assonance and alliteration to make lines fit together. Has also established about 4 other bands."There's a dream in my brain, that just won't go away, it's been stuck there since it came a few nights ago / and i'm standing on a bridge, in the town where i lived as kid with my mom and my brothers / and then the bridge disappears and i'm standing on air / with nothing holding me."
2. Damien Rice - Simply an incredible writer. Pairs music with his songs perfectly, and writes what some could say are the most depressing songs in existence, but always sings them with an incredible beauty. "Cheers darlin, I got years to wait around for you / Cheers darlin, I got your wedding bells in my ear / cheers darlin, you gave me three cigarettes, to smoke my tears away."
3. Maynard - Fronting Tool, Maynard James Keenan writes some of the most enigmatic lyrics to ever be written, but they still hold the ability to be poignant at least in meaning. He's also appeared in A Perfect Circle and has another band he's put together Puscifier. "Some say a comet will fall from the sky / followed by meteor showers and title waves / followed by faultlines that cannot sit still / followed by millions of dumb-founded dipshits / some say the end is near / some say we'll see armageddon soon / certainly hope we will /i sure could use a vaction from this / stupid shit, silly shit, stupid shit."
4. Roger Waters - I am an immense Pink Floyd fan, so much that they are one of my favorite bands, as fandom goes. One of the whole points behind Pink Floyd is obviously the trippy lyrics. "Oh, how I wish, how I wish you were here / we're just two lost souls swimmin in a fish bowl, year after year / runnin over the same old ground, and hav you found / the same old fears / wish you were here."
5. Cedric Bixler-Zavala - This may be premature, or a current bias, but these lyrics are some of the most awkward things I've ever read, and that's all there is to say about it. Oh, he sings for The Mars Volta, but stared with the band At the Drive-in. "You must have been phlegmatic in stature / the gates of thanos are spread-eagle wide / you let the shutters make sackcloth and ashes / out of a blind man's picaresque heart."
Ryan's Top 5:
This is a good idea for a list, but I'm feeling a bit boring, as you'll see, so all my answers would probably make the editors at Rolling Stone happy--which means, of course, that my list sucks.
1. John Lennon - For me it was a close call between Lennon and Simon, but I'm going to have to go with the walrus on this one. I don't believe that songs are simply poetry put to music. Occasionally, Paul Simon can write songs that, while great, are more poetic than musical (see: The Dangling Conversation, which is like a poem with background music. Good, though). Anyway, not much sense trying to explain Lennon's greatness, so here's a random quote: "Always know sometimes think it's me / But you know I know when it's a dream / I think I know I mean, ah yes / but it's all wrong / that is I think I disagree / Let me take you down..."
2. Paul Simon - Not to discount Garfunkel's contribution to the band--namely, big hair--but Simon has an amazing way with words. You want examples, I mean, take your pick--The Boxer, I Am A Rock, Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, America, etc. etc. etc. "Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again / Because a vision softly creeping / Left its seeds while I was sleeping / And the vision that was planted in my brain / Still remains / Within the sound of silence." Bonus points for never burning out and producing crap (see: McCartney, Paul), and also solving apartheid in South Africa with Graceland.
3. David Bowie - "I'm an alligator, I'm a mama-papa coming for you / I'm the space invader, I'll be a rock 'n' rollin' bitch for you / Keep your mouth shut, you're squawking like a pink monkey bird / And I'm busting up my brains for the words." I think that pretty much says it all.
4. Harry Nilsson - There were rumors in 1970 that if Paul left the band, Nilsson could've stepped in. That, of course, would have led to Nilsson, Lennon, and Ringo all dying of liver failure by 1973, but it's still neat to think about. "Have you ever watched a moonbeam / As it slid across your windowpane / Or struggled with a bit of rain / Or danced about the weathervane / Or sat along a moving train / And wondered where the train has been..."
5. Paul McCartney - Has done just about everything possible to soil his musical record as of late, but he wrote some of the best songs ever recorded: Eleanor Rigby, Yesterday, Hey Jude, etc. As we've all heard these songs nine-hundred times, I'll forego the lyrics.
Honorable mentions: I won't try to sneak these guys in this time around, but I do think, given some more time, they could be on this list: Sufjan Stevens, Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy).
Dan's Top 5:
1. David Bowie - I think that if I have to explain Bowie to you, you're not worth talking to. A candidate for being overlooked lyrically, though, since the music is so strong. "And you / You can be mean / And I / I'll drink all the time / 'Cause we're lovers / And that is a fact / Yes we're lovers / And that is that."
2. Warren Zevon - Songwriting with sardonic dark humor? Sign me up. Honestly, Werewolves of London, though his greatest hit, isn't very indicative of his true talent. "I'm very well aquainted with the seven deadly sins / I keep a busy schedule trying to fit them in."
3. Damon Albarn - Blur, Gorrilaz, The Good The Bad and The Queen. They're all good. "She says theres ants in the carpet / Dirty little monsters / Eating all the morsels / Picking up the rubbish."
4. Paul Simon - It still astounds me that with all he did in Simon and Garfunkel, he still had enough left in him for a very good solo career. That rarely ever happens. "When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school it's a wonder I can think at all / And though my lack of education hasn't hurt me none, I can read the writing on the wall."
5. Colin Meloy - The Decemberists are, according to Colbert, "hyper-literate prog rock," and that couldn't be possible without Colin Meloy. Though I've had their music in my possession for quite some time, I truthfully have only been listening for the last few days. But their specialty for morose sea shanties and upbeat songs about myriad fictional characters lands them a spot in the Top 5. "And they tell her not to say a thing to cousin, kindred, kith or kin or she'll end up dead / And they throw her thirty dollars and return her to the harbour where she goes to bed, and this is how you're fed."
Honorable Mentions: Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney, excluded as they've been named by Ryan, who did them adequate justice.
Tim's Top 5:
1. Bob Dylan - No question here. Stuck Inside of Mobile (With the Memphis Blues Again), Idiot Wind, Tangled Up in Blue, All Along the Watchtower, It Ain't Me Babe, all great songs...and he would win for My Back Pages alone if it really came down to it. Time Out of Mind's tracks like Love Sick and Not Dark Yet continue the tradition, even if his last two albums aren't really worth mentioning. Who else could have written The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll and actually turned it into a decent song?
2. Bruce Springsteen - Few artists could have put together an album like The Rising without coming off as a dreadfully trite assemblage of flag-waving garbage. But it's just the sheer volume of great songs that Springsteen has written that involve characters without making them as repetitive as things like Ben Folds' solo work where nearly every song has to have named characters. Born to Run, Thunder Road, Brilliant Disguise, American Skin -- this is great stuff.
3. John Lennon - He does lose some for his all-too-sentimental period around Double Fantasy, but he wrote the Beatles' best material. Imagine, Tomorrow Never Knows, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Instant Karma...McCartney is good, but not on this level...and seriously, McCartney wrote a song called Biker Like an Icon.
4. Elliott Smith - He picked up the John Lennon introspective torch, but took it way farther. Ballad of Big Nothing is one of the best written songs I've heard even though it's extremely simple. Figure 8 may have been his lyrical peak with Stupidity Tries, Son of Sam, but Either/Or isn't far off and From a Basement on A Hill has some great stuff.
5. Noel Gallagher - Sure, I was in high school when (What's the Story) Morning Glory came out, but it had some songs that really struck me as well-crafted -- Don't Look Back in Anger, Some Might Say, really everything except for She's Electric and Chapagne Supernova. And I prefer Definitely Maybe with Rock n' Roll Star and Cigarettes and Alcohol, which really warrants (by itself) a spot higher than 5th.
Honorable mention: Bernie Taupin (hard to admit, but in the 1970s, Elton John actually recorded decent music); Neil Young, Adam Schlesinger/Chris Collingwood (since they're two people, I had to settle for honorable mentioning them), Billy Corgan.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Top 5 Albums Since 2000
This is pretty basic, but most of my standard go-to "best albums" (Dark Side of the Moon, Weezer, OK Computer, most Peter Gabriel albums) are excluded from consideration. And hey, who says music sucks nowadays?
Dan's Top 5:
1. Gorillaz - Demon Days - Probably one of the most artistic albums I've heard, as it's a complete transformation from the beginning of the album to its end. It's also the album that solidified my respect for Danger Mouse.
2. Sigur Rós - Takk... - I can't really describe this album other than that all the music just soars. It's Icelandic experimental post-rock, so it's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth at least one listen, since it's damn beautiful music.
3. Daft Punk - Discovery - I've never heard electronic/house music that's so accessible. The album really flows, as illustrated by the accompanying anime film "Interstella 5555."
4. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - Despite the fact that baroque pop music has been around since the 60's (Beatles, Beach Boys), this album still sounds pretty fresh. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
5. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - The best example I can think of to prove that creativity in music isn't dead. No other bands sound like these guys, and they sound good. "A mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, guitars and early hip hop, with a hint of '70s funk." (Yes, I had to go to Wikipedia to try to describe it.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Interesting--we don't have any of the same five. This was a tough list; I have a lot of "honorable mentions."
1. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - I honestly think this is one of the most complete albums of all-time.
2. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - I don't even think this is premature. There are few albums I've listened to more consistently. Finished the album? Start it over. Repeat.
3. Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - What can I say, I love Ben Folds. I think after you've heard 'Zac and Sara' and 'Annie Waits' more than five times it's easy to forget how good they are as pop songs.
4. The Postal Service - Give Up - I like Death Cab, but not as much as The Postal Service. I wouldn't skip any track on here, and to me, it's a very original sound that resonates well with my tastes (i.e., good music).
5. Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One is One - He excels at making complete albums. "Born in the UK" was good, but not near this. Ditto "About a Boy" soundtrack (of which he did the entirety).
Honorable mentions (that I REALLY wanted to include), in no real order:
- Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise
- Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
- Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
- Kanye West - College Dropout
Tim's Top 5:
1) Ok Go – Oh No - I have now listened to the entire album six times on ITunes, which puts it at least three listens up on all albums that aren't London Calling, and therefore means this has to be a masterpiece. The fact that every month I find a new song that I'm enamored with lends support to this theory.
2) Jay-Z – The Black Album - In my opinion, this is the finest rap/hip hop album ever made. Too bad he followed it up with Kingdom Come. It's all over the map, but every track is worth owning -- ok, except Justify My Thug.
3) Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand - This is the last new band I got behind from the beginning, and I stand by my decision. Its reference to Terry Wogen in The Dark of the Matinee may be one of the most absurdly enjoyable moments in all of music for some reason, just because I knew who Terry Wogen was. This is how things work with me...make me feel important and worldly, I'd give you a Grammy.
4) Old 97’s – Satellite Rides - This is my favorite Old 97's album of the moment, though Fight Songs and Too Far to Care have both had their turns and the latter almost cracked the list here. "King of All of the World" and "Designs On You" are some of the best songs they ever made and "Question" is probably the reason I decided I really needed to get that engagement ring now after waiting all too long.
5) Elliott Smith – From a Basement on a Hill - It's a tossup between this and Figure 8. Figure 8 is a better album all around, but this one has more meaning to me and is just poignant from start to finish. Let's Get Lost, Pretty (Ugly Before), and Coast to Coast are among his finest work, but the haunted sound of the whole album makes it an album of unparalleled importance to me, even if it's not finely crafted.
I really wanted to find a spot for Kanye West - The College Dropout after it made Ryan's almost list, but the fact is that the Black Album is vastly better than Kanye's debut which is too uneven and features too many second-tier rappers. The Killers get slighted here, either album could have made it, and Guided by Voices - Isolation Drills rightly ought to, if only to make my list look slightly less commercial.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Bright Eyes - Lifted or The story is in the soil, Keep your ear to the ground - Perhaps I like Bright Eyes too much, but either way this slightly country influenced album is quite possibly his best album.
2. Damien Rice - O - I didn't think I liked folk inspired music until I heard Damien Rice. I got this CD when one of my first girlfriends broke up with me, and it quite possibly being the most depressing ten songs ever recorded definitely helped me through it. I have probably listened to this whole album through in a single sitting 30 plus times.
3. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Tied with O for the best folk album ever recorded. This album has an incredible guest appearance by Emmylou Harris, and takes a different turn for Conor Oberst with an actually upbeat and happy tone to it.
4. Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines - Every song is good. Not too mention, concept albums don't seem to made anymore, and it's a shame when one listens to this and realizes just how good (and at times insanely creepy) they can be. I love this album.
5. Tenacious D - Tenacious D - It's a good thing it took them seven years to make their first album, otherwise it wouldn't be on this list. Tenacious D is undoubtedly the funniest band ever, and the soundtrack to their movie is a definite honorable mention. The reason this album didn't go higher is because I have actually listened to this album so many times that I have overplayed every song and comedy segment on it. But I'll still listen to it again. And no joking, I have probably listened to this in its entirety one hundred or more times.
Dan's Top 5:
1. Gorillaz - Demon Days - Probably one of the most artistic albums I've heard, as it's a complete transformation from the beginning of the album to its end. It's also the album that solidified my respect for Danger Mouse.
2. Sigur Rós - Takk... - I can't really describe this album other than that all the music just soars. It's Icelandic experimental post-rock, so it's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth at least one listen, since it's damn beautiful music.
3. Daft Punk - Discovery - I've never heard electronic/house music that's so accessible. The album really flows, as illustrated by the accompanying anime film "Interstella 5555."
4. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - Despite the fact that baroque pop music has been around since the 60's (Beatles, Beach Boys), this album still sounds pretty fresh. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
5. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - The best example I can think of to prove that creativity in music isn't dead. No other bands sound like these guys, and they sound good. "A mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, guitars and early hip hop, with a hint of '70s funk." (Yes, I had to go to Wikipedia to try to describe it.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Interesting--we don't have any of the same five. This was a tough list; I have a lot of "honorable mentions."
1. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - I honestly think this is one of the most complete albums of all-time.
2. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - I don't even think this is premature. There are few albums I've listened to more consistently. Finished the album? Start it over. Repeat.
3. Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - What can I say, I love Ben Folds. I think after you've heard 'Zac and Sara' and 'Annie Waits' more than five times it's easy to forget how good they are as pop songs.
4. The Postal Service - Give Up - I like Death Cab, but not as much as The Postal Service. I wouldn't skip any track on here, and to me, it's a very original sound that resonates well with my tastes (i.e., good music).
5. Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One is One - He excels at making complete albums. "Born in the UK" was good, but not near this. Ditto "About a Boy" soundtrack (of which he did the entirety).
Honorable mentions (that I REALLY wanted to include), in no real order:
- Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise
- Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
- Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
- Kanye West - College Dropout
Tim's Top 5:
1) Ok Go – Oh No - I have now listened to the entire album six times on ITunes, which puts it at least three listens up on all albums that aren't London Calling, and therefore means this has to be a masterpiece. The fact that every month I find a new song that I'm enamored with lends support to this theory.
2) Jay-Z – The Black Album - In my opinion, this is the finest rap/hip hop album ever made. Too bad he followed it up with Kingdom Come. It's all over the map, but every track is worth owning -- ok, except Justify My Thug.
3) Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand - This is the last new band I got behind from the beginning, and I stand by my decision. Its reference to Terry Wogen in The Dark of the Matinee may be one of the most absurdly enjoyable moments in all of music for some reason, just because I knew who Terry Wogen was. This is how things work with me...make me feel important and worldly, I'd give you a Grammy.
4) Old 97’s – Satellite Rides - This is my favorite Old 97's album of the moment, though Fight Songs and Too Far to Care have both had their turns and the latter almost cracked the list here. "King of All of the World" and "Designs On You" are some of the best songs they ever made and "Question" is probably the reason I decided I really needed to get that engagement ring now after waiting all too long.
5) Elliott Smith – From a Basement on a Hill - It's a tossup between this and Figure 8. Figure 8 is a better album all around, but this one has more meaning to me and is just poignant from start to finish. Let's Get Lost, Pretty (Ugly Before), and Coast to Coast are among his finest work, but the haunted sound of the whole album makes it an album of unparalleled importance to me, even if it's not finely crafted.
I really wanted to find a spot for Kanye West - The College Dropout after it made Ryan's almost list, but the fact is that the Black Album is vastly better than Kanye's debut which is too uneven and features too many second-tier rappers. The Killers get slighted here, either album could have made it, and Guided by Voices - Isolation Drills rightly ought to, if only to make my list look slightly less commercial.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Bright Eyes - Lifted or The story is in the soil, Keep your ear to the ground - Perhaps I like Bright Eyes too much, but either way this slightly country influenced album is quite possibly his best album.
2. Damien Rice - O - I didn't think I liked folk inspired music until I heard Damien Rice. I got this CD when one of my first girlfriends broke up with me, and it quite possibly being the most depressing ten songs ever recorded definitely helped me through it. I have probably listened to this whole album through in a single sitting 30 plus times.
3. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Tied with O for the best folk album ever recorded. This album has an incredible guest appearance by Emmylou Harris, and takes a different turn for Conor Oberst with an actually upbeat and happy tone to it.
4. Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines - Every song is good. Not too mention, concept albums don't seem to made anymore, and it's a shame when one listens to this and realizes just how good (and at times insanely creepy) they can be. I love this album.
5. Tenacious D - Tenacious D - It's a good thing it took them seven years to make their first album, otherwise it wouldn't be on this list. Tenacious D is undoubtedly the funniest band ever, and the soundtrack to their movie is a definite honorable mention. The reason this album didn't go higher is because I have actually listened to this album so many times that I have overplayed every song and comedy segment on it. But I'll still listen to it again. And no joking, I have probably listened to this in its entirety one hundred or more times.
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