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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Jim Connelly's
Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Monday, January 15, 2007
Jesse Steichen's Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Friday, January 12, 2007
Bill Bentley's Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Tom Ridge's Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Lee Templeton's Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Anthony Carew's 13 Fave Albums Of 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
SXSW 2006: Finding Some Hope In Austin
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Letter From New Orleans
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Jennifer Przybylski's Fave Albums of 2005
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Music For Dwindling Days: Max Schaefer's Fave Recordings Of 2005
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Sean Fennessey's 'Best-Of' 2005
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Lori Miller Barrett's Fave Albums Of 2005
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Lee Templeton's Favorite Recordings of 2005
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Michael Lach - Old Soul Songs For A New World Order
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Found In Translation — Emme Stone's Year In Music 2005
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Dave Allen's 'Best-Of' 2005
Monday, January 2, 2006
Steve Gozdecki's Favorite Albums Of 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Johnny Walker Black's Top 10 Of 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
Neal Block's Favorite Recordings Of 2005
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Jenny Tatone's Year In Review
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Dave Renard's Fave Recordings Of 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
Jennifer Kelly's Fave Recordings Of 2005
Thursday, December 8, 2005
Tom Ridge's Favorite Recordings Of 2005
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Ben Gook's Beloved Albums Of 2005
Monday, December 5, 2005
Anthony Carew's Fave Albums Of 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Prince, Spoon And The Magic Of The Dead Stop
Monday, September 12, 2005
The Truth About America
Monday, September 5, 2005
Tryin' To Wash Us Away
Monday, August 1, 2005
A Psyche-Folk Heat Wave In Western Massachusetts
Monday, July 18, 2005
Soggy But Happy At Glastonbury 2005
Monday, April 4, 2005
The SXSW Experience, Part 3: All Together Now
Friday, April 1, 2005
The SXSW Experience, Part 2: Dr. Dog's Happy Chords
Thursday, March 31, 2005
The SXSW Experience, Part 1: Waiting, Waiting And More Waiting
Friday, March 25, 2005
Final Day At SXSW's Charnel House
Monday, March 21, 2005
Day Three At SXSW
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Day Two In SXSW's Hall Of Mirrors
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Report #1: SXSW 2005 And Its Hall Of Mirrors
Monday, February 14, 2005
Matt Landry's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
David Howie's 'Moments' From The Year 2004
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Lori Miller Barrett's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Noah Bonaparte's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Kevin John's Fave Albums Of 2004
Friday, January 14, 2005
Music For Those Nights: Max Schaefer's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Dave Renard's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Neal Block's Top Ten Of 2004
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Jenny Tatone's Fave Albums Of 2004
Monday, January 10, 2005
Wayne Robins' Top Ten Of 2004
Friday, January 7, 2005
Brian Orloff's Fave Albums Of 2004
Thursday, January 6, 2005
Johnny Walker (Black)'s Top 10 Of 2004
Wednesday, January 5, 2005
Jennifer Przybylski's Fave Albums (And Book) Of 2004
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
Mark Mordue's Fave Albums Of 2004
Monday, January 3, 2005
Lee Templeton's Fave Recordings Of 2004
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Monday, Jan. 20, 2003
Steve Gozdecki's 2002 Platters That Matter
Neumu's Steve Gozdecki writes: For me, 2002 was a great year in music, especially for promising new acts. In fact, half of my top 10 list consists of works by bands making their initial foray into the world of long-playing records, and only one is by a group that has made more than three albums. Quite a pleasant surprise!
In ranking the albums I enjoyed most this year, I found a sizeable split between the five at the top and the rest. In the interest of building the drama, I'm listing them backwards. Dick Clark would approve, even if he'll never come near any of these discs.
10. Radio 4, Gotham! (Gern Blandsten): Brooklyn's own Radio 4 beat out Joey Ramone, The Pattern, DJ Shadow, and The Catheters to claim this spot on my list. All these acts put out very good albums this year, but Radio 4's funky polit-rock just moved (and kicked) my ass a little more than the others did. They're great live, too.
9. French Kicks, One Time Bells (Star Time): When they're pop, as on "Wrong Side" and "Right on Time," the Kicks are good, but it's the angular, mesmerizing sound of "Crying Just for Show" and "Trying Whining" that led me to hit the repeat button again and again.
8. RJD2, Deadringer (Def Jux): Funky, funny, and way creative. Unlike many mostly instrumental DJ/techno/trip-hop/whatever albums, the three songs that feature live vocals don't detract from the rest of the show. There's no way a tune like "Ghostwriter," which segues from easy, shuffling acoustic guitars and wordless vocal samples into a chorus of huge, marching-band-style horns should work, but it does.
7. The Streets, Original Pirate Material! (Atlantic): He's hardly the first rapper to hail from England, but Mike Skinner succeeds by sticking to — and reveling in — the English vernacular, and seems to have a lot of fun doing so. His lyrics are razor-sharp, whether he's condemning run-of-the-mill reactionary conservatives who condemn drugs whilst living for the pint ("The Irony of It All"), lamenting a failed relationship ("It's Too Late"), or fondly recalling rave culture ("Weak Become Heroes"). And the minimalist, DIY production is pretty amazing, too.
6. Electric Soft Parade, Holes in the Wall (DB): Alex and Tom White may still be in their teens, but this brilliant homage to everything great about British rock is the best album the Boo Radleys never made. And that's a mighty big compliment from me. As with The Streets, this album was also recorded on a home computer, suggesting that the digital DIY revolution really has finally arrived.
5. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Source Tags and Codes (Interscope): An absolutely devastating album. "Relative Ways" is the best homage to the power of rock music since the VU's "Rock and Roll," while the opening trio of songs simply leaves me stunned and silenced. The pacing of the album is brilliant too, with songs sung by melodic Conrad Keely and maniacal Jason Reece nicely balancing each other throughout.
4. Idlewild, The Remote Part (EMI): Smartly passionate, the Scottish lads threaten to grow up on this, Idlewild's third full-length record. Neither the next Radiohead nor the new REM, but the first of their kind, equally adept at acoustic balladry and balls-to-the-wall post-punk rock.
3. Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights (Matador): Though not as startlingly original as the band they're frequently (and foolishly) compared to, Joy Division, Interpol are much better musicians and far more adept with a melody than the late Ian Curtis' band was the first time out. A fair bit less gloomy, too. An amazing debut.
2. Doves, The Last Broadcast (Capitol): The growth in their emotional palette from Doves' debut to this second album is stunning. This is big, intelligent, irony-free music that demands an open mind — and rewards the heart quite well.
1. Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Warner Brothers): It's the soundtrack to your dreams, a nursery rhyme to lull you to sleep, with a center that doesn't quite hold. The Flaming Lips' latest trippy (hoppy) excursion almost defies words, as Wayne Coyne's simple lyrics are elevated by the lofty machine-processed music, all sampled guitars and loops and bells and whistles, and the timbre of his unique voice. The concept album hinted at by the title essentially ends at the fourth cut, at which point the album steers you toward a suite of songs that meditate on our mortality and the need to make the most of each day and appreciate and, shucks, love each other.
The InsiderOne Daily
Report appears on occasion.
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