Music is 2005
"Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?"
Albums of the year:
15} Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
I crown Johnson the King of Mellow. I do not think you can get much more easy going than Jack. He is one of those musicians that I have been along the entire journey of his musical odyssey. I remember picking up Brushfire Fairytales and getting a strange look from the cashier. I remember playing it for a girl I was going out with. She couldn't stand it. I'm sure now she loves him. Trends rise and fall like the tides of an ocean. Early on Johnson was a surfer, filmmaker, and part-time songwriter. Now he is scoring the film adaptation of Curious George. It's amazing how far his journey has taken him. But let's get back to In Between Dreams. It's a good progression from his previous albums. This one feels more like a rounded album than the previous two. More killer cuts than filler cuts. This is a great album for parties and long, summer trips.
14} Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
I actually think that You Could Have It So Much Better is better than their first album. This CD seems to be stronger and tighter. The music is harder, and keeps the tempo up and moving. If this were a weaker year, it would definitely have cracked the top ten.
13} Garbage - Bleed Like Me
Thank goodness Garbage is back to form. I was heavily disappointed in their last release, BeautifulGarabage. It was weak on rock, and heavy on techno. Thoroughly disappointing. Bleed Like Me is the exact opposite of BeautifulGarabage. Very good. The band seems to let Shirley do her thing, while they do their own thing. The result is a very balanced, good record.
12} General Patton Vs the X-Ecutioners - General Patton Vs the X-Ecutioners
God bless Mike Patton. He pushes and pushes music to all these oddly dark, twisted, unseen corners. He is the man in the hot pink, three-piece suit amongst the toughest, road-worn bikers. He is the naked man in Antarctica. To say he is an eccentric individual would be the understatement of the year. He makes oddball choices, and risks falling on his face more often than not. This teaming with the X-Ecutioners truly a strange choice. But it works on an alien level. It's obtuse as hell, and mostly I get blank stares followed by screams of "would you turn that crap off" when I play it. So I'll just retreat to that twisted corner, headphones pumping out this gem of an album.
11} Scarling - So Long, Scarecrow
Jessicka and the crew should be played on mainstream radio. That is, if mainstream radio didn't suck so bad. Scarling, much like her previous band Jack Off Jill, are ill respected when it comes to mainstream success. They have a devout following though. They should outsell crap like Pink, Gwen Stefani, and Kanye West. Those three wish they had a tenth of the talent that Jessicka has. Great, great music. Half of So Long, Scarecrow seems to flow well with their previous effort, Sweet Heart Dealer. Bigger more epic tunes where Jessicka's vocals seem to take a back seat to the brilliant music. The other half seems to take more of the Jack Off Jill approach. Jessicka's vocals right up front. Big and badass as ever. Catchier tunes, that seem easily accessible. All the songs are harder than the Jack Off Jill tunes, but still easy enough to be played on the radio. It would be a good day, if I could turn on one of the crappy stations in my little burg and hear Scarling.
10} Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
I know, I know, I know. I piss and moan about Fiona Apple all the time. I call her a little suburbanite honky, and discuss how she does not know real struggle like Maya Angelou does. That doesn't mean she makes crappy music. She has some good work, I will give her that much. Her personality takes her down a few notches in my book though. She bemoans celebrity, and the perception of beauty in the world. Then she gets down to her unmentionables, and writhes around in the video for "Criminal." But enough of my bemoaning Fiona. I'll have to put aside the personality of Ms. Apple, and just listen to the music. Because Extraordinary Machine is a hell of a CD. This one has a little Rufus Wainwright feel to it. A little more showy. A stronger Broadway-musical style to it. But it also has the other side, the more sorrow-filled tracks. Extraordinary Machine also has the tracks titled "Please Please Please" and "Red Red Red." I'm just glad the album didn't suck suck suck. *ba-dump-pshhhhhh* Thank you you've been a great crowd. Don't forget to tip your waitresses.
09} System of a Down - Mezmerize / Hypnotize
No one, flat out no one made a more powerful, politically charged, bombastic album this year than System of a Down. Hell, I do not know if it is possible for anyone to match their intensity, while still maintaining a socially perceptive premise. They have yet to misstep. Their previous three albums are amazing. The first one, System of a Down, is in my top twenty-five all time albums. Their music makes you think, and in times like these that is exactly what we need. People need not only crank up both of these CDs. Everyone should take out the booklet, and study the lyrics. Study I say! There will be a test later!
08} Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
Mr. Grohl had a plan. Unhappy how Grammy-winning One By One turned out, he decided to make the signature Foo Fighters album. I think he did just that with The Colour and the Shape. That's a record that is in my top ten of all time. But still, Grohl seems dissatisfied. In Your Honor is an ambitious double-album. One record hard rock, one acoustic. It's still no The Colour and the Shape. I think he would be hard pressed to create something as earth-shatering as that one is. With that said, In Your Honor is a still a really good CD. The hard rock works, and surprisingly the acoustic works too. It's weird to hear them teaming up with queen-of-smooth Norah Jones on one song. Also, the legendary John Paul Jones makes a guest appearance. I guess Grohl is trying to keep up with the Joneses. *waa, waa, waaaaaahh* Sorry folks. That's the last one, I swear!
07} Coldplay - X&Y
To me Coldplay is what I dub "A Talking Heads." That means that, like the Talking Heads, I think some of their songs are brilliant, and the others I do not really care for. No in between. No gray area. The song is either amazing or bleh. This is Coldplay's first album that I like the majority of tunes. There are still some that I cannot skip fast enough though. But again, like the Talking Heads, the songs I like I can listen to over and over and over and over and never get tired of 'em. The choral section in "Fix You" is utterly breathtaking, but it wouldn't be so strong without the slow build up of the front end of the song. It makes you hope that something grand will happen. Hope that the song will go out with a bang, not a whimper. There's nothing like a really good "slowburner" song. A little tidbit of info; the bonus track, "Till Kingdom Come," was allegedly written specifically for Johnny Cash. I sure would loved to have heard his version, but this version is great too.
06} Rebelski - Stickers On Keys
I know, I know. Who? Rebelski? Isn't that what I take for a stomach ache? No people. Rebelski is Martin Roman Rebelski, keyboard player for the Doves. His last CD, 2002's Thanks For Your Thoughts, was a good start. It was completely instrumental. Had some nice pops and bleeps. All around, a good album. Stickers On Keys is a major step forward. Beautiful, simple songs. Plus it actually has vocals! Not Martin's, but still, it has vocals! The man is a major talent, and I see big things for him in the future. The first step needs to be to get his music released in the States!
05} Ryan Adams [and the Cardinals] - Cold Roses / Jacksonville City Nights / 29
Here's the musician that I catch the most hell for. I think I am the only person in this town that likes the man. And no, he did not sing "Summer of '69." He did not deserve the Oscar for "Everything I Do [I Do It For You]." Damnit. Ryan Adams is the guy that used to be in Whiskeytown. He is the guy that it was trendy to like him when his album Gold came out. That's who he is. Now that the hype has died down, and a backlash has ensued, it is nice to be able to listen to him. It is nice to not hear all these superficial celebrities name dropping him. Enough of that for now. This year we were lucky enough to get three albums by him. Two of which featured his band The Cardinals. They are all more country twinged than the majority of his solo work. But his solo work has been so diverse I firmly expect his next album to be a rap album. A heavy metal album. Some other genre that he has not tackled yet. I know he said that he was working on a punk album with his band, The Pink Hearts. I'm not sure if that is going to come out or not. That work may have been channeled into Rock 'N Roll. I am just not sure. The three albums to come out this year are, like always, rock solid music from beginning to end. None of these three records come close to Heartbreaker, but I am not sure that he will ever make another Heartbreaker. But these three will do just fine.
04} Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
Trent, Trent, Trent. You're slipping. You only made it to numero quatro this year. What's wrong with you? You need to do better. I battled with the location of With Teeth on this list at great length. At one point it was two, then it slipped to seven, now it is back up to four. This is a really good CD. My only beef with it is that it is more of a collection of songs than an album. Pink Floyd released albums. Train releases a collection of songs. I like the records that the only way to truly enjoy them are to put on some headphones, and listen the CD by itself. With no distractions. If a CD is put together that way, like 1999's The Fragile, then it automatically goes up a few notches on my list. All that said, With Teeth IS number four. The songs are so strong that it claws it's way to the top five.
03} David Gray - Life In Slow Motion
I know it is melodramatic in places. I know it is produced to the tenth degree. But I do not care, I love every minute of it. The moments of vast largeness astonishes me to no end. Just when you think he cannot pile anymore onto a song, he does just that. Then he piles more and more until you get a mountain range of a tune. Gray is what I call a trendy musician. There was a point, when "Babylon" hit, that he was a critical darling. Not a commercial darling, but a critics fave. Now I think he is considered a one hit wonder. At least here in the states. Life In Slow Motion and his previous effort, A New Day at Midnight, supersede White Ladder. Sadly, that is the one most people credit as his definitive CD. They need to get their heads out of their butts, and listen to the last two. Much, much better.
02} Doves - Some Cities
Like their last effort, The Last Broadcast, it took me a little while to get into this album. It's so different from TLB [which was different from their first record, Lost Souls] that I could not get into it the first go-round. There were some elements that I recognized as being the definite Doves sound. But you know what? I listened to it again. Then I listened to it again. Then I listened to it again. It started hitting me. Every time I listened to it, a layer was revealed. Until finally I got it. The onion was peeled. Stupid ol' me figured it out. It is brilliant. Their three CDs work on completely different levels, but are equal with one another. Completely. If not for the next band, it would have been my number one by leaps and bounds.
01} Sigur Rós - Takk...
Why does anyone else release a CD the same year as Sigur Rós? Can anyone tell me? For three straight CDs, they have been my numero uno each year of release. The sad part is that they are their own hardest competition. After Ágætis Byrjun I thought there was no way that anything else by them would be worth a crap. They needed to just hang it up. Leave on a high note. "You guys have been great," and walk out the door like George Costanza. Then they release (), and I could not believe it. They had actually topped the masterpiece Ágætis Byrjun. () was a 11, Ágætis Byrjun was a 10.9. Then I thought, well there's just no possible way for them to strike gold three times in a row. Boy was I ever wrong. Takk... isn't a 10, it's a 37. It is galaxies ahead of it's time and gorgeous. Absolutely, monumentally gorgeous. Nothing this year can touch it. Not even close. Upon my approximate 300th listen today, it's in my top 10 of all time. It's accessible to everyone without losing artistic integrity. It's music that would make Beethoven and Mozart say "hot damn, that's some good music!" Buy it. But it now. Turn off your computer, go to Disc Exchange, grab the guy behind the counter by his t-shirt, and scream "I WANT TAKK...!!! I WANT IT NOW!!!!!" GO!
These songs of freedom?"
Albums of the year:
15} Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
I crown Johnson the King of Mellow. I do not think you can get much more easy going than Jack. He is one of those musicians that I have been along the entire journey of his musical odyssey. I remember picking up Brushfire Fairytales and getting a strange look from the cashier. I remember playing it for a girl I was going out with. She couldn't stand it. I'm sure now she loves him. Trends rise and fall like the tides of an ocean. Early on Johnson was a surfer, filmmaker, and part-time songwriter. Now he is scoring the film adaptation of Curious George. It's amazing how far his journey has taken him. But let's get back to In Between Dreams. It's a good progression from his previous albums. This one feels more like a rounded album than the previous two. More killer cuts than filler cuts. This is a great album for parties and long, summer trips.
14} Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
I actually think that You Could Have It So Much Better is better than their first album. This CD seems to be stronger and tighter. The music is harder, and keeps the tempo up and moving. If this were a weaker year, it would definitely have cracked the top ten.
13} Garbage - Bleed Like Me
Thank goodness Garbage is back to form. I was heavily disappointed in their last release, BeautifulGarabage. It was weak on rock, and heavy on techno. Thoroughly disappointing. Bleed Like Me is the exact opposite of BeautifulGarabage. Very good. The band seems to let Shirley do her thing, while they do their own thing. The result is a very balanced, good record.
12} General Patton Vs the X-Ecutioners - General Patton Vs the X-Ecutioners
God bless Mike Patton. He pushes and pushes music to all these oddly dark, twisted, unseen corners. He is the man in the hot pink, three-piece suit amongst the toughest, road-worn bikers. He is the naked man in Antarctica. To say he is an eccentric individual would be the understatement of the year. He makes oddball choices, and risks falling on his face more often than not. This teaming with the X-Ecutioners truly a strange choice. But it works on an alien level. It's obtuse as hell, and mostly I get blank stares followed by screams of "would you turn that crap off" when I play it. So I'll just retreat to that twisted corner, headphones pumping out this gem of an album.
11} Scarling - So Long, Scarecrow
Jessicka and the crew should be played on mainstream radio. That is, if mainstream radio didn't suck so bad. Scarling, much like her previous band Jack Off Jill, are ill respected when it comes to mainstream success. They have a devout following though. They should outsell crap like Pink, Gwen Stefani, and Kanye West. Those three wish they had a tenth of the talent that Jessicka has. Great, great music. Half of So Long, Scarecrow seems to flow well with their previous effort, Sweet Heart Dealer. Bigger more epic tunes where Jessicka's vocals seem to take a back seat to the brilliant music. The other half seems to take more of the Jack Off Jill approach. Jessicka's vocals right up front. Big and badass as ever. Catchier tunes, that seem easily accessible. All the songs are harder than the Jack Off Jill tunes, but still easy enough to be played on the radio. It would be a good day, if I could turn on one of the crappy stations in my little burg and hear Scarling.
10} Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
I know, I know, I know. I piss and moan about Fiona Apple all the time. I call her a little suburbanite honky, and discuss how she does not know real struggle like Maya Angelou does. That doesn't mean she makes crappy music. She has some good work, I will give her that much. Her personality takes her down a few notches in my book though. She bemoans celebrity, and the perception of beauty in the world. Then she gets down to her unmentionables, and writhes around in the video for "Criminal." But enough of my bemoaning Fiona. I'll have to put aside the personality of Ms. Apple, and just listen to the music. Because Extraordinary Machine is a hell of a CD. This one has a little Rufus Wainwright feel to it. A little more showy. A stronger Broadway-musical style to it. But it also has the other side, the more sorrow-filled tracks. Extraordinary Machine also has the tracks titled "Please Please Please" and "Red Red Red." I'm just glad the album didn't suck suck suck. *ba-dump-pshhhhhh* Thank you you've been a great crowd. Don't forget to tip your waitresses.
09} System of a Down - Mezmerize / Hypnotize
No one, flat out no one made a more powerful, politically charged, bombastic album this year than System of a Down. Hell, I do not know if it is possible for anyone to match their intensity, while still maintaining a socially perceptive premise. They have yet to misstep. Their previous three albums are amazing. The first one, System of a Down, is in my top twenty-five all time albums. Their music makes you think, and in times like these that is exactly what we need. People need not only crank up both of these CDs. Everyone should take out the booklet, and study the lyrics. Study I say! There will be a test later!
08} Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
Mr. Grohl had a plan. Unhappy how Grammy-winning One By One turned out, he decided to make the signature Foo Fighters album. I think he did just that with The Colour and the Shape. That's a record that is in my top ten of all time. But still, Grohl seems dissatisfied. In Your Honor is an ambitious double-album. One record hard rock, one acoustic. It's still no The Colour and the Shape. I think he would be hard pressed to create something as earth-shatering as that one is. With that said, In Your Honor is a still a really good CD. The hard rock works, and surprisingly the acoustic works too. It's weird to hear them teaming up with queen-of-smooth Norah Jones on one song. Also, the legendary John Paul Jones makes a guest appearance. I guess Grohl is trying to keep up with the Joneses. *waa, waa, waaaaaahh* Sorry folks. That's the last one, I swear!
07} Coldplay - X&Y
To me Coldplay is what I dub "A Talking Heads." That means that, like the Talking Heads, I think some of their songs are brilliant, and the others I do not really care for. No in between. No gray area. The song is either amazing or bleh. This is Coldplay's first album that I like the majority of tunes. There are still some that I cannot skip fast enough though. But again, like the Talking Heads, the songs I like I can listen to over and over and over and over and never get tired of 'em. The choral section in "Fix You" is utterly breathtaking, but it wouldn't be so strong without the slow build up of the front end of the song. It makes you hope that something grand will happen. Hope that the song will go out with a bang, not a whimper. There's nothing like a really good "slowburner" song. A little tidbit of info; the bonus track, "Till Kingdom Come," was allegedly written specifically for Johnny Cash. I sure would loved to have heard his version, but this version is great too.
06} Rebelski - Stickers On Keys
I know, I know. Who? Rebelski? Isn't that what I take for a stomach ache? No people. Rebelski is Martin Roman Rebelski, keyboard player for the Doves. His last CD, 2002's Thanks For Your Thoughts, was a good start. It was completely instrumental. Had some nice pops and bleeps. All around, a good album. Stickers On Keys is a major step forward. Beautiful, simple songs. Plus it actually has vocals! Not Martin's, but still, it has vocals! The man is a major talent, and I see big things for him in the future. The first step needs to be to get his music released in the States!
05} Ryan Adams [and the Cardinals] - Cold Roses / Jacksonville City Nights / 29
Here's the musician that I catch the most hell for. I think I am the only person in this town that likes the man. And no, he did not sing "Summer of '69." He did not deserve the Oscar for "Everything I Do [I Do It For You]." Damnit. Ryan Adams is the guy that used to be in Whiskeytown. He is the guy that it was trendy to like him when his album Gold came out. That's who he is. Now that the hype has died down, and a backlash has ensued, it is nice to be able to listen to him. It is nice to not hear all these superficial celebrities name dropping him. Enough of that for now. This year we were lucky enough to get three albums by him. Two of which featured his band The Cardinals. They are all more country twinged than the majority of his solo work. But his solo work has been so diverse I firmly expect his next album to be a rap album. A heavy metal album. Some other genre that he has not tackled yet. I know he said that he was working on a punk album with his band, The Pink Hearts. I'm not sure if that is going to come out or not. That work may have been channeled into Rock 'N Roll. I am just not sure. The three albums to come out this year are, like always, rock solid music from beginning to end. None of these three records come close to Heartbreaker, but I am not sure that he will ever make another Heartbreaker. But these three will do just fine.
04} Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
Trent, Trent, Trent. You're slipping. You only made it to numero quatro this year. What's wrong with you? You need to do better. I battled with the location of With Teeth on this list at great length. At one point it was two, then it slipped to seven, now it is back up to four. This is a really good CD. My only beef with it is that it is more of a collection of songs than an album. Pink Floyd released albums. Train releases a collection of songs. I like the records that the only way to truly enjoy them are to put on some headphones, and listen the CD by itself. With no distractions. If a CD is put together that way, like 1999's The Fragile, then it automatically goes up a few notches on my list. All that said, With Teeth IS number four. The songs are so strong that it claws it's way to the top five.
03} David Gray - Life In Slow Motion
I know it is melodramatic in places. I know it is produced to the tenth degree. But I do not care, I love every minute of it. The moments of vast largeness astonishes me to no end. Just when you think he cannot pile anymore onto a song, he does just that. Then he piles more and more until you get a mountain range of a tune. Gray is what I call a trendy musician. There was a point, when "Babylon" hit, that he was a critical darling. Not a commercial darling, but a critics fave. Now I think he is considered a one hit wonder. At least here in the states. Life In Slow Motion and his previous effort, A New Day at Midnight, supersede White Ladder. Sadly, that is the one most people credit as his definitive CD. They need to get their heads out of their butts, and listen to the last two. Much, much better.
02} Doves - Some Cities
Like their last effort, The Last Broadcast, it took me a little while to get into this album. It's so different from TLB [which was different from their first record, Lost Souls] that I could not get into it the first go-round. There were some elements that I recognized as being the definite Doves sound. But you know what? I listened to it again. Then I listened to it again. Then I listened to it again. It started hitting me. Every time I listened to it, a layer was revealed. Until finally I got it. The onion was peeled. Stupid ol' me figured it out. It is brilliant. Their three CDs work on completely different levels, but are equal with one another. Completely. If not for the next band, it would have been my number one by leaps and bounds.
01} Sigur Rós - Takk...
Why does anyone else release a CD the same year as Sigur Rós? Can anyone tell me? For three straight CDs, they have been my numero uno each year of release. The sad part is that they are their own hardest competition. After Ágætis Byrjun I thought there was no way that anything else by them would be worth a crap. They needed to just hang it up. Leave on a high note. "You guys have been great," and walk out the door like George Costanza. Then they release (), and I could not believe it. They had actually topped the masterpiece Ágætis Byrjun. () was a 11, Ágætis Byrjun was a 10.9. Then I thought, well there's just no possible way for them to strike gold three times in a row. Boy was I ever wrong. Takk... isn't a 10, it's a 37. It is galaxies ahead of it's time and gorgeous. Absolutely, monumentally gorgeous. Nothing this year can touch it. Not even close. Upon my approximate 300th listen today, it's in my top 10 of all time. It's accessible to everyone without losing artistic integrity. It's music that would make Beethoven and Mozart say "hot damn, that's some good music!" Buy it. But it now. Turn off your computer, go to Disc Exchange, grab the guy behind the counter by his t-shirt, and scream "I WANT TAKK...!!! I WANT IT NOW!!!!!" GO!
posted by The Big Man | 2/14/2006 09:03:00 AM
|
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