|
|
| Author |
Message |
krj
|
|
Favorite Albums and Songs of 2001
| 
Jan 2 01:13 UTC 2002 |
OK, fellow critic wannabees! It's time to get those "Best of 2001"
lists turned in. By my rules, it's a 2001 album if you bought it
in 2001.
A significant number of you are still taking your music one MP3 download
at a time, so please give us a list of your favorite downloaded
songs.
Please try to say something about each entry, so this doesn't become
just a dry list of titles. Music is so fragmented now that many of us
will not have heard of your favorites.
((( Linked between Agora and Music conferences. )))
|
| 26 responses total. |
krj
|
|
response 1 of 26:
|
Jan 2 01:18 UTC 2002 |
In my 2000 list, I noted that I had pretty much parted company
with the US music business. With the exception of the Emmylou Harris
album and the Grateful Dead cover band -- both of which are pretty
retro projects -- that remains true this year. I'm not even sure
why I keep browsing at the local CD shops; hope springs eternal,
I guess.
Ilgi, SEJU VEJU
Latvian band doing their version of "electric folk:" traditional
songs and tunes arranged for rock instrumentation, intermixed with
traditional instrumentation. This band sounds similar to the
Swedish/Finnish band Hedninarna in their overall timbre.
I got to see Ilgi twice and it was the highlight of the concert year:
once in Detroit for an English-speaking audience, and once in Kalamazoo
for a Latvian-speaking audience. Thanks to Twila and her travelling
co-wo rker who introduced me to this band. Audio samples at
http://www.cdroots.com
Dikanda, MUSIC FROM FOUR DIRECTIONS OF THE EAST
Polish band doing folk dance tunes from all over Eastern Europe.
Fabulous rhythmic sensibility. (Band web page is at
http://www.dikanda.silesianet.pl, and the only known source for the
CD is http://merlin.pl, a Polish equivalent to Amazon.)
Runrig, THE STAMPING GROUND
LIVE AT CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2000
Two good albums from Runrig this year. The split with their long-time
lead singer and their major record label seems to have been good for
them. Runrig are a Scottish arena rock band with folk influences who
might loosely be compared with Big Country.
Emmylou Harris, RED DIRT GIRL
Usually when a performer who is renowned for interpretations of
songs written by others starts writing her own material, the results
aren't too good. I don't know how Emmylou pulled it off, but this is
about as good as her epochal album WRECKING BALL.
Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band, GOLD FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH
A Christmas album? With the corny theme of a pageant about the
Three Kings? Maddy and the Carnival Band turn it into a delightful
sonic extravaganza.
Martin Krajicek & Zdenek Kral, the K+K Band, SOULET
Teagrass, MORAVIAN LOVE SONGS
Two albums filtering American roots music through a Czech
sensibility. Martin Krajicek & Zdenek Kral are playing a fairly
smooth blend of jazz with a little acoustic rock, anchored by
piano and mandolin. Teagrass -- even their name is American --
define themselves as playing New Acoustic Music, but for this album
they invited some guest singers and set traditional Czech folk
songs. The record label for both bands has a web page with
sound samples at: http://mujweb.atlas.cz/www/gnosis_brno/Eng/
Tellu Virkkala & Liisa Matveinen, MATELI
Tellu was one of the singers in the Swedish/Finnish band
Hedningarna on their two best albums, and Liisa was singing
with the band when some of us saw them in Detroit and Seattle
in 2000. Here they tackle "runic poems" by Mateli Kuivalatar,
a Finnish poet of the early 19th century, in a very light acoustic
setting. One of the best of the Hedningarna spinoff CDs.
(Sample at http://www.cdroots.com)
WAKE THE DEAD
Collection of Grateful Dead covers interspliced with Irish dance tunes
and performed by a collection of California musicians, including Danny
Carnahan, who I haven't heard from in quite a few years.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for the harmony vocals with Carnahan
and Sylvia Herrold.
Honorable mentions: stuff which might have made the list if I'd played
it more, but there are too many albums and too little time...
singer Mercedes Peon and piper Xose Budino from Spain; Gai Saber from the
Occitan region of Italy (I didn't even realize there *was* an Occitan
region in Italyl; all the Occitan folks I ever encountered before were
from France); two albums by the Saint Nicholas Orchestra from Poland.
|
krj
|
|
response 2 of 26:
|
Jan 2 02:07 UTC 2002 |
and I can already think of two items I left off:
Rag Foundation, MINKA
Welsh folk trio with a wonderful loose performance on a program of
trad songs backed up by guitar, fiddle and hurdy gurdy
Gjallarhorn, SJOFN
Just another brilliant Swedish folk album, ho hum.
|
ric
|
|
response 3 of 26:
|
Jan 2 02:31 UTC 2002 |
My favorite album... well.. hmm... I think I only bought three...
"Rooms to Squares" by John Mayer
"Underneath" by The Verve Pipe
"Liquored Up, Laquered Down" by Southern Culture on the Skids.
All three, great albums. I think "Underneath" is my favorite of the three
though.
|
senna
|
|
response 4 of 26:
|
Jan 2 03:38 UTC 2002 |
Another lousy year for Music. I enjoyed Amnesiac by Radiohead quite a bit,
but Tool's Lateralus takes the prize. A magnificent piece of craftmanship.
The live show was rather good, too. :) Other than those two, though, I didn't
see anytyhing released that I would have been interested in.
|
tpryan
|
|
response 5 of 26:
|
Jan 2 03:55 UTC 2002 |
I have listened to at least 201 new to me CDs in 2001. A Great
number of them are ones that got one listen, courtesy of the Borders
sample pile. A good number of those got returned. At least 25 joined
the collection.
|
mcnally
|
|
response 6 of 26:
|
Jan 2 03:57 UTC 2002 |
I haven't yet finished listening to all of the albums I acquired in
2001 since my record shopping this past year was heavily weighted towards
December purchases, but when I post my list (probably after I return "home"
to Seattle) it'll be strongly skewed towards music *not* recorded during
2001.
|
oval
|
|
response 7 of 26:
|
Jan 2 04:24 UTC 2002 |
my fav's from 2001 would have to be the most recent for Air and from Aphex
Twin. the fav 'new to me' is 'authentic music of the snake charmers of india'.
very nice stuff.
|
brighn
|
|
response 8 of 26:
|
Jan 2 04:54 UTC 2002 |
I purchase too many albums a year to recall when I purchased which, so here's
my list of top 10 albums with 2001 copyrights. Looking at my printout of the
50 albums that qualify (yes, I inventory my albums), I notice a lot that, for
whatever reason, just didn't keep my attention. Depeche Mode's Exciter was
"there," and while I could coo about Kirsty MacColl's "The One and Only"
retrospective, Vulgar Picture retros seem like cheating. ["Vulgar picture"
being a reference to The Smiths, incidentally] I'll also freely admit that
my main reason for buying Dream Theater's "Live Scenes from New York" was
macabre (the cover shows a Ney York skyline on fire, prominently displaying
a certain landmark that's not there anymore ={ ).
Anyway, ten 2001 albums that *did* keep my interest:
1. Tool. Lateralus. I hate being 33 and still thinking a particular rock star
rules the known universe, but if I were 19 again, I'd probably have an altar
to Maynard. That altar would replace the one I'd taken down of...
2. Live. V. It's more of same, which seems to characterize much of the 2001
music, while the genres wait around for something to characterize the
Aughties. But more of same with Live is decent, at least.
3. Bjork. Vespertine. I've had a schwing on for Bjork since her Sugarcubes
days, and her ability to stay in the pop limelight despite forays farther into
the weird than even Maynard is willing to try is impressive. Of course, the
same could be said for...
4. Radiohead. Amnesiac. I'm not sure why Radiohead has grown on me, but they
have.
5. Kid Rock. Cocky. For the title track alone. Disappointing, but I'll give
the Kid a break and put him on the list.
6. Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Obi-Wan can sing! He missed his calling in life.
And to think I only saw the movie on a quirk (we met some friends while
shopping, and we were bored, so we followed them to a movie we had no
intention of seeing).
7. Rollins Band. Nice. See comments under Live: More of same, although better
then "Get Some, Go Again." He seems to be lightening up in his old age,
although for Rollins, that's still a long way from Manilow. The visual kick
at the censors is worth cool points (the "explicit" version has a naked woman
in a pile of dollar bills, with strategically placed dollar bills to keep it
legal; the "clean" version's cover is identical, except the woman is wearing
a US flag monokini).
8. Godhead. 2000 Years of Human Error. The most easily identified fin de mille
genre is whatever it is that Creed, Staind, Static X, Urban Underground, Simon
Says, Systematic, Godhead, Tantric, Dope, ... put out. It's cool enough, but
it's definitely starting to lose its crative edge. Godhead gets mentioned
because of their mucho cool cover of "Eleanor Rigby" (even though the video
for same is dorky).
9. Rob Zombie. The Sinister Urge. A not-so-guilty pleasure. He's gotten mature
enough that I can almost not feel embarassed listening to this cranked up on
the car stereo. Almost.
I gotta come up with another one? Geez, most of the rest on the list of 01
releases are so uninspired (Aerosmith, Semisonic, Shawn Colvin, Rammstein,
Saint Etienne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Stabbing Westward, Placebo, Northern
Pikes, Jann Arden, Cake, Ruby, Megadeth, Natlie Merchant, Alice Cooper, Human
League, New Order, Ozzy Osbourne)... ranging from boring to decent, but
they've all done better stuff. I'm tempted to round this out with Incubus or
Joydrop, but their entries also paled, so I'll go with...
10. Monster Magnet. God Says No. Yeah, yeah, more of same here too. Looking
at this list, it just feels like 2001 was the year to play it safe: Play it
according to formula to sell those CDs! But they get points in my sick little
mind for the line, "Now it's time you sucked the cock of the fire god." If
you can't get me with originality, go for my dark side. ;}
In case anyone's interested, here's what my computer tells me I've purchased
with a '01 copyright:
Aerosmith, Just Push Play
Jann Arden, Blood Red Cherry
Bjork, Vespertine
Blink 182, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
Cake, Comfort Eagle
Mary Chapin Carpenter, time*sex*love
Eagle Eye Cherry, Present Future
Shawn Colvin, Whole New You
Alice Cooper, Dragontown
Depeche Mode, Exciter
Dope, Life
Dream Theater, Live Scenes from New York
D12, Devil's Night
Godhead, 2000 Years of Human Error
Human League, Secrets
Incubus, Morning View
Joydrop, Viberate
Kid Rock, Cocky
Kittie, Oracle
Christopher Lawrence, United States of Trance
Live, V
Lords of Acid, Farstucker
Kirsty MacColl, The One and Only
Megadeth, The World Needs a Hero
Natalie Merchant, Motherland
Monster Magnet, God Says No
New Order, Get Ready
The Northern Pikes, Truest Inspiration
Ozzy Osbourne, Down to Earth
Placebo, Black Market Music
Radiohead, Amnesiac
Rammstein, Mutter
Rollins Band, Nice
Ruby, Short-Staffed at the Gene Pool
Saint Etienne, Interlude
Semisonic, All About Chemistry
Simon and Garfunkel, The Columbia Studio Recordings
Simon Says, Shut Your Breath
Stabbing Westward, Stabbing Westward
Staind, Break the Cycle
Static X, Machine
Systematic, Somewhere in Between
System of a Down, Toxicity
Tantric, Tantric
Therapy?, Shameless
Tool, Lateralus
Rob Zombie, The Sinister Urge
Various, Moulin Rouge Soundtrack
Various, Valentine Soundtrack
Wings, Wingspan: Hits and History
|
senna
|
|
response 9 of 26:
|
Jan 2 05:09 UTC 2002 |
Tool: The dominant creative force in music today?
Well, Radiohead does some really original stuff, too, but how can I be
impartial? There's no question that anyone any sort of ear for harder music
and any interest in listening to something deeper than screaming lyrical
drivel played over a distorted hard/soft power chord progression appears to
have taken to Lateralus. Worth the wait and the price of admission. I can't
think of a band that puts out a more complete entertainment package, including
videos, liner art, music, and live show, than Tool. Without any real visual
presence of the artist, no less.
For the curious, this year's incarnation of Tool's live show is about as
impersonal to the band as a show can be. Maynard, the lead singer, says very
little to the audience, and the band members are not even introduced. Nor
Maynard, for example, never actually strays from his upstage right platform
backlit with a video screen.
|
brighn
|
|
response 10 of 26:
|
Jan 2 05:32 UTC 2002 |
#9> I'd tried to make it apparent from my presentation of my list that Tool
was the only album of long-term merit, in my opinion, that was released this
year. I had to be won over by Tool, by the way: When I first heard "Sober"
(the first track I'd heard from them), I was so underwhelmed that I avoided
them for more than a year. I have to disagree about the videos, though.
"Schism" is wonderful, but the other videos I've seen (for "Stinkfist"/"Track
#1" and "Sober") I found to be lacking. [MTV renamed "Stinkfist" as "Track
#1" because the song title is a direct reference to anal fisting. Apparently
they can play the song, but they can't keep the name. At least they only muted
out the naughty words, unlike NIN's "Starfuckers, Inc." which became
"Starsuckers, Inc.", thus making Trent sound like a high schooler.]
|
jaklumen
|
|
response 11 of 26:
|
Jan 2 09:12 UTC 2002 |
resp:8 regarding #6, yes, I understand that Ewan McGregor has a
wonderful voice, although, for lack of funds, I haven't listened. If
he isn't too badly typecast as Obi-Wan for the Star Wars prequel
projects, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that he could go ahead
and pursue some type of music career. It has been noted, of course,
that the line between movies and music is growing thin, with a number
of movie stars and music stars trading pastures (Jennifer Lopez being
one of the best examples, although a few certain rap stars continue on
in movie projects, such as Ice Cube)
|
brighn
|
|
response 12 of 26:
|
Jan 2 15:15 UTC 2002 |
#11> Moulin Rouge is now available for rental, btw. Still involves money, but
less money, at least. ;} Then again, CDNow probably has some samples from the
OST that have his voice on them, and I'm sure one of the "Copyright? What's
that?" services (the Napster offspring) has some tracks.
|
edina
|
|
response 13 of 26:
|
Jan 2 15:15 UTC 2002 |
Hmmm. Macy Gray's "The Id" - The Sawdoctors "Villains" - Madonna's GHV2 -
wow - light year in music!
|
brighn
|
|
response 14 of 26:
|
Jan 2 15:26 UTC 2002 |
Macy Gray received a dubious honor from me on the last SNL (a rerun): I
acutally muted her, something I haven't done in YEARS for an SNL musical
guest, and unmuted during the commercials. I even mute when Mia
what's-her-name does Macy skits on SNL... I don't know exactly why, but I
absolutely cannot STAND Macy Gray.
|
tpryan
|
|
response 15 of 26:
|
Jan 2 17:51 UTC 2002 |
I was surpised to see Macy Gray in a video. It seems like
that voice does not belong to that body.
|
brighn
|
|
response 16 of 26:
|
Jan 2 18:03 UTC 2002 |
(... it seems like that voice does not belong in ANY body ...)
|
jep
|
|
response 17 of 26:
|
Jan 2 18:31 UTC 2002 |
I guess my top new CD for 2001 is the one I purchased, Garth
Brooks "Scarecrow". There are three songs on it which are pretty bad;
they're the ones which got released. "Beer Run", recorded along with
George Jones and also on his album, is an old-fashioned drinking and
driving song. Garth is going to regret it some day, as his kids turn
into teenagers. The theme song from the movie "Frequency" is "'Till
You Come Back To Me Again". Then there's one which sounds like a
feeble teenie-bopper song from the early 1970's. Durned if I know what
it's called.
The rest of the CD is pretty good. There's a duet with Trisha
Yearwood, who used to be a backup singer for Brooks. There are a few
cowboy songs. There's one which slyly pokes fun at people who
overwork, or work in high paying dangerous occupations. It's a pretty
standard Garth Brooks CD for the most part.
Country music is in a moribund phase right now, and "Scarecrow" isn't
going to save it. But, if you like Garth's other music, you'll
probably like this one, too. I did.
|
other
|
|
response 18 of 26:
|
Jan 2 18:35 UTC 2002 |
I don't think I acquired any new music in 2001. Oh, wait. someone made
a mix tape for me for my motorcycle trip this summer. Now I'll have to
go find it...
|
otaking
|
|
response 19 of 26:
|
Jan 3 01:19 UTC 2002 |
Most of the music I bought in 2001 were old releases, but I did find a few
new ones that get a lot of play on my CD player.
1. The ILGI CD that Ken mentioned. I also saw them play in Detroit (I don't
know how we missed each other Ken).
2. Radiohead - Amnesiac: I can't really categorize this album. Very good
stuff. I like strange music.
3. The Moulin Rouge soundtrack: I was surpirsed that both Ewan McGregor and
Nicole Kidman could sing. Lots of interesting covers. Fortunately, we were
spared a track with Jim Broadbent's rendition of "Like a Virgin".
4. Gorillaz: This self-titled CD had several catchy songs like "Clint
Eastwood". I may be biased on this one, since I enjoyed the videos.
Other than that, the only memorable CD purchases are Nordic Roots 3 and the
Global Passport electronica CDs I got at Borders. Since they include stuff
from years past, I can't really count them.
Honorable mention: Initial D soundtrack: This is my favorite anime soundtrack
this year. I love the techno mixes of the background music.
|
eeyore
|
|
response 20 of 26:
|
Jan 3 16:51 UTC 2002 |
It was a pretty good music year this year for me. :)
My current Favorite: Nickelback - Silver Side Up.
Hard rocking, some cursing, angry, and incredibly satisfying. I'd heard that
one song on the radio all the time (like everybody else!), and then heard
several DJ's talking about how it was one of the best CDs this year. So I
decided that I should get it for Christmas. Oh YEah!! :)
The rest of the list:
Poe - Haunted
I've been reading House of Leaves, and it just amazes me how well the cd fits
in with the book. Plus I love her voice, and some of the songs just have me
laughing. She also wins the award for the "Best Kiss-off Of the Year", for
the line "I guess you really think that you get me there". I also got Hello,
but didn't like it nearly as much.
Stella Soliel - (i forget the title)
Very poppy, very sexual, very satisfying. It wanders from raunchy sex to
sweet sex, to fuck me now. Great for playing loudly, and singing louder.
Train - Drops of Jupiter
I like the leads voice, I like the way thye music moves, but other than that
I cannot give you any real realson as to why I like the album so much.
There are moer...I'll have to go trolling through my collection. :)
|
tpryan
|
|
response 21 of 26:
|
Jan 3 17:25 UTC 2002 |
Classic Rock:
Best new release: Reptile - Eric Clapton.
He shows us he still has an interesting slow hand.
Best re-issue: All Things Must Pass - George Harrison.
Glad I did not get the first re-issue of this.
1990's/2000's artists:
Best new release: Songs from an American Movie, Vol One:
Learning How To Smile - Everclear.
Wanted one track, enjoyed the radio hit, now I
enjoy the whole disc.
Best Greatest Hits collection: Disc One 1991-2001
- Barenaked Ladies
Bland cover, good collection. I enjoy them and have
most of the earlier stuff.
|
brighn
|
|
response 22 of 26:
|
Jan 3 17:27 UTC 2002 |
Poe's "Haunted" is truly a classic, one of only a handful of pop albums I have
that I would call actual "albums" from the standpoint that all of the songs
go together well, on a consistent theme, with no real "clunkers" (while still
not being a rock opera). Nearly every track on "Haunted" is beautiful and
stands out in its own way.
"Hello," while I enjoy listening to it, is a pop album. Songs don't really
relate to each other much at all.
The song "Haunted," incidentally, is one of the few songs in Blair Witch 2:
Book of Shadows that didn't make it to the soundtrack. I can see why (it's
a pop song in an ocean of industrial and metal; Marilyn Manson did the
soundtrack, and "Haunted" appears during the end credits), and I had a copy
of it anyway, but it was still a surprise. (Manson also slipped a song that
doesn't appear in the movie onto the soundtrack: He replaced his "Disposable
Teens" [opening credits, also on "Holy Wood"] with his cover of the old
M*A*S*H theme, "Suicide is Painless.")
<brighn is an endless font of useless music trivia>
|
twill
|
|
response 23 of 26:
|
Feb 6 00:01 UTC 2002 |
Hi, I'm Twill!
|
happyboy
|
|
response 24 of 26:
|
Feb 7 16:41 UTC 2002 |
hahahahaha!!!!
|
