 |
|
|
 |
|
What's your reaction to this column? Share your thoughts on the MESSAGE BOARD
Also From Modern Humorist: Colin Powell's Pop Pals Dear Dick: A Letter From George W. Boredom in the Court Behind the Music Napsteropoly Macdonna's Wedding Box Set of the Year Rock 'n' Roll Factory Worker Phish Fan Resume |
|
2001: Is This How the Future's Meant to Feel? by C. Bottomley This I know for sure: Any year in which Lifehouse's "Hanging By a Moment" is the country's No. 1 single isn't one with many tunes worth whistling. In a word, 2001 was a dire time for music. The following albums have one thing common - they sounded like they were their makers' last. So for God's sake, please rock on. 1) BigDumbFace - Duke Lion Fights the Terror! (Interscope, 2001) Music changes lives, and once you endured Wes Borland's side project, you knew someone had passed onto the other side. A witches brew of funny voices, scary guitars, drum machines and a possible Masonic conspiracy, when Borland was done he gave up on the hollow sham of Limp Bizkit. The truth will set you free. BigDumbFace will also scare the f*ck out of you. 2) Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet (Mercury, 2001) "These uncertain times" may have provoked a degree of soul searching in the American psyche, but nobody told W.K. he had a soul. Unrepentant anthems like "Party Hard" and "Ready to Die" brutishly stomp over the stereo like the Oklahoma Sooners' defensive line. This is a 35-minute shot of testosterone administered into pop's butt by the bastard offspring of Meat Loaf and WWF's the Rock. Essential. 3) Pulp - We Love Life (Island, 2001) Disgusted with the U.K. zeitgeist, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker got out of the house and got the legendary Scott Walker out of retirement to make a record that sounded like Syd Barrett if he still spoke in full sentences. Political refugees, tree-hugging, trippy spoken word epics, and always sex - all pond life was here and rutting. 4) Nick Lowe - The Convincer (Yep Roc, 2001) He may be singing "Lately I've Let Things Slide" and "I'm a Mess" but we're not letting the Jesus of Cool throw in his chips yet. The bemused smile might make you doubt the truth of his stories of lost lust, but this smoothy's knowing take on country balladry turned the joke back on us. 5) Air - 10,000 Hz Legend (Astralwerks, 2001) 10,000 Hz Legend saw the Gallic duo refusing to trade on their past glories and hurling themselves into the unknown - a rare feat in times of playing safe. Their courage led Air to confront the indigestible truths about both art and love that before were barely glimpsed beneath the shallow electronic surface. 6) Radiohead - Amnesiac (Capitol, 2001) Yes, I cried like an abandoned baby at the "Pyramid Song" video. Released in the shadow of Kid A's mighty hype, this was Radiohead finally using heart to get away from what they were. To their chagrin and our delight, however, they're too damn good to escape from the unbearable burden of greatness. 7) Various Artists - Darker Than Blue: Soul From Jamdown 1973 - 1980 (Blood and Fire, 2001) This faultless compilation is a response to the distant crackle of American R&B radio once fuelling reggae music. Stars from Delroy Wilson to Junior Murvin (trading as "Junior Soul") tackle Curtis Mayfield, the Isley Brothers and even Randy Newman with a soul power that knocks you off your two-tone shoes. 8) Los Super Seven - Canto (Columbia/Legacy, 2001) Remember the Latin explosion? This sublime treasury finds experienced hands from Los Lobos and the Southwestern Tejano scene, who are all old enough to have been around the barrio way before J.Lo, going back to the well. The rumbling "Siboney" and Caetano Veloso's "Baby" proved that classic south of the border beauty isn't out of style yet. 9) Rocket from the Crypt - Group Sounds (Vagrant, 2001) RFTC's leader Speedo always preached rock Ôn' roll salvation, but Group Sounds was the first time his band sounded like they heeded his gospel. This was classic American rock. Riffs you wanted to play. Horns like a noose. Vocals from a man on fire. Roll over Creed and tell Matchbox Twenty the news. 10) Craig David - Born to Do It (Atlantic, 2001) David was a riposte to everything that's turned soul music to shit. He centers each song on credible, almost prosaic, situations. He doesn't mistake virtuosity for the hook. He doesn't waste syllables in getting his message across. And everything can be played on a guitar. So what if he's a teetotaling virgin? Man of the Year: The Neptunes tried to bite his bass and were played out by year's end. Even this true believer predicted his fall, especially when he announced he was pouring his energies into new label Beat Club. But the smashes wicka wicka for themselves: Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On," Aaliyah's "We Need a Resolution," Ludacris' "Roll Back," Bubba Sparxxx's "Ugly," Fabolous' "Young 'N (Holla Back)," Ruff Ryders' "They Ain't Ready." Timbaland, you still the man. Say what? Say what? > Do you agree? Post your 2001 picks in our message board. |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
