Yikes, that would be a hard one and it changes so often. How 'bout favorites of 2002? That's a
little easier
The Notwist - Neon Golden
There's a sticker on the cover with a quote from Ministry Magazine that says "This will eat its way into your brain until you don't want to listen to anything else" and I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment. A little Kraftwerk sounding new wave mixed with some of that IDM glitch sound but all in support of some wonderfully crafted indie pop songs. My favorite album so far this year. It's a 2002 release on the Big Store/City Slang label in the UK (or just City Slang in their native Germany) but with a little searching you can find a copy for a decent price in the US.
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
All hype!
The first couple times I listened to Wilco's latest album I kinda thought that. Oh sure, it's got a few somewhat catchy tunes and lots of weird arrangements and/or noises to make it interesting, but it doesn't really have much meat on its bones, does it? Well, it didn't take many listens before that preliminary judgement began to change. And with every listen my rating of this amazing album has continued to grow. Now I think it may be the best album I've heard in years. I love every song, every strange and fractured lyric that comes to life through that weedy voice of Jeff Tweedy. The melodies constantly invade my conciousness when I'm away from the stereo. I ponder what it could mean when he sings "take off your bandaid cause I don't believe in touchdowns" in the opening song
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. Nonsense or brilliance? It seems like nonsense when I read it but it takes on such significance when I hear Tweedy sing it that I'm thinking now it must be brilliant nonsense
Sgt. Pepper type nonsense. Blood On The Tracks type nonsense. Every listen is an adventure, like a rediscovery of what you've already heard, but from a different angle or in a different light. New meanings to lyrical phrases open up and musical details show up that had gone unnoticed before. I find myself smiling a lot when this album is playing and I like that. A lot
Voyager One - Monster Zero
My Bloody Valentine lives again! Wow, this is one freekin cool space trip! Go to the Loveless Records website and read what Mike has to say about each track at
http://www.lovelessrecords.com/news030.htm It's a fun read
So many other great albums this year. Just got the new Neko Case
Blacklisted and am totally in love all over again. What a wonderful album and the backing from the guys in GiantSand/Calexico is so perfectly sublime. And Ugly Casanova could easily be in my top three too. Can't wait for the new Modest Mouse and Califone albums, but this has been holding me over well. And Nina Nastasia, what an album! I can play it over and over. Ocean has to be close to my song of the year. What a knockout. And the Radar Brothers, kind of a mellow Pink Floyd mixed with Crazy Horse. Another one that has been in extra heavy rotation for a few months. And the Flaming Lips! And Enon! And I just got the new Black Heart Procession, man I love these guys! Songs:Ohia, what a magnificently depressing album, but I can't get enough of it. And the new Sleater-Kinney really rocks. Sixteen Horsepower's new one may be their best yet, which means it is very, very good. And the final album from Rainer Ptacek, recorded shortly before he died of brain cancer in late 1997, was just released on Glitterhouse Records in Germany. Called simply The Farm by Rainer. Beautiful album, lovingly assembled by his best friend Howe Gelb, from Giant Sand, and available in the US from his wife Patti at the Giant Sand website. And lots of others too, but that's enough
