December 1999 ear candy by Ben Auburn |
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Eleven Months of 1999 in Review
Eleven Months of 1999 in Review Many people don't know this, but best-of-the-year lists are in
fact required by the rock critic union contract -- it was a rider
inserted sometime in the mid-seventies, I think to win the
wear-jeans-everywhere concession they were looking for at the time.
Nonetheless, it's a curse we all live with -- I have to turn in three
or four of the things. It's even worse, though. Thanks to our base-10 system of counting,
there's a veritable harmonic convergence of end-ofs and beginnings
come December 31. Not only should I be outlining my faves from this
year, but there's the decade to revisit, and if I'm feeling cheeky,
the century (Sgt. Pepper 23rd, Rite of Spring 24th, or
the other way around?), and even the not-exactly-millennium. I'll leave the long-view to my more, er, highly-compensated fellow
critics. You can always go look up Spin's 90 albums for the 90s or
Rolling Stone's 150 important records (including a Billy Joel for
chrissake) of the decade (and, no, we're not going to link to them --
you try navigating through those sites' navigation, oy). What's more, I'm having trouble picking 10 albums that deserve to be
singled out. A best-of list shouldn't be process of elimination-- the
ten least bad albums of the year -- after all. I'm willing to
equivocate for other places, but SMUG readers deserve better. Herewith, then, a list of all the records with 1999 copyrights I
bought or received this year and still have. I'm leaving out older
albums -- you probably don't need to know about the British Invasion
kick I went on, or that I finally bought Pet Sounds. The list
is annotated where necessary or interesting (or both) to do so , and
it likely has a few glaring omissions. I invite you to point them
out, sneeringly or not, in blab, and also to leave your own lists. Fiona Apple, When the Pawn . . . : Maybe I'm a sucker for
Jon Brion, her producer and player of most of the instruments, but
this is actually a terrific record. No, really. Apples in Stereo, Her Wallpaper Reveries Ash, Nu-Clear Sounds: Reviewed this for Sonicnet, haven't
listened to it since, but for some reason can't bear to give it away.
Pleasant guitar rock, far more interesting than the Stereophonics,
who are much more popular for some reason (in the U.K. of course,
where everyone is famous for fifteen minutes every thirty-five
minutes). Beck, Midnite Vultures: This "follow-up" to
Odelay ain't Mutations, but it is absurdly catchy.
Honest-to-goodness ersatz. Beta Band, Beta Band: Hypnotic, beguiling, absolutely annoying. Beulah, When Your Heartstrings Break: Elephant 6 record,
probably forgotten already, but along with The 3-Way, one of
the most satisfying pop records of the year. Bis, Social Dancing: Okay, so it's been pointed out to me
that Social Dancing is essentially a B-52s album, but that
doesn't mean it's not completely entertaining. This is the kind of
thing the word "fabulous" was invented for. Black Box Recorder, England Made Me: Part of our 1999 wish list. So low
key it practically is sleep. Blinker the Star, Blinker the Star Blur, 13: Almost exactly the record I wanted, but with a
bunch of sludge thrown in, too. David Bowie, hours . . . .: Oh for crying out loud. Breakbeat Era, Ultra-Obscene Built to Spill, Keep it Like a Secret: As good as it gets. Dr. Doom, First Come First Served: Kool Keith's first
offensive of '99. Weird, but not engagingly so. Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin: Organizers and headliners
of the best package tour
ever; a record of obscure grace in an otherwise graceless
year. Folk Implosion, One Part Lullaby: I'm not embarrassed to
say it -- absolutely fantastic. So there! Guided by Voices, Do the Collapse: Might have been more
interesting if it'd sounded like a Cars record on more than just the
single. Handsome Boy Modeling School, So . . . How's Your Girl?:
Part two of Prince Paul's double-whammy. Best album cover of the
year, bar none. Kristen Hersh, Sky
Motel John Spencer Blues Explosion, X-tra Acme: All the reasons
Acme was nifty, and twice as long. Kool Keith, Black Elvis/Lost in Space: Another disc I
reviewed for Sonicnet. I was fortunate enough to get an advance with
a song that was eventually cut, so now I'm cool. Lilys, The 3-Way Los Lobos, This Time: Tamer and less interesting than its
worse-received predecessor, Colossal Head. Mos Def, Black on Both Sides: Thank God. Thank God Thank
God Thank God. Muse, Showbiz: Yes, sounds like Radiohead, a lot
like Radiohead, but played by guys 10-years younger, and so, so much
less world-weary. Debut of the year, no shit. Olivia Tremor Control, Black Foliage: Makes me dizzy. Pavement, Terror Twilight: Impeccable production turned off
a lot of people, but for no good reason. Their Mutations. Archer Prewitt, White Sky: Finally, a good
Bacharach-inspired pop record. Prince, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic Prince Paul, A
Prince Among Thieves Rage Against the Machine, The Battle of Los Angeles Rahzel, Make the Music 2000 Red Snapper, Making Bones: Drum and bass, but played with
instruments. Novel. Sometimes even good. REM, Up: Oh, yeah, REM put out a record. Toured, even.
Weird, I totally forgot. The Roots, Things Fall Apart:
The Roots, The Roots Come Alive: One-two punch from the best
act in Rap. But why doesn't Black Thought sound like himself on the
live disc? Self, Breakfast with Girls: Another rhetorical question:
Why aren't Self the most popular band in America? Sebadoh, The Sebadoh: Yawn. Shivaree, I Oughta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me
Live in This Dump Sloan, Between the Bridges Source Direct, Exorcise the Demons: Because Photek didn't
have anything out this year. Won't last in the shelf for long, but
good for those rainy days when you're certain you're being chased by
evil beings from another dimension. Or something. Super Furry Animals, Radiator: Okay, actually almost three
years old, but we just got it in these parts. Super Furry Animals, Guerilla: Very nearly better than
Radiator, even. Still, criminally overlooked. What does a
Welsh band have to do to get a little alternative radio play? Oh,
yeah, be the Stereophonics. Matthew Sweet, In Reverse: Woo-hoo, wall of sound -- the
exact opposite reason I've always liked Matthew Sweet. Those Bastard Souls, Debt and Departure: A minor record by
minor alt-rock figures, you'll say. But I say, a note-perfect,
tight-as-hell record most songwriters dream about making. From the
guys who brought you the Grifters. And Red Red Meat. And the
Dambuilders. Tom Waits, The Mule Variations: Not good enough. Really,
it's good, but it's not good enough. Stereolab, Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky
Night: Ditto. XTC, Apple Venus Vol 1: Pastoral, sticky-sweet, makes me cry. XTC, Homespun: Not-surprisingly, the demos for Apple
Venus Vol. 1, aren't much different from what ended up on
record. So there you have it: 1999, the year in review. I'll be the first
to admit that there's plenty missing -- but I am very
close-minded. Feel free to chime
in with your own best-ofs, or worst ofs, or just ofs.
in the junk drawer:
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