End of the Year List

January 4, 2003

10 Records I Listened To In 2002 That Actually Came Out in 2002:

Atmosphere – The Quails
This tiny punk trio from San Francisco brought the folk, with almost unbearably (I said almost!) earnest protest lyrics tied with fun, dancey (not a word) rhythms and melodies. It sounds kind of like Gang of Four, with the propulsive basslines and the angular guitar work. The album isn’t really a masterpiece, but it’s still a wonderful collection of songs about people who still care about the world we live in, enough to write songs about riding bikes and buses and getting pissed off enough to overthrow governments. I’ve always been a sucker for revolutions I can bob my head to.

Call and Response – Bangs
For this year’s girlpoppunk fix, I had to go with this six song EP, which is just about the catchiest, rocking thing I heard all year. The music gets crunchy and metal (check out the Paranoid-esque lick on Dirty Knives) but have choruses that’ll stick in your head for days. If you have a thing for Sahara Hotnights or the Donnas or anything like that, listen to Bangs instead.

Don’t Give Up on Me – Solomon Burke
The King, Solomon Burke, is the Greatest Living Soul Singer. So great, in fact, that he sings from a real live THRONE in concert. So great, that his songs for this album were written by Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. He’s got a bunch of rich old white guys writing music for him! How great is that?

Let’s Get Ready to Crumble – The Russian Futurists
Some lonely dude in Canada sat in his dorm room with a bunch of casio keyboards and concocted this minor masterpiece. Hugely symphonic, it sounds like a cross of Brian Wilson and … Depeche Mode. Not nearly as annoying as I make it seem.

Makeup the Breakdown – Hot Hot Heat
If you thought that last combo sounded unappealing, you’ll probably hate this one: Hot Hot Heat sounds like The Attractions fronted by Robert Smith of the Cure. If you can hang with the yelps and whines of the lead singer, you’ll find a supremely catchy set of songs filled with dramatic tension and choruses that force you to sing along for release. Speaking of the Cure, this album kind of reminds me of songs like Close To Me, if they turned the happiness to 11. Wow, that was a heinously bad metaphor.

One Beat – Sleater-Kinney
I won’t belabor the point, but this album was so good I didn’t ever get sick of it, and the band is so good live that I’d consider following them around on tour. Oh wait, I already do that last part, sorta. Frack.

Songs for The Deaf – Queens of the Stone Age
The heaviest of the heavy. You would think that a concept album from a band with a rotating lineup would be pretentious and boring, but Queens were about as simple as it got. Tune the guitars low, riff hard and play it loud. The only complaint I have about the album are the between song skits, which have never aged well on any album (see the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill). Oh, and also I think Dave Grohl’s drums shouldn’t have been as compressed. I didn’t really like that part. Otherwise, it’s probably the most metal thing I’ve liked since Soundgarden broke up.

Veni Vidi Vicious – The Hives
Does this count as a 2002 release? I don’t even know. The Hives were probably overhyped, but VVV is still outstanding. Yeah, they’re a bit schticky, but they’ve got a guy named DR. MATT DESTRUCTION! That’s good schtick. They tended to get lumped in with the Vines a lot, but the difference in talent level there is the size of Everest.

When I Was Cruel/Cruel Smile – Elvis Costello
A great comeback rhythm record for Elvis, but honestly, it probably doesn’t even land in the Top 10 Elvis Costello records of all time. Still, Elvis does the snarky bitter stuff better than anyone, and he seems able to craft brilliant songs out of material that’s not necessarily genuinely inspired. That’s a whole different kind of genius.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP/Machine EP/Peel Sessions/Lamacq Sessions – The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I tried to ignore the buzz early on, especially when it was based on a 5 song EP, which was good, but not as mind blowingly spectacular as I was led to believe. However, once I got to hear the Machine EP and the two spectacular live sets they did on British radio, I was convinced. Once you combine all the material, you see an impressive range of songs and the hype becomes justifiable. Karen O gets a lot of attention for her homemade clothes and her odd habit of pouring beer on herself, but she’s a legit rock vocalist. Rock on, my Asian sister.

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