That Wonderful Year in Music... 1997

Two types of music dominated the critics' lists (and Billboard charts) in 1997: hip-hop and British alternative. The American hip-hop scene was a watershed, teaming with new voices (Timbaland, Wyclef Jean, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Erykah Badu) even though the death of Notorious B.I.G. nearly overshadowed these developments. The bigger story, however was the latest and adamantly Gen-X British invasion: cult UK acts like Blur and The Verve were suddenly burdened with a left-field hit in the states, then quickly written off by myopic trendmakers as one-hit wonders. Two years after The Bends, Radiohead released one of the most important rock albums of the '90s, if not all time. Pre-21st century dance-rock was defined by the likes of Daft Punk, Prodigy, and The Chemical Brothers.

And where was I in 1997? Transitioning from grade school to junior high, I was still mostly oblivious to popular music. I remember we had a new gym teacher that was hip enough to play "MTV Buzz Bin" and the Lost Highway soundtrack during class. If I had a personal highlight, I joined my middle school AV Club and fiddled around with camera equipment, a gateway of sorts to my career in radio. The long-awaited arrival of the first CD player in the Allard household that Christmas, however was the likely impetus of my musical obsessions. (Alas, at the time my sister dominated the boombox with her Spice Girls CDs.)


BEST ALBUMS
1. OK Computer, Radiohead. Can a guitar-rock album feel accomplished and bewildering when it doesn't feel like a guitar-rock album? If that album is as subtle and textured as OK Computer, than the answer is yes. Building upon The Bends but refusing to augment old ideas, the innovation and surprise of Radiohead's third album makes this an essential, albeit demanding, listening experience for a whole generation.  There's little else I can say that any other music critic hasn't praised or construed.
2. Dig Your Own Hole, The Chemical Brothers. Raising their game from promising, above-average post-techno act to innovators, Hole carries many of the same challenging yet rewarding qualities that OK Computer does, if not at the same echelon. This feast of sound begins with the cacophonous "Block Rockin' Beats," with the Beatles-baiting hit single "Setting Sun" serving as the main course. This is a mercilessly propulsive album, an exhilarating experience these brothers-in-spirit have yet to match.
3. The Colour and The Shape, Foo Fighters. The best straight-up rock album of '97 was a proving point for Dave Grohl. In his desire to prove he wasn't just "the drummer from Nirvana" and an artist of his own merit, Grohl turned his side project Foo Fighters into a full-fledged band and entity. The end result is The Colour, the last (?) great "arena rock" album and Grohl's most tenacious effort as a drummer, frontman, and songwriter. As the band thrashes for 47 minutes, Grohl and producer Gil Norton maintain a semblance of focus and control.
4. Either/Or, Elliott Smith
5. Homework, Daft Punk
6. Urban Hymns, The Verve
7. Homogenic, Bjork
8. Blur, Blur
9. The Lonesome Crowded West, Modest Mouse
10. Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan. The unlikeliest great album of the late '90s started a new chapter in an American icon's sprawling career. After releasing two decades' worth of albums that ranged in quality from adequate to disposable, not to mention spending most of the decade touring without writing or recording, there was a certain suspension of disbelief when Dylan finally returned to the studio in late '96. Like most of his post Desire efforts, this is album that blends blues and folk, but its essence lies in Dylan's songcraft and Daniel Lanois' ominous production.

Honorable Mentions: Whatever and Ever, Amen, Ben Folds Five; Brighten the Corners, Pavement; Fat of the Land, Prodigy; Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space, Spiritualized; Third Eye Blind, Third Eye Blind; Presents the Carnival, Featuring Refugee All-Stars, Wyclef Jean; I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, Yo La Tengo.

BEST SINGLES
"The Perfect Drug," Nine Inch Nails
"Miss Misery," Elliott Smith
"Sonny Came Home," Shawn Colvin
"Legend of a Cowgirl," Imani Coppola
"The Freshmen," The Verve Pipe
"One Headlight," The Wallflowers
"Angel," Sarah McLachlan
"The Impression That I Get," Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)," Deftones
"I'm Afraid of Americans," David Bowie feat. Trent Reznor

BEST VIDEOS
1. "Smack My Bitch Up," Prodigy. As epic was it was controversial, this seemingly mundane POV clip takes one dark turn after another, which crescendos into a brilliant twist ending. Banished to the wee hours of the night by MTV (where it aired exactly once) it remains a NSFW roller coaster 15 years later.
2. "Everlong," Foo Fighters. 1997 was a breakout year of sorts for director Michel Gondry; he directed seven short-form videos that year, three of which are on this list. "Everlong" takes the cake, at least stylistically; the overlapping dreams of Dave Grohl and "wife" Taylor Hawkins are a creepy world onto itself.
3. "Virtual Insanity," Jamiroquai. A quick hint about the video's production: the walls move, not the floor. I hope that doesn't ruin the magic of this trippy clip.
4. "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," Missy Elliott. A hard video to forget, even if it carries many of the usual late '90s hip-hop video clichés (the Hummer, the booty walk, the Puff Daddy cameo). The essence lies in the fish-eye lens, which make the diminutive, lusciously lipped Missy look like a colossus.
5. "Criminal," Fiona Apple. In two words: heroin chic. Not nearly a controversial as "Smack," but almost as pornographic. Modern-day hipsters will think this video is nothing more than a moving Hipstamatic print. They don't know this broke the mold.
6. "Bachlorette," Bjork.
7. "Around The World," Daft Punk.
8. "Karma Police," Radiohead.
9. "Not If You Were The Last Junkie on Earth," The Dandy Warhols.
10. "Sky's The Limit," Notorious B.I.G. featuring 112.

Your thoughts?

That Wonderful Year in Music... 2007

I look back at 2007 as a year of questions. It was a year where people asked queries like, "is 'John from Cincinnati' supposed to make any sense?" "who will be our next president, Rudy Giuliani or Hillary Clinton?" and "hissing fauna, are you the destroyer?"

In all seriousness, however my '07 was defined by hanging out in the basement of Fell Hall at Illinois State University.  It was my senior year, an as a member of the Z106 rock music staff I listened to and rated new releases for air.  I was also a DJ for three semesters, so I enjoyed this task both ways.  I did an internship in the station that summer, so during my down time I had unprecedented access to free CDs, resulting in an equally unparalled time of new musical knowledge. I graduated that December thinking, "damn, these last 12 months were a lot of fun." Suffice to say, listening to the following albums and songs made for a great trip down Memory Lane.

I wrote out a year-end list in 2007, and even though I still agree with most of my picks I did overlook a few albums that I hadn't heard in full at that point (*cough* In Rainbows *cough* Sound of Silver) and nearly overrated others (in hindsight, Mark Ronson's covers disc Version seems more "fun" than bold or substantial).  It was only my second stab at blogging about music, and these types of things do benefit from hindsight. I will concur with myself insofar that '07 was a bountiful year for indie-rock and electronica.  Five years is my self-imposed minimum of determining whether a particular song or album holds up, so what remains essential a half-decade on?

(parentheses note previous ranking)


BEST ALBUMS
1. In Rainbows, Radiohead. By default, this is the band's most romantic album. That is not to say that Thom Yorke and the boys have cheered up; buzzwords like "comatose," "nightmare," and "trapped" are sprinkled all over the disc. On their first self-released effort after bolting Capitol/EMI, Radiohead is more focused upon their introversion than ever, but instead of fearing society and technology the angst aims eerily inward.  For all the electronic abstraction, they just want to be loved.
2. Neon Bible, Arcade Fire (1). Trading sepia tones and monochrome for brighter colors --hence the title-- we find the Montreal septet beyond mourning their youth and having a stiff drink after a long day's work. Immediately dismissed by some as Funeral Part 2, the Fire's sophomore effort holds up as a distinctively wrecked and defiant effort of its own valor.
3. Sky Blue Sky, Wilco (2). As much as I adored Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, it wasn't until Sky that I truly "got" Wilco. Returning to their alt-country roots while still keeping one foot in experimental pop, their sixth album evokes Neil Young circa Harvest, the end result sometimes sounding like '70s soft rock. Newcomers Pat Sansone and Nels Cline make the disc, their organ and guitar work respectively meshing well with Jeff Tweedy's yearning harmonies.
4. Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem
5. Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, Of Montreal
6. Wincing the Night Away, The Shins (3)
7. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon (5)
8. Icky Thump, The White Stripes
9. Boxer, The National (11)
10. Back to Black, Amy Winehouse (10). Yes, go ahead and judge. Winehouse spent the last four-plus years of her life in the tabloids, a shambolic train wreck of a woman doomed to an early grave by her impulses and narcissism. What she left behind, however was a very promising singing career, demonstrated to full effect on Black. It was her second full-length, her commercial breakthrough, and ultimately her last completed statement as an artist. "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good" are great songs, with or without the baggage of historical irony.

11. Because of the Night, Kings of Leon
12. Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective
13. The Reminder, Feist (4)
14. Graduation, Kanye West (8)
15. Favourite Worst Nightmare, Arctic Monkeys. What sophomore jinx? It's not my favorite Monkeys album --see my 2006 list-- but it contains two of their best songs ("Brianstorm" and "Fluorescent Adolescent"). If the big complaint about their debut was that they owed too much to the artists that influenced them, than Nightmare is the sound of a young band finding its voice.
16. Kala, M.I.A.
17. Challengers, The New Pornographers
18. The Cool, Lupe Fiasco
19. Attack Decay Sustain Release, Simian Mobile Disco
20. Widow City, The Fiery Furnaces (6). In some ways, the Friedberger siblings are like indie-rock's answer to Dim Sum: it's delicious if you love weird things, but only occasionally is it accessible to newbies. Their 2003 debut Gallowsbird's Bark is a decent starting point, but Widow City is an expert-level feast. The disc alternates from baroque pop to free jazz to proto-Metal, sometimes in the same song. If you get it, you'll love it.

BEST SINGLES
"Chelsea Dagger," The Fratellis
"Ruby," Kaiser Chiefs
"Silver Lining," Rilo Kiley
"Back to the 101," Albert Hammond Jr.
"Don't Make Me Wait," Locksley
"3's and 7's," Queens of the Stone Age
"Thrash Unreal," Against Me!
"Lake Michigan," Rogue Wave
"Hard Sun," Eddie Vedder
"Falling Slowly," Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová

BEST VIDEOS
When I said 4 1/2 years ago that mash-up were in vogue and YouTube hasn't caught on to music videos yet... I guess I wasn't looking hard enough. I missed out on some awesome clips. Once again, the benefit of hindsight.

1. "1234," Feist. This well-choreographed, multi-hued clip actually did air on TV... in a 30-second iPod commercial. That was enough to turn "1234" into a left-field hit.
2. "What's a Girl To Do," Bat For Lashes. If you don't mind the "Donnie Darko" allusions, this video is a perfect match-up of visual and audio atmosphere.
3. "Can't Tell Me Nothin'" (Version 2), Kanye West. A pre-"Hangover" Zach Galifianakis and troubadour Will Oldman chill out at Zach's North Carolina farm in this dance floor hit expressing Yeezy's ambivalance to the hip-hop lifestyle.
4. "Atlas," Battles. Their 2007 release was titled Mirrored. Therefore...
5. "The Underdog," Spoon. Inspired by "Russian Ark," this daring single-shot video depicts a typical, "humdrum" recording session with Britt Daniels and company.
6. "100 Days, 100 Nights," Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings.
7. "Conquest," The White Stripes.
8. "Young Folks," Peter, Bjorn, & John.
9. "Peacebone," Animal Collective.
10. "Electric Feel," MGMT.

Honorable Mentions "Smile," Lily Allen; "Long Road to Ruin," Foo Fighters; "Phantom Limb," The Shins.

Your thoughts?

That Wonderful Year in Music... 2000

When I was growing up, the year 2000 was subconciously associated with the future and all that it entailed: progress, maturity, technology, uncertainty. This especially makes it hard to fathom that such a mystical year was a whole decade ago. I think it's fair to say that all the space-age sturm und drang that science fiction writers first envisioned in the mid-20th century is not going to happen --especially if said story took place in the first decade of the millennium, like so many did-- yet the myriad technological advances of the past decade are a blunt reminder that perhaps the future is now and that we undoubtly control our own destiny.

On a personal level, 2000 was my first full year as a high school disk jockey. Where my peers were playing bubblegum pop, unintelligible death metal, or "hits" from bands on the local scene, I ensconced myself into a classic rock comfort zone. If the song was recorded somewhere between 1966 and 1981, more likely than not I played it. Though current musical trends didn't interest me at the time, most of the artists mentioned below were in my peripheral and received regular airplay at the station. Like my 1999 list, I didn't discover most of these acts until after high school, when I finally tired of mimicking '70s AOR and searched for a new challenge.

BEST ALBUMS

1. Kid A, Radiohead. When you think about it, Radiohead had no right to record three straight masterpiece albums. They already proved their mettle on The Bends and OK Computer, so where would they go from there? Maybe Kid A succeeds because it moves in the opposite direction of its two predecessors. Upon first listen it's hard to pin down a distinct musical shape or hook; on top of that, there's no obvious single and the newfound electronic swirls are especially cold and detached. After the second and third listens the mystique dissipates, and you slowly realize that this difficult and alienating disc is a statement, a genius effort to say the least.

2. The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem. It would be pretty hard to paint Eminem as a sympathetic character if he weren't such a talented musician (or was, anyway). The Mathers persona would be ungainly in less delicate hands; why would anyone bother to listen to a tempermental, wifebeating homophobe? Where most of the mainstream rap scene was regressing towards insipid songs about bling and booty, Enimem kept it real in the most visceral and outrageous manner possible. Paired with mentor Dr. Dre and a small army of special guest stars, Marshall Mathers spotlights a gifted artist at a creative peak he couldn't possibly match or eclipse.

3. Veni Vidi Vicious, The Hives. Not released in the US until 2002, this sophomore effort launched the short-lived "Swedish invasion" as well as the garage rock/DIY revival that is still simmering to this day. I fell in love with "Hate To Say I Told You" the first time I heard the song, and I was floored that the album from which the song was culled was just as raucous and energetic. At their best, Vicious is like early-period Kinks, only without the tact.

4. Since I Left You, The Avalanches

5. Mass Romantic, The New Pornographers

6. Stankonia, OutKast

7. White Pony, Deftones

8. All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2

9. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, PJ Harvey

10. Parachutes, Coldplay. Though I listed three debut albums in this top ten (see #4 and #5), you can't deny Coldplay had the widest-reaching impact of the three rookies. Initially written off as imitators of fellow British piano-rockers Travis, the success and critical acclaim of Parachutes and its four follow-up studio albums made people forget Travis even existed. "Yellow" was the ace-in-the-hole hit, though "Trouble" and "Shiver" are fine songs in their own right.

Honorable Mentions: Figure 8, Elliot Smith; The Moon and Antarctica, Modest Mouse; Furnace Room Lullaby, Neko Case & Her Boyfriends; Rated R, Queens of the Stone Age; Lost Souls, Doves.

BEST SINGLES

"Pardon Me," Incubus

"Teenage Dirtbag," Wheatus

"Little Black Backpack," Stroke 9

"One-Armed Scissor," At The Drive-In

"Testify," Rage Against The Machine

"Outside," Aaron Lewis and Fred Durst

"Babylon," David Gray

"I'm Like a Bird," Nelly Furtado

"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," The Jayhawks

"Bohemian Like You," The Dandy Warhols

BEST VIDEOS

1. "Since I Left You," The Avalanches. This could be best described as whimsical juxtaposition; though the idea of a lumbering, breakdancing coal miner is surreal, the video has a lot of heart.

2. "Stan," Enimem feat. Dido. The most haunting song from The Marshall Mathers
LP is fleshed out with film noir finesse.

3. "Sexx Laws," Beck. Silly for the sake of being silly, this raunchy clip is loaded with wacky sight gags and double entendres. Plus, check out the Tenacious D cameo.

4. "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," D'Angelo. The R&B star goes full-frontal in
arguably one of the sexiest clips in recent memory. (Warning: NSFW)

5. "Yellow," Coldplay. Elegantly shot in slow motion, the quartet's breakout hit finds frontman Chris Martin wandering the beach, collecting his thoughts.

Your thoughts?

That Wonderful Year in Music... 1995

It doesn't seem like 1995 was fifteen years ago. In a way, the sights and sounds of that year --with heightened emphasis on the sounds, of course-- are just a fresh in my memory then as they are now. The death of Kurt Cobain and the fadeout of the Seattle scene a year earlier threw American alternative rock into its post-grunge period; meanwhile, the Smiths-influenced "Britpop" stylings of Oasis, Blur, and Pulp threw the UK and the US into a tizzy. The punk revival was still going strong on college radio (thanks to Rancid) and the mainstream (a tip of the hat to Green Day). Gangsta rap had reached its pinnacle as 2Pac and Biggie hit it big, while the Wu-Tang Clan, two years removed from "Protect Ya Neck," sowed the seeds of their respective solo careers. The implosion of alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo led to the creation of two new bands, Sun Volt and Wilco, that would eventually eclipse their predecessor's influence and decidedly modest record sales. Suffice to say, that's a lot of territory to cover for one year, though if I had to honor the absolute best albums of '95, it would look something like this:

1. The Bends, Radiohead. The album that put Thom Yorke and company on the map. Sure, their debut Pablo Honey garnered some notoriety, but name a song off the disc besides the crossover hit "Creep." This sophomore effort set the blueprint for the Radiohead we know today: cerebral anthemic rock paired with tortured lyrics and a hint of social commentary. At worst, The Bends is a filling appetizer for their 1997 masterpiece OK Computer; at best, it's a memorizing companion piece and a defining album of the decade.

2. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins. Initially conceived as a mid-90s answer to Pink Floyd's The Wall, the Pumpkins' third album is a two-disc tour de force. As much a concept album as it is a sonic exploration, Mellon Collie finds frontman/primary songwriter Billy Corgan saying goodbye to his youth, forcing himself to grow up while looking back wistfully at his jaded teenage years. All in all, an enjoyably challenging listen that comfortably steers clear of "double-album syndrome."

3. Different Class, Pulp. Oasis might've received more hype, but Pulp was arguably the most consistent --and cheekiest-- of all the Britpop groups. Pulp's third album blows their previous two efforts out of the water; the formula of meshing alt-pop with new wave and disco flavors didn't change much, but years of trial and error led to a more perfected product. Jarvis Cocker's songwriting has never been more catchy, nuanced or immediate.

4. 6Teen Stone, Bush

5. Wowie Zowie, Pavement

6. ...And Out Come The Wolves, Rancid

7. (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis

8. To Bring You My Love, P.J. Harvey

9. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah

10. Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt. Another breakthrough album in a year that was quite gracious to new(ish) acts. If this ska-pop album plays like a hits compilation, you're not far off; seven of the 14 tracks were released as singles, as Top 40 and CHR radio stations squeezed 2 1/2 years of airplay out of Kingdom. Written as the band was on the cusp of imploding, the pure energy and versatility of Kingdom eclipses the departure of founding keyboardist Eric Stefani, a major creative force in the band's early days. The breakup of bassist Tony Kanal and vocalist Gwen Stefani inspired the hit "Don't Speak," one of the best kiss-off songs of the past 20 years.

Honorable Mentions: The Great Escape, Blur; Elastica, Elastica; Return to the 36 Chambers, Ol' Dirty Bastard; Washing Machine, Sonic Youth.

BEST SINGLES

"Lump," The Presidents of the United States of America

"Mother Mother," Tracy Bonham

"Only Happy When It Rains," Garbage

"Aeroplane," Red Hot Chili Peppers

"I'll Stick Around," Foo Fighters

"Brain Stew/Jaded," Green Day

"Need You Around," Smoking Popes

"In The Meantime," Spacehog

"Gangsta's Paradise," Coolio

"More Human Than Human," White Zombie

BEST VIDEOS

1. "It's Oh So Quiet," Bjork.
2. "California," Wax. Spike Jonze' mid-90s winning streak was still rolling with these top two picks. "Quiet" is a modernized interpretation of Betty Hutton's '40s hit "Blow a Fuse," while "California" is probably the most intense slo-mo clip even shown on MTV.

3. "Just," Radiohead. Wait, what did he say?

4. "I'll Be There For You," Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige.

5. "Waterfalls," TLC.

Honorable Mention: "Ironic," Alanis Morrissette.

Your thoughts?