When it comes to entertainment, I’m ashamed
to admit that I’m a bit of a hypocrite.
In normal circumstances, I encourage people to take risks and try to be
innovative and experimental. With pop
culture though, like music and movies, I am almost adamantly opposed to
it. So even though I like all kinds of
things and almost every genre of music, I don’t want my favorite artists to
have the same broad tastes. The reason
for this is because most of the time when an artist tries to alter their style
or expand the limits of their abilities, they fall flat on their face. The music usually sucks, the albums sell
poorly and the artists try to recapture their previous success the next time
around but generally end up recycling their earlier efforts into a bland
mainstream mess that satisfies no one.
That means not only am I stuck with a crappy album that I likely paid
too much for, but once a band starts on that downward spiral of failed artistic
growth, they have ruined themselves for future endeavors because they can’t
seem to get back to what I enjoyed about them in the first place. I look to certain bands for certain types of
music. Once they stray too far from what
interested me in the first place, they become pointless and expendable because
I probably already listen to some other, superior, artist for that type of
music. If you want some specific
clarification about what I mean, I can give you historic examples and then also
point out who attempted, and failed, this growth in 2005. One person that immediately springs to mind
is Elton John. In the 1970’s everyone
loved him and his songs were great. He
faltered in the 1980’s until his “comeback” with the song I’m Still Standing,
followed by Empty
Garden, I Guess That’s
Why They Call It The Blues and so forth until we get to Circle Of Life from the
Lion King movie. The song was decent but
by trying to write things for a kiddie cartoon movie, Elton simplified his
style, making it more grandiose and broadly appealing. Once he started on that road, all of his
subsequent efforts became bland ballads and lifeless mid-tempo pop songs.
A more extreme example, since Elton John
naturally leads me to thoughts of Billy Joel, is Billy’s abrupt departure from
pop music while he was still near the height of his abilities. After massive sales for his River Of Dreams
album, he decided to make classical music.
Yes, classical music- that stuff that is incredibly far removed from the
pop/rock style that Billy Joel epitomized.
Not only that, to me it was the worst kind of classical. It was the kind I can’t stand- the light,
airy style that brings to mind Handel or Mozart. It was so contrary to the darkness and lingering
sadness that lurked in most of Joel’s songs.
The classical stuff was so hollow and boring that I still haven’t
listened to the album all the way through even though I’ve had it for some 5
years. I expected him to at least do
something heavier and slightly melancholy like Beethoven, whom he’s sampled in
some of his pop songs, or Carl Orff or Mussorgsky. Why do we need a pointless classical album
from one of pop’s best songwriters?
There is enough classical music out there already- lots of other people
have been making it for hundreds of years but very few people are writing songs
like Piano Man, Tell Her About It, All For Leyna or Scandinavian Skies. Worse than that, after this dull album
thudded, he has not done anything else what so ever. Dropped off the face of the earth, except for
brief appearances in the news when he crashes his car into something. Another example is Rod Stewart. At first, Rod Stewart might seem to be an
example of successful experimentation.
He started out as a blues-based rocker.
His voice, as many people described it then, was a whiskey-soaked raspy
growl that perfectly suited a blues rock style.
From there, he expanded a bit to become a more straight forward rocker,
followed by his pinnacle, from which he almost hung himself. I’m talking, of course, about the disco
era.
Rod was a monster success in the
Seventies. Once the dance era died out
though, he was stuck trying to figure out what to do. He had branched out so far from where he had
started that he stranded himself. Now I
will admit I am a big fan of his 1970’s stuff and I was curious about what he
would do. I was willing to give him a
chance because I liked where he was now more than where he came from although
I’m sure people who loved his Maggie May/Gasoline Alley period hated his disco
stuff. Rod succeeded far better than I
would have expected, to everyone’s happiness except my own. He first became a workman-like rocker, with
some moderately enjoyable songs, although even then he too frequently tended
towards maudlin sap like Downtown Train and My Heart Can’t Tell You No. Then in 1987, he magnificently amalgamated
all of his previous efforts into the album Out Of Control. His voice worked perfectly with the rock
songs, his ballads were heartfelt and touching but with enough of an edge to
make him seem like a roguish Casanova, and his pop-leaning stuff had some of
the melodic thrust of his disco era without any of the cheesiness. He collaborated with musicians that perfectly
framed his strengths and pushed him to excel.
I was hoping he would continue in that vein for decades. Alas, he reverted back to his mediocre
transition period and when that petered out, he made an abrupt left turn and
recorded an album of standards, The Great American Songbook, that became a
smash hit. Now, four Standards albums
later, the guy known for his bluesy rasp of a voice is working as a smooth
crooner. If I wanted to hear a crooner,
I would listen to Harry Connick or Michael Buble. I’d put on some Frank Sinatra (well, I personally wouldn’t but other
“crooner inclined” listeners might.) Or if I wanted a rock-leaning crooner, I’d
put on some Boz Scaggs, who I think Rod Stewart is unknowingly imitating. See, I don’t need Rod Steward to croon for
me- I have other people who can do it better.
I need Rod to deliver arena-shaking disco pop or at least front the
consummate rock band. When he stretches
too far from what he does well, he becomes expendable and even a bit
ridiculous.
Now you might be thinking that all these
examples are from dinosaur rock acts.
Wrong. This year alone, there were
handfuls of contemporary artists who did this and gravely disappointed me. Most of the artists I like, I like because of
their own particular style. They fill a
niche I enjoy. I have certain bands for
certain niches and if they stray elsewhere, I am left with a void in that niche
and a half-hearted effort in some other niche that is already filled by other
artists. If a band is going to try
something new, they need to do it better than the other people who already do
it. If you can’t be good at something
new, you shouldn’t abandon what already works well for you. Some recent examples are The Dandy Warhols,
Aimee Mann and the Black Eyed Peas. The
Dandy Warhols have, over their last three albums, perfected a hazy, heavy vibe
that calls to mind the best of David Bowie’s work. Even though they come across as stuporous
slackers, they are really limber musicians who understand the balance between
hitting a groove and beating a dead horse.
The last album was a bit shaky and showed signs off falling of that
precarious balance beam but they salvaged themselves with three excellent
songs. This time around, they departed a
bit from their Bowie
influence and went more for the Velvet Underground. Now why would they do that? First of all, they can’t do it as well as VU
and second of all, I don’t particularly like the Velvet Underground. Lots of people play stoner noise but no one
else was able to channel the Bowie
sound quite the way the Dandy Warhols did.
So instead of something unique, I get an album of boring stuff that
anyone can do. How am I going to get my
pseudo-Bowie fix? Even if I get a Bowie album instead, I
have to wait 2 years in-between his stuff.
My niche is going unfilled in the meantime.
The Black Eyed Peas did the same thing. They ignored their strengths- the male/female
vocal interplay, the dance-pop vibe and the catchy hooks. Instead, they leaned more towards rap. I
don’t think I need to tell you that there are a lot of people already doing
rap, and they are certainly doing it better than songs like My Humps. Aimee Mann’s detour was slightly less
intentional or cynical. She has always
been an introspective musician and she channeled that tendency into her lyrics
this time around. She made a concept
album, The Forgotten Arm, about a transitory alcoholic who is also meant as a
metaphor for America.
Also, Aimee’s lyrics were somewhat generic so I never would have stumbled onto
the concept had the reviews not talked about it and the CD booklet not included
pictures that were obvious allusions to the lyrics. The problem is that Aimee Mann spent so much
time working on her concept and the unimpressive lyrics that she forgot to
include any new melodies on the album.
There are some melodies on there but they are very dull. The only ones that have any life are those
that she cribs from her earlier songs.
Almost every song on the album reminds me of one she did earlier, and
better. Now I have to look elsewhere for
wistful, bittersweet but catchy music because Aimee stopped doing it this
time. Again, another small niche is left
unfilled because one of the few purveyors of this style decided to try
something else. Aimee’s strength is
songwriting, not creating a concept album.
If you want a concept album, you go buy something by Yes, Pink Floyd or
the Beatles. Heck, Styx already tried
something similar, with Paradise Theater as a metaphor for America and
that was much better than The Forgotten Arm.
By now, you might think the year has been a bust.
It almost was because most of my favorite
acts made unwelcome or unsuccessful detours
(Styx, Aimee Mann, Adrian Belew, Nada Surf,
Moody Blues, Sheryl Crow) or failed to live up to par
(Bloodhound Gang, Nine Inch Nails, Garbage,
Weezer, The Cardigans).
What makes this
year such a success, however, is the unexpected return of one of my all-time
favorite acts, who oddly enough were also a one-hit wonder. Back in 1992, Daisy
Chainsaw came out with an EP and album that captivated me.
From the moment I heard Love Your Money I
succumbed to their particular style.
It
was a raw mix of punk elements and fractured melodies, in the vein of Nirvana
or Sonic Youth, but with a more intense feeling of psychotic danger.
When I saw them play live, the lead singer,
Katie Jane Garside, had a shaved head and torn dress and would wail and scream
into the microphone- when she wasn’t busy banging it on her head.
Daisy Chainsaw sort of scared me at the same
time they connected with my lingering feelings of alienation and
aimlessness.
By the following year, the
band had disappeared.
It was just
another of the many alternative rock acts that were chewed up and spit out by
the pressures of the music industry.
Even so, during the subsequent years I would periodically pull out the
CDs and remind myself what a unique act they were.
Their style perfectly meshed with my
interests in industrial, alternative, rock and techno music.
I would sometimes look in their bin at the
music store or check music websites for news of them but nothing came of
it.
They were gone.
Thirteen years later, I was still carrying the torch
(I’m nothing if not loyal beyond reason) and
happened to see something about a spin-off band called Queen Adreena.
Katie Jane left Daisy Chainsaw because she
was burned out from the pressures of fame
(and probably hurt by banging her head with a
mike) which is why the band fell apart.
Ten years later though, she rejoined Crispin Gray, Daisy’s principal
songwriter and guitarist, to create a new band called Queen Adreena.
I couldn’t find the CDs anywhere though.
When I went overseas, I check there too but
to no avail.
Then one day, I saw that
there was a new Daisy Chainsaw album.
Oddly
enough it featured all the original members except Katie Jane Garside, although
she had by this time done 3 albums with Crispin Gray in Queen Adreena.
What’s that about?
Why not just re-form as Daisy Chainsaw?
Did she hate one of the other members or
something?
Regardless, it was an
opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
Not only
did I order the Daisy album from Barnes & Noble, I decided to take a chance
and order the last two Adreena albums directly from their label’s website.
It was a
UK based firm and I wasn’t sure how
it would work out because it was a no name label and in a different
country.
A couple months later, the
first Adreena album came back into print and I was able to get it from
Amazon.
This means that 13 years after
first hearing my favorite one hit wonder band, in a span of 5 months I had 4
new albums from the principals of that band.
Now it was time to find out if I had wasted a bunch of money by
importing CDs from a band featuring a burnt-out singer and has-been songwriter.
Not to mention a new album from a decade old band with most of the original
members but without the charismatic singer who brought them recognition in the
first place.
If they were bad, like many
of the other performers I heard this year, I was going to be not only broke but
also heartbroken.
With trepidation, I put on the first CD.
I decided to start with a Queen Adreena one because I knew what I
expected from Daisy Chainsaw and if that album wasn’t up to par, I had no other
ones to look forward to.
Adreena was an
unknown quantity.
Three songs into the
album, I was in love again.
They had
everything I loved about Daisy.
The
fractured melodies, the chunky fuzzy guitars, the psychotic vocalizations, the
menacing lullabies.
It was all
there.
When I played the Daisy album, it
was like 1993, like the second album had come out the year after the first one,
just like expected.
These two bands were
some bipolar version of the original Daisy Chainsaw.
They had the same essence but took different
approaches to get there.
Adreena is more
of an experimental, goth based band.
If
Siouxsie And The Banshees rocked a bit harder, they would be Adreena.
Daisy Chainsaw was more melodic and catchier
but they dirtied up their songs with an element of danger and surprise.
If Sonic Youth were more pop-leaning, they
would be Daisy Chainsaw.
The only thing
I was disappointed about was the fact that the entire time I was listening to
the new Daisy album, I imagined what Katie Jane Garside would have brought to
it.
The songs were really good, and her
unique style would have elevated them to sublime, instead of merely
terrific.
Even though all four albums
were terrific, Daisy/Adreena would still have single-handedly salvaged the
entire year in music because each of the albums had one song that was
phenomenal and far above the quality of the rest of them.
I can’t count the number of times I listened
to the lacerating stomp of Pretty Like Drugs, the deranged scream of FM Doll,
the perfect cacophony of Sleeping With Heaven or the ominous muttering of X-ing
Off The Days.
Finding such gems as these
are why I listen to music, why I allow myself to be hopeful about things, why I
love entertainment.
Finding something
that rings true and provokes an emotional response within me is priceless.
Looking at a painting that resonates or
hearing a song that stirs me tells me I’m still alive, that my hardened wall
can be breached by something magical.
Of
course, I’m not necessarily recommending these albums to anyone.
It’s possible I’m the only one in the world
who would appreciate them.
They are very
dense, scary and noisy to say nothing of schizophrenic, offbeat and
twisted.
All I know is they work for me,
like very few things did this year.
With
that lead-in, let’s look at the rest of the competition this year.
I Buy Anything They Do
Adrian Belew Side Two (2005); Adrian BelewSide One (2005)-
Belew did his part in making experimental music this year. These albums sound like someone recorded a
guitar tuning session. There aren’t really any songs in here, just random
sounds that sometimes make a pleasant pattern but more often don’t.
Aimee Mann Forgotten Arm, The (2005)- I said
everything important above. A big
disappointment because normally she is so good.
Guess after this album and the previous Lost In Space one, I need to
permanently lower my expectations.
Styx Big Bang Theory (2005)- This is a cover
album. Styx
has always written their own stuff. They
don’t even do covers in concert so what’s the deal here? They aren’t bad, in fact they are quite well
done but did I really need to know what it would sound like if Styx did “I Am The Walrus”?
Therapy? High Anxiety (2003)- One of my favorite
bands. A solid album but not a
milestone.
Berlin 4Play (2005)- The first three albums
generated such great music and fond memories that I’ll give them a pass for a
couple bad or average albums. This is
their first one of those.
Bloodhound Gang Hefty Fine (2005)- I don’t know what to
make of this.
The Gang forgot to create
some good beats and they buried their lyrics, normally a strongpoint, under
those weak beats.
If you can’t hear the
Bloodhound Gang and rhythms are dull, what do you have?
Just a clever album cover and that’s not
worth $13.
Chris Isaak Christmas (2004)- Hey, it’s Chris
Isaak. I like the guy’s style and I need
a few more Christmas albums.
Daisy Chainsaw …For They Know Not What They Do (2004)-
Unbelievable.
Dandy Warhols Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars (2005)- Are
they washed up or is this a fluke?
Garbage Bleed Like Me (2005)- Each album gets less
distinctive and less memorable.
Jayhawks, The Blue Earth (1989)- I can see where their
roots-pop style started from but not surprisingly this debut album is very weak
when comparing it to their follow-up stuff.
It’s more of a historical artifact from a great band than it is an
enjoyable album on its own.
Juliana Hatfield Made In China (2005)- The only bad thing
about this album is that this is the one that made me realize Juliana has moved
from being one of those performers where I love every song she does to one that
has some really good songs on an okay album.
The same happened when I heard Billy Joel’s The Bridge or Styx’s Edge Of The Century. I loved the songs What Do I Care and My Pet
Lion because they paid more attention to her rock inclination than some
previous efforts and Digital Penetration was catchy in a way that had been
missing for a bit. I think this may be a
bridging album for her- one that gets her spark going again to where next time
she recaptures what made her great, like Ministry did with
Animositisomina. She is selling it
directly from her website and therefore eliminating record label pressures to
sound a certain way to get released. It
sort of worked for Aimee Mann- she’s now free to release whatever crap she
feels like. Aimee and Juliana need to
collaborate again. They could both learn
something from each other.
Kylie Minogue Ultimate Kylie (2004)- Two new Kylie songs
and several new pictures adorning the CD booklet. How could I not get it?
Madonna Confessions On a Dance Floor (2005)-
Madonna returns to her dance roots, regaining her gay cache and in the process
alienating me, the only person in America who seemed to like her last
two rock/electronica albums. The songs
are okay, but they go on for too long and don’t show the same creative flair
that was on display on those two previous albums. They are begging for remixes.
Michael Penn Mr. Hollywood 1947 (2004)- Oh
goodness. Where to start with this
one? I had such high hopes because Penn
is four for four in terms of making a great album. Unfortunately, he caught his wife’s (Aimee Mann) unfortunate affliction- focusing
his efforts on making a concept album at the expense of good songwriting. I’m not even sure what the exact concept of
this is, I just know it supposedly has one.
Maybe golden age Hollywood as a metaphor
for America? His, and Mann’s, albums are usually very rich
and take several listens to properly sink in but this time the several listens
made the experience more painful, not deeper.
My Beatles-esque pop niche is going unfilled.
Ministry Side Trax (2004)-
A collection of side projects from Ministry and Al Jourgensen. It’s good to have since many of the items are
from out of print singles and EPs.
Moody Blues December (2003)-
The Moody Blues do a Christmas album.
It’s not a bad album, as Christmas albums go, but why why why? The Moody Blues are all about being
mysterious, cosmic and, well, moody.
Writing a song like Don’t Need A Reindeer sort of takes away that edge.
Nada Surf The Weight Is A
Gift (2005)- Another band that changed their sound. They lightened up and lost their identity in
the process. I can’t think of any songs
from this album when normally I find myself humming songs days later after I’ve
heard one of their albums.
Nine Inch Nails With Teeth
(2005)- NIN had a nice comeback.
Granted, it was a comeback to The Downward Spiral rather than Pretty
Hate Machine but it’s a step in the right direction. This CD sounds more like what Trent Reznor
promised for The Fragile, which is a funkier, R&B leaning sound. Overall,
there are too many similar songs and some generic filler, but there are two
fantastic songs, ones that can be considered classic NIN songs- Hand That Feeds
and Only- and a couple others that are memorable. This is another album that I hope is a
transitional one.
Paul McCartney Chaos &
Creation In The Backyard (2005)- Paul teamed up with the producer from
Radiohead and it shows. Where Paul used
to have a couple excellent rockers every album, now he has none, which is the
same thing that happened to Radiohead.
It doesn’t make for a bad album though, it’s just not typical
McCartney. The whole album has a
mournful, introspective feel and the rhythms are very subdued. Paul normally has a very happy sound, so this
takes getting used to. It’s like he did
a whole album in the vein of Yesterday.
The standouts are How Kind Of You, Too Much Rain, Riding To Vanity Fair
and the title track. I would like to see
the two of them collaborate again, because I think Paul would tailor his songs
to the producer’s style rather than the other way around, like this time. The material would probably turn out better
because Paul is at his best when he has someone challenging him to excel.
Placebo Once More With
Feeling (Greatest Hits) (2004)- One new
song.
Prince Rainbow Children (2001)-
Have you ever wondered what Prince would sound like if he wrote like Steely
Dan? Oddly enough, one of the selections
on this album answers that question. The
title track had me checking the liner notes to see who wrote it or if Becker
and Fagin did backup vocals. Neither of
those seems to be the case but it is the best Steely Dan song in the last 5
years. (Yes, I know they have done two albums in the
last 5 years, but this song is better than any on the first album and I haven’t
yet listened to the second album. That’s
for next year. As of this moment though, it’s a great de facto Steely Dan
song.) The rest of the stuff is okay but
nothing I would look forward to hearing if I was at a Prince concert. Plus, there are some stupid voice interludes
where it sounds like God is narrating the album while speaking through a tin
can.
Queen Adreena Taxidermy (1999);
Drink Me (2002); Butcher And The Butterfly, The (2005)
Shakespears Sister # 3 (2005)-
You probably didn’t realize that there was ever a third Shakespear’s Sister
album. That’s because there wasn’t. This is something I ordered directly from
Siobhan Fahey’s website. It was material
that was intended for the third album until Marcella Detroit left the band and
pretty much sunk their record contract.
I don’t know why because she hasn’t since done anything on her own, so
why leave a successful band? As I write this, I understand the irony of it because
Siobhan left Bananarama to start this band, but it least there was some purpose
for her departure. Siobhan doesn’t have
a label right now and instead is spending her time DJ-ing and writing stuff for
future solo albums. I also get the sense
that some of the songs that ended up on # 3 were written after Detroit left, because
Fahey’s lyrics seem like direct slams on her former partner. Nothing here quite lives up to
the previous two S.S. albums but they are good enough to be released.
I can imagine what they would
have sounded like had the two continued working together. I think it would have been a great
album. As it is now, it is an
interesting artifact to have (and my CD
booklet came signed by Siobhan) and there are several songs worth listening to
even if they aren’t proper Shakespear’s Sister songs. The noteworthy ones are Do I Scare You,
Opportunity Knockers and Can U Wait That Long.
A side note about the website- it is one of the weirdest artist run
sites I’ve ever seen. There are a few
pages where I can’t even figure out what I’m supposed to do there. Check it out sometime- I thinks it is
siobhanfahey.com.
Sheryl Crow Wildflowers (2005)-
She’s slipping. She did the same
introspective thing that Paul McCartney did, but the results weren’t as
good. This is a very forgettable album.
Weezer Make Believe (2005)-
Rivers, why don’t you rock anymore?
Where is the metal-pop I’ve come to expect? Maladroit and the green Weezer albums were so
good. They were perfect power pop, like
the Raspberries teamed up with Nine Inch Nails to create a perfect fusion just
for me. This album has one good song-
no, not Beverly Hills, the O.C. theme song wannabe, but rather We Are All On
Drugs, a song that would have been a cool B-side to a single from the two
earlier albums.
White Stripes, The Get
Behind Me Satan (2005)- Their worst album, which means it’s still one of the 10
best albums of the year. I loved My
Doorbell (“When you gonna ring it, when
you gonna ring it?”) and Blue Orchid, a rave-up similar to Seven Nation Army
from Elephant. A friend of mine really
got into Appalachian music this year (Don’t
ask me why- I have no earthly idea.) and this album seemed to have been made
just for her. It is sparse and spooky,
as epitomized by the song Little Ghost.
Jack White seems to have taken his role in Cold Mountain
to heart- he looks hillbilly.
I Liked The
Last Album/Love The Current Single
Barbra Streisand Guilty
Pleasures (2005)- She teamed up with Barry Gibb for a follow-up to 1980’s
Guilty album which explains why I now own two Barbara Streisand albums. Nothing here is as good as the best things
from Guilty but I’m happy to see Barry Gibb working and writing again. I consider this a better than normal
Streisand album and a worse than normal Bee Gees effort.
Ben Folds Songs For
Silverman (2005)- I like the Ben Folds style so I bought this.
Billy Idol Devil's
Playground (2005)- Billy, congratulations.
You are one of the few artists who changed things up this year and
actually succeeded at it. A couple of
your rockers sound really good, and I give you special thanks for writing a
better Cult song (Evil Eye) than
anything that band has done in 10 years.
Then your almost acoustic stuff, like Lady Do Or Die is quite melodic
and very catchy. If this was a just
world, you’d have had a couple radio hits from this album instead of having your
generic prototypical Billy Idol song Scream die on the vine. Even your Christmas song was startling good
and very amusing. I’m adding it to my
line-up of songs I play at Christmas.
Black Eyed Peas Monkey
Business (2005)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Take
Them On, On Your Own (2003)- A second offering, just as good as the first.
Foo Fighters In Your Honor (2005)- For a two disc offering (one CD of hard stuff, one of softer stuff),
I’m surprised I only like three or four things.
Fountains Of Wayne Welcome
Interstate Managers (2003)- Stacy’s mom has got it going on, so I bought this
CD. Several good things here, but much
of it is more downbeat that the hit song.
Franz Ferdinand You Could
Have It So Much Better (2005)- Two albums from now, I really think I’m going to
like this band. The CD has a plethora of
hooks but none of them quite turn into successful songs. The effort is there
but the results don’t show it. Keep
trying because I like where you are headed.
Also, you had the year’s coolest cover.
I fell in love with that yelling girl and would have bought the album
regardless of what it sounded like.
Hives, The Tyrannosaurus
Hives (2004)- What I said for Franz Ferdinand also applies to these guys.
Mitch Hedberg Mitch All
Together (2003)- This is a spoken word comedy album. It is fall-on-the-floor funny. Since it is comedy, I can’t really describe
it, you’d just have to hear it. The
secret is all in the delivery. Just
telling you the jokes wouldn’t convey what makes them funny. Even so, I’ll still try. Elsewhere in this
year’s review is a section with many of Hedberg’s best jokes. I got this shortly before the guy died so
unfortunately there is no more new Mitch to look forward to. I’ll have to get his first album and then be
done with him.
Modest Mouse The Moon &
Antarctica (2000)- After hearing Good News, I got this album.
It is more of the same stuff which means I
love it.
Barren soundscapes periodically
littered with beautiful harmonies and melodies.
Pulp His 'N Hers (1994)
Impulse
Purchase
Al Green Your Heart's In
Good Hands (1995)
Annie Anniemal (2004)- The
reviews touted this Swedish starlet as the new Kylie or new Madonna. She’s neither and that’s the bad news. Her voice is too wispy and the production is too
repetitious to live up to those icons and her songs liberally crib from Tom Tom
Club, Lisa Lisa, Human League and New Order in addition to Kylie and
Madonna. The good news is that she
sounds like a knock-off of several bands that I like. It’s a good way to pass the time between
releases from the originals.
Bijou Phillips I'd Rather
Eat Glass (1998)
Heart Jupiter's Darling (2004)-
Heart is staging a comeback and they did it the smart way- by writing good
songs and letting the production showcase the strength of the songs instead of
burying it. Like Billy Idol, they
changed things up a bit, being more subtle and restrained in order to highlight the songwriting. Several of the things here are almost
acoustic but that actually is what makes them work, because they accentuate the
skill of the band. Even at sixteen
songs, this album is over too soon.
Dane Cook Retaliation (2005)-
Another comedy album, but unlike Mitch Hedberg, the jokes wear out after repeat
playing. I got this because Dane Cook
did one of the best stand-up TV specials I’ve ever seen. He was like a wild man, a rock star of a
comedian, like Sam Kinison. I still like him but not as much as I did after
seeing the special.
Irish Rovers Best Of Irish
Rovers (1999)- I had to get this because an old girlfriend used to play it and
I have some nostalgic memories about some of these songs, like The
Unicorn. Besides, everyone needs some
traditional Irish music in their collection.
Johnny Maar Boomslang (2003)-
I liked his work with Electonic but this is sort of bland.
Julee Cruise Voice Of Love
(1993)- More like the typical torch-singer or balladeer, and not the Twin Peaks
style I was hoping for.
Music, The The Music (2003)-
Like Jane’s Addiction with more balls.
Spoon Kill The Moonlight (2002)
Stevie Nicks Trouble In
Shangri-La (2001)- A nice return for Nicks.
Several good songs on here, that sound like Stevie Nicks circa Other
Side Of The Mirror. From the copyright
dates, it looks like some of these had been hanging around since the Fleetwood
Mac years. Don’t know if that’s why they
sound good or if it’s because Stevie has regained her writing talents.
Hopefully a transition to even better future work
Tears For Fears Everybody
Loves A Happy Ending (2004)- I was hesitant when I bought this because most
bands can’t get back together after 20 years and still sound good. Plus, Tears For Fears was never one of my
favorite bands. I usually liked their
stuff but I didn’t normally buy it- they were a radio only band. After hearing these songs though, I went back
to listen to some of their other albums and was amazed to find that I owned
nothing by Tears For Fears except their greatest hits album. If they could make an album this good this
far into their career, how good is their stuff from their peak years? Even when I narrowed down what I liked from
this album so I could put it on my monthly car tape, I ended up with five
songs. What makes me sad is that this is
supposed to be a one shot deal- a kiss-and-make-up album from the two
principals, after years of going their own way.
If the title didn’t make it obvious, many of the lyrics allude to the
temporary nature of the reunion. Either
that or they are commenting on the shortness of mortality. Actually, I think it’s both because although
the songs have a happy sound, they also have an undercurrent of melancholy,
mortality, and bittersweet feeling.
Transcendence Sleep With
You (2003)- Crap. Sometimes I wonder why
I listen to reviews. The only good thing
on this album, and also the only time they aren’t talking about sex and/or
“pussy” is when they abruptly decide to sing about the actress Minnie Driver.
Various Artists Rock
Against Bush, Vol. 1 (2004)- A bunch of artists singing about how bad George
Bush is. All proceeds go towards the
Democratic Party so that they can defeat Bush in the 2004 election. Turns out they didn’t succeed but some of the
music, from Ministry, Sum 41, Offspring, Social Distortion, etc…, is pretty
good.
Wild Orchid Wild Orchid (1996)-
The first band Fergie (Black Eyed Peas)
was in. Generic pop.
Rounding
Out My Collection
Bee Gees Horizontal (1968)
Charlatans Up To Our Hips (1994)
Chris Rea God's Great
Banana Skin (1992)
Daft Punk Human After All (2005)
Duran Duran Rio (1982); Duran
Duran (1981)- The band is even better than I
remember. The first two albums are more
Euro-pop than teenie-bopper pop.
Edie Brickell Volcano (2003)-
Time to give up on her. A one hit
wonder.
Kid Creole & The Coconuts Kiss
Me Before The Light Changes (1994)
Kinks Give The People What
They Want (1999)- It’s time I started listening to more Kinks since several of
the bands this year were copying their formula (Franz Ferdinand, et al). The problem is where to start. There is no authoritative greatest hits
collection and many of their albums are out of print. I’ll just have to pick up CDs as I come
across them cheap.
Mariah Carey # 1s (1998)
Mark O'Connor American
Seasons (2001)
New Order Waiting For The
Siren's Call (2005);
Power, Corruption
& Lies (1983)- I’m done with New Order.
None of the older albums hold up in comparison to their singles and it’s
not worth the cost for the new albums.
Pavement Crooked Rain,
Crooked Rain (1994)- I never listened to Pavement before so I gave them a chance this year. It’s not bad, but I don’t know if it’s good
enough to buy too many more. Maybe I’ll
try one more album. I don’t want to be
ignorant about the heyday of college/alternative rock.
Robert Plant Mighty
Rearranger (2005); Principle Of Moments, The (1983); Dreamland (2002)- I think
I like Plant better than Led Zeppelin.
These albums are awesome, especially Rearranger. I love the Eastern flourishes and
mysticism. The sound is dreamy, erotic
and transcendent.
Rush Hold Your Fire (1987)-
Aimee Mann sings backup on one song.
Sam Phillips Fan Dance (2001)
Soundtrack On Her Majesty's
Secret Service (1969); You Only Live Twice (1967)
Soundtrack Stuart Little (2002)-
It has a Holly Knight song on it, sung by Shawn Colvin.
Various Artists Entertainment
Weekly 80's On Edge (1999)- Free with my renewal. You can never have too many 80’s collections.
Burned A
Copy
Kelly Clarkson Breakaway (2004)-
I, like all of America, love the song Since U Been Gone.
Neutral Milk Hotel In the
Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)- An interesting album, sort of like Wilco or
Modest Mouse in the way they merge multiple styles and have a stream of
consciousness feel.
Stiff Little Fingers Anthology
(2002)- Mike liked a song I burned on one of my Year In Music CDs so he got
this collection, which I borrowed and liked so I then burned a copy. I’ll resist putting it on this year’s CD
since I don’t want to create an endless loop that tears a hole in the
time-space continuum. The band wants to
be the Clash but they fall short of that ambition, naturally. They are good enough though to merit
favorable comparison to other Clash pretenders, like The Alarm or Rage Against
The Machine.
On Thin Ice
Cardigans, The Long Gone
Before Daylight (2002)- I paid to import this CD a couple years ago but naturally
it wasn’t that good. By the time I
properly listened to it, this year, it had come out domestically. It still wouldn’t have justified the
price. I know their hit Love Fool was a
fluke and contrary to most of their other songs, but here is one time where I
wish a band would recycle their hit endlessly.
Kind of like Robert Palmer did with Addicted To Love. At least they could repeat the formula of
their more typical sound, like Favorite Game or Erase/Rewind.
Never Again
Download Effector (2000)- I
have not heard any good solo stuff from former Skinny Puppy members.
I’ve tried several different permutations and
it is all unlistenable crap so I’m giving up.
Rinocerose Music Kills Me (2002)-
I wouldn’t have guessed that this band would decide to record a
Euro-disco album but
unfortunately, it’s too generic to catch my fancy.
Anything by other disco-era bands is better
so why waste my money buying this when I can just play something I already own.
Richard’s 20
Favorite Albums Of 2005
20) Stiff Little
Fingers- Anthology
19) Black Rebel
Motorcycle Club- Take Them On, On Your
Own
18) Therapy?- High
Anxiety
17) Madonna-
Confessions On A Dance Floor
16) Paul McCartney-
Chaos & Creation In The Backyard
15) Stevie Nicks-
Trouble In Paradise
14) Robert Plant-
Mighty Rearranger
13) Modest Mouse- The
Moon & Antarctica
12) Billy Idol-
Devil’s Playground
11) Shakespears
Sister- # 3
10) White Stripes-
Get Behind Me Satan
9) Nine Inch Nails-
With Teeth
8) Mitch Hedberg-
Mitch All Together
7) Juliana
Hatfield- Made In China
6) Heart- Jupiter’s
Darling
5) Tears For Fears-
Everybody Loves A Happy Ending
4) Queen Adreena-
Taxidermy
3) Queen Adreena-
Drink Me
2) Daisy Chainsaw-
…For They Know Not What They Do
1) Queen Adreena-
The Butcher & The Butterfly
Richard’s 10 Most
Disappointing Albums
10) Foo Fighters- In Your Honor
9) Black Eyed Peas-
Monkey Business
8) Bloodhound Gang-
Hefty Fine
7) Nada Surf- The
Weight Is The Gift
6) Jayhawks- Blue Earth
5) The Cardigans-
Long Gone Before Daylight
4) Rinocerose- Music
Kills Me
3) Download-
Effector
2) Aimee Mann- The
Forgotten Arm
1) Michael Penn- Mr.
Hollywood 1947
