Domenica 12 Ott 2008, 14:01
Well, this started off as an easy idea: look at my albums, and decide which one was the best for every year since my year of birth (1987). I guess it kinda took off because when I'm writing about music I can't seem to quit.
I probably should've split this up in multiple journals, but since I was working in Word I didn't get to that. Ah well. A cookie for everyone who manages to read it all. Two cookies for everyone who suggests an album to me.
Final note, this took me 3 days to write and 2 more to add tags, so don’t complain if I made a spelling error somewhere.
1987
The uplift mofo party plan
My choice: The uplift mofo party plan
Runner-up: N/A
Oh crap, not the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Not that they suck, they just uh, well they’re just shit nowadays. As a matter of fact they were shit in ’87. Probably more shit then today. I don’t know if it’s funk or rock or a mix of styles but I know one thing: it’s out of control. And no, that’s not a good thing here. Get off the second spot in my all-time artists, would you? Still, no competition for them at all, so I guess they walk away with the top spot after all. Damnit, why can’t anyone make good music in such a totally awesome year?
My choice: ...and justice for all
Runner-up: N/A
Meh, just one album again. It’s better then the Red Hot Chili Peppers though, but probably not something I would’ve picked if there was any decent competition. Ah well, it has One, so that’s a big bonus.
1989
Disintegration
Doolittle
Mother’s milk
The Stone Roses
My choice: The Stone Roses
Runner-up: Mother’s milk
Yay, we actually get to choose now! The Pixies made a pretty good album, solid but it doesn’t have that little extra for me. Same goes for The Cure; I love their style but it’s just not good enough to take away the top spot.
Which leaves one out of three decent albums the Red Hot Chili Peppers made (hm, John Frusciante joined them first time for this album, I see a connection here), and the epynomous debut of The Stone Roses. And The Stone Roses take the cake here, for having I wanna be adored and She bangs the drums and Waterfall and Made of stone on one album. Now that’s clustered quality!
1990
Twin Peaks soundtrack
Enlightenment
My choice: Twin Peaks soundtrack
Runner-up: Enlightenment
Meh, no choice at all. Both are decent albums at best, so basically I picked the Twin Peaks soundtrack because I love the Twin Peaks theme as well as its vocal version, Falling. And did I mention Laura Palmer’s theme is the definition of creepy tension? If you don’t, go watch Twin Peaks. Now. ‘Cause it’s a whole lot better then it’s music. Or that of Van Morrison, for that matter.
1991
Metallica
Dangerous
Loveless
Nevermind
Ten
Screamadelica
Greatest Hits II
Blood sugar sex magik
Spiderland
Hymns to the silence
My choice: Screamadelica
Runner-up: Loveless
Meh, why couldn’t any of these albums have been released a year earlier or later? They would’ve been serious contenders in both those years, because every album on this list rocks. Besides Greatest Hits II and Hymns to the silence, that is. First, we have two classics: Metallica and Nevermind. I’ve never really been a fan of either of them, but you gotta respect them for changing music as we knew it. At least Nevermind did, Metallica probably just changed the band’s music (in a bad way).
Then there’s Michael Jackson’s final decent album (before he decided it was more fun to mess around with kids then to make good music), the genre-defining Spiderland (say hello to postrock, everyone!) and yet another of the 3 decent albums the Red Hot Chili Peppers made.
And none of those make the grade. That is because the shoegazing classic Loveless is brilliant in its simplicity and Screamadelica is the best mix of dance and rock I’ve ever heard. So yeah, you might now now them…so get to know them, ‘cause they deserve the attention.
My choice: Rage against the machine
Runner-up: N/A
No competition again, but this one actually deserves it. Now that’s a prime example of how to make music driven by emotion. And the album cover is awesome too.
1993
The ultimate experience
Vs.
Siamese dream
My choice: Siamese dream
Runner-up: The ultimate experience
Ah, the Smashing Pumpkins. Now that’s a great example of how to make a good rock album. I love the balance on this one: on one hand they’ve got Cherub Rock, Quiet, Hummer and more guitars-blasting-you-away-goodness, and on the other hand there’s the slower Disarm, Spaceboy and Luna (which is one of the most gorgeous final tracks ever). Heck, even within songs they manage to create perfect balance (Silverfuck).
Oh but wait, there’s actually two more 1993 albums. Right…well, Vs. was a rather bad follow-up to Pearl Jam’s neat debut, Ten, and the Jimi Hendrix album is a collector. Since it’s also the collector which probably has his best songs on it, it takes the second spot. Although the Smashing Pumpkins are miles ahead.
1994
Grace
Sky Valley
Dog man star
My choice: Dog man star
Runner-up: Grace
Tough choice again. Jeff Buckley’s only studio album versus the best album of stonerrock pioneers Kyuss vs. “that britpop band that didn’t get the attention it deserved because Oasis and Blur were constantly throwing mud at each other”. Kyuss is the first to fall: it’s good, but it doesn’t manage to reach the level that their spiritual succesor Queens of the Stone Age did. Still well worth a listen if you like that band.
Then there’s Jeff Buckley. It’s almost like he knew he was gonna die young and decided to just show off everything he had for Grace. He can rock (Eternal life), he can sing a ballad (Hallelujah, move over Leonard Cohen!), he can sing like he’s still in church (Corpus Christi carol), he can frickin’do everything. Such a shame he died too young.
But then there’s Suede. I say The asphalt world, and you should fall in love (or start developing musical taste). Now that’s a song that’ll be high on my list of totally awesome songs. Oh, and did I mention it also has Heroine, New generation, The power, and much more. Matter of fact, I don’t think there’s a bad song on this album. Get over Brett Anderson’s voice, and you’ll fall in love with Suede too.
1995
Different class
One hot minute
Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness
My choice: Different class
Runner-up: Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness
First, let’s discard this Red Hot Chili Peppers album. Because it’s crap (hey, John Frusciante’s gone, I see yet another connection!) and you should skip it and move on to Californication or (prefered option) move back to Mother’s milk or Blood sugar sex magik
Now with that out of the way, let’s start wondering why the Smashing Pumpkins didn’t manage to fill another album with nothing but good rock songs, but instead just mess around a bit. It’s also just too long, there’s definitely some good songs on here (1979 is the one most worth mentioning), but they’re stuck in the middle of a whole lot of mediocre songs. If they would’ve discarded those and just made an single-disc album, it would’ve been so much better.
Not that it would’ve been as good as Different class. Although one has to wonder if good is the right word here. Because Pulp is catchy. That can be good (Michael Jackson) and bad (Panic! At the disco). As you might’ve guessed, it’s a good thing here. Jarvis Cocker & company delivered an underrated britpop cd which sports classics like Common people, Disco 2000 and F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. (now that’s an awesome title for a song). Don’t expect anything totally new or genius or whatever, just expect damn catchy songs with brilliantly sarcastic lyrics.
My choice: Placebo
Runner-up: Ænima
Meh, two albums I didn’t listen too much. I still don’t manage to listen to Tool’s early work too much, because it’s hard to get into. Since Placebo’s a lot easier to get into, it takes the top spot here (but that still doesn’t make it awesome)
1997
The colour and the shape
BBC sessions
Young team
The fat of the land
OK computer
The healing game
My choice: The colour and the shape
Runner-up: The healing game
What? Van Morrison over Radiohead and Led Zeppelin? Yes, because OK computer is one of the most overrated albums in history (start flaming away, fanboys). And Led Zeppelin’s BBC sessions consists of some live stuff, some rarities, a bit of everything really. It fails to deliver as a complete package (why would I want to hear Communication breakdown 3 times on one album?) And Van Morrison, well, he delivers his best album of the ‘90s. It’s nice and raw and sounds like the man’s seen it all (which is probably true, anyway).
Then there’s Mogwai’s first; it’s good postrock but it just can’t live up to the big names in the genre. The Prodigy is something I only play when I’m either pissed or in need of energy so that probably doesn’t justify a nomination either.
And the Foo Fighters, they simply made their best album in 1997. Right in the middle of changing from the grunge that Nirvana left behind (their epynomous debut) to soft rock songs about how badly Dave Grohl misses Kurt Cobain and I don’t know what else (One by one / In your honor), they hit the right mix of both styles. It’s easy going at times (Doll, See you), then it’s pure rock the next second (Monkey wrench, My hero), but most of all, it has some very nice build-up in their songs (especially February stars and New way home). And that’s enough for the top spot in the slightly disappointing year.
1998
Moon safari
In/Casino/Out
Music has the right to children
F# A# ∞
Flaai
In the aeroplane over the sea
Without you I’m nothing
My choice: In the aeroplane over the sea
Runner-up: F# A# ∞
There’s only 3 1998 albums that seriously stand a chance. Moon safari is nice but it’s too much ambient-electronic (awesome going-to-sleep-music though). The exact same thing goes for Music has the right to children, while At the Drive-In is still a tad uncontrolled here. And Neet oét Lottum, I have no idea why I didn’t kick them off my pc yet.
So, Placebo’s second, and in my opinion their best. It has Brian Molko in top form, both in his lyrics and music. It has songs like Pure morning, Brick shithouse and of course Every you every me. It even has a hidden track called Evil dildo. How cool is that?
Well, not cool enough to beat Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s first release. Altough I’m very biased here as they’re my favorite band. You know how metal bands always claim their album to be the “soundtrack to the apocalypse”? They’re wrong: this is. Especially the monologue in opener The dead flag blues is creepingly beautiful. That voice! That perfectly fitting music! It’s absolutely brilliant, but there’s one major flaw to this album, and that’s the lack of true ‘explosions’. There’s a build-up, but there’s no finish. On their other albums, Godspeed You! Black Emperor show they know how to do so. Why not here?
I don’t know, but it gives Neutral Milk Hotel the chance to grab the top spot with an album filled with accoustic songs. Mind you, they miss notes occasionally, and the same goes for Jeff Magnum’s vocals. And it’s exactly that which makes it such a charming record. It’s quick-paced, it sounds like it was recorded in a single take, and it leads to songs like In the aeroplane over the sea, Two-headed boy and Holland, 1945. You won’t hear me complain.
1999
Vaya
The ideal crash
Slow riot for new zero kanada
Come on die young
Showbiz
Greatest Hits III
Californication
Ágætis Byrjun
Back on top
My choice: Slow riot for new zero kanada
Runner-up: The ideal crash
So let’s grab the red pen first again: At the Drive-In is taking a big step in the right direction with Vaya but still isn’t quite there yet, Mogwai’s second is actually a tad worse then their first and thus still can’t keep up with the big names in the genre, Showbiz is a good start for Muse but their style needs some more developing. Greatest Hits III is the worst out of the bunch and Ágætis Byrjun is just plain weird music. It’s like they’re on acid in Iceland and tried to make good postrock but ended up making something that sounded more like long instrumental streched pieces of music with weird vocals. It’s that trippy. Then there’s yet another Van Morrison album, which is rather bad compared to The healing game.
And then there’s Californication. There’s no album I love more and hate more at the same time. It’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ sellout album, but it still has some good songs (although only the first 5 or 6 are actually worth listening, the final 10 or so songs are subpar). Then, on the other hand, it’s the album that pretty much introduced me to music. And it still has the classic opener Around the world, which is so very energetic. And did I mention John Frusciante is back and I see a connection again? Guess I’ll get my sentiments out of the way after all and deny it a medal (although it could get a bronze one, I suppose).
Because there’s dEUS. From Belgium (I know, I was surprised too. We should have bands like that in the Netherlands). You can’t really classify their music because it’s all over the place. But when you have songs like Instant Street (that outtro! Wow!), you deserve attention. And respect for making it big, hailing from Belgium and all.
But we’re not done yet. Because there’s Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s 28:37 masterpiece. 2 songs. Perfection from start to finish. The perfect build-up in Moya (now with an actual explosion, unlike the songs on F# A# ∞), and the very cool idea of adding music to an interview with some kind of manic anti-establishment street preacher in Blaise Bailey Finnegan III. And did I mention the climax of Blaise Bailey Finnegan III is arguably Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s best? It’s not music, it’s something above that.
2000
He has left us alone, but shafts of light sometimes grace the corner of our rooms…
Antony and the Johnsons
How strange, innocence
Bang!
Lift yr. skinny fists like antennas to heaven
Fukd I.D.
Black market music
R
Kid A
My choice: Lift yr. skinny fists like antennas to heaven
Runner-up: R
Getting tired of the Godspeed You! Black Emperor yet? Well, I ain’t. I’m getting tired of A silver Mt. Zion though. Because that stupid sideproject ended up killing Godspeed You! Black Emperor. This is their best album, but it still doesn’t make the grade when compared to the mothership. Ah well. We also have singing transsexual Antony and the Johnsons’s first album, which has the insanely beautiful Cripple and the starfish but lacks more songs of the same caliber. Explosions in the sky’s debut also lacks truly memorable songs, while Bang! is a nice collector, but nothing more then that. Fukd I.D. is a decent first EP of the band who will soon release a true classic, Black market music is a step back from Without you I’m nothing, and Kid A is a weird mix of Radiohead’s original sound with electronic bleeps.
Luckily, Queens of the Stone Age decided it was time for a second album. Good, I could use some decent stonerrock again. And that it delivers, with songs like The lost art of keeping a secret, Auto pilot, Better living through chemistry, and more. They’re really show that they’re growing as a band, a growth which would reach it’s peak on their next album.
But to get bet to where we started in 2000: Godspeed You! Black Emperor. With their second full-length album, they made the definitive postrock album and arguably the best album ever (it’s a coin toss with 2002’s winner). There’s so much beauty on here, it’s hard to imagine. Storm and Static rock, but the real beauty comes in the form of Sleep. The Murray Ostril intro, the build-up, then the explosion with what sounds like a singing saw, and, most of all, the outtro. It’s so very soothing, like someone accepting their faith. I want that outtro at my funeral, that’s how gorgeous it is. Oh, and then there’s still the fourth and last track, Antennas to heaven. Go look it up on Youtube or something and listen the first 7 minutes. All I want to say is 5:32. It’s a musical orgasm, it’s that moment where every single muscle in your body is drawn to the music and you can’t feel anything, or want to feel anything. You just listen and are amazed at how someone could come up with something like that. Gets me everytime. And since that goes for the full album, this takes a very well-deserved top spot.
2001
Born into trouble as the sparks fly upward
Relationship of command
Feel good lost
Those who tell the truth shall die, those who tell the truth shall live forever
Precipitate
Pergola
Origin of symmetry
Vertrokke
Tenacious D
Lateralus
One for the kids
My choice: Relationship of command
Runner-up: Origin of symmetry
Discarding time! A silver Mt. Zion gets kicked for the same reason as the year before, Feel good lost is a very ambient album which doesn’t really fit very well in Broken Social Scene’s discography, and Precipitate is, once again, a decent EP by the band that’s getting closer and closer to the release of a masterpiece. Pergola is a very good Dutch album, but fails to deliver a classic, while Vertrokke still needs to be kicked from my pc. Tenacious D is fun, doesn’t take itself seriously at all, but falls behind in the musical department because of that.
Lateralus is good, bit still a bit hard to get into, and One for the kids is nothing but uncomplicated punk. Which leaves Explosion in the sky’s best album. Postrock built on guitars instead of violins like Godspeed You! Black Emperor does. That makes it a tad worse, but it’s still one of the better bands in the genre, and definitely worth a listen if you like postrock.
However, Muse delivers their classic Origin of symmetry, in my opinion their best album, which manages to find that delicate balance between good rock songs and catchiness. While it’s a tad too easy music in my opinion, it’s undeniably good music.
That also goes for At the Drive-In’s final studio album. They manage to reach that level where they have total control over their music, and that’s a good thing is you’re making emo-punk-core or whatever it’s called. I like to call it Rage against the Machine on speed. You thought Zach de la Rocha sang with emotion? Wait ‘till you here opener Arcarsenal. But it’s not just that, they also manage to make almost ballad-like songs like Non-zero possiblity, and get away with it. It’s the kind of music that gives you energy or makes your anger go away, and earns the top spot for managing to mess with your emotions like that.
2002
Source tags & codes
You forgot it in people
One by one
The end of the beginning
Yanqui U.X.O.
The black EP
Interpol EP
Turn on the bright lights
Songs for the deaf
Spinvis
Yankee hotel foxtrot
The underdog EP
My choice: Turn on the bright lights
Runner-up: You forgot it in people
I hate 2002. Why release 4 awesome albums in one year? First, let’s start kicking stuff out again. The Foo Fighters lose the balance they had before, and make too much ballads in my opinion, God is an Astronaut’s first is nowhere as good as their second, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s final studio album is still very good, but falls behind Slow riot for new zero kanada and Lift yr. skinny fists like antennas to heaven.
Then there’s two EP’s by Interpol which are very good, but not as good as their classic album released in the same year, Spinvis’ dreamy and poetic debut, Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot which fails to deliver an experience you’ll remember, and a rather simple EP by Yellowcard that’s not worth much more then a mention.
The same thing doesn't go for Source tags & codes. It’s a messy album, there’s little structure to be found in the music, but it works. I don’t know how, but it manages to grab you by throwing what seems like totally random pieces of music at you. Thumbs up for that.
Thumbs up for the Queens of the Stone Age as well. They deliver their best album in 2002. Not only is the music great, but the entire concept of a car journey where the radio stations are constantly switched is very refreshing.
However, even they lose out to another slightly random album, You forgot it in people by Broken Social Scene. Dropping the ambient from their debut and trading it in for highly multi-instrumental pieces, they deliver a classic. A beautifully named classic at that, and one that delivers songs like Anthems for a seventeen-year old girl, Almost crimes, Lover’s spit and much more. It’s one of the most underrated bands out there, but there’s a song in here for everyone, trust me.
And then, there’s Turn on the bright lights. I guess I could write a text as long as the Bible about it. First: The new. Best song ever? Probably. Second: PDA. Best outtro ever? Probably. Third: Untitled. Best opener ever? Probably. Fourth: Leif Erikson. Best final track ever? Probably. And then there’s still NYC, Obstacle 1, Say hello to the angels, and all those other tracks. I’ve listened to the album over 200 times and I still find new stuff in it every now and then. If there’s a definition of an album that’ll grow on you, it’ll have the album cover of Turn on the bright lights right next to it in the dictionary.
2003
Thirteenth step
The Arcade Fire
O
Transatlanticism
The earth is not a cold, dead place
Youth & young manhood
How the West was won
De-loused in the comatorium
Absolution
Sleeping with ghosts
Give up
Ocean Avenue
My choice: How the West was won
Runner-up: Give up
Another tough year, with some good albums, and a slightly cheating winner. A Perfect Circle is the not too interesting side project of Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, Transatlanticism is a typical Death Cab for Cutie record, which means great lyrics by Ben Gibbard but slightly lacking in the musical department, and Explosions in the Sky releases a decent but not top-notch postrock album again.
Then there’s Muse’s follow-up to their classic Origin of symmetry, which fails to reach the high standard set by that album and Placebo’s Sleeping with ghosts which is nowhere near the level of Without you I’m nothing (but has a beautiful cover). Ocean Avenue is Yellowcard’s best album, but it’s still pretentionless punk that’s great for listening in between other (read: more complex) albums. The Arcade Fire, finally, has some good songs but is too short and misses a real classic.
That leaves Damien Rice’s first album, on which he displays one of the most awesome voices of our age, and makes brilliant songs like The blower’s daughter and I remember. Very sparse, built around the man’s brilliant voice, and very beautiful.
Beautiful is not the right word for the Kings of Leon’s debut, Youth & young manhood. The word’s raw. Or retro. Or country rock (ok, so that’s two words, sue me). Very different (in a good way!) from their other albums, it’s a mix of blues, rock, country, and sounds very unpolished. Especially the vocals are very different from their later work (try California waiting or Joe’s head).
Then there’s The Mars Volta’s first (lots of debuts this year, huh?). Building on the remnants of At the Drive-In and adding in some Pink Floyd-like progrock, this is by far their best album. Where they tend to stray from the emo/punk path on their next albums and make extraordinary hard-to-get-into progrock instead, the balance is just right here. A bit At the Drive-In and a bit Pink Floyd / Porcupine Tree. Brilliant cocktail.
Talking about brilliant cocktails, how about you try a Give up? The first (and so far, only) album by Ben Gibbard and Dntel’s sideproject The Postal Service, it’s full of easy, electronic popsongs with Ben Gibbard’s always brilliant lyrics (The District sleeps alone tonight is a perfect example of that). The widely known Such great heights is probably the best song here, although all of them stand out for being so easy to listen to without getting boring at all.
And then, I cheated. Kinda. But hey, Led Zeppelin’s live album How the West was won was released in 2003, after all. It may have been recorded in june 1972, but Jimmy Page apparently decided to mix and tweak for over 30 years. A big thanks to him for that, because this is, hands down, the best live album out there. It has Led Zeppelin at their prime (just before the release of Houses of the holy) and features all the classics. ‘Opener’ Immigrant song pulls you right in, Black dog, Since I’ve been loving you and Stairway to heaven are even better live then they are in the studio, and the extended versions of Dazed and confused and Whole lotta love (here called Whole lotta love (medley)) are signs of a band at the top of their game.
2004
Funeral
Rubber factory
Sonic firestorm
Franz Ferdinand
Antics
Hot fuss
Aha shake heartbreak
The essential Michael Jackson
Walking cloud and deep red sky, flag fluttered and the sun shined
By the way
Live in Hyde Park
The runaway found
Contraband
My choice: The runaway found
Runner-up: Funeral
Hm, guess all the bands were so busy releasing good stuff in 2003 that they kinda forgot about 2004. It has some of the better indie debut albums, and well, that’s about it, really. The Black Keys make music very reminiscent of the Kings of Leon’s first, although the execution is more blues then that album (which is more rock). Speaking of the Kings of Leon, their second is very different from their first: it misses the rawness and retro feel and instead sounds like a sellout to the large public. Such a shame.
Dragonforce makes speedmetal so fast it’s hard to believe that that’s actually a human being playing the guitar right there. I like Once in a lifetime, but overall, it’s too much speed and too little substance. The same goes for Hot fuss. Ok, so it has Mr. Brightside, Somebody told me and Smile like you mean it. But the rest of the album is nothing but fillers. Release an EP if you’ve only got a handful of good songs, would you? Franz Ferdinand’s epynomous debut was refreshing at the time of release, but has aged badly because the huge number of guitar bands that followed in their wake, and Interpol’s Antics is a terrible follow-up to their classic debut, opting for lyrics first instead of instruments first.
The essential Michael Jackson is a collector. A good one, mind you, but still a collector and thus not worth a nomination. The Japanese Mono delivers one of the better postrock albums out there, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers make both a studio album (By the way, rather mediocre) and a live album (Live in Hyde Park, not bad at all). Finally, there’s Velvet Revolver which shows all wannabe rock bands how you make a decent rock album. If only they’d shown how to make a good rock album.
Luckily, there are two debuts out there that are worth a closer look. The multi-instrumental Arcade Fire was very refreshing between all the guitar bands out there. I’ve always wondered why you would want to call your album Funeral though. Still, it has songs like Neigbourhood #1 (Tunnels), Rebellion (lies) and Crown of love, so let’s not wonder about the album name for too long, huh?
But then Finn Andrews appeared. Also known as the most gorgeous voice on planet Earth, as well as one of the most talented songwriters, he used The Veils to deliver his brilliance upon us. With his voice and a piano and a violin where you might expect guitars, The Veils are a one of a kind experience. The insanely gorgeous The leavers dance (that’s yet another song I want at my funeral because it’s so damn beautiful), The wild son, Guiding light, The tide that left and never came back, this album has so much classics on it. Only downside is The Valleys of New Orleans. Although it’s scary to compare the lyrics from this 2004 song to the 2005 hurricane, it’s just not in league with the rest of the album.
2005
Horses in the sky
I am a bird now
Silent alarm
Broken Social Scene
E.P. To be you and me
Pocket revolution
The back room
In your honor
You could have it so much better
All is violent, all is bright
Stars of CCTV
Remix
Employment
Frances the mute
Krak
A fever you can’t sweat out
Deadwing
At the soundless down
Dagen van gras, dagen van stro
Illinois
Wolfmother
My choice: All is violent, all is bright
Runner-up: The back room
Damn, too much albums! And so little ones that actually stand out above everything else! A silver Mt. Zion needs to quit and start making music as Godspeed You! Black Emperor again, Bloc Party’s first isn’t bad, but doesn’t stand out either, and Broken Social Scene’s epynomous album and the added E.P. To be you and me are a step down from their 2002 classic You forgot it in people (although Superconnected and Canada vs. America are gorgeous).
The Foo Fighters continue making too much ballads and too little rock, Franz Ferdinand’s second was clearly released too soon after their first, and Hard-Fi is not even worth more then a mention. Then there’s a Remix album by Interpol. A bad remix album, so let’s forget about it real fast. The Kaiser Chiefs and Panic! at the Disco make rather simple party music, The Mars Volta shifts to hard-to-get-into-progrock on the level of Porcupine Tree’s Deadwing. Neet oét Lottum still has no right to be on my pc anymore, Spinvis second isn’s as good as his first, Sufjan Stevens’ makes nice listening songs but that’s it, and Wolfmother is reminiscent of 70’s rock but still needs to tweak their sound.
Phew, we’ve had that. Now for the albums that actually deserve a nomination. dEUS’ Pocket revolution has one of the best album openers ever (Bad timing), but strugges to stay at that level throughout the album. The Red Sparowes are one of the most refreshing new postrock bands, have their own sound, but still need a bit more depth in their music. Antony and the Johnsons’ second has more good songs then their first, a couple of nice collaborations (with Lou Reed (Fistful of love) and Rufus Wainwright (What can I do), for instance), but lacks a classic like Cripple and the starfish was.
The Editors, however, released a classic with their debut. Compared to Joy Division and Interpol (although that’s far-fetched), they have a very dark sound with a slight glimpse of hope. That formula is poured into songs like Lights, Munich Camera, and the beautiful Fall. Too bad their second album is a tad more sommercial than this one.
And then, there’s God is an Astronaut’s second. I like to call it postrock for beginners. The songs are short and full of musical explosions, which makes them much easier to listen too then the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Explosions in the Sky. Mixing rock with Irish traditional music, they create a sound of their own, which leads to excellently built up songs like Fragile, Forever lost and A deafening distance. A good album if you’re starting to explore the postrock genre.
2006
CSS
Inhuman rampage
A moment of stillness
We are not the Infadels
Real life
THX JHN
Amputechture
Black holes and revelations
Meds
Stadium arcadium
10.000 days
Nux vomica
Lights and sounds
My choice: We are not the Infadels
Runner-up: 10.000 days
Once again, little worth a nomination, really. Dragonforce is once again lots of speedy guitars without substance. God is an Astronaut’s A moment of stillness EP is a neat but rather unneccessary spiritual follow-up to All is violent, all is bright and Joan as Police Woman’s first is good but doesn’t manage to be awesome (although the duet with Antony Hegarty, I defy, is a perfect combination of voices).
Then there’s THX JHN, which is once again full of neat pop Beatles-inspired pop songs, but nothing more than that, and another The Mars Volta album on which the progrock doesn’t get any easier to understand. Both Muse and Placebo manage to make a better album then their last, but both also fail to reach the standard of their best albums. The Red Hot Chili Peppers continue the commercialization tour and Yellowcard is still pretentionless (albeit good) punk.
That leaves Cansei de ser sexy, which delivers one of those classic summer-albums. It’s easy to sing along, easy to dance too and just makes you feel like the sun should be shining all over the place. The Veils second is still brilliant (hey, Finn Andrews is still a genius), but the songs are just not as good as those on their debut.
Then there’s Tool. Their other records are slightly hard to get into, but this one grabbed me right away. The riff in Jambi has metal written all over it, the intro of The pot is great, and overall it’s just nice and rough without becoming too difficult.
And then the Infadels. Comparable to Cansei de ser sexy, this is music that’ll make you want to party. It’s the mix of crappy old instruments and perfectly timed stops, rushes, and kicks. And, ladies and gentlemen, this is one band you need to see live. Listening to the album really doesn’t do justice to songs like Can’t get enough, Girl that speaks no words or Murder that sound.
2007
Fractured life
Neon bible
The flying club cup
A weekend in the city
Magic
Structure and cosmetics
An end has a start
All of a sudden I miss everyone
Left side of the brain
Far from refuge
Our love to admire
Live
Because of the times
Oracular spectacular
Fear of a blank planet
Sky blue sky
My choice: Magic
Runner-up: Left side of the brain
Ah, 2007. Not such a good year in my memory. And right I was. The Kings of Leon, The Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Editors and Interpol all release albums that don’t reach the standard of their earlier work (although Interpol’s Our love to admire is definitely better then Antics). Interpol also releases their first live recording, the aptly titled Live EP. It’s not bad, but makes me wonder why they don’t just release a full-length live recording instead of a 6-track EP.
Air Traffic and MGMT (Time to pretend!) are good additions to the evergrowing indie rock genre, while Beirut makes very breakable songs which are beautiful in their own right. The Brunettes also make another good indie rock album, while Wilco’s Sky blue sky’s main claim to fame is the beautiful cover (and the outtro of Impossible Germany). Explosions in the sky and God is an astronaut both slightly change their style on their 2007 albums. For the worse in both cases, unfortunately. Porcupine Tree delivers some very good progrock in 2007, and for once it’s actually an progrock album that’ll suck you in rather fast.
Runner-up Fiction Plane is The Police. Or rather, Sting’s son who makes songs very reminiscent of those his father made. Not that that matters, because those were good songs, and so are Fiction Plane’s: especially It’s a lie and Drink.
However, there’s someone out there who makes even better songs. After years of making crap, The Boss is back. Opener Radio nowhere sucks you right in: it’s speedy and refuses to take it easy at all. Where you’d expect the song to slow down after the chorus, it just keeps going over here. Very powerful, very good opener. Add songs like Gypsy biker, Last to die and the gorgeous Devil’s arcade to that, and you have yourself one helluva comeback album.
2008
13 blues for thirteen moons
Donkey
Vantage point
Hit me TV
Universe in reverse
To survive
Only by the night
The bedlam in goliath
H.a.a.r.p.
A tale of two devils
My choice: Hit me TV
Runner-up: H.a.a.r.p.
Ah, 2008. I was doubting about whether to add it or not, but since I wrote 17 tagged pages already anyway, I figured it didn’t matter anyway. This year brings us another A silver Mt. Zion record: they’re getting a bit better again, but I still want my Godspeed You! Black Emperor back. Cansei de ser sexy’ second sounds rather uninspired and misses that summer feeling their debut had.
The Kings of Leon and The Mars Volta continue making records worse then their others, while Voicst is typically Dutch: it’s rock, but hey, we can’t just make rock because everybody over here has shit taste and won’t buy or music if me make just rock. So we get rock mixed with pop. Works great on some songs, sucks on others. dEUS delivers another album, their most varied one so far. Tom Barman is actually rapping and gets away with it. That’s how big dEUS has become, people. Joan as Police Woman’s second is pretty similar to her first: she has a gorgeous voice but could do so much more with it, while the Infadels’ second is a record that really grows on you: from missing the beat and timing of their debut, to realizing they just found another way to make you jump.
Anyway, the second place here goes to Muse’ live album, H.a.a.r.p.. Muse is a band that’s made to be listened to live. In a stadium. H.a.a.r.p. was recorded live. In frickin’ Wembley Stadium. With songs like Knights of Cydonia and New born on it, I rest my case.
Then we get to the biggest surprise of the year: Hit me TV. Formerly known as Skip the Rush, I ran into these guys when they warmed the crowd up at an Infadels gig. Didn’t think too much of them then, but when I got home and started giving their debut a listen, I slapped myself in the face for walking in when they were already halfway into their set. The absolute classic here is Should we be doing this, although A public thing and The reign of man are also gold. And did I mention they were Dutch? Yes, being Dutch and releasing good music apparently do go together after all! What a soothing thought to close this list with!