2003: Ripped, Mixed & Burned
I’ve been meaning to try my hand at music criticism on this site for some time, but every time I get excited enough to sit down and actually write something, I’m poignantly reminded of the old chestnut that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture” (which I was going to attribute to Lester Bangs until I found this).
Fortunately, Rich Thomas, one the regulars at the monthly South Bay Blogger meetups I attend, finally gave me the pretense I needed to get down to business when he challenged readers of his weblog to create a Best of 2003 compilation CD. Here’s my track listing, with annotations…
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Hanging Around
Gemma Hayes
Night on My Side (American Version)I steered clear of Gemma for a long time because I had her pegged as yet another twee female singer/songwriter. It wasn’t until I heard this slickly produced, uptempo rocker—with its primal guitar riff and stripped down garage drumming—that I realized she was more than just a pretty face. A real corker, as they say.
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Teenage Wristband
Twilight Singers
Blackberry BelleIt may disturb some people to hear me say this, but Greg Dulli is one of my heroes, and I think his band, the Afghan Whigs, was one of the most underappreciated acts of its time (having been unfairly and unfortunately lumped in with the “grunge” revolution of the early 1990s). The Whigs broke up in 2001, but fortunately we still have the Twilight Singers, Dulli’s revolving side project, to carry on their work.
“Teenage Wristband” is, in many ways, unrepresentative of the Singers’ latest (mostly down-to-mid-tempo) album, but it’s a wonderfully ecstatic, high-energy single that serves as a showcase for Dulli’s trademark scream (“She said—you wanna go for a RIIIIDE?”).
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Only a Boy
Tim Burgess
I BelieveThe first solo album from the Charlatans frontman isn’t exactly up to the high standards of his band’s last few releases, but it is a pleasant enough disc, and it resonates particularly strongly with me right now as an overtly Californian album (Tim having recently left dear old blighty for the balmier climes of Los Angeles).
This song, which continues Burgess’ recent flirtation with a Curtis Mayfield-ian falsetto, is a breezily upbeat affair complete with a beautiful bass tone, snazzy acoustic rhythm playing, and even a vibraphone solo for good measure. It’s the sort of song that sounds absolutely wonderful on a good car stereo.
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Venus and Serena
Super Furry Animals
Phantom PowerThe brilliant title alone was enough to propel this song (about a boy and his pet turtles—not the famous tennis-playing siblings) to the top of my playlist, but it was the Animals’ ideosyncratic, mildly subversive pop sensibility that kept it there. Best part: the rising, Beach Boys-esque refrain (“Venus and Serena understand”). I defy anyone to resist harmonizing along with that!
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A Magazine Called Sunset
Wilco
More Like the Moon EPWilco didn’t produce an album proper in 2003, but they did do something else that was even cooler: they released an EP online (in both MP3 and AAC format). This sunny little number, which had been a favorite of mine ever since I heard it in the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, was part of the package.
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If She Wants Me
Belle & Sebastian
Dear Catastrophe WaitressIt took me a long time to get into Belle & Sebastian (especially considering I’m normally such a fan of all things British), but thanks to co-worker Ammon Skidmore, their album Dear Catastrophe Waitress has rapidly become one of my favorites this year.
“If She Wants Me” is a particularly lovely bit of pristene Tropicalia that I never seem to tire of.
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On the Streets Tonight
Shack
Here’s Tom with the WeatherI’m rather proud of myself for being a fan of Shack, since they’re not even very well-known in their native UK. Devotees of jangly 60s pop (think Love and the Byrds), they probably peaked with the extremely highly regarded Waterpistol album, but have nonetheless turned out several excellent albums since.
For Shack, it’s all about melody, and nowhere is that more evident than in the vaguely Latin “On the Streets Tonight.”
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When You’re Next to Me
Mitch & Mickey
A Mighty Wind (Soundtrack)I bought the A Mighty Wind soundtrack before the movie was even out, and was gleefully anticipating an album full of Spinal Tap-esque satire. You can imagine my surprise, then, when I found out it actually contained songs like “When You’re Next to Me”—a beautiful, completely sincere, number performed by the nerdy dad from American Pie! Whatever disappointment I might have had faded quickly, however, as I learned to appreciate the Mighty Wind songs for what they were: authentic 60s folk tunes to rival the likes of the Kingston Trio and Simon & Garfunkel.
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Jamaican Rum Rhumba
Clientele
The Violet HourContinuing the folk rock streak, we come to the Clientele’s rendition of “Jamaican Rum Rhumba,” a traditional guitar instrumental. The Clientele’s stock in trade is definitely mood, and I include them at this point in order to switch gears from the upbeat first half of my compilation to the more downbeat second half.
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On the Way to the Club
Blur
Think Tank
It’s often surprising to see which party ends up better off in a band’s “divorce,” and Blur is no exception. I always thought indie guitar hero Graham Coxon was the genius of the band, but, judging from Think Tank (Blur’s first album after his departure) it was really singer Damon Albarn all along!
Think Tank continues the latter day Blur’s movement toward less cyncical, more downbeat and emotional music, and “On the Way to the Club,” a sparse drum-machine-and-synth composition whose electronic chill is brilliantly counterbalanced by a wistful melody, is a perfect example of the band’s affecting new sound.
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Reign
UNKLE
Never Never LandI could have picked almost any song from
Never Never Land for this compilation—it’s just that good. I chose “Reign” partly because I’ve been a loyal fan of its guest vocalist, Ian Brown, ever since his days in the Stone Roses, and partly because it’s the best fit for this playlist.Brown’s famous foghorn voice (and thick Mancunian accent) can be an acquired taste, but I think it works well against the backdrop of “Reign’s” gusty strings.
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There There
Radiohead
Hail to the ThiefThis is probably my song of the year. I think it’s one of the best examples I’ve ever heard of the use of musical tension to involve the listener. The song spends much of its time in harmonically unsettling territory, backed by a plodding, tribal beat, but periodically (and very effectively) resolves itself into the more hopeful, major key chorus (“Just cause you feel it doesn’t mean it’s there”), until finally diving into a chaotic finale. Where much of Radiohead’s music is aimed squarely your head, this song also appeals very effectively to the heart.
As an added bonus, it sounds incredible live (with almost the entire band playing percussion at times) and has a neat, “Wind in the Willows”-esque video.
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Small Time Shot Away
Massive Attack
100th Window
Massive Attack’s latest album seems to have been a big disappointment to a lot of critics and fans—and how could it not be given the illustrious reputation of Blue Lines and Mezzanine—but I liked it well enough. For me, “Small Time Shot Away” is the album’s standout track: an icy, ethereal, downbeat groove with vocals barely above a whisper. I often listen to it while I’m drifting off to sleep (as the song’s lyrics say, “it’s my favorite chloroform.”).
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Alone in Kyoto
Air
Lost in Translation (Soundtrack)Air’s plaintive East/West fusion is easily the best song on the Lost in Translation soundtrack, and a perfect musical summation of the movie’s themes. Excellent for quiet contemplation.
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Lord Let It Rain on Me
Spiritualized
Amazing GraceI think it says something that about Spiritualized mastermind Jason Pierce that even when he records a “stripped down, back to basics” album (which is how Amazing Grace was billed) it involves a gospel choir. While Pierce’s latest, “garage” effort isn’t always up to the standards of the more grandiose Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space and Let It Come Down, it does contain a few gems. “Lord Let It Rain on Me,” in particular, is as soulful and sonically well-crafted as anything in the Spiritualized catalog.
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Stop
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Take Them on, on Your Own
For my big finish, I offer Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s garage rock masterpiece “Stop.” Some may dismiss BRMC as Creation Records-obsessed throwbacks, but in that respect they’re men after my own heart. And really—I defy even the snottiest Pitchfork critic to hear that bassline—that wonderful, wonderful bassline—and not feel the urge to bounce around the room or smash a guitar or something. Truly, rock and roll as it was meant to be!