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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Eb <ElBroome@earthlink.net> |
| Subject | Re: Eb's Flow + |
| Date | Fri, 14 Feb 2003 23:02:38 -0800 |
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>Scott Miller(?!):
>But there have been several IPO-level releases that floor me even on
>the 400th listen. Cloud Eleven, June
>and Exit Wounds, Owsley, Jason Falkner, Brendan Benson, Greenberry
>Woods/Splitsville... so I don't understand what it takes to register
>a "fantastic" on the Eb meter.
Well, "fantastic" is an awfully strong word. Unlike one or two or 23
other folks on the list, I don't like to throw superlatives around.
But....
I think the Owsley and Falkner records are close to the "fantastic"
level. Author Unknown *is* fantastic (one of this subgenre's very
best), and Owsley's album was #7 or #8 on my list for that year. But
I don't really consider them "IPO-level," because we're talking
major-label action there. Heck, Owsley even received a Grammy
nomination. I haven't heard Cloud Eleven or June & the Exit Wounds,
but I've heard albums by Benson, GBW and Splitsville. Nuh-uh.
Just to semi-answer this "fantastic" question and deflect bogus
charges that I never say anything positive, I scribbled down a list
of my favorite pop records from the last five years. Be advised that
there's a significant difference between "my favorite records" and
"my favorite pop records." This goes without saying...er, right?
There's also a big difference between "pop" and "Audities-style pop,"
but you knew that too.
They're ordered loosely at best, but these 28 discs gave me
significant thrills. As for "fantastic," umm...maybe the top five? I
wouldn't call any of them "IPO-level," though. There might be a few
mutts (Fluid Ounces, the Nevada Bachelors, the Hang Ups..?) in the
secondary list, however.
1. Rufus Wainwright/Rufus Wainwright
2. XTC/Apple Venus Volume 1
3. Elliott Smith/XO
4. Ed Harcourt/Here Be Monsters
5. Elliott Smith/Figure 8
6. Chris Knox/Beat
7. Eels/Daisies of the Galaxy
8. Randy Newman/Bad Love
9. Ben Folds/Rockin' the Suburbs
10. The Strokes/Is This It
11. Liz Phair/whitechocolatespaceegg
12. Quasi/Field Studies
13. The Minus 5/Let the War Against Music Begin
14. Owsley/Owsley
15. Beth Orton/Central Reservation
16. Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach/Painted from Memory
17. Beck/Midnite Vultures
18. Supergrass/Supergrass
19. Belle and Sebastian/If You're Feeling Sinister
20. Black Box Recorder/The Facts of Life
21. Super Furry Animals/Rings Around the World
22. Jason Falkner/Necessity: The 4-Track Years
23. Oasis/The Masterplan
24. REM/Up
25. Kirsty MacColl/Tropical Brainstorm
26. Hot Hot Heat/Make Up the Breakdown
27. Graeme Downes/Hammers and Anvils
28. Guided by Voices/Isolation Drills
These definitely aren't fantastic, but they might land in the second
tier: Badly Drawn Boy (all three albums), Beth Orton/Daybreaker,
Bettie Serveert/Private Suit (looking forward to the new one),
Beulah/When Your Heartstrings Break, Elvis Costello/When I Was Cruel,
Fluid Ounces/In the New Old-Fashioned Way, Jason Falkner/Can You
Still Feel?, Juliana Hatfield/Beautiful Creature, Matthew Sweet/In
Reverse, Nelly Furtado/Whoa, Nelly! (deal with it), Nevada
Bachelors/Hello Jupiter, Of Montreal/The Bedside Drama: A Petite
Tragedy + Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical
Verse + Aldhils Arboretum, Quasi/Featuring "Birds" + The Sword of
God, Robyn Hitchcock/Jewels for Sophia + A Star for Bram, Rufus
Wainwright/Poses, The Soft Boys/Nextdoorland, Soundtrack/Moulin
Rouge, Stephen Malkmus/Stephen Malkmus, The Hang Ups/Second Story,
The Ladybug Transistor/Argyle Heir, The Minders/Cul-de-Sacs & Dead
Ends, The Muffs/Hamburger, Tori Amos/From the Choirgirl Hotel, Velvet
Crush/Free Expression, Wondermints/Bali, XTC/Wasp Star + Homegrown.
Haven't listened to some of these in awhile, so they're too hard to
rank.
By the way, this isn't exactly the first person to pull the "Flow" pun. ;)
Postscript from Popdude:
>I also think---gasp!---that a
>lot of the "IPO bands" are lackluster (and Dave knows
>I think this). The main problem with a lot of them
>is that the songs just aren't there...and if you don't
>have the songs, well...you're dead.
Mmm. And yet, the criticism is soft-pedalled with a weak adjective, a
tactful omission of names and an assurance that DB hasn't been
blindsided. Feather-ruffling avoided, happy circle remains intact.
C'mon John -- name 15 IPO bands who should hang up their guitars and
yeah-yeah's for good. Bonus points for saying why!
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