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| From | "*Bill Holmes*" <bholmes_fm@msn.com> |
| Subject | Top 25 and... |
| Date | Mon, 17 Jan 2005 23:51:27 -0500 |
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Guess it's time to put a stake in the ground. Hard to believe that Michaal
Carpenter and Bill Lloyd had albums out that didn't crack my top 25. (I
liked them, but they didn't slay me like their prior records). Lord knows
there's another worthy 15-25 underneath this, and I will add comments, but
Mike said 11:59PM and I don'teven cut and paste that fast, let alone type.
As always, a great year for music if you sought it out.
01 Green Day - American Idiot - Reprise
02 Squad Five-O - Late News Breaking - Capitol
03 Finn Brothers - Everyone Is Here - Nettwerk
04 Eric Ambel - Knucklehead - Lakeside Lounge
05 Marah - 20,000 Streets Under The Sky - PHIdelity
06 Forty-Fives - High Life High Volume - Yep Roc
07 Lolas - Something You Oughta Know - JAM
08 Eric Burdon - My Secret Life - SPV
09 Detroit Cobras - Baby - Rough Trade
10 Sahara Hotnights - Kiss And Tell - RCA
11 Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution - Tall Boy
12 Ash - Meltdown - Infectious
13 Graham Parker - Your Country - Bloodshot
14 Farrah - Me Too - Lojinx
15 Muse - Absolution - Taste Media
16 Braden Blake - A Year In Pajamas - Embryo
17 Muffs - Really Really Happy - Five Foot Two
18 Killers - Hot Fuss - Island
19 Rosenbergs - Department Store Girl - Force MP
20 Notorious Cherry Bombs - s/t - Universal
21 Features - Exhibit A - Universal
22 Matthew Sweet - Living Things - Superdeformed/RCAM
23 Eytan Mirsky - Everyone's Having Fun Tonight! - Mirsky Mouse
24 Candy Butchers - Hang On Mike - RPM
25 Muck and the Mires - Beginner's Muck - Amp
OTHER BESTS....
MOVIE: Since I haven't actually seen SIDEWAYS yet I'll have to say ETERNAL
SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND with DOGVILLE as the runner-up - two
incredibly original motion pictures.
TV SHOW: ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, the perfect cast reading the perfect scripts.
Brilliant! Although the single greatest thing on TV this year was Wayne
Brady's guest spot on CHAPPELLE'S SHOW. And kudos to LOST for being
sprawling, interesting and weird.
MUSIC DVD: NY DOLLS LIVE IN LONDON, with Steve Conte playing Johnny Thunders
to Syl Sylvain's Keef, and David Jo making Calista Flockheart well-fed. Lots
of extras plus the great show I never thought could happen. Avoid the live
CD which omits the cover songs to save on royalty payments and squeeze
content to a single disc.
BAND DVD: You may not have heard of Waltham, but in addition to making the
best Rick Springfield album I've heard in years, their documentary/journal
PERMISSION TO FILM is must-viewing for anyone! (Honorable mention - the
hilarious interview segments in Cheap Trick's FROM TOKYO TO YOU)
LABEL OF THE YEAR: Yep Roc. Attracting and nurturing artists has become a
lost art, but whether releasing the albums or distributing them, they're a
safe haven for quality artists. Old school heart in a new school world.
COMEDY CD: David Cross - THAT'S NOT FUNNY.oh yeah, it is! Make the effort to
get onto Cross' wavelength and you will not be sorry - he is amazing.
BLUES CD: Charles Caldwell - REMEMBER ME. Kudos to Fat Possum for capturing
this before it was too late.
TRIBUTE CD: a tie - Not Lame's WHAT A CONCEPT (Teenage Fanclub) and Bullseye
's IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO TODAY (Beatles). I think I like the Fannies' tribute
better than I like the Fannies, and it's a cast of pop all-stars. Bullseye's
ambitious effort (apparently there's a third disc floating around
somewhere!) succeeds where so many have failed by remembering that it's all
about the songs (but kudos for the packaging!)
REISSUE: The Kinks, WE ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY. Nuff
said.
SONG TITLE: Notorious Cherry Bombs doing their best George Jones on "It's
Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long"
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Cactus, FULLY UNLEASHED - a two-cd set that proves that
Jim McCarty is the most underrated guitar god in rock'n'roll (also proven on
BARELY CONTAINED, the two-cd studio sessions)
BOX SET: The Faces, FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR. Nirvana! What all box sets
should aspire to be - a combo of memories, rare stuff and outtakes. Now
where's that Kinks box set?
CONCERT: Little Steven's Garage Festival, and I didn't even have to be there
to know that (left for a college visit tour that day - nice timing, my
daughter.). Of the ones I did see, I'd have to give the slight nod to John
Hiatt at the intimate (and R.I.P.) Montage Grille in Rochester NY over the
majesty of Muse at the Water Street Music Hall (it pays to take your
daughters to all-ages shows sometimes - this band floored me! Thanks,
Lizzie!)
AND...
SHOULDA COULDA ALBUM: Brett Rosenberg, SHOCKTWINS. Some really strong songs
here marred by demo/outtake production. His rock and roll records knock me
out, but this bare bones effort left me wanting more.
DISAPPOINTING ARTIST: Jonny Polonsky. After a couple of brilliant efforts,
he marketed a really lame collection of early material and followed it up
with a lame new release. (Dishonorable mention to Ben Kweller, who set the
OVERRATED CD: For the sheer volume of fawning, Brian Wilson's SMILE. I was
thrilled that he finally gets closure, the playing is phenomenal, but I
prefer the original versions of "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes and Villains"
and don't care for things like "Vegetables" at all. However, for an album
that was hyped to death that I didn't like, it would have to be that
steaming pile of dung that Modest Mouse shat out called GOOD MUSIC FOR
PEOPLE WHO LIKE BAD NEWS. Your mileage may vary. :)
WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: Todd Rundgren's LIARS, perhaps his most lyrically
passionate record in two decades trapped in his unappealing "look ma,
everything is done on computer" production. I really tried to get past the
sonics and couldn't; the tour was even more bizarre. Too bad - I'd love to
hear these songs done differently.
WORST TREND: Reality TV, a repeat winner. How many more televised car wrecks
before people wise up?
WORST BUMMER: It took a Tsunami to beat the Bush/Kerry outcome.
WORST TRAITOR: Carlos Beltran.
WORST EXCUSE: "Acid reflux"
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