Tag: best of

Rooty vs. Read My Lips: A Tale of Two Dance Records

by KevinLeave a Comment on Rooty vs. Read My Lips: A Tale of Two Dance Records

Best Record of 2001: Day 24- Basement Jaxx vs. Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Rooty by Basement Jaxx as it faces off against Read My Lips from Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Basement Jaxx- Rooty

I’m gonna carbon-date myself here, but there used to be a time when you could buy ringtones for your phone. There was a whole-ass marketplace that sprung up selling (first) 8-bit interpretations of these, and then actual clips of songs or sounds themselves for your flip phone. Was this legal? Beats me, but 25 years ago this was cutting-edge stuff. I did this exactly twice: one was for “One Step Beyond” by Madness and was relatively short-lived. That was replaced by Basement Jaxx’s “Where’s Your Head At?” and it stayed until I got rid of the phone.

Let’s get that one out of the way first: it’s still catchy AF, sounds as good in the club as it does coming out of your car speakers (or phone), etc. Oh, and it samples not one, but two Gary Numan songs. So yeah, 11/10. No notes.

For those that don’t know: this is my kind of house. Think more big, bouncy beats and less bleep-bloop type stuff. It’s usually right in the pocket BPM-wise, and if there’s any sampling, it over-indexes on soul, early R&B, or disco. In other words, it sounds like it’s coming from the future but with a ton of retro pop flavor. That’s some serious dissonance, but when it works, it works.

That’s a good chunk of this record—specifically “Where’s Your Head At,” “Jus 1 Kiss,” and “Get Me Off.” “Do Your Thing” is a little acid house with a really cool jazzy piano and vocal that will remind you of Moby before he decided to double down on being weird (in the studio and real life). Those four alone should be enough to get this through to round two.

Other tracks are a little too chopped up for my taste (looking at you, “Crazy Girl”), but zooming out, I get why people dig them.

And just when you think Rooty can do no wrong, we… get interludes. For those that don’t know, these are one of my pet peeves. I know this was still the early days of CDs, and artists/labels felt like they had to fill that space to justify the extra cost, but no one wanted these. There’s no value add in tracks like “Kissalude” or “Freakalude” other than juicing the track count. These mar what is otherwise a killer record.

I know they usually wipe phones before reselling them, but I’d like to think they missed this with mine and someone, in some corner of the world, charged it up, got it ready to go, and then had their mind blown on that first incoming phone call.

Sophie Eliis-Bextor- Read My Lips

One of the knocks against Basement Jaxx is that they tried to be too much and delved into too many genres. One of the knocks against Read My Lips is that it doesn’t go far enough. Fair enough. This record is solid, if unremarkable, dance pop. It’s the sort of thing you’d hear in the lobby of a downtown Marriott. It’s energetic but never distracting. I will say that I was stoked to see Gregg Alexander had his hand in this record. The New Radicals frontman’s second life as a writer/producer doesn’t get nearly enough attention. Also, “Move This Mountain” has bells in it—something that’s almost always a plus in my book.

I sometimes like to read reviews while giving a record a first pass, and I’ve gotta say I was surprised at how widely this was panned. To hear some of these tell it, Read My Lips was an affront to humanity. Ellis-Bextor already had a solid résumé before going into the studio and more than once had been tabloid fodder. I wonder if some of this was a bit of tall poppy syndrome? I will say that in isolation, each of the tracks is solid. Ten in a row, though, and they start running together. I can’t help but think that if these had been released as 12” singles, the overall reception might’ve been more positive.

At any rate, it’s very much a 2001 dance-pop record—the sort of thing Kylie Minogue (and everyone else) was making at the time after that last wave of SAW records passed through. Ellis-Bextor has a fantastic voice that carries a lot of the load here. This is the sort of record I might put on at work to keep things moving but wouldn’t mind missing a lyric or two if the phone rang or we got a blitz of teletype messages.

If they set out to make a record that people would regard as “pleasant,” mission accomplished.

Note: looks like this was reissued for this year’s Record Store Day as an “RSD First” release, featuring exclusive voice recordings incorporated throughout the album, plus rare bonus tracks and reimagined artwork. Releasing exclusively as part of Record Store Day 2026 on a limited edition red transparent glitter 2LP, each copy will be numbered and housed in a single sleeve with reimagined album cover art, plus printed inner bags featuring new unseen imagery compared to previous reissues. Okay, then.

Bottom Line:
On a surface level, both are dance records for different audiences—one very much high-sheen and one a little grittier. But only one sticks with you long after the record is over. Basement Jaxx it is.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Dylan vs. Wu-Tang: Love and Theft Takes on Iron Flag

by KevinLeave a Comment on Dylan vs. Wu-Tang: Love and Theft Takes on Iron Flag

Best Record of 2001: Day 23

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Love and Theft by Bob Dylan as it faces off against Wu Tang Clan’s Iron Flag LP.

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challenge and noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Bob Dylan- Love and Theft

The last bracket challenge was for 89, and, of course, there was a Dylan record that year, which meant it would get nominated and be voted in. It was seeded at #66, which struck me as a bit low, but that speaks to the voting bloc demographics more than anything (add 10-12 years on and I guarantee that number’s somewhere in the teens).

Anyway, in the interest of putting my priors on the table early, here’s what I wrote then, and 10 months on, it still rings true:

I know that no matter what I write, no matter how many angels sing, I will get at least one reply telling me that it wasn’t enough, that I hadn’t quite prostrated myself correctly at the feet of Dylan. And how dare I?

There will invariably be some invective telling me to go F myself as well. Which, ok. I mean, I get it. This is a man people love dearly. He could read the phone book, and someone, somewhere, would laud it. Someone else would pore over the lyrics with a Talmudic intensity, searching for hidden meaning from our Minnesota magi.

I am not one of those people.

I can respect the love people have for him. I find his influence on music and pop culture interesting. But I have to be in the mood—I mean, really in the mood—to hear some Dylan, and even then, it’s limited to small doses. My runaway favorite song is this version of “Jokerman,” and most of that is because he’s playing with The Plugz.

If you ever want to summon a certain cohort of music fans, do a Top 100 of all time and leave Bob Dylan off the list. You don’t even have to go that far; your partner can submit one on his own, and you simply have to offer insufficient tribute. Highway 61 Revisited is…fine. I said what I said.

I think part of the allure is that it’s Dylan; you’re just supposed to like him. Whether you actually do or not is a different story. For older fans, I think it’s so representative of their formative years that they’re willing to overlook just about anything (you know, like his voice). And that’s fine! We like what we like. And mortality is a helluva drug. My contention is that in 10-15 years, I’ll ramble on too long about New Order or some ‘91-era band and get a comment about getting back to the home. Whatever.

What you should know is that by the time Oh Mercy ended, I’d had a small change of heart. nothing to shift my overall stance, but it wasn’t awful. It’s all relative, but I’d say the same for Love and Theft, too. These are the early days of Dylan’s current phase, and Love and Theft feels like he’s… having fun? What would the radicals-turned-stockbrokers think of that? Nothing’s gonna dethrone the version of Jokerman I mentioned above, but man, did Lonesome Day Blues and Mississippi come close. The former is noisy and fun, and the latter’s a mid-tempo rocker. There’s some swing (”Summer Days”) on here, but I’m willing to overlook it as having been caught up in the (regrettable) fad of the era. I like the overall blues-y direction this one takes. It feels effortless and easy.

See ya in my inbox.

Wu-Tang Clan- Iron Flag

Wu Tang is for the children, but this record is not for me. These are some of the best to ever do it, but this record feels like they’re going in 9 different directions. Props for the Flavor Flav guest spot, but not even he could save some of these joints. “Da Glock” is an absolute clunker. That said, it is Wu-Tang, and when they’re good? Godamn, they’re good. Check out “Y’All Been Warned” and “Radioactive” for a little bit of what makes’ em so lethal.

Bottom Line:

My bracket pick say Wu-Tang, but Lord have mercy, I’m voting for Dylan here. Who even am I anymore?

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Old 97’s and The Knife: Two (Very) Pleasant Surprises

by KevinLeave a Comment on Old 97’s and The Knife: Two (Very) Pleasant Surprises

Best Record of 2001: Day 22

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Satellite Rides by Old 97s as it squares off against the self-titled debut from The Knife.

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Old 97’s- Satellite Rides

Thought for sure this would be one of those records where I’d know a track when I heard it, but no dice.

Rhett Miller strikes me as a poppier version of John Hiatt and a less sarcastic version of Paul Westerberg. The kind of guy who’s a bit of a wiseass (or asshole) on the surface, but is also somehow the first one over the table to defend you. My hometown was lousy with this sort of guy — they just weren’t singing about it. Maybe he hasn’t seen as much yet? You can see a world-weariness looming on the horizon, but it’s not quite at the door.

In the meantime, we get uber-catchy pop rock with some country and just enough Americana to keep everyone honest. The lyrics take layered looks at the people in the songs and the human condition overall. It’s a record that evokes scenes of surfing the dial while driving across Texas, and like that dial, the album has a little something for everyone. Want pop rock? “Rollercoaster Skinny” is just what the doctor ordered. Want to slow it down just a touch? “Buick City Complex” is right next door. Need a little twang? They’ve got you. Want some earnest, “I’m being serious for once” type stuff? Can’t go wrong with “Question” and “Am I Too Late” (it’s twangy AF, but with heavy lyrics).

I didn’t do any kind of research, but I suspect a lot of dudes in my demographic used “Question” as a pillar in marriage proposals. “Am I Too Late” is what happens when you don’t say what you want until it’s way too late. Regrets? Miller’s had a few. But at least we got an upbeat song out of it.

Tell someone how you feel today. And if it goes sideways? Well, at least you can say you did it. And there’s plenty of rockers on here to soundtrack your escape out of town. If it goes great? Maybe you can spin up a proposal using “Question.”

This is way catchier than I bargained for. It grew on me quickly, and lord help me, it’s a goddamn delight. Am I… am I an Old 97’s fan now? One record does not a discography make, but we’re off to a good start. It’s radio-friendly, with just the right amount of mesquite flavoring. Perfect for your next drive to Champaign or for filling the roadhouse jukebox.

The Knife- S/T

I like Fever Ray (“Even It Out” is my hipster pick for favorite Halloween song — you can only go with Ministry so many times!), but in limited doses. I think I’d like it more if I still got high.

I’d totally spaced that The Knife was Karin Dreijer’s earlier project with her brother Olof. There is something compelling about her vocals — whether in Röyksopp, as Fever Ray, or here. It’s novel, but not a novelty. I hope that makes as much sense on the page as it does in my head. It’s the same pull that Björk grabs me with.

On a track like “I Just Had to Die,” you’d be excused for thinking you’d popped Post in the tray by mistake. Doubly so for “I Take Time,” though that leans more toward a Björk/Flock of Seagulls mash-up. Something I’d definitely search the web for if high enough.

At any rate, couple all of that with a raw, gritty synth sound and you get the gist of this record. If you like that sort of thing, “Kino” will be a highlight. Dig a little chiptune? There’s some of that on here, too (“Zapata”). This record might be old enough to rent a car, but it somehow still sounds like it’s coming from the future. It’s a little delirious, but unapologetically so, and we’re better for it.

Bottom Line:
Both of these were pleasant surprises and a nice blast of color after wading through all kinds of beige indie rock over the last few matchups. My bracket tells me I gave Old 97’s the nod, likely on name recognition, but my vote? Man, I didn’t know. It’s going to be a game-time decision, I think.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Takeoffs, Landings, and the End of the Joke

by KevinLeave a Comment on Takeoffs, Landings, and the End of the Joke

Best Record of 2001: Day 21- Rilo Kiley vs. Blink 182

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Rilo Kiley’s Takeoffs and Landings as it faces off against Blink-182’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.

Takeoffs and Landings vs. Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. There’s a joke in there somewhere…

Listening to Rilo Kiley’s 2004 track “Portions for Foxes,” it’s hard to believe how much difference just three years makes. It’s loud, full of bombast, and chock full of whatever it is that makes self-defined “music people” stroke their chins and nod approvingly. Whatever. It’s just a great song.

That sort of thing is nowhere to be found on Takeoffs & Landings. Following a well-received EP, this was their shot at showing the world who they were and what they could do. And at the time, what they could apparently do was the same sort of purpose-built-for-coffee-shops stuff a lot of other bands were doing.

I once made a glib remark that “indie folk” was the most overused term in PR circles, with seemingly everyone using it to describe the release they were shopping. What I have in mind when I think of indie folk is a track like opener “Go Ahead,” with its fingerpicked guitar and twee lyrics. It’s upbeat enough, I guess, with lines like but they’ve always struck me as too clever by half.

If you know me, you know I’m an avgeek, so I’ll take any aviation reference I can get. Title aside, the line “Sometimes, planes, they crash up in the sky/ Sometimes, lonely hearts, they just get lonelier” on “Wires and Waves” is a helluva couplet, if horribly timed. “Science vs. Romance” is the best track here. I know the band caught flak for playing it on Dawson’s Creek, but hey—might as well shoot your shot, right? And besides; it’s not like other bands weren’t doing it at the time. Maybe that was the idea being passed around PR circles back then.

The idea of escape feels like it’s hovering over the whole record, but it’s hard to buy Lewis & co. as truly going through it. What we get instead feels like their idea of what that might sound like. Unfair, maybe—but it’s hard to ignore, especially knowing what came after. Compared to later records, there’s a lack of firepower here, a more subdued approach. It’s not bad, and it’s not boring. It just feels…not quite there yet.

Maybe it’s first-record jitters. Maybe they hadn’t fully hit their stride. It is, after all, the start of a really solid three-year run. Either way, this feels like one that could’ve stayed in the hangar a little longer. That said: “Science vs. Romance” → “Wires and Waves” → “Pictures of Success” is a fantastic three-track run. If only the whole record kept that momentum…

If Takeoffs and Landings is the start of a run for Rilo Kiley, TOYPAJ (I will never not use this acronym) is the end of one for Blink-182—or at least the end of the beginning. Dude Ranch → Enema of the State → this—that’s basically the band’s whole early arc: novelty, hitting their stride, hearing the joke one too many times.

The good news is there’s no real drop-off from Enema. If anything, it holds steady. But the writing’s on the wall. For as insufferable as self-serious indie writers can be, frat-boy heroes have their own expiration date.

It’s probably better to think of this as a transition record. Can a band built on pop punk and porn star cover art pivot to something heavier? Maybe. Yeah, actually. But they’re not there yet. TOYPAJ sits right at that inflection point, balancing the juvenile stuff with some genuinely solid writing. And it helps that it’s all delivered in family-sized, hooky doses of pop punk.

There’s still room for the raunchy jokes (see also: “Happy Holidays, You Bastard”), and making that kind of thing work is harder than it looks. Even if the joke’s wearing thin, they’ve still got some runway left.

Earlier this week I quipped on Bluesky that I never thought I’d write “Blink-182 will be a refreshing change.” I was only half-joking—but after a couple more listens, I stand by it. TOYPAJ might not be regarded as a “timeless classic” in most circles, but outside those gates, it still hits.

Bottom Line:
The easy point to make here is that this comes down to taste. Do you like loud rowdy sounds, or do you prefer a more twee experience? I think one’s answer will depend a lot of their age. “What’s My Age Again,” amirite?

Put another way, I think anyone who had aged out of things like the Warped Tour by ‘01 will land solidly on the side of Jenny Lewis & co., where as a younger cohort— and I don’t think it takes all that great of divide; maybe just a few years?— will remember Blink-182 a lot more fondly. As for me, I’m not a fan of getting older (So this is growing up), but I am solidly in the former camp. Rilo Kiley it is…

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Messy Over Monotone: The Microphones vs. Elbow (2001)

by KevinLeave a Comment on Messy Over Monotone: The Microphones vs. Elbow (2001)

Best Record of 2001: Day 20

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Elbow’s Asleep in the Back as it faces off against The Glow Pt. 2 from The Microphones.

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challenge and noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Elbow-Asleep in the Back

My notes have all of two lines on them:

  1. Why this band name?
  2. Debut record.

I should’ve added a third: I was very surprised to see they have almost 1M monthly listeners. How have I never heard of them?! Part of it again has to do with where I was in May of ‘01. My (now) wife was winding down her time on the corporate hamster wheel and looking to try something—anything—new. I was getting ready to start what was supposed to be a 4-month temporary position back home in Portland. Lots of packing, paring down, and gearing up. A debut record from a band with an offbeat name just wasn’t in the cards…

“Any Day Now” kicks things off low-key. There’s a really solid bassline groove, but a lot of layered vocals, which I don’t seem to have much patience for these days. Okay, so not the best of starts, but it is strangely infectious.

“Little Beast” has that same creeping uncomfortableness that Portishead made famous with “Sour Times.” Is it a pop song? Is it soundtracking a spy movie? Why not both? 4+ minutes is about 90 seconds too long, and that leads to my biggest gripe about this record.

We’ve talked about “sameness” before in this series. Not the worst thing in the world, but it’s a hurdle that keeps a lot of okay records from being good ones. Asleep in the Back doubles down on that, and each song is about a minute too long, but they’re also roughly the same. Look, I’m not expecting a metal song in the middle or anything. No one in Elbow needs to rap (seriously, please don’t do that), but a little mixing it up would go a long way. There are a couple of exceptions, but really, the only variety here is the placement of frontman Guy Garvey’s vocals in the mix. Sometimes he’s right up front, and sometimes he’s further back. I’ll carve out worthy exceptions for “Bitten by the Tailfly,” featuring bursts of jagged guitar hooks, and “Newborn,” which bursts into something really atmospheric…except we have to wait almost 6 minutes to get there. Otherwise, this is 61 minutes of what is often diplomatically referred to as “brooding,” “melancholy,” or intense.”

Doing some reading ahead of this, I saw that they were a live band for some time before heading into the studio. I can absolutely see an Elbow concert as being an incredible experience. A lot of bands are good in the booth, only to see it translate poorly on stage. Elbow strikes me as betting the other way. If only we were reviewing concerts instead of records! These days, Radiohead has cornered this market, but Asleep in the Back certainly gives ‘em a run for their money.

Highlights: Any Day Now, Bitten by the Tailfly, Asleep in the Back

The Microphones- The Glow, Pt. 2

On paper, this is a record I should like. They’re on K records→ It’s Calvin Johnson’s label→ I like Beat happening!→ They’re from Olympia.→ Some of the best bands and the best shows I’ve ever seen have taken place right there in Washington’s capital city.

And to be fair, I do… in parts. There are fleeting moments in songs that very much pull you in. A couple of times, I found myself thinking, “This is peak Olympia” (not derogatory). But while Asleep in the Back was held back by its sameness, The Glow Pt 2 is held back by its variety. It’s all over the map. Also, for some reason, the sort of nasally vowels made famous by Isaac Brock were in vogue here for a while. At times, singer Phil Eleverum reminds me of Stephen Malkmus. Other times, it models the worst parts of Brock’s. Johnson’s voice was a million miles away from both. Why didn’t he say something?! Look, I get that cities like this foster creativity in all kinds of ways, but that doesn’t mean you have to try to squish them all into one song, or even onto one record. This project excels at lo-fi sounds. There’s no reason for MBV-esque walls of distortion to pop up like thunderclouds on this thing. The Glow Pt. 2 is magnificent in parts and grating in others.

Highlights: I Want Wind to Blow, The Moon, I Felt Your Shape.

Bottom Line:

This comes down to choosing a wide palette of colors over a more monochromatic one. Variety is the spice of life and all that, I guess. The record cover looks like the sort of sticker I’d put on my car. Plus, The Microphones are from the PacNw, and like we saw yesterday, I’m not above factoring that into the equation… The Glow Pt. 2 it is.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

The Best Record of 2001: Day 19

by KevinLeave a Comment on The Best Record of 2001: Day 19

Built to Spill vs. Mercury Rev

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Built to Spill’s Ancient Melodies of the Future as it takes on All is Dream by Mercury Rev.

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challenge and noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

At one point during Riot Fest, I posted a screenshot of Sunday’s lineup to IG with the caption “please help.” The dinnertime choice was a 3-way tie between Dinosaur Jr, Best Coast, and TVOTR. The night would end with Jawbreaker’s reunion, an incredible moment I feel lucky to have been a part of. The day had kicked off with an early afternoon set from That Dog (killed it) and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (meh, but it was hot, and they still insisted on wearing suits. Who could blame ‘em?!). Anyway, in between all of that, Built to Spill was slated to play. The latest in many, many opportunities we’d had to see them over the years. We chose to…go get something to eat instead. I say this not as a dig against the band, but to set the stage (sorrynotsorry) for my relationship with them. They’ve always been sorta in my orbit, but never really grabbed me the way they did other friends in my circle. I thought having a specific reason to listen would pull me in where other circumstances have failed. Dear reader, this did not happen. I kept waiting for a lightning bolt of revelation to strike. I’m still waiting.

A record should grab you by the collar and make you gin up excuses to put off whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing. For this match (both records, really), I kept finding reasons to stall playing them.

Part of this, I think, is that 2001 itself was such a weird era for me, life-wise. Weird in a good way, but one almost utterly bereft of any new music discovery or going to shows. Along with that, both Built to Spill and Mercury Rev were “bigger” in an era when I was looking the other way. My diet was a lot of synthpop, some industrial (see also: the trifecta of Ministry, NIN, and New Order, back-to-back on Friday), and then 80s college radio staples like The Replacements and REM. Keep It Like a Secret and Carry the Zero were already in the rearview mirror, and I hadn’t even turned the radio on.

Mercury Rev was the sort of fever-dreamy music usually enjoyed by people with big thoughts and who wrote think-pieces. Which is to say I find it exhausting. There are some strings, and it’s symphonic, but it all strikes me as a try-hard version of The Flaming Lips. I hate punching down (there’s no glory in emulating early era pitchfork), but this sort of overwrought, overbuilt material has always struck me as unnecessary. And I’m someone who likes symphonic and melodic (see also: New Order above). Maybe I should have done more hallucinogens. My biggest takeaway from All Is Dream is that I’m happy I was on the clock while listening to it.

Ancient Melodies of the Future is…fine. I will say that “Strange” is a killer track, and while listening (okay, 3x in a row), I wondered if I’d been mistaken for overlooking them all these years. “Fly Around Little Miss” is pretty good, too! Had it come out a few months earlier, I could very easily see myself singing along to it as I drove cross-country back to Portland. I found “In Your Mind” relaxing (?). Maybe not the best adjective for a record beloved by hipsters the world over. So be it. The rest, though? Just sorta went by in a blur. And in the end, we’re right back to where we started. Enjoyable enough record. Solid even. A couple of highlights I’m glad I found. But nothing compelling enough to stall getting work done or even going to get something to eat—I decided to go to lunch before playing it. Long live Doug Martsch, and good on him for being one of Boise’s best exports. Maybe one day I’ll get it, but today’s not that day.

Bottom Line:
Went with Built to Spill on the strength of “Strange,” and they’re being (more or less) a PacNW band.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

The Best Record of 2001: Day 17

by KevinLeave a Comment on The Best Record of 2001: Day 17

Aphex Twin vs. Muse

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Drukqs by Aphex twin as it takes on Muse’s Origin of Symmetry.

Aphex Twin- Drukqs

As a teenager, I once read a Flipside review where the writer said they couldn’t get into the record because they couldn’t get past the stupid title. That’s a fair, if a bit harsh, point. It’s also one that I apparently agree with, since I’ve abided by that same rule most of my life. And when I say this, I don’t mean ones that are abstract, or that may point to a joke I’m not in on. I mean abjectly dumb titles- ones that go out of their way to be “incorrect.”

And here we come to Aphex Twin’s Drukqs. WTF am I supposed to infer here? Drug use? J’Accuse? I dunno, and frankly, I don’t have time to worry about it ‘cause almost all of the titles follow this same bizarre nomenclature.

Bbydhyonchord? Vordhosbn? Cock/ver10?!

C’mon.

Titles aside, the music is standard-issue Aphex Twin: some attempts at new-age or even ambient sounds over a hyperbeat, usually set to, like, 684 BPM. Fun for about one song. Two max. Anything after that feels like I’m listening to a strobe light while on a bad trip. Maybe that’s the point? Maybe it really is all a joke that people like me aren’t supposed to get?

I dunno. But bad titles, 30 songs that are repetitive to a fault, and an almost 2-hour run time are a bridge too far. Is there a record review equivalent to “this could’ve been an email”? ‘Cause this could’ve been an EP…Maybe.

Muse- Origin of Symmetry

If Drukqs is peak claustrophobia, Origin of Symmetry is peak “open.” It is garish, bombastic, and over-the-top in all the best ways. It’s what we keep saying we want from our rock stars! If a metal band ever decided to do a Broadway show, it might sound like this. Queen walked so Muse could run. Freddie Mercury was the consummate showman. Michael Bellamy clearly took notes in class, while his contemporaries like Chris Martin did not. And it shows.

There’s a dip in quality on the back side of the record, but even the biggest wave can only sustain itself for so long. You could also say that, like Drukqs, it suffers from a bit of sameness. Luckily, the pomp and glam that comes before it is enough to carry you to shore.

Bottom Line:
I’ve got a feeling that Aphex Twin will carry the day. Because of name recognition and because people are more likely to pretend to like abrasive electro-clash dialed to 11 than they are to admit they like something so pompous. I’m not claiming any kind of high ground here; I’d do the exact same thing. In fact, I did do the exact same thing; my bracket pick went to Aphex Twin. But my vote is another story, and once again I’ll be voting against my own interests and pulling the lever for Muse. Good thing I’m okay with mid-table mediocrity, I guess!

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Leave a comment

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Debut | Dive-Bar Anthems That Go For Days

by KevinLeave a Comment on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Debut | Dive-Bar Anthems That Go For Days

Best Record of 2001: Day 14

Cover art courtesy of Virgin Records

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a quick look at BRMC’s self-titled debut as it takes on Spiritualized’s Let it Come Down.

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- S/T

Put aside the name, kitschy band name, and the fact that you spend a good amount of time thinking you’re listening to Jesus and Mary Chain; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club rips. 2001 might;ve been an era of potemkin-vkillages-as band, but this wasn;t one of them. Robert Levon Been on bass and vocals, Peter Hayes on guitar and vocals, Nick Jago on drums—they came out swinging with actual songs. In short, they came to play 9, no pun intended. Been is also the son of The Call’s Michael Been, so that’s a nohter notch in the win column.

“Love Burns” is a slow burn that gets things off to a strong start. Red Eyes and Tears and “Whatever Happened to My Rock n’ Roll (Punk Song) are two more for your playlist. The latter will also have you thinking more about The Stooges than you have in a while. We’ll see where this bracket takes up, but that’s gotta be an early leader for “best opening run of tracks.”

The rest holds up as well. “As Sure as the Sun” has a steady churn that builds into something almost pretty (maybe that’s just me. I was listening at work before sunrise). “Spread Your Love” brings a fat bass line and a nice dose of distortion. As with lots of records, a couple of spots drop off—like the last seconds of “Whatever Happened…” — but these feel intentional, not because of any sloppiness.

I’m probably the wrong person to ask, but the lasting impression of this band is that People slept on them and this record. Maybe the JAMC comps were a distraction, but besides the fuzz and drone, there’s plenty of hooks too.

A lot of these records feel very much of their time. Or worse, like it’s a nostalgia exercise. This doesn’t strike me as one of ‘em. Besides mistakenly thinking it was JAMC, my other overarching takeaway is that this was a goddamn delight, and a record that could easily have been released last week.

Bottom Line:

Spiritualized vs BRMC seems like the most 2001 contest that ever 2001 contested, but here we are. Both are seeded roughly mid-pack (56 vs 73). On my bracket, I went with the higher seed. Seemed reasonable at the time! With the benefit of a couple of new listens for each, I’ll once again vote against myself and ride for BRMC.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Leave a comment

Daft Punk’s Discovery vs. Tipsy’s Uh-Oh!: Sun, Soccer, and Sonic Bliss

by KevinLeave a Comment on Daft Punk’s Discovery vs. Tipsy’s Uh-Oh!: Sun, Soccer, and Sonic Bliss

Best Record of 2001: Day 12

Daft Punk- Discovery

(Note: this first appeared here as part of out Top 100 records series)

The origin story of Daft Punk is now firmly cemented in pop music lore. Three guys, Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homen-Christo, and Laurent Brancowitz, get together to make some records under the name Darlin’. A reviewer dismisses the work “daft, punky trash.” The trio takes it in stride and amicably split a year later. Bangalter and de Homen-Christo reform as a duo and take their name from the same review; Daft Punk is born. Brancowitz goes on to form Phoenix with his brother, and the world is a better place to have both bands in it.

Before 9/11, the Great Financial Collapse, and a whole series of mergers (and ensuing culture wars), aviation was, well, kinda fun. There were things like interline soccer tournaments where employees at any given carrier would form a team and travel to places to meet up and play teams from other airlines, which is how I found myself playing soccer under the searing Costa Rican sun on a field cut out of the jungle. These tournaments were really just cloud cover for all of us to get together and have a good time, and on this trip, it seemed like Discovery— and more specifically, “One More Time” was coming out of every speaker in the country.

Hearing Euro disco in the heart of Latin America told me the world was a small place and that we’re all in this together. Twenty-plus years on, this record is forever tied to things like hot sun, fun nights, and joy. It’s sonic bliss and a surefire cure for whatever ails you. Daft, punk trash? Not this record.

Tipsy- Uh-Oh!

When I was 10 or 11, I got a Casio SK-1 for Christmas. My mom had a dream that I would take up the piano, and she probably thought this was as good of gateway as any to get me started. My dad was just a “tech guy,” liked the idea of having some new electronics around the house, and thought this might be a way to bring me around to his level of enthusiasm.

I never learned to play the piano.

There were preprogrammed beats you could play at the push of a button, and you could switch the keys to mimic drums, which is promptly what I did. I also found the battery of sound effects and learned how to record/loop things like a burp, and well, look I was tween.

How could I not use ‘em?

I mention all of this to tell you that Tipsy’s Uh-Oh! reminds me of what happens when that kid grows up. A larger pool of influences to now draw from, and (likely) better equipment, but it’s the same mindset.

Uh-Oh! might be the title of SF- based duo’s second record, but after hearing it, listeners are more likely to respond with something like WTF?!.

With it’s ping-ponging between genres and tempos, it feels like what you might hear the hipper, cooler version of Mos Eisley’s cantina, or at a luau where the punch was spiked with Sizzurp.

Over 18 tracks, the record takes you on a ride with stops in Hawaii, 60s pop, and down memory lane to revisit your favorite Saturday morning cartoons and the game shows you watched on sicks days in the 80s. And that’s just the first few tracks. There’s even a bit of reimagined country and western here with “Reverse Cowgirl.” And bits that sound like a Ren & Stimpy sizzle reel.

Uh-Oh! Is the sort of record that you come away from feeling better for having experienced it, but only needing to hear it once. No Whammies!

Bottom Line:
One of these records is a heavy favorite and takes me back to a memories of sun, sea, and soccer- a trifecta of my favorite things! The other was made by Tipsy. A fun record to be sure, but one I’m confident in saying we won’t see again in this tournament. Bracket pick and vote both are going to Discovery.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Leave a comment

Ted Leo’s ‘Tyranny of Distance’ | A Last Bit of Sunny Indie Pop Before the World Went Dark

by KevinLeave a Comment on Ted Leo’s ‘Tyranny of Distance’ | A Last Bit of Sunny Indie Pop Before the World Went Dark

Best of 2001 Day 11: Ted Leo vs. Converge

Cover art courtesy of Lookout! Records.

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a quick look at Ted Leo’s The Tyranny of Distance as it takes on Jane Doe by Converge.

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challenge and noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably definitely be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists- The Tyranny of Distance

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ The Tyranny of Distance was finally his time to shine. Released on Lookout!, the appeal kicks in quick—right around track two or three for me—when you can hear the melodies really lock in. This is a band that plays best when it plays tight. Lyrically, Leo’s lyrics are full of sharp, evocative turns of phrase. It’s music for English majors, made by one of their own (complimentary).

In an era lousy with formulaic pop and vapid vocals, Leo injected a much-needed dose of humanity (humanities?) into the landscape. Ironic, given lines like “So I gather around me all the pieces of a song / And fit them where they belong” on “Parallel or Together.”

“Dial Up” comes across as a direct antecedent of “Me & Mia” in all the best ways. The first run of tracks is up there with any batch of indie songs out there. To my ear, “Under the Hedge” is as good as anything he’s done, with “Timorous Me” not too far behind. The first half of the record is sui generis indie pop, and I’d say a must-listen for any fan of the genre.

If there’s a knock here, it’s that the first half far outweighs the second, in part due to some odd sequencing choices. “Stove by a Whale” isn’t bad, but it’s 8 minutes long and right in the middle of the record. If the goal was to put in a sort of intermission or breakwall, then mission accomplished. Mostly, though, it just seems out of place.

The mix is typical of the era, which is to say it overindexes on treble. Not the only record that this was done to, but a remaster would go a long way.

The faster speeds and more political records would come in time, starting with Shake the Streets. Released months before 9/11, The Tyranny of Distance stands out as a sort of last ray of sunshine before the world went dark.

Converge- Jane Doe

I made the mistake of listening to this at work (strike 1), at 4 AM (strike 2), and on Easter (strike 3). Somewhere in the universe is a timeline where this sort of music appeals to me, but this isn’t it. Even in my younger years, when my tolerance for louder! faster! stronger! music was much higher, I still needed some semblance of understandable vocals. A guy just screaming into the mike had no appeal then, and it doesn’t today. Maybe this is just a “me problem?” The record was heaped with lavish praise in multiple reviews I read, including terms like “skill,” “masterpiece,” and “intense.” I’ll give ‘em the last one; it’s intense af, but that =/= an enjoyable listening experience.

Is this something people are listening to at work? While working out? driving recklessly? I dunno. I tried imagining it in all of those scenarios and more, and just couldn’t get there. To those who see it as a masterpiece and a legacy record, I say, more power to you. It was all I could do to finish it.

Bottom Line:
Ted Leo all day. No question, no second guessing, no nothing.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Leave a comment