Yes, it’s been
another 12 months, and with it comes another abridged and personalized version
of a yearly recap. Let’s get crackin’, shall we?
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
KAMASI WASHINGTON Heaven and Earth [Young Turks]
If not this one,
then…
Oh, if only Donny Hathaway were alive to hear this.
Oh, if only Donny Hathaway were alive to hear this.
FAVORITE ALBUM
Didn’t
really have one this year…
FAVORITE SINGLE
DOJA
CAT “Roll With Us” [Kemosabe/RCA]
The
first single off Amala, the debut
album by LA’s answer to Cardi B, is as shallow and expletive-laden as anything
comparable out there these days, but it’s the enticing guitar-led, dream trap with
atmospheric background vocals that make the song irresistible.
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
CHILDISH GAMBINO “This Is America”
CHILDISH GAMBINO “This Is America”
One hell of an artistic statement, the video clip
for this engaging hip-hop/R&B hybrid, is a timely depiction of current US culture and pregnant with symbolism: people gleefully dancing and being all-out consumers
while engulfed by chaos; gun violence in which the weapons are treated with
more care than the victims; Death riding a pale white horse (from the biblical
book of Revelations); and spectators capturing it all on their cellphones.
At a juncture in which so-called artists are seemingly more preoccupied with shilling for their own clothing lines and fragrances and making fools of themselves in all kinds of ways, Gambino reminded us all what it is to be a talented, socially conscious artist and what they can do in that regard when so inclined.
At a juncture in which so-called artists are seemingly more preoccupied with shilling for their own clothing lines and fragrances and making fools of themselves in all kinds of ways, Gambino reminded us all what it is to be a talented, socially conscious artist and what they can do in that regard when so inclined.
FAVORITE COVER/TRIBUTE
BROWNOUT Fear of a Brown Planet [Fat Beats]
MOST CONFUSING ALBUM
An
intimate confessional album, The Wilco leader’s official solo debut, were it
not for the mostly lo-key
production and being released under his name, could be the band’s most recent
record. Like the “solo” albums by the late Tom Petty, the point of making a
record identical to those you make with your still active band might be lost on
anyone not the titular artist, but the songs themselves are top-notch and it’s
a shame Wilco itself did not get to tackle them.
Runner
up:
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS Look Now [Concord]
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS Look Now [Concord]
Declan,
if you were going to work on another collaboration with Burt Bacharach why pray
tell would you use the Imposters if you weren’t going to rock out? Talk about a
bait and switch…and who OKd that hideous album cover?
MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM
GRETA VAN FLEET Anthem of the Peaceful Army [Universal]
Anything that gets folks rocking out, especially in these times of mainstream rock and roll’s diminishing returns, is a godsend. But pinning one’s hopes on musical ventriloquists feels bittersweet, to say the least. Jeez.
MOST DISAPPOINTING SONG
DAVE GROHL “Play”
An almost half hour instrumental amalgam of
latter day Foo Fighters channeling Pink Floyd, Rush and Yes performed solely by
Grohl, “Play” is a decent and enjoyable composition but it’s the kind of song
you’ll watch on YouTube, marvel at the man’s prodigious talent and inevitably
forget not long after.
BEST REISSUE
JOHN COLTRANE Both Directions at Once [Impulse]
Runner up (various):
THE BEATLES self-titled aka The White Album
[Apple]
MILES DAVIS & JOHN COLTRANE The Final Tour [Columbia/Legacy]
ERIC DOLPHY Musical Prophet [Resonance]
LIZ PHAIR Girly-Sound to Guyville [Matador]
PRINCE Piano and a Microphone: 1983 [Warner Brothers/Rhino]
MILES DAVIS & JOHN COLTRANE The Final Tour [Columbia/Legacy]
ERIC DOLPHY Musical Prophet [Resonance]
LIZ PHAIR Girly-Sound to Guyville [Matador]
PRINCE Piano and a Microphone: 1983 [Warner Brothers/Rhino]
MOST DISAPPOINTING CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT
Rock music’s irrelevance in the mainstream
We’re
not ready to ask for the death certificate quite just yet but our beloved is
definitely on life support, as far as the masses are concerned. And what has
taken its place is largely abominable. (Thank God for indie rock.)
UNFORTUNATE MUSIC BUSINESS TREND
Artists woefully remunerated for streams of their recordings
The
streaming services allege they are paying out a substantial portion of their
revenue (as high as 70%, according to Spotify) but major label artists are
seeing miniscule fractions of that. Meanwhile, the labels—who are, um, “silent”
business partners with the streaming services—remain mum on the subject.
MOST APROPOS POP CULTURE REFERENCE GUIDE
Vulture publishes a ‘Who’s Who’ of C-Z list celebrities
Vulture publishes a ‘Who’s Who’ of C-Z list celebrities
Put together for those of you with a spouse,
children or otherwise good friends who routinely mention or, God forbid, follow
many of these famous-for-being-almost-famous, tabloid denizens, Kardashian
worshippers and wannabes, this past April the folks at Vulture put together something
they called “Welcome to the Who-niverse: A
guide to the many, many celebrities whose names make you say…"Who?",
a handy primer designed to help one tell these people apart. Good grief!
FAVORITE DEVELOPMENT TO LOOK FORWARD TO
IN 2019
The release of Dr. Dre’s Marvin Gaye biopic
The release of Dr. Dre’s Marvin Gaye biopic
Here’s hoping
the rapper/producer can succeed where others’ attempts failed (notably, Cameron
Crowe, F. Gary Gray, Lenny Kravitz and Scott Rudin) by virtue of being rebuffed by the estate
of the legendary Motown icon.
Runner up:
A new Guns N Roses album with Slash and Duff.
Runner up:
A new Guns N Roses album with Slash and Duff.
GOODBYE
Jefferson
Airplane/Starship vocalist Marty Balin; avant garde composer Glenn Branca; noted
drummer Leon “Ndugu” Chancler; the one
and only Roy Clark; Motorhead and Fastway guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke; Nokie Edwards,
guitarist for The Ventures; the Queen, Aretha Franklin; legendary Chilean
crooner Lucho Gatica; jazz/latin band leader, trumpeter, percussionist Jerry
Gonzalez; jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove; former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Danny
Kirwan; noted trumpeter Hugh Masekela; blues guitarist Matt Murphy; Charles
Neville of The Neville Brothers; The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan; bassist
Joe Osbourne of studio legends The Wrecking Crew; Pantera’s Vinnie Paul;
drummer for Cracker, The Plugz, Social Distortion and Izzy Stradlin, Charlie
Quintana; bluesman Otis Rush; Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks; The Fall’s Mark E.
Smith; record store pioneer Russ Solomon; Agent Orange/Adolescents bassist Steve Soto; jazz legend Cecil Taylor; guitarist
Wah Wah Watson; the great Nancy Wilson.
