ANNIVERSARIES: Bachelor No.2 or The Last Remains of the Dodo

AIMEE MANN
Bachelor No.2 or The Last Remains of the Dodo
[SuperEgo-2000]

 
Co-produced by the great Jon Brion, it was made with no record company backing (Interscope didn't hear a single and let her buy back the album's masters) and was initially sold on her website and at shows, garnering enough attention to be released worldwide and achieve respectable sales figures. (That it shares 4 songs with the Magnolia soundtrack, released 5 months prior, didn't hurt.)

Highly acclaimed and featured in many year-ending and decade best-of lists, it was re-released in a 20th anniversary, double vinyl edition in 2020.

On a personal note, 'Til Tuesday aside, I've never been much partial to this lady's work before or since this album. But this one is, undoubtedly, one of my fave albums of the 21st century, so far.

Released May 2, 2000.

MILESTONES: DISINTEGRATION

THE CURE
Disintegration
[Elektra-1989]

Released the year The Mopefather turned 30, the album was the result of quite a predicament: Robert Smith was feeling the pressure of attempting a definitive musical statement as he approached a personal milestone, while in the midst of redefining the band’s sound by purposely casting aside the ‘one-dimensional gloom merchants’ tag they had been saddled with in the past. That their record company feared the finished album would be commercial suicide, surely didn’t help things one bit.

In hindsight, it’s easy to see how those fears were unfounded. But at the time, the band had come off a run of poppy, hit singles and this new record was infused with a melancholy and darkness more in line with their notorious 1982 album Pornography.

Smith ultimately prevailed by embracing the consistency and sensibility of the band’s recent past and jettisoning certain indulgences, while retaining a sense of majesty and toning down any overt ‘happy’ pop elements.

On a personal note, I don’t exactly agree with South Park’s Kyle Broflovski, but I clearly understand why he was once moved to proclaim it "the best album ever!" since my love for it runs deep, as well.

Released May 2, 1989.