Random Reviews

BECK
The Information
[Interscope/DGC-2006]

If Beck Hansen had been a baseball player he likely would’ve been a pitcher specializing in curveballs. Once again this is not the oft-rumored garage rock record supposedly in the wings for some time now. No, this more or less is a continuation of the musical stew he gave us last time on Guero (2005). But while that album’s reunion with producers The Dust Brothers—who helmed his ‘90s classic Odelay (1996)—represented a return to the diminutive one’s decidedly diverse roots, The Information brings back Nigel Godrich, producer of Beck’s more singer/songwriter-type outings (1999’s Mutations, and 2002’s soon-to-be-classic Sea Change) and a premier sonic architect.

What all this translates to is a well-crafted record with a rich, crisp sound that flows effortlessly. Unfortunately, it is these same characteristics that betray the at times mundane and uninspired nature of a good chunk of The Information. Fear not, Beck didn’t phone this one in—he’s too good for that and Godrich is too much of a taskmaster to let that happen on his watch—but this album is definitely a grower. The question is, though, whether it deserves the extra effort it demands.

Highlights: “Soldier Jane”, “Think I’m In Love”, “New Round”, “Movie Theme”.


CANDY BUTCHERS
Hang On Mike
[RPM-2004]

Despite a long career writing funny, self-deprecating, witty pop songs, NYC’s Mike Viola is far from a household name—his greatest claim to fame is still having sung “That Thing You Do”, the Top 40 theme song to the 1996 Tom Hanks film of the same name—his small, but dedicated following has been in on one of the best kept songwriting secrets of the past decade plus.

Chock full of hooks, clever lyrics, and just plain solid songwriting, Hang On Mike is nothing short of a gem. In a just world the purveyors of OC-type schlock would slog through each day in a dead-end fast food hell existence, while Viola and his Candy Butchers would rule whatever airwaves are left at this point. A fascinating listen for anyone that enjoys a less smart-alecky Ben Folds, digs Jon Brion, and wonders what happened to good ole, non-contrived pop songs. Damn, straight!

Highlights: “Nice To Know You”, “Unexpected Traffic”, and the ode to teenage friendship “Kiss Alive II”.

THE CURE

Head On The Door

[Elektra-1985]

By the time Head On The Door was released, Robert Smith and co. had gone through numerous personnel changes and put out a series of albums that slowly established them as one of the most durable and successful acts that followed in the wake of punk. And becoming a seminal part of what later became referred to as post-punk in the process. At this point they’d accumulated a decent of amount of noteworthy singles under their collective belt—“Boys Don’t Cry”, “A Forest”, “Primary”, “Let’s Go To Bed”, “The Lovecats” to name a few—but this is when they became a hit-making machine and at the same time ushered in what can be arguably recognized as their most important period, which would include the next four studio albums.

Head On The Door also represents a shift in The Cure’s sound and approach to recording and performing in the studio, making it the first album on which the band would adopt what latter-day fans would come to know as their signature sound. Many of these elements had been there before—on Faith [Elektra-1981] most noticeably—but a new lineup consisting of drummer Boris Williams, guitarist Porl Thompson, alongside Smith, bassist Simon Gallup, and founding keyboardist Lol Tolhurst gave the songs a bit more of a muscular foundation while accentuating the darkness and gloom they had traded in for some time.

Of special note are the rockers and playful, upbeat love songs, some of which—“In Between Days”, “Push”, “Close To Me”, “A Night Like This”—remain favorites to this day. A classic.

FISHBONE
Give A Monkey Half A Brain And He’ll Swear He’s The Center Of The Universe
[Sony-1993]

Long derided as Fishbone’s so-called “metal record” Give A Monkey may not be an overlooked masterpiece but it is not the unmitigated disaster it was labeled as upon its 1993 release. Coming off the highly-acclaimed The Reality Of My Surroundings [Columbia-1991], itself preceded by the much beloved Truth and Soul [Columbia-1988]—one of the best albums of the ‘80s—much was riding on the record that was to bring Fishbone to the mainstream in grand style. It didn’t happen: critics lambasted the album, sales were poor, and the band lost their major-label deal.

So, what happened? For starters, Fishbone’s social commentary was much more somber (“Servitude”, “Black Flowers”, “End The Reign”) than on past albums, which may have been partially due to the hard-edged production courtesy of Terry Date (Pantera, Soundgarden); their trademark ska/funk (the excellent “Unyielding Conditioning”) and elastic grooves (“Lemon Meringue”) were in shorter supply; and the major internal struggles that may or may not have been caused by these changes culminated with the departure of key members.

But a decade and a half later with the dust having long settled and the purported demise of the band brought on by this album is by now a faint memory, Give A Monkey’s shining moments may not be the mass sing-a-longs some thought they could become but are, nonetheless, up there with some of Fishbone’s finest work.

Highlights: See above.

THE LEMONHEADS

self-titled

[Vagrant-2006]

Released almost 10 years to the day of their last studio album—the spotty but noteworthy Car Button Cloth--The Lemonheads return with a gem of a disc that recalls the joyous, infectious sound of their '92 classic It's A Shame About Ray. Sure, there's nothing groundbreaking or

innovative to be found at this late date in the work of an aging Gen-Xer and notorious screw up like Evan Dando except...the tunes are on the money, baby!

Oh, yeah: Dando's often remarked upon sporadic songwriting brilliance reaches remarkable consistency on this batch of catchy rockers seeped in hooks and full of vigor. (Kudos to guest axe-slinger J Mascis on his always excellent lead guitar fireworks.) Hell, we'll just echo the All Music Guide in calling it "the right kind of return for a band that should never have gone away in the first place." (Even though these are the same people that referred to tone-deaf howler and Kiss frontman Paul Stanley as being “in fine voice” on his recent solo album. Oh, well…) Welcome back, Mr. D. Mas, por favor.

Highlights: “Black Gown”, “Become The Enemy”, “Poughkeepsie ”, "December".

BADLY DRAWN BOY

Born in the UK

[Astralwerks-2006]

…and while on the subject of Evan Dando, the title of his 2003 solo album perfectly describes how we feel about this one.

ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR.

The Land of Pure Imagination

[Cordless/Warner Bros-2006]

After years of beefing up the ole resume with the likes of Air, Beck, and his own Imperial Drag, Moog Cookbook and the beloved Jellyfish, multi-instrumentalist Roger Manning has decided to finally go solo with impressive results. The spirit of the latter San Francisco retro-popsters is quite prevalent throughout this disc, especially the occasionally child-like, Saturday morning vibe of Spilt Milk [Charisma-1993].

But without the input and participation of co-leader Andy Sturmer—who brought a bit more of a rock and roll attitude to the proceedings—it would be a little off the mark to suggest that The Land of Pure Imagination is what the third Jellyfish album would’ve sounded like, but it comes mighty close. Unfortunately, despite superb songs with appealing melodies, addictive choruses and first-rate playing, The Land of Pure Imagination can at times make one long for a bit more oomph, while in other spots it veers dangerously close to Burt Bacharach territory. That said, fans of Ben Folds, Todd Rundgren’s classic period (1970-72), and of course Jellyfish, will find very little to dislike about Manning’s initial solo outing. About time, man.

(Note: Completists might want to seek out the Japanese version—released there earlier in the year as Solid State Warrior—which shares the bulk of the songs on the US version but differs on three tracks.)

Highlights: “Too Late For Us Now”, “Wish It Would Rain”, “You Were Right”, the title track.

THE MARS VOLTA
Amputechture
[Universal-2006]

Another Mars Volta album, another dense, insular epic. Great. No, really. It’s just that listening to Amputechture reminds us of the third and final Rage Against The Machine studio album,The Battle of Los Angeles. No, Cedrix Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopezhaven’t started writing socially conscious rhymes to rap over Zeppelin riffs and phat beats. And there is no talk of them parting ways as far as we know. But like The Battle of Los Angeles,Amputechture is a solid album that somehow feels like there might not be much left in the formula for them to continue growing and building on. It does indeed deliver—although not as strongly as their two previous albums, De-Loused in the Comatorium and Frances The Mute—but there seems to be a whiff of wheel-spinning in the air, a certain weariness, perhaps.

The level of work involved in writing and crafting such high level concept albums as these must be staggering—especially when the last two have been released in back to back years. Who does that anymore?—and it would not be at all surprising if some fatigue has set in. Maybe it’s time for The Volta to change course a bit. Or not.

Highlights: “Tetragrammaton”, “Vermicide”, “Meccamputechture”.


VHS OR BETA
Night On Fire
[Astralwerks-2004]

Like their fellow countrymen The Killers, a knack for replicating early New Order, The Cure, Duran Duran, and certain staples of late ‘70s disco permeates every nook and cranny of VOB’s first full-length release. But where The Killers and their ilk can seem blatantly derivative and even off-putting in their approach towards danceable post-punk, the Louisville, KY quintet comes off a bit more honest and even adventurous in their efforts. But don’t be misled, there isn’t a novel idea or concept to be found among Night On Fire’s 10 tracks. However, the execution is practically flawless and there does indeed beat a heart underneath the cold shiny surface, making this album one of the more worthy releases in this particular vein.

Highlights: the title track, “You Got Me” and “Irreversible”, the nine-minute instrumental that closes out the album.

There He Goes

GUSTAVO CERATI
Ahí Vamos
[Sony-2006]

There had been a lot of speculation about the direction Cerati's next release would take, after Siempre Es Hoy [BMG-2002] turned out to be the lowest-selling of his solo albums. One theory out there postulated his return to guitars, and therefore to a more rock sound after a decade making electronic pop, which had taken him further and further away from the sound of the band that made him an international star. (Truth be told, Siempre Es Hoy was less reliant on electronics and displayed his guitar more prominently than in earlier times.) So the question: would the low sales of Siempre Es Hoy lead to the reconciliation of the Argentine rocker with his past glories and turn up the amps? Intentionally or not, since the album starts with "Al Fin Sucede" — in addition to the forcefulness of the second single "La Excepción" and the house-sized chorus of "Uno Entre 1000" — the rumors of a propelled album guitar by former Soda Stereo are immediately confirmed. Not only that, but Ahí Vamos is reminiscent of Soda's last three studio albums — Canción Animal [Sony-1990], Dynamo [Sony-1993] and Sueño Stereo [BMG-1995] — which were anchored by heavy rock, electronic, and Beatlesque pop, respectively. 

It is this last attribute that Cerati seems to have wanted to accentuate when the piano ballad "Crimen" was chosen as the first single from the album. Nice, but not entirely representative of Ahí Vamos. However, this is an album that covers a lot of ground: from the aforementioned rockers that open the album, through the '80s guitar pop of "Caravana", "Lago En Cielo", "Dios Nos Libre" and "Bomba De Tiempo", to the relaxing grooves of "Me Quedo Aqui" and the great "Otra Piel", one of the sweetest love songs ever written by Cerati.

In a recent interview, the always pragmatic Cerati referred to the division that characterizes his fans: rockers on the one hand and the devotees of his electronics on the other, and how their numbers expand and contract depending on the way the muse guides him. If Ahí Vamos has to segregate the masses that follow Cerati, then the rockers yearning for Soda Stereo Part II win this time. But it would be unfortunate if the techno guys decided not to join the party as well.

 

2005: The Year in Review

Here we are at the twilight of another dozen months. It’s been an interesting year, 2005. Its share of good and bad colored as always by the passing of familiar faces. But the tragedy of New Orleans looms large in the hearts of many, not least of all those of us who have a soft spot for the city’s music and culture. “Plan for the worst, hope for the best,” they say. In music, life, love and the pursuit of happiness it seems to be the best course of action, right?

As we come close to celebrating our 5th anniversary--Feb. 2001 was the maiden voyage--these are the things on our mind. Locate a copy of The Kinks’ Give The People What They Want and go straight to the closing track, “Better Days” and you’ll hear exactly what we’re talking about.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2006.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

The Mars Volta Frances The Mute

The sophomore release from the hirsute duo of ex-At The Drive In members is even more dense, challenging, and beautiful than their debut.

Honorable Mention:

Eels Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

Mark Everrett does the double album thing and turns out his most ambitious, yet cohesive and breathtaking work yet.

FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

None

Um, nothing really made us swoon this year. (We discovered—and even fell in love with—some cool discs from years past, but that obviously doesn’t count.) Probably the closest contender would be Beck’s Guero.

FAVORITE SHOW:

Live 8

The sequel to the landmark concerts of 20 years ago returned to London and Philadelphia, and graced stages in Russia, France, Japan, Germany, Canada and Italy, on July 6th. As is common with this sort of thing there were quite a few so-so acts/performances (Will Smith, Bon Jovi, and Toby Keith come to mind) but the highlights were often wonderful (U2’s set; Madonna’s “Ray Of Light”; Snoop Dogg) and sometimes even magnificent (the reunited-for-the-occasion Pink Floyd). But the most poignant of moments—and the ultimate visual proof to underscore the efforts—was seeing the little Ethiopian girl that had become the poster child for the Live Aid effort in 1985 take the stage during Madonna’s set with organizer Bob Geldof, now a grown, college educated, beautiful young woman.

FAVORITE QUOTE OF THE YEAR:

“…the Public Enemy best of [Power To The People and the Beats]…reminds me of a time when hip-hop actually meant something. Whereas now it’s just a huge fucking money-making machine and all the major players in the hip-hop world are fucking idiots, bar none.” - Noel Gallagher

BEST REISSUE:

Bruce Springsteen Born To Run: 30th Anniversary Edition

The record that made New Jersey ’s favorite rock and roll son a star—and one of the genre’s greatest albums—gets the deluxe treatment. Included among the various extras is a DVD detailing the making of the album and another with a London performance from the Born To Run tour. Nice.

Runner Up:

At The Drive In This Station Is Non-Operational: Anthology

Along with the inclusion of a DVD with videos, a full discography, and multimedia content this chronologically sequenced collection spans the band’s last three years of recorded material. Running through remixes, covers, 7" singles, and a BBC session, right up to selections from their 2000 swan song Relationship of Command, This Station Is Non-Operational is—to paraphrase Led Zeppelin—a sad reminder of what was and what will never be.

BEST COMEBACK:

Cream

More than 35 years after their break up the quintessential power trio returned for some of their most inspired shows ever.

Runner up:

New Orleans’ music scene (not there yet, but our fingers are crossed)

BEST ALBUM TO LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR:

Ray Davies’ first ever solo LP

The Kinks front man will debut his first full-length collection of new songs in over a decade in early 2006. (An EP, the rather tasty Thanksgiving Day, was released in late 2005.) Better Days, indeed.

BEST NEW TV SHOW:

Weeds (Showtime)

A hot, upper-class, recently widowed, suburban mother of two in her early 40s (Mary-Louise Parker) decides to deal weed to supplement her now diminished income. Hilarity ensues. Lessons are learned. Seriously. As hot as its protagonist, Weeds also gets bonus points for its folky theme song.

BEST IMPERSONATION:

Glenn Phillips

Yeah, it did sound kinda familiar even though it was a little too polished but no, that was not a new Matthew Sweet record released in March, ‘twas non other than former Toad The Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips’ second full-length album of original songs, Winter Pays for Summer. A little too reminiscent of Mr. Girlfriend—albeit with a radio-ready sheen—for our tastes but a decent record, nonetheless.

WEIRDEST MUSICAL PAIRING:

Kanye West and Jon Brion

Hip-hop’s ‘it’ kid enlisted the pop maestro (Fiona Apple, Eels, Aimee Mann) and current ‘go-to’ soundtrack composer (Punch Drunk Love, I [Heart] Huckabees, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) as co-producer on his sophomore album Late Registration. Did it work? That depends…

BEST PROOF WE HAVE BECOME OUR PARENTS:

The popularity of Antony & The Johnsons...The rediscovering of Esquivel...A re-evaluation and overhaul of Burt Bacharach’s output...Lounge covers of hardcore tunes by a band called Black Velvet Flag...Bit by bit it happened.

And now this: irony has given way to complacency and tameness. Otherwise, how can we account for the likes of the above? This is the stuff that no self-respecting rocker would be caught dead listening to. Now it’s the height of hipness. No thanks.

MOST BITTERSWEET EVENT:

Audioslave in Cuba

It was undoubtedly very cool to see that the first American rock band to play for the Cuban rockeros was the real deal and not some lame-ass Linkin Park-type crap. But let’s face it, Cornell’s voice is shot and a far cry from the building-leveling powerhouse it once was. And wouldn’t it have been more poignant for it to have been Rage Against The Machine going down there instead?

GUILTY PLEASURE OF THE YEAR:

Breaking Bonaduce (VH1)

Yes, reality shows are the bane of the sane television viewer’s existence. But to witness on a weekly basis a highly dysfunctional, nihilistic, steroid-and-alcohol-starved, emotional wreck like former Partridge Family star Danny Bonaduce in all of his gloriously sad, decadent, hasty, downward spiral is a bit much to pass up. Sorry.

RISKIEST CAREER MOVE:

Howard Stern goes to satellite radio

Will the meathead masses fork over $12.95 a month to hear their misanthropic hero curse freely on the air? Sirius Radio is betting on it. We’re not.

Runner up:

John Mayer’s blues-rock conversion.

WORST REISSUE:

The Rolling Stones Rarities 1971-2003

Despite the inclusion of the Mick Taylor-era b-side “Let It Rock” and the It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll outtake “Through The Lonely Nights”, the ‘70s tracks on here are mostly culled from the recently re-released Sucking in the Seventies, and the collection is weighted heavily with ‘90s tracks from their last two live albums. So, you throw in two bona fide rarities, add some live tracks and remixes with no rhyme, reason, or hint of chronology and voila! Pass.

WORST ALBUM IDEA:

Sun Kil Moon pays tribute to Modest Mouse

Head Sun Mark Kozelek went the full-length tribute album route before—2001’s brilliant What’s Next To The Moon?—and did a wonderful job. Of course, those were early (and some classic) AC/DC songs he recast in his own image. But an entire record of Modest Mouse covers? We think not. Unfortunately, sticking with the originals is not an option here either. At least with Tiny Cities you don’t have to suffer through Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock and his horrible voice.

ANTI-ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

The Arcade Fire

For every newcomer deserving of hype—the late Jeff Buckley comes to mind—there is an army of, at best, so-so artists for whom the scribes and scenesters will break out the kneepads with alarming velocity and subsequent regularity. This year’s Franz Ferdinand Award goes to The Arcade Fire.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:

Fiona Apple Extraordinary Machine

Apple’s third album was definitely the anti-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: all the fanclub support, media outpouring, and artist/record company controversy couldn’t hide the fact that this is a so-so album.

MOST UNWELCOME COMEBACK:

Madonna

Give it up, Madge. Don’t you have another children's book to write or some more celebrities to drag down to the Kabbalah Center?

Runner up:

(tie) The Darkness; Queen with Paul Rodgers.

MOST UNDESERVED HYPE:

The closing of CBGB

We’re no fans of gentrification and/or the ravenous real estate gobbling of the likes of New York University. And we try to keep our eyes open and stay alert to real estate shenanigans and misdeeds. Now, having said that, the sudden appearance of trendy lounges and million dollar condos popping up by and around Joey Ramone Way, in the midst of the once dirty, dangerous, dilapidated Bowery warehouses and storefronts did not make us feel like CBGB was in trouble. After all, the club had been there for 30 years and owner Hilly Kristal must’ve bought the property dirt cheap during the ‘80s, when no one wanted anything to do with the neighborhood, right? Right?

As it turns out, Hilly never got around to making the deed to the joint his—despite making some 2 million dollars a year in t-shirt sales—and the landlord wants him out. (The club has until October 2006.) Now, he’s talking of reopening the venue in a different NYC location but there are also rumors of opening a sister club in...Las Vegas. Good grief.

Here’s the deal: Despite its history, these days CBGB is nothing more than just another low-level rock club peddling warm beer and even more lukewarm acts. (Which, by the way, get paid gas money. If they’re lucky, that is.)

We’ve performed and witnessed many a show at CBGB, had a few good times, and generally enjoyed ourselves. But you know what: we all gotta go sometime. (If the world-famous Palladium could not avoid becoming a dorm, what hope could CBs ever have?) We can’t and won’t feel sorry for a joint that in one year rakes in more cash than we’ll probably see in a lifetime while offering substandard entertainment night after night and milking/clinging to a reputation it has long since tarnished. Later, dude.

Runner up:

The cult of Kanye West

Please, people. He ain’t all that.

WORST COVER VERSION:

Alanis Morissette “Crazy”

Now, Alanis, what did Seal ever do to you, huh?

MOST UNNECESSARY REHASHING:

The many incarnations of Beck’s Guero album

Let’s see: aside from the official 13-track version there’s the unfinished album that preceded it, which was originally leaked on the Internet; alongside the official release an expanded 20-track special edition saw the light of day, with a few remixes and bonus tracks not on the 13-track album (although these bonus tracks had made a previous appearance on the bootleg internet version); and finally Guerolito—a remix version of the whole album—released in early December. And that’s not counting the various imports with varying degrees of similitude to the official version. Whew!

Runner up:

Reunion tours

Yes, we admit it: we are being hypocrites. On the one hand we commend the likes of Cream and The Pixies for putting differences aside and giving us one last (?) hurrah, while we condemn, say, The Cars and Queen for rising from the dead. But, really, can you blame us?

Like all trends the wheat/chaff ratio in this case generally favors the latter. So while the return of certain artists can make for an inspiring and even transcendent musical moment there are plenty more that should accept their fate and leave us all the hell alone. This is why we diss.

GOODBYE

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, legendary blues guitarist; ‘90s blues icon R. L. Burnside; Lyn Collins, James Brown backup singer, and best known for being sampled on Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock’s 1988 hit “It Takes Two”; Buena Vista Social Club vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer; Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins; Jimmy Griffin, singer/songwriter and founding member of Bread; Nick Hawkings, one-time guitarist for Big Audio Dynamite; jazz singer Shirley Horn; Steven "Stevo" Jensen, former lead vocalist for The Vandals; Keith Knudsen, longtime drummer for the Doobie Brothers; sonic innovator Bob Moog; velvet-voiced R&B giant Luther Vandross.

2004: The Year in Review

Yes, boys and girls, here it is: yet another year-end recap. Not that you need anymore of this nonsense but we’re gonna give it to you any way, this being the season of giving and all that good stuff. On with the show...

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

Death Cab For Cutie Transatlanticism [Barsuk]

Bellingham, WA new favorite sons–-watch out Posies--and indie darlings, DCFC released a remarkable record that not only boosted their profile, it caught the attention of the mainstream and got them signed to Atlantic Records in the process.

Honorable Mentions:

Iron & Wine Our Endless Numbered Days [Sub Pop]

Morrissey You Are The Quarry [Attack]

Secret Machines Now Here Is Nowhere [Reprise]

Wilco A Ghost Is Born [Nonesuch]

TV On The Radio Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes [Touch And Go]

FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

Wilco A Ghost is Born [Nonesuch]

How do you follow a towering achievement like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? Well, if you’re Jeff Tweedy and co. you push yourself a bit further artistically, channel the muse and let the chips fall where they may. Who does that anymore?

Runner up:

Matthew Sweet Kimi Ga Suki [Superdeformed]

BEST REISSUE:

Talking Heads The Name of This Band is… [Sire/Rhino]

A kick ass live document that clearly demonstrates that eggheads can shake their booty too, The Name Of This Band Is… was the only Talking Heads album to remain sans release in CD format until this year.

Runner Up:

Brian Wilson Smile [Nonesuch]

GUILTY PLEASURE OF THE YEAR:

John Mayer has a TV show

Yes, the above is the actual name of the show. As it turns out, Mr. Dave Matthews Jr. has gotten himself a low-rent talk/variety show on VH1 that is one of the funniest things we’ve seen all year. Seriously.

BEST COMEBACK:

Morrissey

After almost a decade in limbo, Moz returned with one of his best solo albums yet. Welcome back, sir.

Runner up:

The Pixies

Also:

The Cure

Helmet

Tears For Fears

BIGGEST TOUR:

According to Billboard, Madonna’s Re-Invention Tour was the year's biggest grossing tour taking in $125 million through September. Prince, who played to more people than any other artist (almost 1.5 million), came in second place, with $90.2 million.

Country star Shania Twain was third, playing to almost 950,000 fans and grossing $62.5 million.

BIGGEST SHOW:

The biggest concert of the year was a three-night stand by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and James Brown at London's Hyde Park, which drew more than 258,000 fans and grossed more than $17 million.

BEST NEW TV SHOW:

Huff

Once again proof positive that the best TV dramas are on cable, Showtime’s Huff stars multiple-Emmy winner Hank Azaria (The Simpsons, Quiz Show, The Birdcage) as psychiatrist Dr. Craig Huffstodt who re-evaluates his life and profession after a 15 year-old patient commits suicide in his office. A stellar cast including Blythe Danner as Huff’s manipulative mother and Oliver Platt–-nominated for a Golden Globe for this role--as his drugs and sex crazed attorney and best friend.

BEST BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:

iTunes for Windows

At last, those poor PC people finally had a taste of what a real digital jukebox–-not to mention access to Apple’s iTunes Music Store--is like. Come in from the cold, it’s warm over here.

WORST ALBUM:

Gwen Stefani Love Angel Music Baby [Interscope]

This album definitely proves it once and for all: Stefani may be the focal point of the band but she sure as hell ain’t the talented one. Bleech!

Runner up:

Courtney Love America’s Sweetheart [Virgin]

MOST UNWELCOME COMEBACK:

Velvet Revolver

Not that they really suck, or anything, but if the core of Guns ’N’ Roses was going to reform with Stone Temple Pilots’ lead singer shouldn’t we have gotten more than what these guys ultimately had to offer? Just a thought. (Axl’s still having the last laugh, by the way.)

Runner up:

Interpol

MOST UNDESERVED HYPE:

The Libertines

Once again, just like last year, this honor is bestowed upon yet another great punk rock hope. Whatever. We don’t care if this has The Clash’s Mick Jones’ seal of approval, we’re not biting.

ANTI-ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

Ashlee Simpson

"Daddy, I want a record deal, too!"

Kudos to SNL for recently re-airing her lip-synching debacle without editing a damn bit of it.

WORST COVER VERSION:

Hands down, Britney Spears wins this one. Not content with the butchering of The Rolling Stones’ "Satisfaction", she set her sights on New Jack Swing and skewers Mr. Whitney Houston–-aka Bobby Brown—and his ‘80s hit "My Prerogative". Somebody stop this girl before anyone else gets hurt.

MOST UNNECESSARY REHASHING:

‘Greatest--fill in the blank--of All Time’ lists

It’s one thing is to give a yearly or even seasonal recap but the constant barrage of lists of greatest albums, songs, guitar solos, etc. by most if not all major music publications has reached a fever pitch that loudly reverberates with a deafening roar of redundancy at best (Q

magazine) and the mediocrity of revisionism and cluelessness (Rolling Stone, Blender) at worst.

Runner up:

Reality shows, reality shows. Reality shows.

GOODBYE

Jan Berry, of Jan and Dean; the great Marlon Brando; Doobie Brother Cornelius Bumpus; the one and only Rodney Dangerfield; Pantera/Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell; The Dead Milkmen bassist Dave Blood; the inimitable Ray Charles; seminal reggae producer ‘Sir’ Coxone Dodd; film composer Jerry Goldsmith; original MTV VJ J.J. Jackson; jazz saxophonist Illinois Jacquet; funk rocker Rick James; legendary jazz drummer Elvin Jones; New York Dolls bassist Arthur ‘Killer’ Kane; jazz guitarist Barney Kessel; Peter Frampton guitarist/keyboardist Bob Mayo; Siouxsie and the Banshees/P.I.L. guitarist John McGeoch; renowned and influential New York radio personality Scott Muni; rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard; legendary British radio DJ John Peel; guitarist Robert Quine (Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Lou Reed, Matthew Sweet); guitarist Johnny Ramone; writer Hubert Selby Jr. (Last Exit To Brooklyn, Requiem For A Dream); Ben Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo vocalist; Hollies vocalist Carl Wayne.

GBV on the UES

GUIDED BY VOICES  
AMBULANCE (LTD) 
Hudson River Park, NYC 8/19/04

Yes indeed, Guided By Voices are calling it quits. A few days before the release of their final album, Half Smiles Of The Decomposed, Dayton Ohio’s finest came to New York City’s Hudson River Park for a free show that will go down as one of this summer’s best. Poignantly opening with "Sad If I Lost It", the reigning kings of indie rock kicked off 90 minutes of their very best for the 5000+ that came to pay their final respects. They were greeted with a wall to wall kick ass show that also had its share of lead singer Bob Pollard’s renowned between-songs banter. "We love our country, because it gives us beer and rock and roll. We are patriots." And then slyly added, "As long as we don’t question things too much." As befits a performance on a final tour, Pollard and the boys ran through the gems of their quite extensive catalog, all the while reminiscing and giving thanks for the long, strange trip we’ve had the privilege of sharing. Merci, mes amis.

Critical darlings Ambulance (LTD) held their own as opening act, decidedly gaining a few converts and placating the numerous pretty girls who’d made it a point to show up and support what some are calling indie rock’s answer to the boy band. Make it a point to catch them next time. The band, too.

Long Gone Fools

THE CARDIGANS

Southpaw

Brooklyn, NY

5/9/04

What at first looked like faded indie darlings trying to recapture their fanbase with a first-rate show at a small but noteworthy venue, rapidly revealed itself to be nothing more than a record label-sponsored promo for the band’s latest release Long Gone Before Daylight. Which wouldn’t have been a problem if: a) it had been a free show; and b) Long Gone Before Daylight wasn’t such a resounding bore (it’s quite telling that long-time producer Tore Johansson left very early on during the album’s recording sessions). So we endured almost two hours of third rate pseudo Eagles–-that’s the new direction these one time inventive alt-rockers have chosen--during which –-to add insult to injury--they purposely left out any material from their breakthrough album First Band On The Moon, including their only US hit, "Lovefool". The look of disgust from one of the venue’s bartenders as he gave The Cardigans the finger after their last encore, sums up our feelings as well.

The Reverse Sophomore Slump

After years of honing that initial batch of songs that lands an artist a record deal and a widespread fanbase, it's time to write and record a second album within the timeframe of only a few months. No wonder many artists have less than stellar followup albums the second time around. Hell, some of 'em disappear after the debut. Here are "5" that exceeded their initial recorded effort, and in certain instances delivered their greatest album.

In alphabetical order by artist:


CAFÉ TACUBA Re [WEA Latina-1994]
After their initial self-titled filler-drenched offering, no one expected much from Mexico City’s Café Tacuba. That the follow-up was a monumental record both critically and commercially underscored just how far the band had grown between albums. A sprawling tour de force that has been often compared to the Beatles’ White Album in terms of scope and adventurous spirit, Re not only foreshadowed Café Tacuba’s exploratory bent but is also one of the crowning achievements of the Latin American rock and roll movement.


LIVING COLOUR Time’s Up [Epic-1990]
After a strong but definitely textbook debut –-finely tuned live set list with a choice cover tacked on-- Living Colour pulled all the stops and delivered what is to this day their finest record. The Grammy-award winning Time’s Up was a much more challenging but clearly accessible listen. And the deft sequencing of the track order aided and accentuated the natural flow of this diverse and intoxicating disc

("This Is The Life" is arguably one of the greatest closing tracks on any rock album). As engaging and satisfying now as it was upon its release a decade and a half ago, Time’s Up is an underrated hard rock classic. Cameos: Mick Jagger, Little Richard, Queen Latifah, Maceo Parker, and Doug E. Fresh.

NIRVANA Nevermind [DGC-1991]
Despite one or two noteworthy tracks, Bleach was mostly an average grunge record typical of its time and place. What Cobain and co. unleashed upon the world two tears later, would not only leave that debut release in the dirt but in the process change the course of popular music and bring alternative/indie rock out into the limelight. But you already knew that.


RADIOHEAD The Bends [Parlophone-1995]
If Radiohead had called it quits after the oh-so ordinary Pablo Honey album, "Creep" would have been its lone claim to fame and the one hit wonder tag forever affixed to their name. Fortunately, this was not the case. What followed was an epic album, arguably the Brit-pop blueprint for the ‘90s. The band further pushed their own musical boundaries with OK Computer and Kid A, but this is the one that Coldplay, Travis and an army of others should gratefully pay royalties to Radiohead for.


ROBI ROSA Vagabundo [Sony Latin-1996]
While best known for writing former Menudo bandmate Ricky Martin’s biggest hits, Robi Rosa is also a former member of acclaimed ‘90s L.A. funksters Maggie’s Dream and an accomplished, risk-taking artist and performer in his solo work. Unfortunately, his initial solo venture was 1994’s Frio, an uneven affair on which he seemed lost.

It was as if he couldn’t decide whether to kowtow to the cheesy Miami-led Latin music hierarchy or strike out on its own. Two years later, Rosa made good on the promise of his enormous talent.

Vagabundo is Rosa at his finest; rife with meticulous arrangements, crunchy guitars, Beatle-esque orchestrations and solid performances throughout. A fantastic record in any language, it’s one of the finest rock albums ever recorded in Spanish. Definitely worth seeking out.


HONORABLE MENTION:

Suzanne Vega Solitude Standing [A&M-1987]

The Onstage Type

EVAN DANDO

Southpaw

Brooklyn, NY

2-13-04

On the final show of the American leg of his solo world tour the former Lemonhead made his way to a packed house in New York’s new hipster mecca with an hour-plus show that did not disappoint. Armed with his trusty but battered acoustic guitar—and sporting a dangling cigarette a la Keith Richards, in clear defiance of the city’s smoking ban—Dando was welcomed like a long lost hero, who then proceeded to run through an extensive set littered with countless favorites including "The Outdoor Type", his seminal cover of Victoria Williams’ "Frying Pan", "It’s A Shame About Ray" and selections from last year’s Baby I’m Bored. Welcome back, sir.

2003: The Year in Review

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Outkast Speakerboxx/The Love Below [Arista]

A badly needed kick in the pants at a time when mainstream hip-hop is choking with stagnation. If this turns out to be their last effort together, well, what a way to go.

Runner Up:
Radiohead Hail To The Thief [Parlophone]


ALBUM OF THE YEAR (in another language):
Café Tacuba Cuatro Caminos [MCA]

Just as R.E.M. did with Monster, the Mexico City quartet decided to accentuate the rock side of their musical equation on Cuatro Caminos. Unlike Athens, Georgia’s favorite sons Tacuba succeeded wildly and in the process got more accolades and lip-service from the U.S. press than ever before.


FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Nada Surf Let Go [Barsuk]

A band that we never really cared for–and that many had left for dead, after being dropped by Elektra–came out of nowhere and for quite a while laid almost exclusive claim to our cd player with one of the best records out this year.

Runner up:
Zwan Mary, Star of the Sea [Reprise]


SINGLE OF THE YEAR:
Outkast / "Hey Ya"

You had to be dead to not be captivated by the infectious spirit of this one.


BEST REISSUE:
Guided By Voices Human Amusements at Hourly Rates: The Best of Guided By Voices [Matador]

As Favor Flav once said, "we got some non-believers out there." This should take care of ‘em.

Runner Up:
The Beatles Let It Be … Naked [Capitol]
Stone Temple Pilots Thank You [Atlantic]


GUILTY PLEASURE OF THE YEAR:
Mandy Moore Coverage [Sony]

If someone had told us early in the year that towards the end of ’03 we’d be grooving to a Mandy Moore record, we’d have taken them out back and shot them like the rabid dog they would’ve seemed at the time. But lo and behold, Ms. Moore’s collection of covers grabbed a hold of us and we’re not ashamed to admit it.


BEST BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:
The iTunes Music Store/Service

Sure, they need to get their indie catalog going and the lack of artwork for your purchases does kind of suck, but who can argue with tunes for 99 cents and whole albums for 10 bucks these days?

Runner up:
Universal Music lowering their non-multiple CD prices so that they retail for $12.99


WORST ALBUM:
Madonna American Life [Maverick]

After the return to form of Ray Of Light, Madge cashed in whatever forward momentum she’d earned by collaborating with dj/producer Mirwais twice. And while Music was a head-scratching affair, American Life is just plain dismal. Madonna, rapping?! Need we say more?


MOST UNWELCOME COMEBACK:
Liz Phair

Five years waiting for an indie rock queen to finally come out as a lame-ass pop star wannabe is wrong on so may levels. That she chased after Avril Lavigne and her ilk just adds insult to injury.


MOST UNDESERVED HYPE:
The Distillers

Ah, the great punk rock hope. Or so we were told. But when every single article and review placed more emphasis on frontwoman Brody Armstrong’s messy split from husband/Rancid leader Tim Armstrong than on their album Coral Fang, we knew something was up. Leave it to our friends at Mojo to articulate it best: "Coral Fang finds The Distillers aping the bloodless Hollywood impotence of Hole's Celebrity Skin, their 'punk rock' inoffensive and utterly forgettable." Ouch.


ANTI-ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:
Jason Mraz

This guy is so lame he makes John Mayer–aka Dave Matthews Jr.–seem like Lemmy from Motorhead. Unfortunately, enough frat girls bought his bland ass album to make him a constantly annoying presence. King Wuss, ascend to your throne. Your Abercrombie+Fitch-clad subjects await you.


WORST REISSUE:
The Fugees Greatest Hits [Ruffhouse/Sony]

This is not about the music but the fact that an artist with only 2 albums to their credit does not warrant a ‘greatest hits’ release. Especially when the bulk of said release is from their breakthrough album, which is what you should own to begin with.


WORST COVER VERSION:
Lots of bad ones out there lately but we settled on a tie between Kid Rock’s "Feel Like Making Love" and Pink’s "Trouble". Wait, that last one isn’t a cover–just a rip-off of The Vaselines’ "Molly’s Lips" made famous by Nirvana. Sorry.


MOST UNNECESSARY REHASHING:
Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of all Time

For their 20th anniversary in 1987 Rolling Stone compiled a list of the best albums of the previous two decades. Quite good, as a matter of fact. But plenty of great albums have seen the light of day in the last 15 years, so an update was in order. Not wholesale revision, which is
what this amounts to. Now that there are ex-Maxim people running the show over there we dreaded this sort of list ever making an appearance. No dice.


GOODBYE
The great Johnny Cash; Afro-Cuban music queen Celia Cruz; The Bee Gees' Maurice Gibb; music critic Ian MacDonald, author of Beatles reference tome Revolution in the Head; veteran solo artist and Power Station vocalist Robert Palmer; Cuban legend and Buena Vista Social Club member Compay Segundo; indie troubadour Elliott Smith; soul/R&B icon Barry White; the one and only Warren Zevon.

5 "Lost" Albums

Lord knows there are thousands of neglected albums out there worthy of a much kinder fate. We would probably have to dedicate every post for the rest of our natural (or is it, unnatural?) lives to correct such a wrong. Alas, this is not in the realm of possibility at this time. (What time would we have left for drinking and consorting with the opposite sex?) Anyway, this let's look into a few overlooked gems in the catalogs of artists whose output is quite well known, but for a variety of reasons these particular platters have fallen through the cracks. Here's a sampling (in alphabetical order by artist):

AEROSMITH
Done With Mirrors
[Geffen-1985]

With their health, creativity and popularity at an all time low and having to weather the departure of guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, Aerosmith hired replacements Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay and went about the business of releasing the much-maligned (but not all bad) Rock In A Hard Place [Columbia-1982]. After this incarnation of the band--for all intents and purposes--imploded immediately afterwards, the wheels were set in motion for a reunion of the original five. The fact that Perry and Whitford, respectively, weren't burning up the charts or setting attendance records on their own, surely made this a much easier proposition.

Now with the backing of a new label, their supposed comeback album Done With Mirrors met with a lukewarm response from both critics and fans alike. Which is quite surprising when you actually listen to it: the first half is a non-stop tour de force of classic Aerosmith raunch and swagger and none of the cheesy ballads that would subsequently propel them into the pop mainstream. It's rather telling that none other than The Replacements took to covering Done With Mirrors' "My Fist, Your Face" during their final tours. In the years since, Aerosmith have returned to their mid '70s popularity, and made bigger albums, but never better than this one.


MILES DAVIS
The Man With The Horn
[Columbia-1981]

After changing the face of jazz half a dozen times in the three previous decades, Miles announced his retirement with the release of the groundbreaking live albums Pangaea and Agharta [both Columbia-1975]. So obviously, expectations were rather high when the man did an about face and returned in 1981.

Unfortunately, this was not one of his greatest moments: his playing is off and some of the tunes aren't up to snuff (the dismal title track, particularly). Factor in the Miles Davis legend and, of course, disappointment will run rampant. But nonetheless, this is an engaging album when judged on its own merits and away from the harsh light of Davis' monumental status. Opening track "Fat Time" (dedicated to his then-sideman, guitarist Mike Stern) is alone, well-worth the price of admission.


ROBI ROSA
Vagabundo
[Sony Latin-1996]

Sure, he's best known for penning "Living La Vida Loca", "The Cup Of Life" and "Maria" for Ricky Martin and his own stint in Menudo, but Robi Rosa is also a former member of acclaimed '90s L.A. funksters Maggie's Dream and an accomplished, risk-taking artist and performer in his solo work. Vagabundo is Rosa at his finest; rife with meticulous arrangements, crunchy guitars, Beatle-esque orchestrations and solid performances throughout.

A fantastic record in any language, it is one of the finest rock records ever recorded in Spanish. Definitely worth seeking out.


STING
The Soul Cages
[A&M-1991]

In one of the boldest moves ever seen in popular music, Sting left--at the time--the biggest rock band in the world to pursue his jazz-influenced solo muse in the mid '80s. Two albums into a very successful new career he released a dark, brooding album that reflected his immense grief over the then recent death of his parents (The Soul Cages is dedicated to his father; the previous album, Nothing Like The Sun [A&M-1987] was dedicated to his mother).

Almost every review we've read of this album makes us think that we somehow picked up a different record: while we found it to be mature, majestic and quite beautiful, the press for the most part dismissed it as a difficult, indulgent, sour-tasting album. And despite the public's positive initial response to the Police-like first single "All This Time", their enthusiasm for The Soul Cages cooled off soon after. A shame really, since those willing to immerse themselves in this set will be rewarded with some of the most striking pop music made in recent times and some of Sting's very best.

Highlights: "Mad About You", "Why Should I Cry for You?", the hauntingly sublime centerpiece "The Wild Wild Sea", the aforementioned "All This Time", and the title track.


U2
October
[Island-1981]

Sandwiched between a fiery debut--Boy [Island-1980]--and their defiant, first masterpiece--War [Island-1983]--U2's sophomore effort is often forgotten among the more popular, influential and innovative albums that litter the Irish band's catalog. October is a simple record, albeit a passionate one.

While it has been said that perhaps U2 tried too hard not to succumb to the pitfalls of the dreaded sophomore slump--October does sound a bit forced and under cooked here and there--the album has many fine moments and still holds up rather well, decades later. Oh, and the back to back kick of opening tracks "Gloria", "I Fall Down", and "I Threw A Brick Through A Window", is for those of us who were around at the time, a reminder of U2's incredible promise and how they eventually made good on it--big time.