TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #81

Spoon: Gimme Fiction (2005) <Merge>

Genre: Rock

Nationality: USA (Austin, TX)

This was my first experience with Spoon, and it’s still to this day my favorite.  I’m not sure why.  Spoon is one of those bands that has a pretty much immaculate catalog.  Almost every album represents the Austin collective just as well, each one slightly different, but wholly alike simultaneously.  Gimme Fiction was a step up in production from the effectively sparse Kill The Moonlight.  The fidelity increased, and the rhythm got even tighter than ever.  The combination of Jim Eno’s precise and unique drumming styles keep Britt Daniel’s affection for static noise from sliding into chaotic confusion.  This makes Gimme Fiction a very effective experiment in tension and release.  Progressions and structures are kept simple, working in forms of crescendos and climaxes that squeeze and pulse with a sense of urgency.  “My Mathematical Mind” slowly climbs in intensity, “The Beast And Dragon Adored” looms with sinister lows, and “Sister Jack” features fits of static convulsions.  And while the tension is palpable, the release into mellowed acoustic led numbers like “The Delicate Place” and “I Summon You” are effectively rewarding.  This is an album crafted by experts, calculated but organic, vintage sounding but original and unique.  This is the kind of stuff that remains timeless for years to come.  With a catalog that they have now, Spoon is destined for rock legacy.

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #82

The New Pornographers: Electric Version (2003) <Matador>

Genre: Power Pop, Indie Rock

Nationality: Canada (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Although this record was released in 2003, the New Pornographers’ Electric Version has become rooted in the summer of 2005 for me.  It was an exciting time: I was right smack dab in the middle of high school, and I was really starting to get into many different types of music.  The New Pornographers were among the first indie rock bands that I got into, and they’ve since remained among some of my favorite bands.  That summer, I was introduced to the Canadian power pop collective with their current release Twin Cinema.  I remember getting it based on pure suggestion from another friend, and I remember being blown away by the sheer catchiness and quality of each song.  However, at the same time I got a hold of their previous release, Electric Version, and pretty soon, Twin Cinema was out of my car’s CD player and back into its case.  It’s not that Twin Cinema is bad or anything (in fact it’s probably my second favorite), but Electric Version has the higher concentration of awesome songs.  It’s less experimental, more straightforward, and for the most part a lot more fun.  It’s typical New Pornographers: booming drums, rocking guitars, and chanted choruses that sound like rallying cries.  Neko Case doesn’t offer as much vocals on this one (pretty much just “All For Swinging You Around” and “The Laws Have Changed”), but a lot of the attention is directed at Destroyer’s Dan Bejar.  “Chump Change” and “Testament To Youth In Verse” remain as my favorite Destroyer contributions to the New Pornographers catalog.

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #83

Pink Floyd: Meddle (1971) <Harvest/EMI>

Genre: Psychedelia, Progressive Rock

Nationality: UK (Cambridge, London)

Meddle was a significant turning point in the band’s musical direction.  It was more cohesive and concrete than their previous works, and would be more atmospheric and minimal than the epic works that followed.  This makes Meddle a truly cosmic kind of record.  It drifts through giant, empty voids, featuring astounding guitar work that conveys a sense of disconnect.  Roger Waters doesn’t sing like a frontman, more like just another detail in the sonic landscape that Pink Floyd creates on Meddle.  A couple songs, like “Fearless” and “San Tropez,” mark a noted shift towards form and structure, but for the most part, Meddle floats and drifts, not quite sure of itself.  But then again, is the universe meant to be sure of itself?  This culminates into the massive second side of the record, the sprawling mega work “Echoes.”  This twenty minute plus cosmic odyssey represents the epic soundscapes that would later go on works like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.  Although, this is notably darker and more sinister, evoking feelings of looming doom.  As the piece shifts into its second half, the percussion subsides, and tonality all but disappears.  David Gilmour’s guitar shrieks and moans, and the dense ambience suggests a very foreign, alien feeling.  It’s a frightening middle of the song which eventually leads to a bombastic interlude into the song’s final chorus.  When it’s all over, you’re left awestruck, a feeling that would become Pink Floyd’s signature effect with their approaching future masterworks.

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #84

Cake: Comfort Eagle (2001) <Columbia>

Genre: Alternative Rock

Nationality: USA (Sacramento, CA)

This is another band I remember growing up with.  My initial experience occurred in the summer of 1998 when my parents bought Prolonging The Magic.  I was instantly hooked into Cake’s groovy jams and dryly witty vocal performances.  Comfort Eagle, to me though, is Cake’s best, most complete record.  1996’s Fashion Nugget comes very close, but Comfort Eagle barely slips ahead.  This one just seems great from start to finish.  All the way from “Opera Singer” to “World Of Two” contains zero filler, each song working in its own quirky way.  “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” finds Cake following up their previous hit “Never There” with an even stronger, funnier, catchier single.  “Meanwhile Rick James” and “Long Line Of Cars” groove along while “Shadow Stabbing” and “Love You Madly” rock in a way that evokes a kind of new wave feel not dissimilar to the Cars or maybe Elvis Costello.  It’s an ultimately weightless, easy record that requires little thought or focus.  It can work for a ten minute car ride or part of a big party.  Comfort Eagle is an interesting record that manages to be accessible at the same time.

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #85

Of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (2007) <Polyvinyl>

Genre: Glam Rock, Psychedelic Pop

Nationality: USA (Athena, GA)

Of Montreal’s career has been an interesting journey through several different genre changes, ranging from psychedelic magical mystery tour pop to disco.  Their peak for me, though, was when they hit their stride between 2004-2007.  This started Of Montreal’s foray into more electronic induced pop, featuring synthesizers and beat machines.  Before they knew it, Of Montreal was on its may into pure colorful hi-fidelity recordings, and Hissing Fauna was one of the most interesting collections.  Songs contained typical glam rock motifs (sex, drugs, art, fashion, etc.) and had strong David Bowie influences.  At the same time, though, each work was wholly original in the typical Of Montreal fashion, featuring the dense harmonies and off the wall chord progressions.  The album chronicled a concept centering around frontman Kevin Barnes’ struggle with depression and mood disorders around the time of recording.  The halfway point in the album, “The Past Is A Grotesque Animal,” is a nearly 12 minute odyssey, starting Barnes’ transformation into his glam rock alter ego: Georgie Fruit.  This kind of approach to crafting an album makes Hissing Fauna a schizophrenic kind of release, pushing and pulling itself into a vast array of emotions and personalities.  It’s also striking at how everything blends so well together, creating a colorful palette of sound, from the funkiest jams (“Gronlandic Edit,” “Faberge Falls For Shuggie”) to the freakiest rockers (“Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse,” “Suffer For Fashion”).

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #86

Nobuo Uematsu; Final Fantasy S Generation (2001) <Tokyopop>

Genre: Contemporary Classical

Nationality: Japan (Kochi Prefecture)

Anyone knows me knows that I have a bunch of nerdy tendencies.  For one, I am obsessed with anime, love video games, and once went through a two year Magic The Gathering binge.  So it’s no surprise that Final Fantasy is one of my all time favorite artistic creations.  It’s not only a great video game series, it has amazing stories, memorable characters, and yes: entrancing music.  Nobuo Uematsu is one of the original core masterminds behind the series, making the soundtracks for almost every single game since its inception. Just about  everything, from the main theme to the chocobo song, is his creation.  It was really hard for me to find a favorite Final Fantasy soundtrack, so I instead decided to include this amazing compilation: Final Fantasy S Generation.  All the highlights from Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX make the tracklist, and they’re presented in an astounding orchestral production.  The result is John Williams worthy, making my favorite video game moments come to life in an organic, epic fashion.  The reworked songs explode in an expected cinematic way, fully capturing what Uematsu was originally trying to achieve in only MIDI.  “One Winged Angel” is considerably more frightening, “Aeris’ Theme” is more dynamic and endlessly more beautiful, and “The Man With The Machine Gun” rushes along with a more hurried sense of urgency.  This compilation is truly how Nobuo Uematsu intended Final Fantasy to sound. 

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #87

Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On (1971) <Tamla>

Genre: Soul

Nationality: USA (Washington, D.C.)

It’s often hailed as the best soul album ever made.  Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On was a tremendous leap forward for the artist, possessing ambition and pure heartfelt emotion.  Each track flowed from one to the next, making the work on a whole feel like one cohesive thought, a giant statement.  Gaye made the concept of a war vet coming home to find nothing but injustice and violence in his own home.  What’s Going On is a rallying cry for peace and love in the truest sense.  Marvin sings with the passion he always had, but it feels palpable here in a way that transcends everything he had ever done at that point in his career.  He urges his audience to do something.  To act.  To save.  With such dark imagery of picket signs, brutality, war, pollution, and racism, this is in reality a motivational record.  Gaye tells us that things are bad, but they can get better.  Everyone has the power to drop their weapons and love one another.  It’s such a pure thought that never goes into question.  The results are beautiful too, bringing forward some of his biggest hits (“What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me”) as well as having some of his best vocal performances on record.

Key Tracks: “What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me,” “Save The Children”
For Fans Of: Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson 

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #88

The Prodigy: The Fat Of The Land (1997) <XL/Maverick>

Genre: Electroclash, Big Beat

Nationality: UK (Braintree, Essex)

Here’s a funny story.  So this is the first record I remember actually wanting for myself.  I may have had one or two before this, but those would have been soundtracks given to me as Christmas gifts or something.  I think I was at a bookstore with my mother and maybe my sisters (I can’t remember), and I remember going to the CD section and looking for the Prodigy.  They had been on MTV and I had seen the videos for “Firestarter” and “Breathe.”  They scared the hell out of me but I loved the songs themselves.  I found Fat Of The Land and handed it to my mother, begging and pleading.  I could only imagine the horror my mother felt as she read the first track on the CD that her eight year old son wanted: “Smack My Bitch Up.”  She did actually buy it, but gave it to my cousin and had her record it on a mixtape (no not a CD, a cassette) with that track omitted.  I then rocked out to my slightly edited album for weeks and weeks.  It still remains as one of my favorite albums, and not just for nostalgia.  This is quite possibly one of the best electronica releases ever made, full of industrial breakbeats, intense power and incredible mainstream appeal.  It came out right at the peak of the euro dance craze that hit the states in the 90’s, so it’s no surprise it sold as well as it did.  An album like the Fat Of The Land would never be popular today.  It’s amazing that a record so fierce and intense was even big in the first place.  It all works somehow, and it hits like a ton of bricks.  The sweaty pulsing numbers never relent, from the fiery electroclash of “Serial Thrilla” and “Breathe” to the hazy acid raves “Narayan” and “Mind Fields.” 

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #89

Steely Dan: Can’t Buy A Thrill (1972) <ABC>

Genre: Jazz Rock, Progressive Rock

Nationality: USA (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY)

I grew up for the most part like everyone else: raised on my parents’ music.  For some people that means a little, for some it means a lot.  And my parents listened to a lot of music.  I’m sure everybody has early memories of what their parents played.  A myriad of names comes to mind when I think back to younger years: Tom Petty, Frank Zappa, Van Morrison, Queen, Elvis Costello.  I could go on and on.  One notable group, though, was Steely Dan, and they are synonymous with my childhood.  Every road trip, every summer between the years of 4 and 10 brings to mind albums like Pretzel Logic, Aja, and particularly Can’t Buy A Thrill.  Listening to this record is instant nostalgia to me, bringing back fond memories along with some catchy songs.  This album, their first, was much less jazz oriented than their later material, instead opting for a more pop rock approach.  It certainly hints at things to follow, though.  Tracks like “Do It Again” and “Reelin’ In The Years” possess clear progressive jazz inclinations, and each song is recorded magnificently.  Like any Steely Dan record, production is top notch, clean, clear and virtually perfect in every way.  Harmonies are king as well, with tracks like “Midnight Cruiser” and “Dirty Work” being drenched in three and four part vocal bliss.  To me, Can’t Buy A Thrill is easily the best of Steely Dan’s material.  Nothing else comes close.

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #90

Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor (2006) <1st & 15th>

Genre: Hip Hop

Nationality: USA (Chicago, IL)

Lupe Fiasco was a breath of fresh air in hip hop when he hit the scene in 2006.  With the Kanye West/Jay-Z approach to hip hop, Food & Liquor is full of soulful samples and lyrical wit.  His intelligent wordplay combined with his knack for storytelling makes his debut more than just a normal hip hop record.  Food & Liquor is a journey through Lupe Fiasco’s mind, a collection of his honest thoughts expressed through rhymes and beats.  The detail and the earnestness behind Lupe’s voice feels utterly genuine, devoid of the usual bravado of the modern emcee.  It instantly recalls the thoughtful and forward thinking nature of A Tribe Called Quest, in that the songs ascend to much more than just rapping about guns and fame and women.  He reflects on his life through imagery of skateboarding (“Kick, Push”), alienation (“Hurt Me Soul”), race issues (“American Terrorist”), and even includes stories of dead gangsters rising from the grave (“The Cool”).  It’s a mish mash of emotions that feels real.  Lupe didn’t want to make an album of glorification.  He instead wanted to make something that represented himself.  This is his album.  This is Lupe Fiasco.