1998
The Annual "Grip Monthly" Best-of-Poll
In a year in which the corporate multi-congloms merged themselves into a cottage industry of Slave Ships racing blindly toward the almighty audience survey and film soundtrack tie-in, no wonder so many people thought contemporary Popular Music wasn’t worth bothering with! (With Mercury, a major label a cut above in quality, currently being dismantled, expect the same in 1999).
You must admit that, in many ways, this past year-- a year of C-Span phone sex, of home run balls, of graceful retirements, of rap artists beating up journalists, of hometown congressmen ignoring tobacco industry lies even while they voted to remove the President from office for personal offenses, stuff like that-- deserved a soundtrack of pre-digested "adult baby boomer" muzak from Celine, Garth & Whitney!
AS 1998 SANK with the Titanic, WHO HAD TIME FOR GOOD MUSIC??? Ah, Grip did, and so did the expert panel of musicologists, writers, retailers, musicians, fanzine editors and fans who participated in this year’s Survey of the Best in Music 1998. Our Cast make a pretty good case for the Past Year in Music...unearthing some little-known gems, highlighting the artistic triumphs... and even blowing a raspberry or two. Yep, it WAS a Good Year for Music, even if the rest of the damn year could sometimes make you. . .
Look Back and SHUDDER
Bret Booth
(Grip Wire Service Ed., freelance writer)
- Halo Benders-- The Rebel’s Not In (K) Anything Doug Martsch touches turns to gold. Calvin, a little too much sometimes, provides some good contrast.
- Quasi-- Featuring Birds (Up)
Sam Coomes (ex-Heatmiser and Donner Party) and Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney) produce brilliant anti-love songs.
- Granddaddy-- Under the Western Freeway (v2) Lo-fi rockers from Cali chip in with a stellar debut that should appease the ol’ Pavement fan base.
- Neutral Milk Hotel-- In the Aeroplane Over The Sea (Merge)
Elephant 6 pioneer Jeff Magnum (boy does that sound like a movie star name?) proves that vocal texture and words can be more powerful than the sounds instruments make.
Toss up:
- Sunny Day Real Estate-- How It Feels to be Something On (SubPop)
- Archers of Loaf-- Whitetrash Heroes (Alias)
Neither album is better than each band’s earlier work.... but I’m a sucker for reunions and breakups, respectively.
Tony P.
(Mystery Man, DJ at WNRN)
- Hive-- Devious Methods (FFRR)
- U.N.K.L.E--Psyence Fiction (Mo' Wax)
- Various Artists-- Beats of the op je fiets crew (Kultbox)
- DJ Spooky-- Synthetic Fury (Asphodel)
- Mocean Worker-- Home Movies from the Brainforest (Conscience)
Reissues:
- Plaid --Not for Threes (Warp)
- Caustic Window-- Compilation (Rephlex vinyl reissue)
Honorable mention:
The Iron Maiden box set with the really cool Evil Eddy molded plastic head case. Rock Hard!
Laura Stark
(Grip editor in charge of Swing Dancing)
- Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue (Elektra) Not only does this get my Best Record of the Year, but also the Most Original Concept of the Year. These guys managed to put music to never-recorded Woody Guthrie lyrics and keep the spirit of WG without doing an imitation of him. One could argue that Billy Bragg does this in his own songs -- that's probably why he was invited to do this record.
- Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire -- Thrills (Rykodisc) AB plays violin on all the SNZ records. This is better even than the SNZ.
- Kristin Hersh -- Strange Angels (Throwing Music)
Not as brilliant as her first solo album, 1994's Hips and Makers, the acoustic Strange Angels is still fabulous enough to make my top five.
- St. Etienne -- Good Humor (SubPop) Lo-fi 70's sound complete with horns. Not like their dancy stuff, which I don't love.
And much to my surprise...
- Beck - Mutations (DGC)
Lower key (and more folk than funk) than his previous releases.
Special Mention goes to
- Cadillaca-- Introducing Cadillaca (K) My stereo has been broken since I bought this record. From what I managed to hear through a single hissing and buzzing speaker, it may be great enough to have made my top five. . .
Jeremy Koren
(Stigma Rock Unit, WUVT oldster)
- Belle & Sebastian -- The Boy With The Arab Strap (Matador)
Perfect pop; even the Santana part sounds good. "Dirty Dream #2" always makes me smile unabashedly and even dumb people seem to like it. Immense. Startling. Add this to their "This Is Just A Modern Rock Song" single and you have the creative output of the year.
- Fugazi -- End Hits (Dischord) The prototype, the beginning and the end. An abrasive, subversively experimental and daringly punk record from America's preeminent (still) post-hardcore ensemble. Classic rock for jaded youth. Aww, c'mon, you know you like it!
- The Donnas -- American Teenage Rock N' Roll Machine (Lookout)
Alas, here in the days of disco (nee: electronica) the aesthetic grandeur of the concept of rock and roll has been despairingly overlooked. Thank god for The Donnas: they sing about sex, drugs, and rock and roll in a sneeringly believable fashion. Pretty good for a comedy troupe. Party record of the decade.
- Arab Strap -- Philophobia (Chemikal Underground / Matador) The first line on the record is "It was the biggest cock you'd ever seen..." and the naked guy on the cover looks just like my dad: I was meant to like this record, and I do. They're the Scottish Smog, charmingly desolate, with painstakingly subtle arrangements of magnificently deadpanned pop labyrinths.
- The Hellacopters -- Payin' The Dues (White Jazz) The male version of The Donnas: these Swedish Viking type dudes sound like they've been mainlining testosterone! Searing MC5/Radio Birdman disaster rock that's loud enough for the kids with the anarchy signs on their jackets, drugged out enough to rouse Monster Magnet / Queens Of The Stone Age-listening stoner faggots out of their THC hazes, and stupidly rock n'roll enough for exploitational white male critic types like myself to fawn all over. Hell, I'm not even sure this was released in 1998, but this and Supershitty To The Max probably were, and were damn well better than any of the cocaine you bought this year.
Reissues / Excavations:
- Charlie Feathers -- Get With It (Revenant) If only for the photograph of a 38-cent royalty check Chucko received at the height of his successes, this double-disc, magnificently packaged collection of Feathers' rump-shakin' sides from the 1950's would be well worth the price of admission. From his Sun country classics to rockabilly standards like "Bottle To The Baby" and the title track, this record will have you weepin' in yer blue suede shoes. Fuck Elvis: this is the real shit.
- Bob Dylan -- Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (Columbia) It begins normally enough: Dylan -- prophet, seer, sage -- preaching to his minions with his standard acoustic guitar/harmonica/voice arrangement. It's real purdy... but it all goes to pot on disc 2 when Dylan drags out The Band, tells the folk nazis to sod off and roars through an hour or so of defiantly blistering rock and roll, the likes of which hadn't / haven't been heard before or since. A thing of real beauty -- sell your promo copy of Time Out Of Mind and get the Bible.
Dan Poarch
(Grip Hopper)
- Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse/Columbia) Sorry, it’s good. Really good. Cutting off the dead weight of fellow (ex-?)Fugee Pras and escaping the egotistical, albeit extremely talented, grasp of the other (ex-?)Fugee Wyclef Jean has given Hill the latitude to express her own sensibilities and perspective in an album reminiscent of Common’s most recent project, One Day It’ll All Make Sense ("Miseducation" is actually a term grafted from Common’s album). The album is warm and listenable with a few greasy smooth overly R&B’ed tracks that I could do without, but at its best, it’s the album that I’ve been waiting for: timeless good hip hop that I can play for my mom and not only will she enjoy it, she’ll understand it.
- DJ Rhettmatic — World Famous Beat Junkies Vol. 2 (Blackberry) Listing this is much easier than listing all of the 12-inch’s on it. They’re all good. Damn good! Once again, DJ Babu produced the first, the beat junkies, this time it’s Dj Rhettmatic, have come out with not only finest mixtape DJing but the best taste in execution. Butta’, if I may, selections with tight transitions, big beats, funny skits, and an amazing freestyle session featuring the (Charlottesville) Plan 9 crew’s favorite posse that goes by the handle of Jurrassic 5
- A Tribe Called Quest — The Love Movement (Jive) Tribe on a bad day is better than others on a good one because this is as bad as Tribe gets, which is still some of the best music on wax, EVER. To make a very long review very short: I’ll miss these guys, they gave me hip hop and I have little to offer back.
- Various Artists — Lyricist Lounge (Rawkus) I like this based on Common’s freestyle alone.
- Goodie Mob — Still Standing (Columbia) Another fine one from the boys down south. Outkast’s distant cousin (see Rob Sheffield’s List), Goodie Mob provides a much needed change of pace from the Southern Player Pedantic Patois. While this album contains typical hip-hop posturing, it also features distorted rock guitars, interesting samples, meaningful lyrics, and one of the best songs I’ve ever heard: Beautiful Skin. I can’t say enough about Cee-Lo, but the rest of the group really shines on this album as well. They’re a talented outfit that deserve more than the dubious low-riding homie rep that it seems they’ve gotten from the mainstream. Sometimes street poetry at its best, sometimes collaborative sounds at their best, a potent album.
- Ini-- Ini (import white label) The best is a posse cut with Large Professor and Q-tip, but the rest of the selections are solid as welll. This album was slated to come out on Electra in 1994(?) but never showed more than the lead-off 12-inch, Fakin’ Jax. It’s (producer) Pete Rock: solid rare-ass samples, mellow meaningful flows, capable MC’s, and pete Rock’s all too confident style. Elektra screwed the pooch on this one.
- Various — Tommy Boy’s Greatest Beats (Tommy Boy) So I’ve spent years tracking down a great deal of these from thrift stores, record fairs, record shops, friends, even over-priced web sites... and in fine form, this is what always happens. It all comes out on a compilation. It’s got the Stetsasonic hits, something you won’t find anywhere else (Prince Paul’s first band).
Chuck Taylor
(Programming Director, WTJU 91.1 FM)
Chuck’s short list
- Karnak-- Karnak (Tinder)
- Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca-- Mambo Yo Yo (Putumayo)
- Lambchop--What Another Man Spills (Merge)
- Two Dollar Guitar--Train Songs (Oil City Recordings)
- Talvin Singh-- OK (Island)
- Propellerheads--DecksandDrumsandrockand roll (Grand Royal)
- Tortoise--TNT (Thrill Jockey)
- Steve Roach / Roger King-- Dust to Dust (Projekt)
- Taj Mahal & the Hula Band--Sacred Island (Private)
- Olu Dara--In The World (Atlantic)
- Nicholas Payton-- Payton’s Place (Verve)
- Liquid Soul-- Make Some Noise (ARK 21)
- Kim Lenz & Her Jaguars--Kim Lenz & Her Jaguars (High Time Music)
- Union of A Man & A Woman-- The Sound of... (Jagjaguwar)
- Drunk-- To Corner Wounds (Jagjaguwar)
Reissues / Excavations:
- Charlie Feathers-- Get With It (Revenant)
- Tom Waits-- Beautiful Maladies: Island Years (Island)
- Van Morrison--The Philosopher’s Stone (Polydor)
- Jimi Hendrix Experience--The BBC Sessions (Experience Hendrix)
- Marianne Faithful--A Perfect Stranger (Island)
- Ray Charles--Complete Country & Western... (Rhino)
- Various Artists-- Nuggets (Rhino )
- Sandy Denny-- Gold Dust: Live at the Royalty (Island)
- Eric B & Rakim--Paid in Full: The Platinum Edition (Island)
- Miles Davis-- The Complete Bitches Brew (Columbia / Legacy)
D.R.Tyler Magill
(Vocalist / Box-whacker, Grand Banks)
In no order, cheese...
- "Hard Knock Life"-- Jay-Z. (Def Jam) Unleashed the inherent creepiness of "Annie" with dub. Best sample of the year. Don't they have a Grammy for that now? The second best sample was...
- "Would You?"-- Touch and Go (BMG)The Macarena of 1999.Drunk kids are gonna be bumping and grinding and giggling and line dancing to this at parties all year. Enjoy it now before it becomes really annoying (sometime around March).
- "That 70's Show" on Fox.
While we're talking about guilty pleasures, this show is no "King of the Hill" (a show I miss now due to slot change and cable lack), but it has just enough funny and cute people in it to adequately bridge the space twixt "The Simpsons" and "The X-Files". Yeah, I said "cute".
- Revenant Records
Specifically Country Blues: 1927-29 and American Primitive Vol.1. Buy 'em for the beautiful packaging and great liner notes by people like Peter Guralnick and John Fahey (who runs the label), and listen to 'em because they are, not to mince words, the Real Thing: portraits of an America that doesn't exist anymore, now that we all know each other too well.
- Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power and the Music Tapes at Tokyo Rose.
In a year I went to lots of great concerts, this one stands out because it brought sheer joy to everyone in the room, much as In the Aeroplane Over the Sea did. Enough joy to obliterate anything. Best on-stage patter: The Music Tapes lead autistic, warbling at a TV set with a smiley face on it - "You must learn to relate to the human mortals!"
- Best live song: "That Summer Feeling" by Jonathan Richman at the 9:30 Club.
- Usual Suspects
Once again, albums by Lambchop (What Another Man Spills, Merge) and the Monorchid (Who Put Out the Fire, Touch and Go) make my list. I wish they'd stop making such good stuff, that way I wouldn't have to repeat myself. And something that could be on everyone's top list this year is Cat Power's Moon Pix. It's because it's very good.
- "Bauchredner" by Gastr del Sol, from Camofleur (Drag City) Exit music that refuses to cry, from a very sad film.
- Rerelease of The Cowboy Wally Show, by Kyle Baker.
Sure, it's "graphix", am I even more of a geek now? Art-deco beer-fest that features the truly classic "Ed Smith, Lizard of Doom" gag. Dialogue somewhere between Allen and Tarantino.
- Ghost World, by Daniel Clowes
Another comic book, but this one would work without pictures, no mean feat. All about the sad story we all have about the best friend you imperceptibly grew apart from. People who love Belle and Sebastian and the Softies need this book like they need comfortably worn-out sweaters.
- Gerbils
Not the band, the animals. I find them amusing. I think they're as funny as monkeys. And, oh yeah, I think "tainted clams" are funny, too. To me, funny is a table with a plate of clams on it with a sign that says "Tainted Clams, $4.99/lb." next to the plate. With some gerbils just hanging around.
- "The Sifl and Olly Show" on MTV
Sock puppets that talk about the same things you and I would talk about, even though we're not sock puppets, at least I'm not. And it's on MTV? Proof that even a blind chicken gets a kernel of corn every so often. Best line out of a field of a thousand: "Hey Chester, what's your least favorite emotion?" "I... itchy." ".... alright."
- Banjos
Damn things are showing up everywhere. Everyone's got one, or needs one badly. Joins the theremin (winner for '95), marimba ('96) and pair of banked Technic 1200's ('97) in the winners circle. Instrument I wasn't expecting: prominent flügelhorn on David Grubb's The Thicket. Say it with me: 'flügelhorn'. Weird, huh?
- "Blue Monday" by Orgy (Elementree)The worst song of the year. Managed to squeeze all the fun out what was pretty dour to begin with, all the while falling all over itself to sound like Marilyn Manson, who at least has a sense of humor.
- Most perplexing song: "Turn the Page" by Metallica
Another cover. All I want to know is: when the hell did they start watching "60 Minutes"? I'm done with 'em.
- "Intergalactic"by Beastie Boys (Grand Royal) Best CD art. Features enormous, rampaging gerbil (see earlier entry).
- Predictions for next year
You will buy Smog's Knock Knock, and you'll start having fun again. The two aren't necessarily related. And you won't buy any more tickets to NBA games. Least-wise, I hope you won't. Let's teach Patrick Ewing a little lesson in clipping coupons like the rest of us.
Dana Murphy
(Owner, Trax nightclub, Charlottesville)
My favorite 5 1998 releases:
- Earth To Andy-- Simple Machine (Volumptuous Records)
- The Marvelous 3-- Hey Album (Deep South) To be re-released on Elektra in ‘99.
- Jeff Buckley-- Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk (Columbia)
- Big Wreck-- In Loving Memory of... (Atlantic)
- Fuel-- Fuel (550 Music)
Brian Greene
(Dodobobo)
Tops:
- His Name is Alive-- Ft. Lake (4AD) Half indie-pop and half deep soul.
- Autour de Lucie--Immobile (Nettwerk) New French pop rich in vocal melodies and guitar hooks.
- Royal Trux-- Accelerator (Drag City) The sounds of a traffic jam on a July afternoon -- when you're high.
- The Mekons-- Me (Quarterstick) Their most solid project since Curse Of The Mekons.
- Nick Lowe-- Dig My Mood (Upstart/Rounder) Late-night ballads influenced by Charlie Rich and Johhny Cash.
Honorable Mentions:
- Adventures in Stereo-- Alternative Stereo Sounds (Bobsled)
- Jon Spencer Blues Explosion-- Acme (Matador)
- St. Etienne-- Good Humor (SubPop)
- Air-- Moon Safari (Caroline / Source)
- Kahimi Karie-- Kahimi Karie (Minty Fresh)
- High Llamas-- Cold & Bouncy (V2)
- Make-Up-- In Mass Mind (Dischord)
- Tricky-- Angels with Dirty Faces (Polygram)
Reissues-Anthologies-Compilations:
- Stereolab-- Aluminum Tunes (Drag City) One of the '90's best bands, in their prime.
- Charlie Feathers-- Get With It (Essential Recordings 1954-69) (Revenant)Two CDs filled with psychobilly classics from an underappreciated Sun Records guy.
- Parliament-- First Thangs (HDH) George Clinton & Co., 70-72, sounded like the Black Stooges meet Sly.
- Tones on Tail-- Everything (Beggar's Banquet) Post Bauhaus act made one of the best neo-psychedelic albums of the past two decades ("Pop").
- Grant Green-- Iron City (32 Records) Swanky 60's jazz akin to Jimmy
Smith, "Groove" Holmes, et al.
- Lyres-- Lyres Lyres / A Promise is Promise / On Fyre / AHS 1005 (Matador) The first four albums by the garage rock living legends, with bonus tracks.
Scott Seymour
(Grip)
- Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire— Thrills (Rykodisc)
- Saint Etienne— Good Humor / Fairfax High (Creation / SubPop)
- Belle & Sebastian— The Boy With The Arab Strap (Matador)
- High Llamas-- Cold & Bouncy (V2)
- Liz Phair— Whitechocolatespaceegg (Matador )
Don Harrison
(Publisher, Grip Monthly ,
regional freelance writer, Managing Shrink )
- Squirrel Nut Zippers— Perennial Favorites (Mammoth)
Those things that give you the most pleasure are the things you deem the "best," and it surprised even me how much I kept playing this Chapel Hill-based ensemble’s latest set of atmospheric, nostalgia-tinged art-pop. What sets SNZ from the rest of the zoot-suitin’ "swing" crowd is that they still think of what they do as a progressive music; even without moogs, or jungle rhythms, or Alec Empire remixes, they can still be pretty creepy-- even scary-- and yet when they want to, or the right chemicals hit ‘em, they can crank out a standard ("Low Down Man") like nobody in pop. My personal soundtrack of 1998.
- Cornelius Fantasma— Cornelius (Matador) This Japanese one-man-studio-whiz-band is equally anachronistic-- but like the Zippers, he takes his particular slant on his musical obsessions (in this case ‘60’s west coast pop-rock) to stirring heights. I’d compare him to Todd Rundgren, except Todd hasn’t made a record as immediate and hummable and as full of zingers in 20 years. Maybe never.
- Neutral Milk Hotel-- In the Aeroplane Over The Sea (Merge)
Another obsessive-- but Jeff Magnum’s obsessions are with himself, and the world he lives in. Best of all, his ruminations are musically-solid and come adrift in a sound he can legitimately call his own. To have your own sound-- that counts for something these days.
Thank Heaven For:
- Beastie Boys— Hello Nasty (Grand Royal) Since I WAY overrated Ill Communication when it first came out, I’m tempted to ignore the fact that I played Hello Nasty for a month straight this summer. And it sure sounded good-- a K-Tel Collection complete with lafftracks and sunshine daydreams. Since I haven’t played it much since then, I’m probably overrating the Beasties yet again. . . but. . .oh what a month!
- Beck— Mutations (DGC) I’m sure they asked Neil Young lots of questions about sales charts and disappointing Billboard points when he followed up the big-selling Harvest with anti-commercial efforts like Time Fades Away and On The Beach. Today, those are jewels in the Neilster’s crown-- Rock rosetta stones-- and I think we might just say the same about Mr. Hansen’s commercial about-face here. There’s something in Beck-- a rootlessness, a willingness to take risks with his music and his audience-- that makes him all the more interesting. USA Today called him a "loser" because Mutations didn’t match the box office of Odelay, but his guy will still be rockin’ long after Matchbox 20 has come and gone. Bank on it.... and don’t wait for the Rock Record Guides to tell you 10 years from now, buy Mutations now.
Reissues / Compilations:
- Various Artists— Nuggets (Rhino box set) A combustible, endlessly fascinating ‘60’s time capsule; the hits, misses and "alternative" garage rock from the headiest era in pop music history.
- Bob Dylan— Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (Columbia) Carp about the remix if you want, this is an archival legend long overdue for CD: Disc one is lyrical, beautiful, daring; disc two is apocalyptic. Also contains the best documented ruse yet to shut up stupid crowd heckling. . .
- Kinks-- Face to Face (Castle) Something Else By The Kinks (Castle), The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society (Castle) Charlie O.’s last minute addition (see later) reminded me that these seminal pop-rock classics were reissued this year. Here’s where you find out why some people think that the Kinks’ classic period was as good as any band’s. . .
Honorable Mentions:
- Varnaline-- Sweet Life (Zero Hour)
- Belle & Sebastian-- The Boy WIth The Arab Strap (Matador)
- Pernice Brothers-- Overcome by Happiness (SubPop)
- Union of a Man & a Woman— The Sound of ... (Jagjaguwar)
- His Name is Alive- Fort Lake (4AD U.K)
- Ivy-- Apartment Life (Epic / 550 Music)
Butch Lazorchak
(Pres., Squealer Records, Blacksburg)
- Gold Sparkle Band-- Downsizing (Nu). An excellent avant-jazz band from Atlanta, but don't hold that against them. Challenging performances and outstanding compositions that rival David S. Ware, Other Dimensions in Music, Masada, etc. for excitement.
- Moondog--Sax Pax for a Sax (Atlantic). Surprising major label return for Louis Hardin, aka Moondog, who beats on his bass drum while a mini sax orchestra plays delightfully melodic nuggets.
- Doldrums-- Feng Shui (Kranky). The best Kranky record yet. 'Ambient''rock' that stretches out, takes interesting turns, cools down, scares you and keeps you incredibly interested.
- Cut Chemist Vs. Shortkut-- Live at the Future Primitive (Future Primitive) DJ's Shortkut (from the Invisibl Skratch Pickles) and Cut Chemist (from Jurassic Five and himself) mix it up live on six turntables.
- Add - to X-- On the Wires of Our Nerves (Mute). Electronica with a greasy, sleazy organic edge. Old keyboards and weezy machines make music that could practically be considered human. Catchy tunes and dirty old sounds=cool.
Reissue:
- Michael Hurley-- Long Journey (Rounder) Hands down the best record I heard this year, and it originally came out in 1976. Hurley writes little songs that capture small truths in a world-weary voice, and with a winking understatement. The rustic, acoustic music is the appropriate backdrop to his quaintly lovely songs.
Richard Herskowitz
(Director, Virginia Film Festival)
- Lauryn Hill— The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse)
- Tori Amos-- From the Choirgirl Hotel (Eastwest)
- Neutral Milk Hotel— In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Merge)
- Jeff Buckley—Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk (Columbia)
- Lucinda Williams— Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Mercury)
- Patty Griffin— Flaming Red (A&M/ Polygram)
Reissue:
- Bruce Springsteen-- Tracks (Columbia) I actually like this more than any of Springsteen’s individual albums-- these great b-sides and unreleased studio tracks sound wonderful.
Richard Sarvay
(Guitar / vocals, Trouble With Larry)
- Nashville Pussy-- Let Them Eat Pussy (Amphetamine Reptile)
- Pizzicato 5-- Happy End of the World (Matador)
- Man... or Astroman-- Intravenous Television Continuum (Australian)
- Space Ghost-- Surf & Turf (Kid Rhino)
Excavation:
- Beach Boys-- Endless Harmony (EMI-Capitol)
Darius Van Arman
(A.K.A. "Koko," or "Coco." President, Jagjaguwar Records)
- Catpower-- Moon Pix (Matador)
- Monroe Mustang-- Plain Sweeping Themes For The Unprepared (Trance Syndicate)
- Silver Jews-- American Water (Drag City)
- Marmoset-- Today It’s Your (Secretly Canadian)
Tie:
- The Rondelles -- Fiction Romance Fast Machines (Smells Like Records)
- Julie Ruin (Kill Rock Stars)
Greg Schneider
(Military reporter / CD reviewer, Baltimore Sun)
- Kent-- Isola (RCA) The best excuse all year for not getting out of bed on a cold,rainy day. With its poetic images and haunting melodies, Isola is as sophisticated as Radiohead's OK Computer but less whiny and more catchy.
- Vic Chesnutt-- The Salesman and Bernadette (Capricorn) Creepy and compelling at the same time. Every track is literate and beautifully instrumented, and the mix of styles defies any one musical genre. It's like Flannery O'Connor with sha-la-las.
- Golden Smog-- Weird Tales (Ryko) How do these guys do this as a "side project?" The songs are strong, the energy is real and the blending of talents makes for a rich whole.
- Beck-- Mutations (DGC) The guy is the real thing, an artist with rare talent than never fails to surprise and impress. Sure, this disc is a lesser work, but its Kinks- and Beatles-flavored acoustic sound is a welcome diversion with subtle rewards.
- Billy Bragg and Wilco-- Mermaid Avenue (Elektra)
More than a moving tribute to Woody Guthrie, this stands on its own as a fresh and lively accomplishment (even the deadening presence of Natalie Merchant doesn't overly detract). Jeff Tweedy just keeps getting more indispensable.
- Belle and Sebastian-- The Boy with the Arab Strap (Matador) And this is the best excuse all year for not getting out of bed on a mild, early spring day. Delicately gorgeous, melodic and meticulously crafted, it makes you want to traipse across the meadow to see what Donovan is up to.
Reissue:
- U2-- B-sides, 1980-1990 (Island) - Even if you don't like melodramatic stadium rock, there's no denying what a great, great band U2 could be at its best. The singles collected here sound as vital today as they did in high school and / or college, and those B-sides are a treat.
Rob Sheffield
(WTJU, Rolling Stone)
- Air-- Moon Safari (Source/Caroline) Pick hit: "Sexy Boy," the international booty call that Jarvis Cocker should've written.
- Dump--- A Plea for Tenderness (Brinkman) Pick hit: "So Long," Brian Wilson's soul in Tom Verlaine's fingers.
- Silver Jews-- American Water (Drag City) Pick hit: "Blue Arrangements," dragging Al Green's "One Of These Good Old Days" through the Bermanizer.
- Beastie Boys-- Hello Nasty (Grand Royal/Capitol) Pick hit: "I Don't Know," because it would've been Renee's favorite.
- OutKast-- Aquemini (LaFace/Arista). Pick hit: "Rosa Parks," because songs about funky buses are always cool. Dizouble, dizutch!
Reissues
- The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem-- Come Fill Your Glass With Us: Irish Songs of Drinking and Blackguarding (Tradition) As the late great Paddy Clancy would say, take off your coat and free your throat.
- Yoko Ono-- Season of Glass (Rykodisc). As the late great John Lennon would say, strange days indeed.
Single:
- Nicole's "Make It Hot," with Missy and Timbaland representing the Dirty South.
Dave Harrison
(Grip’s D.C. raconteur)
- Adventures In Stereo--Alternative Stereo Sounds (Bobsled)
Pop.
- High Llamas-- Cold and Bouncy (V2)
Retro-electro-pop.
- Boards Of Canada-- Music Has The Right To Children (Warp)
Estudious.
- Ida--Ten Small Paces (Simple Machines)
Hyper-pretty.
- Ninety-Nine-- "Carparque" (Endearing)
Ridin' In My Car '98
- His Name Is Alive-- Ft. Lake (4AD)
Godspell.
- Robert Pollard-- Waved Out (Matador)
Abstract post-pop.
- Air-- Moon Safari (Caroline)
"Mr. Blue Sky" ‘98
- Camera Obscura-- "Park And Ride" (Andmoresound 45) Jangle.
- Beck-- Mutations (Geffen)
Marijuana-influenced.
Reissues / Compilations:
- Various Artists-- Orchestral Party (2 CD) Fourteen ultra-rare tracks from the French underground, recorded '69-'71, compiled by Parisian dj Romain "Lord Funk" Dalmasso. Includes Jack Hendrix, Phillipe Bruna, Maledictus Sound, Michel Magne, Georges Garaventz, Caterina Valente, Raymond Lefevere, Le Gaucher.
- Various Artists-- Exitos A Go-Go:Planetary Pebbles Vol. 2 (PP)
Latin American beat, psych, acid rock & more from Mexico, Chile,Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, and Puerto Rico.
-Warp Back To Earth A compilation of work by Peter Thomas, a '60s German TV theme composer who is a sort of missing link between John Barry and Esquivel. Includes a second CD with re-mixes by St. Etienne, Daurefisch, Momus, Stereolab, Mina and Yoshinori Sunahara.
-The Conet Project (1966) The scariest thing I heard all year-this collects the "numbers" broadcasts of the British government between 1945 and 1965, codes (delivered in a staccato female secret-agent voice) to be deciphered by government spies. 10-3-acht-6-acht-acht.
-The United States Of America (Edsel) Late-60s psychedelic beat masterpiece.
MORE
- Don't Dolby-- 05 (Gefriem)
- Lucksmiths-- A Good Kind of Nervous (Drive In)
- Pacific Ocean-- Birds Don't Think They're Flying (Enchante)
- Quickspace-- Precious Falling (Kitty Kitty)
- Color Filter-- Sleep In A Synchrotron (Fuzzy Box)
- Autechre--LP5 (Warp LP)
- Pluramon--Render Bandits (Staubgold)
- Jon Spencer Blues Explosion-- Acme (Matador)
- Moloko--I Am Not A Doctor (Echo)
- All Natural Lemon and Lime Flavors--Turning Into Small (Gern Blandsten)
- Scott Brookman-- "The Man From Operations" (Twee Kitten)
- Dymaxion-- "Use Once And Destroy" (Duophonic)
- DJ Cam-- The Beat Assassinated (Inflammable)
- Belle and Sebastian-- "Is It Wicked Not To Care" (Matador)
- Trembling Blue Stars-- Lips That Taste of Tears (Shinkasen)'
Fred Denny
(Grip’s ‘Hotlanta’ Bureau Chief)
- Halo Benders-- The Rebel’s Not In (K)
- Tortoise-- TNT (Thrill Jockey)
- Stereolab-- Aluminum Tunes (Drag City)
- Granger-- Hammock Style (Merge)
- Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo (Matador)
- David Grubbs-- The Thicket (Drag City)
- Blonde Redhead-- In An Expression of the Inexpressible (Touch & Go)
- Flu Thirteen-- In the Foul Key of V (The Medicine Label)
- Neck-- Unreated Distant Star (Teenage USA)
- Solient Green-- Sewn Mouth Secrets (Relapse)
Charles Olver
(no relation)
- Fugazi-- End Hits (DisChord) Ho hum-- another great Fugazi album...
- Trailer Bride-- Smelling Salts (Bloodshot Records) Relax-- this is a different album from the one that topped my list in both '98 and '97! And it really is different-- much darker in hue, almost (dare-I-say-it) gothic at times (American Gothic, of course). But Melissa Swingle's sly wit is still much in evidence, and Trailer Bride is still my most favoritest band except NRBQ (who are nowhere near this consistent on record, though TB have only made two so maybe that isn't fair). I wish everybody reading this, and all their friends, would just go out and buy both Trailer Bride albums-- I like to see genius recognized and rewarded.
- Varnaline-- Sweet Life (Zero Hour) I played "Gulf Of Mexico" for two friends. They both loved it-- one said it sounded like Neil Young, the other said it sounded like Pink Floyd. They're both dead wrong and absolutely right. That's why I hate it when people ask me "what does it sound like?" Sweet Life sounds to me like a practically perfect album of engaging songs performed with heart and skill. If you've heard their previous work and didn't think much of it--well, I pretty much agree withyou; check this one out anyway.
- Hole-- Celebrity Skin (DGC) Everyone said that Kurt Cobain really wrote Live Through This, and now everyone's saying Billy Corgan wrote this one, but they can just shut up-- if he's so clever, how come Smashing Pumpkins never put out anything half this good? Phil Spector had a little help with his records too, you know.
- The Dismemberment Plan-- The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified (DeSoto Records)This actually came out in '97, though since none of my Grip colleagues picked up on it at the time I don't feel so bad for not having done so myself. If every smartass post-punk band with a weakness for tricky time signatures were as genuinely clever, genuinely hilarious, and genuinely rockin' (tricky time signatures and all) as The Dismemberment Plan, then I probably wouldn't have such an aversion to smartass post-punk bands with a weakness for tricky time signatures. The lyrics are uncommonly insightful and articulate (as well as hilarious); the music is as catchy and kinetic as anything I've heard in years (in other words, it makes me wanna dance-- tricky time signatures and all); and the record is already out of print, though since they just got signed to Interscope I expect it will reappear in due course. Fugazi crossed with XTC crossed with Pixies crossed with Honor Role crossed with Volcano Suns... oh, forget it, I give up.
Reissues / Excavations:
- Various Artists-- Nuggets (Rhino) Talk about yer roots-- some of these songs have been favorites since before I could walk (literally)! And most of the ones I hadn't heard before are good enough to make me wish I had heard them then.
- Michael Hurley-- Long Journey (Rounder) When I first got this on LP, it took awhile to sink in-- an awful lot of it seemed carelessly thrown away, even by Snock standards. Eventually, I came to realize that Michael never throws anything away (except maybe his career). His specialty is transmogrifying day-to-day detritus into something you never realized you couldn't live without-- even if sometimes you can't quite live with it, either.
- The Kinks-- the remaster series on Essential Records/Castle Communications,
UK (especially Kinks, Kinda Kinks, Face to Face, Something Else, and The
Village Green Preservation Society)
Honorable Mentions:
- Fred Neil-- The Many Moods of Fred Neil (Collector's Choice reissue)
- Gene Clark-- Flying High (A&M [UK] reissue)
- Kristin Hersh-- Murder, Misery and Then Good Night (4AD [UK])
Steve Richmond
(Grip’s vinyl czar)
- Bedhead-- Transaction davy Novo (Trance Syndicate)
- The Minders-- Hooray For Tuesdays (SpinArt / Elephant 6)
- Brian Jonestown Massacre-- Strung Out in Heaven (TVT)
- Robert Pollard-- Waved Out (Matador)
- Various Artists-- I Stayed Up All Night Listening to Records-- a Collection of Field Recordings (Anything)
Reissues
- Cheap Trick-- In Color (Legacy)
- Cheap Trick-- Heaven Tonight (Legacy)
Song of the Year:
- "Personal History" by the Seymores (Vernon Yard)
Andrew Simon
(Grip)
- Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star (Rawkus)
- Lauryn Hill-The Mis-education of Lauryn Hill (Columbia)
- Dave Matthews Band--Before These Crowded Streets (RCA)
- Ernest Ranglin-- In Search of the Lost Riddim' (Palm Picture)
- John D'earth-- Thursday Night: Live At Miller's (Cosmology)
Reissues / Unearthings:
- Miles Davis-The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (Legacy)
- Van Morrison-- The Philosopher's Stone (Polydor)
Sarah Wyatt
(Assistant Rock Director, WTJU 91.1 FM)
- Neutral Milk Hotel-- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Merge)
- Cat Power-- Moon Pix (Matador)
- Monroe Mustang--Plain Sweeping Themes for the Unprepared (Trance Syndicate)
- Dirty Three-- Ocean Songs (Touch and Go)
- Silver Jews--American Water (Drag City)
....and my just as worthy runners-up:
- P.J. Harvey-- Is this Desire? (Island)
- Vic Chesnutt--The Salesman & Bernadette (Capricorn)
- Buffalo Daughter--New Rock (Grand Royal)
- Rose Melberg-- Portola (Double Agent)
- Union of a Man and a Woman-- The Sound of the... (Jagjaguwar)
Reissues / compilations:
- Will Oldham--black / rich music (Drag City)
- The Lyres-- Lyres Sampler (Matador)
Jim Dingus
(The Dragline System, Richmond, Va.)
- PJ Harvey – Is this Desire? (Island) She’s a genius. Nuf said.
- Archers of Loaf – White Trash Heroes (Alias Records) Another set of
diamonds sparkle through the beautiful guitar morass that is the Loaf. Rumor has it, it’s their last.
- Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Acme (Matador) How many acts are
doing anything remotely interesting with the blues? PJ, The Grifters, RL Burnside, and these guys, and this is debatably their best.
- Robert Pollard – Waved Out (Matador) Pollard (i.e., Guided by Voices) wears his Wire influence on his sleeve to great affect. When he’s on, nobody even comes close to making the big rock, roll.
Tie:
- The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Strung Out In Heaven (TVT Records) The perfect prescription. Take a hit and call me in the morning.
- Girls Against Boys – Freakonica (Geffen) Cruise the groove noise thing. In my book, a record like this gets big points just for being released in the current musical climate…and it’s a major label debut, no less.
Reissues
- Various Artists -- Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (Rhino) You say you rock and you don’t have a copy of this? Think again.
- Lou Reed – Berlin (BMG/RCA) – Often called the most depressing album made. Pour your remastered misery down
Fred Boyce
(Prism Coffeehouse, Charlottesville)
Prism Picks for 1998:
- Judith Edelman-- Only Sun (Compass)
- Tony McManus-- Pourquoi Quebec? (Greentrax)
- Bourke, Bernard & LePage-- Matapat (Borealis)
- Mike Seeger-- Southern Banjo Sounds (Smithsonian Folkways)
- Bad Livers-- Industry & Thrift (Sugar Hill)
- Gove Scrivenor-- Shine On (Compass)
- Sean Tyrell-- The Orchard (Longwalk)
- Dervish-- Live in Palma (Kells)
- Rene Croan-- Renaissance (Flat 5 Press)
Dominic DeVito
(Grip)
- Tortoise— TNT (Thrill Jockey)
Not as god as the last one, but funky enough. Intricate and engaging; I find something new each time I listen.
- Belle & Sebastian— The Boy With The Arab Strap (Matador)
Simply perfect. "Dirty Dream Number Two" makes me want to laugh, cry and sigh all at once. How can eight people sound so together?
- Spinanes— Arches & Aisles (SubPop)
Pure pop bliss. Rebecca Gates’ vocals make me want to leap tall buildings. White girl soul with just enough attitude and plenty of reflection.
- Silver Jews— American Water (Drag City)
Dave Berman is a genius. This is not quite as sad and / or raucous as previous outings, but it’s brilliantly arranged and sequenced. The more diverse sound is welcomed.
Tie:
- Cat Power— Moon Pix (Matador)
- Cadillaca-—Introducing Cadillaca (K) Enough brutal honesty to fill Wembley, but these ladies won’t be selling out anytime soon. Each disc epitomizes the power and beauty of the minimalist approach.
Reissue
- Bob Dylan-- Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (Columbia)
Compilation
- DJ Andy Smith-- The Document (Phase 4)