2002 In Retrospect: The Top 40 Albums Of The Year
Jan 18 '03
The Bottom Line The Top 40 Albums Of 2002
40. Evil Heat - Primal Scream(Columbia)
Evil Heat is all electrocuted blues stripped down to its evil stomp-dance core. And it's one nasty nasty record - resurrecting disco as a patched up Frankenstein of punk rock vitrol and sexually-charged psychedelic funk. Bobby Gillepse snarls, raves, and spits his polemic phelgm on curbsides, kicks a hole in the speaker and then jets. If Hell had a dance club, Evil Heat would be playing.
39. Murray Street - Sonic Youth(Universal)
More than twenty years later, Sonic Youth are still at it - coaxing the most incredible noises from a piece of wood and six strings. Abandoning their more avant-garde tendencies of the past few years, Murray Street is a return to the more accessible song structures of their older work but still staying relevant as ever.
38. Fantastic Damage - El-P(Definitive Jux)
El-P has seen the future and it ain't pretty: alcoholic rent-a-fathers, drugs, state-funded wars, violence, and abuse are just the tip of the iceberg. El-P's production is the kind of claustrophobic gutter funk your mother warned you about. The final battleground arena is New York and El-P isn't going down without a fight. Go get a late pass.
37. Optometry - DJ Spooky(Thirsty Ear Blue Series)
On Optometry, DJ Spooky reshifts the focus of free-jazz through his subliminal correctional lens. Taking the improvisation of free form jazz performed by Matthew Shipp and others, DJ Spooky alters and rearranges them to find a common language within the traffic flow of modern life. Playing upright bass, kalimba, and the the turntables, Spooky takes jazz into new directions
36. Personal Journals - Sage Francis (Anticon)
Sage Francis wears his bleeding heart on his sleeve with pride. Personal Journals is an scathing egoless work of boho-spoken poetry and bedroom beats aimed at the college crowd. Not be filed with the rest of dorky white MCs however, Sage has a wide range of emotional resonance to his voice and actual skills to back up his wordy rhymes.
35. God's Son - Nas(Columbia)
If it's anyone whose career has been a frustrating balance between a gift and curse its Nas. But starting with 1999's Stillmatic and continuing with God's Son, Nas has finally started to lift that curse and display his gift. Lyrically, Nas proves why he is still hip-hop's premier street poet. The hunger is back in his voice and with that comes an emotional heft on par with that seminal 1994 debut.
34. Arrythmia - Anti-Pop Consortium(Warp)
Unfortunately, the members of Anti-Pop went their separate ways shortly after this release. However - what a way to leave. Arrythmia is filled with cerebral free-association rhymes and inscrutable beats that flip the script on Kraftwerk. Abstract wordplay wriggle their way through the consciousness over disembodied skittering rhythms. Anti-Pop definitely march to the sound of their own drum machine.
33. Attack Of The Attacking Things - Jean Grae (Third Earth)
Finally coming into her own, Jean Grae's album is a hip-hop diary of sorts - ten personal songs from a strong independent female voice. The production is endearingly basement quality but it's Jean Grae's ability to mix a warm sense of humor, honesty, and toughness that elevates her above the competition. Just don't call her a femcee - "Cause they're not Mancees, alright?"
32. In Search Of... - N.E.R.D.(Virgin)
Re-released in 2002 with funk band Spymob adding more crunch to the notorious Neptunes off-kilter synthesized bite, In Search Of... is a warped genre-hybrid of skate-punk attitude and hip-hop bombast. N.E.R.D. keeps its tongue firmly in cheek - singing tales of fellatio, lapdances, and drug pushing with unabashed glee.
31. Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape - Me'Shell Ndegeocello(Maverick)
Love is the root politic. Me'Shell Ndegeocello understands this idea that love and politics are inextricably connected because one cannot exist without the other. Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape is therefore a labor of love - a subversive redefiniton of history, freedom, sex, and value systems from a revolutionary soul singer.
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30. U.S.S.R. : The Art Of Listening - DJ Vadim (Ninja Tune)
Taking the tip from his excellent previous album, DJ Vadim albums are becoming more collaborative efforts than solo works. The Art Of Listening largely nods its head in the MC department of hip-hop with underground emcees like Slug, Vakill, Gift Of Gab, and Yarah Bravo along for the ride. But it's still the beats - blunted, abstract minimalist tracks that are the centerpiece.
29. Legend Of The Liquid Swords - GZA/Genius(MCA)
Legend tells of a once-mighty clan called the Wu-Tang and one of these members was the GZA - the oldest and wisest who would impale wack MCs on his iron microphone. Turns out - that legend has returned from beneath the surface to once again set the hip-hop world on fire with the kind of razor sharp lyrical dexterity and metaphorical writing skills that separate the disposable from the legends.
28. The Private Press - DJ Shadow(MCA)
There's a long shadow trailing Mr. Josh Davis - that of the classic debut album. And while Private Press sticks to the cut-and-paste aesthetic of its predecessor, its stylistics differ dramatically. Private Press is a bit uneven if still fascinating excursion into Shadow's record collection - flashing its tricks and styles playfully even as it lures you deeper into its sound and mood.
27. Alice / Blood Money - Tom Waits(Anti)
Two albums released at the same time, Alice and Blood Money showcase two different sides of the mysterious Tom Waits. With Alice, themes of obsession and lost love are eloquently expressed through moody plaintive ballads seeped in the smell of alcohol and a seedy organ. Blood Money, on the other hand, is based on themes of madness and murder with Tom Waits wracked howl crawling through piles of sharp instrumentation. As always Tom Waits' lyrics are powerful and his voice - an expressive force ground reporting from a carnival of broken dreams and freaks.
26. Peanut Butter Wolf Presents The Jukebox 45s - Various Artists(Stones Throw)
In the liner notes, Peanut Butter Wolf confesses that he always wanted to "buy a jukebox...and only have hip-hop songs on it." This led to Wolf's strange obsession with the 7" format which surprisingly caught on with a small minority. But for those too apathetic to buy 7" records - Peanut Butter Wolf has blessed us with a collection of hip-hop, rare funk, and odd experiments. It's like crate-digging without the dirty hands.
25. Zoomer - Schneider TM(Mute)
German-born Schneider TM may be electronica's next ambassador or poster boy - a face to place next to the insular world of IDM glitch. Schneider TM programs clicks, blips, squelches and cuts into conventional pop structures joining the dots between Squarepusher and the Beach Boys. Schneider even writes catchy hooks making the laptop seem strangely romantic and inviting.
24. Yanqui U.X.O. - Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Constellation)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor have created a political album without any words. Rather they choose to echo their discontent with minimally layered epics that are paranoid and bleak. The music has a quiet but chilling solitude even while miltary drums drive the instruments forward to arms. In the words of Sun Ra, "Nuclear war...it's a mothaf*cker."
23. Original Pirate Material - The Streets (Vice/Atlantic)
Street poetry from a most unlikely place: Birmingham, England. Mike Skinner's weary ramshackle rhymes stumble from the local pubs to the late-night clubs detailing the ennui of British youth with a bored attention to details. Self-producing a collection of lo-fi garage beats to rhyme over, The Streets may be a novelty act but its earnesty and hunger shines through.
22. From The Filthy Tongues Of Gods And Griots - Dalek(Ipecac)
Dalek sounds like an unholy matrimony between My Bloody Valentine and The Bomb Squad - producer Oktopus builds a dense sonic wall of layered white guitar noise and clattering industrial percussion of cow-bells and junkyard machinery. Dalek's visceral delivery sounds like an apocalyptic prophet painting evocative imagery - it's literally hip-hop to headbang to.
21. () - Sigur Ros(MCA)
Sigur Ros plays the kind of atmospheric (transcendental) rock that likes to easily manipulate emotions with great rising waves of sound and slow-burn passages . A classical work in that songs are (movements) rather than tracks, () moves seamlessly through fluctuations of aural texture. It's excesses can be forgiven since it's music that is absolutely arresting and jaw-drop beautiful.
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20. Kittenz And Thee Glitz - Felix Da Housecat (Emperor Norton)
Living out his glam fantasy, Felix Da Housecat immerses himself into decadent celebrity life of the 80s complete with model lifestyle and cocaine dreams. The music is slick Eurotrash making the logical connection between "Dirty Mind"-era Prince and Kraftwerk - strutting its synths and beats on the catwalk shamelessly. Oh behave!
19. Sound Event - Rob Swift(Tableturns)
God's gift to the turntables, Rob Swift laces his solo album with an all-night cure for the itch. Sound Event establishes the turntable not only as a genuine musical instrument but as a political tool stitching Latin rhythms, Malcom X, and old forgotten debris together into unique patchwork compositions. Funny, poignant, and emotionally deep, Sound Event is everything they said turntables couldn't be.
18. Dead Ringer - RJD2(Definitive Jux)
Drawing from a palette of old soul and funk, producer RJD2 crafts some ridiculously catchy hip-hop instrumental gems layered with disparate elements. Building from the aesthetics of Moby and DJ Shadow, RJD2 reconstructs debris of the past into soulful moody compositions with his own unique fingerprint. Play, nod, repeat.
17. Out Of Season - Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man(Go Beat)
Out Of Season is like a faded photograph from a time of long past. It exists in its own little time capsule more wrapped up in its misery than its surroundings. Beth Gibbons of Portishead fame goes unplugged turning out a set of bittersweet poigant folk tunes like it was still 1958 - and she can still twist your emotions around her pinky finger like it was nothing.
16. All Of The Above - J-Live(Coup D'Etat)
With All Of The Above, J-Live clearly makes the distinction between a rapper and an emcee. When an emcee steps to a microphone - it's like Coltrane stepping up to the tenor saxaphone - there's an understanding and respect. Over rich subdued jazz beats, J-Live educates with the supreme confidence and intelligence of a master lyricist at the top of his game.
15. Out From Out Where - Amon Tobin(Ninja Tune)
Brazillian-born Amon Tobin continues to define his unique sound with Out From Out Where cultivating a dense jungle of vicious percussion and ghostly samples with the usual thick undergrowth of bass. Abandoning his jazz influences for a harder more sinister edge, Amon Tobin employs tribal breakbeats scripting the soundtrack to high-speed cyber car chases.
14. In Between - Jazzanova(Ropeadope)
An organic homebrew of soul and jazz, Jazzanova ensnares dancers in its post-3 AM downtempo groove. The six-man collective color in the blank spaces with drum 'n bass, hip-hop, afrobeat, house, and electro - literally navigating in between the gray areas of the mind so that it sounds strangely famililar yet abstract. Call it coffee-house background music - but Jazzanova are too complex to be ignored.
13. O.S.T. - People Under The Stairs(OM)
People Under The Stairs are the last of a dying breed - that of the crater-digger. With so many artists opting for keyboards and live instrumentation, Thes One and Double K adamantly swear by their vinyl mining the kind of rare funk grooves and dope breakbeats of hip-hop's golden years. O.S.T. is the original soundtrack to the day in the life of a b-boy with odes to girls, marijuana, and street corner cyphers.
12. Specialist In All Styles - Orchestra Baobab (Nonesuch)
Thirty years late is better than never. After the re-release of hidden treasure Pirates Choice, the Orchestra Baobab have reunited to record an album. But time hasn't dulled the group's innate sense of Cuban melody and African rhythm. Senegalese pop at its loveliest, Specialist In All Styles waltzes with a grace and style all its own. Easy is right, right is easy...come and chill.
11. They Threw Us All In A Trench And Stuck A Monument On Top - The Liars(Gern Bladsten)
Infusing punk with dance rhythms is nothing new, but the They Threw Us In A Trench... is such a compelling piece of corrosive art-punk that it is hard to resist. Singer Angus Andrews snarls with reckless abandon leaving burn scars in his wake. Cheap lo-fi drum machines battle it out with jagged guitars a la The Fall and no one leaves the mess alive.
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10. Under Construction - Missy Elliott(Elektra)
A loose mixtape-of-sorts in which Missy Elliott pays homage to her old-school hip-hop influences. While not as cohesive as past works, Timbaland's break neck beats still jerk bodies around like marionettes and Missy Elliott plays the role of the classic master of ceremonies - licking bite-size shots to keep the party moving til the break of dawn.
9. The Fix - Scarface(Def Jam South)
Dirty South veteran Scarface wears his battle scars well - spilling a confessional booth worth of rugged street tales in a search for spirituality. His voice still possesses a coarse sandpaper 40 grit roughing up classic dark beats empowered by the Delta blues and reaching for R&B salvation. Break out the Kleenex - because even thugs cry.
8. One Beat - Sleater-Kinney(Kill Rock Stars)
Politics have always been the driving force behind Sleater-Kinney's music. One Beat uses the events of September 11th as a platform and admist the confusion and skepticism is born the stuff great indie punk rock is made of - the kind that transcends gender, class, age, and race. All I need is two guitars, two mics, one beat. Ladies represent.
7. Squaredancing In A Round House - Derrick Carter(Classic Recordings)
In the Chicago house scene, Derrick Carter is a legend amongst legends. Known to rock crowds of more than 18,000 with his seamless mixing skills, on this release of entirely original material, Carter packs in enough pulsating throbs, hypnotic clicks, and boompty-boomp basslines per square inch to jack the body of a corpse. Hope you brought your dancing shoes 'cause Carter is gonna move your blues away baby.
6. What Goes Around - Dave Holland(ECM)
Criminally overlooked bassist Dave Holland has always understood the power of a tight-knit quintet. For the first time on What Goes Around, Dave Holland bolsters old songs with a thirteen-man band - adopting a more traditional sound. The spirit of Mingus dominates on the album with a brass section supporting powerful fluid solos. What Goes Around opens new doors for a man - thirty years deep in the game.
5. Blazing Arrow - Blackalicious(MCA)
A different kind of California love, Blackalicious embark on a joyous summer road trip into the heart of hip-hop. Call it hip-hop in the key of life - every beat resonates with the life-affirming spirit of deep 70s soul while mapping out new sonic avenues. Gift of Gab performs dexterous vocal acrobatics over live horns and jazz rhythms. When was the last time you felt that way?
4. Krishna Lila - DJ Cheb I Sabbah(Six Degrees)
Krishna Lila is an album with its roots firmly planted in the past and its finger on the pulse of the future. Shades of electronic textures and narcotic drones give DJ Cheb I Sabbah's album depth and dimension but never overwhelm its traditional source inspiration of classic Hindu devotional music. Exotic instruments create a sense of sublime magic of another world and another time.
3. I Phantom - Mr. Lif(Definitive Jux)
An ambitious conceptual hip-hop album - Mr. Lif single-handedly dismantles the dynamics of modern life under a microscope with a razor tongue. Issues of capitalism, evolution, loss of identitiy media brainwashing, broken families, 9-5 labor, success, and nuclear war are all explored in detail by one of hip-hop's most intelligent and uncompromising voices.
2. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots - The Flaming Lips(Warner)
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots is Alice In Wonderland meets War Of The Worlds -a grandiose blast of synth-onic pop that tunnels once again into Wayne Coyne's existentialist rabbit hole . The Flaming Lips get in touch with their inner child and the studio reverb-echo knobs producing a irresistable celebration of life's battles and victories.
1. Quality - Talib Kweli(MCA)
Underground hip-hop's prodigal son Talib Kweli has created the album that has always been inside of him. Quality is a mature effort of genuine craft - truly a classic in its own right.Traversing topics from the joys of children to national issues to problems within the black community, Kweli forges boldly ahead mic in hand. The producers are as diverse as the topics: Kayne West, DJ Quik, J Dilla, and more lace Kweli with lush, soulful production unafraid to make your body move as Kweli is to make your mind follow.
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