Breathless Anticipation - Best Albums of 2000 (Eli's #200)
Written: Dec 13 '00 (Updated Feb 22 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: A year of comebacks and anticipation -- what a great year for rock music!
Cons: Many of these albums were severely ignored commercially
The Bottom Line: No matter what some might say, this year was one for the ages - with many bands putting out their best material in years.
|
|
|
| e_burrell's Full Review: Rock and Pop |
I thought for my 200th review I'd go ahead and do something special. I've been writing reviews hard and heavy for a little over a year now, and have been amazed at the warm reception - and good friends I've received from the Epinions community. Thanks for making my first year on the site a great one! It's only fitting that I submit this review to the "Rock and Pop" category since this is the category that's seen most of my reviews. And now, #200:
Eli Burrell's Best Albums of 2000
Who would've thought the dawning of the new millennium would bring with it such wonderful music? I honestly cannot remember a year so rife with incredible albums and stunning comebacks. For me, the year in music wasn't about groups and artists like Three Doors Down, Limp Bizkit, N'Sync or even the critical angel Eminem. This year was about breathless anticipation of new releases from groups like U2 and Radiohead. This year was about the return to form - and relevance - of countless bands from the past. Popular bands from the 1980's and 1990's who seemed to have lost it somewhere along the way managed to pull up their chins and produce stunningly important work. Work, unfortunately that was largely ignored by most everyone.
People cover their ears and run through the streets wailing about the state of rock music, but if you ask me, things couldn't be better. Sure, some bands have broken up - The Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine - but at least one of those bands delivered their best album in years. And so, it's only fair that I break out the rating system and create my own "200th review Best of list" for 2000. So without further adieu,
10
The Hour of Bewilderbeast - Badly Drawn Boy
Not since Beck's Odelay have I heard a better hodgepodge of low-fidelity grandeur. Badly Drawn Boy - or his given name Damon Gough, has taken great pains to ensure nearly perfect production on this incredible album, and his unique multi-instrumental talents make lesser musicians seem all the more petty. Songs like Everybody's Stalking and Fall in a River make this concept album seem like rummage sale dark comedy - wonderful surprises at every turn.
9
Faith and Devotion - Sinčad O'Connor
It seems like ol' Sinčad can never get enough "strange" exposure. Still claiming - and perhaps rightly so - that she's a priest, she quietly let slip her choice of lesbianism (but of course she's celibate) right before this wonderful album was released. If she did it for exposure's sake, she needn't have worried - the music absolutely speaks for itself. The under-appreciated video for Jealous and of course the actual song are works of art in themselves. On Faith and Devotion, O'Connor insists that she doesn't deserve to be so lonely, and I agree.
8
Telling Stories - Tracy Chapman
Criminally overlooked, underplayed and disregarded by critics, this treasure of an album is just what the doctor ordered. Not since her days of glory (the year 1988) has her music been able to match her debut singles. Chapman's lyrics have always had a magical quality. She's completely able to capture our imaginations, and make our hearts feel sorrow for the underprivileged and downtrodden. Hunt this one down, and listen to it - you won't be sorry you took the chance.
7
Parachutes - Coldplay
Get ready for an album that sounds as if it was written and recorded on cold, rainy days. Songs of unforgiving sorrow and minor chords - gray skies and blue moods. Coldplay is a band that's been championed by British critics throughout the past year. Drawing unreasonable comparisons to Radiohead, these guys are closer to Travis. Lead singer Chris Martin has an eerie hiccup of a voice that sounds somewhere between Dave Matthews and Richard Wright of Pink Floyd. In any case, you'll love their breakthrough hit Yellow, and the incredibly personal Spies will make you understand immediately why this album is on my top ten list.
6
Binaural - Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is easily one of the tightest bands in the world, and I had the pleasure of seeing them support this album live in St. Louis, Missouri a few months back. The Eddie Vedder song writing machine still churns out terrific rock tunes and especially effecting slow numbers like Light Years and Soon Forget. One of the best - and most overlooked - Pearl Jam singles in years would be Nothing as it Seems, yet another reason not to pass this one up. I would put the entire slew of Pearl Jam European bootlegs right alongside Binaural in quality and importance. 25 different shows (the best in my opinion being Milan, Oslo and Verona) demonstrate how "on" this band still is after all these years.
5
MACHINA: The Machines of God / MACHINA II: The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music - The Smashing Pumpkins
Oh Billy, We're in love with your sadness. Citing a bad climate in rock music - or, when the kids had killed the man, I had to break up the band - Billy Corgan disbanded The Smashing Pumpkins. What a pity, this is easily one of their best albums - a dreamy high headed opus about the return of rock stars and heavy metal. The masses didn't bite, and Corgan's Pumpkin was mercilessly carved to bits. But, back he came and released the "second part" of this album exclusively on the Internet for download. This punk attitude was a finger in the face of Virgin Records who haven't given true support to this act in years.
4
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants - Oasis
At one time it wasn't embarrassing to admit liking this feisty group of Brit rockers. If not for their sour attitudes and miscalculated public relations disasters they could've been even bigger in the United States with this release than they were back in 1995 with What's the Story Morning Glory. Mark "Spike" Stent and Noel Gallagher took the production reigns from the inept Owen Morris, managing to combine the swaggering bombast of Definitely Maybe and What's the Story Morning Glory with the monstrously pretentious Be Here Now. And they made something genuinely good out of it. The songs are great, the new band members an improvement and there are more Noel Gallagher vocals.
3
Kid A - Radiohead
After 1997's watershed Ok Computer (which made many critics' top ten ever polls - including yours truly) it could only be expected that this album would garner much attention. Kid A is a scrawling, experimental journey of sounds and mental images, some have hailed it Radiohead's best effort yet. With incredible arrangement on tunes like How Disappear Completely and The National Anthem, this is a concept album that requires a few listens before it can truly be appreciated. Nevertheless, it's easily worth the effort. Oh, and it might've made the #1 slot in any other year.
2
The Man Who - Travis
Although this album was technically released in 1999 across the pond, it didn't see the light of day in America until April of this year. Unfortunately, even with rave reviews and much press, not even the first single Why Does it Always Rain on Me? made much of a splash. All I can say is, I'm so glad I happened upon these guys. What's the Story Morning Glory?, Ok Computer, Let it Bleed, Dark Side of the Moon and Abbey Road. When your album echoes - and doesn't blatantly copy - such masterworks of modern music as these, you know you're on your way. Travis is a perfect blend of all the best British bands of the last fifty years. If you love British rock, or if you love any of the albums above, then The Man Who is definitely for you.
1
All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2
U2's first full album release since 1996's Pop brings back all the memories of how great this band truly is. The "three greats", Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite are back with production and mixing duties making this album sound more With or Without You than Discoteque. Bono hasn't sounded this passionately invigorated since the late 80's and every ounce of his blood pours from his heart and into his microphone. Every bit an equal to Achtung Baby, this could be their best album since The Joshua Tree.
As a "bonus", here's my top five favorite songs of the year:
5 Sunday Morning Call - Oasis
4 As You Are - Travis
3 How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead
2 Walk On - U2
1 Things Have Changed - Bob Dylan (Wonderboys Soundtrack)
Other Notable Albums of 2000
I Am Shelby Lynne - Shelby Lynne
Mama's Gun - Erykah Badu
American III: Solitary Man - Johnny Cash
The Sophtware Slump - Grandaddy
White Ladder - David Gray
Selmasongs/Dancer in the Dark - Bjork
No Angel - Dido
Live at the Greek - Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes
The Fragile - Nine Inch Nails
If I Could Only Fly - Merle Haggard
Familiar to Millions - Oasis
Supergrass - Supergrass
Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea - PJ Harvey
Breach - The Wallflowers
Well, hope you enjoyed the top ten list, and I'd like to hear your comments!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
e_burrell
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Eli Burrell
Location: Little Rock, AR
Reviews written: 253
Trusted by: 225 members
About Me:
Just trying to walk forward on this big old ball of dirt and water.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.