the good, the bad and the ugly (Top 10 albums of the year 2001)

Member Name: wicked_witch

Product:	Top 10 albums of the year 2001
Date:	27/02/02 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The comeback of rock-big style, some v cool dance- the Avalanches, Did I mention the Strokes?

Disadvantages: No Glastonbury, DJ Otzi, crappy garage and dance- So Solid Crew and Craig David

Looking back over the year, I have mixed feelings of 2001's music. We had the bloody great (the White Stripes, the Strokes), the usual crap (Atomic Kitten, Blue and yet more Britney) and the downright awful (DJ Otzi, stand up and take a bow).

The phrases "the new Rolling Stones" and "deserve to be bigger than the Beatles" were thrown at the Yank feet of the Strokes and the White Stripes. And although I give the Strokes two years at the most, its nice to hear a band that lives up to the hype (except the Rolling Stones part). However the two best and most hyped bands of the year paved the way for a host of new bands which rock to greater or lesser degrees (BRMC, the Hives) and generally starting a bloody good new trend in a tired old industry. Hopefully in the future we will see less bland, beautiful manufactured acts and more with the general kickass-ness of the Strokes and the White Stripes.

Aside from my shameless ranting and drooling over aforementioned bands we said hello to the Avalanches, the Streets and the Doves (though for all I know they have been around forever). And the return of the Stone Temple Pilots, which didn't make much of a splash.

And for once NME managed to hype the right bands. That falls into the category of scary in my book.

On the other hand we waved a sad goodbye to George Harrison. And unfortunately we said hello to a rising trend of crappy nu-metal, yet more bubblegum pop and the pop career of Kate Winslet. And lets not even go into THAT song...(Hey Baby). Without further ado here's my faves of 2001-

1.The Strokes- Is this it- the most talked about band of the year, hyped to death by Q, NME, and the general media, and the album lived up to the hype. Just over a half hour of fun, bouncy retro pop rock with more clichés and influences than you could shake a platinum disc at. The simple, catchy tunes, daft lyrics and raw energy of the Strokes made them sure-fire hit
s from the outset. This band seems to have redefined 'cool'. Casablanca’s bored, seen-it-all voice tells tales of easy New York girls, cops and sex. The signature Strokes song Last Nite could have a seventy year old granny jumping about the room like a lunatic, and the other 10 songs on the album are just as great, from the sexy Barely Legal to the slightly bizarre (and fun) New York City Cops. This is utopia for indie-boppers and retro rock fans everywhere. Love them or hate them, there’s simply no getting away from them!

2.The White Stripes- White Blood Cells- If you managed to miss the hype the Strokes caused then you may have missed this lot. The second most hyped band of the year and just as deserving if not more so of all the ass kissing. This duo have been around for a good while now, this is (unless I'm mistaken) their third album and what an album it is! Sixteen blues-injected rock songs with the odd bit of country music thrown in (the jump-around Hotel Yorba being the best example) with everything from semi-political messages to country yarns about growing up with a friend in school. Jack's whiny, bluesy vocals and rough guitar sounds combine with Megs self-taught drumming, giving the music the roughest, most raw sound imaginable. In fact it so raw you're likely to find your ears bleeding! It’s a surprise to learn there are only two of them; they make so much noise between them! This lot don't need any kind of hook; the gritty, intelligent music says it all. If you can get over the fact that NME seem to be ass-kissing them to a Beatles-like degree, you should definitely check this album out.

3.Ash- Free All Angels- The return of the waif-like, whiny and frankly gorgeous Tim and his cronies, and with a new chick thrown into the mix. This is a triumphant return to classic 1977-style Ash, in all its glory of sizzling guitars and pounding beats, and with such festival numbers as Shining Light, which i
s right up there with Girl From Mars and Kung Fu. A perfectly polished and well thought out indie album full of pogo power-pop numbers. The new sound is fuller and better for it thanks to the addition of guitarist (and sometimes backing vocalist) Charlotte. They seem to have completely reversed their new 'heavier' direction as Nu Clear Sounds suggested, and gone back to what they do best, lovable indie pop with a dash of punk. "Someday" and "Candy" wear the influences of 1960's symphonic pop on their sleeves (Candy samples "Make it easy on yourself" by the Walker Brothers), but the rest of it is typical of melodic, inspirational Ash style- think along the lines of Shining Light for most of this album and you won't go far wrong. Among the best tracks are the two first singles Shining Light and Burn Baby Burn, the gorgeous ode-to-a-girl Cherry Bomb and Submission that smacks of dirty sex (no pun intended).

4.The Avalanches-Since I left you- I bought this on the strength of the two singles the dreamy, wistful "Since I left you" with its disco shuffle beat, and the fatally cool "Frontier Psychiatrist" which is an odd little tale about a boy being kicked out of school for truancy and talking horses. Get that and you get how bizarre and great this album is. This lot of sample addicts have thrown in so many familiar quotes and tunes that you'd be forgiven for thinking the album sounded like a radio tuner stuck between about three different stations. Strange, even bizarre but oddly compelling. Its structured like a mix-tape. Because of the familiar samples, this album has an odd familiarity (and its light on the originality) and Madonna is among the squillions of sampled acts. Some of the samples do jerk a little and they don’t fit very well at points, but all in all I think this album shows a great flair and is the perfect chill out album.


5.Feeder-Echo Park- its ironic and y
et typical that the weakest album in Feeder's discography would become the one everyone is most likely to remember them by. With enough power chords to make Kittie jealous, and yet still retaining some of that dirty, old school Feeder guitar-style, Echo Park is definitely Feeder's most accessible release if not their best. All of Feeder's earlier traces of metal have been obliterated, as the best-known song from this album, Buck Rogers, demonstrates. Power pop at its best with rhyming-dictionary lyrics and a perfect festival chorus, together with Jon’s strong drumming, most of these tracks were made for pogoing along at a festival, and conjures up images of barbecues and sunshine (not that your likely to get them at a British music festival). The claustrophobic, wavering ballad Piece by Piece shows a maturity that isn't often shown in Feeder's music, but the humorous "Under the Weather" (essentially a hangover song which sees Grant screaming and growling about wanting Nurofen) shows that they're still the same lads despite the new softer sound. This has been the sound that has made Feeder more popular and accepted in the music scene; it’s just tragic that Jon won't be around to enjoy the popularity.

6.Stone Temple Pilots- Shangri La De Da- Fresh out of rehab Scott Weiland apparently felt the need to get back to what he does best. This is less like camp rock and roll than STP's previous records and more mellow and mature. It has been slated as not being a very good comeback but personally I think it has been misunderstood. There are some great songs on this album. The grinding Hollywood Bitch has a whinge about the shallowness of the movie industry and the brilliant Too Cool Queenie is clearly a thinly veiled shot at Courtney Love (and she deserves it). Bitchy, but nevertheless a great song. Then there’s "A Song For Sleeping" which is a beautiful, lullaby style song written for Scott’
;s son played softly in simplistic, acoustic style. Then there's typical loud, brash, metal-rock in the form of the cutting, scathing Dumb Love with its dirty guitars and gruff vocals. Having said that, the first single, Days of the week, is very dull and not the best single to plan a comeback, but all in all the album shows all the old greatness of STP.

7.Incubus- Morning View- A departure from the metal sound of early Incubus, but in no way a departure from their genius. Laid-back, trippy, full of scratches and accented drum rhythms, plus numerous special effects. I’m not a big fan of special effects, I think they tend to be the trimmings that add interest to mediocre songs, but this is the exception. Beautiful and melodic, with the odd hint towards old metally Incubus. The opening track Nice to Know You is an example of this, and fans of metal are bound to love this one. The effect is softened by Boyd’s soaring voice. The song most people know this album by is the soppy single Wish you were here, which is not one of Incubus’ stronger songs, but is nevertheless full of gorgeous melodic guitars, cool scratchy bits and Boyd’s sex/rock god voice. This album make come as an unpleasant shock to fans of old, being a lot more dance influenced than the previous Incubus offerings. But for metal fans there is Nice to Know You, Circles, Just a Phase, and Have you Ever. I for one love the new Incubus sound, and my personal fave on the album is the funky Are You In with its very cool drumming and laid back, effects-laden guitar tune. So, I reckon the bottom line on this album is if you like something dreamy, different or innovative, you’ll love this, if you like straight-forward unambitious metal, then look elsewhere!

8.The Dandy Warhols- 13 Tales from Urban Bohemia- This album sees the Dandies taking a whole new direction, as the commercial first single Bohemian Like You might suggest. The catchy strains of that one have be
en all over the radio for a good while now, and well-deserved is all the praise. If you’re expecting an album full of tracks like that, you may be disappointed. The Dandies show traces of country, blues and even swing all misted in their usual cloud of trippy beats and Courtney’s stoner voice. Besides Bohemian, the best tracks are Shakin’, Horse Pills and Sleep. Shakin’ is fuelled by a soft, cymbal-based beat and heavy, grinding guitars, and lyrics just kick all ass. Horse Pills is all about a shallow Hollywood girl and her shallow stallion of a Hollywood boyfriend. The accented beat and Courtney’s sexy-sleazy voice just make this song too cool to exist. Sleep on the other hand is, as you might think, a soft, slow chill-out track with soft vocals and guitars. All in all this is a mixture as far as albums go, with a lot of different music styles thrown into the mix. The result is a varied and strong album, which has a song or two for every occasion!

9. Greenday- International Superhits- being a greatest hits album you’re likely to have heard a lot of this before especially if you’re a Greenday fan. From the moment to loud, exciting, anticipatory strains of Maria open to the closing strains of Macy’s Day Parade close, this is one brilliant greatest hits. The schoolboy humour and seemingly brainless Greenday punk belies an intelligence and a great ability to write exciting and fun tracks. In an album like this its difficult to pick out the best songs, all the Greenday faves are in here- Longview, Walking Contradiction, Basket Case, and When I Come Around are all chucked in. Poprocks and Coke with its old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll chords and its lovey dovey lyrics is among one of my favourites, along with the essential slacker track Longview with its gross lyrics and its soft drumming. Geek Stink Breath with its chunky chords and the great drum rolling is another top tracks. Hitchin’ a Ride’
s walking bass and play-it-loud chorus makes this another of the best on the album. Quite simply, this album is a winner from start to finish, and an essential addition to the CD collection of the fan of pop punk.

10. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- BRMC- One of the bands hitching a ride on the back of the Strokes success and one of the better ones. With the same love of all things retro and the same big hair, you’d be forgiven for thinking them Strokes copycats. But the sound is less jagged and raw and more polished, and the tracks are slightly darker and a lot more thoughtful. In fact, despite the odd superficial point of comparison they are not very much like the Strokes at all. Accusations of pretension would not be wasted with this lot; the descriptions of them being lyrically dark are a slight exaggeration. Moody might sum it up better, like the Strokes on a come down (although undoubtedly with less genius). However the album will be a big hit with all the indie boppers (like me) out there with its moody, chunky guitars and the singer’s low, gruff vocals. The hypnotic repetition in the first single Love Burns makes it a fave on this album, but the standout track is definitely the albums darkest, moodiest song Red Eyes and Tears with its rebel punk sound and fantastic guitars. Spread Your Love is another of the best, and probably most likely the one to be a commercial success. It’s just too damn catchy for its own good! All in all an essential addition to the indie collection.

All in all, looking back, I think 2001 was a pretty good year music-wise. Nice to see some of those boring old trends reversed. And of course I live for the day when boybands and Britney clones get laughed (or bottled) off-stage. Unfortunately I think it’s a long way off yet!

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