Wire - Read and Burn 1 & 2

Two EPs from which the band culled the bulk of their 2003 album, Send. This was an amazing and most-welcome return/comeback by the band. Sounding as ferocious as, if not MORE ferocious than they have ever sounded. Hell, more-ferocious than 90% of the bands who were half their age.

I'd forgotten about those Wire EPs. I really need to revisit those.

I've been trying to decide what to post about in here. I think that this is a great year full of great stuff, but I feel like most of it is pretty well known to anyone who would care about it.

Racebannon put out two great albums in '02:

In the Grips of the Light and Satan's Kickin' Yr Dick In
Interestingly enough, they were on the same label as Songs: Ohia at this time.

And speaking of Songs: Ohia, here are both sides of the "Gray Tower" 7" released in conjunction with Didn't It Rain, featuring two songs from those sessions that weren't on the album. I thought I'd lost this 7" years ago, but somehow it turned up recently at a friend's house, and I think I got it back from him. I hope I did anyway. It's long out of print, and it's awesome.

Some other things that are favorites of mine (currently) from 2002 that I don't think I saw mentioned:


Deerhoof - Reveille
My introduction to Deerhoof, and it was my favorite album of theirs for a long time. Overflowing with energy and creativity.


Kevin Drumm - Sheer Hellish Miasma
My favorite noise record. Brutal and beautiful, painful and euphoric, primal and complex.


Black Dice - Beaches and Canyons
Their best. It really seemed like they'd be the heirs to late-period Boredoms' legacy, but their drummer left after this, changing their sound pretty dramatically.


The Books - Thought for Food
Blew me away the first time I heard it. Still my favorite Books record. Such a wonderfully benign and refreshing vibe.


Six Organs of Admittance - Dark Noontinde
I've kind of lost interest in this guy's stuff in recent years, but this album still holds a special place in my heart.


Busdriver - Temporary Forever
I only started listening to this a few years ago (and only started listening to Busdriver around 2006 or so), but it's quickly become a favorite. It's total nerd/loser rap, and it sounds pretty dated I guess. I don't care, this dude is in top form on this record.

indeed. thanks for making me aware that this existed Drinky.

Missed this during the first run. Just wanted to throw some personal faves out there that haven't been mentioned.



Ryan Adams - Demolition

I know many will roll their eyes at this one but this is my favorite Adams release. Total record company cash in but it also shows every side of his career in one album. Stuff like "Nuclear" and "Starting to Hurt" anticipate the "Rock n Roll" album. "Hallelujah" and "Cry On Demand" were probably recorded during the same sessions as "Gold". "Dear Chicago" and "She Wants To Play Hearts" is vintage "Heartbreaker". It's a clear in hindsight that he had no filter or editor but if you suffered Adams fatigue during his "Gold" era breakout, you should revisit and see that he was just crapping out gems left and right during this time.




Reigning Sound - Time Bomb High School

Can't believe this wasn't mentioned. If you've followed the board at all over the last decade you've heard of this band. Never got the headlines (criminally) that other garage acts like The White Stripes and Strokes did but this thing is like some greatest hits of 60's Nuggets garage rock. Just completely smokes. For me, it's not their crowning achievement ("Too Much Guitar" takes the title IMO) and it could be trimmed about 3 songs but this sucker is just a kick ass blend of Memphis R&B, Soul, and dirty rock n roll.




Brendan Benson - Lapalco

Benson's stuff after this album was mostly hit or miss and he's the weakest link in the Raconteurs but for this one album I think he put all the elements of his best stuff together. Just a solid power pop album. Destined to be some lost pop classic for curious music geeks years from now.




Nada Surf - Let Go

Most of you know this bands story. Buzz bin one hit wonder band, tanks after, blah blah. Even if you do know, this album remains criminally overlooked. Just classic pop craftmanship.





The Black Keys - The Big Come Up

If you don't know by now, not sure what to tell you. If you're a fan and haven't heard it, what are you waiting for. On par with all of the rest of their solid catalog.

"Blonde On Blonde" is such a great fucking song on that Nada Surf album.

of the album or the band?

I'm sure he means the album.

I'm actually not sure if I've ever heard that one.

I almost bought that GBV but went for this instead...


Can't remember the last time I've heard a track from it.

pw: zinhof

Speaking of, this is pretty great:

i love that album

top 5 gbv for me

While my comment was directed at the band & Pollard in general, I wasn't really being serious. I was curious to see who would actually reply. I know there are a good handful of fans here, but what you typically get are people hatin' on the avuncular one. I can't think of an artist I listen to more these days, but that's mostly to keep up with his crazy output.
Yes, lots of dung. Yes, lots of gold.

Some stuff that hasn't been mentioned:

Tony Allen - Homecooking
Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un m'a dit
Laura Cantrell - When the Roses Bloom Again
Guy Clark - The Dark
Cosmic Rough Riders - Pure Escapism
Death Ray Davies - Day of the Ray
Max de Castro - Orchestra Klaxon
John Doe - Dim Stars, Bright Skies
Alejandro Escovedo - By the Hand of the Father
Gilberto Gil - Kaya N'Gan Daya (his tribute to Bob Marley recorded with Bob's band and the I three)
Will Johnson - Murder of Tides
Salif Keita - Moffou
Miles - Structure v. Happiness
Ojos de Brujo - Bari
Jair Oliveria - Outro
Orchestra Baobab - Specialist in All Styles
Papa Noel & Papi Oviedo - Bana Congo
Ron Sexsmith - Cobblestone Runway
John Squire - Time Changes Everything*
Mike Stinson - Jack of All Heartaches
Tom Waits - Alice
Watercolor - Beautiful Mistakes (produced by Joe Pisapia. He also plays and sings on it)

*I think that I must be the only one who likes that John Squire album but I really do and as good as 2002 was, there are probably less than five albums from 2002 that have gotten more spins from me than it.

I tried several times with that record and it did nothing for me.

I know there are more than a few here that are fans but it just didn't click with me.

At all.

I don't love it nearly as much as I used to but I'm still a little surprised that it didn't click at all for you. It'll always have a place in my collection if only for "Dancing Partner" and "That's Enough."

I should give it another shot. It's been years.

I think at the time I only knew about it via the Guster connection and that possibly colored my take on it. I was expecting something different. Something much more pop leaning. Like, it wasn't sad enough to be sad bastard music, wasn't Guster level pop music, and didn't have enough jazz flourishes to be artsy. This is all my baggage but it just never rose above pleasant for me.

Maybe I'll give it another spin.

This is awesome, thanks for sharing.

Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage

It's closer to the New Jack Soul of Tony! Toni! Toné! than the neo-retro sound of his newer albums and, because of that, the production sounds a bit more dated. Still, as with TTT, his songwriting chops are obvious. Slinky soul come-ons a-la Marvin Gaye or Barry White (or, more closely, Bell Biv Devoe) with bass-heavy beats. With hints of 70's-era Sly Stone at times.
It's not the kind of thing that this board usually listens to, I guess, but I recommend it more for hearing where he came from and hearing the glimmers of what was to come on The Way I See It and Stone Rollin' which, IMHO, are modern soul classics.