02/12/2005
Doherty again, and the ISX 2005 List
entry posted by Inquisitor at 24:46
(permalink).
categories: Idiots
, Music
BBC - Drugs arrest for 'singer' Doherty. Drug driving. How stupid can one guy get without actually hurting other people, and how long will it take for him to drive into a tree?
Anyway, it's time for my list of the best albums I've heard that were released this year, to counteract the NME's boringly rigged (Bloc Party?) and Q's completely wrong (Coldplay!!!!???) lists. At least for me. In alphabetical order only -
- AFX - Hangable Auto Bulb (CD reissue) - Just because you need to have something Aphex in here and he hasn't been releasing a lot lately; this is really rather good stuff and it's a mystery that it hasn't been released on CD until now.
- Belle & Sebastian - Push Barman To Open Old Wounds (CD compilation) - The classic EPs, all on one nice two-disc set for those who don't want to spend too much collecting them. Brilliant!
- Depeche Mode - Playing The Angel (DVD/CD album) - OK, so the CD mix is clipped and compressed and sounds horrible, but you can tell the songs are great even from that; the best DM have managed since Songs of Faith and Devotion. And the surround mix on the DVD is outstanding; it isn't as compressed as the CD mix, it doesn't clip and it sounds absolutely fantastic in surround.
- Fischerspooner - Odyssey (CD album) - See my review. Suffice to say, I'm not sorry.
- Garbage - Bleed Like Me (CD album) - Another fantastic album with horrible compression, it contains some truly excellent songs; truly a massive improvement over Beautiful Garbage. If only studio masterers would learn that compressed volumes sound worse the better the hi-fi you own...
- Goldfrapp - Supernature (DVD/CD album) - It's not as good as Black Cherry. Come to think of it, it's not as good as Felt Mountain either. Despite that, it's still a decent album and very listenable.
- Gorillaz - Demon Days (CD album) - I'm not sorry either. It's a bloody good pop album and Albarn and DM should be praised to the skies. Besides, they have Dennis Hopper on there...
- Kate Bush - Aerial (CD album) - There's not much that can be said about this, other than... WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!
- Ladytron - Witching Hour (CD album) - This really is a sumptuous album. Of course, very few of you bought it, so they're probably going to get dumped by Island. Shame on you.
- M83 - Before The Dawn Heals Us (CD album) - If you buy one string-heavy electronic post-rock album this year, make it this one.
- New Order - Waiting For The Siren's Call (CD album) - OK, so it's not their finest hour, although at least it's a very consistent album. I still love them. Call it my weakness.
- Special Love - I Want To Touch You (CD-R EP) - You probably won't ever get to hear this, since this local band have now split up and this debut effort wasn't distributed very widely. Shame. It's lo-fi electronica, a sort of mix between Vince Clarke-era Depeche Mode, Suicide and industrial noise with distorted lyrics about stalking layered on top. Surprisingly good tunes, too, and an outstanding live show.
- Vitalic - OK Cowboy (CD album) - It's what Human After All would have been like if it had more than two decent tracks and had flow; mostly instrumental electronica with a tune-centred sensibility and welcome playfulness. Absolutely fantastic cover art, too.
You really won't go wrong with any of these albums. If I had to pick one as #1, however, it would, of course be Kate Bush. And why shouldn't it? It's a brilliant album that never fails to surprise and has amazing charm; only Kate could get away with "Mrs. Bartolozzi", or Rolf Harris's vocal appearance on Disc 2, and make them both wonderful. Best since Hounds of Love? Oh yes.
(My favourite Kate album is The Dreaming, by the way.)
To go with this list, disappointments of the year:
- NME completely losing its credibility
- More Lennon exploitation
- Pete Doherty going into rehab, again
- Michael Jackson trial
- Live 8 (with the exception, of course, of Pink Floyd)
- Human After All
- You Could Have It So Much Better... (with a totally uneven album)
- Kylie getting cancer
- Madonna, after all that Kaballah stuff and falling off a horse, actually somehow producing a decent album
And, totally subjectively, a list containing absolute 'musical' crap:
- The Q Top 100 Albums list: Coldplay at #1, for f..
- Pete Doherty, and all fawning pop-magazine coverage of Pete Doherty
- X&Y, and all media coverage of X&Y
- Futureheads (wrecking "Hounds Of Love")
- James Blunt
- Bloc Party (they're dull, dull, dull)
- X Factor, and Cowell/Walsh/etc
- Sharon Osbourne (just for what she did to Iron Maiden)
- C**** F*** getting to number one
That pretty much says it all, I feel. Similar lists for movies coming soon...