From: Brian Eck <beck-NOSPAM@real.com>
To: dougo@ccs.neu.edu
Subject: Re: POLL: your favorite records of 1998
Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1999 16:53:40 -0800

Many extra kudos for continuing to produce the Top 20 lists!


Top 20 records of 1998.  Local stuff first, later entries in order of
geographic proximity:

764-Hero, _Get Here And Stay_ CD (Up)
Modest Mouse, _Other People's Lives_ 7" (Up)
Modest Mouse/764-Hero, _Whenever You See Fit_ 12" (Up)
Unwound, _Challenge For A Civilized Society_ CD (Kill Rock Stars)
Death Cab For Cutie, _Something About Airplanes_ CD (Elsinor)
  Another banner year for Northwest indie rock.  The 764 album is
  probably my favorite of the year.

Mudhoney, _Tomorrow Hit Today_ CD (Reprise)
  Yeah, yeah, "return to form", whatever.  Forget the last five
  years ever happened to Mudhoney and buy this now.

Silkworm, _Even A Blind Chicken Finds A Kernel Of Corn
           Now And Then_ 2xCD (Matador)
  Collects all their early singles and more.  A 5/98 Ein Heit set
  featured several of these tracks in blistering form.  Most rock
  drummers should "Be Like Mike" (Dahlquist, that is) and hit harder.

C-Average, _C-Average_ LP (Kill Rock Stars)
  Two (un)reformed Dungeons and Dragons players worship at the rock
  gods' altar.  We share the gold pieces and experience points.

Mavis Piggott, _In A Dark Suit_ CD (Flydaddy)
P.E.E., _The Roaring Mechanism_ CD (Absolutely Kosher)
A Minor Forest, _Inindependence_ CD (Thrill Jockey)
  Not a bad solar cycle for Bay Area indie rockers, either.
  P.E.E.'s "Carmen's Theme" is the pop song of the year, no doubt
  about it.  AMF's noise performance prior to their set was annoying,
  but their album is fabulous.

Shellac, _Terraform_ LP (Touch & Go)
  If I had to pick one record to go in a time capsule as a perfect
  example of rock music, this would be that record.  "Copper" is as
  good a song as Albini's ever done and the rest of the album captures
  the band in their prime, recorded in pristine clarity.

The Evolution Control Committee, _Rocked By Rape_ 7" (Eerie Materials)
  Chuck D had better watch out for Dan Rather's madd skillz.

Versus, _Two Cents Plus Tax_ CD (Caroline)
  Okay, so it's basically the same album they've made several times
  before, but when it feels this good, who cares?

Blonde Redhead, _In An Expression Of The Inexpressible_ CD (Touch & Go)
  It's taken them a while, but I think they've finally outgrown the
  Sonic Youth and Unwound comparisons and flowered.

Soul Coughing, _El Oso_ CD (Slash)
  The repetition is turned up even more, and there's definately
  some filler, but when they're good, they're maddeningly clever and
  catchy.  Probably the weirdest "hit" record I've heard in a while.

Fugazi, _End Hits_ CD (Dischord)
  Helpful hint for doubters: put this disc in a different case and
  attempt to forget that it's Fugazi.  Their self-reinvention
  continues to bear tasty fruit, much to the purists' chagrin.

Black Dice, _Lambs Like Fruit_ 7" (Gravity)
  Owning this record without having seen them first would be insane;
  nearly as insane as their live performance.  Never, ever let Black
  Dice open for your band.

Marine Research, _Queen B_ 7" (K)
  Rejoice, Heavenly fans, after tragedy comes rebirth, and it's good.

Red Monkey, _KRS Singles Club_ 7" (Kill Rock Stars)
  A bunch of British kids doing it Gang of Four-style, damn fine.
  Haven't heard the full-length.  Yet.



Honorable mentions:
Caustic Resin, _The Medicine Is All Gone_ CD (Alias)
Beastie Boys, _Hello Nasty_ CD (Capitol)
Don Caballero, _What Burns Never Returns_ CD (Touch and Go)
Lauryn Hill, _The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill_ CD (Ruffhouse)
Sonic Youth, _A Thousand Leaves_ CD (Geffen)
Stereolab, _Aluminum Tunes_ CD (Drag City)
Various, _Deconstructing Beck_ CD (Illegal Art)
Various, _Object Lessons: Songs About Products_ CD (Inconspicuous)



Best record of 1997 that I missed last year:
Modest Mouse, _The Lonesome Crowded West_ CD (Up)



Early entry on 1999's poll:
Built to Spill, _Keep It Like A Secret_ CD (Warner Bros.)


b