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Jodi Shapiro's Chugchanga-L Poll 2000 Entry
As is the tradition, my counts have some commentary.
I want to start off by saying that I was made happy this year by a bunch of things, but mostly because someone had the sense to reissue that CONET PROJECT CD set. After mine was stolen a few years back, I had just about given up hope of ever finding one again. My list this year surprised me, mostly because it has an even larger scope than my lists usually have. There's very few records in my list that are purely gut-level enjoyment (most of them have that, but usually there's more to it), whereas a lot of my lists of years past are 100% gut-level enjoyment records. Maybe this means I'm becoming more of an adult, or more of a demanding listener. That said, I had no problem finding 20 new records I loved.
In descending order of character count in the album title:
1) I SAW IT ALL HAPPEN FROM BEGINNING TO END AND SOMETIMES I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I SAW/LIFE EVERLASTING, AMEN (Firework Editions)
2) Harvey, PJ: STORIES FROM THE CITY STORIES FROM THE SEA (Island)
3) Sun City Girls: CARNIVAL FOLKLORE RESURRECTION 1-6 (Abduction)
4) V/A: LA MUSICA DE CUBA 1909 - 1951 (Sony Legacy)
5) Cash, Johnny: AMERICAN III: SOLITARY MAN (American Recordings)
6) Dead C: THE LANGUAGE RECORDINGS (Language)
7) Laika: GOOD LOOKING BLUES (Too Pure UK)
8) Clinic: INTERNAL WRANGLER (Domino UK)
9) Senor Coconut y su Conjunto: EL BAILE ALEMAN (Emperor Norton)
10) Sigur Ros: AGAETIS BYRJUN (Bad Taste, Iceland)
11) Silkworm: LIFESTYLE (Touch and Go)
12) Shellac: 1000 HURTS (Touch and Go)
13) Primal Scream: XTRMNTR (Creation UK)
14) Reed, Lou: ECSTASY (Sire)
15) Merzbow: MERZBOX (Extreme)
16) V/A TOUCH 00 (Touch UK)
17) Teenage Fanclub: HOWDY! (Columbia UK)
18) Radiohead: KID A (Capitol)
19) Wu-Tang Clan: THE W (Loud/Columbia)
20) Pole: 3 (Matador)
Comments:
1) I SAW IT ALL HAPPEN FROM BEGINNING TO END AND SOMETIMES I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I SAW/LIFE EVERLASTING, AMEN (Firework Editions)
I don't know which is the title and which is the "group" name. Basically, an edit of an 8 hour recording of life support machines. If you know me, you know why I liked this. If you don't, feel free to ask me.
2) PJ Harvey: STORIES FROM THE CITY STORIES FROM THE SEA (Island)
So she lives in New York for a while and writes an album. Big deal, right? Wrong-o. I'm glad my town inspired her to strap on the guitar again, and some of these songs are her best since RID OF ME, no mean feat.
3) Sun City Girls: CARNIVAL FOLKLORE RESURRECTION 1-6 (Abduction)
Uneven, but never uninteresting. Even their bad records have something about them that's compelling.
4) V/A: LA MUSICA DE CUBA 1909 - 1951 (Sony Legacy)
Includes an early Desi Arnaz track. Much, much stranger than you would think Cuban music is. Assembled from Columbia's early ethnic masters collection, it's 25 tracks of stuff you didn't know you needed. It sort of fell betwixt the cracks, which is a shame. In fact, someone gave me this as a promo, and if he hadn't, I probably wouldn't have come across it at all. I'm not sure if it actually came out here in the States, but if it did, by all means, hunt it down and buy it.
5) Johnny Cash: AMERICAN III: SOLITARY MAN (American Recordings)
On the wall of my cubicle of work is a Xerox copy of the American records ad that ran in Billboard (I think) where the words "American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support." are superimposed over a still photo from the LIVE AT SAN QUENTIN TV broadcast of The Man In Black flippin' the bird.
Classic.
As is The Man himself. Johnny's not merely a country singer, dammit. He's a folk hero (evidenced by his grammy nomination for Best Folk Album this year) and I will continue to buy his records, and post that ad on my cubicle wall, until I slip the surly bonds of earth. By covering such radio hits like "One" and "I Won't Back Down" as well as "I See A Darkness" -- *HIS* way -- he uncovers the bruised heart in each one. Johnny knows what it's like to be hurt, and what it's like to do the hurtin'. I guess that's why he'll always be number one on my post-breakup hit parade.
6) Dead C: THE LANGUAGE RECORDINGS (Language)
A two-disc set that reminded me a lot of the Omit 4 CD box that came out a few years ago. I could write long, incoherent impressions of it, but I'll save it for later on in the poll results...
7) Laika: GOOD LOOKING BLUES (Too Pure UK)
Margaret rocks. Easily their best album, all cool and sexy sounding.
8) Clinic: INTERNAL WRANGLER (Domino UK)
My friend John turned me on to this, and boy am I glad. It's nostalgic in a reverent way, not an ironic way (thank fucking god) and reminds me in a lot of ways of early Rolling Stones, the Gories, Gallon Drunk, the Velvet Underground (esp. on "2/4" which reminds me of a manic "Sister Ray"), Television, the Monks, to name a few. It isn't mired in the past, though, which is probably why only 10 people heard this record this year. It swaggers, it croons, it rocks. Buy two copies so you can have one with you wherever you go.
9) Senor Coconut y su Conjunto: EL BAILE ALEMAN (Emperor Norton)
Most of the Atom Heart stuff I've heard was forgettable, but this record kept pulling me back by the sheer absurdity of its concept: Kraftwerk songs re-written like Samba/Cumbia type songs. And it actually *works*, in a really convincing way.
10) Sigur Ros: AGAETIS BYRJUN (Bad Taste, Iceland)
Lush, ethereal, spooky, strange. Pick an adjective. Probably the record that got the most play by me this year, and, like Sparklehorse from two years ago, I bought copies of this for many people. I forced people to buy it ("If you don't buy this record I will make fun of that Alanis Morrissette disc in your cabinet FOREVER and nobody wants that.") and played it to anyone who would listen. I can't remember being so romantically involved with a record that's come out in the past 10 years. It's the soundtrack to a million movies, it's water and air committed to digital bits, it's the sound of faith. Jeezum Crow, stop this descriptive logorrhea before I kill someone.
11) Silkworm: LIFESTYLE (Touch and Go)
12) Shellac: 1000 HURTS (Touch and Go)
I don't think I need to say anything about these in depth having written more than I should about both bands to begin with; two bands that make consistently interesting and great records. The Shellac grew on me more than I thought it would, and seeing both bands live made me realize how lucky I am to live in a city where live music is a given, instead of a treat.
13) Primal Scream: XTRMNTR (Creation UK)
A Japanese music magazine said it was the best protest album from a band that had no reason to protest anything. Not SON OF SCREAMEDELICA as people had hoped, I suppose, but as good as that record was, albeit in different ways.
14) Lou Reed: ECSTASY (Sire)
A long time ago, I decided that Lou Reed's solo albums weren't as good as they should be, and yet I was compelled to keep buying them in the hope that he'd someday release one on par with THE BLUE MASK. This year, I got my wish. I dunno if it's Laurie Anderson's influence or what, but ECSTASY is the record he should have been making all along. Others had their moments, but this one is aces all the way through. "Baton Rouge" is a prime example of what Lou does best: having the balls to sing the songs that people don't even have the guts to write.
15) Merzbow: MERZBOX (Extreme)
Probably the most fun I had this year with a record was listening to all 50 discs of this (yes, I actually did listen to all of them) to cull tracks for a Merzbow Primer guest DJ spot on my pal Douglas' radio show (the playlist is <a href="http://www.wfmu.org/Playlists/Douglas/dw.000824.html">here</a>.) I wanted to prove to people that Masami Akita is not just "the guy who sounds like static", but rather a man with a mission and a very clearly defined purpose. I hope I did that. Too bad Savage Pencil beat me to the punch and wrote about him for THE WIRE, because I'm convinced that one of my purposes on this earth is to write the definitive piece on Merzbow. Maybe I'll get my chance next box set.
16) V/A TOUCH 00 (Touch UK)
If it's released on Touch, there's a good chance I'll buy it, but this is the best label sampler I've ever heard. Some tried-and-true, some newcomers, some flat-out surprises. Type designers moonlighting as musicians. Ex-Cabaret Voltaire people. Snippets from a walking tour. I can't think of another compilation that's used 70+ minutes so effectively.
17) Teenage Fanclub: HOWDY! (Columbia UK)
A luscious pop record, the kind they made in the late 60's. It sounds like Hello Kitty candy tastes, which is aces high in my book any day of the week.
18) Radiohead: KID A (Capitol)
Just when I thought concept albums were the suckiest concept ever, Radiohead pulled off something that I thought would be impossible: an isolationist record that pushes the listener away so much that you're absolutely compelled to keep listening. Kinda like what I do in my personal life, but we'll leave that out of it for now. Besides conveying a difficult emotional state in a convincing way throughout a whole song cycle, Radiohead have managed to make a record that's both intellectually satisfying *and* interesting sounding. I hope more bands follow their example and explore this territory.
19) Wu-Tang Clan: THE W (Loud/Columbia)
One of those rap outfits that makes records like the ones I grew up with. The RZA's soundtrack to GHOST DOG was no slouch either.
20) Pole: 3 (Matador)
Probably the best dub record I've heard recently, more human sounding than most things of this ilk (I put him in the Scanner/Fennesz camp, even though he probably doesn't belong there.) Points for listening to Mantronix's theory that tracks sound better with a layer of white noise/crackle over them (Warn Defever listened to that advice too, proving that it works cross-genre)
Reissues/live/other stuff/Weirdass recordings that don't fit anywhere else:
Faust THE WUMME YEARS
"Cvalda" Bjork (from SELMASONGS) (Elektra)
THE CONET PROJECT (Iridal-Disc UK)
Cale/Conrad/Maclise/Young/Zazeela: DAY OF NIAGARA
Johnny Cash AT SAN QUENTIN/AT FOLSOM PRISON (Columbia Legacy)
ESG: A SOUTH BRONX STORY
Monks: LET'S START A BEAT!
Miles Davis ON THE CORNER (Columbia Legacy)
Raymond Scott MANHATTAN RESEARCH, INC (Basta)
Captain Beefheart I'M GOING DO WHAT I WANNA DO (Rhino Handmade)
Devo DEVO LIVE and RECOMBO DNA (Rhino Handmade)
Lou Reed METAL MACHINE MUSIC/LIVE TAKE NO PRISONERS/THE BELLS/CONEY ISLAND BABY (Buddha)
Fennesz: MUSIC FOR AN ISOLATION TANK
Elastica "Da Da Da"
That's it for this year.
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