Other Music Top 10s for 2001
Dear Friends:
Welcome to our annual year-end wrap-up of the best new releases
and reissues of 2001 as selected by the Other Music staff (both NYC
and Cambridge, MA) and newsletter contributors. Our goal in putting
these lists together is to celebrate exemplary artists and recordings
while hopefully shedding light on some stellar releases that might
otherwise get overlooked.
We hope you find these lists enlightening, fun to read, thought-
provoking, maybe even controversial. Please feel free to share
your thoughts with us. We'd appreciate the feedback.
If you're inspired enough to want to purchase one of the records
featured here, please visit our web site:
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Best wishes for a happy holiday season,
-all of us at Other Music
Geoff Albores (OM NYC)
1. 4Hero Creating Patterns (Talkin' Loud, UK)
2. Bjork Vespertine (Elektra)
3. Terminal Terminal 4 (Truckstop)
4. Saul Williams Amethyst Rock Star (American)
5. Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble On The Beach reissue (Aestuarium)
6. Antipop Consortium Shopping Carts Crashing (Nippon Crown, Japan)
7. Burning Spear Spear Burning '75-'79 (Pressure Sounds, UK)
8. Alemu Aga Ethiopiques Vol. 11 (Buda, France)
9. Big Youth Natty Universal Dread '73-'79 (Blood and Fire, UK)
10. Cannibal Ox Cold Vein (Def Jux)
Sandra Barrett (OM Cambridge)
1. Adult Recuscitation (Ersatz Audio)
2. Lightning Bolt Ride the Skies (Load)
3. Missy Elliot Miss E... So Addictive (Gold Mind)
4. Dymaxion Dymaxion x 4 + 3 = 38:33 (Roomtone)
5. Liliput/Kleenex Liliput/Kleenex reissue (Kill Rock Stars)
6. Storm Bugs Let's Go Outside and Get It Over (Snatch Tapes)
7. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah New York (Shifty)
8. The New Year Newness Ends (Touch and Go)
9. ESG live in Chicago at Ladyfest Midwest (August 2001)
10. Phenomenological Boys Meet the Sorry Sisters (self-released)
Chris Brokaw (OM Cambridge)
1. Thomas Brinkmann 46 Valentino 12" (Max Ernst, Germany)
2. Peter Brotzmann/Hamid Drake/Fred Hopkins The Atlanta Concert (Okka)
3. Alan Licht Plays Well (Crank Automotive)
4. Misha Mengelberg Solo (Buzz)
5. Davide Mosconi Musica del'Anno Zero (Alga Marghen, Italy)
6. Alan Silva and the Celestial Communication Orchestra s/t (Get Back, Italy)
7. Spontaneous Music Ensemble Challenge (Emanem, UK)
8. The Strokes Is This It (RCA)
9. Rhythm & Sound Rhythm & Sound (Rhythm & Sound, Germany)
10. Marc Ribot Saints (Atlantic)
Tom Capodanno (OM NYC)
Bomb the Bass/Lali Puna Clear Cut (Morr Music, Germany)
Cornelius Point (Trattoria, Japan)
Destroyer Streethawk: A Seduction (Misra)
Dymaxion Dymaxion x 4 + 3 = 38:33 (Roomtone)
Ellen Allien Flieg Mit mix (Bpitch Control, Germany)
Ladytron 604 (Emperor Norton)
Miniflex Sud (Escalator, Japan)
Reinhard Voigt Im Wandel Der Zeit (Kompakt, Germany)
Various Artists Spinout 2: Non-Stop DJ Mix by Masanori Ikeda (V2, Japan)
Marisa Cerio (OM NYC)
1. Ellen Allien Flieg Mit mix (Bpitch Control, Germany)
2. Daft Punk Discovery (Virgin)
3. Richie Hawtin DE9: Closer to the Edit (Mute)
4. The Shins Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
5. Basement Jaxx Rooty (Astralwerks)
6. Ride Box Set (Creation, UK)
7. House of Love BBC Sessions (Varese)
8. Various Artists Hamburgeins (Ladomat, Germany)
9. Pulp "Trees" single (Island, UK)
10. Death Cab for Cutie The Photo Album (Barsuk)
JoAnn Colagiacomi (OM NYC)
1. Neu! reissues (Astralwerks)
2. Judee Sill Heart Food reissue (East West, Japan)
3. Bjork Vespertine (Elektra)
4. Soul Jazz Records all releases
5. Shuggie Otis Inspiration Information reissue (Luaka Bop)
6. Eugene McDaniels Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse reissue (Label M)
7. Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble On the Beach (Aestuarium)
8. Langley Schools Music Project Innocence and Despair (Bar None)
9. Outsiders CQ reissue (Pseudonym, Netherlands)
10. Burning Spear Spear Burning '75-'79 (Pressure Sounds, UK)
11. Nagisa Ni Te all releases
Matt Connors (OM NYC)
Joy Division Les Bains Douches (NMC, UK)
Jorge Ben Sacundin Ben Samba reissue (Universal, Brazil)
Other People Place Laptop Cafe (Warp)
Bjork Vespertine (Elektra)
Boredoms ReBore Volume 0 (Warner, Japan)
Pulp "Trees/Sunrise" single (Island, UK)
Life Without Buildings In Any Other City (Tugboat, UK)
Nagisa Ni Te Songs for a Simple Moment (Geographic, UK)
The Shins Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
Gillian Welch Time: The Revelator (Acony)
Ellen Allien Flieg Mit mix (Bpitch Control, Germany)
David Day (OM Cambridge)
1. Strokes Is This It (RCA)
Never mind the Oedipal shriek rock, the rap-metal meatheads and
the quasi-spiritual sludge, in a year that needed rock to rock
again, the Strokes surfaced from the NY streets and came through
like a Cadillac. The way their distinct and honed syncopation
aligns on the line "just in time" will always thrill me. A band
that I actively hope makes it big, so don't worry. They won't.
2. Zero 7 Simple Things (Palm Pictures)
Like Guided By Voices and lo-fi, Zero 7 transcended a formula.
Unlike GBV, Zero 7 has taken downtempo to its utmost by placing all
their attention on the execution. Abstract blues, cinematic funk
and symphonic soul seamlessly cut into one, and that patch of
psychedelia makes the suit. Plays well anywhere, as was intended.
3. N.E.R.D. In Search Of... (Virgin, UK)
Gaming Virginians soaked in remix money and salted with hot-tub
sodium make the scene in an unstoppable fashion. 14 ceaseless
tales of bounce, love and drug-running. A good album is defined by
its lack of bad songs. Try and find a dancefloor without 'Truth Or
Dare' this February. Is it a pop trend that has my ear or a time-
tested classic? Ask my grandkids. They'll probably be too busy
bouncing to answer.
4. Various Artists Berlin 2001 (Bpitch Control, Germany)
Hot straight out of the box and shot onto the coolest of
dancefloors worldwide, Ellen Allien's collection of trax prove her
label to be the dance champ of '01. Watch for the domestic mix
project coming later this year from somewhere smart. Ellen Allien
strides through the world's clubs like an Amazonian princess. Sit
up straight. Now get your ass on the floor.
5. Various Artists Studio One Soul (Soul Jazz, UK)
Summer's stainless soundtrack.
6. Spoon Girls Can Tell (Merge)
There's nothing like triumph from tribulation. Gifted with their
own sound and diligent in its pursuit, Spoon then completed work
on a new and unique subtle punk with their third, rewarding
record. Spoon's understated melodies and handcuffed phrasing are
such that, like 'Anything You Want', you wish each song simply
reprised.
7. Shins Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
Artfully splattered in lyrical mud, "Oh Inverted World" may not
plant a phrase in your head, but a melody is sure to recur there
later in the day. As one untangles its meaning, the world softens
and gentle order emerges from chaos. With impeccable production,
it's a shame people dismiss this as retro, when, with its distant
and ghostly apparitions, it is perfectly suited for 2001.
8. Various Artists Now Thing (Mo'Wax, UK)
I thought I had heard dancehall. College radio shows, beatheads,
Shaggy and cab rides through Jamaica Plain. James Lavelle got it
together, but it's the producers who clearly deserve all the
credit. This is the heavy heavy monster sound. As in a monster
coming to chomp your head. Shuffling, menacing and catchy as
whooping cough, the beat will not be denied. Like me, you may not
be fully ready for dancehall. But, as Yoda says: "You will be.
You... will... be...."
9. Saul Williams Amethyst Rock Star (American)
With imitators on the way (Mos Def and Q-Tip especially), Saul
Williams triumphs on his debut release, a vicious, calculated
verbal assault on the world around him and the world in his mind.
Produced by the force Rick Rubin, "Amethyst" is rap-metal the only
way it can be done, as it pounds jaw-dropping lyricism straight
through your face.
10. Eugene McDaniels Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse reissue (Label M)
I'm convinced that not only is this record funky as grandma's
socks, but McDaniel's renders one of the greatest vocal
performances of the 20th century. I had to get one reissue in this
top 10, and McDaniels' 1971 masterpiece leaped over the
competition. Thirty years later and the world is still not ready
for Eugene. And it never will be.
J. Dennis (OM Cambridge/OM NYC)
1. Various Artists Berlin 2001 (Bpitch Control, Germany)
2. Jay Dee Welcome 2 Detroit (BBE, UK)
3. Jan Jelinek Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records (~scape, Germany)
4. N.E.R.D. In Search Of... (Virgin, UK)
5. Niobe Radioersatz (Tomlab, Germany)
6. Panoptica Panoptica (Certificate 18, UK)
7. Prefuse 73 Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives (Warp)
8. Terry Riley You're Nogood reissue (Cortical Foundation)
9. Ty Awkward (Big Dada, UK)
10. Zorn The City's Collapsing, But Not Tonight (Lux Nigra, Germany)
Robin Edgerton (OM NYC)
1. Liliput/Kleenex Liliput/Kleenex reissue (Kill Rock Stars)
So long overdue it's not even funny, these Swiss women's work
exceeded anything ever to be considered (now) 'post-punk' then or
since. Of course then it was considered punk, and Liliput worked
off of the most fundamental tenet of the movement/aesthetic, the
one that's now forgotten: always subvert the expected.
2. Daft Punk Discovery (Virgin)
I don't care if they never show their faces around here again.
3. Avalanches Since I Left You (Sire/XL)
4. Dillards Back Porch Bluegrass/Live Almost reissue (Elektra, UK)
I'll go so far to say this is the best bluegrass of the entire
second half of the 20th century. What makes it? Mood shifts
between the goofiest hicksville songs and those full of dread and
sorrow. Harmonies sublime (band member Dean Webb also arranged
vocals for the Byrds), killer picking. And a spontaneity somehow
actually captured on tape on not just one, but two albums
(conveniently both on this CD). Now I have to see the six Andy
Griffith episodes in which they appear....
5. The Ex Orkest Een Rondje Holland (Ex, Holland)
6. Air 10000 Hz Legend (Astralwerks)
I dunno, everyone bitched about how it was no "Moon Safari", but
that's what made it for me -- a sickly, liquid sense of blending
instruments and eras and genres, sans kitsch but not rooted to
anything else as a replacement, either.
7. Derrick Carter About Now mix (611)
Mixin' minor deity. Gimme house!
8. Philip Cohran & the Artistic Heritage Ensemble On the Beach reissue (Aestuarium)
A treasure, on a par with the very best work of Archie Shepp:
passionate, funky, creative, political.
9. Brotherhood of Breath Travelling Somewhere live (Cuneiform)
Following a mysterious stream of live early '70s concert downloads
of this group from Usenet, comes a legit release which
transcended them and transported you into the jigsaw-puzzle
afro-jazz heaven -- also made clear that, at least for a few years
or a few tours, they were incomparably dynamic live. And every
show is different, except maybe the perennial 'MRA'.
10. Jorge Ben Samba Esquema Novo reissue (Universal, Brazil)
One of three beautiful Ben reissues to come out this year, the
fused essence of pop and samba, hooks galore and rhythms that loft
you like a frisbee across the length of a football field. This one
has all the hits, but the others in the reissue series ("Ben E
Samba Bom", "Sacundin Ben Samba") are close behind.
Best live: Fischerspooner anywhere; I saw them at Electroclash.
Nick Follett (OM Cambridge)
1. Lawrence Sporturlaub (Dial, Germany)
2. Chris Clark Clarence Park (Warp)
3. Michael Jackson Invincible (Epic)
4. Mia Doi Todd Zero One (City Zen)
5. High Priest Ghost in the Drum Machine (Ozone)
6. Kelis Wanderland (Virgin, UK)
7. The Walkmen The Walkmen (Startime)
8. Depeche Mode Exciter (Mute)
9. Radioactive Man Uranium EP (Rotters Golf Club, UK)
10. Pub Do You Ever Regret Pantomime (Ampoule, UK)
Lisa Garrett (newsletter contributor, OM NYC)
1. P.P. Arnold The First Cut reissue (Immediate, UK)
2. Phil Cohran & the Artistic Heritage Ensemble On The Beach reissue (Aestuarium)
3. Various Artists Darker Than Blue: Soul from Jamdown (Blood and Fire, UK)
4. OOIOO Feather Float (Birdman)
5. Liliput/Kleenex Liliput/Kleenex reissue (Kill Rock Stars)
6. Lightning Bolt Ride the Skies (Load)
7. Aesop Rock Labor Days (Def Jux)
8. Shuggie Otis Inspiration Information reissue (Luaka Bop)
9. Terry Riley You're Nogood reissue (Cortical Foundation)
10. Various Artists Downtown 81 soundtrack (Virgin, France)
Honorable mention: Outsiders CQ reissue
Best live: Black Dice/Coptic Light at the Knitting Factory 12/16/01.
Gibby (OM Cambridge)
1. The Clean Getaway (Merge)
2. The Strokes Is This It (RCA)
3. Chris Clark Clarence Park (Warp)
4. Andre Estermann Balloon (Sellwell, Germany)
5. Miss Dinky Melodias Venenosas (Traum, Germany)
6. Fischerspooner Emerge 12" (Int'l DJ Gigolo, Germany)
7. Playgroup Make It Happen 12" (Source, France)
8. American Nightmare Blackground Music
9. Miss Kittin & The Hacker First Album (Int'l DJ Gigolo, Germany)
10. Bochum Welt Fashion 3" CD (Hymen, Germany)
Andy Giles (OM NYC)
1. Calla Scavengers (Young God)
Angels of Light How I Loved You (Young God)
Avey Tare/Panda Bear/Geologist Danse Manatee (Catsup Plate)
Black Dice Cold Hands (Troubleman Unlimited)
Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre Smashed Candy (Vermin Scum)
Love Life The Rose He Lied By (Troubleman Unlimited)
br> Rapture Out of the Races (Sub Pop)
Birthday Party John Peel Sessions reissue (Strange Fruit, UK)
Joy Division Les Bains Douches (NMC, UK)
Wake Harmony & Singles reissue (LTM, UK)
Daniel Givens (OM NYC)
Lloyd Bradley Bass Culture (book)
4Hero Creating Patterns (Talkin Loud, UK)
Green Velvet Whatever (Music Man)
Prince The Rainbow Children (Redline)
Soul Jazz Records "Studio One" reissues
Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble Vision Quest (Dreamtime)
Phil Ranelin reissues (Hefty)
New Sector Movements Download This (Virgin)
Antipop Consortium Shopping Carts Crashing (Nippon Crown, Japan)
Saul Williams Amethyst Rock Star (American, UK)
Michael Goodstein (newsletter contributor)
1. Los Desechables La Maqueta/Golpe Tras Golpe reissue (Munster, Spain)
2. Takehisha Kosugi/Toshi Ichiyanagi/Michael Ranta Improvisations 1975 LP (Drone Syndicate, Sweden)
3. Intersystems 1st Album (Cortical Foundation)
4. Various Artists Nuggets Volume 2: The British Empire & Beyond (Rhino)
5. Glass Candy & The Shattered Theater 2nd Tour CD/Smashed Candy 12" (self-released/Vermin Scum)
6. Henri Chopin Audio Poems (Edition Hundertmark, Germany)
7. Skywave Don't Say Slow (self-released)
8. Toshimaru Nakamura/Sachiko M. Do (Erstwhile)
9. The Wake Harmony & Singles (LTM, UK)
10. Erase Errata Other Animals (Troubleman Unlimited)
Jason Gross (newsletter contributor)
1. Manu Chao Proxima Estacion: Esperanza (Virgin)
2. Michael Franti and Spearhead Stay Human (Six Degrees)
3. Ass Ponys Lohio' (Checkered Past)
4. Various Artists Troubleman Mix-Tape (Troubleman Unlimited)
5. Bullfrog Bullfrog (Ropeadope)
6. The Rapture Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks (Sub Pop)
7. KaitO You've Seen Us... You Must Have Seen Us (Fierce Panda, UK)
8. Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra Liberation Afrobeat Vol. 1 (Ninja Tune, Canada)
9. Ware River Club Don't Take It Easy (Natural Disaster)
10. DJ Jester River Walk Riots (Two Ten)
Gerald Hammill (OM NYC)
1. Various Artists Freak Off (Harmless, UK)
2. Destroyer Streethawk: A Seduction (Misra)
3. Shuggie Otis Inspiration Information reissue (Luaka Bop)
4. Neu! reissues (Astralwerks)
5. Shins Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
6. King Tubby Lost Treasures (Jamaican, UK)
7. Fennesz Endless Summer (Mego, Austria)
8. Outsiders CQ reissue (Pseudonym, Germany)
9. Ride Nowhere reissue (Ignition, UK)
10. Dymaxion Dymaxion x 4 + 3 = 38:33 (Roomtone)
Matt Hanks (OM NYC)
1. Bobby Conn The Golden Age (Thrill Jockey)
If, here on earth, irony truly is dead, then I want to move to the
netherworld where Bobby Conn lives. A world where Meat Loaf, Gary
Wilson, and Rob Halford take ecstasy and fuck each other in the
butt. A world where helicopters are the preferred mode of
transportation; where whores, amputees, and convicts are the muse;
and where Robert Conn makes the record of the year.
2. Benjamin Diamond Strange Attitude (Epic, France)
In a year without a new album by Phoenix, this is the next best
thing. "Just A Little Time" coulda been a hit 20 years ago,
shoulda been a hit this year, and woulda been my favorite track of
2001, if not for the obscene brilliance of Bobby Conn's "Pumper."
3. Boredoms Vision Creation New Sun (Birdman)
Name another band that, fifteen years into it, is making the best
music of their career. C'mon, I dare ya'.
4. Henry Flynt Graduation (Ampersand)
This is a major find. There's no question that Tony Conrad and
John Cale owe a debt to the likes to Eck Robertson. Here's the
missing link.
5. V/A Yee Haw (QDK, Germany)
The compilation of the year, and the jumping-off point for endless
record shopping excursions. Has anyone ever heard of Spur or Weird
Herald before? Please, help me!
6. Philip Cohran & the Artistic Heritage Ensemble On The Beach reissue (Aestuarium)
7. Parson Sound/Harvester/International
Harvester/Trad Gras Och Stenar reissues
The mere epilogue to Parson Sound -- the aural equivalent of a
woozy, toilet-hugging, projectile vomiting session, records that
will damn near make up for every weak-ass obscure psych record you
bought this year.
8. Terry Riley You're Nogood reissue (Cortical Foundation)
9. Webb Bros. Maroon (Atlantic)
10. Bablicon A Flat Inside a Fog... (Misra)
Honorable mention: TransChamps Double Exposure EP
Though this entire collaborative EP from Trans Am and the Friggin' Champs
doesn't quite stack up, the first track 'Give It To You' is the
best song either band has ever recorded. Classic sex-as-school-
metaphor lyrics that would fit nicely on a reunion album by West,
Bruce & Lang, and some seriously smokin' guitar playing.
Polly Hanson (OM Cambridge)
1. Interpol Interpol (Interpol)
2. Roots Manuva Run Come Save Me (Ninja Tune)
3. Blue States Nothing Changes Under the Sun (18th St. Lounge)
4. Marva Whitney It's My Thing reissue (Soul Brother, UK)
5. LeTigre Feminist Sweepstakes (Mr. Lady)
6. Destroyer Streethawk: A Seduction (Misra)
7. Various Artists Raumschiff Monika (Monika, Germany)
8. Love Forever Changes reissue (Rhino)
9. Trembling Blue Stars Alive (Sub Pop)
10. The Walkmen The Walkmen (Startime)
Duane Harriott (OM NYC)
1. The Bible answers your questions
2. 9/11/01 questions your answers
3. Dntel Life Is Full of Possibilities (Plug Research)
4. Simian Chemistry Is What We Are (Astralwerks)
5. Green Velvet La La Land 12" (Music Man)
6. Avalanches Since I Left You 12" (XL, UK)
7. King Tubby Lost Treasures (Jamaican, UK)
8. Spacek Curvatia (Island, UK)
9. Novos Baianos Acabou Chorare reissue (Som Livre, Brazil)
10. Erick Sermon/Marvin Gaye Music 12"
Tim Haslett (OM Cambridge)
Pernice Brothers The World Won't End (Ashmont)
The greatest North American band of the past five years released
their new album last year, and it's the poppiest to date. But
Pernice is still the 'missing link' between Ian Curtis & Neil
Young, and the bright production of Thom Monahan can't hide the
fact that Pernice lives close to the current of a fallen world.
Zorn The City's Collapsing (But Not Tonight) (Lux Nigra, Germany)
Whoa, Nelly! Michael Zorn leaped out of Berlin with the best
techno album in years. Capturing the soulful spirit of early
Detroit techno but leaping over his micro-house/minimal house
peers and making impossibly deep, melodic music that one could
listen to forever. An epochal record.
Joe Pernice Big Tobacco reissue (Ashmont)
Thank your lucky stars that there are those who can write
beautiful, minor key pop songs with lyrics that bring to mind
Nietzsche's brilliant maxim: "Hope is the worst of evils, for it
prolongs the torment of man". Pernice's lyrics are, by turns,
despairing, vindictive, empathic, and sorrowful. He has a sense
of humor, but it never gets in the way of the complete lack of
redemptive possibility in these songs.
Venetian Snares Greg Hates Car Culture EP (History of the Future)
This is just what all laptoppers and 'melodic downtempo' fans
need. Aaron Funk grabs you by the torso and shakes you like a rag
doll. This is clean, lean, electronic hardcore at 180 beats-per-
minute that makes no compromises. Every track here gets to the
point where you think it'll explode and then, of course, it does.
The by-now familiar claim that electronic hardcore is the new punk
misses the point. What Venetian Snares and his more talented peers
do is capture punk's spirit for the first time since 1975. Magnificent.
Missy Elliott Lick Shots 12" (East West)
When Ms. Elliott & Mr. Mosley get into the studio, there must be
an immense power surge. Sharing production duties on this
outstanding track from Missy's album, "So Addictive", the hi-hats
and handclaps fall in perfect alignment with her bold vocals, and
Timbaland's slippery kick-drums pile up as the track ends. Do not
miss the instrumental.
dj/rupture Gold Teeth Thief (Soot, Spain)
Mixtapes/mix CDs are a dodgy affair. 90% of them should be
consigned to the dumpster. But dj/rupture created a mix of such
startling originality that it is a composition in its own right.
Red Alert could do this, so could Larry Levan, and now dj/rupture.
From the heavy ragga/dancehall opening through the hardcore of DJ
Scud, into the deep head nod of Memphis hip-hop star Project Pat
into Henry Berio: the energy here is overwhelming and rupture's
wild eclecticism is never gratuitous.
Various Artists Big Sippin' Down South: Chopped & Screwed by Swishahouse (Future Entertainment)
Following the death of unsung hip-hop pioneer, DJ Screw, Houston's
hip-hop scene is on fire. Whether this is because of his creative
legacy (he pitched all his records down to –12, creating surreal,
bleak dancefloor hip-hop mixes) or sadness at his loss, is hard to
know. But his friends and colleagues, like the immensely talented
Swisha House crew, are continuing what he began. That means heavy,
staccato edits, menacing, slowed beats and rhymes. This is a
strange, ghostly hip-hop netherworld where skull symbols adorn
record sleeves and an air of grief lies beneath the wild
experimentation.
Ellen Allien Flieg Mit mix (Bpitch Control, Germany)
Ellen Allien is one of the busiest women in Berlin. She runs the
brilliant Bpitch Control label, records singles, and DJs all over
Europe. Based on this floor-slamming mix it's no wonder she's in
demand at clubs like Tresor in Berlin. Her ambidextrous turntable
skills are clear here as she mixes minor-key '80s Italo-disco into
contemporary German electro. There are few electro mixes to rival
this one.
Various Artists Now Thing: 15 Dancehall Instrumentals (Mo'Wax, UK)
The digital slackness of '80s dancehall, with its shiny, layers-of-
floorwax overproduction and violent lyrics has given way to pro-
black music with Rastafarian themes. This floor breaking
collection should be in everyone's collection, whether or not you
give a damn about Jamaican music. Producers stutter rides and toms
like speech pathologists while the thin, miniature melodies scrape
the surface of the mix. This record demonstrates, like nothing
else released in years, how to make pure rhythm tracks. If you can
stand still to this record, you're probably non compos mentis.
T. Raumschmiere Musick 12" (Shitkatapult, Germany)
This year, Marco Haas, owner of the peerless Shitkatapult label,
invented what came to be called 'shuffle techno'. Haas slows the
tempo to a range just below that of the average house record (120-
130 beats-per-minute) and runs the drums, percussion, and bassline
through a two-hour dry cycle, making EPs like "Musick" completely
dessicated. Add to that nasty spikes and rolling gravel and you
end up with a sui generis record like this one. Funk never dies,
it just resurfaces in different forms, different places.
Various Artists Studio One Soul (Soul Jazz, UK)
From the late '60s onwards, mento, rocksteady, and finally reggae
artists covered literally hundreds of US soul records (and many
other North American songs) in a dub stylee. The incomparable Soul
Jazz label collected some of the most beautiful of the soul
covers, many of which are nearly impossible to locate. 16 year -
old Norma Frazier's trembling but confident voice turns 'The First
Cut is the Deepest' into an elegiac gem. Ken Boothe does a heart-
wrecking rendition of The Supremes' 'Set Me Free', transforming
this great Motown pop song into one of the most shattering pleas
for release from heartache ever recorded. There are very few songs
one never forgets. This is one of them.
Dan Hirsch (OM Cambridge)
1. The New Year Newness Ends (Touch & Go)
2. Papa M Whatever, Mortal (Drag City)
3. Stephen Mathieu FrequencyLib (Ritornell, Germany) /
Stephan Mathieu/Ekkehard Ehlers HeroinA (Brombron, Netherlands)
4. Fennesz Endless Summer (Mego, Austria)
5. Alemu Aga Ethiopiques 11 (Buda, France)
6. Jemeel Moondoc Revolt of the Negro Lawn Jockeys (Eremite)
7. Cannibal Ox Cold Vein (Def Jux)
8. dj/rupture Gold Teeth Thief (Soot)
9. Nikki Sudden Texas/Dead Men Tell No Tales (Secretly Canadian)
10. Townes Van Zandt Anthology: 1968-1979 (Fuel 2000)
11. Parson Sound Parson Soundreissue (Subliminal Sounds, Sweden)
Honorable mentions: Kleenex/Liliput - s/t reissue, The Clean -
Getaway, Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2, Thee Headcoats - Headcoats
Down, Ex Orkest - Een Rondje Holland, Fugazi - The Argument, MF
Doom - Operation Doomsday, Thalia Zedek - Been Here and Gone,
Mekons - Rock'n'Roll reissue, Lucinda Williams - Essence, Fred
Anderson - Dark Days, Philip Jeck -Vinyl Coda IV, Keith Rowe &
Toshimaru Nakamura - Weather Sky, Jim O'Rourke - I'm Happy, and
I'm Singing, and a 1,2,3,4, Stina Nordenstam - This Is, Edith
Frost - Wonder, Wonder, Greg Weeks - Awake Like Sleep, Silver
Jews - Bright Flight, Wilco - Yankee Foxtrot Hotel.
Dan Hougland (OM NYC)
1. Satya Sai Maitreya Kali Apache Inca reissue (Akashic, Germany)
2. F.J. MacMahon Spirit of the Golden Juice reissue (Gates of Dawn)
3. Simon Finn Pass the Distance reissue (Mushroom, UK)
4. Talk Talk Missing Pieces (Pond Life, UK)
5. Avey Tare/Panda Bear/Geologist Danse Manatee (Catsup Plate)
6. No Neck Blues Band Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones... (Revenant)
7. Joint Effort Two-Sided Country...Blues reissue (World in Sound, Germany)
8. Nagisa Ni Te On the Love Beach/Feel reissues (P-Vine, Japan)
9. House of Love BBC Sessions (Varese)
10. Various Artists It Came From Memphis Vol. 2 (Birdman)
Casey Keenan (OM Cambridge)
1. Neil Hagerty Neil Michael Hagerty (Drag City)
2. Jay Dee Welcome 2 Detroit (BBE, UK)
3. All Alltag 1-4 (Kompakt, Germany)
4. Sonny Sharrock Black Woman reissue (4 Men With Beards)
5. Various Artists Studio One Soul (Soul Jazz, UK)
6. Sun Ra Nuclear War reissue (Unheard Music Series)
7. Erik Travis Rollin' Thru Time (Data Bass)
8. Ester Brinkmann Der Ubersetzer-Il Traduttore (Suppose, Germany)
9. U.S. Maple Acre Thrills (Drag City)
10. Stars of the Lid The Tired Sounds of... (Kranky)
Michael Klausman (OM NYC)
Millenium Again/Magic Time reissues (Sundazed)
I hadn't listened to any pop/rock music in a really long time when
these reissues came out. They're quite possibly the sole reason
I'm re-listening to stuff like the Left Banke. Sandy Salisbury's
song on "Again" is easily the best song I heard all year, played
over and over again.
Bobby Callender The Way/Rainbow reissues (Akarma, Italy)
My vote(s) for the most slept-on reissues of the year. Hardly
anyone bought them, even as they intersected with so many of OM's
customers' interests. Callender was an African-American enamored
of Eastern mysticism. "Rainbow" features great funk session guys
like Bernard Purdie and Hugh McCracken--it's some seriously deep
psychedelic soul/drone. "The Way" was his double LP concept album
about the (I think, anyway) Bodhisattva. Beautiful, weird,
mystical and mystifying.
Gene Clark Gypsy Angel 1980s home demos (Evangeline)
In which the former Byrds singer/songwriter apparently plumbed the
depths of hell only to come back and cut some tracks on an 8-track
in his kitchen. I've loved Clark for a long time but avoided this
reissue for months due to the truly terrible cover artwork. Don't
make my mistake: get this record into your life as quickly as
possible.
Henry Flynt Graduation reissue (Ampersand)
When I reviewed this, I stated that it was the weirdest record I'd
heard all year. Since then there have been other contenders, but
none that warrant repeated listening in the ways this does.
C.O.B. Spirit of Love reissue (BGO, UK)
The title track on this record by Incredible String Band cohort
Clive Palmer is one of the best songs ever made.
Steve Reid Nova reissue (Universal Sound, UK)
Everything I need in a free jazz record at this point in my life
can be found in this release.
Michael Hurley live
Hurley played at Tonic four times this year, and I got to see
three of the shows. For every corny moment there are five
supremely sublime ones during which I feel like seeing a Michael
Hurley show is on the top ten favorite things I like about life.
Period.
Robbie Basho Voice of The Eagle reissue (Comet, Italy) / Bashovia reissue (Fantasy)
I hated Basho's singing for a long time, but finally came around
to it this year. His guitar playing has always been beyond
question, but I've now decided his singing is pure genius. (p.s.
Fahey's liner notes in "Bashovia" are hilarious.)
Gillian Welch Time: The Revelator (Acony)
I hardly listen to any music made in recent times, much less
something new that tries to mine all the old-timey stuff I love so
much. But with this record, Welch transcends the slavishness of
her previous releases, creating a stark, new kind of beauty that
sounds 100 years old and at the same time absolutely contemporary.
Honorable Mentions: Milton Nascimento, Francois Bayle, Val
Stoecklein, Judee Sill, Roy Harper, Jackson C. Frank, Jorge Ben,
La Dusseldorf (better than Neu!), and anything from Papua New
Guinea.
Nicole Lang (OM NYC)
1. Parson Sound Parson Sound reissue (Subliminal Sounds, Sweden)
2. Lightning Bolt Ride the Skies (Load)
3. Terry Riley You're Nogood reissue (Cortical Foundation)
4. Takehisa Kosugi Catch Wave reissue (Drone Syndicate, Sweden)
This record is my comfort food. The magical violin side lulled me
better than any controlled substance. If there exists somewhere on
the earth, a cave constructed of bits of glistening reflective
crystal and leading to infinity -- these are the mesmerizing sounds
emanating from it.
5. Black Dice Peace/Ball 7" (31G)
You know that moment of dull consciousness when you wake from deep
dreaming, and can hear sounds but are unsure if they are real or
not, as memory has not yet kicked in -- that is as close I can get
to describe the aftereffect of witnessing the sonic spectacle of
Black Dice at the Knitting Factory on Sunday, December 16.
Disorienting to say the least. Mystifying definitely. This 7" was
on heavy rotation at home and at the store these past months.
6. Rufus Wainwright Poses (Dreamworks)
7. Strokes Hard To Explain single (RCA)
1..2..3..4 NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH,
NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH,
NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH, NEH,
WheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooWHEEOO
WheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooooooooWheeeoooWheeeooWheeeoo
8. Outsiders CQ reissue (Pseudonym, Netherlands)
9. International Harvester Sov Gott Rose-Marie (Silence, Sweden)
10. The Walkmen The Walkmen (Startime)
Best live: Campfire Songs at Tonic
Noah Lennox (OM NYC)
Daft Punk Discovery (Virgin)
John Morton Outlier (Innova)
Black Dice Peace in the Valley (31G)
Spacek Curvatia (Island, UK)
Divine Comedy Regeneration (Nettwerk)
Kawabata & Youngs s/t (VHF)
Supersilent 5 (Rune Grammofon, Norway)
Phonophani Genetic Engineering (Rune Grammofon, Norway)
Air 10000 Hz Legend (Astralwerks)
Ellen Allien Flieg Mit mix (Bpitch Control, Germany)
Josh Madell (OM)
Gillian Welch Time: The Revelator (Acony)
Various Artists Studio One Roots (Soul Jazz, UK)
Philip Cohran & the Artistic Heritage Ensemble On The Beach reissue (Aestuarium)
Terry Riley You're Nogood reissue (Cortical Foundation)
Shins Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
Whiskeytown Pneumonia (Lost Highway)
New Year Newness Ends (Touch and Go)
Spoon Girls Can Tell (Merge)
Jorge Ben Samba Esquema Novo reissue (Universal, Brazil)
Lucinda Williams Essence (Lost Highway)
Ted Leo Tyranny of Distance (Lookout!)
Sara Magenheimer (OM Cambridge)
1. N.E.R.D. In Search Of (Virgin, UK)
2. Fridge Happiness (Temporary Residence)
3. J. Richman Her Mystery Not of Highheels and Eyeshadow (Rhino)
4. Mark Kozelek What's Next to the Moon (Badman)
5. Sigur Ros Agaetis Byrjun (Fat Cat, UK)
6. Mum Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Was OK (TMT, Iceland)
7. Clinic Internal (Domino)
8. Pulp We Love Life (Island, UK)
9. VA: Shock City Shockers Vol. 2 OOIOO Remixed (Trattoria, Japan)
10. Shins Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
Scott Mou (OM NYC)
1. Terry Riley You're Nogood reissue (Cortical Foundation)
2. OMD B-Sides (Virgin, UK)
3. This Heat Deceit reissue (These, UK)
4. Lawrence Teaser 12" (Kompakt, Germany)
5. Sascha Funke Fur de Lieb 12" (Bpitch Control, Germany)
6. Ego Express Music no Music Music 12" (Ladomat, Germany)
7. Jackson C. Frank Blues Run the Game reissue (Castle, UK)
8. Superior Genith 2 2x12" (Perlon, Germany)
9. Carsten Jost Make Pigs Pay 12 (Dial, Germany)
10.International Harvester Sov Gott Rose-Marie reissue (Silence, Sweden)
Best mix CDs: Flieg Mit Ellen Allien, Theo Parrish's These Days &
Times Pt. 1
Best live: Black Dice, Knitting Factory, 12/16/01; Electroclash
2001, Fischerspooner: the moment when the lights went out and a
spotlight blasted through a smoking turbo fan aimed directly at a
struggling Casey Spooner.
Chris O'Rourke (OM NYC)
Gillian Welch Time: The Revelator (Acony)
Sad and beautiful and timeless and old-timey somehow without
sounding retro, this album absolutely kills me every time. Devastating.
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci The Blue Trees EP (Beggar's Banquet)
Twenty-three-and-a-half minutes of sublimely perfect folk rock.
Charlie Patton Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues box set/reissue (Revenant)
The other day I looked over at this box set sitting on my
bookshelf and I swear I saw a little angel whispering into one of
its ears and a little devil whispering into the other. It sits on
the shelf right next to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare,
by the way.
P.P. Arnold The First Cut reissue (Immediate, UK)
Stupendous. Imagine Billy Nicholls or the Small Faces crossed with
Ike and Tina. Read the liner notes because that's actually what it
is, in a way.
Bert Jansch s/t reissue (Castle, UK)
I never knew. Thanks to OM's Michael Klausman for turning me on to
this album.
Alemu Aga Ethiopiques Vol. 11 (Buda, France)
Downright psychedelic, droney and freaky. It sounds quite
different from the great Parson Sound, but the effect is not
dissimilar. My favorite "Ethiopiques" title.
Fennesz Endless Summer (Mego, Austria)
When your boombox falls off the sailboat with your Beach Boys CD
in it and you dive in to get it and (risking electric shock) you
turn it back on and press play it now sounds like this. I am
originally from Cape Cod and I need this kind of music in my life.
Whiskeytown Pneumonia (Lost Highway)
Amazing song after amazing song. Far better than any other
Whiskeytown album, and on par with frontman Ryan Adams' solo
debut "Heartbreaker". I tried to like it, I really did, but
Adams' "Gold" is an utter piece of crap. Sorry.
Fugazi The Argument (Dischord)
This would have made my list just for one anthemic punk rock
song, 'Full Disclosure'. The first time I heard this album was one
morning in the store before we opened, and I was so blown away by
that song that I played it five times in a row at full volume. I
may have even been playing air guitar. Geoff and Jo Ann were
witnesses. I may be a dork but I have high standards for the rock,
and I have since come to love this whole album. Repeater used to
be my favorite Fugazi album. Radiohead who?
Sundazed Records various releases
For being such a great record label. For the unbelievably high
quality vinyl reissues this year alone: Bob Dylan's masterpieces
from the original mono masters (these absolutely blow away the
sound quality of Dylan's CDs, and I am not a vinyl purist), Fred
Neil's "Bleecker and MacDougal", the Butterfield Blues Band's "East-
West", the Inernational Submarine Band's "Safe at Home", three
classic Stax and Volt Otis Redding LP's, Love's "Forever Changes"
(coming soon). For the Millenium CD box set. For the 3-D catalog.
For the insane attention to detail. For simultaneously embracing
and flying in the face of the collector mentality by putting out
tons of weird obscure CDs for the enjoyment of the people. Plus
they keep things in print like the Mu CD and Skip Spence's "Oar".
God bless 'em.
David Portner (OM NYC)
1. Various Artists Bosavi Rainforest Music (Smithsonian Folkways)
2. Bjork Vespertine (Elektra)
3. Cannibal Ox Cold Vein (Def Jux)
4. Gerald Hawk King of the River Canoe (Abduction)
5. Takehisa Kosugi Catch Wave reissue (Drone Syndicate, Sweden)
6. Roy Harper Stormcock reissue (Science Friction, UK)
7. Lee Perry Born in the Sky (Motion, UK)
8. Basement Jaxx Rooty (Astralwerks)
9. Terry Riley You're Nogood reissue (Cortical Foundation)
10. Simon Finn Pass the Distance reissue (Mushroom)
Katie Serva (newsletter contributor)
1. Talk Talk Missing Pieces (Pond Life, UK)
2. Ride box set (Creation, UK)
3. !!! (Chik Chik Chik) !!! (GSL)
4. American Analog Set Know By Heart (Tigerstyle)
5. Liliput/Kleenex Liliput/Kleenex reissue (Kill Rock Stars)
6. Rainer Maria A Better Version of Me (Polyvinyl)
7. The Wake Harmony & Singles (LTM, UK)
8. House of Love John Peel Sessions reissue (Strange Fruit, UK)
9. Low Things We Lost in the Fire (Kranky)
10. Daft Punk Discovery (Virgin)
Jeremy Sponder (OM NYC)
1. Ryan Adams Gold (Lost Highway)
2. Crooked Fingers Bring On The Snakes (Warm)
3. Ulrich Schnauss Far Away Trains Passing By (City Centre Offices, Germany)
4. Whiskeytown Pneumonia (Lost Highway)
5. Cannibal Ox Cold Vein (Def Jux)
6. Mercury Rev All is Dream (V2)
7. Strokes Is This It (RCA)
8. Pete Yorn musicforthemorningafter (Columbia)
9. White Stripes White Blood Cells (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
10. Wu Tang Clan Iron Flag (Loud/Epic)
Alise Upitis (OM Cambridge)
1. Zorn City's Collapsing But Not Tonight (Lux Nigra, Germany)
2. Susumu Yokota Grinning Cat (Leaf, UK)
3. Tok Tok vs. Soffy O Missy Queen's Gonna Die 10" (Bpitch Control, Germany)
4. Malaria Vs. Remixes (Superstar, Germany)
5. Chris Brokaw/Viva Las Vegas Split EP (Acuarela, Spain)
6. Niobe Radioersatz (Tomlab, Germany)
7. Mia Doi Todd Zero One (City Zen)
8. Pulp We Love Life (Island, UK)
9. The Walkmen The Walkmen (Startime)
10. Joe Pernice Big Tobacco reissue (Ashmont)
Chris Vanderloo (OM NYC)
1. Whiskeytown Pneumonia (Lost Highway)
2. Gillian Welch Time: The Revelator (Acony)
3. The Shins Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
4. Various Artists Pop Ambient 2001 (Kompakt, Germany)
5. Bjork Vespertine (Elektra)
6. Millenium reissues (Sundazed)
7. Roy Harper Stormcock reissue (Science Friction, UK)
8. Fennesz Endless Summer (Mego, Austria)
9. Lucinda Williams Essence (Lost Highway)
10. Red House Painters Old Ramon (Sub Pop)
Lydia Vanderloo (OM NYC)
11. Niels Vanderloo
12. Sigur Ros Agaetis Byrjun (Fat Cat)
13. Whiskeytown Pneumonia (Lost Highway)
14. Lucinda Williams Essence (Lost Highway)
15. Nick Cave No More Shall We Part (Reprise)
16. Bjork Vespertine (Elektra)
17. New Order Get Ready (London)
18. George Harrison All Things Must Pass reissue (Capitol)
19. Gillian Welch Time: The Revelator (Acony)
20. The Avalanches Since I Left You (Sire/XL)
Phil Waldorf (OM NYC)
Circulatory System Circulatory System (Cloud)
Olivia Tremor Control member Will Hart's new ensemble creates a
wash of wandering psychedelic pop that attains a level of cohesion
his former band never reached.
Ladybug Transistor Argyle Heir (Merge)
In a just world, Brooklyn's Ladybug Transistor would receive the
fanatical fan support that peers Belle and Sebastian and The
Clientele seem to get.
Bobby Conn Golden Age (Thrill Jockey)
Headscratchingly brilliant album of skewed pop. See Matt Hanks' review.
Gillian Welch Time: The Revelator (Acony)
Welch's old-timey folk style is simply gorgeous, capturing the
sound of an era long forgotten.
Parson Sound Parson Sound reissue (Subliminal Sounds, Sweden)
Sprawling psychedelia that combines the powerful thud of Amon
Duul's 'Yeti' and guitar noise of My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless'.
Shins Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
Deserves the hype. Pop album of the year.
Nagisa Ni Te On The Love Beach reissue (P-Vine, Japan)
The finest of all the essential Nagisa Ni Te releases this year.
Millennium Magic Time reissue (Sundazed)
Essential '60s pop. 2001's answer to the Billy Nicholls reissue.
Fennesz Endless Summer (Mego, Austria)
With gorgeous textures, intricate melodies and a staggering
attention to detail, "Endless Summer" is the perfect soundscape of
guitar abstraction.
Various Artists Yee Haw (QDK, Germany)
Bewildering compilation of the strangest country music sounds imaginable.
Douglas Wolk (newsletter contributor)
1. Radiohead Amnesiac (Capitol)
2. Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 Bob Dinners and Larry Noodles Presents... (Communion)
3. Various Artists Nuggets II (Rhino)
4. Ladytron 604 (Emperor Norton)
5. Nobukazu Takemura Hoshi No Koe (Thrill Jockey)
6. Ex Orkest Een Rondje Holland (Ex, Holland)
7. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (wilcoweb.com)
8. Charley Patton Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues box set/reissue (Revenant)
9. The Du-Tels No Knowledge of Music Required (Knitting Factory Works)
10. Alan Licht Plays Well (Crank Automotive)
Joshua Zucker (newsletter contributor)
1. Calla Scavengers (Young God)
2. Love Life The Rose She Lied By (Troubleman Unlimited)
3. Low Things We Lost In The Fire (Kranky)
4. Explosions In the Sky Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die... (Temporary Residence)
5. Fennesz Endless Summer (Mego, Austria)
6. Hazard Wind (Touch, UK)
7. Adult Resuscitation (Ersatz Audio)
8. Joy Division Les Bains Douches/Heart and Soul reissues (NMC, UK)
9. The Birthday Party Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit, UK)
10. The Wake Harmony & Singles reissue (LTM, UK)