My discoveries per year

[dihansse]

These are the two albums of the year 2000 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia by The Dandy Warhols
I suppose their best album with the opener Godless as the highlight. It also contains a few more than satisfying singles like Bohemian Like You which is more than enough to balance some of the weaker points like Horse Pills or Sleep. All in all a good album which moves up from the 63rd to the 27th rank.

And an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Golden Lies by Meat Puppets
With another proof that this band could be great in all eras with here another new lineup with the band and although the sound of the band is much harder, this still sounds totally Meat Puppets of course for a big part because of the unique voice of Curt Kirkwood. Lamp and Endless Wave are true highlights and the only thing preventing this record to be really great are some tracks where the band feels they should throw in some raps. But overall again a good MP album which immediately enters at the 21st rank of the year 2000.

[dihansse]

These are two albums of 2001 I listened to with not a lot of success:

First an album I already own/know:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Constantines by Constantines
TBH I don't know why I own 3 albums of The Constantines in my collection because I don't really like them. I don't know exactly why but somehow they don't touch me (any more) and this certainly also goes for this particular album. Young Offenders and Steal This Sound are OK but otherwise I think there is enough reason to evacuate this album from my top album list of 2001.

And an album on my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Big Picture by Cotton Mather
I like Kontiki and in a way I don't dislike this album either but as with The Constantines there is not enough to keep my attention going. Panama Slides and Marathon Man are ok but otherwise... not for my 2001 top chart.

[dihansse]

These are the two albums of 2002 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

Maladroit by Weezer
I sometimes wonder if Weezer shouldn't have stopped making albums after The Blue Album and this one doesn't do a lot to disprove that. There's only two tracks which are OK: Slob and Love Explosion and the rest is just so-so. So I have doubted a long time if I should keep this album in my top chart but finally decided to keep it in and it remains at the 53rd rank.

Then an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Devil's Workshop by Frank Black And The Catholics
Frank Black & The Catholics released two albums and this seems to be the shortest and most direct of the two and I fairly like it. Of course it's not The Pixies or even his first solo-albums but there is already a version-with-lyrics of his early Velvety of which the instrumental version appeared on a B-side of the Dig For Fire single. There's otherwise not really surprising songs but overall this is an enjoyable album and good for the 26th rank of the year.

[dihansse]

These are the 2 albums of 2003 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Shootenanny! by Eels
A better Eels album than I gave it credit for with of course Rock Hard Times as the key track. E is still his miserable self but always with a bit of a wink and this makes his music less miserable. Not everything is great but still a nice addition to the legacy and the album goes from the 64th to 43rd rank.

And an album from my wishlist digging further in the Tindersticks legacy:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Waiting For The Moon by Tindersticks
What can I say, they deliver great after great album without compromising on their sound. No real highlights but consistent and immediately entering at the 37th rank.

Looking to what I've listened to up to now: this is indeed a very mellow round.

[dihansse]

These are the two albums of 2004 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

The Dirty South by Drive-By Truckers
It was about time I relistened to this album because it got a bit hidden at the back of my 2004 top chart and of course that's completely undeserved. They really have their own place in their own take of southern rock and this album is certainly one of their best of course proven by two of their best: The Day John Henry Died and Carl Perkins' Cadillac. But you know what: The Buford Stick, Never Gonna Change and Lookout Mountain are even beter. So this album goes from the 66th to the 28th rank.

And an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Whiskey Tango Ghosts by Tanya Donelly
I'll start by confessing that I love Tanya Donelly as a singer and member of all the bands she was in: Throwing Muses, Breeders and especially Belly where she was the centerpiece. And her voice also shines on this solo album. But sorry, the songs are not really there with maybe only My Life As The Ghost as the exception. So it's with a bit of pain in my heart that I decided not to include this album in my top chart of 2004.