Go To The Sugar Altar by The Kelley Deal 6000
That album where Kim Deal wanted to give a present to her identical twin sister who was not in her best form due to drug problems. And you can hear it in the album: this is certainly not Breeders stuff. Not that there aren't any ok songs here like Canyon, Dammit or A Hundred Tires, but there's simply to much clutter to call this a really good album. So it stays a bit in the back of my chart but still rises from rank 65 to 60.
An album on my wishlist from another artist I had never heard of before:
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Presents Author Unknown by Jason Falkner
although his main band Jellyfish is not unfamiliar to me. But what a pleasant surprise this album was: this is a great powerpop album and the songwriter's skills of this guy are just all over the place. All tracks are great and the album immediately enters at the 26th rank of the year 1996.
Flaming Pie by Paul McCartney
Again one of those albums which got a bit snowed under and undeservedly so. After listening to it again this is to me Paul McCartney's last great album in which he turns simple songs like Young Boy and Beautiful Night into irresistable little gems. The album rises from the 58th to the 35th rank.
An album on my wishlist:
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Resigned by Michael Penn
Michael Penn deserves a lot more love. No Myth is a masterpiece and I immediately fell in love with this album (I only found on Youtube) as well. It's a bit harder than No Myth but still very beatle-esque. The highlights are Figment and the very orchestrated (and even sounds a bit like ELO) I Can Tell. This wonderful album immediately enters at the 16th rank of my 1997 top chart.
These are the two albums of 1998 I chose to listen to:
An album I already own:
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Permutation by Amon Tobin
Brazilian cross-over between jungle and jazz with fantastic rhythms. I like this album and it has climbed from the 53rd to the 45th rank.
An album on my wishlist:
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Black Black by Chokebore
An album so obscure lo-fi I had to find it on youtube 😈 . It's also very emo and sometimes somewhat boring especially on the very long last track. But there are enough interesting tracks to make me want to include this album in my 1998 top chart: rank 36.
I See A Darkness by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
One of those artists I truly respect especially for this album but hey: it did end up at the lowest rank of my 1999 year chart. And I can understand why: there are a lot of tracks which are not really highlights although they fit well on the album. But on the other hand there is of course that magnificent Black and also the title track. And the album does move forwards: from the 56th to the 42nd rank, but maybe not as much as I had hoped.
An album on my wishlist:
Gospel Morning by The Chamber Strings
Again of an artist I had never heard of because it is mainly the work of one man, Kevin Junior, who has also worked together with Epic Soundtracks. And I must say, this album blew me away. Of course you can't accuse this album of being original, the sixties are everywhere with many references to Beatles, Stones, Hollies, Doors, Cream and whatever, but the songs are really well written and some fine guitar work is delivered as well. The highlight is Deadman's Poise, but there are many others so this album immediately enters at the 19th rank of the year.
And must make a mental note to discover more of Epic Soundtracks and Swell Maps.
Gospel Morning by The Chamber Strings
Again of an artist I had never heard of because it is mainly the work of one man, Kevin Junior, who has also worked together with Epic Soundtracks. And I must say, this album blew me away. Of course you can't accuse this album of being original, the sixties are everywhere with many references to Beatles, Stones, Hollies, Doors, Cream and whatever, but the songs are really well written and some fine guitar work is delivered as well. The highlight is Deadman's Poise, but there are many others so this album immediately enters at the 19th rank of the year.
And must make a mental note to discover more of Epic Soundtracks and Swell Maps.
And up to the new current millenium and again two albums I listened to:
An album I already own:
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Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
I must say I get a bit tired with postrock with the long noodling because they inevitably reach their chaotic but cathartic ending. But this album by this band is a bit different. Although it also has only four tracks which each take about 20 minutes, already that first track offers a variety of different segments which are all very interesting. The same can't be said for the other tracks: ex the second one has a fairly long and boring beginning ending with an interesting middle section and the last one is nearly completely uninteresting. But somehow this album presents some kind of unity although the last track should maybe have been deleted to present a more concise album. But still a good one which goes from the 63rd to the 36th rank.
An album on my wishlist of another band I had never heard of:
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Disappeared by Spring Heel Jack
Like Amon Tobin a band which combines jazz with dance rhythms and while it's a fairly enjoyable album those rhythms aren't as frenetic as Alon Tobin's. So lots of atmosphere and some good trumpet sounds but maybe also a bit too long to be completely compelling.
Things We Lost In The Fire by Low
At their best, this husband and wife project can be great but sometimes the slowcore can be a bit too, well slow. And this is the case on many of the tracks but Sunflower and especially Dinosaur Act save the day for this overall Ok album which gains a few ranks from 51 to 35.
an album on my wishlist:
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How I Loved You by Angels Of Light
I'm not a big fan of The Swans but on this side project, Michael Gira is at his best and the "country" tracks here sound even more ominous and dark than on his main bands heaviest darkest song. On most of the tracks he takes his time to arrive at a satisfying and in many case manic ending. The highlights are Angeline and the long and droning final Two Women. So to my surprise I like this album very much and it ends up at the 20th rank of the year.
Neon Golden by The Notwist
Electronic with some hints of jazz and rock and of course it had inherited at bit from the Krautrock genre so many years ago? Their vintage crackled sounds are still there and so is the music which was also featured on the previous album Shrink. And relistening to this album just makes me realise how good they are also on this album and it goes from the 44 tot the 24th rank.
An album on my wishlist:
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What Did For The Dinosaurs by The Bevis Frond
This is about the last album of that vast catalogue of The Bevis Frond I hadn't listened to and this is one of his longer ones. And listening to the first half of the 18 tracks I thought certainly not the best one: this one is very varied and sometimes even experimental but not really interesting.
But in the last 7 tracks he makes up for that: it contains two of his best guitar pieces at which he always excells: Candles and Good Enough For You. And then comes the last track which is more than 13 minutes long and is a bit the twin brother of the first tracks: both are multi-faceted and contains a number of very different suites but that last track is so much more interesting. In any case already good for the 9th rank of the year.
It Still Moves by My Morning Jacket
There's exactly 4 good tracks on this album. But with most songs over 5 minutes and 4 even over 7 minutes this album is simply to long for its own good and especially near the end it even becomes a bit boring. But it still moves up from the 55th rank to the 48th.
An album on my wishlist:
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Underachievers Please Try Harder by Camera Obscura
Like Belle & Sebastian, this band is also from Glasgow Scotland and they do sound a lot like them. But that in itself isn't bad because they do deliver some fine tracks of which especially the opener Suspended From Class is a highlight. It immediately enters at the 27th rank.
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