 best records of 2001 by eric shepherd in boston I don't claim to be a music critic. And I surely haven't listened to as many different types of music as I would have liked. But of all the records I heard last year (mostly rock, folk), these are the ones that struck me as really special. 1. Bob Dylan - Love and Theft Even in his misguided, down and out years, Bob managed to put a few truly great songs on every album (i.e. "Every Grain of Sand" on the not so potent "Shot of Love"). Two consistently smoking records in less than five years ('97's "Time Out of Mind" and this one) put Bob back in the game, making a difference, and reminding us (and a new generation of rock fans) why he's truly one of rock's (and folk's) living treasures. Love and Theft is at times playful, haunting, and beautiful (sometimes all three at once). I bought this record on it's release date, September 11. I felt guilty and embarrassed about caring about music on such a terrible day, but I stopped to get it after businesses emptied out early that afternoon, and I am glad. The snarling cynicism of "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum" and the dour, reflective closer "Sugar Baby" offered some inexplicable consolation, and reminded me of music's incredible power and transcendence when in the hands of gifted writers. 2. Bjork - Vespertine It's funny how every Bjork record, upon first listen, does not seem to be as satisfying as her last. After successive listens, and after returning to her old records to pinpoint what is missing, you realize that each record is actually more pure than the last, as if she has been chiseling away bits each time, with each record showing more attention to subtle detail, and getting closer to the essence of her ideas. Vespertine is a quiet, intimate record which somehow manages to be as powerful as anything she has ever recorded. A record that truly requires several listens to fully appreciate, but pays off with interest. It will be interesting to see how she can top this one. 3. Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator) The best record by a duo recording as solo act. For some reason, David Rawlings, Gillian's co-writer, lonesome harmonizer, and general folk-bluegrass guitar madman, never gets his name or picture on the cover, and only gets billing in a live setting. One without the other would be still amazing, but this record really shines because of the way the two work together. It's obvious that a lot of time and tears goes into the beautiful arrangements and the gorgeous harmonies here. The end result is definitely better than the sum of their parts, and the parts are close to genius. Gems like "Elvis Presley Blues" and "I Want to Play That Rock And Roll" sound as if they've been pulled from an old Appalachian goldmine, but sound as fresh and exciting as anything being written today. 4. Mercury Rev - All Is Dream Mercury Rev's latest is a beautiful mess made up of orchestral swells, eerie Theremin cries, piano tinkles, and vocals that wouldn't sound out of line in a Muppets production. Their musical landscape evokes Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips, Brian Wilson, and the London Philharmonic. Slightly less Procol Harem-inspired than their "Deserter's Songs", "All is Dream" is, well, dreamy: sometimes happy, sometimes sad and spooky. And you surrender to it and let it take you where it may. 5. Strokes - Is This It Their suspicious beginnings smelled of manufactured underground hype (a few mysterious CD-singles fell out of the skies and left us hanging). Well, The Strokes shouldn't be given all that much credit for originality. They seem to have spent way too much time with Television's Marquee Moon and the Velvet Underground's Loaded record. Even the production values seem to be drawn from these records (a major label release doesn't sound this flat for lack of money or studio equipment). However, the songs are damn good, even if you think you've heard them somewhere before. The heat is on for these guys to come back with a second record that shows some growth -- and hopefully one as entertaining as this one. 6. Kings of Convenience - Quiet is the New Loud The new Simon and Garfunkel. Either you love them or you don't. They wear their hearts on their sleeves, they harmonize beautifully, and they seem to have no problem coming off as overly-sensitive. And for this, they probably get laid more than Limp Bizkit on a good night. And I bet their lady fans read more Proust than Bizkit's. You almost have to hate pop music to not love the Kings. 7. Beta Band - Hot Shots II These Scottish tricksters serve up a wonderful record that's impossible to pin down. Equal parts folk, rock, electronica, with nods to Pink Floyd and Radiohead, "Hot Shots II"'s tunes slowly draw you in with their subtly inventive textures and curiously incoherent lyrics, then set off a slow-motion pop bomb explosion in your skull. 8. Lucinda Williams - Essence The narratives are purposely not as rich this time around, as Lucinda decides to conjure emotions and themes with simple and poetic lyrics. The music is just as strong, though more subtle. A stark work dealing with loneliness, passion, loss, and salvation, Essence is Williams' most personal work, even if she is painting with broad strokes this time around. 9. Guided By Voices - Isolation Drills We all keep waiting for Guided By Voices to suck. Several hundred songs later, Bob Pollard and his ever-morphing gang of pranksters continue to crank out quality rock music that would have seemed at home on a bill with the Kinks, The Who, and The Byrds. 10. Madonna - Music It's no secret that, unlike Bjork, who tries to create music unlike anything that has existed before it, Madonna scours the world's dance floors looking for the hippest underground DJ to produce her records (France's Mirwais this time around). Producing Madonna's records usually means laying down, and more often than not, creating nearly all of the tracks and melodies which Madonna will then decorate with her trademark voice and vaguely interesting lyrics. Fortunately, Madonna is savvy enough to work quite well like this. She seems to somehow (at least recently) end up with a record that is largely her own, and one that is pretty difficult to dislike. "Music" is not only hard to dislike, but is actually one of the best mainstream pop albums of the year. Honorable Mention Shins - Oh, Inverted World The buzz was big on these guys late last year. They are worthy of a good deal of praise, but the pressure is on for The Shins to keep their side of the bargain next time around. Their debut record, clocking in at just around 30 minutes (a rip-off by today's CD standards), they give you just enough well-written, hook-laden Beach Boys and Meat Puppets influenced indie pop to make you wonder what else they have up their sleeve. Best Re-Issue Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information It's hard to fathom that this record was originally released in 1975. Re-issued this year by Luaka Bop, this record was one of the freshest sounds of the year. It depressed me on two levels when I realized this was a re-issue. First, the fact that something as urgent, artful, and pure as this record could be released, ignored, and end up falling through the cracks. Second, it was depressing that this record, recorded nearly 27 years ago, was more original and more compelling than nearly all of 2001's releases. Fans of everything from Stereolab to OutKast to D'Angelo to Ben Harper will find themselves being blown away by this record. It makes one wonder how many records this good (and better) are now sitting in the bottom of Salvation Army bins. Hopefully the folks who stumble across them will find a way to get them heard. |