The Best of 1997
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
I’ll be the first to admit that this list has more old standbys on it than another crappy Stones tour- But hey these damn indie rock bands just keep getting better and better. I guess I’lI have to say that these were the best thirteen albums that I heard last year! [rux]
- Spiritualized
“Ladies and Gentlemen…We Are Floating In Space”
(Dedicated/Arista)
The beautiful stoned meandering of Jason Pierce has never sounded so complete, and texturally pleasing than it does on this record. A haunting drifting kaleidoscope of tunes which hovers somewhere between brilliant and merely overproduced. Of all the Spaceman 3 spin-off projects (Slipstream, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Spectrum, etc.) this is easily the best. Culminating with “Cop Shoot Cop” an anthemic 16 minute masterpiece complete with a guest appearance from Dr. John, Spiritualized hits that fine point where they actually create melody from chaos.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- The Orange Peels
“Square”
(Minty Fresh)
The best pop music can only really come from two places: The Beach Boys (circa Pet Sounds) or The Beatles (circa Rubber Soul or Revolver). San Francisco’s Orange Peels choose a Brian Wilson infused sound in which to reemerge after just over a decade of dormancy. The ten songs on “Square” are ten tidy pop songs driven by clean bouncy guitars and warm gentle vocals. Minty Fresh has a knack for consistently unearthing these pure pop bands, and this one is easily this years best.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Cornershop
“When I Was Born for the Seventh Time”
(Warner Bros./Luaka Bop)
Somewhere between electronicism and multi-cultural Pavement-esque indie rock exists British Indo-Anglian hipsters Cornershop. A whimsical pastiche of songs “When I died” reeks of a funky ethnic cool oozing with the groovy sounds of the sitar and other crazy Indian rhythms mixed with the a solid guitar backbone. Three records into an excellent career, Cornershop has definitely chosen a direction and it seems to be a smooth happy sail.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Tindersticks
“Curtains”
(Mercury)
The third full length record by the Tinders sounds very much like the first couple, but then again that’s a very good thing. Stuart Staples’ deep breathy vocals and literary gothic pretensions match so precisely with the intricately constructed orchestral arrangements that it’s really hard to believe that no one in this country chooses to listen to them. “Curtains” contains guest vocal appearances by Issabella Rosselini and Isabel Monteiro from Drugstore. Ultimately the Tinders continue to create gold with every touch, even if it is their same old schtick.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Elliot Smith
“either/or”
(Kill Rock Stars)
This was a pretty big year for former Portland rock star Eliot Smith. After disbanding his band Heatmiser, he moved to New York to hone his craft as a moody singer/songwriter extroidinaire. On “either/or” Smith cuts another tasty slice out of pasture invented by Nick Drake and refined by Mark Eitzel. Elliot Smith combines a slacker “roughness”with an urban sensitivity to create a darkly wonderful collection of songs.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Yo La Tengo
“I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One”
(Matador)
For over a decade Ira and Georgia have been spinning this musical wheel of fortune and coming up with something entirely new and different every time. Somewhere between ethereal and psychedelic, “Feeling Your Heart” throbs with movement, hurling you into and out of a chaotic wall of sound before placing you back down in a serene world of quiet pastoral space. Although nothing recorded in a studio will ever really touch what the band can do live, “Feel Your Heart” is a smooth sail through the spectrum that extends in between My Bloody Valentine and the Velvet Underground. I love these guys.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Will Oldham
“Joya”
(Drag City)
“I’ll probably be a Palace junkie ’til I’m six feet under” I’d sing if I were the singer in a Will Oldham cover band. Throughout the evolution of Palace monikers Oldham has been honing his craft as the most contemplative, nostalgic Appalachian storyteller of the 90′s. On “Joya” Oldham gets back to a band oriented sound, swapping the drum machine for a drummer and creating a fuller roots experience. Although his very sparse earlier records are phenomenal, it was about time that Oldham started to take his music more seriously than he did his aesthetic of “what is cool.” Another great collection of tunes from a guy who can romanticize about the days or yore better than anyone since Faulkner.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- The Verve
“Urban Hymns”
(Virgin)
Two years and a half years ago I watched Richard Ashcraft, who combines the gaunt features of Mick Jagger with the sexy swagger of Robert Plant, breath an intense sonic energy into their “Northern Soul” tour and then breakup and disappear a few weeks later. But “Urban Hymns,” the “comeback” album, confirms all earlier beliefs that supported the bands inevitable climb towards superstardom. Forget for a minute that “Bittersweet Symphony” is now a Nike commercial, because this band is 100% for real and this record represents the kind of record Oasis, Blur and the rest of the Brit-packers have been wanting to make since the Beatles. This is a record full of epic rock songs.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Beth Orton
“Trailer Park”
(Dedicated)
Easily the lushest album of the year, Trailer Park is a long, slow rolling ride through the countryside on an early Spring afternoon. Orton, whose appearance on the last Chemical Brothers record earned her upfront credibility, plays a strange hybrid of melodic folk and textural groove oriented electronica. Vocally she’s as pure as anybody, a kind of Katel Kaenig on prozac, but if you throw these wafting lyrics onto the long drawn out musical segments you’ll end up with a seemless canopy of meandering sound.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Eric Matthews
“Lateness of the Hour”
(Sub Pop)
Corvallis, Oregon’s Eric Matthews is, without a doubt, the de facto leader of an American orchestral rock movement that emerged almost overnight a few years back. It has been a while since any American indie rocker has had the balls to attempt to turn chamber music into rock. Matthews, with his breathy vocals and poetic lyricism, has become a modern troubadour traveling through a world filled with soft corners and deep impressions. Because of the increased orchestration on this record this record seemed less likely than the last to make much of a rock star out him but I think it’s best we keep Eric Matthews a hidden treasure for just a while longer.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Damien Jurado
“Waters Ave S”
(Sub Pop)
I don’t know all that much about this guy but what I do know is that he rocks! A fusion between Portastatic and Tobin Sprout, Jurado’s strange lyrics and indie crooner delivery make for great batch of sensitive guy stuff. Trading off between pretty lo-fi synth tunes and straight forward guitar tracks Jurado hits a pretty nice balance lingering somewhere between mellow and rock. A great little jewel to find in the cheap used bin when you spot the Sub Pop logo on this goofy looking hipster dude.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Stereolab
Dots & Loops
(Elektra)
There really isn’t that much to say about this band that hasn’t already been repeated ad nauseum over the past six or seven years. In short these folks are brilliant. On “Dots & Loops” the Groop work with Tortoise’s John McEntire and Mouse on Mars to create, what I seem to say with every new Stereolab record, their finest hour and mutation yet. This record floats slightly lower than the others in terms of overall sonic density, but hints towards a greater appreciation of a more subtle beauty. They create a swirling mass of perfectly measured melodies and harmonies. As usual the breathy vocals of Laetitia Sadier and graceful orchestration of Tim Gane result in a tightly beautiful caravan of bliss.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
- Belle & Sebastian
“It’s Easy Being Sinister”
(The Enclave)
Imagine the gentle crooning of the late Nick Drake fused with a kind of Hans Christian Anderson narrative preoccupation. Add to this a jangley acoustic orchestral backdrop and what you get is the most appetizing recording of the year. I might be a sucker for sweet off-kilter pop, but this record is landmark collection of beautiful pop gems which ironically emerges from a British music scene that seems painfully preoccupied cold, distant electronic rhythms.
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
Honorable Mention:
Portishead : Portishead
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
Tranquillity Bass : Let The Freak Flag Fly
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
High Llamas – Hawaii
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
Ida – Ten Small Paces
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
Modest Mouse – The Lonesome Crowded West
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
Tsunami – The Brilliant Mistake
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
Teenage Fanclub – Songs From Northern Britain
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
Supergrass – In It For The Money
Buy this cd now from Amazon.com
