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| Sara Farr Staff Writer | ||
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Joss Stone Mind, Body & Soul (S-Curve) Sept. 28, 2004 The teenage soul sensation from Devon, England, has delivered her first album of original material after last year's astonishing Soul Sessions. Here, you find more of the deep-throated soul balladeering that brings back whispers of Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson and all the other strong women of the Motown glory days. Stone's songwriting is mature and full, under the guidance and help of Lamont and Beau Dozier, proving not only= that she has a great voice, but that she's a great writer as well. Bravo. | ||
Trashcan Sinatras Weightlifting (SpinArt) Aug. 31, 2004 It might be hard to keep it fresh after seventeet years, but Glasgow's Trashcan Sinatras pull out one of the best records of their career with the long-awaited Weightlifting. This is melancholic pop drenched in strings, horns, beautiful melodies and lovely harmonies. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to listen to songs such as "All the Dark Horses" or "It's a Miracle" and not feel simultaneously wistful and joyful. | ||
The Hives Tyrannosaurus Hives (Interscope) July 20, 2004 It's nice to see Interscope, former home of the Rev. Horton Heat, take another gamble on a rollicking group of rock 'n' rollers, especially some dorky-looking ones from Sweden, a country whose only other pop-culture claim to fame is a bikini team. (Makes you wonder where Nobel got it, doesn't it?) Anyway, Tyrannosaurus Hives is the sophomore release from this garage-punk outfit, and here we find a much more layered, polished sound -- without the loss of the frenetic energy and driving bass that characterized Veni, Vidi, Vicious. It's a shame garage rock has fallen off most everyone's radar, because this is not only not specifically a garage album, it's one of the best rock albums of the year. | ||
Youssou N'Dour Egypt (Nonesuch Records) June 8, 2004 It's interesting to see what the rest of the world regards as "pop" music. N'Dour, a Senagalese singer, often blends Cuban and African rhythms into his music for Western audiences, but on Egypt, he adds the flutes and percussion of traditional Egyptian and Arabic music. Make no mistake; this album is not the club-mix dumbed-down Eastern pop you hear on Starbucks sampler CDs. It's the real deal. It may sound cheesy or unsophisticated to Western ears, but the sentiments expressed behind the language are still quite real and beautifully delivered. | ||
Federico Aubele Gran Hotel Buenos Aires (ESL) Feb. 24, 2004 Argentinian tango run through electronic sensibilities, complete with original stringed instruments such as the bandeon. Mmm, delicious. I want more. It's always interesting to see how a native artist updates a traditional musical form, and Aubele has blended the longing and passion inherent in tango with the intrigue, excitement and throb of modern electronic music. The mix finds traditional tango singers sharing ground with the members of Thievery Corporation. Unfortunately, the disc could easily be co-opted for upscale clothing boutiques and overpriced European discotheques. C'est la vie. Even chowderheads sometimes get lucky and like something with real merit. | ||
Thievery Corporation The Outernational Sound (ESL Music) June 29, 2004 These guys have been mixing and spinning for quite awhile, coming up with some of the best club/lounge music that's out there. Virtually everyone asks these guys to remix their stuff at one point or another, and on The Outernational Sound, it's easy to see why. This is a nineteen-song deejay set, spanning everything from old Motown sounds to Indian music to reggae to afro-beat. By the time it's done, you'll feel like you've gone 'round the world in eighty minutes. | ||
Danzig Circle of Snakes (Evilive Records) Aug. 31, 2004 Glenn Danzig has one of the most distinctive voices in music. It's one of those you-either-love-it-or-hate-it voices. Where Danzig excels is his ability to blend the theatrical into heavy music without coming across too cheesy or juvenile (someone want to send a copy of his resume to Korn?). Some might disagree with that, but it's hard to argue with a career that has outlasted two bands and spawned more than eight solo records. On Circle of Snakes, Danzig scales down the theatrics and opts for a more straightforward sound, dropping his alt-metal mistakes of the past and delivering some of the better music of his long and varied career. The atmosphere is dark, the guitars are heavy, but there's also a great attention to melody and song-craft. | ||
Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (Domino) March 9, 2004 There must be something in the water in Scotland. Not only did the Trashcan Sinatras resurface with an awesome record, newcomers Franz Ferdinand bust out of the gate with a self-titled debut that landed them a song on the big extravaganza that was the first NFL game of the season. It's quite a leap for a band of university art students. In this case, the hype is justified. Songs like "The Dark of the Matinee" are catchy and memorable, with the lyrics sticking with you long after the song is over. That's a virtually unheard-of phenomenon for indie-rock bands, which generally pride themselves on being so esoteric even they cannot remember their songs. Other songs, such as "Michael," with its quirky reverse-gender roles, and "Tell Her Tonight," with its radio-ready pop hooks and smart lyrics, are candy-pop gems. This is perhaps the best feel-good record of the year. | ||
Fantomas Delirium Cordia (Ipecac) Jan. 27, 2004 This album is genius. Mike Patton is perhaps the only artist working today besides John Zorn who can pull off a nearly-eighty-minute-long song as an entire album and not lose his way or annoy you as it plays. Delirium takes you through all sorts of sensations, from slow and peaceful like dripping water, to loud and crashing like a horror movie's climax. It is quite an effort, and those who question Patton's sanity need look no further than the fact that yes, he can even pull this off live. | ||
Best of 2003 Best of 2004 Best of 2005 | ||
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