in order by year:
THE VIOLET BURNING: Faith And Devotions Of A Satellite Heart (2000)
this is what personally moves me in the way of praise and worship. this album is about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
THE WHITE STRIPES: White Blood Cells (2001)
i like this duo best on their many bootlegged live recordings. but, if i have to pick an official release, it's this one. it's got one of my favorites from their live shows, "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground", plus other favorites: "Hotel Yorba", "We're Going To Be Friends", and "Fell In Love With A Girl".
THE NEW YEAR: Newness Ends (2001)
i really liked the band Bedhead which came to an end in the late 90s. brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane from that band formed The New Year with a very similar sound. it's monotone, understated, but rocking. the lyrics are witty in a dry sort of way.
DAMIEN JURADO AND GATHERED IN SONG: I Break Chairs (2002)
i saw Damien live once. he has a way of moving the crowd, much like David Bazan. i like it best when he plays electric, as on this album.
JOHNNY CASH: The Man Comes Around (2002)
it's rare that i "must have" an album enough to go out and buy it immediately. the title track is what did it for me on this album. i think it's one of the best songs he's written in his whole career. i think it might have been the last one he ever wrote (not sure).
HAVALINA: Space, Love, & Bullfighting (2002)
this was one of my favorite bands to see live, and these are the songs they were playing at the shows i got to see. sadly, this is their last album besides a "best of" (We Remember Anarchy, 1993-2005). i think they nailed a perfect goodbye.
STARFLYER 59: Old (2003)
their 1998 album, The Fashion Focus, was groundbreaking. the next couple of albums they didn't seem to know what to do next. then came Old. this is a whole new level of star-flying. everything they did in the past seems to melt together into this album.
STARFLYER 59: I am the Portuguese Blues (2004)
garage rock starflyer style. this is what i had hoped the album Americana was going to be like.
THE TUNNELRATS: s/t (2004)
i might make a seperate post about hiphop. i have some great albums in my collection, but i haven't been listening to them enough to decide which ones should go on this list. this album has been in heavy rotation since i got it, though. this is a big crew with a good collection of personalities. the beats are fairly simple and sometimes have odd timing. the lyrics are positive and the mcs are talented both as vocalists and as wordsmiths. this is one rap album that i want to tell everyone to go out and buy. "Still standing after 12 long rounds, and I might wobble but I won't fall down, 'cause my feet are steady to the Lord I'm bound, you could stir what you want but never shake my ground" (-Elsie, "Still Standin'")
INTERPOL: Antics (2004)
it's like my friend, Jeremy, said when he gave this to me: you listen to it over and over until you get tired of it, you give it a rest for a week or so, then you start listening to it over and over again... "You make me want to pick up a guitar, and celebrate the myriad ways that I love you" (Slow Hands)
THE RAVEONETTES: Pretty in Black (2005)
the Jesus And Mary Chain as produced by Phil Spector? i love the noisy/sweet sound. my only complaint is that the lyrics are about seedy goings-on.
SUFJAN STEVENS: Come On, Feel the Illinois (2005)
2 descriptions come to mind: melancholy and celebratory. nothing to which i can compare this album sufficiently describes Sufjan's music. love and sadness and fun. (i haven't listened to "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." all the way through even once, it unnerves me)
SUFJAN STEVENS: Songs for Christmas Volumes I-V (2006)
the beauty, the melancholy, the joy, the awe and the reverence of the holiday season are all captured here. sweet, emotional, and brilliant.
STARFLYER 59: My Island (2006)
the great production and songwriting continues. Jason Martin is reaching Gene Eugene levels, imho.
HALF-HANDED CLOUD: Halos & Lassos (2006)
it's possible to know what the Bible says, but not understand what it means. on Halos & Lassos i notice many references from the book of Psalms, which is one of my personal favorites. alot of church hymns are written from the Psalms, but Half-Handed Cloud's quirky and sincere presentation hits the spot more for me. i think that's because it's more upbeat and excited.
BROTHERS MARTIN: s/t (2007)
i started out listening to these guys when they were DanceHouse Children in the early 90s. liked both Joy Electric and Starflyer 59 when they split into 2 different bands. i can't tell you how excited i was to find out they were working together again. what they came up with is a revival of the new wave sound. you can tell which brother wrote which songs by listening (without even looking at the credits), and my preference leans heavily towards the ones written by Jason. that being said, probably the best track on the album, "Communication" is credited to both brothers.
HELGAMITE: s/t (2009)
this is a homemade dark instrumental metal album made by my friend Casey Firkin. he calls it "brown metal". i haven't really gotten into any thrash/death/grind albums probably since the late 80s/early 90s (Mortification, Living Sacrifice, etc.). these tracks are very experimental, sometimes almost ambient, and mostly instrumental (vocals are used like a musical instrument rather than to convey verbal ideas).
FREDDIE BRUNO: The Bruce Lee Mixtape (2009)
instrumental hiphop made from samples of Bruce Lee's movies (musical scores and dialog) plus some of the Bruce Lee clone movies. download complete album for free here
download my mix of songs from these albums (plus a couple of bonus live tracks).
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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