Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Albums of 2005

Ok so once again we're doing the Top 15 Albums of the Year...
Feedback always welcome. Hope you enjoy it.
In addition to the Top 15, there's a bonus 5 Biggest Disappointments!

Frank

all can be purchased or scoffed at here - Top 15 - Disappointing 5


1. Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth
If you didn't see this one coming, than you may not know who I am. However, this album really is the best album of the year for me. It's a huge departure and not a letdown. It makes you listen to the last NIN album and question it a bit. A solid collection of 12 songs that have no cohesion - which is odd for a NIN album. However, this is a concept album - the concept is that all the songs are good.

2. Veda (Verdera) – Weight of an Empty Room
Of all the albums I picked up this year, this was a huge suprise. I saw them live openeing for #4 on the list and it's the only 1st opener I've ever seen that left you wanting more. The album is great. Girl singer and no piano! So it's a bit atypical of my tastes. However, each song is a solid pop rock song with well written lyrics and a subtle fierceness that really makes you want to start the whole album over again...and again...and again...

3. The Bravery - The Bravery

This year's answer to the Killers, except not bitchy and obnoxious people. It takes the whole 80s synth pop and makes it dancey - not club, but jump up and down fun. And they're New Yorkers.

4. Dredg – Catch Without Arms
Here's a band a friend of mine has liked for a while and once I started hearing them for myself, I knew why he was so attached to them. It's a great combonation of what is left of grunge with a smoother feel and a couple cool electronic sounds and instruments. It's the indie rock answer to pink floyd, or maybe more like Yes.

5. Ringside - Ringside

Another friend sent me this albums months before it came out, and I was going crazy over it. Originally "tired of being sorry" was called "spanish faster" - and if you hear it makes more sense. Another band that can actually sing and play. I don't think they'll ever make it anywhere, sounds like they're more about the record company paying for them to tour instead of actually playing shows and jobbing it. So if you buy it, remember its supporting corporate america.

6. Fall Out Boy – From Under the Cork Tree
Ok aside from all the songs having a twist on a famous movie quote, it's the best faux punk album since last year's Green Day album. "Sugar, We're Going Down" is the one of the catchiest songs all year and the rest of the albums backs it up with the same feel. Definitely a good driving cd.

7. Superchumbo - Wowiezowie Much like the NIN cd, you'd expect this from me. Superchumbo finally releases a full disk, and its chock full of dancefloor gems. "U Know I Love It" makes me want to turn the bass up on life and sing along. Or maybe do a whole lot of dancing in the DJ booth at Pure in Philly.

8. Gorillaz – Demon Days
What happens when you put a bunch of cartoon monkeys in a studio for the second time? Bach? Gershwin? Another great album that blends all genres and makes rap actually rock? Yeap. that it does.

9. Ben Folds – Songs for Silverman
What you'd expect from this man. A great album of cheeky piano driven rock songs and a few slow ballads about an old man or 2. "Gracie" is a song about his daughter, which really reminds you why you should love Ben Folds.

10. Switchfoot – Nothing is Sound
This band keeps suprising me. It's the only Christian Rock band I really like, and have a lot of respect for them for this reason. The lead singer posted on the bands website how to rip the cd into your computer in order to put it on your ipod or make a copy of it. Thou shall not steal apparently doesn't apply to the record industry, I think we may all agree on that. "Stars" is a great song and it's another great CD to just throw in and listen to.

11. Beck – Guero
Beck makes a return from his last venture which was full of acoustic songs. More hip hop laced and keeps the feet moving. "Hell yes" and "Clap Hands" (on the remix cd) are the 2 highlights. and "hell yes" has a great video.

12. Little Brother – The Minstrel Show
Oddest cd of the year, hands down. It's a cool kinda tounge in cheek album where they makes jokes while actually singing and it really draws your attention in and there's a vocal appearance by Chris Hartwick (from MTV's Singled Out). A must have for all those that loved Spike Lee's "Bamboozled."

13. Lil Kim – Naked Truth
Lil Kim picks up her game and throws it in the face of those punk ass mcs that think she can't hold it down no mo! "Kitty Box" (which i think needs a house mix) is my favorite. Lil Kim definitely for the pick of the litter for beats and ripped it on the vocals.

14. Suzanne Palmer – Home
This is more what the Madonna album should have been in my opinion. An album of dancefloor tracks that can be played as is. It's nice to have a full album of Suzanne Palmer as you usually only heard her amazing voice on a song that came out every few months. The cover of "fascinated" really drives the dancefloor nuts and the rest of the tracks would be just about perfect for anyone to drop at peaktime.

15. Acceptance – Phantoms
This was an iTunes special. It was a free download and then that turned into a great album. Just listening to the clips on iTunes makes me want to pop the album in.


and now the disappointments...


1. Kanye West – Late Registration
The albums's 1st track ends with the words "wake up mr. west" - an understatement. However, when you make such a great CD out of the gate, there's only 1 way to go. This cd has 3 great songs... track 2, 3 and 4. and then you have to suffer through the rest of a disjointed mess. sometimes you will find some solace only to be disturbed again by a massacre of an album. The 1st cd was an album - and made sense from beginning to end. when you get to the end of this cd, you get screwed up. You have track 19 called "gone," then a bonus track of the original "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" - but the song is has nothing to do with Sierra Leone and was originally titled "Diamonds are Forever." But then there's another fucking track called "Late." So goodbye album flow at all - whatsoever - in the least. BOOOOO TO KANYE!!!

2. Madonna – Confessions on a Dancefloor
Madonna's comeback to dance music, this album had so much buzz. Everyone was talking about how great it was gonna be - fans placing it above Erotica and Ray of Light. Before anyone ever heard a single note. Then there's "Hung Up" - you gotta be kidding me. Then there's the rest of the album to this resurgance to dance music. Maybe if you're in a lounge in Paris or something - but thats not dance music to the US. Especially in NY where freestyle is still a staple part of people's diet, this really isn't the massive impact we were hoping for. At least not the one I was hoping for. Now don't get me wrong the disk isn't all bad. "Jump" (not a Pointer Sisters nor Van Halen cover) is a highlight and really is well done.

3. Garbage – Bleed Like Me
I think that record companies have to stop making bands fulfill contracts. I think thats what happened here. Just months after making their 2nd bad album in a row they broke up. This band made 2 of the best albums ever "Garbage" and "Version 2.0" - and really fell hard. So sad...

4. Fiona Apple – Extrodinary Machine
If you don't know the drama behind this album - here's the short short version. 2 different producers same set of songs - long hold out by record label, lots of drama. Unfortunately, this really doesn't give you the feel that "Tidal" did, and picks the worst songs from "When The Pawn..." to elaborate on. It's up for a Grammy, I dunno.

5. Billy Corgan – The Future Embrace
This man needs to swallow his pride and make some good music. Stop talking about theory and shit and DO SOMETHING PEOPLE WANT TO LISTEN TO!!!! In an interview, he discusses how there are no "crash" symbols used on the album and that it made them have to work harder to go from verse to chorus and such. Crash - the sound the cd made when I threw it at the wall of disappointment.


Questions? Comments? Spelling Errors?

Coming soon - the Top 50 Songs of 2005.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Jews On Christmas

In case Adam Sandler and Kyle from South Park wasn't enough - we get Sarah Silverman taking a stab at it. 2005's Jew's angry at Christmas Song. I will say, however, that jew can sing (if it's really her).


Kanye West has already started to say his last album, "Late Registration," should be album of the year. First off, if "College Dropout" didn't win, this one will definitely not.

It will however top this list:

2005's Top 5 Albums - Biggest Dissapointments

1. Kanye West - Late Registration


Now I will say that this does not mean that these albums are all bad. Just huge dissapointments. Any suggestions? Madonna perhaps? More next time...

Thursday, December 01, 2005

#1 On My Christmas List



I hope one day someone will auction off something that I used to clean my ass. Maybe I should start saving used toilet paper. Go here for more items

CONTEST ALERT:

Guess how much this will auction for. Winner get a free package of toilet paper that I've personally used!!

WHAT THE-?!

Frank