So, it's time for Cliff's Top Ten albums of the year... included is a bit about why it's there and some lyrics from the album. Feel free to add your own in the comments section...
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10. Dashboard Confessional - Unplugged
I literally only got this CD a few days ago, but I think this has really been Chris Carraba's year. While Dashboard Confessional started as a side project for him, it's grown beyond that, into something more, something interesting and breathing. And he seems to be gaining fans all the time. I certainly can't recommend DC for everyone, though. Many of his songs are mopey, brooding and depressing. Really, Chris Carraba is the next generation's Robert Smith, and while we always need another Cure, I can't say that listening to all that sorrowful music all the time is good for you. Still, it makes a nice change of pace from time to time, and the songwriting is good. If you're looking for a place to start, Unplugged will serve as a "greatest hits" for the time being, although it takes some getting used to, hearing a crowd sing quite that much. Some of his best songs, however, aren't on here... songs like "Ender Will Save Us All" and "This Ruined Puzzle" don't make appearances. So if you find yourself enjoying this stuff, go pick up his other stuff too.
"Wandering the house / like I've never wanted out / and this is about as social as I get now. / And I'm throwing away the letters / that I am writing you / 'cause they would never do, / I would never do. / So don't be a liar, / don't say that 'everything's working' / when everything's broken. / And you smile like a saint / but you curse like a sailor / and your eyes say the joke's on me..."
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9. The Wallflowers - Red Letter Days
It's a nice surprise to get a good Wallflowers album, especially after the disappointment that was "Breach." I loved "Bringing Down The Horse" but I was starting to wonder if it was a one-trick pony. And yet, Jakob Dylan and the boys have proven me wrong with a new batch of songs that arrived with virtually no fanfare and no hype, which is a shame. Of course, this kinda music isn't really en vogue anymore. Dylan is slinging around music that's reminiscent of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers more than it is his dad's. Still, some of these songs have a flavor that's a definite breakaway from that kind of sound. "When You're On Top" and "The Empire In My Mind" are sizeably different from the soothing sadsong staples of "If You Never Got Sick" (which is one of the best songs on the album) and "Three Ways." I am amazed, however, that "How Good It Can Get" wasn't picked as the single for the album, as it taps into that perfect bluesrock vibe that their last big hit "One Headlight" tapped into. If you'd turned away because of "Breach," let me tell you, coming back would be a good idea.
"This ain't a righteous love / Even a good one / These ain't the kinds of returns / That I was thinking of / Unbearable now, you ain't seen nothin yet / You'll see me dead before you see me quit / That ain't a jug of wine that you been drinkin from / Now lay back, now baby and let your fever come / I'll bury you in just to dig you out / I don't have any use for being proud / And the deeper the slide / The higher the rise / Now don't be disappointed how I'm usin mine / Baby if you never got sick / I wouldn't get to hold you / Baby if you never got sick / I wouldn't get to hold you..."
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8.Weezer - Maladroit
How does Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo write so much good music? After their long self-imposed exile, Weezer's returned in a big way, with last year's Green Album and this year's "Maladroit" (not to mention the live EP "The Lion and the Witch"). With sharp songwriting and catchy tunes, in addition to heavy, crunchy guitars, there's no better companion for teen angst than the songs of Weezer. If you thought the Green Album was a little too mainstream for you, you'll find a home in "Maladroit," although the album certainly isn't for everyone. The oft-kilter mellow flavor of "Burndt Jamb" or the punchy in-your-face of "Dope Nose" give the album an almost a split-personality feeling.
"We go together baby / And if you do. / Yeah. / I'll be your weakness baby / And get to you. / Streamline, / Mainline, / Fall together, / Get up. / Anytime you want me baby/ I'll be around. / Yeah. / And that's what they teach you baby, / To dig my sound."
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7. Audioslave - Audioslave
I have to confess, I was never a big fan of either Rage Against the Machine or Soundgarden. I thought Rage was way too political for my tastes (and I couldn't stand Zach De La Roche rapping...) and Soundgarden always seemed to be more... I dunno, predictable. I never really liked their flavor. So I figured a melding of the two wouldn't fair much better. But as it turns out, I like Chris Cornell's singing, and I like the backing members of Rage, so when you put them together into Audioslave, you get mainstream hard rock that I'm not afraid to like. From the ripping riffs of "Cochise" to the soft/loud contrast of "Light My Way," you have a genuine rock supergroup in the making, if they can stay together. Despite one of the worst band names ever, fans of hard rock should definitely turn a listen over to Audioslave.
"I am not your rolling wheels / I am the highway / I am not your carpet ride / I am the sky / I am not your blowing wind / I am the lightining / I am not your autumn moon / I am the night..."
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6. DJ Shadow - The Private Press
While Josh Davis hasn't been idle, there hasn't been a new DJ Shadow album in a long time, and the fans (like myself) were getting restless. I don't think any of us expected this, though. "The Private Press" does feature some of that symphonic techno down-beat instrumental hip-hop flavor that his debut "Endtroducing..." did, it's a very different beast altogether, full of 80s digibeats, 60s singers at distorted speeds, odd samples and loops pieced together into an altogether fascinating experience. There are a few tracks that fall apart on repeated listenings, but overall, "Private Press" is a worthy followup. We saw him live not long ago and it was a great show, full of flash and shadow, substance and creativity. No one's really doing the kind of stuff DJ Shadow is, which makes him a unique figure in the musical landscape. Open minded music lovers of all kinds should check him out.
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5. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
I have to confess, I wasn't sure that I was going to like Norah Jones when Erin turned me on to her. The sound seemed bluesier, more mellow than I'm usually drawn to. But I picked up the album on E's recommendation and I've steadily grown to enjoy it more and more. It's definitely an album to be listened to at night. Jones has a wonderful voice, soft and evocative, at once both depressing and soulful. The sparse musical arrangements around her voice only push the ear towards Jones' crooning even more, and she can more than easily pick up the slack. The album requires a bit more musical maturity (which can also be read as fogeyness), meaning that it's more the kind of music my father would enjoy than my little brother, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful.
"I want to walk with you / On a cloudy day / In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high / So won't you try to come / Come away with me and we'll kiss / On a mountaintop / Come away with me / And I'll never stop loving you..."
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4. Idlewild - The Remote Part
This is one of the two albums you won't be able to get stateside this year, unfortunately, so you'll either need to wait until the album's released early next year or import the fucker, but believe me, it's worth it. I started listening to the NME (the british equivalent of Rolling Stone) radiostream on the web early this year and started picking up a ton of new music based on stuff I was hearing. And when the first single from "The Remote Part" hit my ears, I knew I was hooked. "American English" is one of the most anthemic songs I've heard in a long time, but beyond that even, the rest of the album is full of wizened rock that is far and away better than anything the band had ever done in the past. I was shocked and amazed, but this is one of the albums you should be sure to watch for next year...
"Songs when the truth are all dedicated to you / In this invisible world I choose to live in / And if you believe that now I understand / Why words mean so much to you, they’ll never be about you / Maybe you’re young without youth / Or maybe you’re old without knowing anything true / I think you’re young without youth..."
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3. Luna - Romantica
I have nothing but respect for Dean Wareham, but I was afraid Luna was starting to lose its touch. "The Days of Our Nights" was pleasant, but forgettable, and none of the songs really stuck with me. But Romantica had vibrant cover and from the minute I popped it into my CD player, I knew this was going to be the album that Luna pulled it all together again. I loved "Bewitched" but all of the albums since then have felt like they were waiting for that kind of inspiration to hit the band again. I also think the introduction of bass player Britta Phillips helped some too. Songs like "Lovedust" wouldn't work without her soft, feminine voice backing up Dean's woozy drunkpoet tones. "Romantica" is the kind of album I love to listen to on a rainy night, not quite depressing, not quite optimistic, not quite sensible and not quite crazy. If you're looking for that kind of music, you owe it to yourself to hear this album...
"Drinking black champagne... / Diamonds in my veins / My hands are growing old / My teeth are paved with gold / My eyes are glossed / My hair is tossed / I'm writhing underneath your gaze..."
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2. The Music - The Music
Where the hell did these kids come from? Not a one of them is over twenty, and yet they've managed to take all the things I liked about Led Zepplin and The Stone Roses and blend them together with aspects of U2's "Achtung Baby", Primal Scream's "Vanishing Point" and so many other things I can't even tell you, into this fantastically groove oriented rock-blues-techno-fusion THING that is absolutely phenomenal. I've had this album playing pretty regularly for the month that I've had it and I never get tired of it. It's the kind of album that makes me drive faster, that gets my pulse racing and my foot tapping. Even now as I'm listening to it, I'm typing faster than I normally do and having to go back and make revisions on the fly because I'm got so much energy it's threatening to burst out of me at any minute... This is the other album you won't be able to get stateside other than on import for a few months, so I say import the motherfucker. It's that damn good. It's astonishingly good. Hell, I wasn't doing this cool of things when *I* was their age...
"Shut out their eyes / Tell me a story / Does it feel right? / We all have our own lives... / Baby, baby, baby, baby bye b'bye-ye... / Baby, baby, baby, baby bye b'bye-ye... / How does it feel?"
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1. Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
I cannot stop talking about this album. I just can't. I've tried. I cannot stop listening to this album... it's such a fantastic, mature piece of emotional music that I can't even refer to other things. There's hardcore elements blended in with emo and rock and mainstream accessible pop, all wraught out of the soul of the band by a pair of hangs that can't stop squeezing. This much anguish can't be faked; it can't be imitated... these guys have seen some hard times in their lives, and they've come through them. This is a scrapper of an album, the kind that will kick you down and then help you back up again, just so you've learned your lesson. They aren't afraid to write songs with hooks and then bury them under mounds of wailing and screaming, pleas and cries for attention, for help, for understanding, for empathy, for ANYTHING. They also aren't afraid to write lyrics that will bite, sting, cut deep down to the bone... they're good. They're DAMN good. I can't stop listening to this album. I've been carrying it with me like a personal talisman for most of this year, vicious and brilliant and wisened all at once. Do me a favor, do yourself a favor, go out and buy this album right now...
"And all I / Need to know / Is that I'm somethin you'll be missin / Maybe I should hate you for this / Never really did ever quite get that far / Maybe I should hate you for this / Never really did ever quite get that... / I'd never lie to you / Unless I had to / I'll do what I got to / Unless I had to / I'll do what I got to/ The truth is you could slit my throat / And with my one last gasping breath / I'd apologize for bleedin' on your shirt ..."
"Wearing your black eye like a badge of honor / Soaking in sympathy / from friends who never loved you / nearly half as much as me... / Broken down in bars and bathrooms / All I did was what I had to / Don't believe me when I tell you / it's just what anyone would do / Take the time to talk about it / Think a lot and live without it / Don't believe me when I tell you / it's something unforgivable..."
"So please, please / I’m running out of sympathy / and I never said I’d take this / I never said I'd take this lying down / She says / 'come on, come on, let’s just get this over with' / (I never said I’d take this lying down, let's just get this over with, / and I've crawled home from worse than this) / You always come close but this never comes easy, / I still know everything ..."
"Literate and stylish / Kissable and quiet / Well that's what girls dreams are made of / And that's all you need to know / You have it or you don't..."
"This will be the last chance you get to drop my name... / If I'm just bad news, / Then you're a liar... "
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10. Dashboard Confessional - Unplugged
I literally only got this CD a few days ago, but I think this has really been Chris Carraba's year. While Dashboard Confessional started as a side project for him, it's grown beyond that, into something more, something interesting and breathing. And he seems to be gaining fans all the time. I certainly can't recommend DC for everyone, though. Many of his songs are mopey, brooding and depressing. Really, Chris Carraba is the next generation's Robert Smith, and while we always need another Cure, I can't say that listening to all that sorrowful music all the time is good for you. Still, it makes a nice change of pace from time to time, and the songwriting is good. If you're looking for a place to start, Unplugged will serve as a "greatest hits" for the time being, although it takes some getting used to, hearing a crowd sing quite that much. Some of his best songs, however, aren't on here... songs like "Ender Will Save Us All" and "This Ruined Puzzle" don't make appearances. So if you find yourself enjoying this stuff, go pick up his other stuff too.
"Wandering the house / like I've never wanted out / and this is about as social as I get now. / And I'm throwing away the letters / that I am writing you / 'cause they would never do, / I would never do. / So don't be a liar, / don't say that 'everything's working' / when everything's broken. / And you smile like a saint / but you curse like a sailor / and your eyes say the joke's on me..."
----
9. The Wallflowers - Red Letter Days
It's a nice surprise to get a good Wallflowers album, especially after the disappointment that was "Breach." I loved "Bringing Down The Horse" but I was starting to wonder if it was a one-trick pony. And yet, Jakob Dylan and the boys have proven me wrong with a new batch of songs that arrived with virtually no fanfare and no hype, which is a shame. Of course, this kinda music isn't really en vogue anymore. Dylan is slinging around music that's reminiscent of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers more than it is his dad's. Still, some of these songs have a flavor that's a definite breakaway from that kind of sound. "When You're On Top" and "The Empire In My Mind" are sizeably different from the soothing sadsong staples of "If You Never Got Sick" (which is one of the best songs on the album) and "Three Ways." I am amazed, however, that "How Good It Can Get" wasn't picked as the single for the album, as it taps into that perfect bluesrock vibe that their last big hit "One Headlight" tapped into. If you'd turned away because of "Breach," let me tell you, coming back would be a good idea.
"This ain't a righteous love / Even a good one / These ain't the kinds of returns / That I was thinking of / Unbearable now, you ain't seen nothin yet / You'll see me dead before you see me quit / That ain't a jug of wine that you been drinkin from / Now lay back, now baby and let your fever come / I'll bury you in just to dig you out / I don't have any use for being proud / And the deeper the slide / The higher the rise / Now don't be disappointed how I'm usin mine / Baby if you never got sick / I wouldn't get to hold you / Baby if you never got sick / I wouldn't get to hold you..."
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8.Weezer - Maladroit
How does Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo write so much good music? After their long self-imposed exile, Weezer's returned in a big way, with last year's Green Album and this year's "Maladroit" (not to mention the live EP "The Lion and the Witch"). With sharp songwriting and catchy tunes, in addition to heavy, crunchy guitars, there's no better companion for teen angst than the songs of Weezer. If you thought the Green Album was a little too mainstream for you, you'll find a home in "Maladroit," although the album certainly isn't for everyone. The oft-kilter mellow flavor of "Burndt Jamb" or the punchy in-your-face of "Dope Nose" give the album an almost a split-personality feeling.
"We go together baby / And if you do. / Yeah. / I'll be your weakness baby / And get to you. / Streamline, / Mainline, / Fall together, / Get up. / Anytime you want me baby/ I'll be around. / Yeah. / And that's what they teach you baby, / To dig my sound."
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7. Audioslave - Audioslave
I have to confess, I was never a big fan of either Rage Against the Machine or Soundgarden. I thought Rage was way too political for my tastes (and I couldn't stand Zach De La Roche rapping...) and Soundgarden always seemed to be more... I dunno, predictable. I never really liked their flavor. So I figured a melding of the two wouldn't fair much better. But as it turns out, I like Chris Cornell's singing, and I like the backing members of Rage, so when you put them together into Audioslave, you get mainstream hard rock that I'm not afraid to like. From the ripping riffs of "Cochise" to the soft/loud contrast of "Light My Way," you have a genuine rock supergroup in the making, if they can stay together. Despite one of the worst band names ever, fans of hard rock should definitely turn a listen over to Audioslave.
"I am not your rolling wheels / I am the highway / I am not your carpet ride / I am the sky / I am not your blowing wind / I am the lightining / I am not your autumn moon / I am the night..."
----
6. DJ Shadow - The Private Press
While Josh Davis hasn't been idle, there hasn't been a new DJ Shadow album in a long time, and the fans (like myself) were getting restless. I don't think any of us expected this, though. "The Private Press" does feature some of that symphonic techno down-beat instrumental hip-hop flavor that his debut "Endtroducing..." did, it's a very different beast altogether, full of 80s digibeats, 60s singers at distorted speeds, odd samples and loops pieced together into an altogether fascinating experience. There are a few tracks that fall apart on repeated listenings, but overall, "Private Press" is a worthy followup. We saw him live not long ago and it was a great show, full of flash and shadow, substance and creativity. No one's really doing the kind of stuff DJ Shadow is, which makes him a unique figure in the musical landscape. Open minded music lovers of all kinds should check him out.
----
5. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
I have to confess, I wasn't sure that I was going to like Norah Jones when Erin turned me on to her. The sound seemed bluesier, more mellow than I'm usually drawn to. But I picked up the album on E's recommendation and I've steadily grown to enjoy it more and more. It's definitely an album to be listened to at night. Jones has a wonderful voice, soft and evocative, at once both depressing and soulful. The sparse musical arrangements around her voice only push the ear towards Jones' crooning even more, and she can more than easily pick up the slack. The album requires a bit more musical maturity (which can also be read as fogeyness), meaning that it's more the kind of music my father would enjoy than my little brother, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful.
"I want to walk with you / On a cloudy day / In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high / So won't you try to come / Come away with me and we'll kiss / On a mountaintop / Come away with me / And I'll never stop loving you..."
----
4. Idlewild - The Remote Part
This is one of the two albums you won't be able to get stateside this year, unfortunately, so you'll either need to wait until the album's released early next year or import the fucker, but believe me, it's worth it. I started listening to the NME (the british equivalent of Rolling Stone) radiostream on the web early this year and started picking up a ton of new music based on stuff I was hearing. And when the first single from "The Remote Part" hit my ears, I knew I was hooked. "American English" is one of the most anthemic songs I've heard in a long time, but beyond that even, the rest of the album is full of wizened rock that is far and away better than anything the band had ever done in the past. I was shocked and amazed, but this is one of the albums you should be sure to watch for next year...
"Songs when the truth are all dedicated to you / In this invisible world I choose to live in / And if you believe that now I understand / Why words mean so much to you, they’ll never be about you / Maybe you’re young without youth / Or maybe you’re old without knowing anything true / I think you’re young without youth..."
----
3. Luna - Romantica
I have nothing but respect for Dean Wareham, but I was afraid Luna was starting to lose its touch. "The Days of Our Nights" was pleasant, but forgettable, and none of the songs really stuck with me. But Romantica had vibrant cover and from the minute I popped it into my CD player, I knew this was going to be the album that Luna pulled it all together again. I loved "Bewitched" but all of the albums since then have felt like they were waiting for that kind of inspiration to hit the band again. I also think the introduction of bass player Britta Phillips helped some too. Songs like "Lovedust" wouldn't work without her soft, feminine voice backing up Dean's woozy drunkpoet tones. "Romantica" is the kind of album I love to listen to on a rainy night, not quite depressing, not quite optimistic, not quite sensible and not quite crazy. If you're looking for that kind of music, you owe it to yourself to hear this album...
"Drinking black champagne... / Diamonds in my veins / My hands are growing old / My teeth are paved with gold / My eyes are glossed / My hair is tossed / I'm writhing underneath your gaze..."
----
2. The Music - The Music
Where the hell did these kids come from? Not a one of them is over twenty, and yet they've managed to take all the things I liked about Led Zepplin and The Stone Roses and blend them together with aspects of U2's "Achtung Baby", Primal Scream's "Vanishing Point" and so many other things I can't even tell you, into this fantastically groove oriented rock-blues-techno-fusion THING that is absolutely phenomenal. I've had this album playing pretty regularly for the month that I've had it and I never get tired of it. It's the kind of album that makes me drive faster, that gets my pulse racing and my foot tapping. Even now as I'm listening to it, I'm typing faster than I normally do and having to go back and make revisions on the fly because I'm got so much energy it's threatening to burst out of me at any minute... This is the other album you won't be able to get stateside other than on import for a few months, so I say import the motherfucker. It's that damn good. It's astonishingly good. Hell, I wasn't doing this cool of things when *I* was their age...
"Shut out their eyes / Tell me a story / Does it feel right? / We all have our own lives... / Baby, baby, baby, baby bye b'bye-ye... / Baby, baby, baby, baby bye b'bye-ye... / How does it feel?"
----
1. Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
I cannot stop talking about this album. I just can't. I've tried. I cannot stop listening to this album... it's such a fantastic, mature piece of emotional music that I can't even refer to other things. There's hardcore elements blended in with emo and rock and mainstream accessible pop, all wraught out of the soul of the band by a pair of hangs that can't stop squeezing. This much anguish can't be faked; it can't be imitated... these guys have seen some hard times in their lives, and they've come through them. This is a scrapper of an album, the kind that will kick you down and then help you back up again, just so you've learned your lesson. They aren't afraid to write songs with hooks and then bury them under mounds of wailing and screaming, pleas and cries for attention, for help, for understanding, for empathy, for ANYTHING. They also aren't afraid to write lyrics that will bite, sting, cut deep down to the bone... they're good. They're DAMN good. I can't stop listening to this album. I've been carrying it with me like a personal talisman for most of this year, vicious and brilliant and wisened all at once. Do me a favor, do yourself a favor, go out and buy this album right now...
"And all I / Need to know / Is that I'm somethin you'll be missin / Maybe I should hate you for this / Never really did ever quite get that far / Maybe I should hate you for this / Never really did ever quite get that... / I'd never lie to you / Unless I had to / I'll do what I got to / Unless I had to / I'll do what I got to/ The truth is you could slit my throat / And with my one last gasping breath / I'd apologize for bleedin' on your shirt ..."
"Wearing your black eye like a badge of honor / Soaking in sympathy / from friends who never loved you / nearly half as much as me... / Broken down in bars and bathrooms / All I did was what I had to / Don't believe me when I tell you / it's just what anyone would do / Take the time to talk about it / Think a lot and live without it / Don't believe me when I tell you / it's something unforgivable..."
"So please, please / I’m running out of sympathy / and I never said I’d take this / I never said I'd take this lying down / She says / 'come on, come on, let’s just get this over with' / (I never said I’d take this lying down, let's just get this over with, / and I've crawled home from worse than this) / You always come close but this never comes easy, / I still know everything ..."
"Literate and stylish / Kissable and quiet / Well that's what girls dreams are made of / And that's all you need to know / You have it or you don't..."
"This will be the last chance you get to drop my name... / If I'm just bad news, / Then you're a liar... "
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