Tim’s 1998 Top Ten

Great year for music.

Songs
1. Loro (Pinback) – One of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard
2. Big Trucks (Pedro The Lion) – brilliant lyrics
3. Count Five Or Six (Cornelius) – Check out this live video from Yo Gabba Gabba!
4. Two-Headed Boy (Neutral Milk Hotel) – Amazing stamina!
5. Chaos of the Galaxy/Happy Man (Sparklehorse) – Mark Linkous at his kick-as best
6. Teardrop (Massive Attack) – featuring the incomparable Elizabeth Frazer (Cocteau Twins) on vocals – a rare great track from the largely boring Massive Attack.
7. No Sense (Cat Power) – from her strung-out and beautiful debut album
8. The Exhumation of Virginia Madison (Strung Out) – the late 90s saw the pinnacle of US pop/hardcore punk with Green Day et al – this one is bordering on thrash and math-rock
9. Dr Worm (They Might Be Giants) – Just one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard
10. Opus 40 (Mercury Rev) – Chorus chokes me up every time.

Notable omissions:
11. Kelly Watch The Stars (Air) – Great Video
12. I’m Gonna Fall (Ash) – mellow Teenage Fanclub tribute from these Irish punkers
13. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (Spacehog) – very pretty song despite the dodgy lolita fantasy

Albums
1. Fantasma (Cornelius)
2. Pinback (Pinback)
3. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel)

4. Music Has The Right To Children (Boards Of Canada)
5. XO (Elliott Smith)
6. People Are Strange (Stina Nordenstam)

7. Moon Pix (Cat Power)

8. Tally Ho! (Wagon Christ)

9. The Broken Down Comforter Collection (Grandaddy)

10. Good Morning Spider (Sparklehorse)

Mike’s 1998

More words to come. Does my heart good to tag some new names this month, many of my favorite artists. Collaboration was in the air in 1998.

Songs

Olu Dara–“Rainshower“. The avant garde trumpeter/cornetist, best known as the father of Nas (who I’ve never heard), put out his first of two IDontKnowWhatYouCallThisMusicButItsCertainlyNotWhatHesBeenKnownFor albums. Poise yourself for takeoff when the background vocals arrive at 3:20.

The Handsome Family–“Weightless Again”

Don Walser–“In My Dear Old Southern Home“. If there is better yodeler I’ve not heard him. Rivals the Tuvan throat singers for what he does with his voice on this song.

Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach–“Toledo“. I would give up a lot to hear Dionne sing this in her youth. I can’t take the whole album in a sitting because of the vocals. I prefer to have the songs locked in my memory, with another imaginary vocalist.

Richard Buckner–“Goner W/ Souvenir“. He’s an acquired taste live, that’s for sure, but unfortunately his recordings are sparse on youtube.

Queens of the Stone Age–“Regular John“. Brent hit the nail on the head with this one.

Mercury Rev–“Goddess on a Hiway”

Sonic Youth–“Sunday”

Songs: Ohia–“An Ace Unable to Change“. Impala is not the album to start with if you haven’t heard Jason Molina yet–one of the great songwriters, think Neil Young, Ambulance Man. This early song gives you a pretty good idea of where he was at emotionally and where the poor guy was headed. Wait, who am I kidding, you who listen to, and enjoy, Palace Music. This whole record will be just your thing, and I oughta have put in under albums.

Aaly Trio & Ken Vandermark–“Stumble”

Albums

Neutral Milk Hotel–In the Aeroplane over the Sea

Tim Berne/Michael Formanek–Ornery People

Gillian Welch–Hell Among the Yearlings

Lucinda Williams–Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Alan Licht & Loren MazzaCane Connors–Hoffman Estates

Elliott Smith–XO (heir to Brian Wilson, “Waltz #1“)

Billy Bragg & Wilco–Mermaid Avenue (“Eisler on the Go“)

Art Ensemble of Chicago–Coming Home Jamaica (The best songs aren’t on youtube, but this is still pretty damn good, “Odwalla (Theme)“)

Kate and Anna McGarrigle–The McGarrigle Hour (“School Days“)

Pere Ubu–Pennsylvania (I know that road’s still there, “Woolie Boolie“)