Over a week in the making!
Do you read music magazines? Do you notice how much they suck? Do you notice how even the better ones insist on composing all-inclusive "best of the year" lists that inevitably (a.) find a way to mention at least two-dozen albums (b.) still miss at least one major great one? In other words, they fail on every level. You might think to yourself
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Your comparison of Hold Steady to Green Day both angers and saddens me. Quick, torrent AC/DC Back in Black and Thin Lizzy Bad Reputation and Def. . . oh, wait. That's right. You don't get Def Leppard. How are you going to be able to understand this? Maybe it's hopeless. Maybe all that Mountain Goats and TMBG has warped your understanding of the differences between solid guitar licks. "Quick, Nurse. Administer Exile on Main St. and Raw Power. Stat!"
New Pornographers and White Stripes are solid.
I can't comment on the Fiona Apple much in the same way that I can't comment on mid-80s Tom Waits because I am scared of clowns and carnival music.
Sleater-Kinney gets an B+ for effort and effects . . . or should that be "affects"?
BECK?!? Are you serious? You know he made albums before this one. Good ones.
But, I should say that--except for My Morning Jacket--you stuck clear of questionable critical favs like Sufjan and Antony and the Johnsons.
Of your bottom 10, eels should move up. There's a brilliant single album in that dual album, and all it takes is an hour to find it, parse it, burn it, and throw away the rest. Start with "Railroad Man," "Hey, Man (Now You're Really Living)," "I'm Going to Stop Pretending . . .," "Understanding Salesmen," "What Ever Happened to Soy Bomb," and "Going Fetal." Make your own album, dammit. This is the 90s.
And, now, as promised in the subject, GLARING OMISSIONS:
Wolf Parade, Apologies to the Queen Mary: Easily top 5. "Shine a Light" is the best "Shine a Light" since the "Shine a Light" on the aforementioned Rolling Stone album.
Spoon, Gimmie Fiction: Another top 5 album that you missed. Great stuff.
Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have It So Much Better: As good as the first one. Maybe better. Got a little further. Solid sophomore effort.
Speaking of which, Kaiser Chiefs should be included just for "Na Na Na Na Naaaaa."
Maximo Park, A Certain Trigger: Fairly good. It should get a mention.
And, sadly, no one remembers M.I.A. from earlier this year.
Oh, and in case you want to get out of the suburbs, you could check out Common and Kanye West. It's not that far of a trip. Oh, and the new John Prine album is fairly good, but, yes, not his best.
One could start a top 10 of everything not in your top 20: Spoon, Wolf Parade, Franz Ferdinand, M.I.A., Kanye West, Maximo Park, Gorillaz . . .
Your list gets a solid "B," but there's still the rest of the semester to get this grade up.
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But I do like Ben Folds because he's a good writer. I hear new bands that I'm supposed to think are awesome because of their roots (new wave, brit pop, etc.) and they are almost always disappointingly minimalist regarding either lyrics or music (pound that one good riff! Now.. pound it some more!).
I've heard the Gorillaz album. It's not as interesting as I'd like it to be. I've heard the Franz Ferdinand album. It's fine, but I don't feel like there's a hole in my life, not owning it.
Oh, please, Common and Kanye are "out of the suburbs"? Who loves them more than suburbs-raised rock writers? You know, those rock writers who are too terrified of 50 Cent to give him a bad review. You know, those rock writers who love the Darkness because of their Leppard-y guitar licks. ;)
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