Best Records of '99
Ok, to distract myself from getting sad and stupid and all, I pulled out an old issue of AP.
They have a story about the best albums of '99 and I can't argue with the selection.
For some reason that year had the best releases ever. Most of those are still influential or have changed the musical landscape drastically. A lot of those are albums that have been stamped into my head and have become playlist staples. Huge chunk of these are personal favorites. I still have no idea how they managed to skip Trial's Are These Our Lives? But, then again, this is AP we're talking about, not MRR.
If Refused's The Shape of Punk to Come were released 3 months later, then that would be on top of the list. Then again, those boys from Umea, Sweden were years ahead of everyone else.
So here are some of those listed on AP's feature:
A New Found Glory - Nothing Gold Can Stay (Oct. 19)- pop punk at it's finest.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity (Sept. 28)- absolutely mind-boggling.
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I (Oct. 26) - where would deathcab be without them?
The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About (Sept 21) - iheartyou TGUK... a constant companion for both falling in love and for heartbreak. can't beat that. Soundtrack to my life.
Hot Water Music - No Division (Aug. 10) - HWM saves lives and got me through hard times, I swear.
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity (Feb. 23) - such a brilliant brilliant brilliant album. goosebumps.
Poison the Well - The Opposite of December: A Season of Separation (Dec. 14) - love em or hate em.
Saves the Day - Through Being Cool (Nov. 2) - how can you not love them start to finish? painfully honest.
The Ataris - Blue Skies, Broken Hearts... Next 12 Exits - San Dimas High School Football Rules! Nuff said.
Bane - It All Comes Down to This - I still can't believe I was singing out loud 2 feet away from them sometime last year.
Grade - Under the Radar - singing then screaming over melodic hardcore songs? they did it first, kids.
No Knife - Fire in the City of Automatons - Angular!
NOFX - The Decline EP - Never was a huge fan, but this was a bold step.
Rainer Maria - Look Now Look Again - those lyrics!
Reggie and the Full Effect - Greatest Hits '84-'87 - Dewees is fantastic. Coalesce, The Getupkids, MCR. Keyboards!
---
So, there. What the hell were people doing that year?
Maybe because of the turn of the millenium?
Most of these releases are vital up to now. What are most people doing these days?
I don't wish for '99 to be back though.
That's not everything on AP's list, but a selection of what I could relate to.
Is there something else I'm missing?
Everyone must have their own personal favorites from that year.
----
On the heavier, more punk/hc side of things, I almost forgot that next to Trial's Are These Our Lives?, CATHARSIS' PASSION is probably the most thought-out, devastating, beautiful, poetic and crucial records of its genre. Innovative for the circles they played in and highly influential for anarchist hc/punk and beyond.
They have a story about the best albums of '99 and I can't argue with the selection.
For some reason that year had the best releases ever. Most of those are still influential or have changed the musical landscape drastically. A lot of those are albums that have been stamped into my head and have become playlist staples. Huge chunk of these are personal favorites. I still have no idea how they managed to skip Trial's Are These Our Lives? But, then again, this is AP we're talking about, not MRR.
If Refused's The Shape of Punk to Come were released 3 months later, then that would be on top of the list. Then again, those boys from Umea, Sweden were years ahead of everyone else.
So here are some of those listed on AP's feature:
A New Found Glory - Nothing Gold Can Stay (Oct. 19)- pop punk at it's finest.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity (Sept. 28)- absolutely mind-boggling.
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I (Oct. 26) - where would deathcab be without them?
The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About (Sept 21) - iheartyou TGUK... a constant companion for both falling in love and for heartbreak. can't beat that. Soundtrack to my life.
Hot Water Music - No Division (Aug. 10) - HWM saves lives and got me through hard times, I swear.
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity (Feb. 23) - such a brilliant brilliant brilliant album. goosebumps.
Poison the Well - The Opposite of December: A Season of Separation (Dec. 14) - love em or hate em.
Saves the Day - Through Being Cool (Nov. 2) - how can you not love them start to finish? painfully honest.
The Ataris - Blue Skies, Broken Hearts... Next 12 Exits - San Dimas High School Football Rules! Nuff said.
Bane - It All Comes Down to This - I still can't believe I was singing out loud 2 feet away from them sometime last year.
Grade - Under the Radar - singing then screaming over melodic hardcore songs? they did it first, kids.
No Knife - Fire in the City of Automatons - Angular!
NOFX - The Decline EP - Never was a huge fan, but this was a bold step.
Rainer Maria - Look Now Look Again - those lyrics!
Reggie and the Full Effect - Greatest Hits '84-'87 - Dewees is fantastic. Coalesce, The Getupkids, MCR. Keyboards!
---
So, there. What the hell were people doing that year?
Maybe because of the turn of the millenium?
Most of these releases are vital up to now. What are most people doing these days?
I don't wish for '99 to be back though.
That's not everything on AP's list, but a selection of what I could relate to.
Is there something else I'm missing?
Everyone must have their own personal favorites from that year.
----
On the heavier, more punk/hc side of things, I almost forgot that next to Trial's Are These Our Lives?, CATHARSIS' PASSION is probably the most thought-out, devastating, beautiful, poetic and crucial records of its genre. Innovative for the circles they played in and highly influential for anarchist hc/punk and beyond.