2005

Dear Mike Pelusi:

Thank you for your submission - your votes have been recorded.

Your Pazz & Jop albums ballot was submitted as follows:

1. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll - Fierce Panda (21 points)
2. Gorillaz - Demon Days - Virgin (19 points)
3. Sons and Daughters - The Repulsion Box - Domino (14 points)
4. DangerDoom - The Mouse and the Mask - Epitaph (12 points)
5. Kanye West - Late Registration - Roc-A-Fella (7 points)
6. The Spinto Band - Nice and Nicely Done - Bar/None (6 points)
7. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods - Sub Pop (6 points)
8. Supergrass - Road to Rouen - Capitol (5 points)
9. The Chris Stamey Experience - A Question of Temperature - Yep Roc (5 points)
10. Saint Joan - One at Twilight - Dakota (5 points)


Your Pazz & Jop singles ballot was submitted as follows:

1. Art Brut - "Good Weekend" - Fierce Panda
2. The Spinto Band - "Oh Mandy" - Bar/None
3. Franz Ferdinand - "Do You Want To?" - Domino
4. Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc." - Virgin
5. My Chemical Romance - "Helena" - Reprise
6. Common - "Testify" - Geffen
7. Kanye West - "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" - Roc-A-Fella
8. The Method and Result - "Private Eyes" - Plain Parade
9. Audible - "Sound Makes a Circle" - Polyvinyl
10. Jarvis Cocker - "This is the Night" - Warner Bros.

The album ballot was also submitted to the City Paper. (However, they use a different points system.) The results are out today. You can see the blurbs I wrote here and all of the submitted lists here.

Ten Best

One of the most egregious omissions from the favorite-albums list below is Roxy Music. In my defense, it’s very, very difficult to choose which of their albums is my favorite. The spooked experiments of For Your Pleasure? The heartbroken funk-pop of Siren? The epic, jaded songcraft of Stranded? You get the picture. In lieu, please accept this list of Roxy’s best songs. I am disinclined this morning from commenting further.

1. “Mother of Pearl”
2. “Remake/Remodel”
3. “Love is the Drug”
4. “More Than This”
5. “The Bogus Man”
6. “For Your Pleasure”
7. “Street Life”
8. “Virginia Plain”
9. “Same Old Scene”
10. “Out of the Blue”

Just in time for the holidays

Criterion has released a new deluxe edition of my favorite film.

Favorite Albums, Extended Remix

Not sure what activity here will be like for the rest of December. Work and holiday obligations loom at every turn these days. I am of course polishing my best-of-'05 list for both the City Paper and the Village Voice's Pazz and Jop deal. I'll probably wait to near the end of the month to publicly reveal my choices. Also, I actually have some movie-related topics I'd like to blog 'bout in the coming weeks. We'll see how that goes. For now, though, here is the latest version of my favorite-albums list, this time extended to 30 and in rough chronological order too!

Kind of Blue, Miles Davis (1959)
Impresssions, John Coltrane (1961)
The Who Sell Out, The Who (1967)
Music from Big Pink, The Band (1968)
The Beatles, The Beatles (1968)
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, The Kinks (1968)
Dusty in Memphis, Dusty Springfield (1969)
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, Richard and Linda Thompson (1974)
Radio City, Big Star (1974)
Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan (1974)
Good Old Boys, Randy Newman (1974)
Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan (1975)
Cheap Trick, Cheap Trick (1977)
Marquee Moon, Television (1977)
Low, David Bowie (1977)
Drums and Wires, XTC (1979)
Wild Gift, X (1981)
stands for deciBels, The dB’s (1981)
Imperial Bedroom, Elvis Costello and the Attractions (1982)
Power, Corruption & Lies, New Order (1983)
Pleased to Meet Me, The Replacements (1987)
Document, R.E.M. (1987)
Spilt Milk, Jellyfish (1993)
Together Alone, Crowded House (1993)
Different Class, Pulp (1995)
The Great Escape, Blur (1995)
Kontiki, Cotton Mather (1997)
Featuring “Birds,” Quasi (1998)
Summerteeth, Wilco (1999)
The Execution of All Things, Rilo Kiley (2002)

Ten Best

Besides The Beatles, The Kinks had a more profound influence on my formative years than any other band, and I know that’s kinda messed up.

1. “Waterloo Sunset”: It used to amaze me that I was the only person I knew who knew and loved this song. I’m glad I’ve gotten out more since then.

2. “Get Back in Line”: Oh boy, did I listen to this a lot during my job-angst sessions in college!

3. “Big Sky”: See above.

4. “Victoria”: Growing up, I thought this sounded like more fun than I could even imagine, Dave Davies’ yelping in the background alone! What odd lyrics too for such a rocking track.

5. “Autumn Almanac”: Perfectly captures the sound of falling leaves, sinking temperatures, short days, whether you grew up in London or Hatboro.

6. “All of My Friends Were There”: The weirdest mundane song ever, or the most mundane weird song ever.

7. “Oklahoma U.S.A.”: So delicate, I’m still a little shocked this song actually even exists.

8. “A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy”: In the latter years of The Kinks, Ray Davies tried to given arena-rock the same depth as the Britpop he invented. Here’s one time he actually succeeded.

9. “Hot Potatoes”: I love Ray/Dave duets. Also I love potatoes.

10. “Sweet Lady Genevieve”: The best song from the weird mid-‘70s concept albums; this gem stands quite well on its own.