Kingblind’s Top 5 Worst Records of 2003

[Davey.]

Don't know if anyone else checks out the Kingblind news site, but it's kind of a fun place for entertainment news, leaning toward the indie music scene. I think the guy might contribute to Pitchfork too as I've seen the same story at both sites before. Either that, or one of them is a bit lacking in internet scruples. He often posts legal downloads and talks about a lot of different things, kind of along the lines of a daily blog. Anyway, I just stopped by this morning after a lengthy absence and he has this list posted. Got a little chuckle from a couple of the things he said so thought I might pass it on. Can't say that we've talked all that much about these albums around here though, except a few mentions of the Strokes. I scrolled back down the page and caught his top 15 of the year which looks kind of unique with Mogwai in the top spot followed by one I've never even heard of. Hmmmmm. http://www.kingblind.com/


Kingblind’s Top 5 Worst Records of 2003
We showed you the best.. Now here’s the rest.. (Go to Sunday to see the top 15 of '03)
http://www.kingblind.com/images/kingblind.jpg

1) Room on Fire
The Strokes
Hey pretty boys, Welcome to your sophomore slump. You are a sucker if you own this.

2) St. Anger
Metallica
Totally unlistenable. PEECE OF S<a>HITE

3)The Black Album
JAY-Z
People who generally have good taste claiming that the new Jay-Z record is cool. Don't be tricked, he still sucks ass.

4) Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Liz Phair proves so ultimately unnecessary, it might as well not even exist.

5) American Life
Madonna
This album, if it came from a newcomer, could kill a career stone dead.

|| m blind 12:07 AM

[tentoze]

Don't know if anyone else checks out the Kingblind news site, but it's kind of a fun place for entertainment news, leaning toward the indie music scene. I think the guy might contribute to Pitchfork too as I've seen the same story at both sites before. Either that, or one of them is a bit lacking in internet scruples. He often posts legal downloads and talks about a lot of different things, kind of along the lines of a daily blog. Anyway, I just stopped by this morning after a lengthy absence and he has this list posted. Got a little chuckle from a couple of the things he said so thought I might pass it on. Can't say that we've talked all that much about these albums around here though, except a few mentions of the Strokes. I scrolled back down the page and caught his top 15 of the year which looks kind of unique with Mogwai in the top spot followed by one I've never even heard of. Hmmmmm. http://www.kingblind.com/

<snip snip>



Any Top 5 Worst Of The Year list that fails to include Ed Harcourt's disk de merde immediately loses all credibility at my house.............

:D

[dld]

I bought one at my $9.99 binge at Circuit City last week. But its unopened and I've still got the receipt. reviews have been at least marginally favorable (the three that I've read)

[Mike]

Just picked up Mogwai's Happy People and I'm blown away by the quality of writing and musicianship each track is a 4 or 5 minute epic, they just swell and swell until they burst with layers of tantalising sounds.

But I'm a little shocked to see The Thrills are in there. I like the album a lot and they have loads of airplay in the UK but I wouldn't have thought they would feature so highly. They've been compared to the Beach Boys just because they feature vocal harmonies which is a bit lame, but to me they write intelligent pop/rock songs. There's just a plethora of good music bands around at the moment now we seem to be getting over this manufactured band formula, the future looks real promising.

Cheers
Mike

[Mr MidFi]

I bought one at my $9.99 binge at Circuit City last week. But its unopened and I've still got the receipt. reviews have been at least marginally favorable (the three that I've read)

I'm liking it, for what that's worth. I'm pretty sure JC also posted a positive reaction to it a couple weeks ago. It ain't a compelling musical statement, but it's fun and listenable. Worth $9.99? I say yes.

[Davey.]

Just picked up Mogwai's Happy People and I'm blown away by the quality of writing and musicianship each track is a 4 or 5 minute epic, they just swell and swell until they burst with layers of tantalising sounds.

For some reason I keep putting that one on the back burner. I really liked the opening song when I sampled it at a listening station and since then have heard another from it that I liked a lot. So what is holding me back? I don't know, guess it's just because I already have a couple or three Mogwai albums and there is so many new bands that I haven't heard before. I just checked and it looks like at least 7 of the bands featured on my year-end comp were new to me. And I held quite a few other new ones back too such as the excellent Okkervil River, Blithe Sons, Josh Ritter, Libertines, Over The Rhine, Manitoba, Fruit Bats, Frog Eyes and lots more. They all had to sit this one out :)

These year end comps would probably make a lot more sense if they were delayed for a year, huh? Oh well, it's just for fun anyway. Hope no one actually believes they really represent what we believe is the absolute best of the year, especially when even the most adventurous¹ among us are able to sample only a very small fraction of the worthy music in any one year!

1 - high amounts of disposable income and free time

[Davey.]

Is the Strokes CD really that bad?
I haven't heard any of the albums on that list but I have heard a couple songs from the Strokes album and thought they were both very good, although nothing to really distinguish them from the first album. I just thought the list was kinda funny, but I don't know how anyone could seriously call the Strokes album one of the year's worst, not with competition from the likes of Limp Bizkit and Third Eye Blind and Staind and Barenaked Ladies and a whole slew of other notably bad big sellers :)

I'd say open the sucka and play it! Then send me a copy ;)

[Davey.]

Any Top 5 Worst Of The Year list that fails to include Ed Harcourt's disk de merde immediately loses all credibility at my house.............

:D
Hehehe, you're beginning to sound like Finchy with his one trick pony Audioslave joke he keeps pulling out over and over and over and ....... :)

I've listened to that Ed Harcourt a couple times now (thnks, btw) and it's just not that bad. Not that good either, but not deserving of such scorn! I liked the debut way more, but what's new. I felt a little bit the same about the Badly Drawn Boy sophomore release that I checked out from the library not too long ago in comparison with his excellent debut, although I guess one could say that he also had a soundtrack album in there between the two so it shouldn't be judged as his sophomore release. In any case, I didn't care all that much for the Have You Fed The Fish? CD in comparison with the Hour of the Bewilderbeast debut, but it still has some very good songs. The Ed Harcourt debut benefitted in a large degree, IMO, from the production by Dave Fridmann, at least my favorite songs on it were by him. The rest does head off in a more sappy and less experimental direction, but still enjoyable, for the most part. The recent one just passes by without much sticking to me, good or bad.

BTW, nice packaging on your comp. Classy production with the full artwork and standard jewel case. I had almost forgotten about that Woven Hand album so had to pull it out after listening to your comp. It is some nice work. Hope they keep going as 16 Horsepower though. How do you like the rest of the Tindersticks album? I love that band but probably have enough of their stuff. How much do you have? I still remember picking up the 1995 album on double-lp at Tower for something like $6 or $7 bucks when it came out. Unbelievable value. Great album. Still probably their defining moment on record, although I've enjoyed all I've heard, even as they have morphed into more of an R&B outfit. Anyway, nice job on the comp (although it could have used a Shins tune :-)). Maybe later this month or early in the next we should have a thread about all the year-end comps. That would make a fun thread.

[tentoze]

Hehehe, you're beginning to sound like Finchy with his one trick pony Audioslave joke he keeps pulling out over and over and over and ....... :)

I've listened to that Ed Harcourt a couple times now (thnks, btw) and it's just not that bad. Not that good either, but not deserving of such scorn!
<snip-snip>

BTW, nice packaging on your comp. Classy production with the full artwork and standard jewel case. I had almost forgotten about that Woven Hand album so had to pull it out after listening to your comp. It is some nice work. Hope they keep going as 16 Horsepower though. How do you like the rest of the Tindersticks album?
<snip-snip>
Anyway, nice job on the comp (although it could have used a Shins tune :-)). Maybe later this month or early in the next we should have a thread about all the year-end comps. That would make a fun thread.

Yeh, that'll be me last slap at old Ed. And the "full artwork" thing was actually a mistake caused by new computer with a fresh version of Feurio installed- I printed the 1st 2 covers, and then realized it was defaulted to standard jewel case printing- rather than trashing the 2 sheets of paper (cheapskate that I am) I sent 2 out like that, the others normal slim-line.

The Tindersticks is very good, but I think I have enough now with the new one and Curtains and Can Our Love... The guy's voice is absolutely hypnotizing to me, but it seems that you could take any one song from any of the 3 cd's and put it on a different one without noticing.

First listen to Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway last nite- I think Audiobill posted about it a coupla weeks ago. It is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!
Anyone who liked Mark Kozelek's work with Red House Painters (especially the last couple of albums) should log off this board now, go to their favorite on-line music store and order the damned thing. It's that good. Definitely some Neil Young/ Crazy Horse tinges in it as well- a very pretty cousin to recent Songs:Ohia. I think this is Kozelek's most fully-realized, coherent outing. Mebbe I'll try a more in-depth review after 5 or 10 spins. The word needs to get out on this one.

[Davey.]

First listen to Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway last nite- I think Audiobill posted about it a coupla weeks ago. It is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

Yeah, I added that to my list after audiobill's rave. Glad to hear you liked it plus I've been seeing mentions of it elsewhere too. I'm not buying anything else for a couple months or so, but that will probably be one of the first. Thanks for the preliminary report.

http://members.mailaka.net/davey/santa_smiley.gif