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SubscriptionsSites I Read
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| #1 The Wrens - Meadowlands Haven't heard of 'The Wrens'? That's okay, because since they've been jerked around for the last decade by their former record company, not many other people have either. Lyrically they are the most poignant and powerful writers since 'The Beatles'. Musically they are creatively original and athletically nimble enough to have you second guess their thirty-something ages. But when listening to their music it is the emotion and heart they pour out into every line and note that has the most impact. If emo was good, it would sound something like this. In general the album consists of beautiful songs of heartbreak and desire. They interlace jangly guitars with delicate melodies on nearly every track, firing up the electric and drums a bit here and there when necessary. I challenge anyone, male or female, to listen to tracks like 'She Sends Kisses' or 'Hopeless' and not have an emotional response or be reminded of someone. There should be no debate that '13 Months in 6 Minutes' is the ultimate breakup song. But all is not lovey-dovey, splitsville music. On 'Per Second Second' and 'This Boy is Exhausted' we find the boys rocking out and sounding like a totally different band. The variety on this record is mind-blowing, from the confessional lyrics to the complex backing vocals. I once tried to explain this band to someone who had never heard of them: "imagine if Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bach had been born in the early 70's and formed a rock band; that's what 'The Wrens' sound like." I don't really think that scratches the surface of just how damn good this album is. | | |
| #2 Oasis - Definitely Maybe The sound of an unruly bunch of teenagers telling the world to fuck off while realizing that they were the biggest thing in the world. That's Definitely Maybe in a nutshell. The album broke in 1994 when there was a musical void between the death of Kurt Cobain and before the coming age of hip-hop. Or as Liam said, "the only big thing in Britain at the time was Suede, and they were shit". The album reads like a greatest hits list that any band would be proud of. Tracks like 'Live Forever', 'Cigarettes and Alcohol', 'Supersonic', and 'Slide Away' cement this album as the essential post-grunge record. That's not even getting into the other classics such as 'Columbia' and 'Up in the Sky'. Bigger than the Beatles? Maybe around the time of What's the Story. Bigger than Jesus? For better or worse, probably. Regardless this album will remain a classic for as long as there are people to hear it. Throwaway track(s): None | | |
| #3 The Beatles - Abbey Road The Beatles best showing in their entire catalog. One would be pressed to be able to hear the stress and drama of a band on the rocks in these recordings. George Martin talked the boys into coming back into the studio for one last go, and the results were out of this world. The first half of the album is traditional songwriting, albeit very original and offering the most variety in a Beatles record since Sgt. Peppers'. The first eight songs are mainly a Lennon EP minus Harrison's brilliant 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'Something', while not forgetting McCartney's corny 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'. The second half is McCartney's final Beatle masterpiece. A seven track extravaganza of mini-songs that flow from one into another building and building to the inevitable climax of 'The End'. No band has ever went out on such a fittingly high and sincerely rocking note. Throwaway track(s): None | | |
| #4 Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights Best. Winter. Album. Ever. Not to mention the second highest ranked debut album on this list. And those DRUMS! Throwaway track(s): None | | |
| #5 Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory? "The one that was everything for everyone -- everyone in England at least." Noel couldn't have put it any better. The album that was recorded in two weeks with a hurry-up and piggy-back the success of their first album type of mentality, would eventually mean everything for me in my formative high school years. I had been exposed to the rugged beauty of Definitely Maybe through Kris Gillis in fall of 1995 (in Mrs. Wymer's class and on cassette - GASP!) shortly after WTSMG was released. I asked for the album for Christmas and was not disappointed. Poor Toad the Wet Sprocket's Dulcinea, which I also got that Christmas. A fine album in its own right, but naturally pales in comparison to one of the finest pop masterpieces of all time. In America, the album enjoyed successful singles in 'Wonderwall' and 'Don't Look Back in Anger' but generally most "fans" didn't get to appreciate the entire album as it was meant to be. At the time TLC and that 'the roof is on fire' song were tearing up the charts, so people had tough decisions to make at the local record shop. WTSMG's sharpest attribute is its self-encapsulating completeness. Never one to shy away from embracing and slipping his influences some roofies, Noel Gallagher went all out and way back on every track. The album as a whole sounds like a sonic time machine, expertly tuned to 1969 with the knob dangerously cranked all the way on pop and The Beatles. And the results couldn't have been more trippy. 'Some Might Say', 'Cast No Shadow', and 'She's Electric' are pop gems. So much so that 'She's Electric' sounds exactly like The Rutles if half of the band was staffed with 2 of the original Beatles. Your pick. No, you can't pick Ringo. Throwaway track(s): None | | |
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