15: Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
No one has yet to preserve their legacy at the twilight of their career quite like Johnny Cash. The Man in Black is perhaps the only music legend, other than John Lennon and George Harrison, to see just how beloved he was before his death. Many artists either (a) pass away before they reach their full potential or (b) fade away and become a recluse before their death upon which they are once again seen for their brilliance rather than their failures.
Rick Rubin produced this stripped down affair and brilliantly brought out the frailty and somberness in the 71 year old voice of Cash. Every song sweats intimacy, heart ache and brutal honesty - ya know, what every great country record (or rock record for that matter) should have. Whether covering The Beatles or Simon & Garfunkel to recall the glory days, or singing a Nine Inch Nails song and chastising himself for all to hear, you can't help but feel like you're listening to a grand father tell you an important life lesson before passing on.
When The Man Comes Around is so great because it plays like a musical biography and obituary. It's a summation of Cash's entire career. Highs and lows, good and bad - it's all there. Cash had one more trip to the confessional before he left us for good. Top Tunes:(Hurt, When The Man Comes Around, Personal Jesus)
14: M.I.A. - Kala (2007)
An album originally in line to be produced by Timbaland, M.I.A. saw how robotic and stale he made Nelly Furtado and said, "Thanks but no thanks" and became a wanderer who turned her sophomore effort Kala into a world wide celebration of tribal beats and third world pride. Who knew a stoner film would propel this Sri Lankan / British underground queen into a new age pop star?
From the opening jam "Bamboo Banga" you know that something incredibly wonderful is happening. M.I.A. builds the whole song up one part at a time. What begins as a simple beat turns into a complicated symphony of poly rhythms and... race car sounds? Trust me it works. "Paper Planes" became one of the most unlikely top 10 hits of all time thanks to the film Pineapple Express. Based around a sample from The Clash the track features gunshots, cash registers and innocent children wanting nothing to do with you other than kill you and steal yo' moniez. Maybe M.I.A. won't have to resort to armed robbery now that people know who she is. Top Tunes:(Paper Planes, Bamboo Banga, Jimmy)
13: The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (2005)
Jack White broke his finger while recording Get Behind Me Satan. But of course Mr. White being the saint new age rock that he is, pressed on with his companion Meg and recorded the red headed step child of the band's entire career. Satan may not give you the instant gratification of the band's other albums, but if you're willing to let these tunes fester you discover just how astute the band's songwriting is.
Due to White's injuries guitar is essentially a back up instrument. Only 2 songs boast the heavy blues riffs that the duo is famous for churning out. Instead piano receives most of the attention which turns many of the tracks into old rag time throwbacks or depression era gospel tunes. "The Nurse" is perhaps The Stripes' most experimental moment ever as Jack get his groove on with marimbas. Some fans were pushed away by the band's new direction, but these seasoned rockers were pushing themselves - and to glorious results too. Top Tunes:(As Ugly As I Seem, My Doorbell, The Denial Twist)
12: Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot very well could never have seen the light of day. When Wilco recorded this masterpiece of subtlety in 2001, Reprise Records refused to release it and subsequently dropped the band. Jeff Tweedy and company managed to buy the rights to the album and streamed the entire thing on their website. Long story short - Wilco 1 Music Industry 0.
Released just 7 months after 9/11, Foxtrot somehow morphed into a therapy record of sorts. Even though all 11 songs were recorded before that fateful day, each track seems to eerily fit the mood of America in the haze of those first few months. Perhaps Tweedy's already constant frown and paranoia seemed to just fit the trend. Or perhaps Wilco did really did give this album everything they had - every sad cell and lonesome note in their body. Top Tunes:(Ashes of American Flags, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, Jesus, Etc.)
11: My Morning Jacket - Z (2005)
My Morning Jacket were comfortable with simply being southern rockers who knew how to jam and make misty mountain tunes that were mailable and easily stretched into extended riff sessions on stage. MMJ were also given the Samson like power of manliness through singer Jim James' facial hair. These Kentucky boys' talent was equally proportioned to the length of his rugged Neanderthal-like bush on his face... well not really.
The reason Z is such a joy to listen is due in part to the addition of Bo Kester, a keyboardist who brings along his bag of synthesized goodies. The electric loops and dub back beats, a departure from the band's earlier and more earthy songs, expands the MMJ's blue grass jams into stadium sized trip outs. When James flexes his falsetto on "Wordless Chorus" he isn't just showing off his mad skills, he's shouting for joy in his band's magnum opus. Top Tunes:(Wordless Chorus, It Beats For You, Off The Record)
No comments:
Post a Comment