the best LPs of 2001... revisited

But I'll have to look around at home to be able to say for sure what I like now from 2001. I know I don't listen to Beulah, Six Great Lake, the Strokes, Joan or Arse these days, and don't plan to. I still like the Philistines Jr.

1 Daft Punk Discovery

(Yes yes a hundred times yes. Easily.)

2 Skitz Countryman

(Very good album, might have overrated it a little but it opened up lots of stuff for me.)

3 So Solid Crew They Don't Know

(Yes, it's good but hard going. Would still make my list, not #3 though.)

4 The Strokes Is This It

(Excellent record, no regrets at all. Surprised and glad I put it this high.)

5 Bob Dylan "Love and Theft" Columbia

(I like it even more now - probably my #2 after DP)

6 Basement Jaxx Rooty

(Yeah, no quibbles here.)

7 Bonnie Prince Billy Ease Down the Road

(Not sure about this one. I like it a lot in memory but I've not played it all this year. Wonderful last track is possibly boosting the rest of it too much here.)

8 Beta Band Hot Shots II

(yes, excellent, and should have been higher)

9 Dismemberment Plan

(havent played it all year - still love "Superpowers" and it's not a bad album but I wanted to like it more than I actually like it.)

10 Playgroup Playgroup

(Good album)

OK, drop Dis Plan and Will Oldham and replace them with Wu-Tang Clan's "Iron Flag" and Mis-Teeq's "Lickin' On Both Sides". Oh wait, swap Playgroup for the Pulp album too maybe.

Singles
1 Basement Jaxx "Romeo"
2 Daft Punk "Digital Love"
3 Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott "Get Ur Freak On"
4 So Solid Crew "21 Seconds"
5 The Strokes "Hard To Explain"
6 Basement Jaxx "Where's Your Head At"
7 Destiny's Child "Survivor"
8 Pulp "Sunrise/Trees"
9 Aaliyah "We Need a Resolution"
10 Streets "Has It Come to This?"

Streets and Pulp out, Freelance Hellraiser and Wildbunch in. Otherwise, cracking list. "Digital Love" at 2 though??? I assume I didnt want Daft Punk on top of both lists.

NOW:
01 Basement Jaxx - Rooty
02 Dabrye - One/Three
03 Spacek - Curvatia
04 The Avalanches - Since I Left You
05 Bows - Cassidy
06 Afronaught - Shapin' Fluid
07 Luke Haines - The Oliver Twist Manifesto
08 Life Without Buildings - Any Other City
09 Markus Guentner - In Moll
10 Arab Strap - The Red Thread

I would rearrange the order a wee bit. And 9 and 10 would drop out now - to be replaced by Ladytron '604' and Marumari - 'Supermogadon', which were lower down my list before. Miss Kittin & The Hacker would also be knocking on the door.

Excellent 2001 records heard for the first time in 2002:

Bertrand Burgulat – The Sssound Of Mmmusic
Kevin Blechdom – The Inside Story
La Caution – Asphalte hurlante
Princess Superstar is
Rohff – La vie avant la mort

now: the same 5. not sure about the order.

1. Daft Punk - Discovery
2. Basement Jaxx - Rooty
3. Aaliyah - Aaliyah
4. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
5. V/A: Mastersteps - Ayia Napa: The Album 2001
6. Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
7. Bjork - Vespertine
8. V/A (Kompakt) - Total 3
9. Mogwai - Rock Action
10. V/A: Andy Weatherall - Hypercity

(Hon. mentions: The Beta Band, Missy Elliot, Herbert, De La Soul, Adam F, Pulp, Mis-Teeq)

Now:

1. Daft Punk - Discovery
2. Basement Jaxx - Rooty
3. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
4. V/A: Mastersteps - Ayia Napa: The Album 2001
5. Aaliyah - Aaliyah
6. Wu-Tang Clan - Iron Flag
7. Kylie Minogue - Fever
8. V/A (Kompakt) - Total 3
9. Bjork - Vespertine
10. Missy Elliot - Miss E: So Addictive

(Hon mentions: The Beta Band, Mogwai, Hypercity, Dismemberment Plan, Mis-Teeq, Cannibal Ox, Herbert)

The only fundamental changes were the discovery of the Kylie and Wu-Tang albums, I think.

1. Tara Jane O'Neill - In The Sun Lines
2. Lali Puna - Scary World Theory
3. Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
4. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
5. Hood - Cold House
6. Oxes - Oxes
7. Whiskeytown - Pneumonia
8. Bjork - Vespertine
9. Lift To Experience - The Texas...
10. Outkast - Stankonia

1 Unwound Leaves Turn Inside You

(I love it even more now than I did then. Absolutely a worthy No. 1)

2 Cannibal Ox The Cold Vein

(I burned out on this record this year, but my opinion of it has not changed. Still okay with this.)

3 The White Stripes White Blood Cells

(A good record, but the constant exposure has wearied me of them. If I had to do it over, this would be lower.)

4 Low Things We Lost In The Fire

(Gorgeous, but shoulda been lower.)

5 Microphones The Glow, Pt. 2

(Overlong, but still great)

6 Calla Scavengers

(My favorite band... Not as good as their debut, but it should have been in the Top 3)

7 Beachwood Sparks Once We Were Trees

(A great album from a shitty band)

8 Death Cab for Cutie The Photo Album

(You've got me...)

9 The Coup Party Music

(I completely forgot about this... I'll dig it out again)

10 Spoon Girls Can Tell

(I love Spoon, but this is by far their worst album. I thought that last year... Not sure why i put it in my list)

1 Unwound Leaves Turn Inside You

(I love it even more now than I did then. Absolutely a worthy No. 1)

2 Cannibal Ox The Cold Vein

(I burned out on this record this year, but my opinion of it has not changed. Still okay with this.)

3 The White Stripes White Blood Cells

(A good record, but the constant exposure has wearied me of them. If I had to do it over, this would be lower.)

4 Low Things We Lost In The Fire

(Gorgeous, but shoulda been lower.)

5 Microphones The Glow, Pt. 2

(Overlong, but still great)

6 Calla Scavengers

(My favorite band... Not as good as their debut, but it should have been in the Top 3)

7 Beachwood Sparks Once We Were Trees

(A great album from a shitty band)

8 Death Cab for Cutie The Photo Album

(You've got me...)

9 The Coup Party Music

(I completely forgot about this... I'll dig it out again)

10 Spoon Girls Can Tell

(I love Spoon, but this is by far their worst album. I thought that last year... Not sure why I put it in my list.)

I still like all that stuff but I the ones i have continued listening to the most are Figurine and The Screen Prints. I would add these, either overlooked in 2001 or I got them in 02:

His Name is Alive - Someday my Blues Will Cover the Earth
Coralie Clement - Salle des Pas Perdus
Club 8 - S/T
Nic Jones - Unearthed
Starlets - Surely Tomorrow You'll feel blue
The Snow Fairies - S/T

- Calexico: Aerocalexico (experimental Calexico this is, phantastic)
- Howe: Confluence
- Leonard Cohen: Ten New Songs
- Kings of Convenience: Quiet Is the New Loud
- REM: Reveal
- A Silver Mt Zion: Born into Troubel...
- New Order: Get Ready
- American Analog Set: Know by Heart
- Jeff Beck: You Had It Coming

Stuff I liked then but don't like too much anymore:
- Ryan Adams: Gold
- Fink: Fink

Probably would keep most of it in the same order, though the Ryan Adams would come down somewhat. I'm really surprised how few people rated the Gorky's last year. Huh.

01. Radiohead - Amnesiac
02. Lali Puna - Scary World Theory
03. Noriko Tujiko - Shojo Toshi
04. Akira Rabelais - Eisoptrophobia
05. ISAN - Lucky Cat
06. Fennesz - Endless Summer
07. Jan Jelinek - loop-finding-jazz-records
08. The Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds of the Stars of the Lid
09. Stephan Mathieu - frequencyLib
10. Low - Things We Lost in the Fire

Now:

01. Radiohead - Amnesiac
02. Lali Puna - Scary World Theory
03. Life Without Buildings - Any Other CIty
04. Akira Rabelais - Eisoptrophobia
05. ISAN - Lucky Cat
06. Bogdan Raczynski - My Love I Love
07. Jan Jelinek - loop-finding-jazz-records
08. Autechre - Confield
09. Stephan Mathieu - frequencyLib
10. Low - Things We Lost in the Fire

I'd now ditch the Jill Scott, Love As Laughter, and the Dubchek so I could include the best album of 2001, Chuntaros Radio Poder by El Gran Silencio, as well as Aereogramme's A Story in White and Celso Pina's awesome Barrio Bravo. I don't listen to the Circ System or Missy records as much as I thought I would, but my #2 and #3 choices would hold steady.

1. Smashing Pumpkins - Rotten Apples
2. Gasca - Telescopio
3. Philistines Jr - Analog vs. Digital
4. Freezepop - Forever (released in Europe in 2001)
5. Holiday Flyer - I Hope

I really do not have many 2001 albums.

10: Gorillaz. Yes, please get the laughter out of your system now. If I were making this list today this'd probably be somewhere in the 20s.
9: Atmosphere, Lucy Ford. I still like this all right, though I haven't listened to it much lately. Probably the best album to come out of Minneapolis since the 1980s.
8: Fantomas, The Director's Cut. The hell was I thinking? Not that this is bad - their versions of "Twin Peaks" and "Vendetta" and "Night of the Hunter" and "Cape Fear" are ace but this is not exactly in regular CD rotation.
7: Basement Jaxx, Rooty. This seems about right, actually.
6: The Strokes, Is This It. And this seems way too low. I probably let my fear of backlash dictate this spot. Fah. Easy top 5 material now, a perfect pop/rock album.
5: Aesop Rock, Labor Days. Maybe down a couple spaces, though I still think he's a fantastic MC (especially after his contribution on the Urban Renewal comp this year).
4: The Beta Band, Hot Shots II. Another 'just about right' entry.
3: The White Stripes, White Blood Cells. I'd probably switch this and the Strokes. (No, this does not make them interchangeable in any other sense)
2: The Avalanches, Since I Left You. Oh bliss. Bliss and rapture. In retrospect this probably should have made #1, with what actually did wind up #1 a very close third behind this and Daft Punk's Discovery, which I didn't get to hear until earlier this year.
1: Cannibal Ox, The Cold Vein. I overrated this slightly last year and I know there's a few moments lyrically where they kind of stumble a bit (though I can't think of any real examples except maybe some stray bits of "Straight Off the D.I.C."), but this is still an easy Top 3 choice for me.

So in retrospect, my new ranking would be something like this:

10: Aesop Rock, Labor Days
9: DMX, The Great Depression (Thx jess!)
8: The White Stripes, White Blood Cells
7: Basement Jaxx, Rooty
6: Clinic, Internal Wrangler
5: Beta Band, Hot Shots II
4: The Strokes, Is This It?
3: Cannibal Ox, The Cold Vein
2: Daft Punk, Discovery
1: The Avalanches, Since I Left You

1. Lucinda Williams - Essence (it seems so simple because it is)
2. Bob Dylan - Love and Theft (only 15 years away from doing a Blood on the Tracks)
3. Daft Punk - Discovery
4. Manu Chao - Proxima Estacion: Esperanza (only made #17 at the time; finally understood around May this year)
5. Atmosphere - Lucy Ford
6. Rachid Taha - Made in Medina
7. The Moldy Peaches (was #2 at the time, behind Lucinda; this seems silly now, yet most of it has survived regular purging of my miniscule hard drive)
8. Basement Jaxx - Rooty (only album on this list that ILM's changed my viewpoint of)
9. The Coup - Party Music
10.The White Stripes - White Blood Cells

(insert Xgau plagiarism charge if you wish, but note P!nk is only #14)

STILL haven't heard: Bjork, Clinic, Mercury Rev, Playgroup, loads of Afropop.

Still don't get it: Jay-Z.

If I was doing the list now I'd probably leave the top 7 much as it is (playgroup at #1 perhaps) and replace the bottom 4 with Richard Hawley, The Avalanches, Fennesz and Jay-Z. Still dozens I've yet to hear, but I will, oh yes I will e.g Low, Lali Puna, Luke Haines.

1) Fennesz – ‘Endless Summer’
2) Bjork – ‘Vespertine’
3) Daft Punk – ‘Discovery’
4) Cannibal Ox – ‘The Cold Vein’
5) Jay-Z – ‘The Blue Print’

Maybe's a slight reshuffle, Bjork at no.1, but otherwise I'm happy with that.

1 Basement Jaxx: Rooty 20
2 Clinic: Internal Wrangler 15
3 Daft Punk: Discovery Virgin 15
4 Bob Dylan: "Love and Theft" Columbia 15
5 The Avalanches: Since I Left You Sire/Modular 10
6 The Coup: Party Music 75 Ark 5
7 DJ /rupture: Gold Teeth Thief 5
8 Superlongevity 5
9 Atmosphere: Lucy Ford 5
10 The Moldy Peaches 5

Singles
1 Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott: "Get Ur Freak On"
2 Daft Punk "One More Time"
3 Daft Punk "Digital Love"
4 Nelly "Ride Wit Me"
5 Petey Pablo "Raise Up"
6 Basement Jaxx "Romeo"
7 Tiger Ranks "Party Wit Me"
8 Basement Jaxx "Where's Your Head At"
9 Full Intention featuring Shena "I'll Be Waiting (Gray & Pern Mix)"
10 Green Velvet "La La Land"

Now:

Albums:
1. The Avalanches: Since I Left You 30
2. Basement Jaxx: Rooty 10
3. DJ /rupture: Gold Teeth Thief 10
4. Superlongevity 10
5. Clinic: Internal Wrangler 10
6. Atmosphere: Lucy Ford 10
7. Daft Punk: Discovery 5
8. Bob Dylan: "Love and Theft" 5
9. The Coup: Party Music 5
10. The Moldy Peaches 5

(I'd love to give no. 2-6 15 points each but it's not possible within the Pazz & Jop voting structure, and the Avalanches' 30 is an absolute must, as I discovered about a month after entering my ballot.)

Singles:
1. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott: "Get Ur Freak On"
2. Daft Punk: "Digital Love"
3. Pink: "Get the Party Started"
4. Soulwax: "The Magnificent Romeo"
5. Daft Punk: "One More Time"
6. Petey Pablo: "I Told Y'all"
7. Nelly: "Ride Wit Me"
8. Petey Pablo: "Raise Up"
9. Basement Jaxx "Romeo"
10. Freelance Hellraiser: "A Stroke of Genius"

Here's one I overlooked at the time:

Carly Rae Jepsen - Kiss