Urban75 Album of the Year 2002

[Knotted]

29 - Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out of Season

Because I don't now any better I'm going to call this ambient folk. It's got a combination of simple direct songs with a powerful vocal delivery and yet with a deep/lush mix. Teetering on the point of being over produced. I think I'm in love with this. Give me a minute.

 

[chilango]

=37 - High Tone - Acid Dub Nucleik

French dub or novo dub. Not variation on the dub genre I'm familiar with. Is that koto in the mix ther?. This is cool.

Great live too

 

[Knotted]

Great live too

That's interesting because there's quite a lot of instrumentation in there. Do they play all that live?

 

[Knotted]

28 - Missy Elliot - Under Construction

I think this is an excellent poppy hip hop album. Tune after tune and with some musical heft too. Really deserves better than this placing.

 

[Knotted]

27 - Bad Religion - The Process of Belief

As I don't know any better I'm going to call this happy hardcore punk. As much about the dancefloor as the other type of happy hardcore. Well I'm bouncing anyway.

 

[Knotted]

26 - Ikara Colt - Chat and Business

Another hardcore punk album. It's looking like 1982 all over again. This one's cracking though. Primitively complex. Like a caveman with three arms.

 

[Knotted]

25 - Scion - Arrange and Process

Erm yeah. This is a dj mix. I've decided these are perfectly original albums though I may have invoked the wrath of belboid here. Techno-ish. Minimal and ambient.

 

[chilango]

That's interesting because there's quite a lot of instrumentation in there. Do they play all that live?

Some of it. There were definitely live didgeridoos

 

[Knotted]

24 - Doves - The Last Broadcast

Well I'm going to call this happy shoe gaze. Or maybe happy ambient brit pop? More straightforward and tuneful than I'm making it sound. Nothing to do with the found footage film I guess.

 

[Fez909]

25 - Scion - Arrange and Process

Erm yeah. This is a dj mix. I've decided these are perfectly original albums though I may have invoked the wrath of belboid here. Techno-ish. Minimal and ambient.

Glad this made the cut as it's ace, and I voted for it, but if I was Poll Fuhrer, I would have allowed Metro Area in over this.

 

[Knotted]

23 - Against Me! - Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose

But, but it doesn't sound anything like Guns and Roses! Hard hitting celtic punk with multiple vocalists. Elegant if shouty rounds.

 

[stavros]

Am I seriously the only person who voted for the Delgados?! You bunch of fecking heathens!

 

[Knotted]

Glad this made the cut as it's ace, and I voted for it, but if I was Poll Fuhrer, I would have allowed Metro Area in over this.

Every period has important singles, ep's and collections of singles etc. Looking at albums is always a skewed look at the music of the year.

 

[Knotted]

22 - William Basinski - Disintegration Loops

Not familiar with this guy or this composition. I think it's literally what it says in the title. A short tape loop of dreamy melody that very slowly disintegrates over time. Makes me think of Alvin Lucier's I am Sitting in a Room. Far too ambient to be ambient. Will have to come back to this.

 

[Knotted]

21 - Drexciya - Harnessed the Storm

Thanks to U75 I'm familiar with Drexciya, though they would have passed me by otherwise. Kinda everything I want out techno. Weirdly organic and properly rhythmic.

 

[Knotted]

20 - FLUX Quartet - Feldman Edition 6: String Quartet No. 2

This is a six hour minimalist string quartet. And yes you will love it if you give it a chance. Honestly. Although nothing much is happening at any particular time it is constantly varying and played with real musicianship carving out delicate melodic squeaks and scrapes. I've linked to a 2016 performance as I'm struggling to find the 2002 performance.

 

[Fez909]

I am Sitting in a Room

Someone did a youtube compression 'version' of this a few years back. Interesting, but not as pleasing to listen to as Lucier's

 

[Knotted]

Someone did a youtube compression 'version' of this a few years back. Interesting, but not as pleasing to listen to as Lucier's

I tried a really primitive something similar using laptop speakers and a reasonable mic. It sounded absolutely dreadful. But it did remove a lot of earwax.

 

[Knotted]

19 - Do Make Say Think - & Yet & Yet

This thread is making me realise how much post rock I've missed out on. It's a great shame because I was into that shit a year or two before. This is refreshingly lo-fi and with some cool drum grooves too. Very Tortoise tbh.

 

[Knotted]

18 - Mariza - Fado em Mi

Six things to say about this.

1) Absolutely great to see this making the top 20
2) It still should have been higher, because if for no other reason I would have voted for it if I'd heard it before I voted.
3) I think it's a 2001 release and actually shouldn't be on this list
4) I don't care. You should all listen to it anyway.
5) Classic style fado in case you're wondering. And what a voice and what beautiful arrangements!
6) I haven't first clue what it's about but I'm in fucking tears anyway.

 

[Knotted]

Nothing is going be able to follow that, so I'm calling it quits for tonight. But in the meantime bloody listen to Fado em Mi.

 

[zahir]

3) I think it's a 2001 release and actually shouldn't be on this list
4) I don't care. You should all listen to it anyway.

April 2002 according to Fado em Mim - Wikipedia

 

[Knotted]

April 2002 according to Fado em Mim - Wikipedia

Yeah I noticed that just after I typed that post and I'm generally more trusting of Wikipedia than I am of discogs or RYM which have it down as 2001. So fair play.

 

[chilango]

Regardless of what the internet says, I was living in Portugal in 2001, Fado em Mi came out in 2002 to rub my face in the fact I wasn't living there any more...

 

[ska invita]

i trust discogs above all else - its also a wiki but filled in by music anoraks
says 2001 on the artwork
anyhow lovely music after a hard day

 

[AverageJoe]

So far, so very interesting compared to my list.

Only three of mine there so far. And all next to each other.

15. Missy Elliott – Under Construction

16. The Distillers – Sing Sing Death House

17. Doves – The Last Broadcast

 

[CNT36]

27 - Bad Religion - The Process of Belief

As I don't know any better I'm going to call this happy hardcore punk. As much about the dancefloor as the other type of happy hardcore. Well I'm bouncing anyway.

It's all about the harmonies.

 

[SpookyFrank]

.

 

[AverageJoe]

So far, so very interesting compared to my list.

Only three of mine there so far. And all next to each other.

15. Missy Elliott – Under Construction

16. The Distillers – Sing Sing Death House

17. Doves – The Last Broadcast

Oh. And.


8. Isis - Oceanic

 

[SpookyFrank]

25 - Scion - Arrange and Process

Erm yeah. This is a dj mix. I've decided these are perfectly original albums though I may have invoked the wrath of belboid here. Techno-ish. Minimal and ambient.

Putting other people's records on is the same thing as writing and recording original music now I see.

Alexa, play Abbey Road.

There you go look, I'm Paul McFuckingCartney.