Urban75 Album of the Year 2002

[Spandex]

Can't let 2002 pass by without mentioning Sean Paul's Dutty Rock. It came out in November and the flood of singles from it seemed inescapable throughout 2003. Which was good, because they're all excellent. I've never owned any of the tracks (except I'm Still In Love With You, on a Steely & Clevie comp I got a few years later) but they're all somehow burnt into my conciousness. The album itself, at 22 tracks and 75 minutes, is way too long - the curse of the CD era - and could do with a serious edit, but at the same time it's much more than singles + filler.

 

[The39thStep]

I enjoyed this when it came out and relistening to it , on what is a grey drizzly morning here, can see why. No trip hop beats here just well arranged and thoughtfully produced songs in which Gibbons showcases some different styles half torch half folk.

 

[ska invita]

Can't let 2002 pass by without mentioning Sean Paul's Dutty Rock. It came out in November and the flood of singles from it seemed inescapable throughout 2003. Which was good, because they're all excellent. I've never owned any of the tracks (except I'm Still In Love With You, on a Steely & Clevie comp I got a few years later) but they're all somehow burnt into my conciousness. The album itself, at 22 tracks and 75 minutes, is way too long - the curse of the CD era - and could do with a serious edit, but at the same time it's much more than singles + filler.

similarly this deserves a nod

Sizzla - Da Real Thing

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2002 Vinyl release of "Da Real Thing" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

theres no perfect Sizzla album but this is a really good one, i.e 60% great
Digital B production, two anthems on it Solid As A Rock and One Of Those Days, but a bunch of other great tracks too

 

[stavros]

I was thinking earlier that 2002 was poor for albums, up against 2001 at least. I then remembered three which are well worth it, especially the last one:

 

[The39thStep]

I was thinking earlier that 2002 was poor for albums, up against 2001 at least. I then remembered three which are well worth it, especially the last one:

The Mum album from 2002 , Finally We Are No One , is good.

 

[hitmouse]

2002 had the Hot Hot Heat album:

And Gogol Bordello released Multi Kontra Culti vs Irony:

 

[Knotted]

Question for Knotted

Do collections of previously unreleased radio sessions count?

Here's something to listen to while considering your answer

If it's all previously unreleased then that's fine.

 

[AverageJoe]

Am I allowed this?

And All That Could Have Been - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ska invita]

Am I allowed this?

And All That Could Have Been - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

pretty sure live albums are allowed

 

[Spandex]

The breakz scene passed its best-before date in 2002, as increasing amounts of rigidly formulaic tunes were released and the hard + darker = better arms race sucked the fun out of the music, which was only ever really about fun in the first place. Then along came Aquasky vs Masterblaster with Beat the System, probably the best album to come out of the scene. It's still a great album and All in Check feat The Ragga Twins is a TUNE.

 

[andysays]

If it's all previously unreleased then that's fine.

Thanks

 

[hitmouse]

Probably the biggest Finnish grind album of 2002:

A lot of grind is kind of samey to me, and can't claim I listen to Rotten Sound that often either, but I do remember being impressed by how intense and claustrophic and breathless this album feels.

 

[AverageJoe]

Oceanic by Isis is an excellent album that came out in 2002

"the album’s style marks a distinct departure from their previous sound; up until this point, Isis had been characterised by crushing, distorted guitars and a coarse, unforgiving tone. With this album came the introduction of lengthy periods of clean guitar, large amounts of ambient noise and female vocals; a notable post-rock influence, first hinted at on SGNL>05 and Celestial. This transition was retrospectively labelled by FACT's Robin Jahdi as "one of the more eye-opening musical metamorphoses of the decade";[14] it has been described as "seminal".[15] As Ben Richardson notes in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the album's release "fomented an explosion of glacial, Neurosis-inspired instrumental 'post-metal'";[16] likewise it has been described as "the standard by which all post-metal albums have been judged since".[17] It has retrospectively been labelled a "masterpiece".

 

[mojo pixy]

I'm going to do this even though (no, more likely because) this in no way gets into anyone's top anything .. but it was originally released in 2002 so fits here. A lot of drugs went into it

 

[hitmouse]

I'd never got around to listening to this album before, but turns out Filthy Tongues of Gods and Griots was 2002, definitely worth a listen if you're into industrial hiphop:

 

[Indeliblelink]

I seem to remember being into this one in 2002 -
Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport

 

[Indeliblelink]

Also the Cliff Martinez score for that remake of Solaris. One of his best.

 

[Fez909]

Tony Allen had an album out. The usual drum-centric Afrobeat stuff from him, mixed with some modern soul/hip hop type stuff bringing it into the 21st century.

Nothing to get excited about, but a solid album

Tony Allen - HomeCooking

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for HomeCooking by Tony Allen. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[The39thStep]

Mono- One Step More and You Die. Mono don't do anything more than GS!YBE, Mogwai, etc or a whole range of post rock bands have done ie simple repetition, slow build inevitably pounded into the other side of the world by guitars/tension and release sort of stuff. However they do carry it all off rather well, so an enjoyable if not too challenging 50m mins here to ponder to or potter about.

 

[Fez909]

Justin Timberlake went from wet boyband to the coolest pop artist around by getting the Neptunes and Timbaland to produce his debut album.

Perfect pop.

Justin Timberlake - Justified

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Justified by Justin Timberlake. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[Fez909]

More great pop/r&b here. I thought Tweet was going to be a superstar after that Missy Elliot collab, but I've not heard of her since. Apparently she's still releasing music.

The album goes for serious money these days. Pretty good album, but that single is still the stand out.

Tweet - Southern Hummingbird

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Southern Hummingbird by Tweet. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[hitmouse]

More great pop/r&b here. I thought Tweet was going to be a superstar after that Missy Elliot collab, but I've not heard of her since. Apparently she's still releasing music.

The album goes for serious money these days. Pretty good album, but that single is still the stand out.

Tweet - Southern Hummingbird

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Southern Hummingbird by Tweet. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

That name must've got a lot harder to search for online since 2002, although I suppose you can't really blame Tweet for not planning ahead on that point.

 

[Spandex]

More great pop/r&b here. I thought Tweet was going to be a superstar after that Missy Elliot collab, but I've not heard of her since. Apparently she's still releasing music.

The album goes for serious money these days. Pretty good album, but that single is still the stand out.

Tweet - Southern Hummingbird

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Southern Hummingbird by Tweet. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Ladytron's punked up version

 

[AverageJoe]

More great pop/r&b here. I thought Tweet was going to be a superstar after that Missy Elliot collab, but I've not heard of her since. Apparently she's still releasing music.

The album goes for serious money these days. Pretty good album, but that single is still the stand out.

Tweet - Southern Hummingbird

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Southern Hummingbird by Tweet. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Missy Elliott also released "Under Construction" this year too which had the totally awesome "Work It" on it.

 

[chilango]

Las Ketchup released Hijas del Tomate in 2002. I - genuinely - loved their hit song.

 

[chilango]

Many Chao put out the generally disappointing Radio Bemba Sound System. Orishas and Ska P also had albums out.

 

[AverageJoe]

Las Ketchup released Hijas del Tomate in 2002. I - genuinely - loved their hit song.

I was on holiday in Greece when that song came out.

Every 30 minutes that song would be played and all the people would get off their sun loungers and get into the pool for a synchronized dance/arm wave. When the song finished they all got back out.

It was almost Stepford Wives like

 

[The39thStep]

GusGus- Attention . Icelandic retro electro pop and as it goes holds up ok , although I prefer their Arabian Horse period better ten years on, some foot tapping tunes though

 

[stavros]

More great pop/r&b here. I thought Tweet was going to be a superstar after that Missy Elliot collab, but I've not heard of her since. Apparently she's still releasing music.

The album goes for serious money these days. Pretty good album, but that single is still the stand out.

Tweet - Southern Hummingbird

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Southern Hummingbird by Tweet. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

That was when Timbaland was near the peak of his powers. I bought the album, but in hindsight it was kind of inevitable that unless she gave him the whole album to do, a la Aaliyah or Kelis with the Neptunes, it was probably going to lack that consistency.

 

[stavros]

Has anyone said 2 Many DJ's yet? OK it's a mix album, but I'm sure I've voted for mixes in previous years.