Inner Peace

#32 Get Away From Me: Nellie McKay. Sometimes you hear a new voice that is just unlike everything that came before it. This CD grabbed me from the very beginning - a bizarro mix of Broadway-esque crooning, jazz, pop, and rap all mixed together with Bush-era liberal, feminist fury and some really sharp piano playing. The songwriting is sharp and funny, even when she is just singing about her dog. I don't know if this will hold up, I suspect in 10 years this will have collected some dust on my shelf - and Nellie's followups have been hot messes - but it is worth a listen if you don't know it.

Welcome to a New Kind of Tension

#33 American Idiot: Green Day. What is punk? I sure as hell don't know. But I think a lot of stuff that is labelled punk is not even close. The closest thing I ever heard that sounded like what I think punk is was what my college hallmate used to listen to: Minor Threat, Circle Jerks, that raw 2 minute fury of pure skater-angst. Or, 70s bands like The Cramps, The Misfits, or the Ramones (who added a pop sensibility to punk) were the real deal. Then there are bands like The Clash, who acted the part, but really (in my mind) were not punk-y at all. "Lost in the Supermarket"? "Jimmy Jazz"? "Train in Vain"? These are not punk songs. I never understood why these guys are always placed in the same sentence as the Sex Pistols (who IMO are real punk) . In fact, I may be offering up some flames here, but I think London Calling is one of the most overrated CDs of all time. All-time great song, but the album is full of piffle.

So this brings us to Green Day, who emerged in the 90s as some kind of re-birth of punk. But this led to a backlash - the real punkers hated them because they were too poppy, so they looked like sellouts. And they certainly tried to play the part. But beneath it all, they simply wrote great songs. Dookie is filled with power pop, not punk, brilliance (punk songs do not have funky bass lines like in Longview). Their albums have been consistently, surprisingly, good. They have written maudlin mass-appeal mega-hits like "Time of your Life". But they will always be labelled punk because they thrash around a bit and the lead singer tends to slobber.

When I heard they were doing a "concept album" I thought - oh boy, now they've jumped the shark. And American Idiot doesnt really hold together as a story or the 'punk opera' they want it to be. But this collection of songs, in addition to being great, is also smart, with clever, biting lyrics, and interesting portraits of characters. I was really surprised I liked it so much.

Baby,This Honey's For Me

#34 Out Of Time: R.E.M. R.E.M., like U2, settled in very well to superstardom, coming out with a trio of albums in the 90s that were both good and popular, allowing them to cash in on their early critical success. As long as I can pretend that Shiny Happy People doesn't exist, this is the best of that era. Me In Honey (duet with B52s Kate) is one of my favorite songs of the 90s.

She Fell In Love With The Drummer

#35 Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: Wilco. Man, I pissed people off with that last pick. Excuuuuse me. Well here is one that you can't deny. Forget the story about being dumped by the record label because there was no single and ending up with their biggest seller ever (although it's a cool story). This is just really solid front-to-back of well crafted, catchy, heartful tunes (is that even a word - 'heartful'? - whatever). I really havent listened to much other Wilco, or Uncle Tupelo, so if there is another CD out there as good as this one let me know.

You Glorify the Past When the Future Dries Up

#38 Rattle and Hum: U2. I know, this is not a very exciting entry, and typically not thought to be be even U2's best work, coming between the uberplatinum Joshua Tree and the more experimental and self-indulgent Achtung Baby. And I could do without the tour film. But it is the one that hit me hardest - I really liked their attempt to connect to vintage blues, I liked the live versions of older songs, and All I Want Is You is a haunting classic. This was one of the first CDs I bought (forsaking years of collecting vinyl) after buying my first CD player in 1988.

A Humiliating Kick In the Crotch

#37 Synchronicity: The Police. The Police are a great band, although I find their albums to be inconsistent, filled with brilliant songs side by side with pointless throwaway tunes. This one I think is their best, although it is debatable. The tunes Synchronicity I and II are both classics as are the Side 2 countdown-slaying troika of Every Breath You Take/King Of Pain/Wrapped Around Your Finger.
Once, I was talking to someone about the Police, and he said, next time you listen, just focus on the drums, because Stuart Copeland is freaking great. So I did. I had never really noticed them before, but he never plays a bar the same way twice - always throwing in some crazy off beat stuff and improvising throughout the song. It's really cool. I dont remember who the guy was but I've never listened to the Police the same way again.

When I Was A Painter

#38 Pod: The Breeders. The Pixies are kind of like the Beatles. You know how interesting it is to listen to post-Beatles CDs from John and Paul, and you can tell exactly what qualities they brought to their their original band, John's peace-love-drugs utopia, and Paul's pop sensibilities and silly love songs. As solo artists, they are ok, but somehow the combination was transcendent. Same with the Pixies. Black Francis brought raw energy and power and noise, and Kim Deal provided the infectious hooks and sensuality. The combo of the two made for a unique and awesome mix of sweet and sour, sex and anger, melody and anarchy. Once they broke up, the sonic mess of Black's solo career has been unmemorable, while only Kim's work with The Breeders was worthy of an ex-Pixie. This CD is the best of those, with sparse, melodic, hook-y songs dripping with Kim's smoky vocals. Love it.