By the staff of Cosmik Debris Magazine

It's that time again. Time for the writers of Cosmik Debris, full time and contributors, to let you know what they think the best music of 2001 was. So ready or not, here it comes!


DJ JOHNSON

In previous years I've had a number one CD that I've saved for last. This year, all of my top five have equal billing, so I'm presenting them in alphabetical order. All five of these are getting a lot of speaker time at my place, and have been all year, as have the honorable mention CDs.

BOWLING FOR SOUP: Let's Do It For Johnny (Jive)

A Texas quartet that rocks punkish in the Mr. T. Experience tradition and came up with an album of unforgettable songs, most notably "The Bitch Song," with its catchy romantic lyric, "You're a bitch, but I love you anyway." The walls are made of distorted guitar and the floor shakes with bass and pounding drums that make you dance like you're on hot coals. The album's stamped with a 2000 date, but Jive's push didn't start until 2001. I haven't heard about them since. Tragic.

COLESLAW: Self-Help (Potroast Records)

Former Cosmik Debris Magazine artist coLeSLAw was always a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-allofem kind of guy, so I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when his first music release, Self-Help, glued me to the spot for a mesmerizing hour. Slaw's music, if it must be labeled, is a form of electronica, but it's more like hypnotica. Take this CD, for instance. The deep bass and spacey piano swirls around the voice of The Infinite Jimmy Shlepitz, master self-help guru who spends the next hour selling you on an ever evolving concept until you realize a complete metamorphosis has taken place and you're just hoping somebody out there can hear you, that somebody's left alive. Does my description sound strange? Not half as strange as Self-Help, and that's why I can't stop listening to it, and that's why it's on this list.

THE MONTGOMERY CLIFFS: Self-titled (RPM USA)

With every album, Joey Salvia's songwriting takes a giant leap toward world- class status and The Montgomery Cliffs do the same. Their 4th and self titled album was far better than almost anything that saw chart action this year. With a mega-buck record label behind them and promotion dollars to push with, there could have been three legitimate hit singles on this album, but those of you who know what the music business does to its talent are thanking your various gods that none of this happened. The album was released early in the year, and by now, The Montgomery Cliffs would be another band on the record industry waste heap. Instead, we'll get more like this. And even better, as hard as that is to fathom when you listen to the rousing power pop that jumps from most of the tracks, the clever lyrics that keep your attention ("once in a while you come around like some movie star who just came to town with collagen lips and silicone breasts, and just like our love it's all make believe") and the depth of the talent well Salvia seems to be drawing from.

TRANS-GLOBAL UNDERGROUND: Yes Boss Food Corner (Mondo Melodia)

After the departure of belly dancer/vocalist/centerpiece Natacha Atlas, many thought Trans-Global Underground couldn't really continue to be the force they had always been in world and trance music. They were clearly very wrong. Yes Boss Food Corner is a confident album, a smorgasbord of world flavors from sitar-driven tunes with ragga undertones and electronica washes over the top to hip-hop chants urged along by African drums to bits of reggae in a world stew that never gets soggy. Every element remains fresh and crisp and vital, which is what sets TGU apart from other groups attempting similar mixes. I had the thrill of seeing their concert in support of this album, and I have to report that I've never seen a show quite like it. A decade and change after spawning a sub-genre of music, Trans-Global Underground remains a vital force, and Yes Boss Food Corner was certainly one of the best albums of 2001.

VIOLET: We Both Know It's Out There (Wine & Vinyl)

This one came out of left field, a totally unexpected surprise hidden in a stack of dull CDs on my desk one afternoon. The voice of Meredith Minogue nearly broke my heart immediately. So much emotion: love, pain, despair, resignation, eventual joy, all recorded in a mist of reverb that only enhances the ethereal quality she naturally possesses. James Berry plays nearly every instrument (might even be every), and they're not all standard issue, as there is a whirlwind of harmonicas, finger cymbals, glockenspiel, lap steel, mandolins, E-Bow, and even a Tibetan bell. Exotic instruments for an exotic voice. Nothing else would have done. Sometimes when we're narrowing down our lists for our top five picks of the year an album will be there by default, simply because we constantly find time in our schedules to listen to it long after we've reviewed it and (supposedly) moved on. This is one of those.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Albums that could very easily have made the top five this year include Steve Earle's amazing and moving Artemis release, Transcendental Blues, Jim Greer's multi-layered and extremely clever The Big Thieves Jail The Little Thieves on Fortune Records, Kudu's self-titled album on Velour Records, The Witches' Universal Mall on Fall Of Rome Records, Big Ass Truck's The Rug on Terminus Records, and a collection of Jim Basnight & The Moberlys call Seattle - New York - Los Angeles from France's Pop The Balloon Records.


RON SARANICH

Once again, my top five picks are all jazz selections. It's difficult to beat out a classic work by a giant of the genre, especially when remixed in glorious sound as are many of the best works of the 40's, 50's, and 60's. In alphabetical order:

MILES DAVIS: Complete In A Silent Way Sessions (Columbia)

In A Silent Way is perhaps the most meditative jazz album ever recorded. A monumental effort by a musical genius, this music marked Davis's move away from songs structured around popular tunes, to a more fluid, rock based improvisation. In A Silent Way ended Davis's "second" classic quintet of Miles, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams as Davis once again pioneered a radical approach to jazz. Adding Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, and Dave Holland to his existing quintet, Davis showed he had been listening to Jimi Hendrix, producing urgent, spacey, electronic music that certified jazz-rock as the next popular movement in jazz. With three keyboards and McLaughlin's perfect electric guitar playing, this is the album that made bebop passé for so long. The Complete Sessions contain a cornucopia of previously released, session out take, rejected take, and unissued material that is, plain and simple, ESSENTIAL.

MILES DAVIS: Relaxin' With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige)

What can I say about the work of Davis' first classic quintet of Miles on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. For me, this is the sound of jazz. The album cooks on every number with all musicians at their very best. Davis and Coltrane are among the greatest horn teams of all time, as the combination of Davis' cool, ethereal trumpet and Coltrane's fiery, exploding tenor are perfect compliments. The sound of this remastered reissue is perfect. When I hear this music, my cares and tensions just automatically dissolve. Yours will too.

JACKIE MCLEAN: 4, 5 And 6 (Original Jazz Classics)

4, 5 And 6 was recorded in 1956 when McLean was 24 years old. Listening to this music on the remastered version, I still find it hard to believe McLean's alto playing is this good at such an early age. I once described McLean's playing on this album as having all the urgency of a dying man trying to squeeze a few more minutes of joy before his life's over. Classic performances abound on this album of standards and medium tempo cookers. A perfect introduction to one of the giants of alto saxophone.

CHARLES MCPHERSON: McPherson's Mood (Original Jazz Classics)

Originally recorded in 1969 and just remastered and re-released by Original jazz classics, McPherson's Mood is a great recording by the Charlie Parker acolyte McPherson. Proving he had fully assimilated Parker's message, McPherson burned throughout the recording, playing one great solo after another. His solos were original, lyrical, and elegant and McPherson obviously has more than enough technique to burn. Full of energy and romance, McPherson's Mood is wonderful jazz by a relatively obscure professional who avoided easy choices and showboating. Don't avoid this cd.

GEORGE SHEARING: Ballad Essentials (Concord Records)

Zen music by the blind pianist Shearing. Shearing, possessor of mega talent and technique, is a master in the use of space, pauses, and the minimum of notes. Like great poetry, Shearing gets quickly to the heart of the matter, grabbing your attention and emotions along the way. His playing on such standards as "It Never entered My Mind" is so poignant and evocative, tears well up in my eyes whenever I listen. Minimum notes, maximum effect. Hard to beat.

HONORABLE MENTION: Wes Montgomery's Full House on Original Jazz Classics, one of the great jazz guitar albums; Chet Baker's Chet Baker In New York (Riverside) where the master of the cool trumpet burns hot throughout; Cannonball Adderley In San Francisco on Original Jazz Classics, the wonderfully joyful playing of alto man Adderley; Bill Evans' Waltz For Debbie on Original Jazz Classics, piano trio jazz doesn't get any better than this; and The Red Rodney Quintets on Fantasy, where Rodney gives each song his amazing personal touch.


JASON THORNBERRY

CONVERGE: Jane Doe (Equal Vision)

These rulers of spastic metal would be the inevitable occurrence of breeding The Boredoms, Napalm Death, The Melvins, Masonna, and Slayer. An amazing, unforgiving album that hits 'freak out mode' often enough to be comfortable in the free-jazz-noise category at times. I really can’t say enough good things about this one, and it’s the first record that I’ll buy you. Someday.

SCAPEGOAT WAX: Okeeblow (Grand Royal)

Marty James turns in this fantasmo collection of witty love songs and observations on life in Chico, California. It all gets fed into a voracious wood chipper with some loose rock, r&b, and hip-hop themes. "Hello Allison" is my pick for song of the year, hands down. Grand Royal Records is now sadly over with, and A&R's everywhere will (should) fight for his signature.

CAVE IN: Jupiter (Hydra Head)

A riff-o-rama metal core band that grew up, musically, in the public eye. They certainly aren't afraid to develop as a group and learn to write sharp, unpredictable songs, and they've opted to lose the "horrified" approach to the microphone for the most part. That means "real" singing, in key, and with a pretty good range too. A handful of little kids with patches sewn on their hooded sweat-tops will accuse Cave In of "selling out" now because of this, and the fact that there are considerably less palm-mutes (junt-junts) on Jupiter. These guys cite Radiohead as an influence, but write music that is far, far more visceral and compelling.

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Def Jux Presents (Def Jux)

A lo-fi-ish hip hop compilation with the brilliant Aesop Rock, and Cannibal Ox (whose Cold Vein cd is among my Top 20 for the year). This compilation also serves as the last will and testament of Company Flow, a gifted NYC crew who has since gone their separate ways, but will hopefully (nudge, nudge) bless me with a reunion someday before I die. Until then, we'll all have to make do with the bling bling...and not much else. DJ Mr. Len's debut is in my Top 20 as well.

WILL HAVEN: Carpe Diem (Revelation)

The best detuned riffs that Justin Broadrick (Godflesh) never got round to using, channeled through some mid to down-tempo lock-step Swans grooves, bass guitar that sounds like my step-mom dragging her knuckles on the concrete, and 1984-era Black Flag vocalizing. I went on a Will Haven buying expedition after hearing this thing twice, and they (along with Converge and Cave In) have reaffirmed my faith in metal. Slipknot, Korn, and Limp Bizkit spoiled it for a while there.


RUSTY PIPES

MIKE KENEALLY: Dancing (Exowax)

Mike Keneally is well known as a guitarist's guitarist and this is by far his best album to date, but unlike most six-string slingers whose idea of art is how many notes they can fit into a second, Mike plays with real emotion. And not just guitar! He's no small talent at the keyboard and this guy can sing and write great songs too. Overwhelming at almost eighty minutes, with each listen these songs will grow on you. Especially if you have the companion disc of live music, Dancing With Myself. A joy!

AIR: 10,000 Hertz Legend (Astralwerks)

The French duo, Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin, sounds like a 10CC for the 21st Century. It's more electronic than their first and has Beck guesting on "The Vagabond" plus a tiny pinch of humor in "How Does It Make You Feel?" to leaven the mix. Mysteriously beautiful and seductively deep, if it's after midnight, this is what I reach for.

BAZ LUHRMAN & VARIOUS ARTISTS: Moulin Rouge Soundtrack (Interscope)

From the first Bowie ballad in ages to "Lady Marmalade" reworked by Christine Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and Pink, from cuts by Fat Boy Slim, Beck and Rufus Wainwright, through the hot big band production of "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend," to updated Elton and Bernie, this album's got it all. Wait, it hasn't got the film's hilarious version of "Like A Virgin!" We'll have to deduct two spots in the list. Oh well, "Come What May" is going to win the Oscar for Best Song, and yes, Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman really can sing. And if this album doesn't make sense because you didn't see the movie, GO SEE IT ALREADY!

INCREDIBLE MOSES LEROY: Electric Pocket Radio (Atremis)

I finally figured it out, Electric Pocket Radio is a reincarnation of Todd Rundgren's Something Anything. Featuring short ditties that range from the light hearted "Beep Beep Love" to the drum and bass electronica of "Our Millionth Customer," The Incredible Moses Leroy just may be the best new pop tunesmith in years.

DELERIUM: Poem (Nettwerk)

Sometimes Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb's Poem sounds like Dead Can Dance, sometimes like Enigma. Maybe because they have so many different guest vocalists, like Aude and Joanna Stevens, and surprisingly Matthew Sweet on "Daylight." The album sounds a bit over-New Age in spots, but the trancey compositions like "Underwater" with Rani Kamal, and especially "Aria" with the Medieval Babes, have a timeless beauty to them.

HONORABLE MENTION: Honorable mentions include Sugarcult's Start Static for its pure power pop energy. The Best Dance Track for 2001 is Jennifer Lopez's "Play." The damn thing funks them out onto the floor every time and no, I don't care that it showed up on Now That's What I Call Music #7 besides her album J-Lo. Also on Now 7, Destiny's Child's "Bootyliscious" which is amazing in what it does to a dance floor. Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me" gets 'em hopping too. Runner up HM for Best Dance Track is the Wiseguys's "Start The Commotion," which came to national attention via a Mazda commercial last spring and then the Zoolander Soundtrack. It actually dates from 1998. Horrors, it's on Now 8! Just goes to show beauty is where you find it.


DAN FORTE

In hindsight, this was an especially strong year, at least in terms of roots artists. Since so much of my focus is on reissues, I found it impossible to rate new releases in the same breath as remastered classics, so I settled on Top Fives for "new stuff" and "old stuff."

NEW STUFF:
DAVID LINDLEY & WALLY INGRAM: Twango Bango II (self-released)

The reggae diatribe "Sport Utility Suck" would be the anthem for the millenium were it not for the Deep Purple-esque mutation, "Methlab Boyfriend." Mr. Dave plucks and strums everything with strings; Wally shakes, rattles and rolls everything without. The best two-man band on the planet. davidlindley.com.

VARIOUS ARTISTS: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Mercury soundtrack)

The best interweaving of film and music since Pulp Fiction. The album that showed the world (and Nashville radio) how cool country music used to be--and still can be.

PAUL JOHNSON: Liquid Blues (Heyday)

This guitarist/composer's classics from the early Sixties are still standards with surf revival bands, but he continues to push the envelope of rock instrumentals more successfully than any other artist. For a look at his beginnings, get The Belairs' Volcanic Action on Sundazed; for his pre-revival comeback, dig The Packards' two-fer on Gee-Dee (Hamburg); here and now, check out his driving "Andele" and Don Nuzzo's eery "Green Room." pjmoto.com.

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS: Liquored Up and Lacquered Down (EMusic/TVT)

There's a fine line, as Spinal Tap pointed out, between clever and stupid, but these masters of white-trashabilly walk it with ease. Meat-and-three guitar anti-hero Rick Miller has written another bushel of great originals, including "Just How Lonely," featuring bassist Mary Huff on vocals and bouffant wig.

BILL KIRCHEN: Tied To The Wheel (High Tone)

For my money, the best country picker on the scene today--and certainly the most "real"-in' and a-rockin'! Diesel-fueled odes like "Truckstop at the End of the World" alongside the best-ever cover of Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," and a spirited take on "How Mountain Girls Can Love" by drummer Jack O'Dell.

OLD STUFF:
HOWARD ROBERTS: three two-fers of mid-'60s Capitol albums (Euphoria Jazz)

This famed studio cat was also about as hip a jazz guitarist as there ever was, and Sundazed's jazz wing was wise enough to reissue his third through eighth LPs, from Something's Cookin' to Guilty!! Usually in an organ-trio format, H.R. holds up alongside the best of Grant Green, Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery.

REV. GARY DAVIS: At Newport (Vanguard)

The fingerpicking genius' set from the 1965 folk festival, including the most riveting version of "Death Don't Have No Mercy" ever. Also check out Vanguard's 3-CD feast, Newport Folk Festival: Best of the Blues, 1959-68, featuring Davis, John Hurt, Skip James, Muddy Waters and other legends.

THE YARDBIRDS: The Yardbirds: Ultimate! (Rhino)

This logged more time on my CD changer than anything in 2001--and if it hadn't only been two CDs' worth, it would've gotten even more play. The most adventurous band of the '60s, especially during Jeff Beck's stint as lead guitarist. This is the best CD package available so far.

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: self-titled 6-CD box (Fantasy)

The label heads avoided any "glaring omissions" complaints by wisely serving up everything CCR ever released and then some. Fogerty & Co.'s track record for hits and filler-free albums is amazing (especially 1970's Cosmo's Factory), and Disc 1 offers a revealing document of the hard work that preceded their reign and the evolution of John Fogerty's maturing musical identity.

GEORGE HARRISON: All Things Must Pass (GN Records/Capitol)

What a beautiful human being he was. Rest in peace.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Jennifer Warnes' The Well (Music Force/One Leaf); 1st Annual Sacred Steel Convention (Arhoolie); Dolly Parton's Little Sparrow (Sugar Hill); Kenny Burrell's Luck So & So (Concord); Rosie Flores' Speed of Sound (Eminence); Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys' Happy Town (Rounder); Ike Turner's Here and Now (Ikon); Hank Garland's Move! (Euphoria Jazz); The Blind Boys of Alabama's Spirit of the Century (Realworld)--and, oh yeah, there was that great Love & Theft CD by whatshisname.


ERIC STEINER

Here are my votes for the top five CDs of 2001. They don't include my favorite blues releases as I've stashed those over at this month's Cosmik Blues column, or my top five reads, over at Everything Else in Review. Here ya go, in no particular order, drum roll, please...

JENN ADAMS: In the Pool (White Boxer)

I've discovered a gem in the Montana hills. She's Jenn Adams, and her 2001 release, In the Pool, contains some of my favorite folk rock that brings me back to Midwestern folksinger Bonnie Koloc and her 90's colleagues Paula Cole or Sarah McLaughlan. The soft picking of "Speed of Light" and the lilting "Joliet" showcase Adams' talented acoustic guitar, and "Leave the Light On" mixes a jazzy trumpet with Jenn's sultry vocals. I had thought that I didn't need another version of "All Along the Watchtower" but Jenn's duet with Geffen recording artist Malcolm Holcombe convinced me otherwise. In addition to some fine acoustic-driven folk, Jenn also works with a full band on "Not Tonight," buoyed by Steve Conn's B-3 and Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson's harmonica. Unfortunately, In the Pool may be hard to find, but the search will repay the journey many, many times over. Check out www.jennadams.com.

DAVID ANDREWS: Get Me Out of This Place (Padre)

Each time I play David Andrews' Get Me Out of This Place, I discover something new. For me, that's the hallmark of a great singer-songwriter, and one of the thresholds it takes to land in my top five CDs of 2001: someone who can help me look at life with a new perspective. Over the years, the songwriting of artists like Steve Goodman, Greg Brown, Tim Finn or James McMurtry have hit me much in the same way. David Andrews' music is that rare mix of Americana, folk, and rock that have launched the careers of Jackson Browne and younger ascendant artists like Pete Yorn, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams, among many others. With Get Me Out of This Place, I would add Dave Andrews to this constellation of talented original artists that help refine the singer-songwriter's art. Listen to the title cut, "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" or two of the songs available as MP3s at www.davidandrewsband.com: "I Believe" and "Runnin' Away Again," and I hope you'll understand why I think David Andrews is one of my top fives for 2001.

STEVEN HALPERN: Chakra Suite (Inner Peace)

In addition to discovering the music of the guitarists' guitarist, Ronnie Earl, in 2001, I've found a remarkable artist that's been making music for more than 20 years primarily for the often-mislabeled New Age market. He's released over 60 recordings via his Inner Peace or Soundwave labels, and has explored the healing properties of sound and music in his workshops, writing, and research. Chakra Suite updates his landmark 1970's release, Spectrum Suite, which follows ancient beliefs that the body has seven energy centers that respond to specific sounds produced at a specific frequency. While I can't define New Age, or pinpoint which Chakra Steve's hitting, I enjoy the way Halpern's tones wrap me in a sense of contentment and peace. No wonder his airy and peaceful music has been a long-time bestseller to hospitals, massage salons and the entire self-improvement arena. Chakra Suite contains the original Spectrum Suite plus ten additional pieces that are perfect for introspection and relaxation. Dr. Halpern has a rock and roll side, with his Sound Medicine Band, too, and I'll get to that one next month. In the meantime, check out how he makes sound float at www.innerpeacemusic.com.

OVER THE RHINE: Films for Radio (Backporch/Virgin)

Cincinnati's Over the Rhine is an overnight success story more than ten years in the making. I'm glad that they've finally inked a record deal with Backporch, Virgin's Americana imprint. For me, Linford's lilting piano on "Little Blue River" has redefined Americana, and Karin's sultry brooding on "The World Can Wait" brings me back to Marianne Faithfull. Jack Henderson's guitar soars on "Moth" and I'm glad that they've brought this long-time OTR song to a wider audience, not only on Films for Radio but in their MP3 Attic, online. A truly inspired recording by one of America's most innovative bands: Over The Rhine writes literate and thoughtful music that makes you think. Since discovering them a few years ago as openers for the Cowboy Junkies (and enjoying Karin Berquist and Linford Detweiler's stints as guest Junkies live a couple of times), I go out of my way to find out what's new from Over the Rhine, including Linford's solo work. Go Over The Rhine at www.overtherhine.com.

PETE YORN: Musicforthemorningafter (Columbia/Sony)

Like David Andrews and Jenn Adams, Pete Yorn has brightened my year with a singer-songwriter's record that's consistently insightful, new, and well, a fast-reverse throwback to the Power Pop days of the late 70's and early 80's. Musicforthemorningafter is much more than a great pop record though: it showcases an emerging talent with true singer-songwriter gifts. Yorn plays drums, bass, and guitars on this record, and I'm hoping that "For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)" or the wistful "Strange Condition" gets him noticed. Judged by the press coverage Pete's gotten over his first Columbia/Sony release, it's got to. While this polished CD is great, I'm glad that Pete's debut in Austin at La Zona Rosa for SXSW last year is archived online at peteyorn.com, in addition to links to live versions of the CD's breakthrough cut, "Life on a Chain."

There you have 'em, my top five CDs from the broader music community. Please check out my top five blues CDs over at this month's Cosmik Blues, my own little chunk of Cosmik Debris.


SHAUN DALE

Aargh! It happens every year. I get my top five all figured out, then I take one more look through the archives and figure it out all over again. There are a bunch more that might have made the cut, but the deadline looms, and right now, this is the best stuff I heard in 2001, in no particular order.

EYES OF PANDORA: Self-titled (self released)

Anchored by vocalist Susan Tojo and guitarist/composer Robert Gueits, Eyes Of Pandora's self-titled, self-released debut mixes psychedelia, pop and anthem rock with undiluted passion and stellar chops. Produced by Eric Alexandrakis, these Floridians were one of my earliest candidates for this list and they stayed on it till the end. www.eyesofpandora.com

FREELOADER: Custom/10 (self released)

Alternative distribution and digital technology are making self-released albums easier to make and easier to find than ever, and as a result some of the best music out there is coming straight from the source. Led by Scott Sinclair, a transplant from Texas to New York City, Freeloader was as good as Americana got in 2001. Smart, literate lyrics laid over creative country rock melodies, this one gets played over and over at my house.

CONTINENTAL DRIFTERS: Better Day (Razor & Tie)

Yeah, even bands with a label can make my list. This collection of refugees from Dream Syndicate, The Cowsills, The Bangles, The dBs, REM and the Bluerunners has years of major label experience between them, but it was an indie that rounded them up for one of the year's best. While a pop album full of songs inspired by the marital strife of two prominent members isn't exactly a new idea, it has been the source of great music in the past, and it turns out to be good for at least one more turn.

PORTERHOUSE QUINTET: Thumbs Up, Little Buddy (Lauan Records)

Just the best funk release of the century so far, that's all.

THE BIG WU: 3/13/98 (Bivco Records)

OK, so the music was made long before 2001. But it took The Big Wu that long to get this triple disc live set out after their label collapsed and they revived their own Bivco imprint. If you haven't heard them, this is the one that will prove that in a crowded field, The Big Wu are nothing less than the best damn jam band in the land. www.thebigwu.com


BILL HOLMES

IAN HUNTER: Rant (Fuel 2000)

"Now I know what ageism means - you gotta try a little harder," sings sixty-one year old Ian Hunter, who might just have released the best album of his career. The opening track "Still Love Rock And Roll" is a rocker of anthem-like proportions, weaned from the soul of Mott The Hoople's "All The Way From Memphis." And much like the title implies, Hunter pulls no punches with his lyrics. He tears into England's demise with "Ripoff" and "Death Of A Nation," while "Morons" and "Wash Us Away" are eerily appropriate after the attack on America. Yet Hunter is still vulnerable enough to knock out excellent love songs like "Knees Of My Heart" and "No One" that can stand alongside the classic "Irene Wilde." The band is tight, the singer is inspired, and the result is the best record of 2001.

THE MONTGOMERY CLIFFS: Self-titled (RPM)

The eponymous title of the new record signals a return to straight ahead three-piece rock and roll, and is the big step forward that fans and critics hoped they had in them. Lyrical gems like "Joking," "B-Side" and "Collagen Lips" escalate bassist/vocalist Joey Salvia to first-rate songwriter; his efforts maximized with Myracle Brah and Love Nut honcho Andy Bopp once again behind the knobs. This twelve-pack of pop springs from the seeds of The Who ("Only") and The Smithereens ("Wednesday Girl") - coincidentally the combination of bands that best describes the band's dynamic presence onstage. Roll the car windows down for "She Said" and "Bad Karma" before rockers "Ambivalent" and "Gary Numan" blow the glass out for you. Long Island's Cliffs - Salvia, drummer Dennis Carollo and guitarist Wayne Thomas Kurz - are quite simply, the best band no one knows about. You have been warned, or tipped off, or both.

YOU AM I: Dress Me Slowly (BMG)

Tim Rogers writes great songs, sings them with passion and the band is as versatile as they are powerful. But after four critically acclaimed yet airwave-ignored releases, it's not hard to see why Rogers' lyrics about frustration flow so easily. Add the great melodies, and the creative touches to the sonic palate - horns in "Weeds," strings in "Sugar" - and the result makes Dress Me Slowly the apex of You Am I's career. So far, that is. Occasionally sounding like Velvet Crush slumming with y'alternative bands ("Bring Some Sun Back," "Gone Gone Gone"), songs like "Weeds" and "Beautiful Girl" (love those counterpoint vocals) prove that they could give Whiskeytown or Uncle Tupelo a run for its money if they chose to. But it's on the rocking "Get Up," "Kick A Hole In The Sky" and "End Of The Line" where they really shine, Big Star/Posies pop sense with a much harder wallop. Not "power pop" per se, but powerful pop. Kickoff tune "Judge Roy" would be the perfect track for American radio to jump all over and finally break the band; it's Byrds-meets-Replacements sound, a killer combination.

THE DICTATORS: DFFD (Norton)

The Dictators asking "Who Will Save Rock And Roll?" is the textbook definition of a rhetorical question. Arguably, the band never officially broke up, playing reunion gigs, remaining friends and four of them even surfacing a decade ago as Manitoba's Wild Kingdom. But you've got to think that these New Yawk originals - yes, they predated The Ramones - finally got tired of watching music circle the drain and decided to do something about it. Andy Shernoff hasn't lost his touch, still able to write melodic hard rock gems (with tongue often planted firmly in cheek), Scott Kempner and Ross The Boss still rule on guitars, and Handsome Dick Manitoba has minimized the clown act to become a ferocious front man. Thunderbolt Patterson is the best drummer they have ever had and helps this record explode from the speakers. Four tracks were available as singles (and "What's Up With That?" on the Boys Don't Cry soundtrack), but overall this is a cohesive statement that ranks with their best work. Faux hard rock bands have been officially notified to shit their pants in fear - The Dictators are back!

SPLITSVILLE: The Complete Pet Soul (Airmail)

This record is an expanded version of their brilliant three-song Pet Soul EP (1997), where their homage to the Beatles and Brian Wilson transcended the word "tribute." In the past four years, the pop trio has regenerated their Greenbury Woods roots, mastered the studio rat lifestyle and gone outside the band chalklines (most notably Paul Krysiak with Myracle Brah) to expand their horizons. Frankly, it's stunning how much they have progressed in five years, yet their seamless integration of new material with old shows just how good the original EP was. New songs "Aliceanna," "Tuesday Through Saturday" and "Forever" are standouts. As a bonus, their brilliant cover of "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" is resurrected from the out-of-print Burt Bacharach tribute. Must they break big in Japan or Spain before their home country gets a clue?

There are too many other good records from 2001 to list here (visit my website after January 20th for the complete Best Of 2001 Report), but I will tell you that the best tribute record was Give The People What They Want - The Songs Of The Kinks (Sub Pop), the best live record was Dan Baird's Redneck Savant, the best concert was Glenn Tilbrook's solo performance in November, and the biggest disappointment was the new Knack record (after they enlisted Terry Bozzio in 1999 for Zoom and got my hopes up). And the best movie wasn't even close - Memento is the most brilliant, mind-bending film of the year; I haven't been urged to discuss a movie this much since David Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner. Rent or buy it, because you'll immediately need to play it a second and third time in one sitting. Now...on to 2002!


JOHN SEKERKA

ASS PONYS: Lohio (Checkered Past)

Remember when a new R.E.M. record mattered? This is close. An album full of glorious jangly singles, one right after another. The air guitar record of the year.

SADIES: Tremendous Efforts (Bloodshot)

Forget the Hip, this is Canada's rock band. The Junior Good brothers do more with stringed instruments than anyone on the planet. The spaghetti-surf-country- blues-rock record of the year.

PRIMA DONNAS: Drugs Sex & Discotheques (Peek-A-Boo)

Crazy Brits transplant to Texas and deliver a thrilling new wave synth record without all them tiring techno beats. You will dance, you will sweat, and you will scream. The guilty pleasure record of the year.

NICK LOWE: The Convincer (Yep Roc)

The master of the understated croon delivers a timeless masterpiece. Borrows from Scott Walker, Burt Bacharach and Johnny Cash, to create a relaxed pop record with just enough country and soul to keep everyone happy. The light dimming, after hours record of the year.

R.L. BURNSIDE: Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down (Fat Possum)

R.L. slips back into creepy blues, without sacrificing his new found slinky beats. Hauntingly inviting, or invitingly haunting - you decide. The rocking chair on the back porch pass the hooch album of the year.

other unmentionables which i will secretly mention:
LOS STRAITJACKETS: Sing Along With... (Cavalcade)
STONE COYOTES: Born To Howl (Red Cat)
MARK LANEGAN: Field Songs (Sub Pop)
GRANT LEE PHILLIPS: Mobilize (Zoe)
TAV FALCO: Pantherphobia (In the Red)


That wraps it up for 2001. We'll be back in January, 2003, with our top five picks of music that, for the most part, hasn't been released yet. See you then!


(C) 2002 - Cosmik Debris Magazine