Millenium Project: Day Five (Albums 60-51)
60. Surferosa - Shanghai My Heart (2004)
This band is like the Sounds with a more psycho lead singer. I love the strangeness of this album. Just a scan at the track names (German Socks, Digital Audio Work Station, Unit [Supply Of 11 Roses]), and you realize that this isn’t going to be your typical pop record. It is consistently energetic and catchy, though, and the trio of singles (Lucky Lipstick, Neon Commando & Saturday Night) are flawless. Funniest of all is Canuba Toystore, which opens with the utterly ridiculous shrill scream of “Toys!!!!!” over and over again for no apparent reason.
Surferosa - Saturday Night
59. The Rasmus - Dead Letters (2003)
A mix of goth-pop, Bon Jovi style power-rock and a unique voice, the Rasmus hit it out of the park with this album. Each song has been thoroughly filled with hooks as to get stuck in the collective consciousness of listeners from Finland to the US. Hit single In The Shadows starts things off, but that’s not even the highlight. F-F-F-Falling is one of the best teen-angst songs ever written.
The Rasmus - F-F-F-Falling
58. No Doubt - Rock Steady (2001)
Taking inspiration from the 80’s has turned out to be a good move for No Doubt and Gwen. The band’s always been about making upbeat, fun music, and Rock Steady was kind of a return to form after the somewhat melancholy Return Of Saturn. Rock Steady is a consistent party record and even the slower songs (the gorgeous Underneath It All, Waiting Room, Running) have a good vibe to them. And, even more impressive, there’s not a bad track on here. (Although we used to make fun of Start The Fire -- like they were planning a mass sacrificial burning or something)
No Doubt - Detective
57. Roxette - Room Service (2003)
Marie and Per are gods. It’s really as simple as that. This is the only Roxette album released in the 2000’s and, although it’s not their best work, it’s still a great listen. When you put on a Roxette cd, you know you’re in for a good time. Room Service has some of their greatest uptempo work (The Centre Of The Heart, Jefferson, Fool) and some fantastic ballads as well (Milk And Toast And Honey, Bringing Me Down To My Knees).
Roxette - Jefferson
56. Keane - Hopes & Fears (2004)
Normally I’m not a fan of this slow, melancholy, Coldplay-ish music. But, Keane manage to make it a bit theatrical, and they’re lucky to possess a lead singer with one of the greatest voices out there right now. There’s something addictive about the melodies on this album. Everything is so simple, yet it stays with you. This Is The Last Time is a masterpiece of its genre and will probably be the best song Keane ever write.
Keane - This Is The Last Time
55. Darren Hayes - The Tension And The Spark (2004)
Darren followed up Spin with an incredibly different record. More dense and challenging than his past work, it took a few listens for me to be hooked. There are poppier moments (Pop!ular, Love And Attraction) but then there are broodier moments as well (the slow build of Darkness, Unlovable, Ego). The best tracks on here are the more avant-garde uptempo pop (I Forgive You, Hero, I Like The Way).
Darren Hayes - Hero
54. Britney Spears - Britney (2001)
Here it is… Britney’s only good album. I’m usually not a fan of this overly manufactured music (unless it is manufactured by the band/singer themselves and not manufactured for them), but it works on this album. Every song (other than the dire I Love Rock And Roll) is an absolute pop gem. Lonely, What It’s Like To Be Me, Anticipating and That’s Where You Take Me are all way higher quality than Britney’s ever reached before, and Slave 4 U is purely irresistible, no matter what your taste in music.
Britney Spears - Anticipating
53. Antony And The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now (2005)
I honestly wept the first time that I heard this album. A singer’s voice (and the honesty, pain and humanity conveyed through it) has never affected me that way before. I Am A Bird Now is not the type of album I usually seek out, but the songs are so powerful that they practically sought me out. Hope There’s Someone, For Today I Am A Boy and You Are My Sister all give me absolute chills. It is unlike any other album I’ve ever heard.
Antony & The Johnsons - Hope There’s Someone
52. Pink - Can’t Take Me Home (2000)
Despite what some people would say, Pink has never had any more personality than she had on her debut album. Sticking firmly to slick r&b/pop, Pink manages to humanize the glossy genre and add much needed humor. From her downright brilliant first single There You Go to its equally great follow-up Most Girls (complete with faux-operatic background vocals), the album never lets up. Stop Falling may remain Pink’s best ballad ever, while Can’t Take Me Home, Hell Wit Ya, and Hiccup are all funny, catchy dance tracks.
Pink - There You Go
51. The Callahan - Hardpop (2005)
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant was the Callahan’s debut single, Melody That Counts. In fact, nothing else on the album can compete, but there is still plenty here. Server X and Baby I Miss You rekindle a bit of Melody’s glory, while Dirty Little Angel is a gorgeous glam-ballad. The funniest bit of this album appears as a bonus track, with the band (all siblings) singing the Callahan song. Apparently there is one that they’ve made up, and it has a lot of dramatic, almost monk-like vocals.
The Callahan - Melody That Counts
(Music is for evaluation purposes only. Buy these fabulous albums here, except you need to get the Callahan album here.)
60. Surferosa - Shanghai My Heart (2004)
This band is like the Sounds with a more psycho lead singer. I love the strangeness of this album. Just a scan at the track names (German Socks, Digital Audio Work Station, Unit [Supply Of 11 Roses]), and you realize that this isn’t going to be your typical pop record. It is consistently energetic and catchy, though, and the trio of singles (Lucky Lipstick, Neon Commando & Saturday Night) are flawless. Funniest of all is Canuba Toystore, which opens with the utterly ridiculous shrill scream of “Toys!!!!!” over and over again for no apparent reason.
Surferosa - Saturday Night
59. The Rasmus - Dead Letters (2003)
A mix of goth-pop, Bon Jovi style power-rock and a unique voice, the Rasmus hit it out of the park with this album. Each song has been thoroughly filled with hooks as to get stuck in the collective consciousness of listeners from Finland to the US. Hit single In The Shadows starts things off, but that’s not even the highlight. F-F-F-Falling is one of the best teen-angst songs ever written.
The Rasmus - F-F-F-Falling
58. No Doubt - Rock Steady (2001)
Taking inspiration from the 80’s has turned out to be a good move for No Doubt and Gwen. The band’s always been about making upbeat, fun music, and Rock Steady was kind of a return to form after the somewhat melancholy Return Of Saturn. Rock Steady is a consistent party record and even the slower songs (the gorgeous Underneath It All, Waiting Room, Running) have a good vibe to them. And, even more impressive, there’s not a bad track on here. (Although we used to make fun of Start The Fire -- like they were planning a mass sacrificial burning or something)
No Doubt - Detective
57. Roxette - Room Service (2003)
Marie and Per are gods. It’s really as simple as that. This is the only Roxette album released in the 2000’s and, although it’s not their best work, it’s still a great listen. When you put on a Roxette cd, you know you’re in for a good time. Room Service has some of their greatest uptempo work (The Centre Of The Heart, Jefferson, Fool) and some fantastic ballads as well (Milk And Toast And Honey, Bringing Me Down To My Knees).
Roxette - Jefferson
56. Keane - Hopes & Fears (2004)
Normally I’m not a fan of this slow, melancholy, Coldplay-ish music. But, Keane manage to make it a bit theatrical, and they’re lucky to possess a lead singer with one of the greatest voices out there right now. There’s something addictive about the melodies on this album. Everything is so simple, yet it stays with you. This Is The Last Time is a masterpiece of its genre and will probably be the best song Keane ever write.
Keane - This Is The Last Time
55. Darren Hayes - The Tension And The Spark (2004)
Darren followed up Spin with an incredibly different record. More dense and challenging than his past work, it took a few listens for me to be hooked. There are poppier moments (Pop!ular, Love And Attraction) but then there are broodier moments as well (the slow build of Darkness, Unlovable, Ego). The best tracks on here are the more avant-garde uptempo pop (I Forgive You, Hero, I Like The Way).
Darren Hayes - Hero
54. Britney Spears - Britney (2001)
Here it is… Britney’s only good album. I’m usually not a fan of this overly manufactured music (unless it is manufactured by the band/singer themselves and not manufactured for them), but it works on this album. Every song (other than the dire I Love Rock And Roll) is an absolute pop gem. Lonely, What It’s Like To Be Me, Anticipating and That’s Where You Take Me are all way higher quality than Britney’s ever reached before, and Slave 4 U is purely irresistible, no matter what your taste in music.
Britney Spears - Anticipating
53. Antony And The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now (2005)
I honestly wept the first time that I heard this album. A singer’s voice (and the honesty, pain and humanity conveyed through it) has never affected me that way before. I Am A Bird Now is not the type of album I usually seek out, but the songs are so powerful that they practically sought me out. Hope There’s Someone, For Today I Am A Boy and You Are My Sister all give me absolute chills. It is unlike any other album I’ve ever heard.
Antony & The Johnsons - Hope There’s Someone
52. Pink - Can’t Take Me Home (2000)
Despite what some people would say, Pink has never had any more personality than she had on her debut album. Sticking firmly to slick r&b/pop, Pink manages to humanize the glossy genre and add much needed humor. From her downright brilliant first single There You Go to its equally great follow-up Most Girls (complete with faux-operatic background vocals), the album never lets up. Stop Falling may remain Pink’s best ballad ever, while Can’t Take Me Home, Hell Wit Ya, and Hiccup are all funny, catchy dance tracks.
Pink - There You Go
51. The Callahan - Hardpop (2005)
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant was the Callahan’s debut single, Melody That Counts. In fact, nothing else on the album can compete, but there is still plenty here. Server X and Baby I Miss You rekindle a bit of Melody’s glory, while Dirty Little Angel is a gorgeous glam-ballad. The funniest bit of this album appears as a bonus track, with the band (all siblings) singing the Callahan song. Apparently there is one that they’ve made up, and it has a lot of dramatic, almost monk-like vocals.
The Callahan - Melody That Counts
(Music is for evaluation purposes only. Buy these fabulous albums here, except you need to get the Callahan album here.)
posted by Nick at 3:04 PM
4 Comments:
Thank you so much for this project; I have so much to catch up on in music history that this is pretty much invaluable.
Love "Kelly," by the way.
I agree with what you said about Pink, and the genre fit her personality better as well. So it was a marriage made in heaven.
Glad you're enjoying it! it's so hard to try to put all these fantastic albums in order. I keep changing things around and could probably do that forever!!
oh my =) where are you from? I just guess you're not swedish and I'm just wondering how you found the callahan.. love the band, have seen them live a couple of times, really good.. I've met them too and they're so nice and their music is just great =)
Post a Comment
<< Home