Millenium Project: Day Four (Albums 70-61)
70. Darren Hayes - Spin (2002)
I was devastated by the demise of Savage Garden. Their debut album was the first cd I had ever bought, and I adored the band. Luckily, Darren continued on as a solo artist (though none of his stuff matches the brilliance of SG). This is a nearly flawless pop album. Some songs already sound a bit dated, but the more SG-ish tracks (Strange Relationship, Good Enough, Spin) are freaking great.
Darren Hayes - Strange Relationship
69. No Doubt - Return To Saturn (2000)
Tragic Kingdom was such a complete masterpiece that it was impossible to follow it up. So, naturally this album loses some of its glamour when such a huge shadow is cast over it. But, it is a fantastic album in its own right. The singles (Ex-Girlfriend, Simple Kind Of Life, New, Bathwater) are all flawless No Doubt, as are some of the album tracks (Six Feet Under, Artificial Sweetener, Comforting Lie). In fact, I’ve found that this album becomes better with age.
No Doubt - Simple Kind Of Life
68. Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby (2004)
Right in front of No Doubt’s album is the solo release from Mrs. Stefani. Before certain songs were played to death (um…Hollaback Girl), I tended to like this album even more than I do now. I tend to appreciate the straight 80’s pop sounding tracks (Danger Zone, Cool, Crash) more than the faux-urban ones (Hollaback Girl, Rich Girl, & the retched Luxurious). It’s a shame she didn’t have enough bravery to go the non-urban route, as the best songs on the album are the unreleased ones.
Gwen Stefani - Danger Zone
67. Hedley -Hedley (2005)
I hate what passes for punk rock today. Most of it is a bunch of glossy whining. So, this album is a bit of an exception to the rule. The lead singer (Jacob Hoggard) was a contestant on Canadian Idol, and he was easily one of the top three contestants on any form of Idol I’ve seen. That would have been enough, but Hoggard took his band and released one corker of an album. Book ended by two amazing rock tracks (Villain & I Don’t Believe It), this is a great debut.
Hedley - Villain
66. Shakira - Laundry Service (2001)
Shakira descended on the international public like a crazy gypsy with this album. It contains some true classics (Underneath Your Clothes, Wherever, Whenever, The One) as well as some stunning pop/rock (Ready For The Good Times, Rules). I still can’t figure out why it’s called Laundry Service, but whatever. It’s a strange album, so the strange title fits it.
Shakira - Underneath Your Clothes
65. The Darkness - Permission To Land (2003)
Fueled by the massive I Believe In A Thing Called Love, Permission To Land can sometimes be uneven, but is always so damn energetic that any missteps are forgivable. I’ve always loved bombast and drama in rock, and that’s definitely in no short supply with the Darkness. Highlights are mostly non-singles, like the catchy Friday Night and the closing ballad Holding My Own.
The Darkness - Friday Night
64. HIM - Razorblade Romance (2003)
I’m not normally a fan of Goth music. I find it all to be a bit silly, honestly. But, this album is such a skillful pop album (no matter what the genre is). There’s a lot of theatricality, romance and drama in the songs, and the album is incredibly consistent. The highlight comes right away with the opening trilogy of Your Sweet Six Six Six, Poison Girl, and Join Me In Death (gotta love those titles, right?). Also worth noting is the band’s triumphant cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Games.
HIM - Your Sweet Six Six Six
63. Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour (2004)
Perhaps one of the most beautiful albums ever, just listening to this cd will put you in a better mood. The songwriting, harmonies, vocals, everything just drips with blessed out gorgeous poppiness. Best are the singles (Long Time Coming, Nearer Than Heaven, Hey Girl), which already sound like long lost classics. Also check out Stay Where You Are, which seems to me to be a hint of things to come with this band…
Delays - Long Time Coming
62. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (2004)
This album was definitely a breath of fresh air at the time and I can’t believe that they actually gained success in the States as well as Europe. I didn’t think we had it in us! Their first album will probably always be their best, unless they decide to go a different route with their third. Take Me Out and Michael are freaking awesome songs, as is Auf Aucshe with its gentle disco keyboard swoops.
Franz Ferdinand - Michael
61. The Similou - So Hot Right Now (2005)
I’m proud to say that I was singing along to All This Love during the spring of 2005, a full year before it was discovered by English and American audiences. It is simply one of the greatest pop songs of the decade, perhaps ever, and I’m so glad to see it becoming successful (finally). The rest of the album does pale in comparison (how could it not?), but it’s still great. Ladykillers is a great follow-up to All This Love, and the sheer amount of retro keytar sounds is bound to delight.
The Similou - All This Love
(Music is for evaluation purposes only. Buy these fabulous albums here.)
70. Darren Hayes - Spin (2002)
I was devastated by the demise of Savage Garden. Their debut album was the first cd I had ever bought, and I adored the band. Luckily, Darren continued on as a solo artist (though none of his stuff matches the brilliance of SG). This is a nearly flawless pop album. Some songs already sound a bit dated, but the more SG-ish tracks (Strange Relationship, Good Enough, Spin) are freaking great.
Darren Hayes - Strange Relationship
69. No Doubt - Return To Saturn (2000)
Tragic Kingdom was such a complete masterpiece that it was impossible to follow it up. So, naturally this album loses some of its glamour when such a huge shadow is cast over it. But, it is a fantastic album in its own right. The singles (Ex-Girlfriend, Simple Kind Of Life, New, Bathwater) are all flawless No Doubt, as are some of the album tracks (Six Feet Under, Artificial Sweetener, Comforting Lie). In fact, I’ve found that this album becomes better with age.
No Doubt - Simple Kind Of Life
68. Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby (2004)
Right in front of No Doubt’s album is the solo release from Mrs. Stefani. Before certain songs were played to death (um…Hollaback Girl), I tended to like this album even more than I do now. I tend to appreciate the straight 80’s pop sounding tracks (Danger Zone, Cool, Crash) more than the faux-urban ones (Hollaback Girl, Rich Girl, & the retched Luxurious). It’s a shame she didn’t have enough bravery to go the non-urban route, as the best songs on the album are the unreleased ones.
Gwen Stefani - Danger Zone
67. Hedley -Hedley (2005)
I hate what passes for punk rock today. Most of it is a bunch of glossy whining. So, this album is a bit of an exception to the rule. The lead singer (Jacob Hoggard) was a contestant on Canadian Idol, and he was easily one of the top three contestants on any form of Idol I’ve seen. That would have been enough, but Hoggard took his band and released one corker of an album. Book ended by two amazing rock tracks (Villain & I Don’t Believe It), this is a great debut.
Hedley - Villain
66. Shakira - Laundry Service (2001)
Shakira descended on the international public like a crazy gypsy with this album. It contains some true classics (Underneath Your Clothes, Wherever, Whenever, The One) as well as some stunning pop/rock (Ready For The Good Times, Rules). I still can’t figure out why it’s called Laundry Service, but whatever. It’s a strange album, so the strange title fits it.
Shakira - Underneath Your Clothes
65. The Darkness - Permission To Land (2003)
Fueled by the massive I Believe In A Thing Called Love, Permission To Land can sometimes be uneven, but is always so damn energetic that any missteps are forgivable. I’ve always loved bombast and drama in rock, and that’s definitely in no short supply with the Darkness. Highlights are mostly non-singles, like the catchy Friday Night and the closing ballad Holding My Own.
The Darkness - Friday Night
64. HIM - Razorblade Romance (2003)
I’m not normally a fan of Goth music. I find it all to be a bit silly, honestly. But, this album is such a skillful pop album (no matter what the genre is). There’s a lot of theatricality, romance and drama in the songs, and the album is incredibly consistent. The highlight comes right away with the opening trilogy of Your Sweet Six Six Six, Poison Girl, and Join Me In Death (gotta love those titles, right?). Also worth noting is the band’s triumphant cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Games.
HIM - Your Sweet Six Six Six
63. Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour (2004)
Perhaps one of the most beautiful albums ever, just listening to this cd will put you in a better mood. The songwriting, harmonies, vocals, everything just drips with blessed out gorgeous poppiness. Best are the singles (Long Time Coming, Nearer Than Heaven, Hey Girl), which already sound like long lost classics. Also check out Stay Where You Are, which seems to me to be a hint of things to come with this band…
Delays - Long Time Coming
62. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (2004)
This album was definitely a breath of fresh air at the time and I can’t believe that they actually gained success in the States as well as Europe. I didn’t think we had it in us! Their first album will probably always be their best, unless they decide to go a different route with their third. Take Me Out and Michael are freaking awesome songs, as is Auf Aucshe with its gentle disco keyboard swoops.
Franz Ferdinand - Michael
61. The Similou - So Hot Right Now (2005)
I’m proud to say that I was singing along to All This Love during the spring of 2005, a full year before it was discovered by English and American audiences. It is simply one of the greatest pop songs of the decade, perhaps ever, and I’m so glad to see it becoming successful (finally). The rest of the album does pale in comparison (how could it not?), but it’s still great. Ladykillers is a great follow-up to All This Love, and the sheer amount of retro keytar sounds is bound to delight.
The Similou - All This Love
(Music is for evaluation purposes only. Buy these fabulous albums here.)
posted by Nick at 6:06 PM
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