ILM Top 100 2000-2004: ALBUMS

Points: 218
No. of votes: 11
No. of #1 votes: 0

Artist: SONIC YOUTH
Title: SONIC NURSE
Label: Geffen
Year: 2004

ihttp://base58.com/ilx/ilm/top100/20002004/albums/sonicnurse.jpg

Comments: ...this thing's so BIG and the guitar's so FLUID and lovely and Thurston's lost a little of his more obnoxious hippy tendencies and Kim's following up on "Sympathy for the Strawberry" w/an even better version of allowing BEAUTY into her voice and songs w/"I Love You Golden Blue" and Steve's caught a dose of FUNK or something (that impression got pretty confirmed live in Ak, I've never found myself unable to refrain from semidancing at an Sy show before), this is just so so good. ONE LISTEN IN, however. Still, for a record a lot of people have called a "grower" (here at least, like I read anyone elses' reviews anyway), that's NOT A BAD THING. Hoohah. Andrew Thames

Points: 221
No. of votes: 16
No. of #1 votes: 1

Artist: SPOON
Title: KILL THE MOONLIGHT
Label: 12xu
Year: 2002

http://base58.com/ilx/ilm/top100/20002004/albums/killthemoonlight.jpg

Comments: Spoon is one of my favourite bands from the last few years. The band manages to merge (no pun intended) melodic pop with a spare rhythmic sensibility. Britt Danie's voice is a great rock 'n' roll instrument ? expressive and affecting. I don't find him whiny at all. The band used to wear its influences too plainly on its collective sleeves, borrowing from Wire and the Pixies on its earlier albums, but Spoon has sublimated these touchstones with its last two albums. Bruce Urquhart

Recommended tracks: The Way We Get, You Gotta Feel It

So far? Emma Bunton.

So far? Emma Bunton.

Ha ha.

"What's the difference between us guys and Pitchfork? The odd Emma Bunton track"

(joke)

i am kicking myself for not participating in the voting. how american is that???

This was jess complaining that Low and The Microphones didn't come higher.

Points: 227
No. of votes: 10
No. of #1 votes: 2

Artist: SHELLAC
Title: 1000 HURTS
Label: Touch & Go
Year: 2003

http://base58.com/ilx/ilm/top100/20002004/albums/1000hurts.jpg

Comments: A return to form after the disappointing 'Terraform'. Shellac experiment with other things here (there's a slightly confused jazz fusion part in 'Canaveral'), but ultimately don't deviate too much from the sound that people expect. It's very possibly their funniest album too - who could listen to 'Squirrel Song', and after hearing "And there were squirrels...real squirrels... and there were thousands... this ain't some kind of metaphor, this is real..." not wonder exactly what kind of event was behind it? Essential for all the non-rockist rockists out there. aldo cowpat

Recommended tracks: Squirrel Song, A Prayer To God, Watch Song

Points: 227
No. of votes: 11
No. of #1 votes: 1

Artist: GORKY'S ZYGOTIC MYNCI
Title: HOW I LONG TO FEEL THAT SUMMER IN MY HEART
Label: Mantra
Year: 2001

http://base58.com/ilx/ilm/top100/20002004/albums/howilongtofeel.jpg

Comments: Most of us have artists we love, and rant about, but secretly know aren't for everyone. It's all very well banging on about how terminally underrated Crispy Ambulance or whatever are, but if you live in the real world you know it will ever be thus.

BUT THEN THERE ARE THE RECORDS THAT YOU KNOW EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WOULD LOVE IF THEY'D ONLY BLOODY LISTEN.

That name, that awful underachiever's name, that's the only thing I can think of that has thwarted Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. That and maybe hearing some teenage stuff of theirs that well, isn't for everyone. On 'How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart' they shot their load.
They pissed gold. They made a perfect album. No wizards, no Welsh
language and no wacky rock outs (not that all three can't be great, but you know - they *tried* to accommodate). Just wave after wave of
classic, elegiac love songs. This isn't about some stupid indie ghetto 'perfect 60s pop' malarky - these songs live and breathe in the real world. I keep imagining Euros Childs or John Lawrence just banging their heads against a wall and screaming "Well what else can we do?"

So err yeah, basically, you are all stupid scum and deserve to die.
Alba

Recommended tracks: Honeymoon With You, These Winds..., Her Hair Hangs Long

Points: 245
No. of votes: 12
No. of #1 votes: 1

Artist: THE FALL
Title: THE REAL NEW FALL LP
Label: Action
Year: 2003

http://base58.com/ilx/ilm/top100/20002004/albums/therealnewfall.jpg

Comments: their best for 10 maybe 17/18 years - you know it's good when (a) the cover version is the weakest song and (b) they can use it as the basis for their current live set and we don't really mind at all... fletcher dexter

Recommended tracks: Contraflow, Open The Boxoctosis #2, Protein Protection

Points: 252
No. of votes: 11
No. of #1 votes: 1

Artist: GHOSTFACE (KILLAH)
Title: THE PRETTY TONEY ALBUM
Label: Def Jam
Year: 2004

http://base58.com/ilx/ilm/top100/20002004/albums/prettytoney.jpg

Comments: If you told me 10 years ago that Ghost would be the only real Wu-survivor still puttin out quality product I would've thought you were crazy but here we are... he's really the only one consistently putting out good shit, the one who's done the most to stay "true to the game" so to speak. I thought BW was okay (Supreme Clientele is pure genius) but I'm really lookin forward to this... Ghost is one of those guys I just really want to see succeed and stick around. Shakey Mo Collier

Recommended tracks: Tooken Back, Biscuits, Holla

Points: 252
No. of votes: 13
No. of #1 votes: 2

Artist: GILLIAN WELCH
Title: TIME (THE REVELATOR)
Label: WEA
Year: 2002

http://base58.com/ilx/ilm/top100/20002004/albums/timetherevelator.jpg

Comments: Gillian Welch

Recommended tracks: April 14th Part 1, Revelator, I Dream A Highway

Points: 254
No. of votes: 15
No. of #1 votes: 1

Artist: GOLDFRAPP
Title: BLACK CHERRY
Label: Mute
Year: 2003

http://base58.com/ilx/ilm/top100/20002004/albums/blackcherry.jpg

Comments: Sticking a horse's tail on your arse turns you into a sexy hybrid of Kate Bush and Donna Summer - proven by the scientific electropopart extravaganza that is 'Black Cherry'. Avant-garde more in aspirations rather than in execution, if 'Felt Mountain' was a lonely walk in the woods, 'Black Cherry' is a more an effortless glide down a river of Alison's own vaginal juices - tho hardly as bawdy as Peaches, and a world away from the lewdness of Lil Kim. Even if that's not appealing than the tight programming and quirky hooks of Will Alexander should be. Pretentious? Mais naturellement.

Recommended tracks: Strict Machine, Crystalline Green, Black Cherry