[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Top Ten Albums Of 2002

Blackalicious "Blazing Arrow"

Like one of those occasional cosmic events in which the planets align, Blackalicious' "Blazing Arrow" has all the ingredients that make a great hip-hop album: potent beats, tasty instrumental snippets, pointed yet meaningful rapping and even a decent number of guests. And the best part is that it all gels together.

blackaliciousIt might be surprising to learn that "Blazing Arrow" is the major label debut from the California-based duo (consisting of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel), but actually, the pair have been practicing their craft and quietly earning a rep in the hip-hop underground since forming in the early '90s.

You only need to peruse the list of distinguished guest artists that appear on "Blazing Arrow" -- Ben Harper, Rage Against The Machine's Zack de la Rocha, the Roots' ?uestlove, Gil Scott-Heron and members of Jurassic 5 and Dilated Peoples -- to know the amount of respect Blackalicious commands.

The level of appreciation the group enjoys among fellow artists stems from not only their adventurous production skills (a laid-back version of Public Enemy's collage of samples), but also because their lyrical focus on topics political, social and spiritual harken back to the late '80s and early '90s hip-hop collective, Native Tongues, which included De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and others.

blackaliciousThe group makes plain its defiance of hip-hop convention on "Passion," in which Gab, joined by and Rakaa and Babu from Dilated Peoples, assert their purpose of expressing themselves however they like, in spite of indifference from the mainstream. Their lyrical tirades are supported by the kind of driving beat and snarling guitar snippets that would be too scary for Jay-Z's tracks.

The pair also has a softer and humorous side, as demonstrated on the uplifting R&B of "Aural Pleasure." The song, featuring sexy cooing from the Roots' new protege Jaguar Wright, struts along like a Funkadelic groove, but with bit of southerness that adds a country blues feel. Equally smooth is "Brainwashers," on which Ben Harper's falsetto vocals during the chorus give the slow-funk song a cool Curtis Mayfield feel.

"I'm merely just a rapper. I probably don't fit into the current state of which you consider that to be," Gab confesses on "Purest Love." His words ring true not because he's an outsider but "Blazing Arrow" sets them head of the pack.

For More Info:

Spoon "Kill The Moonlight"

Whenever I think of Spoon's "Kill The Moonlight," I can't help being reminded of piano man Ben Folds. He has nothing to do with the Austin, Texas, band, but there's a couple of piano tunes on this fantastic album that recall some of Folds' "School House Rock"-type ditties.

spoonThis is unfair because rather than trying to spark a Billy Joel renaissance, Spoon's music on "Kill The Moonlight" is equal parts MTV punk and old-school R&B rave ups, both with college-rock sensibilities.

Apart from singer Britt Daniel's quivery voice, the band doesn't have a signature sound or instrument. While the bouncy piano of "The Way We Get By" or "Someone Something" are Folds-like pop, the keyboard-less "Jonathon Fisk" is propelled by a hardnosed guitar rhythm. The musical hook on "Something To Look Forward To" is a driving disco bassline.

spoonThe group really knows how to build a jam, particularly one that builds and builds but never explodes. (For this, you can either credit them as punkish innovators or as "uncultured" musicians who know enough to stick with a good musical fragment when they see one.) It's easy to get swept up by the circular organ melody of "Small Stakes," or "Back To The Life" with its stomping beat and swaggering Rolling Stones guitar chords. But at the end of both, the music just spits you out even a full-blown chorus, and that's a good thing.

Spoon might not be the polished pop music meisters that misters Folds or Joel are, but that too is a good thing. I'll take "Kill The Moonlight" as a departure from formula.

For More Info:

Low "Trust"

If you're up after midnight and looking for something to listen to, Low's "Trust" will be the one that takes you to the dawn.

lowQuiet, romantic and ethereal, the band is the perfect mood music to ease the transition from a hectic day or a riotous party to sleep.

Hailing from Duluth, Minn., the trio has been touring and cutting records -- most of which never go faster than a limp -- for close to 10 years. They're still the North Country's best-kept musical secret even though each new album is better than the one before it.

low"Trust" is no exception. One by one, the record doles out samplings of the group's musical strengths. "Canada" features the ghostly vocal pairings of the band's husband-and-wife team of guitarist/vocalist Alan Sparhawk and drummer/vocalist Mimi Parker. The glittering guitar figure of "Last Snowstorm Of The Year" shows their lighter pop side, while discordant strumming on "John Prine" is the band at their eeriest.

The highlight on "Trust" might be Parker's star turn, "Tonight." Coated in a quiet hum and the gentle fluttering of an electric guitar, the song's fragile-sounding music falls somewhere between Mazzy Star and the late '60s Beach Boys. But the most enthralling part is Parker's soothing voice. The lyrics are too vague to glean any meaning of what she's singing about, but the icy tone of her voice alone carries the wallop.

The night can't go on forever and neither can "Trust" but you can enjoy them both while they last.

For More Info:

Interpol "Turn On The Bright Lights"

If you're a rock band from New York these days, you're going to be accused of copying from somebody. While "it" bands like the Strokes, the Liars, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Walkmen and others are derided (or praised) as faithful sons of '70s and '80s punk and post-punk, the fellows in Interpol have clearly studied the history of goth rock, most notably Joy Division and Bauhaus.

interpolIn fact, the foursome's major label debut, "Turn On The Bright Lights," is the most exhilarating homage to the genre's roots in years.

It's curious to hear how the band's love for the two bands actually run together in the music. Although singer/guitarist Paul Banks' vocals are most often compared to the monotone crooning of Joy Divison's Ian Curtis, during "Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down," he momentarily brings the song's chiming guitars to a halt, desperately shouting the song's namesake just like Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy would.

interpolSetting the comparisons aside, one shouldn't underestimate the group or overlook how marvelous these songs sound. Built around the minimalist but intertwined strumming of the band's two guitars, the hypnotic songs shift between creepy love songs ("PDA," "Obstacle 2") to portraits of nightlife characters ("Obstacle 1," "Roland"), of which the latter group lets Interpol show its brutish side.

The album's centerpiece is "NYC," a track -- with it's elegant, swaying guitar chords -- begins like it's going to be a torch song, but is really a cry of self-affirmation in the face of alienation and tough times in New York City. "It's up to me now, turn on the bright lights," Banks sings, signaling both lyrically and actually that despite the difficulties, now is the moment of the Interpol's arrival. Perhaps if we're lucky, some enterprising New York band will decide to copy "Turn On The Bright Lights" next year.

For More Info:

The Roots "Phrenology"

The inclusion of "Phrenology" on this list was a tough decision. Although I would say the album is the best in the Roots' career, there's a few tracks on it that I could do without and the competition against it was fierce in my mind.

The RootsWhat it came down to for me was what grooves I came back to and well, you know who won.

This album marks a pivotal point in the Roots' history. Rapper Malik B is gone from the band, leaving Black Thought as the group's sole mic wielder. Meanwhile guitarist Ben Kenney came onboard, giving the group's rhythm section new flourishes.

The changes has obviously enough carried over into the music, as the band dabbles in several genres before "Phrenology" is done. Being a live band always gave the Roots greater flexibility than other hip-hop artists, but in shifting between the near hard rock of "Rock You" and the prowling bass on "Quills, " they've come the closest to fulfilling their promise.

Black Thought, more than anyone, seems to be relishing the new breathing room. Although always dominant, he seems to be stretching out more. He unleashes streams of hard-hitting rhymes on "Though @ Work," but then gently trades lines with Jill Scott on "Complexity." While he plays the seducing lover man on the radio-friendly "Break You Off," he vents on the 10-minute track, "Water," in which details the dissolution of his relationship with the departed Malik B.

The RootsThe album's finest moment is when the group becomes backing band for singer-songwriter Cody ChestnuTT on "The Seed (2.0)." The slinky song is a new, funkier version of a track from ChestnuTT's double-disc indie debut. ChestnuTT has been performing the song with the Roots onstage since last summer and he'll opening for the group later this winter.

My reservations with "Phrenology" are two-fold. First, it's the inclusion of songs like "Sacrifice" (with a chorus) and the punk-rock snippet "!!!!!!!" both of which sound like filler. Secondly, it's the fact that these tracks betray the group's promise. This might be the group's best, but as based on the glimpses of greatness on "Phrenology," they can do better.

For More Info:

This year's honorable mentions, in no particular order, include:

Previous Columns:

Note: David's music column, Soundbytes, appears Tuesdays in our Entertainment section. He welcomes your questions and comments.

Copyright 2003 by KIROTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]