Perfect Sound Forever
Favorite music of 2001
Jason Gross, editor
Long as it is, these lists aren't anywhere near comprehensive. I just tried to nail down every good release I heard this year. I was mighty pleased to find out that new releases out-numbered reissues/archives and that there were a good number of both of them. So, no more crying about how there isn't any good music out there now, OK?
NEW RELEASES
- Manu Chao Proxima Estacion: Esperanza (Virgin)
- Michael Franti and Spearhead Stay Human (Six Degrees)
- Ass Ponys Lohio (Checkered Past)
- Troubleman Mix-Tape (Troubleman Unlimited)
- KaitO You've Seen Us... You Must Have Seen Us... (Fierce Panda)
- The Rapture Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks (Sub Pop)
- Replikas Koledoyuran (Ada Muzik)
- Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra Liberation Afrobeat Vol. 1 (Ninja Tune)
- Ware River Club Don't Take It Easy (Natural Disaster)
- Every Tone A Testimony (Smithsonian)
- 0ld 97's Satellite Rides (Elektra)
- The Coup Party Music (75 Ark)
- Bob Dylan Love and Theft (Columbia)
- DJ Scud/Rich Kid/Panacea Murder Sound (Ambush)
- Erase Errata Other Animals (Troubleman Unlimited)
- The Du-Tels No Knowledge of Music Required (Shimmy Disc)
- Black Box Recorder The Facts of Life (Jet Set)
- DJ Jester River Walk Riots (Two-Ten)
- Liars They Threw Us All In A Trench And Stuck A Monument On Top (Gern Blandsten)
- Tom Ze Jogos De Armar (Faca Voce Mesmo) (Trama)
- Toni Price Midnight Pumpkin (Antone's)
- Bullfrog Bullfrog (Ropeadope)
- Mainliner Imaginative Plain (Modern Music)
- Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (J)
- Losfeld Gospel! (Escalator)
- Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (Virgin)
- Lucinda Williams Essence (Lost Highway)
- Platinum Power Megamix Vol. 3 (Yedang)
- Acid Mothers Temple New Geocentric World (Squealer)
- The Howard Fishman Quartet I Like You A Lot (Monkey Farm)
- Janet Jackson All For You (Virgin)
- Mr. Len Pity the Fool (Matador)
- The Strokes Is This It? (RCA)
- Petey Pablo Diary of A Sinner: 1st Entry (Jive)
- Rachid Taha Made in Medina (Mondo Melodia)
- Sdaerd The Unexpected (3rd Message)
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Shifty)
- Duotang The Bright Side (Mint)
- Exit Wounds- Soundtrack (Virgin)
- Radiohead I Might Be Wrong (Capitol)
- DJ Clue Hev E Components (bootleg)
- Matthew Shipp New Orbit (Thirsty Ear)
- Josie and the Pussycats- Soundtrack (Sony Soundtrax)
- Stephen Malkmus (Matador)
- Le Tigre Feminist Sweepsteaks (Mr. Lady)
- Merle Haggard Roots Volume 1 (Anti)
- The Silos Laser Beam Next Door (Checkered Past)
- The Saturday People The Saturday People (Slumberland)
- Built to Spill Ancient Melodies of the Future (Warner Bros)
- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club BMRC (Virgin)
- Jim O'Rourke Insignficance (Drag City)
- Snow Patrol When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up (Jeepster)
- El Otro Yo Abrecaminos (Universal)
- Ghost World soundtrack (Shanachie)
- Aesop Rock Labor Days (Def Jux)
- Rhonda Vincent The Storm Still Rages (Rounder)
- Matthew Shipp Expansion, Power, Release (Hatology)
- Wayne Hancock A Town Blues (Bloodshot)
- Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards (Hellcat)
- Mulholland Drive soundtrack (Milan)
- Cannibal Ox The Cold Vein (Ozone)
- Aesop Rock Float (Mush)
- The Real Tuesday Weld Where Psyche Meets Cupid (Kindercore)
- Tea in Marrakech (Earthworks)
- Wilco Yankee Foxtrot Hotel (wilcoweb.com)
- Plastic People of the Universe Lazy Love (Globus Music)
- The Scene Is Now Let's Straighten It Out (Lost)
- The Hellacopters High Visibility (Polygram)
- Go-Go's God Bless the Go-Go's (Uni)
- Select Cuts From Blood & Fire Chapter Two (Select Cuts)
- Bosavi (Smithsonian)
- David S. Ware Quartet Corridors & Parallels (Aum Fidelity)
- Polysics Hey! Bob! My Friend! (Asian Man)
- Scratch Vol. 1 (Rawkus)
- Tim Berne The Shell Game (Thirsty Ear)
- The Brothers- Soundtrack (Warner Brothers)
- Essential Mix- Mixed by Pete Tong (London-Sire)
- Radiohead Amnesiac (Capitol)
- White Stripes White Blood Cells (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
- Burnt Sugar/The Arkestra Chamber Blood on the Leaf, Opus One (Trugoid)
- Musee Mecanique Zelinsky Collection Volume 2 (Mechanical Museum)
- Azeem Craft Classic (Stray)
- MF Doom Operation Doomsday (Metal Face)
- Blind Boys of Alabama Spirit of the Century (Real World)
- Clinic Internal Wrangler (Domino)
- The Dum Dum Project Export Quality (Times Square)
- Morells Morells (Slewfoot)
- Macy Gray The Id (Epic)
- Noonday Underground Self-Assembly (Bar None)
- Gavin Hardkiss Through Rose Tinted Glasses (Shadow)
- Scott Miller and the Commonwealth Thus Always to Tyrants (Checkered Past)
- Les Savy Fav Go Forth (Frenchkiss)
- Blake Babies God Bless the Blake Babies (Rounder)
- Cosmic Rough Riders Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine (Poptones)
- Sun City Girls Libyan Dream (Abduction)
- New Order Get Ready (Warner Bros)
- The Avalanches Since I Left You (Modular)
- Teenage Fanclub Howdy (Sony)
- Aceyalone Accepted Eclectic (Project Blowed)
- Bare Jr. Brainwasher (Immortal)
- State of the Union 2.001 (EMF)
- Kali Fasteau Vivid (Flying Note)
- Hi Tek Hi-Teknology (Rawkus)
- Derrick Carter About Now (611)
- Roots Manuva Run Come Save Me (Big Dada)
- Urban Revolutions (Future Primitive Sound)
- Turntables By the Bay (Hip Hop Slam)
- This Is Next Year- A Brooklyn-Based Compilation (Arena Rock)
- Stephan Wittwer Streams (Grob)
- The Now Time Delegation Watch For Today (In The Red)
- Techno Animal The Brotherhood of The Bomb (Matador)
- Vue Find Your Home (Sub Pop)
- Beta Band Hot Shots II (Astralwerks)
- David Axelrod David Axelrod (Mo Wax)
- The Fall Are We Are Missing Winner (Cog Sinister)
- Jigmastas Infectious (Landspeed)
- dj/rupture gold teeth thief (Soot)
- Luke Haines The Oliver Twist Manifesto (Virgin)
- High Rise Psychbomb (Modern Music)
- Spiny Anteaters Well Laid Plans (Ba Da Bing)
- Ray Wylie Hubbard Eternal and Lonesome (Philo)
REISSUES/ARCHIVE MATERIAL
- Neu! Neu! 75 (Astralwerks)
- Downtown 81 soundtrack (Virgin)
- New York City: Global Beat of the Boroughs (Smithsonian)
- Afrika Bambaataa Looking For the Perfect Beat 1980-1985 (Tommy Boy)
- Miles Davis Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time (Columbia)
- Sounds Like 54 (Skam)
- LiLiPuT (Kill Rock Stars)
- Digital Underground No Nose Job- the Legend of the Digital Underground (Tommy Boy)
- De La Soul Three Feet High and Rising (Tommy Boy)
- The Front Line (Virgin)
- John Coltrane The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording (Impulse)
- Terry Riley You're Nogood (Organ of Corti)
- Ernest Tubb The Definitive Hits Collection (Collector's Choice)
- Messthetics #5: UK '77-'81 "D.I.Y." (Hyped To Death)
- That's All Folks- Cartoon Songs From Merrie Melodies & Looney Tunes (Warner Brothers)
- Stanley Brothers Too Late To Cry (Catfish)
- Miles Davis At Newport 1958 (Columbia)
- Del The Funky Homosapien Future Development (Hieroglyphics)
- Big Boi & Dre Present... Outkast (Arista)
- Mirrors Hands In My Pocket (Overground)
- Wild Seeds I'm Sorry I Can't Rock You All Night Long- 1984-1989 (Birdman)
- The Hives Your Favorite New Band (Poptones)
- Clouddead Clouddead (Mush)
- Classic Reggae: The DeeJays (Music Club)
- Nuggets II (Rhino)
- Bob Dylan Live 1961-2000 (SME)
- Nigeria 70 (Afrostrut)
- Asha Bhosle The Best of Asha Bhosle: The Golden Voice of Bollywood (Manteca)
- Howard Tate Howard Tate (Koch)
- Boogie Down Productions The Best of B-Boy Records (Landspeed)
- John Oswald plunderphonics 69/96 (Fony)
- The Holy Modal Rounders I Make A Wish For a Potato (Rounder)
- Honey Cone Soulful Sugar (Castle)
- Heavenly Heavenly Vs. Satan (K)
- Tom Waits Used Songs (Rhino)
- King Tubby In the Mix (Recall)
- Ethiopiques: Ethiopian Blues & Ballads (Buda Musique)
- Negativland These Guys Are From England and Who Gives A Shit (Seelard)
- Radio Birdman The Essential 1974-1978 (Sub Pop)
- Lee Perry Skanking With the Upsetter- Rare Dubs 1971-1974 (Jamaican)
- Gabon- Musique des Pygmees Bibayak- Chantres de l'Epopee (Ocara)
- Burning Spear Spear Burning (Pressure Sounds)
- Henri Chopin Audiopoems (? Records)
- KMD Mr. Hood (Metal Face)
- The Screamers In A Better World (Xeroid)
- Luther Thomas Funky Donkey (Unheard Music Series)
- Asian Takeaways (Normal)
- Dream Syndicate Days of Wine and Roses (Rhino)
- Overcome Vol. 1 (Trikont)
- William S Burroughs Break Through In Grey Room (Sub Rosa)
- Yee-Haw! The Other Side of Country (Normal)
- The Best of U Roy- Rightful Ruler (Music Club)
- Great Plains Length of Growth (Nu Groove)
- Do the Reggay! The Early 'Reggae' Singles 1968-1969 (Westside)
- The Electric Eels The Eyeball of Hell (Scat)
- Cannon's Jug Stompers The Best of Cannon's Jug Stompers (Yazoo)
- Philadelphia Roots (Soul Jazz)
- Roky Erikson and the Explosives Casting the Ruins (Re)
- The Velvet Underground Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes (Polydor)
- Ethiopiques: The Harp of King David (Buda Musique)
- Sole Learning to Walk (6Months / Anticon)
- Big Star What's Going Ahn (Deep Six)
- It Came From Memphis Vol. 2 (Birdman)
- Walter Wegmuller Tarot (Spalax)
- Ennio Morricone Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo (GDM)
- Scientists Blood Red River 1982-1984 (Sympathy For the Record Industry)
- Flesheaters A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die (Slash)
- Henry Flynt Graduation and other new country and blues music (Ampersand)
- Gene Clark Roadmaster (Edsel)
- Schlammpeitriger Collected Simplesongs of my Temporary Past (Songi-Us-A-Musik)
- Red Snerts (Gulcher)
- Wild Pitch Classics (Wild Pitch/JCOR)
- Institute For Sonology Early Electronic Music 1959-69 (Sub Rosa)
- Soul Explosion Vol. 1 (Funky City)
- Southern Cones (EMF)
- The Chills Secret Box (Definitive Music)
- Gregory Issacs Mr. Isaacs (Blood and Fire)
- Truck Driver's Boogie Big Rig Hits Vol 1: 1939-1969 (Diesel Only)
- Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton (Revenant)
- Terry Southern Give Me Your Hump!: The Unspeakable Terry Southern Record (Koch)
- Nam June Paik Works (Sub Rosa)
- Isidore Isou Musiques lettristes (Al Dante)
- Hava Narghile: Middle Eastern Raga Rock Ala Turquie '66-'75 (Baccus Archives)
- Scritti Politti Songs to Remember (Virgin)
- MEV Spacecraft (plana-M)
- The Outsiders CQ (Pseudonym)
- Faust BBC Sessions + (ReR)
- Company Flow Funcrusher Plus (Official Entertainment)
SINGLES
- Missy Elliot "Get Ur Freak On" (Elektra)
- Afroman "Because I Got High" (Universal)
- 112 "Peaches and Cream" (Bad Boy)
- Richard Thompson "I Agree with Pat Metheny" (Blue Note)
- Mary J Blige "PMS" (Universal)
- Duane Levold/Nancy Berry "Answering Machine" (Virgin)
- Coldcut "Re:Volution" (Coldcut)
- Neil Young "Let's Roll" (Reprise)
- The Strokes Vs. Christine Aguilera "A Stroke of Genius" (Freelance Hellraiser)
- Eminem/Elton John "Stan" (Grammies)
- Nelly "Ride Wit Me" (Polygram)
- Belle and Sebastian "Jonathan David" (Matador)
- Stephen Malkmus "Discretion Grove" (Matador)
- DMX "No Sunshine" (Virgin)
- Jermaine Dupri "Lay It Down" (Warner Brothers)
- Aesop Rock "Skip Town" (Mush)
- Ornette Coleman/Joe Henry "Scar" (Mammoth)
- Gorillaz "Clint Eastwood" (EMI)
- Christine Aguilera, Pink, Mya, Lil Kim "Lady Marmalede" (Interscope)
MAIN PAGE | ARTICLES | STAFF/FAVORITE MUSIC | LINKS |