'98 top ten and tangential opinions


Harry Marquez (harrymarquez@hotmail.com)
Mon, 04 Jan 1999 23:24:32 PST



Top ten lists (or however many you decide to mention) are a strange
creation. I usually have had a hard time devising a top ten (and even
harder is getting just 3) over the past three years because music seems
to have gotten better ever since I opened my ears to the sounds of what
is considered to be the underground/non-commercial, typically indie
label type records. And so, there are usually too many albums or songs
that I love over the course of a year to mention, much less rank in
order of personal importance.
But I'll see what I can muster.

10. Lauryn Hill - _The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill_
*It revived my faith in the major label music industry. And true soul
rises above the watered down, mediocre (shameful) incarnations of
cookie-cutter R&B music (where it's plentiful as rain in the states).
And she did it all without the help of any people named Puffy,
Timbaland, or Wyclef.

9. DJ Faust - _Man or Myth?_
*1998 will be remembered as the year that Atlanta's turntablist
community blew the fnck up! And this album was the first taste of
what's to come. Bobby, if you're reading this, WE WORSHIP YOU IN THE
SUBURBS!!!

8. Massive Attack - _Mezzanine_
*This is a beautiful album. It's much darker than what I was expecting
or needing (or wanting), but these guys still show the kids how it's
done well. I think I read somewhere (excuse the paraphrase) that it
wasn't as melodically strong, and I'll have to agree. I liked the
catchiness of the tunes on _Blue Line_ or even the complex layers of
strings and beats on _Protection_. But still, I couldn't stop listening
to this album.

7. N'dea Davenport - S/T
*I don't really remember anyone talking about this album much on the
list, but this woman's voice is the coolest, sexiest sound on the planet
(since Sade seems to have abandoned this one--kidding). Only two weak
songs on this album.

6. Freestylers - _We Rock Hard_
*1998 is also the year I realized that the music I liked all along was
called big beat, and this is one of the finest examples of said
sub-genre. Despite warnings from fellow aj-list cohorts that this is
riddled full of overused breaks & samples, I throughly enjoyed this
collection of singles because it's so much collection of singles because it's so much d@mned fun. You can't NOT
bob your head or tap a toe to this record.

5. Bob Sinclar - _Paradise_
*Proudly, 1998 is also the year that I official stepped into the closet
and became a house music fan (after battling it for several years). And
this is my very first French disco full length. After a listen at the
lower Manhattan Virgin Megastore, I was hooked and have been boogie-ing
ever since. How's that Daft Punk LP? Comments would be appreciated.

4. VA - _Funkungfusion_
*The latest Ninja Tune compilation shows maturity in this ever-expanding
label's development. Most of the seasoned vets came back with sly
tracks, and the fun was joined in by some newbies who didn't do too
badly themselves. It's worth every penny and more just to get the live
version of Coldcut's "More Beats & Pieces."

3. Purple Penguin - _Question_
*This album filled that sizable gap between Attica Blues albums. Funny
how this works out because I think this album is great. Pretty soon,
the next Attica Blues album will have to fill the gap between PPenguin
albums. Even though the big beats rocked my world (and a lot of clubs
not in Georgia), this is one of the albums I turned to when only
something under 110 BPM would do. And not a lot of exposure on this
album either. What up with that?

2. The Wiseguys - _The Antidote_
*Because I thought their first LP was phenomenal, I was worried that the
follow-up was going to be utterly disappoining. Fortunately, it really
wasn't that bad. In fact, I listen to this record at least twice a
week. It has that kind of control over me. It will live in the shadow
of _Executive Suite_ (as well as the latest Fatboy Slim, but that's
neither here nor there) but I like this album because it's almost like a
continuation of the previous album. It didn't sound like Touche was
trying to outdo the other record (which often has disgusting results),
nor did it sound like he was drastically changing styles (which can be
disasterous if done only for changes' sake). Instead, the record was
great fun with the signature great fun with the signature lounge-@ss beats and quirky samples. BTW,
is the Wiseguys just Touche now or is it Touche and Sense Live?

1. VA - _Deeper Concentration_
*One listen to this, and your dropped jaw will only be able to say,
"Wow." Every track will at very least make you think, but for the most
part you'll be on the edge of your seat thinking JUST HOW IN THE HELL
DID THEY DO THAT? BTW, those Scratch Perverts are wicked (too bad about
the DMCs).

Honourable Mention:
DeeJay Punk-Roc - _Chicken Eye_; DJ Spooky - _Riddim Warfare_; Pressure
Drop - _Elusive_; David Holmes - _Out of Sight_ OST; Ozomatli - S/T;
Fila Brazillia - _Power Clown_; Johnny Ether - _Free Radical Generator_;
Monkey Mafia - _Shoot The Boss_; and the list goes on...

In Related News!
Surprises:
*how good the DeeJay Punk-Roc, N'dea Davenport, DJ Spooky, & DJ Faust
albums would be!
*how amazing Rachid's album--he will be great by next album
*the Brand Nubian comeback was not a bust--unlike other disappointing
old school comebacks, BN brought back everything they ever brought to
the table added to at least 10 years of wisdom on their latest LP.
*in a year that most soundtracks could just bite me, David Holmes saved
my faith in the cinema.
*the Bustin' Loose party in NYC (2.9.98) was great! Viva Giant Step!

Disappointments:
*DJ Cam - _The Beat Assassinated_; Tricky - _Angels With Dirty Faces_;
Vanilla Ice came back, too; Mo'Wax is no more!; A Tribe Called Quest
called it quits; my 22nd birthday!; no one showed up at the Atlanta
Funkungfusion show; those boy bands keep multiplying!

Why I Have Hope in 1999!:
The Star Wars Episode 1 prequel; Underworld album due this month; Fila
Brazillia will tour the US sometime this year (according to the folks at
Pork); a full-length from Les Rhythmes Digitales (yea!); the expectation
of more Lewis Taylor b-sides or soundtracks; I got a college degree in
1998 (someone please hire me)!!!

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