[twr-list] listland

[ML Compton]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: twr-list-bounces at linklord.com
> [mailto:twr-list-bounces at linklord.com]On Behalf Of Ben Harrison
> Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 8:02 PM
> To: twrlist
> Subject: [twr-list] listland
>
>
> the lunar new year is coming up (and about to hatch
> the year of the rooster next week) but the previous
> year won't feel done and dusted without ML's greatest
> hits list... agreed?

I do know why I didn't send it to the list this time but since you asked, you will receive:

Howdy,

It took me awhile but here is my yearly top of the heap for film and music. This year there were a lot of worthwhile releases, so
instead of just doing top tens, I decided to do baker's dozens and to list thing alphabetically instead of any numerical order.

MUSIC

The first thing I want to say here is that I should probably give "American Idiot" by Green Day some sort of notice. I haven't heard
this entire album yet, but plan to in the next few weeks. But what I've heard of it has been great and I just saw them on "Last
Call" and am now convinced that if I would have heard the album, it would be on my top list somewhere. Green Day are the only
punk/pop band out there who continually make their sound interesting again with each album. And they really know how to write a
song!

There's also lots of stuff out there I haven't heard and probably will never hear. Now that I no longer work at a record store, I
find it hard to keep up with the number of bands out there. I try but I'm sure many a great band escapes my notice these days.

That said, here's the tops of what I heard:

Arcade Fire - Funeral: There's so much industry hype behind this band at the moment that I was initially very skeptical about this
release. But each listening of it brings it more into focus and I haven't heard a band do this type of music so well since I heard
Talking Heads "Fear Of Music" way back when. I'd love to see them live some day when tickets don't sell out so fast.

Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly: The first time I heard this band way back when, I just dismissed them as a poor Sonic Youth
rip-off. Several years later I saw them open for Shellac in Chicago and they just blew me away. They had taken their Sonic Youth
influence and shaped and shifted it into their own distinct sound. Each new album is amazing and this one is the best one so far. I
only regret I missed them live this year.

Coral - Magic & Medicine: One of the best of the British pop bands out there. They are very 60s influenced, but sound fresher and
more original than any of the others.

The Fall - The Real New Fall Album: This came out last year in the UK and then got reissued in the US in a much better version. The
Fall are my choice of the best band in the world and even when they do a so-so Fall album, its still better than almost any other
band's albums.

Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat: I really liked this band's first album, although it was very close to the same thing that the White
Strips are doing. But this album caught me completely by surprise. It reminded me of when I first heard "OK Computer" by Radiohead.
I was initially repulsed, but couldn't help listening again and again until I realized just how far and original this album is.
Another prog-rock masterpiece.

The Good Life - Album Of The Year: The title is a little presumptuous, but it turns out to be true. From the same label that brought
the world the amazing Bright Eyes, this group mines some of the same territory, but in their own way. One of the members is also in
the band Cursive and I have to check them out someday as well.

Liars - They Were Wrong So We Drowned: I thought I was over this kind of New York art-damaged music, but this band does it with so
much energy and fun that I can't help but love them. And they put on a great live show as well. Anyone who loves the No New York
stuff or English bands like the Pop Group should give this a listen.

Mouse On Mars - Radical Connector: Another form of music that I official became bored with this year is most dance and electronic
music with a few exceptions (The new Chemical Brothers single kicks ass!). But this band's catchy, bouncy fun keeps me interested
and loving them. Each album is different from the others and this one is a much more House oriented type of music with lots of
vocals and catchy rhythms. And again, they put on a great live show.

Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy: I really liked this band's first album, but thought they were just a novelty that would
never be able to pull off any more interesting albums. But they refined their choral-pop sound and came up with an album full of
great songs on this second album. Touring with this band and their 40 or 50 members must be hell, but it works as a show and it
works as a sound. Hopefully they can keep pulling it off in the future.

Sonic Youth - Night Nurse: I always like Sonic Youth, but have come to think of them in comfortable, but unremarkable terms. Like
REM, they just always seem to be there and I'd come to feel that while I'm glad they are there, I wouldn't miss them if the weren't.
But this album turned me around and made me realize once again why they are such an amazing musical force. Its still the Sonic Youth
sound, but its as urgent and vital as any album they've ever done.

TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes: If I had to declare one album as my absolute favorite of the year, it would
be this one. A totally original blend of modern soul and prog and punk rocks, I've never quite heard anything like it. I look
forward to future releases.

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: Another come back like Sonic Youth's. Another older and I always enjoy, but couldn't care that
much about. This album caught me with the opening track (and single) "Vertigo", which I think is one of the best single songs of
this decade, and never let me go again. Its a great return to form.

Jim White - Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What you See: A little bit country, a little bit folk, a little bit rock and
roll. Jim White has been putting out beautiful albums of beautiful songs for several years now and basically being ignored each and
every time. This album is no exception and should have had a much wider audience than it got.

And that's it for this year. I also enjoyed albums by Interpol, Elephant, Elvis Costello, Franz Ferdinand, Wilco, Patti Smith,
Fatboy Slim, Nick Cave, the Walkmen and Gomez, amongst others.

And I loved live shows by TV On The Radio, Mouse On Mars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snow Patrol, Scissor Sisters, Metal Urbain, DTK/MC5,
Marilyn Manson and Nancy Sinatra.


MOVIES

Despite some grumbling among some critics, I thought there were plenty of great movies this year. I still haven't seen a few I
wanted to like "Garden State", "Bad Education", "Vera Drake", "Baadassss" and "Maria Full Of Grace" and if I would have seen them,
any one of them could possible have been on this list. (For example, I finally saw "The Station Agent" this year and it would have
easily been on my top list last year if I would have seen it when it came out.) But here's my list this year in alphabetical order.

A Very Long Engagement - Jean-Pierre Jeunet has done several films that have been beautifully film, but uneven in content. But this
movie came together in a completely excellent fashion. Part anti-war film, part mystery and part love story, I was just enthralled
with this movie from beginning to end.

The Aviator - If I had to pick one movie to be the best it would be this one. I was a bit worried going in as Scorsese has bored me
to tears with his last several movies. But this one was a beautiful made and acted film and it made me remember why Scorsese is
considered a legend. And Leonardo De Caprio should get the best actor nod for this one.

Beyond The Sea - Probably the most underrated movie of the year. Kevin Spacey pulls together an impossible task and makes it work
beautifully. He's not afraid to confront the fact that he's too old to play the part of Bobby Darin and even makes it part of the
story. Another visually great movie that helps pave the way for the resurgence of the movie musical.

Eternal Sunshine For The Spotless Mind - Charlie Kaufman can't seem to write a bad script. He's work is amongst the most original
out there at the moment and this strange little sci-fi love story is no exception.

Fahrenheit 9/11 - Say what you will about Michael Moore, and I'd probably agree with a lot of it. But it can't be denied that the
man makes movies that people talk about and makes them as entertaining as possible. And I suspect that despite the denials, there's
more truth to what he says than falsehoods. True or not, the national debate he always gets going is important and I'm glad he's
there making these movies.

Finding Neverland - A movie about J.M Barre's creation of the Peter Pan book, the movie is as magical and awe inspiring as the
fiction. This is a children's movie for adults. Johnny Depp should get another Oscar nod for this as well.

Hotel Rwanda - Probably the most important movie made this year. Watching this is gripping and heartbreaking. It underscores how
horrible humans can be to themselves while showing just how much one person can accomplish if the have to. The movie also
underscores just how ineffective the United Nations actually is and how just how depressingly hypocritical the so-called Free
nations of the Western World can be.

House Of Flying Daggers - The best movie I saw this year was "Hero", but since that was actually made and released several years
ago, I'll have to list this one instead. Its not as good as "Hero", but its still a beautiful and magical martial arts movie and its
still one of the best of the year. My jaw was on the ground watching both these movies.

Kill Bill Vol 2 - Speaking of Martial Arts, Quentin Tarantino once again makes an amazing movie incorporating far east and western
themes and he does it with style, humor and action, all beautifully film and acted. With Kill Bill Vol 1, this makes up one of the
best film experiences of the decade.

Kinsey - Another movie pointing out the hypocrisy of our so-called "modern" society. It was kind of depressing watching this film
and realizing just how far we've come technologically, but how little we've come as moral human beings.

Million Dollar Baby - I was very worried about this as its been awhile since Clint Eastwood has made a film that I liked. I thought
last years "Mystic River" was an overrated melodramatic mess.
But this movie is the best thing he's done since "The Unforgiven" and all is forgiven now. beautifully written and acted, watching
this movie is heartbreaking and sad, but it never leaves you without hope and that's a hard thing to accomplish.

Shrek 2 - I enjoyed other animated films this year ("The Incredibles", "Polar Express" and "SpongeBob Squarepants") and hated some
others ("Shark Tale"). But this was above and beyond them all and its the rare example of a sequel that's even better than the first
movie. Funny and smart, this is also a rare example of a cartoon that has as much appeal to adults and it does to kids. Disney used
to know how to do this with every film, but has lost the touch in recent years. Hopefully Dreamworks animation will continue to do
so.

Sideways - This year's pick for the best written and acted "little" film of the year. If this film doesn't win lots of awards (and
its already well on the way of doing so) it would be a huge shame.
I just wish Hollywood would make more of these kinds of films and make them well, something that has been missing for years with an
exception once or twice a year.

And that's it for that.

Most overrated movies I saw this year were probably "Shark Tale" which proved that ethnic humor and scat humor don't mix and aren't
all that funny, "Collateral" which was a lot of form and little substance, and "Closer" which was emotional void and well acted but
dull. I also thought that despite the great acting by Jamie Foxx, "Ray" was just a TV movie of the week. And "DeLovely" just never
moved me in any way at all. But the worst movie of the year had to be "Secret Window" with Johnny Depp. It was just weak all the way
around and spening two hours of my life watching it just pissed me off.

And with little comment, I though I'd list the best of TV this year:

Amazing Race (The only reality show that really matters)

American Dreams (It finally gets topical and the public reacts by hiding their heads in the sand.)

Desperate Housewives

Huff (Probably the best show on this year and well worth the same sort of reaction the best of HBO gets.)

Lost

Nip/Tuck

Rescue Me

Star Trek: Enterprise (The show is back on line, but unfortunately too late for the public to notice)

Six Feet Under

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I've gone on long enough. Time to get back to work.

-ML