Cinco Swim |
November 14 - November 20, 2002 |
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Number 5 |
The Word of Mouth |
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Essential music links |
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Number 4 |
Number 3 |
Number 2 |
Number 1 |
Grant Lee Buffalo - "Mockingbirds" There's a great effect that happens in this song. Driving along, the deep, mourning vocals sound like the perfect lyrics to sing along to. Suddenly, the lead singer goes off into the upper reaches of his vocal range, and you're voice cracks more often than Peter during a "Brady Bunch" marathon. Oh well, the song still stays sweet, partially because of the mix of grandiose 80s rock and Smiths-like introspection. Off Grant Lee Buffalo's "Mighty Joe Moon" |
Fleetwood Mac - "Second Hand News" This is a big step for me, after years of teasing a good friend about her love for all things Lindsay Buckingham. But, dammit, there's one exception to all that other Nicks-tinged emotional trainwreck mess. Coated in chocolate and a nice electric guitar line, Buckingham finally sounds like he's enjoying himself, or at least someone layed down in the green grass and let him do his stuff. Plus, pseudo-journalism reference (a stretch, but there's not much out there). Off Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" |
Ed Harcourt - "Wind Through the Trees" This is the most disturbingly beautiful you'll hear this year. A stalker anthem that feels like the perfect soundtrack for the end of an all-too-brief fling. A haunting piano gives the song some apropos wings, giving life to images in slow motion black-and-white. Harcourt's one of the newer singer-songwriters, and he's already come up with the perfect album closer ... nothing can come after this. Off Ed Harcourt's "Here Be Monsters" |
The Bees - "Lying in the Snow" Well, I'll take back the sentiment of No. 3. This unknown British band received a smattering of acclaim earlier this year, but don't be surprised if a new wave of adulation washes ashore shortly. The sad piano makes its return, but with enough of a beat to start a chant instead of allowing the tears to fall. The ambiguity of the lyrics allows for some open-endedness, a sort of choose-your-own-adventure set in a picturesque landscape. Off The Bees' EP (Not available in US) |
Badly Drawn Boy - "How" I'm a Badly Drawn Boy fan-for-life. I hear the tracks off the new album. I listen to the single ... where's the beautiful melody? The catchy lyrics are there, but where's the piano and acoustic guitar? Could the man who wrote two of the best ballads of the last 10 years have gone hard on us? Alas, it took until track 10 to make me weak at the knees. There's movements in there that would make James Brown wince, mixing elegant and elongated notes with the more manic strums he's move toward. You can't deny greatness, no matter what direction you travel. Off Badly Drawn Boy's latest, "Have You Fed the Fish?" |