JF's Best Albums of 2001 A - L

This section features what were - in miniature minds - some of the more noteworthy music releases of 2001. Click on the links below to view album info.

Tracks - New York, New York; Firecracker; Answering Bell; La Cienega Just Smiled; The Rescue Blues; Somehow, Someday; When the Stars Go Blue; Nobody Girl; Sylvia Plath; Enemy Fire; Gonna Make You Love Me; Wild Flowers; Harder Now That it's Over; Touch, Feel & Lose; Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues; Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd; Bonus Disc - Rosalie Come and Go; The Fools We Are as Men; Sweet Black Magic; The Bar is a Beautiful Place; Cannonball Days

Very similar in scope - in terms of the musical variances - to Ryan Adams' Whiskeytown swansong "Pneumonia", "Gold" - perhaps a little grittier - is another testament to the talents of this bar-room loving, incredibly prolific, alt-whatever genius. Wearing his musical heart well and truly on his sleeve, this album, although containing maybe one too many slightly - well, how can I put this? - dorky songs and despite a couple of tracks being marred by awful 1970's-style female backup vocals (particularly on "Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues"), "Gold" for the most part is blessed with superbly timeless material. Standouts include the single "New York, New York", "Firecracker", the Van Morrison-worshipping "Answering Bell", "The Rescue Blues", the 9-minute "Nobody Girl" and "Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd". Not a complete A-Z masterpiece like 2000's much folkier "Heartbreaker", but still a must-own.

Tracks - Germination; Confusion is Nothing New; Sun Surrounds Me; You Take the Gold; Hearts Mend; Let it Run; Old Manatee; Hustler; Yer Selfish Ways; By Your Side; Close Your Eyes; Banjo Press Conference; Juggler's Revenge; Good Night Whistle; Once We Were Trees

Tracks - Hello Resolven; A Good Man is Easy to Kill; What Will You Do When Your Suntan Fades?; Gene Autry; Silver Lining; Popular Mechanics for Lovers; Gravity's Bringing Us Down; Hey Brother; I'll Be Your Lampshade; Cruel Minor Change; Burned by the Sun; Night is the Day Turned Inside Out

Tracks - May it Always Be; Careless Love; A King at Night; Just to See My Holy Home; At the Break of Day; After I Made Love to You; Ease Down the Road; The Lion Lair; Mrs. William; Sheep; Grand Dark Feeling of Emptiness; Rich Wife Full of Happiness

This is Will Oldham's best record since 1995's "Viva Last Blues"and ranks alongside it, "There is No-One What Will Take Care of You" (1993) and "Days in the Wake" (1994) as his finest song-writing achievement. What a joy it is to have Will back in form writing and singing genuinely affecting folk-rock lullabies like we know he can. Sure the lyrics are still as perverse, and quite frankly as depressing as ever, but here they are backed by sweeter, dare I say, even user-friendly arrangements that put a smile on your face and filter out the moroseness and sense of despair that overwhelmed Will's lesser records such as the much-overrated "I See a Darkness" (1999). If you like the Will that makes you feel suicidal then this record may jar with your sensibilities, but if you like the Will that puts a kindly glow on your face then welcome home.

Tracks - Just for Today; Telegram; Stolen; Open Heart Surgery; Nevertheless; Sailor; You Have Been Disconnected; Leave Nothing for Sancho; Let Me Stand Next to Your Flower; If I Love You?; (I Love You) Always; If I Love You?

Tracks - Guitar Man; Ain't Gonna Work Today; Riverboat Shuffle; Our First Bluebonnet Spring; Cagey Bea; Runnin' with the Wind; Catfish and Collard Greens; Little Town Square; Hard Livin' Hard; Kansas City Blues; Grow Up America; The Chase

Tracks - Strange; The Host; In Your Mind; Alarmed; Trimmed and Burning; Happiness; Don't Try; You Are; Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss; The Weather

Tracks - Aliceville Rag; Up on the Mountain; Living Up to the Man You See in Me; Harvey Hartsell; Going to the Carnival; Country Boys in a City Alley; Sun Don't Shine (On the Same Dog Every Time); Electricity; Polio; Amos's Blues; Last of My Kind

Burch's fourth album of entirely wonderful old-time country - and his first without the WPA Ballclub, in name at least - features 11 new songs inspired by his friend Tony Earley's novel Jim the Boy. Burch has perhaps the warmest, purest sounding voice (somewhat reminiscent of Nashville Skyline-era Bob Dylan) in country music today and is a cruelly neglected young artist who's song-writing and interpretative skills are on full display on this record. From the gorgeous opening instrumental through to the album's standout track "Up on the Mountain" through to the brilliant title-track, Burch's Depression-era country stylings hit the bullseye every time. One can only hope that the proposed movie adaptation of Jim the Boy will feature every last second of this remarkable collection of songs.

Tracks - One Week Later; The Battle; Not Enough Tears; Picture Book Memories; Mother's Last Words to Her Son; You Dream of Him; How Many Times; Juanita; Homework for Sale; Seen it All; Mississippi Delta Blues

Tracks - Yesterday's World; Prehistoric; Diary of Wood; Round; Joy; The Lovely Universe; Round; Inside Blasts; Illusion; Waves of Bark and Light; Now; A Peek; Fingers; Days to Come (In Photographs); Symbols and Maps; The Pillow; Stars; Should a Cloud Replace a Compass?; Time or Dateline; How Long?; Your Parades; Forever

Tracks - Down About It; The Turnpike Down; The Outdoor Type; My Drug Buddy; The Same Thing You Thought Hard About is the Same Thing I Can Live Without; Ride with Me; Frying Pan; Excuse Me Sister; Thirteen; Stove; Half the Time + Griffith Sunset EP: Ba-De-Da; Fraulein; Sam Stone; Nothing; My Baby's Gone; A Tribute to Hank Williams; Ba-De-Da (Alternate Version)

Tracks - Streethawk I; The Bad Arts; Beggars Might Ride: The Sublimation Hour; English Music; Virgin with a Memory; The Very Modern Dance; The Crossover; Helena; Farrar, Straus & Giroux (Sea of Tears); Strike; Streethawk II

This follow-up to Destroyer's 1999 masterpiece "Thief" is another essential slice of literary pop from the current-day's master purveyor of this form, Daniel Bejar. Mr. Bejar is Canadian and is probably better known to most indie-punters as a member of The New Pornographers. Sounding like a cross between Hunky Dory-era Bowie, a much less pompous Brett Anderson (Suede) and John Darnielle from the Mountain Goats, Daniel Bejar's voice is a sublimely confident and endearing instrument that perfectly complements his intensely clever lyrics and complex musical arrangements. "Streethawk", from what my tiny little mind can derive, is a savage critique on the music industry, or is it? One never really knows, coz' Bejar's intricate wordplay is so uniquely cryptic that one can never be sure! Musically, Bejar is ably supported by the current Destroyer line-up of John Collins, Scott Morgan, Stephen Wood and crucially Jason Zumpano (of Zumpano fame) on piano whose timeless playing gives this album extra gravitas. Stand-out moments include the should-be-hit "The Sublimation Hour", the beguiling album opener "Streethawk I" and the seven-minute gem "Bad Arts". Best Canadian album of 2001? Look no further.

Tracks - Feel Free; Clear Day Thunder; Voodoo Candle; Barstow; Damn Shame; Damaged Son; Prelude (Make it Alright); Dead Promises; Feedkill Chain; Drain; Different Eyes; Outside the Door; Directions; Vitamins

Tracks - Annie Waits; Zak and Sara; Still Fighting It; Gone; Fred Jones, Pt. 2; The Ascent of Stan; Losing Lisa; Carrying Cathy; Not the Same; Rockin' the Suburbs; Fired; The Luckiest

Tracks - Where Does Yer Go Now?; Honeymoon with You; Stood on Gold; Dead-Aid; Can Megan; Christina; Easy Love; Let Those Blue Skies; These Winds are in My Heart; How I Long; Her Hair Hangs Long; Hodgeston's Hallelujah

Tracks - A-Town Blues; Man of the Road; Sands of Time; Miller, Jack and Mad Dog; Track 49; Life's Lonesome Road; Cow Cow Boogie; Route 23; Happy Birthday Julie; California Blues; Every Time; Viper; We Three; Railroad Blues

Tracks - The Snow White Diner; Passenger Pidgeons; A Dark Eye; There is a Sound; All the TV's in Town; Gravity; Cold, Cold, Cold; No One Fell Asleep Alone; I Know You Are There; Birds You Cannot See; The White Dog; So Long; Peace in the Valley Once Again

The fifth album from Brett and Rennie Sparks seems to find them almost at peace with the world…almost. Opening with the, dare I say, sophisticated "Snow-White Diner", the entire album feels like someone must have been playing whale noises subliminally during their sleep, causing them to wake in a trance-like state to a better world. Yes, I do exaggerate. But it is their quietest album to date. Don't be alarmed though, all the elements we fans know and love are thankfully still there - from Brett's gorgeous deadpan vocals to Rennie's lyrical tales of deers, dogs and, as always, birds. Furthermore, their wry humour is still clearly evident, especially on the utterly compelling "So Long". Rennie's lyrics (is their a better lyricist in Alt-Country?) make you feel like you are watching a movie in your head, something she's always been able to do for me from day one. Another treasure.

Tracks - Winning a Battle, Losing the War; Toxic Girl; Singing Softly to Me; I Don't Know What I Can Save You From; Failure; The Weight of My Words; The Girl from Back Then; Leaning Against the Wall; Little Kids; Summer on the Westhill; The Passenger; Parallel Lines

Tracks - Up to My Neck in You; Love at First Feel; Love Hungry Man; Bad Boy Boogie; What's Next to the Moon; Walk All Over You; You Ain't Got a Hold of Me; If You Want Blood; Riff Raff; Rock N' Roll Singer

Mark Kozelek's debut solo LP is a superb rendering of 10 lesser-known (to these sensitive ears at least) Bon Scott-era AC/DC songs. Kozelek extracts every last drop of the macho hard-rock-isms that originally infected these tracks and transforms them with his acoustic guitar into gentile, Sunday-morning folk songs of the highest order. The standouts "Up to My Neck in You" and "Bad Boy Boogie" rank with his best work. This is not pastiche, Kozelek clearly loves this material and treats it with respect and grace. To avid Red House Painters pundits this is hardly new ground that he is breaking. Kozelek has on previous records tackled other MOR/Hard Rock figureheads such as Kiss, Yes, The Cars, Paul Simon and Paul McCartney. It's just that here he does it for an entire album and he does it better. His interpretative skills are so accomplished that even an entire album of Backstreet Boys' covers would probably turn out OK! Or am I going too far?

Tracks - Fires on the Ocean; Echoes; Perfect for Shattering; Going Up North (Icicles); Wooden Bars; Catherine Elizabeth; Nico Norte; Words Hang in the Air; Fjords of Winter; In a Certain Place; Brighton Bound; The Reclusive Hero; The Glass Pane; Caton Gardens