| | 
TOP TEN MOST OVERRATED ALBUMS OF 2000 By Forestter Cobalt The music industry when it comes to promotions is a more or less "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" industry. To extend this metaphor further, it becomes more of a "I'll trade you a quarter for that dollar" sort of industry. Practically point-system-based at times, where certain labels and PR firms expect certain kinds of hoop-jumping from journalists and music critics, it can work like the worst aspect of Hollywood film criticism. In the same way that no one has to go to school to become a film or music critic, no one need have any sort of knowledge of any art or music history either. Anyone can pretend to be knowledgeable about music, or not even bother to pretend, and write a review, whether they write it on their own free homepage on the Net, or in the semi-glossy pages of Rolling Stone. But as anyone should know, there's a pretty wide gulf between a music fan and a shill for the mass media. Just like obsessive music fans can write neurosis-breeding histories and hyper-detailed reviews of psychedelic music in a zine like Ugly Things, dolts like Rolling Stone editor Joe Levy can get his weekly 15 minutes on VH1 proclaiming such "factual opinions" like "I think the whole world is in love with Britney Spears right now." Uh, I don't think so, but I guess the more you believe in what you're asked to believe, the more money you can make. Further, writers and editors in the mass media are often required to write glaringly positive reviews of music they find completely vapid, or risk losing their exhalted jobs for not doing so (Rolling Stone sort of set a precedent for this with Greil Marcus). And often, many "articles" about musicians, and even more reviews, are nothing more than rewrites of press releases. What a great read, huh? Is there a solution to this problem? The solution, more than ever before, means learning to read between the lines, learning to understand when praise is falsely manufactured, and when it is authentic. And even in that case, the praise of momentary excitement over level-headed thinking and examination needs to be deciphered, something I have been guilty of many times for a variety of reasons, usually due to time constraints. Still, at some point, all albums will either hold up or fall to further scrutiny, and we will all easily be able to see the utter vapidness of the Britney Spears media-manufactured product, versus the integrity and creative vision of, say, a Sun Ra album. Therefore I present 10 of the more overrated albums of 2000. I have tended to concentrate more on artists with some sort of indie credibility and albums I have actually listened to, than bothering with people like Britney Spears or Destiny's Child. - Radiohead, Kid A (Capitol)
[This is admittedly a good album. The fusion of pop and experimental electronics is really nice to hear, when done well, and in songs that both make lucid pop sense and sometimes don't make any sense at all. Fueled up by the third song, "The National Anthem", a sort of cold confusion/grand gesture between pop and experimental ideas, Radiohead show that they continue to have a big vision for popular music, but there's an awful lot of pure hype here.]"When the headphones peel off, and it occurs that six men (Nigel Godrich included) created this, it's clear that Radiohead must be the greatest band alive, if not the best since you know who. Breathing people made this record! And you can't wait to dive back in and try to prove that wrong over and over."
– Brent DiCrescenzo, Pitchforkmedia.com "But Kid A is all blur. It is a kind of virtual rock in which the roots have been cut away, and the formal language-hook, riff, bridge-has been warped, liquefied and, in some songs, thrown out altogether. If you're looking for instant joy and easy definition, you are swimming in the wrong soup."
– David Fricke, Rolling Stone [I guess that's why some people are less prone to listen to Top 40 pop, isn't it?] "But this is pop, a music of ornery, glistening guile and honest ache, and it will feel good under your skin once you let it get there. There is also a moral to this mischief: that a manufactured child, by nature or nurture, is no child at all. It is product. Kid A is not."
– David Fricke, Rolling Stone [I'm not really sure what Fricke is trying to say here, but I'm sure that in his extremely long review, the double-speak is probably worth about 25 cents a word.] - Bebel Gilberto, Tanto Tempo (Ziriguiboom/Six Degrees)
[Gee, it's too bad the Tropicalia resurgence trend is over and people have no idea where else to look for Brasilian music. I do think this is definitely one of the better albums of the year, however, this is a highly Americanized Brasilian record. But now that Brasilian music is as "cool" as Latin music, and though people have gotten bored with songs with complicated lyrics they don't understand, they don't know where to look. While it's only a matter of time before MPB takes off, and everyone can be all excited by the dreadful solo efforts of Moraes Moreira, in the meantime Bebel, daughter of João Gilberto and singer Miucha, will stand as a respectable vocalist until the Next Big Thing.]"Eschewing the postmodern irony that mars a lot of current production work, the music features uncluttered rhythm tracks that reverently recreate the classic samba pulse with both digital programming and live percussionists. Spare acoustic guitar, piano and other organic odds and ends lend smooth bossa nova authenticity, but the album's real treat is Gilberto's voice; her phrasing unobtrusively plays off the beats and melodies with an ease that comes from a lifetime around music."
– Tad Hendrickson, CMJ New Music Report [Good thing Tad thinks that the "rhythm tracks...reverently recreate the classic samba pulse", since samba is all about the rhythm. Also good that Tad thinks that the "spare acoustic guitar, piano, and other organic odds and ends lend smooth bossa nova authenticity" to this relatively authentic Brasilian music. I'd hate to have to listen to an inauthentic bossa nova. Now music mislabeled as a bossa nova — that's a different matter.] "A few years ago, Bebel Gilberto went through a rebellious phase...Of course, her "rebellion" wasn't nearly as radical as, say, joining a neo-riot grrl band. Nonetheless, it seemed that by merely making a few quirky guest appearances, Bebel was determined to prove herself anything but traditional."
– Richard M. Juzwiak, Pitchforkmedia.com "But with Bebel's debut solo LP, Tanto Tempo, she proves herself a good daughter. For the most part, the record is rooted in a traditional bossanova [sic] style and only lightly dusted with electronic beats and effects. Recent turns by the Sea and Cake and Ian Pooley (both great albums, to be sure) incorporated a Brazilian tinge to pepper their already defined sounds. Here, the opposite is done, perhaps to even greater success."
– Richard M. Juzwiak, Pitchforkmedia.com "It exudes enough emotion to obliterate any language barrier (Gilberto sings mostly in Portuguese); I honestly have no idea what she's saying throughout the bulk of this album, and it never matters-she does all the work for the listener."
– Richard M. Juzwiak, Pitchforkmedia.com [Thankfully the listener doesn't have to do any work. The worst albums are the ones where the listener has to put in effort to get something out of it. I also hear that for a small fee, Bebel can be flown in to diaper the listener too after the album is done playing.] "Though Tanto Tempo's electronic components may be easy to ignore, as they are very much in the background, they're notable."
– Richard M. Juzwiak, Pitchforkmedia.com [The electronic "components" of this album are the main reason this album is notable. They are the reason this album stands apart from so many of the other recent Brasilian releases. This album is very modern, and uniquely singular. This is no Amir Cantúsio Jr. for sure, but if it was just Bebel and say, a guitar and piano, she'd still be João and Miucha's daughter, she'd still be doing occasional guest spots on other people's albums, and she'd most likely still be just another pretty voice doing a bunch of old standards with some original songs in between.] - Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP (Interscope)
[Eminem espouses a continual line of hatred in his lyrics, and one aimed at women, gays, and the-boo hoo hoo-terrible, heartbreaking misery of being famous and wealthy. He's the epitome of the Angry White Male, the one who is bitter, hostile, and mad like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum. As a seemingly constructive alternative to just being angry, Eminem bitches and moans his way through exposing his incessant insecurities in the form of homophobia, misogyny, fear of cross-dressing, fear of fame, and even worse, the fear of being called on his bullshit. Yep, it's pretty horrible, that incessant, nagging terror about, oh, I don't know, being forced to wear make-up and put on women's clothing, isn't it? I worry about that every single minute of every single day, and you know what? I get by.[It's one thing to use lyrics to express anger in an abstract form, and another to detail things like killing your cousin, your wife, your mother; detail comparisons between fucking animal corpses and gay marriage; and assume that being gay means men wearing make-up. Wake up, real life is not always what you see on Jerry Springer. Sure, I like fucking dead goats as much as the next guy, but I don't rant about it at length to others. The biggest contention I have with Eminem — despite his general hatred of anything not white, straight, and himself, but also including himself — is that not only has Interscope, MTV, and the corporate media backed him and helped him attain such effortless success, but that record-buying morons have aided and abetted by buying his records. [In my mind, there's a big difference between constructive anger and outright bullshit. Constructive anger can result in vile, bitter horror, the type that creates interesting, complex music like black metal. But Eminem is just bitching and moaning and bitching and moaning some more, teaching kids old, misogynistic attitudes, and old, stereotype-perpetuating ways to view gays (as pedophiles or as transexuals, among other things). And to kids, and many adults, who have never even met any gays or lesbians but might be impressionable enough to believe, without questioning, that Eminem is accurately representing what being gay or lesbian is about, this is extremely hostile and damaging. These kinds of beliefs are the kind which can result in more violence against the gay and lesbian community. So with these words I congratulate all the fine music "reviewers" the world over who have nothing but praise for The Marshall Mathers LP, because I'm sure they all got free T-shirts from Interscope, for supporting ignorance and hatred.] "Lyrically, Slim Shady's misogynist, psychotically violent hip-hop persona hits shocking new extremes, but perhaps Em's most astounding skill is hidden within the fury. Take this passage from "Kim," a song where Slim snaps and takes his girlfriend to a secluded area and kills her: "Bullshit, you bitch/ Don't fuckin' lie to me!" he hollers over her screams in the midst of a murderous jealous tirade, then immediately whips into comic relief with some run-of-the-mill road rage before he reveals the broken-hearted kid at the core of the entire miserable tale: "Kim? Kim?/Why don't you like me?" Are these lyrics "wrong"? Are they art? No matter which side you're on, you can't deny their searing honesty, and that's what makes Eminem one of pop music's most compelling artists."
– Cheryl Botchick, CMJ New Music Report [I bet you'd be pretty compelled if in "searing honesty" I wrote a song about gutting you wide open, wouldn't you Cheryl? Tell me Cheryl, would you be smiling about my "run-of-the-mill road rage" then? Probably not. I bet you'd just laugh it off if I ripped you open from your cunt to your hungry, cocksucking mouth, wouldn't you? Wake up you fucking moron.] "Whether you are looking for something to bump to in your ride, or if you want some hardcore lyrics to vibe with, The Marshall Mathers LP does it all. I've never been a real big rap fan, but Eminem seems to appeal to me much more than any other rapper out there (and no it's not because he is white). His messages are blunt and right to the point. Some of what he says is difficult to swallow, but hey, maybe that's why we love to hate him so much. I probably could go on and on about Eminem's harshness, but I think you have to listen to it to really feel his lyrics. While this may be one of the darkest CD I own, it will probably end up being one of my favorite."
– C-man, Musictank.com [This is the part where I say, Own up to your liberal, middle class, white male biases and admit that he does appeal to you, because he's white. Because if you're trying to bullshit your way through his "appeal" because of his "bluntness", you obviously haven't bothered to ever listen to a dearth of hip-hop out there. There are plenty of other Top 40 hip-hop artists you could listen to, that are incredibly visible, who have some very blunt messages, though not all nearly as shallow or hateful. But I guess that would be a little too scary, to listen to music by someone who isn't white, because then you'd have to start seriously examining your own racist beliefs. And that's not nearly as fun as consuming, is it?] "On The Marshall Mathers LP he hits you with the lyrical complexity and detailed narratives of Biggie, the hilarious, is-he-kidding-or-not button-pushing of Howard Stern, the disaffected angry-white-boy-ness of Fight Club and the fearless, kill-me-if-you-can energy of Tupac. He has a macabre imagination to rival Satan's and an incredible ability to create new rhyme patterns. He has a frightening proclivity to spit venom one moment and humor the next, and a never-ending slew of jaw-dropping punch lines. You may find Eminem popping out of your own mouth, because he's the most quotable MC alive, both consistently funny and ridiculously far over the top."
– Toure, Rolling Stone "But there's too much anger on The Marshall Mathers LP for it to be just a calculated scheme to win fans. Eminem is a kid who was brutally beaten up in school and raised by a mother who recently hit him with a $10 million defamation-of-character lawsuit for saying things like "A mother did drugs, tar, liquor, cigarettes and speed/The baby came out disfigured, ligaments indeed/It was a seed who would grow up just as crazy as she/Don't dare make fun of that baby/'Cause that baby was me..../How the fuck you supposed to grow up when you weren't raised?" The album opens with "Kill You," in which he threatens Mom with guess what."
– Toure, Rolling Stone [Wait, let me get this straight. A big label tosses money at your feet for you to go make a record. You make a product. The label wants to recoup its money. It promotes it across the board, and then you're trying to say that the album wasn't made to make either money or "win" fans? Are you that clueless, or just too busy living off of your own bullshit to see things clearly?] - Rancid, Rancid (Epitaph)
[Rancid? Yes, Rancid. Because the new Green Day or Blink 182 albums weren't good enough, so everyone decided to dig around for the next big punk thing eh? Ooh, see how punk rock we have proven we are with our tats and mohawks. Yawn. Wake me up when it's over. Pass me that At the Drive-In album.]"Albums that make Amazon.com's yearly "best of" list are sometimes judged using high-falutin' artsy talk. Rancid has landed on the list because it compelled editors to scribble anarchy symbols in public hallways, buy skateboards, and start punk bands. Twenty-two songs, 39 minutes, and not one wasted second. A pure punk joyride with the throttle wide open."
– S. Duda , Amazon.com "This Rancid album is filled with hard-hitting speed and wicked guitar riffs (check out the finger-frying guitar and bass on "Young Al Capone"), and there's not a single syncopated rhythm or dubbed-out echo effect to be found. It's pure, uncut Rancid: stripped-down, violent and vicious. Each track segues right into the next, leaving little time for a breather between songs, adding more frenzy to the delightful chaos. And, of course, Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen are still taking turns vomiting out their vocals with a classic marble-mouthed urgency."
– Kelso Jacks, CMJ New Music Report [To think that no one could find anything better than Rancid is amazing to me. I mean, the playing is tight and the energy is great, but it isn't new, or innovative, or particulary invigorating for the punk scene.] "Fans of "And Out Came the Wolves" Clash inspired pop hooks might wince at the blistering hardcore found here on Rancid, but this collection of urgent, gravel voiced anthems is one of the most vital things the punk world has coughed up in years. At a time when "punk" doofuses Blink 182 score hit singles, these 38 minutes of warp speed passion prove how great the real thing can still be. Grade: A-"
– Rob Brunner, Entertainment Weekly [Right about Blink 182, but very ignorant about lack of vitality in the punk "world".] "In the mid-90s, questions were raised about their credibility, given their reliance on Mohawks and bondage pants and singing in English accents. Those questions seem utterly laughable in the face of the clenched fist that is Rancid. This album is not diverse. It is not about experimentation or musical ideas. It is about punk fucking rock."
– Matt, PunkAs.com [Yes. Because clearly punk was never about experimentation or diversity. All of us who know our music history stand corrected.] "I am a huge Rancid fan. I have been waiting for this album for what seems like an eternity. I ran out and got it the day it came out and when I heard it I went insane. Rancid's new self titled album is the hardest, heaviest, most powerful punk album I have heard in a long time. It's loud, it's raw, and it's proof that Rancid is punk rock royalty."
– Monica Carter, Instant.com [Then I sent in my video to MTV's FANatic, because I'm their biggest fan. Sometimes I like to come home from work, and put Rancid on the stereo and just go crazy...] - The Sea and Cake, Oui (Thrill Jockey)
[For some inexplicable reason, this was considered one of the great albums of the year by a wealth of critics. But the Chicago sound has become easy as hell to pick out and take apart. It has become easy to assemble, easy to mimic, and easy to mimic itself. And that equals stagnancy. I find this album dull and predictable. I think the world has hit a point where everything released from Chicago is automatically considered golden, especially if John McEntire or Jim O'Rourke has anything to do with it.]"Oui is stunning easy listening in recession, but up close, it's genius. The production, the arrangements, the instrumentation, the electronics would sound cumbersome in the hands of the unexperienced, but the Sea and Cake fuse these elements with economy and care. If Oui doesn't erupt like an outright revolution, it's only because the band makes it look it too easy. Great art doesn't always come like a shot heard round the world. And maybe that's the mark of a truly brilliant work of music: it's explosive inspiration masquerading as a lullaby."
– Brent S. Sirota, Pitchforkmedia.com [There's nothing I love more than critics excusing a record's banality, by claiming again and again that it takes a while to perceive how great it is. Uh, in that case, it's been over 20 years and I still don't perceive the brilliance of Air Supply's "Lost in Love", but I'm sure it's just a matter of time then, isn't it?] "Surprisingly, the Sea And Cake's fifth album doesn't offer any serious divergence from the Chicago collective's now well-established sound, just a further refinement of it."
– Colin Helms, CMJ New Music Report [Great, just what we all wanted, more of the same.] "The Sea and Cake are blessed. How these four amazing musicians found each other, put a band together, and made some of the most gorgeous pop music ever, without letting egos or musical differences get in the way, is a mystery akin to the building of Stonehenge."
– Ian Wilson Ross, Instant.com - OutKast Stankonia (Arista)
[Stankonia is a good album. It does a lot of things hip-hop doesn't tend to do, and that's try to make complex, melodic soul music, instead of just presenting monotone rapping over sampled melodies and beats, with a whole lot of continual one-upsmanship. In fact I think Stankonia is very innovative in a sense, borrowing not only from funk but all over the place musically, making self-referential commentary and creating a unique ongoing dialogue on top of that, in turn creating something of an abstract conceptual album. And even further, OutKast work the hip-hop toward the soul, making catchy grooves and tossing out messages. What could be better than catchy grooves mixed with nasty pornographic lyrics ("Snappin' and Trappin'")? Sometimes Stankonia is almost like watching a movie instead of listening to an album. But is it the savior of rap music? I don't know. Does rap music need saving? Or did I miss something?] "Stankonia is a full-grown album. OutKast are on the brink of pulling off something that other hip-hop progressives like De La Soul haven't been able to do for any amount of time: Get played on the radio, keep it real, but also keep it right."
– Nathan Brackett, Rolling Stone "Leading light of the "Dirty South" sound, OutKast is unquestionably one of the most important hip-hop acts of the past decade, its music a combination of intelligence, accessibility, individuality and butt-shaking fun. And while each of the group's albums has been a milestone, Stankonia is the grand slam-one that finds the duo stepping into true greatness. Where 1998's Aquemini was possibly the most psychedelic mainstream hip-hop album ever made, this one is harder, funkier and more focused, with the band's long-standing P-Funk, Prince and Sly influences more prominent than ever (and you could argue that OutKast is today's most worthy successor to that legacy)."
– Amir Hijazi, CMJ New Music Report [I think OutKast is good too, but if we were to equate them alongside artists like Funkadelic and Parliment, I don't know if OutKast is going to remain so exalted in music history. It's sort of akin to calling Stankonia a classic before twenty or so years have passed. Everyone wants to be first on the block to proclaim OutKast crucially important in the history of hip-hop, right now, but realistically, I think we're going to have to give it a while.] - The Beatles, 1 (Capitol)
[Yep, a "greatest hits" album, without "Please Please Me", and "Strawberry Fields Forever", was written about by every other major media outlet like it was a brand new album just waiting to be "discovered" by the whole world.] - Björk Selmasongs (Virgin)
[An album reliant upon the film it is the soundtrack for, is not quite so great. Selmasongs, the music from Dancer in the Dark, doesn't quite hold the weight on its own without the film to back it up. This reliance creates an interesting album; it's still uniquely Björk, and still uniquely good, but not great. I happen to think Dancer in the Dark was one of the best films of the year, but as an album, this soundtrack is nothing more than a soundtrack.]"Lack of appreciation for big shows won't spoil your enjoyment of Selmasongs, though — as with any Björk-penned project, the album is as dazzlingly innovative as it is seductively playful, re-imagining the artifacts of classic Hollywood show-stoppers and love songs with Björk's distinctly precocious, at times alien, sense of techno-soul."
– Colin Helms, CMJ New Music Report "Indeed, one of the strangest and most rewarding things about this record is how un-weird it is."
– N.M.E. "Differing slightly from the versions heard in the film, the music on Selmasongs brings Björk's penchant for haunting melodies, cinematic imagery and ambient percussion fully to bear. Though texturally in keeping with Debut, Post and Homogenic, Selmasongs sees Björk finding a different kind of inspiration in the character of Selma and wrote this music with a different goal in mind. Laden with emotion, the music is both sad and exuberant, built largely around the rhythms of machinery, railroad tracks, even pencil strokes on paper. The duet with Thom Yorke of Radiohead is one of the most poignant songs in the film, and "107 Steps" proves that Björk could sing from a telephone book and be just as affecting."
– Mark Burbey, Spin "Ultimately, the album stands brilliantly on its own. Though composed for a film, the music is 100-percent pure Björk and may well be her best work yet."
– Mark Burbey, Spin "Pure genius."
– E!online - Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven (Kranky)
[I'm starting to conclude that the more a band's reputation preceeds their music, the less interesting the music either is, or will become. I'm not going to argue that this isn't an impressive album, but I think a lot of people have a lot of good things to say about it out of a sense of obligation of towing the "coolness credibility" line. If I had to decide between the new Radiohead or this, I think I'd just give up and throw them both aside, after all the incessant banter about greatness and profundity. You'd almost think people would easily quit their jobs and follow this band around like they were the new Grateful Dead or something, they way people act.]"Yes, they wear all black and roll their own cigarettes. Yes, the exclamation point is part of their name. And yes, they're Canadian; there are nine of them and they are visibly pissed off about something. Nevertheless, Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven was an almost indigestibly massive double album of stunning innovation and strange new directions for the sullen nontet."
– Brent S. Sirota, Pitchforkmedia.com "Never has a band been capable of going from the sublime to the ridiculous so easily and so quickly within the space of a song. There is something incredibly appealing about them — maybe it's just their having the sheer neck to try to pull off such grand ideas."
– John Dee, Muse.com "I've been waiting all year for Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven. Please understand from the outset that this isn't an entirely impartial review. I don't think a band like Godspeed inspires impartial reviews. You either hurl yourself into the maelstrom of their music with reckless abandon or you remain at a safe distance, unwilling to get involved. While describing their music as "profound" would be going too far, their records and live performances seem to tap a well of primal energy, connecting with listeners at some fundamental, almost trance-inducing level. Instrumental (sorry, accidental pun) to this image is a healthily pompous attitude. I mean, shit...this is an instrumental group, right? And they're releasing a double album. With four songs on it. You've got to be a little bit arrogant to pull off something like that. And I think people are drawn to that arrogance, that mystery and that unrepentant artsiness."
– George Zahora, Splendidezine.com [As for impartial reviews, I could give or take Godspeed, FYI.] - Thievery Corporation, The Mirror Conspiracy (18th Street Lounge)
[Two things about this new Thievery Corporation record: 1. It's really pretty uninteresting, and 2. It's really pretty uninteresting. Even as background music, I was finding myself bored with it. Maybe it's too subtle, as in so subtle it's boring? It isn't particularly engaging, and despite numerous listens, the only thing I remember about it is that on the song Bebel Gilberto sings on, her voice sounds really terrible.]"The only thing snappier than Ron Garza and Eric Hilton's Armani suits and Bruno Magli shoes is the suave, downbeat dance tracks the Washington D.C. duo creates as Thievery Corporation. The pair's top-shelf aural cocktails, which involve a smooth mixture of dub reggae, trip-hop, acid jazz and Middle Eastern musics, have been fueling the fires of backroom lounges and dimly lit bedrooms since the pair's first singles emerged in 1996. The Mirror Conspiracy, TC's long-awaited sophomore album, raises the temperature of the mix by melding the synthetic serenity of lush keyboards with the warm hues of live strings, brass, percussion and the pipes of a host of vocalists, including Brazilian chanteuse Bebel Gilberto. In the past, stylistic similarities have unjustly forced Thievery Corp. to linger in the shadow of Austrian cohorts Kruder & Dorfmeister, but this elegant and inspiring album proves these sharp dressed men play second fiddle to no one."
– M. Tye Comer, CMJ New Music Report [It's really too bad Thievery Corporation have had to play "second fiddle" to Kruder & Dorfmeister, but maybe that's for a reason-because K&D exude energy, inventiveness, and skill. Thievery Corporation clearly have a reputation but one they can't pay up to. The hype over this album is exactly the sort of thing created by critics who feel the need to either kiss ass or tow the line for something because it either looks good, or it's exactly the "cool" thing to do. Not even the guest appearance by Gilberto can save this sinking ship from losing fuel. Some even like to think that this album creates an aura of crime chasing and espionage, and let me tell you from experience in my wealth of soundtracks that I collect, the only aura of espionage this album creates is perhaps shoplifting a brick of cheese from the local Aldi supermarket. While the new Sade is rather dull compared to her earlier efforts, it has twice as much life and creativity than Mirror Conspiracy.] "Do you like thieves? I do. That's why I love The Mirror Conspiracy. Corny, overly sensational attention grabbing hooks aside, there's an element of truth to what I say. Thievery Corporation's greatest asset is the ability to lift the best qualities of disparate camps within the electronica brigade and synthesize them into beautiful, polished, refined tracks. Are you a fan of the atmospheric French-language trip hop of Hooverphonic? Try TC's "Le Monde" on for size. Are you into Talvin Singh's drum 'n' bass meets raga/Asian underground sound? Then "Indra" is for you. Do you like Towa Tei's bossa nova-ridden Future Listening!? Take an aural gander at "Air Batucada"; I think you'll be pleased."
– Noah Wane, Splendidezine.com [I honestly recommend almost any of the other examples pointed to, over this.] "And they're so suave! The Mirror Conspiracy brings to mind words like dapper, debonair and jet-setting. I mean, if there's place in this world for the white trash sound of Kid Rock and Eminem, there's also a place for the ever-so-slightly snobbish, a place for refinement and sophistication, a place for caviar over fishsticks and a place for records like this!"
– Noah Wane, Splendidezine.com "Every dance genre has its restrictions. And every dance genre has its creative pioneers who fold back the envelope of sound particular to that genre by adopting new ideas from other musical trains of thought. Example? Feeling straitjacketed by four-to-the-floor house, St Germain forged a new musical identity for himself by introducing a jazz element to his sound. Likewise, on this LP, the follow-up to the horizontally-minded Sounds From The Thievery Corporation, Washington DC-based duo Eric Hilton and Rob Garza mould elements of eastern music with jazz, strings and moody electronica with such panache that anyone who doubted that the downtempo/chill-out genre had run out of ideas will be forced to think again."
– Cian Ó'Cíobháin, Muse.com [I think this album is a prime example of the downtempo genre running out of inspiration.]
To see reviews of these albums, including a list of best reissues for 2000, as well as many other releases, point your browser window to http://www.supersphere.com
|
