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Best music the decade * by Pete Johnson Assistant Encore! Editor 10) The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Orange Sorry, Jon, but the Blues isn’t No. 1. At least, not this decade. You’ll have to settle for 10th, but not bad at all. 1 have to warn you, the Blues Ex plosion is not for virgin ears. Orange is a loud, abra sive punk- and blues-rooted guitar rock machine. Jon Spencer sings with the soul attitude of a mod ern-day James Brown, while Judah Bauer fero ciously attacks his guitar and drummer Russel Sirnins pounds his minuscule drum-kit into submission. Who needs coffee when you’ve got the Blues Explosion? 9) Beck, Mutations vvimout a aouoi, uie most diverse arusi 01 our time. 1 wasn’t much of a Beck fan until 1 first heard Mutations, Beck’s 1998 acoustic folk masterpiece. Beck’s uncanny wit in his lyricism transcends from Odelay to Mutations without a hitch. This is an al bum worthy of being written by Bob Dylan. Beck and his band are so good that they opted to play one track on the album (“Canceled Check”) with paper bags over their heads in order to induce more mistakes. What’s in the works for Beck next? Your guess is as good as mine. 8) Poitishead, Dummy Singer Beth Gibbons’ angst is well catalogued here in Portishead’s 1994 debut. Although Mas sive Attack’s Blue Lines in 1991 pioneered the - genre known as “trip hop,” Dummy popularized it. It is as innovative as it is di verse, all the while remaining ear-friendly. 7) The Verve, Urban Hymns The best Brit-rock album of the decade. Unfortunately, the only attention it got was from its only hit single, “Bit tersweet Symphony.” There is a lot more to tliis album that was too easily overlooked. Etch and every one of the songs on Ur i ii_r <:..i l/uil llj muj IJ imcvuuuo uuu well-wrillen. “Mad” Richard Ashcroft has a pen chant for philosophical, self-loathsome behavior, and he plays off of it well. Most of these songs are deep ponderings on gelling older, lost loves and other such joyous topics. A very soulful album indeed. 6) YoLaTengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One This trio from Hoboken, N J., has been together since uie laie bus ana nas grauuany expanuea on its sound, pulling in more fans with each album. 1997’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One brings their career to a pinnacle. It is so diverse that it’s almost impossible to invoke the words to describe it. Eternally breathy vocals overlap forever res onating and echoing guitars. The album over flows with a carnival of different sounds and styles. A truly marvelous experience. 5) Radiohead, The Bends My favorite Radiohead album, but OK Com puter outshines it. 1995’s The Bends is sometimes soft and heartbroken (“High and Dry,” “Nice Dream”), and sometimes angry and resoundingly cynical (“Just,” “Sulk”). The Bends covers all the basic complexities of Thom Yorke’s mind. That is, until they got unendingly more complex and confused (See No. 1 album of decade). Yorke and Radiohead say more here than anyone ever thought they would after their grungy 1993 debut, Puhlo MlUilCj. 4) Neutral Milk Hotel, In The Aeroplane O'er The Sea Athens, Ga.’s, Neutral Milk Hotel, stole the hearts of... well, a few lucky thousand who heard the buzz from the critics whose hearts were stolen after hearing In the Aeroplane O’er the Sea. Jeff Mangum bears his soul on this record. His pow erfully pure voice commands the listener to hang on his every word in anticipation of what wisdom lie will spout next. Meanwhile, behind him, may hem is reigning. Fuzz-bass pulverizes your speak ers, and the music periodically breaks into brass or chestration. The most impressive feat is how most of the album flows so effortlessly into itself. It is difficult to bring the listener from a point near tears to the opposite end of the spectrum, unadulterat ed joy. Neutral Milk Hotel has given an entirely new meaning to the phrase “auditory stimulation.” 3) ravemeni, siamea ana nncnamea The album that earned Payment God-like status in the indie world. Slanted and Enchanted, their 1991 debut, is a little rough-sounding, but in fluential nonetheless. The whole idea of “indie” (recording your own album in a basement on an 8 track) grew in popularity with Pavement’s boom ing success within the industry. Steve Malkamus’ Decade srt page 5 Music 1999 from page 2 and Limp Bizkit, Reznor blows them till away with his 100-minute plus masterpiece. Reznor, a pio neer in the modem rock age, takes apples and or anges (techno and rock) and makes a fruit punch that puts you on your ass. He splatters the walls of sound with gutsy guitar licks (something truly miss ing in most ‘99 albums), beautiful instrumentals, layers ol piano and chaos, and meaninglul lyrics. He isn’t as pessimistic as he was in 77ie Downward Spiral, but he isn’t singing about Daisies and Daf fodils either. 77ie Fragile is anything but, and it is definitely not for the faint of heart... nor is it for those damn perky Kom, Kid Rock and Limp Bizk il fans. 2) Wilco, Summerteeth In an album where Wilco more or less rein vented their sound, Summerteeth emeiged as a pop masterpiece. Critics say Jeff Tweedy and compa ny call on the sound of Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds as inspiration, but if I were to judge (and I am), the two never intersect. Wilco uncover new territory with a beautiful blend of chirk lyrics and many layers of pop. Tire hybrid, termed “dark pop,” was a refreshing alternative to the usual stereotype lliat pop music doesn’t talk about anydiing. Tweedy’s voice is rustic and pure, and his lyrics are some of the best he has ever produced. You find yourself tapping your feet to this album while listening to the dark and menacing songs of the album. 1) Flaming lips, The Soft Bulletin 1171.. _1J 1_ <1._l.4 4 1. ..4 4 1__1_1 ff iiu m/uiu iiuvb iiiV7U£in urni uiu jiuiiv uuiiu who did “She Don’t Use Jelly” could produce an album of such great stature as The Soft Bulletin? This effort plays more like a symphony than a circus. This album actually introduced me to this incredible band that has gone unnoticed for the bet ter half of two decades. This album is a pop mas terpiece. From the first bang of die drums on “Race For The Prize” to the last note on “Sleeping on the Roof,” you are enthralled by the powerful music and colorful lyrics. Widi an outstanding tour to sup port it, The Soft Bulletin should become immor talized as one of those albums that defines a mo ment in time: nearing the end of the century, and facing the apparent loss of hope and love. The “soft est bullet ever shot” makes a deep impact into the mind of any who challenge themselves to open their ears and minds. by Pete Johnson Assistant Encore! Editor 10) Beta Band, The 3 EP’s The 3 EP’s isn’t just a clever name, like “al bum of the year” or “major label debut.” This al bum, released in February, is actually a collection of this Scottish quartet’s first three European EPs. Think Beck on crack. No, wail... they might not be that crazy, but the Beta Band are extremely talented and diverse, and even more weird. But the end product is captivating in a bizarre kind of way. 9) Beth Orton, Central Reservation The woman with one of the sultriest voices in music today also has one of the most remark able albums of the year. Central Reservation mix es Orton’s folk-pop sensibility with occasional tech no influences interspersed. Hailing from England, Orton’s debut Trailer Park took many by surprise in 1997. Central Reservation rounds over some of the rough edges that were left on Trailer Park. 8) Mojave 3, Ask Me Tomorrow This English quartet knows how to hypnotize its listeners. Usually, music this mellow is good for lulling one to sleep, but Ask Me Tomorrow speaks directly to the heart. Originally released in 1996 in England, it was just re-released in America last monui alter rousing success irom me nano s Janu ary release, Out Of Tune. The beautiful harmonies created between Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead define the album. Probably one of the best albums to listen to late at night. * 7) Pavement, Terror Twilight The boys from Stockton, Calif, are back with their sixth album. Tenor Twilight is cleaner and more pop-sensible than past Pavement albums, but it also recovers some of the edge that Pavement seems to have lost on 1997’s Brighten the Comers. Production was done by the underrated Nigel Go Music 1999 SEE PAGE 8