The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 16, 2002, Page 6, Image 6
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The Gamecock's music reviewer chooses the top 10albums
of2001, with choices spanning styles from folk to grunge
Reviewer Tug Baker chose IdleWild’s 100 Broken Windows for the top spot
In his Best of 2001 list. IdleWild’s sound combines ‘Victorian melodies' with
‘guttural grunge.’ photo special to the gamecock
BY TUG BAKER
THE GAMECOCK
This list is what I consider the
creme de la creme of music in
2001. While I’ll admit I can’t
possibly have listened to every
single album that came out,
these are some that made an
impression on me. Perhaps
you’ll find something here you
wouldn’t have picked up
otherwise. That’s what “Best of
...” lists are all about, anyway.
1. IDLEWILD -100 BROKEN
WINDOWS
At the top spot lands this
~ unlikely Scottish group. Taking
the band’s love of the diverse but
complementary styles of
'Nirvana and REM,
100 Broken Windows
'JppS 0 I has become a genre
““in itself. The album
flows from gentle
Victorian melodies to
raw, guttural grunge
~ IvlEwM) in a cacophonous
*» marriage that’s
lovely and dark at
L—J'— -- once. The songs
themselves embody the life of the
working class; they’ve moved
past the nonsensical whining of
grunge, however, and into a
more mature and fulfilling self
reflective transitional period
that is the true post-grunge.
2. SPIRITUALIZED - LET IT COME
DOWN
Let It Come Down is probably
the most ambitious album of the
year. Not only did Jason Pierce
have to live up to the
expectations set by
Spiritualized’s last
album, Ladies and
Gentlemen We Are
Floating In Space
(one of the best rock
albums of the ‘90s);
he chose to do so by hiring an
orchestra of more than 100
musicians. The result is celestial
space rock with a tender majesty
surrounding Pierce’s frail,
forlorn vocals.
3. PULP - WE LOVE LIFE
Following This Is Hardcore,
the darkest album in its
discography, Pulp has looked on
the brighter side of things with
We Love Life. - —>
Jarv is Cocker, the W -1
progenitor of geek- IV H" I
chic, is at his
sweetest, trading
in breathy sexual JB^
charming
promises of love. Even when the
album delves into the dark, it
remains an organic celebration
of life with songs such as
“Weeds,” “Trees” and “The
Birds in your Garden." This CD
hasn’t been released in the
United States yet, but it’s very
much worth the import price. ,
■t. niMIl MUMIflO - UULU
2001 found Ryan Adams
(formerly of Whiskytown) thrust
into the spotlight as his first
single, “New York, New York” (a
song about an ex-girlfriend),
became a kind of tribute to the
spirit of the city after Sept. 11.
Adams’ second solo album is just
as ingenious as
his first. A
chameleon of
sorts, Adams
channels the
spirits of all the
greats: Gram Parsons, Hank
Williams and Bruce Springsteen.
The album is a bittersweet
impression of tearful farewells
and energetic hellos, and with
Adam’s self-imposed prolificacy,
we can expect more and better
things from this amazing artist
soon.
r5. THE STROKES - IS THIS IT
Victims of a media-hype
onslaught, The
Strokes answered
right back by living
up to it and then
some. With vocals
coming through
with an electronic
buzz reminiscent of Lou Reed’s
solo work, the band thrashes
through imitations of the proto
punk-rock of bands such as
Television and the Velvet
Underground. The lyrics are
crisp with the cold of New York
winters and anxious like an
adolescent’s sex drive. Face it;
you can’t escape The Strokes.
6. BEN FOLDS - ROCKIN’ THE
SUBURBS
-His first solo release
after disbanding Ben
Folds Five, Rockin' the
Suburbs finds Ben
Folds writing what is
possibly the best mid
life crisis album ever. Just as
compelling as those of any BFF
album, the songs are the same
quirky pop reminiscent of Billy
Joel and Burt Bacharach. This
time, the wiseass attitude of his
earlier albums is dulled, giving
way to transcendental
melodramatic sketches that will
give you pangs of sadness
whether you like it or not.
K/EY - STORIES FROM
TORIES FROM THE
Harvey’s new
dbum sees her rising
rom the ashes of her
lark days as a punk
met and coming into
ler own as a female
iurt Cobain. The
lore direct and honest
ler previous efforts,
till delves into the
ipths for inspiration,
she is more careful not to get lost
in them. All this comes together
to spotlight one of the most
important women in rock
history as the true genius she is.
8. BOB DYLAN - LOVE AND THEFT
Everyone else has
said it, and so will I:
this is Dylan’s best
album since “Blood on
the Tracks.” Probably
the most important
songwriter in the history of rock,
Dylan takes a new direction that
runs the gamut of musical genres:
country, swing, bluegrass, rock.
Cementing his true return to
rock, the real draw of the album is
the loss of his morose, apocalyptic
lyrics and the return to the warm,
funny Bob we knew of old.
9. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE
CLUB - BRMC
This LA group has
created quite a buzz
for itself with its
penchant for
overamped guitars,
rattling chords and . ^
glam-rock crooning. For a debut,
this is an incredibly strong album
that stumbles its way through
tales of moody introspection with
such unrefined talent that it must
be Rock‘n’Roll.
10. GUIDED BY VOICES -
ISOLATION DRILLS
The college radio staple
returned in 2001 with one of its
best albums ever. While some fans
might disparage the glossy, hi-fi
sound of Isolation Drills, the true
beauty of the album is that, unlike
many previous GBV albums, this
one is chock-full of amazing rock
tunes, no one any less vital than
another. Hats
off to Uncle Bob
and the boys
for a rollicking
ELBOW ROOM CLOSURE
The Elbow Room closes doors
Loss of music
club might hurt
city’s music scene
BY ADAM BEAM
THE GAMECOCK
After years of promoting
everything from national acts,
such as The Strokes, to up-and
coming local bands, such as
Fling, the Elbow Room voluntar
ily closed its doors on Jan. 8 after
having filed twice for Chapter 11
bankruptcy.
“That’s one side of the story, it
just depends on who you talk to,”
said promotions director
Jonathan Dunagin. “(Owner) Bob
Marzbanian, all he did was really
just withdraw his fight to keep the
building. So nothing was actually
ruled against anyone, he just
wasn’t going to fight it any
longer.”
Dunagin said the last Elbow
Room show was on Jan. 5, and
the venue began relocating on
Jan. 8.
The Harden Street club drew underground acts to the city
that might now pass Columbia by. photo by robert gruen
But according to Danny
Braswell of the S.C. Revenue
Department, records show the
Elbow Room voluntarily closed on
Dec. 31,2001.
“They may have continued to op
erate,” Braswell said. “That’s some
thing we may have to look into.”
Located on Harden Street in the
middle of Five Points, the Elbow
Roopi was an 18-and-over music
venue that attracted many USC
students because of its proximity
to campus.
“The reason the Elbow Room
did so well was because of its lo
cation,” said Sherard Duvall, USC
alumnus and former WUSC pro
gram director.
Duvall, also known as DJ
Shekeese, said the Elbow Room
will be missed in Columbia.
♦ ELBOW ROOM, SEE PAGE 7
Life after the Elbow Room
Other local
venues fill
in the gap
BY AUBREY FOGLE
THE GAMECOCK
Since the Elbow Room’s
departure from the
Columbia area, live music
might well become a scarce
commodity. Asthelocal
staple venue and a major
draw for national artists,
the Elbow Room will be
sorely missed, but its
disappearance doesn’t
mean the end of live music
in Columbia. From bars to
music halls to the city’s
Township Auditorium,
whatever your tastes, the
city has got your jam. It’s
just a matter of where to
look.
The Township
•Auditorium on Taylor
Street plays host, to national
music acts, thea ter
productions and
comedians. Five-time
Grammy Award-winning
artist Luther Vandross will
perform Jan. 31 as part of a
tour to promote his new
self-titled album. Tickets
for the concert will be $65.50
for a seat in the lower level
and $60.50 for a spot in the
balcony.
On the ban- scene, Break
the Silence will play at the
Wings & Ale on Outlet
Pointe Boulevard. The
concert has no cover
charge, but no one under 21
will be allowed inside after
8 p.m. without a parent or
guardian. The concert will
be one of the few Wings &
Ale will book for this
month. Also playing with
no cover charge will be
Ekoostik Hookah at the
Cock Pit on Friday.
Another bar that
specializes in acoustic
entertainment is Willy’s on
t
♦ OPTIONS, SEE PAGE >
USC students can frequent
Jillian’s, New Brookland
Tavern and other clubs in The
Vista now that the Elbow
Room in Five Points is closed.
PHOTO BY ROBERT GRUEN