Top Ten Tunes Times Three.

Three writers, ages 16, 25, and 35, mostly disagree about the best tunes of 2000.
By Matt Farr, Kathryn Farr, and Wythe Marschall

It's the end of the year, and I'm feeling the need to justify all the scratch that I dropped on CDs. Most people are simply way too responsible to drop hundreds of dollars on music every year, just to find that rare album that gets played over and over again. I, however, have made the relentless pursuit of good music a personal quest. And what better way to share these findings with you, my dear readers, than to create a Top Ten CD list? 

I realize, however, that my 35-year-old taste for music may not jibe with everyone's personal preferences. Therefore, I have recruited two other critics to share their ten best. We'll hear from my cousin Wythe, the world's most discerning 16-year-old music evaluator. We last heard from Wythe when he wrote about his choice for president, Ozzy Osbourne. I've also recruited yet another cousin, Kathryn Farr, who is a 25-year-old music writer living in L.A. Kathryn is the associate editor for URB magazine, where she is the resident expert on all things hip hop.

You'll note that we agree on only a few choices. Kathryn and Wythe both list OutKast in their top 10, who is an artist that I've never even heard of. Obviously, this has nothing to do with my lack of coolness, since I am stone cold fresh dope. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the many lame radio stations in the Denver area. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Also, Kathryn and I both put U2 on our lists, although I gave them only an honorable mention. More below.

Anyway, here is our combined 2000 Top Ten CDs. I wonder if I can get a tax deduction for all those CDs now? 

Matt Farr's Top Ten of 2000

1. Elliott Smith - Figure 8
If you love the Beatles, especially the harmonies of Abbey Road, you owe it to yourself to buy this disc. Stellar music. I saw him perform in a small Denver club, and it was about as close as I'll ever get to seeing a live Beatles show. He's got a wonderful voice and writes the kind of songs that were called pop when being called pop was a compliment. It's that good.

2. Travis - The Man Who
An English band with languorous, guitar-driven rock songs. Kind of a cross between the Stone Roses and Del Amitri, for the few people who've ever heard of those bands. This album came out of nowhere for me, but spent a lot of time in my player.

3. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Adams was the lead singer of an obscure band called Whiskeytown, and his solo debut yielded great results. Adams falls into the "Alt Country" category, which is roots-based music that harkens back to Woody Guthrie and early Bob Dylan, cross-bred with the punk power of the Replacements and Fugazi. If you're a big fan of Shania Twain, this ain't gonna be your bag, but if you like The Byrds, the Grateful Dead, or even some of Bruce Springsteen's quieter stuff, you should check this out. When Adams hits it big, you can say you knew about him when nobody else did. 

4. Aimee Mann - Bachelor #2
Back in the early 80s, my girlfriend in college used to love the song "Voices Carry" by a band called 'Til Tuesday. The chorus went, "Hush hush, keep it down now, voices carry." It used to drive me crazy. Anyway, the lead singer of that group was a woman named Aimee Mann, who went on to create a number of very good solo albums in the 90s. Unfortunately, she was neither in the "alternative" category, ala Pearl Jam, or the "pop" category, like the Spice Girls, so she got virtually no radio airplay and very few people bought her records. Her most recent offering, which is simply wonderful, had to be purchased directly from her Web site when it was originally released -- she didn't have a record deal, so her album wasn't available in most music shops. Her profile was elevated somewhat recently, when the movie Magnolia came out, which featured many of her songs (and was reportedly inspired by her lyrics!) This is a great album of Mann at her acidic, cynical, tuneful best.

5. Jeff Tweedy - Live at Lounge Ax, Jan. 4, 2000
Here's a two disc CD that you can't find in any music shop. Shhh. It's what used to be called a bootleg, but is now called...well, something other than a bootleg. A live, unauthorized recoding, maybe. Anyway, this is a 26 song recording of Jeff Tweedy, the leader of Wilco, solo with an acoustic guitar. The event took place during the final week before Lounge Ax, the tiny influential Chicago music venue/bar, was shut down. The performance is riveting. If you're lucky, you can download the songs from Napster before it too gets shut down. 

6. Incubus - Make Yourself & When Incubus Attacks
Make Yourself actually came out in late 1999, but it got so much play from me during the first half of 2000 that my wife threatened me with heavy doses of Ethylene Glycol. It's an appealing mixture of hard rock, actual songwriting, crack musicianship, a good singer, and a DJ working the turntables to please the hip hop kids. If you like Rush or the Smashing Pumpkins, you might like Make Yourself. Incubus's actual 2000 release, When Incubus Attacks, is an EP that features several of their songs performed with only singer and acoustic guitar. Yeah, there are actual songs under all that thrash.

7. Slobberbone - Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today
A fine rocker with some alt country twang. Listened to it for several weeks straight without interruption. I haven't seen them play live, but my sources tell me once you do, these guys will become your favorite band in the universe. I can't wait.

8. Everclear - Songs From An American Movie, Vol. One
These guys released two albums this year. I haven't heard the second one, so I can't offer any comments. The first, however, offered some real power pop nuggets. Yes, a) they're commercial, and b) they have a tendency to whine a bit; but they're like the only decent act that gets any commercial radio airplay whatsoever. Thank God for 'em. Have you heard this crap by Blink 182 and the other artists that pass for "popular" music? What I'm saying here is that "AM Radio" is the closest thing you're going find to vintage Beach Boys party music in 2000.

9. Modest Mouse - the moon & antarctica
Consistently weird and glorious. In fact, I'm listening to it right now. I don't know how to describe it -- it fits in with the first three selections on this list, kind of. The guy has a voice that takes a little getting used to. It's not immediately likable, but it grows on you in a big way.

10. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
No matter what you say about this guy -- and it's all true; he is the scum of the earth -- damn, what a beat.

Honorary Mention
U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
I liked this album enough that I listened to it non-stop for about a week. Enough so that it reminded me of why I didn't like U2 all that much back in the mid-80s. I really admire U2, I like their music, and they put on a great live show. I'm glad that they decided to return to their roots and spend time crafting songs rather than continuing to jump on the latest music fad bandwagon. But something just bugs me about these guys. Just to see if 1987's The Joshua Tree still had the same effect on me, I pulled it out a few days ago and listened to it. Sure enough, about two thirds of the way through, irritation set in. U2 is probably in my top 50 favorite bands, but I prefer my U2 in small doses.

Disappointments
Radiohead - Kid A
Maybe I just haven't listened to it enough yet. I love their last album, OK Computer.

Pearl Jam - Binaural
I played it over and over in my vehicle -- then set it aside and never missed
it

Rage Against The Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles
More of the same, only not as good. I haven't checked out Renegades yet, which may be more interesting than this one. 

Steve Earle - Transcendental Blues
It didn't live up to the hype for me.

For what it's worth, there you have it. Add it up.

Kathryn Farr's Top Ten of 2000
(in no particular order)
You can tell Kathryn is a professional music writer -- she credits the record label after every release in parentheses. --Matt

Sade - Lovers Rock (Epic) 
A soothing, satisfying collection for rainy mornings and candlelight confessions, Lovers Rock pairs Sade's breathtakingly elegant voice with spare instrumentation. Nobody else spills their guts in such an immediate and achingly beautiful way. 

St. Germaine - Tourist (Blue Note)
Accomplished jazz musicians crank out of-the-moment electronic dance music.

OutKast - Stankonia (Arista)
Atlanta hip-hop duo brings an album that's both experimental and accessible, throwing greasy funk, psychedelic guitar and frenzied rhythms into the mix.

Mr. De' - Electronic Funkyshit (Electrofunk)
The title says it all. Mr. De' delivers an appealing blend of Detroit "ghettotech" (techno beats with booty-shaking bass and filthy catch phrases), delightfully cheesy R&B vocals and light jazz. Difficult to explain but worth tracking down if you can stomach X-rated lyrics. www.electrofunk.com

Clinton - Disco and the Halfway to Discontent (Virgin)
With its celebratory, clap-your-hands vibe, funky beats, sparkly vocals and catchy synth lines, this is an irresistably fun dance record. (Technically from '99, but still fresh.)

Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune)
The defiantly indie Ninja Tune label marks its tenth anniversary with a collection of boundary-bending delights -- three discs' worth of smoked-out, sample-heavy sounds. Leftfield hip-hop, sassy spoken word, muted jazz noodling and anesthesized space jams share space with dance-floor thumpers and turntable compositions here.

U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind (Interscope)
U2 returns to its roots and emerges with a collection of instant classics. 

Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek - Reflection Eternal (Rawkus)
A smart, fierce hip-hop record with plenty of fist-pumping energy. Kweli raps with the intensity of a battle-scarred B-boy, while DJ Hi-Tek serves up everything from buoyant, delicate beats to full-blown funk tracks. 

D'Angelo - Voodoo (Virgin)
The hip-hop soul stud dishes out rootsy, raw vocals over boom-bap beats and slow-grind jams. Experiencing his marathon live show, which includes a huge backing band and screaming from ladies in the audience, convinced me that he could be our generation's Marvin Gaye.

Quasimoto - The Unseen (Stones Throw)
Visionary SoCal rapper/producer Madlib spars with his chipmunk-voiced alter ego Quasimoto and ransacks vaults of forgotten soul LPs to craft strange, memorable soundscapes. Give this one a minute to sink in.

Wythe Marshall's Top Ten of 2000
Or: How I Spent My Allowance

This was an off year for rock and roll. Other than Rage Against The Machine, the now semi-defunct grandpapa of "Kill Whitey" rap rock, most artists released big in 1999 (or the year before that). And, truth be told, I cannot possibly own every new rock CD, or even a good percentage of them. I'm still waiting for the latest offering from Godsmack, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Lenny Kravitz, Papa Roach, and many other good-to-palatable geetar strummin' fiends. So if you really want my opinion on 2000 releases, email me in a year.

1. Rage Against the Machine - Renegades
The masters return to preach the gospels of revolution. No one, from Zeppelin to Sabbath to Kid Rock to System, can deliver antiestablishment rock that sounds this good. And that's why they were and are (sans lead singer Zack de la Rocha) Rage Against the Machine. The name says it all. And while Renegades is mostly rap covers, Rage does perform a stunning "Maggie's Farm," as well as "Street Fighting Man" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad."

But the best aspect of Renegades has to be its jacket, a brief anti-capitalist pamphlet written in eerie poetry. Its only message: Deface every dollar you own. I do. And hopefully every Rage fan will.

So even if Rage never plays another song together again, at least they went out strong. Fight on! (Continue the struggle on the web at www.ratm.com.)

2. Various Artists - Loud Rocks
Not everyone likes rap rock. If you don't, 's fine by me -- just keep humming your favorite Depeche Mode or Skynyrd hits and cursing that rapscallion Fred Durst. If you do enjoy a little collabo now and then, however, check out Loud Rocks, the greatest bridge between black and white since the "I Have a Dream" speech. Okay, Wu Tang, Busta Rhymes, System of a Down, Ozzy, and the other Loud Rockers may not quite be living saints, but the music's good.

While all the songs are worth listening to, Static X and Dead Prez team up on a particularly powerful cover of the rappers' hit "Hip Hop," and different Wu Tang second-stringers MC to the inspired tunes of Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morrello, Ozzy Osbourne, and System. A classic for a new generation.

3. The Beatles - One
Eighty minutes of the boys' greatest tunes on one CD? That's friggin amazing! I'll take that deal any day, and I'm only a passing Beatlehead. (Or whatever they're called -- shows you how much I know. Morrison, Hendrix, Page, and Ozzy coulda beat the snot out of those crooning punks.) Comes with a very groovy jacket full of album covers. Only one question: How did one band have twenty seven number one singles in less than ten years? Wheaties? Steroids? Recounts? I wonder.

4. Various Artists - Stoned Immaculate: A Tribute to the Doors
Not enough Jim Morrison, a little too much Smash Mouth, but an excellent buy nonetheless. Stone Temple Pilots fans (like me) will love STP's "Break On Through," but most of the other tracks pass the Okay Test with a B. Love the rambling quotes and forewords in the jacket.

5. The Deftones - The White Pony
Three albums down for Chino and the gang. I bought White Pony for "Change (In the House of Flies)," but that's not the album's only exceptional tune. And there's more -- pop the snow-hued horsie into your PC and experience a Deftones senso-rama including Pac Man, picture galleries, and a music video. Fair warning: This CD's computer fun crashed one laptop in my house (use caution, tonesDef fans!).

6. Outkast - Stankonia
Even a whiteboy like me can appreciate Outkast. They rep ATL, pimp bitches, and drank 40s with the best of em, but Andre and Big Boi have something else. GUITAR! Screw all this Entertainment Weekly, "they care about social issues" crap -- these are black guys with guitars! What can be cooler? And man can they ever spit. Maybe Crazie Bone can flow faster, or the Human Beat Machine make more funny effects, but Outkast could sure blow those guys away overall. If you doubt, pick up ATL Aliens or Aquemini. ...told you so.

7. Various Artists - Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows Soundtrack
I know, I know: THE MOVIE SUCKED. We all loved BW1; we all collectively thumbed our nose at BW2:BoS. But the soundtrack, that's a different story. For one, System's "Mind" made its way onto this macabre plastic wheel of darkness (bwahaha...), making it at least palatable immediately. And Tony Iommi and Dave Grohl's "Goodbye Lament" really kicks the album up a notch. Oh well. Cross your fingers that the Blair Witch 3: Tome of Sun-Induced Dark Areas soundtrack will be as good.

8.-10. System of a Down - System of a Down
Yes, I know it came out in 1998, but I'm out of worthy albums. So far Marilyn Manson's Holy Wood just doesn't cut the evil mustard, although the jacket's cool as capers. Wu Tang does have The W, but I'm not about to put another rap album on the top ten; wouldn't be much of a rock critic if I did. And to top it off -- it pains me to say this -- I still don't own Pearl Jam's latest, Binaural. The last popular grunge band on the planet, the social conscience of rock and roll (but not in a lame Boston/Creed way), Pearl Jam. And I have naught.

Conclusion: Check out classic rock. Screw most new stuff -- particularly Fred's brainchild Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water. Great title, disappointing album.

So what are you doing reading Rusty Brain when you could be perusing Sound City for Led Zeppelin IV or Nevermind? Now shoo -- I have music to listen to.

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©2000 Matthew Farr/Kathryn Farr/Wythe Marschall
Our motto: We have fine taste in music and we are fine tasting also.