From: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org (jinglejangle-digest) To: jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Subject: jinglejangle-digest V1 #248 Reply-To: jinglejangle@smoe.org Sender: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jinglejangle-digest Thursday, December 31 1998 Volume 01 : Number 248 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [MLL] top albums of the year [ED G ] [MLL] Favorite cd's of 1998 [Mark Miazga ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 08:57:50 -0800 (PST) From: ED G Subject: [MLL] top albums of the year Here my top albums of the year....a few were released in 1997 but continued to dominate my stereo throughout 1998! 1 Bernard Butler-People Move On(Creation) 2 Mary Lou Lord-Got No Shadow(WORK) 3 Bic Runga-Sway(Columbia) 4 Velvet Crush-Heavy Changes(Action Musik) 5 Armand Van Helden-Enter the Meat Market(Ruffhouse) 6 Pullman-Turnstyles & Junkpiles(Thrill Jockey) 7 Besse Griffin & Gospel Pearls-Live at the Bear in Chicago 1963(Legacy) 8 Shift-Get On(Columbia) 9 Heather Myles-Highways & Honky Tonks(Rounder) 10 DJ Andy Smith-The Document(Phase 4) 11 Travis-Good Feeling(Independiente/Epic) 12 Miles Davis & Bill Laswell-Panthalassa(Columbia) 13 Field Mice-Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way?(Shinkansen) 14 Beastie Boys-Hey Nasty(Capitol) 15 David Holmes-Let's Get Killed(Go Beats) 16 Kacy Crowley-Anchorless(Atlantic) 17 Julianna Hatfield-Bed(Mercury) 18 Velocette-Spoiled Children EP(Wiija) 19 Ric Menck & Paul Chastain-Hey Wimpus(Action Musik) 20 Hayley Mills-Let's Get Together with Hayley Mills(Disney) Honorably Mentions: Arnold-Hillside(Creation),Heather Nova-Siren(WORK),Propellerheads-Decksanddrumsandrockandroll(Dreamworks),Saint Etienne-Good Humor(Subpop) _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 21:17:55 -0500 From: Mark Miazga Subject: [MLL] Favorite cd's of 1998 1. Sketches for My Sweetheart The Drunk -- Jeff Buckley : A musical documentary of sorts, in that it details un-finished demos of Buckley's work for his next album. Still, nothing released in '98 had the emotional power of this superb album. It was erotic, moving, exhilirating, life-affirming, and treacherously sad all at once. 2. Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie -- Alanis Morissette: Loads better than her first album (and, yes, I consider "Jagged Little Pill" her first album even though I know technically it wasn't), this featured the best songwriting of the year. Alanis is a severely underrated songwriter with a tremendous voice, and her album was an eclectic, diverse, and moving delight. 3. Mermaid Avenue -- Billy Bragg & Wilco: A ton of fun, both musically and lyrically. Somehow, the pairing of Billy Bragg and Wilco brought out the best of both, and the result was a superb. 4. Everything I Need -- Melissa Ferrick: The first time a studio album has captured the intensity of Ms. Ferrick, this album boasts the brilliantly catchy song of the year (the title track), plus tons of other fine moments. Lyrics and vocals married perfectly to the production. 5. Little Plastic Castle -- Ani DiFranco: Perhaps not her most consistent work, but definitely her most envigorating. Meshing musical styles with utter ease and combining them with her always tremendous lyrics, DiFranco failed to disappoint yet again. 6. Humming -- Duncan Shiek: Heads and shoulders better than his debut, this features Shiek's usual fine poetry, but this time performed with a musical verve that matched his lyrics. "That Says It All" is one of the best songs of the year. 7. Bed -- Juliana Hatfield: "Bad Day" is the single of the year, in my book. The whole album is a gem, from the opening screechy guitars to the smart-as-always Hatfield lyrics. 8. When The Night is Through -- Mary Cutrufello: Imagine a young Bruce Springsteen filtered through Tom Petty and Tracy Chapman, and you have Cutrufello. Her jubilant rockers are the type of stuff that make music so good, and her songwriting is surprisingly moving and solid. 9. Blender -- The Murmurs: Okay, okay, so it's only a repackaging of "Pristine Smut" with a few changes. But that album was so good that it still belongs on this list. And the changes they made, especially the addition of songs like "La Di Da" and "Smash," were terrific. 10. Siren -- Heather Nova: At times it veers to a too-commercial arena, but Nova is still a fine songwriter with the best voice in pop music. Some of the songs, especially "I'm Alive" and "What a Feeling," are intensely moving. That's it. Sorry... Mary Lou doesn't make the list. She'll probably be on my disappointment list (sorry, but I'm still a fan), along with albums by Jewel (my least favorite of the year, and I used to be a huge fan) and Hole (not even in the same league as "Live Through This"). Mark ------------------------------ End of jinglejangle-digest V1 #248 **********************************