January 16, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Ten from the heart

by Marc Burkhardt

Technology is indeed killing music, but it has nothing to do with MP3s, iPods or Kazaa. The true culprits are whiz-bang computer programs and big-budget studio tricks that make any artist -- from overwrought divas to irony-addled indie rockers -- sound decent, at least for a listen or two.

Riddled with such momentary pleasures, its no wonder popular music has turned into a soundtrack for comfortable, middle-class lifestyles -- background noise for paying bills or cruising the Internet.

Yet some artists managed to be heard above the mediocre din by using music to communicate with listeners, rather than selling an image or product. Each of the musicians listed below, through sonic skill and a knack for storytelling, made an indelible impression by speaking from the heart -- an admittedly corny concept in an era where cool is valued more than truth.

The top 10 CDs of 2003 show there is still much spirit in contemporary music, even if that soul is being consumed -- bit by bit -- by machines.
Best of 2003
1. OutKast -- "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" (Arista). It isn't every day that hip-hop artists name-check slain journalist Daniel Pearl and avenging Angel Lucy Liu, but Big Boi and Andre 3000 aren't your typical rap stars. Splitting two CDs between their individual -- and idiosyncratic -- interpretations of pop, soul and street grooves, the duo effortlessly blazed new sonic territories in a manner that recalled an earlier two-disc landmark, The Beatles' "White Album."
2. Amy Rigby -- "Til the Wheels Fall Off" (Signature Sounds) A single mother in her 40s, Rigby's view of life is a tad more realistic than sheltered pop thrushes schooled on Mickey Mouse Club etiquette. Bemoaning a sexless romance, nervously awaiting the downfall of a seemingly perfect relationship or just plain celebrating everyday life, Rigby's songs evoke experiences and feelings all can understand. So why is her music so secure? Just another of life's little mysteries that Rigby's protagonists can probably appreciate.
3. Radiohead -- "Hail to the Thief" (Capitol) Paranoid android Thom Yorke confronts his deepest fears in a post-9/11 landscape, ditches the chilly robotics that dominated the band's recent CDs, and writes twisted rants held together by a pure rock 'n' roll backbone. The feel-bad hit of the year.
4. Lyrics Born -- "Later That Day ..." (Quannum) Like the name implies, this Oakland-based rapper loves words. He bends, stretches, spits and caresses them until they produce outrageous phrases that connect the dots between Bananarama and the Sahara Desert.
5. Steely Dan -- "Everything Must Go" (Reprise) Already dirty old men back in their 20s, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen have settled into middle-aged hedonism with their sardonic wit and exquisite musical taste intact.
6. Jon Langford & His Sadies -- "Mayors of the Moon" (Bloodshot). What's it say about L.A. and Nashville when the year's best country-rock CD is produced by an expatriate Welshman backed by Canadian cult heroes? Somebody's sleeping on the job.
7. The Neptunes -- "The Neptunes Present ... Clones" (Star Track) Hip-hop super producers team up with established stars and talented protˇgˇs for a state-of-the-art tour of modern pop. Proof positive that innovative mainstream music is no longer the exclusive domain of pasty-faced art students wielding guitars.
8. Richard Hawley -- "Lowedges" (XL) A devotee of such pop dramatists as Roy Orbison and Scott Walker, Hawley's plaintive croon and melancholic ballads eschew contemporary music's preoccupation with irony and soft-core porn. Instead, the singer-guitarist offers a richly emotional experience that's as intimate -- and disarming -- as a friendly pat on the back. Out of style, perhaps, but definitely timeless.
9. Fannypack -- "So Stylish" (Tommy Boy) Dedicated to the odd belief that hip-hop can be fun, three sassy teenagers and two beat-conscious DJs constructed a rowdy celebration of the electro-grooves and schoolyard taunts that made '80s rap such a breath of fresh air. Fans of Technotronic ("Pump Up the Jam") and J.J. Fad ("Supersonic") tripped on the nostalgic rush, while others shook their groove things and pondered the multi-leveled significance of "Cameltoe."
10. Neil Young & Crazy Horse -- "Greendale" (Reprise) Using lo-fi methods to convey hi-fi ideas, the iconoclastic Young confounded fans yet again with searing commentaries on media conglomerates, environmental activism and small-town gossip. Long may he run.
Worst of 2003
1. Madonna -- American Life (Maverick) What's an aging icon to do when younger divas have stolen your mojo? Write songs that rhyme "pilates" with "hotties," French kiss her heir apparent and try scribbling some children's books. At least Mrs. Richie didn't make a movie.
2. Jewel -- 0304 (Atlantic) America's best-selling poet slips into a thong and likens her somewhat dated take on dance music to classic big bands of the 1940s. Result: Higher than expected sales. Somewhere, P.T. Barnum is laughing.
3. Lou Reed -- The Raven (Sire) What do you get when you cross Reed -- a songwriter known for his dispassionate chronicles of decadence -- with Edgar Allan Poe, the godfather of macabre literature? Memorable couplets like "These are the stories of Edgar Allen Poe/Not exactly the boy next door." Next up: A rock opera based on the life and loves of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
4. John Mayer -- Heavier Things (Aware/Columbia) Lightweight.
5. The Beatles -- Let It Be ... Naked (Capitol) The original album was always underrated. Phil Spector embellishments or no, the Fab Four's ragged attempt to rediscover their roots sounds more alt-rock than most of what passes for underground music today. These airbrushed versions sound nice, but only exist as canny marketing tools. Beatles' albums used to mean a little bit more.

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