My Top 10

["Renee Rosen" <lilitu@topeka.cjnetworks.com>]

(X-posted to all the music lists I'm on, whether or not there is a 
Top 10 thread going on--perhaps it will start one on the ones that 
don't have one yet?)

OK, this top 10 is a bit odd--it's either a bit more than 10 or less
than 10, depending on how you look at it (and it includes a couple
of 1995 releases, which I'm throwing in since I lovethem and I
didn't get them until 1996 anyway). I didn't buy many new releases
this year--I seem to buy less and less each year, since I buy the
back-catalogues of artists I have discovered. There are also the new
releases I've gotten--for instance, the new Tear Garden--which I
feel I haven't listened to enough to know my opinion(Also, less
"new" stuff excites me each year--I must be getting old!) There are
also the new releases I've gotten--for instance, the new Tear
Garden--which I feel I haven't listened to enough to know my opinion.
Sometimes it takes a while for my favorites to grow on me.

Well, with all that explanation, here is my list. It would be in a 
completely different order if I did it tomorrow. But you should all 
know that from me by now.  *grin*

Top 1996 Releases:

1.    Current 93--All the Pretty Little Horses (Durtro)

Part 2 of "The Inmost Light Trilogy." This CD is a great mix of
David Tibet's apocalyptic folk style with his earlier experimental
style. The lyrics are as great as ever, plus Tibet seems to be a
much stronger singer (albeit a rather ideosyncratic one, to say the
least). It's also good to hear the recording quality finally
reaching the quality of the music--each new CD by C93 seems to be
recorded better than the last. Although Nick Cave's contributions
are great, it's not the only reason to buy the CD. This CD would be
a good intro to C93's style for someone unfamiliar with their work,
since it is such a mix of new and old. Also check out the other two
parts of the trilogy, the EPs _Where the Long Shadows Fall_ (part 1) 
and _The Starres Are Marching Sadly Home (part 3)--both are basically 
long, experimental tracks. They're not nearly as immediately 
accessable, but taken as a whole, the trilogy is a powerful work 
indeed.

2.    Husikesque--Green Blue Fire (Astralwerks/Caroline)

Each release by Lida Husik is different from the other, and this
release with Beaumont Hannant is no exception. Although the previous
EP she did with Beaumont, Evening at the Grange, perhaps had a
stronger overall selection of songs, this full-length release is
just as good overall. Probably the best things about Lida are her dark 
lyrics set to pretty music--I just love that sort of 
combination--plus the way she does music that sounds almost 
"mainstream," but not quite. 

3.    Tori Amos--Boys for Pele (Atlantic)

Although by my standards, it's hardly as "experimental" as other
reviewers have labelled it, and it definitely isn't her _Dreaming_,
this CD is still strong and creative overall and shows Tori
exploring new grounds for her. Perhaps a better comparison would be
her _Never Forever_)--her first CD to break away from the
piano/strings mold and incorporate other, unpredictable elements.
(Yeah, I can't resist the Kate Bush comparisons either, although Tori
is a unique artist in her own right.)  My only major criticism of the
CD is that there are too many tracks on it--it seems really
long--although which tracks are the superfluous ones seem to change
each time I listen to it.

4.   Steven Stapleton/David Tibet--Musical Pumkin Cottage (United 
Durtro)

This is the second collaboration between David Tibet of Current 93 
and Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound. I don't own the first one, 
_The Sadness of Things_, though I've heard that it is supposed to be 
good as well. (I've heard excerpts--it's a lot more 
"ambient"/soundscape-oriented than this one.) Although this CD is 
only 2 tracks long, each one is approx. 20 minutes long. It's more 
"rock" than one expects from either Tibet or Stapleton, but this 
"rock" is 70's Krautrock, not the usual mainstream pap. A great 
release, with a mix of spooky, Krautrock, and the usual Tibet lyrics. 
(The vinyl release is totally different mixes, but I haven't heard 
them, so I can't compare them to the CD version.)

5.   Stereolab--Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Elektra)

Stereolab are what I wish pop music sounded like.  They would be in
my Top 40 always if I ruled the airwaves. What I love about
Stereolab is that they take the simplest ideas like sing-song
melodies, drones, analogue synths, and repetitive lyrics/melodic
ideas but mix them together in a way where the sum is more than the
whole. I also love how they manage to mix things that don't quite
fit together and make them fit. When I actually have money again, I
plan to buy _Crumb Duck_, the NWW/Stereolab collaboration--what a
great mix. I'm looking forward to the 1997 release of the new
NWW/Stereolab collaboration. 

6.    The Moog Cookbook (Restless)

Moog rules! These warped versions of songs everyone knows, whether they 
want to or not, are in general a great improvement on the originals. 
I mean, I even can stand listening to Soundgarden and Pearl Jam 
songs, and I never thought that would happen. Although the version of 
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is likely to be the most recognizable (or 
unrecognizable, as the case may be), it's hardly the most perverse. 
Try an analogue hoe-down version of Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go 
My Way" at a party the next time one of the guests wants to hear 
something they know. *evil grin*

7.    Nurse With Wond--Who Can I Turn To Stereo? (United Dairies)

Yes, it's guess the semi-famous faces time--if you get bored with the 
music, you can always just stare at the cover and try to guess who 
all the experimental and avant-garde musicians on it are. (Has anyone 
figured out the baked beans lady yet? Is that Diana Rogerson?) 
Seriously, though, this release is another great NWW release, 
although I haven't gotten into it as much as _Rock and Roll Station_. 
For NWW, it's accessable, which means most normal people are freaked 
out by it.

8.   Bel Canto--Magic Box (Lava)

I think I'm the only person who liked this CD. I'll agree that it 
isn't as strong as either of their first two, _White Out Conditions_ 
or _Birds of Passage_, it's defintely a welcome return-to-form from 
the mostly dismal _Shimmering Warm and Bright_. Not only does it 
contain one of the most beautiful songs of the year, "Kiss of 
Spring," it also features Bel Canto experimenting with new sounds, 
such as the Indian-flavored "Bombay." Working with Jah Wobble was a 
great idea too--perhaps all of the next CD should be with him. As 
usual, though the lyrics are the weakest part of Bel Canto. The 
usualy 50/50 ration of good to horrible lyrics is evident on this CD 
as well. The music, though, is in general top notch.

Top Rereleases of 1996:

9-13.    Yma Sumac--Voice of the Xtabay, Legend of the Jivaro, Legend 
of the Sun Virgin, Mambo, Fuego del Ande (The Right Stuff)

They have the original covers. They have the original liner notes. 
They are all at a special budget price. They are remastered (or at 
least they sound like it) and sound much better overall than the last 
rereleases of _Xtabay_ and _Sun Virgin_ (the others hadn't been 
rereleased until now). If you've never experienced Yma Sumac and her 
incredible voice, go buy these CDs right now. She's an Incan 
princess, after all. And even if she isn't *really* an Incan 
princess, she is when you hear her music.

Token 1995 CDs (that I either didn't buy or discover until 1996 or 
that I had on permanent repeat throughout 1996):

14.  New York's Ensemble for Early Music--Istanpitta: 14th C. Dances 
Vol. 1 (Lyrichord)

Hear a more "authentic" version of the "Saltarello" made famous to 
non-early music afficionados by Dead Can Dance. All the other tracks 
are strong as well. Frederick Renz, the director of the ensemble, 
takes a slightly different approach than most to this repetoire. He 
has reconstructed Landiniesque contrapuntal lines to accompany the 
monophonic melodies that were recorded. This is in contrast to the 
usual approach to these works that emphasizes the hypothesized 
Mozabaric influences on these dances. Even if you had no clue what 
those last two sentences meant, if you enjoyed DCD's _Aion_, you will 
love this CD. And those medieval types really knew how to boogie. 
(I'm still looking for vol. 2 of this.)

15.    Garbage (Almo)

Shirley Manson is hot, and the lyrics she sings are as well. After 
all, how many other Top 40 songs about Schadenfreude can you name 
("Only Happy When it Rains")? All the album tracks are as strong as 
the hit singles. There's a reason this CD has been such a big 
hit--it's excellent. That's a rarity in this day and age--intelligent 
pop music. Enjoy it while it lasts.

16.    Nina Hagen--Freud Euch (BMG/RCA Germany)

This is Nina Hagen's first CD all in German since her Nina Hagen band 
days. It's also her best since _In Ekstasy_ and perhaps even the best since her 
masterpiece _Nunsexmonkrock_. Even if you don't understand a word of 
German, the music itself should make her message clear. There's also 
an English version of this CD called _Bee Happy_, which includes a 
few different songs and rerecordings of some of the songs on _Freud 
Euch_, but it's not nearly as good musically (or lyrically). Too bad 
no one will release either version of this in the US. Record labels 
can be such fools at times.

17.    Switchblade Symphony--Serpentine Gallery (Cleopatra)

This is the first CD by a "real" goth band that I've liked in a long 
time. Most goth bores me to tears or doesn't entertain me off the 
dance floor--most of it is like pop music with bats, if you know what 
I mean, but Switchblade Symphony are an exception. Although they are 
clearly gothic (the clothes, the album cover, and the song titles 
give it away) and the Siouxsie influence is extremely apparent, they 
are still original in how they mix the elements of gothic, classical, 
opera, and electronics together. Sometimes the lyrics get a bit too 
gothic and the music gets  a bit too "rock" for my tastes, but in 
general, it's a strong debut which bodes well for their future 
direction.

18.   Pizzicato 5--The Sound of Music By Pizzicato Five 
(Matador/Atlantic)

Although it's not as strong as their previous release on Matador, 
_Made in the USA_, P5 are still fun. And how can you hate a band that 
has a song named "My Name is Groovy?" Groovy they are indeed.

19.    The Rentals--Return of The Rentals (Maverick)

More Moogs, and a violin to boot! OK, their lyrics are really 
stupid--mostly flakey love songs--and the music isn't quite 
Stereolab, but those violins and Moogs rock. Hmm, I wonder who "P." 
in "Friends of P."--could it be Douglas P.?;> Somehow I doubt it, but 
it would be cool if it were.
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Renee Rosen                                   "Das Leben beginnt
lilitu@cjnetworks.com                          und das Leben endet.
Goddess in Training                            Die Energie geht weiter,
Astrud and Astrudel on irc                     wohin man sich auch wendet."
http://www.cjnetworks.com/~lilitu                         --Nina Hagen
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