1. Broken Social Scene - s/t Much was said about the production quality of the internet leak. I think it was everyones great dissapointment when it turned out to be the mastered version. This record did not just come out flat from the mixing board, but on content as well.
2. Metric - Live It Out Metric had a chance to go from critical darlings to something really big, but somehow fell flat on their asses with this one.
3. Franz Ferdinand - You could have it so much better… I didn’t expect a sophmore slump from these guys which maybe made this record harder for me to take. It could have been so much better.
4. Stellastarr*- Harmonies for the Haunted I saw their ’secret show’ at the Bowery Ballroom this summer where they previewed much of the new record. For not having heard much of the material, it was a damn good show. However, aside from a couple of good tracks, this record lacks the energy and emotion of their stunning debut. Don’t be surprised if Sony drops these guys this year.
5. Warlocks - Surgery Another band that could have taken it to another level following critical acclaim.
6. American Analog Set - Set Free This record surely suffered due to geographical challenges posed by Andrew Kenny’s relocating to NYC. Although they just signed on to Arts and Crafts, they have said they will no longer tour to support records, and will continue to focus on disparate side projects. Sounds like a last gasp to me.
7. New Order - Waiting for the Sirens Call Praised as a ‘return to form’, I can’t help but get mad whenever I pull out their groundbreaking 1981 CD/EP, or listen to Joy Division. With so much inventiveness to be had with the constant evolution of technology, why can’t these guys continue to push boundaries, instead of cranking out tepid pop music?
rest of the worst
8. ColdPlay - X&Y
9. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
10. Spoon - Gimme Fiction These records were dissapointing more for what they wern’t than what they were. None are bad, taken at face value, but they all show bands that are content with their current position and not pushing anything.
heh, good list. i kind of like that we started our recaps with pushing the disappointments out of the way.
i agree with your list, with the exception of the spoon album. i think that on the surface, spoon comes off as a band that is channeling old-time rock n roll, i think they do some very subtle and interesting things with the way they structure the songs. take “my mathematical mind” for example: they start with a simple repeating piano melody backed by a catchy almost-waltz by the bass. the song builds and develops on top of this, but never really strays too far, which i think is a pretty gutsy and understated move. “i turn my camera on” is possibly the most gutsy, but interesting song for me on the album. there is so little holding the song up, between a tempo-keeping bass line and falseto vocals. but creating minimal, subtle rock tunes is what i think spoon is best at. the first time i noticed their ability to do this was on kill the moonlight’s “paper tiger.”
it took me a bit of time to warm up to gimme fiction, but i think it is a really solid and engaging album, start to finish. while it maintains their sound, i disagree that they aren’t pushing themselves. i think what they have done is create an album that only Spoon can, it is unabashedly rock n roll, but with a minimal twist that departs very much from the norm.
Man, my top 25 contains four of those albums. BSS and Spoon are in my top 10, Franz and Death Cab make the top 20. I can see where you’re coming from with these albums, but you’re wrong. =)
You know, I’m getting some grief on the Spoon, so i’m going to have to go back and give it another try. All I can say, is I’ve always liked their music, but i got the record and saw them play, and they just weren’t doing it for me anymore. The reality is that they , DCFC (and probably the BSS) would be in my Top 20, if I extended it that far. I also got a lot of play out of ‘Plans’ but was hoping for more. As I was revisiting my shows for the Top 10 (tomorrow) I realized I didn’t bother to see BSS, Metric, Franz, AmAnSet….this is directly related to my reaction to their new records.
i think you are generally right, though. and it is important to note that ‘disappointing’ is not the opposite of ‘best.’ i think that the broken social scene album is diappointing, but i still think its a great album. funny how expectations effect things…
zoviet, i am right with you on the spoon front. listened to the album, saw them play live and they just don’t do anything for me. topo, you were at coachella seeing them with me and i walked out halfway through to see four tet. i agree on broken social scene as well. the albums i would put on this list are from bands whose previous work ecplises the most recent release. of the albums you listed i didnt listen to any of them more than twice other than american analog set, but that may be due more to the consistency of their sound then a good album. as for the DCFC album, i find the whole situation pretty sad. their past releases i liked far better than the new one, which given the disproportionate amount of attention it received due their switch to universal is another reminder of the ability major labels have to push their product. see yesterdays nytimes article (thanks zoviet) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/27/arts/music/27musi.html?emc=eta1 .
yes, you did walk away from the coachella performance, but you were going to do that no matter how they were because you are a four tet fan. i agree that it wasn’t their best show. i saw them last month at the wiltern and they were far better. 2 things to keep in mind about their coachella performance: 1) they were the last act on the 2nd stage, going up against coldplay (the mainstream draw), and their set had been delayed 45 minutes thanks to mercury rev going over their time. 2) correct me if i’m wrong, but you have never been a spoon fan. i remember putting tracks off of girls can tell and kill the moonlight on my 2001 and 2002 best of mixes and you commenting both times that they were the only songs you didn’t like off of the mixes.
thank for reminding me about mercury rev: how could spoon measure up to the homoerotic theatrics of david baker? you are right though, i’ve never been much of a spoon fan. but i was dissappointed by the album and the show, even if it was only because you built them up before i listened to them.
it wasn’t so much homoerotic as homoflamboyant. i liked “holes,” but after that it got tired pretty quick.
good, so we agree that it was homo___.
was there a question about that? dude acted like a caricature of jack from will & grace. and jack is already a caricature of gay male stereotypes. what’s a caricature of a caricature? mercury rev.
getting a bit farafield here, but that would be a simulacrum.