the year in the rearview

Recordings

5. Spoon "Gimme Fiction": Simple, bold,

and eye-opening; like a cup of coffee after

a long night on the town. Britt Daniel is a

songwriter of sublime talent.

4. The Game "The Documentary": Stark

honesty + inspired production X ferocious mic

skills = west coast revival. The album drips

with consequence and guilt; two weapons

most rappers aren't hard enough to hold.

3. The Wolf Parade "Apologies to the Queen

Mary": strange melodies, disembodied vocals,

and two emotionally raw songwriters ; the most

unsettling brilliant album of the year.

2. Thelonius Monk Quartet w/ John Coltrane

"Live at Carnegie Hall": Two masters at the peak

of their genius converge for a truly monumental

musical and historical moment. The music

surpasses any raised expectations the pairing

creates; blazing, expressive and focused.

1. Kanye West "Late Registration": All the

hype (his own and others) aside; this album

stands alone because it is a unique instant of

ambition matching execution. West and

co-producer Jon Brion reache into every decade,

every genre, and create something dynamic

and wholly unique. Hip-hop roots itself

in this creative esthetic of

deconstruction/reconstruction; and this

album stays true to his endearingly

schizophrenic vision of a hip-hop landscape where

Paul Wall, Curtis Mayfield, and Adam Levine from

Maroon Five can co-exist. We respect Kanye

West because he continues to prove he's an artist of

blinding talent. We love him because he's not too

self-conscious to tell you that some of that glare

is shinin' off the diamonds on his chain.