Dirty Power
Dirty Power
This past January, I was given a CD by a friend. It was his favorite songs from 2002. Not ever having an original idea in my head, I thought it was a great way to document a period of time as well as give someone a good answer to the “What kind of music do you like?” question. If I’ve run into you recently (and I actually like you) I might have given you a copy of the CD of my favorite songs from 2003. If for some reason you don’t a CD listed, you can do your part to support the artists and buy one!
The tracks are only in order of how I want to convey them to you. This isn’t a coundown of how much I like them. They’re all #1! Oh.. and yes. The list is completely biased. That’s what makes them my favorites.
Click on the album art to buy it. Click on the song title to listen to a sample.
Feel the power! Feel the dirt! Feel the rock!! This SF-based rockasaurus of a band gives all they’ve got every time they play - even if it’s for 1 guy in the middle of Nowhere, Ohio. Who cares if the record really came out in 2002? (Official release was 2003, I think??) Soon everyone will know the rock that Dirty Power has to offer. If Kiss and Metallica started today as one band, they would want to sound like Dirty Power.
What follows powerful rock better than powerful rock? 25 Suaves is a duo consisting of super-hip rock chick drummer (DJ Party Girl) fronted by her husband (Mr. Velocity Hopkins). Eat your hearts out, Jack & Meg. This husband/wife team rocks hardest of them all. 25 Suaves sounds like a head-on collision between Motorhead and AC/DC - with emergency helicopters swooping down to airlift the victims. When you buy the 7" vinyl, you also get a cover of Motorbreath. What could be better?
Now that you’ve got the rock out of your system, mellow out a little with the Mountaineers. They know how to have fun. A catchy tune with lots of interesting sounds happening all over. You might want to get this one while you can. They seem like slackers to me - who knows when they’ll release anything else…
Dreamy-Synth-Pop at its best from another husband/wife duo Jeffrey Underhill (formerly of Velvet Crush) and Lisa Underhill (formerly Lisa DerManouelian). Lisa heads up the vocals on this one which sounds like The Beach Boys and the Cocteau Twins’ love child. (Notice I did my best not to mention Stereolab.) Feel the love!!
Musical genius Blixa Bargeld has turned into a marketing genius. Who needs a record label? There are enough Neubauten fans to support a record directly, aren’t there? You can’t buy this one since it was only given to people who donated funds for the recording, but you can get in on the next one! (If you happen to run across this record at some point in your life, look for my name on the enclosed poster. It’s there somewhere, but I can’t find it.)
Remember deconstructionalist artists like Devo? Now meet the reconstructionalist artist. This one-man band was voted “best guitar tone of the night” in a recent poll consisting solely of Mitch Easter. He’ll pull apart any song and put it back together again in a way you wish it was in the first place. Remember the scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when all those ingredients of a 7-course meal turn out a single piece of gum? If you replace all that food with the coolest rock bands ever, that piece of gum would be any Drop Quarters song. Chew it up real good and enjoy it while it lasts, Violet. Your next stop - the juicer.
Dozens of instruments are battling (to the death, naturally) to be the most beautiful. Beghtol’s voice wins. This didn’t make my list just because my daughter recites a poem at the beginning of the track, but it didn’t hurt.
Flare hasn’t depressed you enough. Now it’s time for some sentimental girl-and-her-guitar folk-rock. Jill tells it like it is. So what if she kissed a girl and wants to be a supermodel? We’ll forgive her. This track made the list based mostly on the album title and the fact that she’s the kind of girl you would really want to hang out with even if she didn’t write such excellent songs.
Beautiful words put to beautiful music in a beautiful way. This is the one that gives me goose-bumps by the end. Thanks, Victor!
Of course you follow up Victor with Jonathan Segel. Nothing else makes sense! The lyrics are bitter, the music is a party. Two great tastes that taste great together! If Jonathan ever travels back in time and is asked to appear on the Muppet Show, this is clearly the song he will play (directed towards Miss Piggy, of course). Muppets would be singing backup and playing steel-drums - a must see!
This man is full-on 100% rock personified. He eats it. He breaths it. He lives it. Don’t ever stop believing! Rock on, Andrew!
It’s difficult to capture the pure power behind Lightning Bolt. Their 1,800 watt bass amp helps. This Providence-based noise/rock duo blasts you with sonic pleasures. That’s right - DUO. Two people make these aural delights. No studio tricks here. Don’t believe me? See them live. You’ll never forget it.
Forget the movie. Forget the comedy. This is one fantastic folk song. Just enjoy it!
I must have a thing for duos because here’s another. Listen to it once or twice, you’ll laugh. Listen to it more, you’ll cry. (“That’s funny! Wait... that’s not funny. That’s incredibly sad.”) Either way, this is a beautiful song. Not officially released in 2003 (2004, maybe?) but I couldn’t hold back on it any longer.
I had a hard time choosing which Pansy Division song to include. I went for the rock tune that makes you want to dance. Some of you will get the joke right off the bat - others might have to study the lyrics a bit. Here’s a hint - it ain’t snowing.