360 records from 2000: 52. White stripes: De stijl

52. White stripes: De stijl

Country: US
Artist: Duo
Career: recording since 1999, 2nd album
Language: English
Genre: Garage rock

There’s no denying Jack White did his part in shaping rock music for the ‘00s, but apart from a couple of basement jams on his football riff with my garage band, it passed me by. And so, this is my first White Stripes record. After all the hype and backlash etc., I like it a whole lot as an idiosyncratic goofball garage rock record.
Jack White knows his rock mythology. You get a perfectly sequenced, two sided vinyl record. On side A he courts the listener, inviting you in with some basic pop moves and heavy hitting slide guitar rock (there’s a lot of blues in there, but to call it blues-rock would do it a disservice). Side B is moodier, crankier, snarlier. It’s the classic garage rock contradiction played out on two sides of a record – inviting you in, then wanting to be left alone. It’s very effective.
If anything the White Stripes are very upfront about their flaws, Jack’s yelping voice like a cat in heat, Meg’s basic drumming skills (she’s really getting to know each part of the drum set as the record goes along – ‘oh, what’s this here?’), the underdeveloped songs. Instead of covering up this, they do all they can to draw attention to it. And you know, I don’t want to be all profound about it, but that kind of flawed ugliness is part and parcel of popular music and we get far too little of it. I suppose that’s what Jack White would say as well, and I think he’s right. It makes you feel good about the band, and cheering them on as they overcome their innate untalentedness (that’s not a word, right?) by sheer force of will. That’s what makes it garage rock, not the volume or the riffs.
When the record’s playing you don’t worry about its quality, it feels good. Afterwards the doubts start in (‘yeah, but the songs are kinda slight’…). But maybe the same is true about 50’s rock’n’roll: it wasn’t built to last, and maybe that’s exactly why it lasted.

At its best: You’re pretty good looking (for a girl), Little bird, Apple blossom, Truth doesn’t make a noise, Why can’t you be nicer to me?

360 records from 2000: 53. Victoria Williams: Water to drink

53. Victoria Williams: Water to drink

Country: US
Artist: Female solo artist
Career: recording since 1987
Language: English
Genre: Singer-songwriter

This casts its net far too wide to fit into the Americana section. Idiosyncratic songs about the simple things of life. A personal style of singing, somewhere between country and scat (she must have a couple of Laura Nyro albums), and some really great standards (Jobim’s ‘Water to drink’ amongst others) arranged by Van Dyke Parks. Parks is actually a good reference point for this, rooted in all sorts of traditions, but oddly and movingly its own. I can recommend this highly.

I can’t find anything from the album on YouTube, sadly.

At its best: Grandma’s hat pin, Water to drink, Joy of love, Little bird

360 records from 2000: 54. Kevin Gilbert: The shaming of the true

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360 records from 2000: 55. Milton Nascimento: Nos bailes da vida

55. Milton Nascimento: Nos bailes da vida 

Country: Brazil
Artist: Male solo artist
Career: recording since 1967
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Musica Populeira Brasileira
The live setting is a bit of a distraction – it sounds like a studio album with some applause tacked on. I suppose it’s just Nascimento’s professionalism, never a sonic detail out of place. But the quality is high. I’m surprised at how well preserved Brazil’s ‘60s and ‘70s leading artists sound in 2000. I suppose they had a smooth ride. They didn’t have to suffer through the endless drugs, riches and groupies that comparable Western artists in their disadvantaged industries had to endure.

Anyway, I’m not familiar with the background of these songs. The only one known to me is set closer ‘Paisagem da janela’ (one of my favorite songs of all time in its original ‘Clube da Esquina’ guise), but that’s the only song that lets the record down – too fast, careless with the melody (it is a difficult song to get right, I suppose). The rest sets a high standard. It’s a throwback, of course, to MPB’s 70s blueprint. Lucky for me that stuff is gold to my ears.

Can’t find any of these versions on YouTube, but some Milton live:

At its best: Mania de voce, Maria Maria, Nascente, Beatriz

360 records from 2000: 56. Chixdiggit: From scene to shining scene

56. Chixdiggit: From scene to shining scene

Country: Canada
Artist: Band
Career: recording since 1996
Language: English
Genre: Kings of Mallpunk
Some humour is so dumb, that it takes no effort at all to win me over. A song by a punk band called ‘Born in Toulouse’ – I’m there!

I can’t believe a better pop-punk record was made in 2000. This zings with energy, tunes and doofus humor (Gimme Gimme Aromatherapy). In context, the 3’30” of ‘Melissa Louise’ sounds like an epic voyage (five of the eleven songs are under two minutes). In reality it’s an irresistible guitarpop gem. In fact, as far as punk/guitarpop-ness goes I wouldn’t rate this very far below Redd Kross. The stand out, and I would have really welcomed this on contemporary radio is ‘Moto foxe’. This is the unassailable brilliance that I had expected from Kiss, and really, I would have preferred Kiss like this.

Entirely in keeping with the band's ethos, the only clip of 'Moto foxe' on YouTube is a bass demonstration video!

At its best: Spanish fever, Thursday night, Melissa Louise, Moto foxe, Born in Toulouse

360 records from 2000: 57. U2: All that you can’t leave behind

57. U2: All that you can’t leave behind

Country: Ireland
Artist: Band
Career: recording since 1979
Language: English
Genre: Rock

I’ve heard many music fans talk of the moment with a sense of shame and resignation, yet also something of an inevitable acceptance – that moment when they had to admit to themselves they liked, no really liked, a U2 album. And here’s mine. I was all set to detest this, songs dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, a song called ‘Peace on Earth’ and another ‘New York’. Hell…

I can’t. I played it and sort of liked the singles. I played it again and liked a couple of the album tracks. I played it again and I’m ready for Peace on Earth! Finally, I even liked the one dedicated to Aung San (except for the spoken intro – that’s just terrible)! I just think they’re really great songs. I sing along and everything, it makes me want to shake my fist in the air.

Terrible, I know… Fortunately, the Salman Rushdie-assisted bonus track ‘The ground beneath her feet’ is everything bad about U2 condensed to 4 excruciating minutes. Jerks.

At it's best: Stuck in a moment you can’t get out of, Kite, Wild honey

360 records from 2000: 58. Pat Metheny: Trio  Live

58. Pat Metheny: Trio  Live

Country: US
Artist: Male solo artist
Career: recording since 1974
Language: Instrumental
Genre: Jazz

I had Pat Metheny’s studio album of 2000 at No. 263. It made a nice sound, but it was so much tasteful, inconsequential noodling. But here on this double live album (‘2 hours of Metheny magic’) there is far less good taste (I’ve got to love a man who can make such objectively wrong guitar sounds –why yes, my guitar can sound just like an 80s synth, what do you think of this 42-string fretless guitar? and so on- work) and far more noodling here (you get a generous double helping, two tracks –my favorites- clock in at around 20 minutes each) and yet, it’s the opposite of inconsequential. Consequential noodling? It brims with purpose and life. And despite the trio setting (guitar, bass, drums) there is far more variety here than you’d expect. AllMusic describes this as a summing up of Metheny’s moods, and there could be something to that. From straight bop (‘Giants steps’) into some quiet, elegant, pastoral pieces and over into the guitar skronk of ‘Faith healer’ and the weird instrument sketches of ‘Into the dream’ and ‘Counting Texas’. Some of it sounds really wrong, but it works. I’m glued to my speakers throughout. For fans of guitar explorations.

At its best: Question and answer, Faith healer – together almost 40 minutes of guitar explorations and cheesy sound effects that totally work.

360 records from 2000: 59. Wu-Tang clan: The Wu

59. Wu-Tang clan: The Wu

Country: US
Artist: Swarm
Career: recording since 1993
Language: English
Genre: Hip-hop
In Wu-Tang world this must be the equivalent of the Godfather 3, an operatic lament for things lost that can’t be regained, interspersed with violence and death. But with ninjas. There’s such a deep strain of loss and grief running through this record, that the violence, when it bursts out, hits all the harder. The music is stripped down but ready to burst out at moment’s notice into a slice of 70s funk strings or soul wailing. Something like ‘Careful (Click, click)’ is quite incredible in that respect. In terms of sequencing, spreading the singles out over the 2nd side of the record, is a great move. All the tension built up in the first half, gets released in the new version of ‘Protect ya neck’, ‘Do you really (thang, thang)’ (the only non, RZA production – he runs a tight ship on this record, unlike its overlong and muddled predecessor) and of course, ‘Gravel pit’, one of the ubiquitous singles of 2000 and a deserved smash.

At its best: Careful (Click, click), Protect ya neck (the jump off), I can’t go to sleep, Gravel pit