VA - 2005 - Beck OST

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Silverchair - 2003 - 0524-Live In Toronto, Canada (2CD)

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Cure - 1989 - Disintegration

Expanding the latent arena rock sensibilities that peppered Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by slowing them down and stretching them to the breaking point, the Cure reached the peak of their popularity with the crawling, darkly seductive Disintegration. It's a hypnotic, mesmerizing record, comprised almost entirely of epics like the soaring, icy "Pictures of You." The handful of pop songs, like the concise and utterly charming "Love Song," don't alleviate the doom-laden atmosphere. The Cure's gloomy soundscapes have rarely sounded so alluring, however, and the songs -- from the pulsating, ominous "Fascination Street" to the eerie, string-laced "Lullaby" -- have rarely been so well-constructed and memorable. It's fitting that Disintegration was their commercial breakthrough, since, in many ways, the album is the culmination of all the musical directions the Cure were pursuing over the course of the '80s.

		1		Plainsong	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	5:12
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		2		Pictures of You	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	7:24
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		3		Closedown	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	4:16
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		4		Love Song	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	3:28
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		5		Last Dance [*]	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	4:42
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		6		Lullaby	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	4:08
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		7		Fascination Street	Gallup, Smith, Thompson ...	5:16
Composed by: Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		8		Prayers for Rain	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	6:04
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		9		The Same Deep Water as You	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	9:18
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		10		Disintegration	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	8:18
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		11		Homesick [*]	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	7:06
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		12			Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	6:30

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Doves - 2002 - The Last Broadcast (2CD)

When Doves issued Lost Souls in fall 2000, Britpop was immersed in its melodic gloom-and-doom era, ushered in by the success of Radiohead. The likes of Coldplay, Travis, Elbow, and Starsailor followed in their wake, as did Doves. What separated Doves from the rest was a glint of passion, evident on their 2000 debut, Lost Souls. Two years later, the atmospheric dreamscapes of Lost Souls were torn asunder for the musical daybreak of The Last Broadcast. As it turns out, the psychedelic vibrancy of "Catch the Sun," the brightest track on the album, pointed toward this brave second record. Gone are the hazy space rock trips and the cheerless attitudes; Doves are on the sunny side of the street for The Last Broadcast. The seven-minute sonic boom of "There Goes the Fear" finds Jimi Goodwin sharing vocals with Jez and Andy Williams for a glorious chorus. Each of them switches up vocal duties throughout, lending a joyous feel to the album itself. From the bold front of "Words" to the fiery momentum of "Pounding," The Last Broadcast shows a refreshing rawness that was absent before. The High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan delivers sweeping orchestral arrangements for the sublime "Friday's Dust," while the electronic dewdrops of "The Sulphur Man" push Doves' divine ambience further to the front.Doves were caught up in making grand compositions on Lost Souls, which worked fabulously, but it was too much. They've stripped down to the basics, letting the optimism of The Last Broadcast take center stage. It's a brilliant moment.

		1		Intro	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	1:17
		2		Words	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	5:42
		3		There Goes the Fear	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	6:54
		4		M62 Song	Fripp, Giles, Goodwin, Lake ...	3:48
Composed by: Fripp, Giles, Goodwin, Lake, McDonald, Sinfield, Williams, Williams
		5		Where We're Calling From	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	1:24
		6		N.Y.	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	5:46
		7		Satellites	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	6:50
		8		Friday's Dust	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	3:35
		9		Pounding	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	4:45
		10		Last Broadcast	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	3:22
		11		The Sulphur Man	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	4:37
		12		Caught By the River	Goodwin, Williams, Williams	5:55

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Black, Frank - 1994 - Teenager Of The Year (2CD)

A sprawling double album, Frank Black's Teenager of the Year builds on the clever, carefully crafted pop he forged on his solo debut and moves even farther away from the Pixies' sound. It feels like the album Black wanted to make since Bossanova: "Whatever Happened to Pong?" and "Thalassocracy" are a one-two blast of energetic fun, but the tight songwriting and detailed arrangements on the strummy "Headache" and gentle, piano-driven "Sir Rockaby" are more interesting. Despite its 22-song length, most of Teenager of the Year's tracks are keepers; the first nine rank among Black's catchiest songs with or without the Pixies. "I Want to Live on an Abstract Plain" and "The Vanishing Spies" mix sweet straightforward melodies with spacy keyboards, and Black delivers a creative love song in "Speedy Marie"; the first letter of each line in the song's second half spells out his girlfriend's name. The driving, anthemic "Freedom Rock" is one of the album's more ambitious tracks, along with the catchy, educational "Ole Mulholland," a musical history lesson about William Mulholland, the developer and planner of Los Angeles' municipal water system. Teenager's beginning is so consistent, it's not surprising that its second half isn't quite as essential, but it's still interesting. The spacy, ska-tinged "Fiddle Riddle," the cryptic "Superabound," and the sprightly final track "Pie in the Sky" -- which sounds strangely like a punk version of Gary U.S. Bonds' hit "A Quarter to Three" -- all add to the album's individuality. Even less-developed songs like "Fazer Eyes" and "The Hostest with the Mostest" are still worthwhile. Though his later albums took a sparer, simpler approach, Teenager of the Year's ambition and quirkiness begin Black's evolution into a cult artist who makes the music he wants to, regardless of whether or not it's fashionable.

		1		Whatever Happened to Pong?		1:34
		2		Thalassocracy		1:33
		3		(I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain		2:17
		4		Calistan		3:22
		5		The Vanishing Spies		3:37
		6		Speedy Marie		3:33
		7		Headache	Black	2:52
		8		Sir Rockaby		2:54
		9		Freedom Rock		4:16
		10		Two Reelers		3:01
		11		Fiddle Riddle		3:29
		12		Ole Mulholland		4:41
		13		Fazer Eyes		3:36
		14		I Could Stay Here Forever		2:27
		15		The Hostess With the Mostest	Black	1:56
		16		Superabound		3:10
		17		Big Red		2:41
		18		Space Is Gonna Do Me Good		2:22
		19		White Noise Maker		2:42
		20		Pure Denizen of the Citizens Band		2:20
		21		Bad, Wicked World		1:57
		22		Pie in the Sky		2:13

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