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Welcome back to week two of this 5-week countdown of the Top 25 Alternative Rock Albums. Last week's list included albums 25-21. This week, we'll pick up where we left off. Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out the rest of our Alternative Rock related posts in observance of Alternative Rock Month here at Audio Overflow!
#20 - Incubus: Morning View (2001)
Cale says: "Incubus had already released two great albums by the time their third major-label LP, Morning View, was released. It was this one, however, that has gone down as their masterpiece. Filled start to finish with quality songs of varying styles, Morning View is an absolute blast to listen to, sing along to, or rock out with - depending on which song you choose to listen to. Listen to the whole thing without stopping, now that's the real treat! It is one of the best mainstream rock albums of the 21st century, or hell, any century."
#19 - 10,000 Maniacs: Our Time in Eden (1992)
Jill says: "I still very happily wear my 10,000 Maniacs tee shirt from the tour supporting this album. White, with the cover on the front, and on the back, lyrics from "Stockton Gala Days". "That summer fields grow high. We made garland crowns in hiding, pulled stems of flowers from my hair." An album that is the best use of Natalie Merchant's unusual voice and probably the only thing they produced worth listening to. "
#18 - The Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
Cale says: "It's hard to believe that an album like this ever existed, and that it was as good as it was. How many double-albums do you know of that feature quality songs on every track? How many double-albums do you know of that go own as the best in an artist's catalog? It doesn't happen very often, or ever for that fact. The Smashing Pumpkins' 1995 masterpiece was the height of their career. It's almost as if they put everything they had into this one effort. Perhaps that's why everything that has come since has been somewhat of a disappointment."
#17 - Radiohead: OK Computer (1997)
Cale says: "Widely considered to be the best alternative rock album of all time, OK Computer is a true work of art in music form! It was the album that transformed Radiohead into a talented band into the "saviors of rock and roll." Their future efforts would try to distance themselves from the style that they perfected in this album, but few of their efforts can hold their own against such a great record.
#16 - Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Erin says: "Freakin' Awesome! I love this album and still know EVERY WORD to EVERY SONG! It's truly a shame that her best songs from this album were mostly hidden to radio stations, but her fans loved them. This will always be one of my favorite alternative albums!"
Jill says: "People don't get this, but I only like one Alanis Morrisette song. "Wake Up." That's it. Her kind of girl anger just doesn't do it for me. I can't identify, I can't make it my own. I will say this, though, she makes a great God. "
Showing posts with label Smashing Pumpkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smashing Pumpkins. Show all posts
Saturday, March 08, 2008
The Top 25 Alternative Rock Albums (Albums 20-16)
Tune in next week for picks 15-11.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Video of the Week - Week 52
Today marks the 52nd Video of the Week here on Audio Overflow which, for those intellectually-challenged people, means that the feature is now 1 year old! To celebrate, I thought I'd offer up something different from the standard low bugdget indie videos that I usually provide. Here is what I consider to be one of the best music videos ever made. Enjoy!
"Tonight Tonight" by Smashing Pumpkins, from the album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Last Day to Vote for the 4th Annual Cale Awards!!
It's the home stretch. Today is the final day to vote for your favorite and least favorite music of 2007 in the 4th Annual Cale Awards. For this final day, I've decided to bring all the polls here to the main page. Voting will only takes a 1-2 minutes, and seriously, is there anything better for you to be doing right now? I didn't think so. Below are the categories in which you may vote. I've ordered the categories by vote count, so those that have less votes overall will come first. You know, just to get a larger sample of things. That means the larger categories like Album of the Year or Band of the Year, are towards the bottom. Please vote if you have not yet done so.Winners will be announced Monday, December 24th.
Friday, December 07, 2007
The Top 31 of 2007 - #25
Cale's Pick
Smashing Pumpkins: ZeitgeistReleased: July 10, 2007
I picked up a copy of Zeitgeist with one goal in mind: to thoroughly tear apart the CD in my review. I've long held the opinion that Billy Corgan is one of the most overrated and over-hyped musicians out there today, with a legion of fanboys who could use a good shot to the head knee cap. So I was very excited about listening to Zeitgeist and then reviewing it poorly. But the more and more I listened to the album, the more and more I realized that was was on it was actually pretty decent, good even. Billy Corgan's voice is still unsuitable for this type of music, but it eventually starts sounding (dare I say) listeneable as the album goes on. When I finally reviewed Zeitgeist and gave it a 7 out of 10 rating, my fanboy friend was ecstatic; calling me and telling me all these cool fact about Corgan and such as if I was suddenly a fan. I'm not. In fact, since purchasing this album, I've only listened to it a few times. But the fact remains that Zeitgeist is surprisingly good, and possibly the Pumpkins' best album since Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Now that's impressive.
For winning me over....this time, Smashing Pumpkins make the #25 spot on my list.
The Top 31 Songs of 2007 - #25
"Sugar Assault Me Now" by Pop Levi, from the album, The Return to Form Black Magick Party.
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Jill's Pick
Ani diFranco: CanonReleased: September 11, 2007
Firstly, it's a compilation album. The woman, after all, does have 22 albums to her name. I wasn't going to pick it up, but I am a long-time fan and had to have it. Her best album, in my opinion, is To the Teeth, but this is a nice change. A nice blend of 36 songs that, well, cover everything.
Secondly, when I put together my list of albums, my rating system was simple: the number of tracks I liked determined it's spot on the list. Since I like so many of these songs (see below) you'd think it would score higher up (or lower, whatever) but seeing as how it's a compilation album, I decided to leave it in the 20's.
My only complaint: it would be much better if you left out the 5 2007 versions of old songs. I'm weird like that. Remakes are fine, by other people, but I've never been a fan of people remaking their own tracks.
When I ordered this, the boy said to me "Don't you have all of her albums?" My answer was yes, yes I do, but I never get tired of hearing them. And they're songs I would have never thought to listen to grouped together. I tend to just pick one of her albums and have at it; rarely do I mix them up. This would make a great album for someone who's only just starting to listen to her music. 36 tracks seems tedious but if you give it a chance, it really does show off her genius. It flows effortlessly and pretty much every track makes you think.
I think she sums it perfectly when she says it's "arranged and intended to be played from beginning to end". All the work is done for you, you just have to listen.
Because I am biased, the 2nd best song she's ever made: "Marrow"
Tracks you should seriously give a listen to (despite all the work being done for you):
--"Fire Door "
--"Cradle & All"
--"Shy "
--"Gravel"
--"Hello Birmingham"
--"Grey"
--"Marrow"
--"Subdivision"
--"Your Next Bold Move"
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Go News Go! - The Weekly News Recap
Hey kids! Please to enjoy the news!
- Download the new Of Montreal tribute album, Aluminum Plums, for FREE!!!
- Everything you could want to know about Sufjan's BQE Extravaganza!
- Sorry, Jeff :(
- The Decemberists
die in fiery automobile accidentcancel shows. - No seriously, how douchy do those guys in the front row look?
- That nursing home needs a curfew.
- The Shins cover Magnetic Fields....really?
- Radiohead sign deal to distribute In Rainbows everywhere but N. America.
- Stars head to Britain in 2008.
- A whole lot of Iron & Wine dates.
- Dear Pitchfork, no one cares!
- Get that subwoofer warmed up...
- Just one more reason to hold off on Rock Band.
Like are we now only spitting eggs.
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