(Stinker Of The Year, of course, does not mean it's the worst album of the year. I'm sure Clay What's-His-Face or Limp Bizkit or Blink 5150 released something head-shakingly bad, but why bother? I'm a total music snob; they're beneath me.)
I was originally going to award the most disappointing album of the year award to Liz Phair's self-titled record. Almost all of the Matrix-produced tracks, particularly "Rock Me," are indeed horrible beyond belief. With her voice all processed beyond recognition, and the lyrics ("Baby, baby, baby, if it's alright / Want you to rock me all night" goes one chorus) truly insipid, Liz Phair is quite bad, certainly according to her previous standards. But at least some of the tunes are... well, fairly catchy, even if you don't like Avril Lavigne.
No, the most disappointing album of the year goes to Radiohead's Hail To The Thief. It's a morose, humorless slog through boredom and dread and and paranoia, with moans and mumbles of consumerist conflagration and military apocalypse. One gathers that this is all meant to be important, but not with the same epic sweep as OK Computer, or the sonic novelty of Kid A. This is dull, affectless playing and singing, and while I'm sure Radiohead may have meant it that way, I'm not sure that the album was supposed to sound so passionless, with the songs practically devoid of melody. (Check out Christopher O'Riley's very good True Love Waits for abundant evidence of the latter.)
I've always liked Radiohead -- from the indie-rawk Pablo Honey all the way to the odds-and-ends-y Amnesiac -- but Hail To The Thief is a step backwards in their otherwise impressive musical evolution and reinvention. Signs and portents abound, but here the world ends with Thom Yorke's whimper.
[Up next, maybe next week: the best albums I heard all year.]
Posted by the wily filipino at December 10, 2003 11:02 AMI SO disagree on so many levels. And now that I've sucked up, can you write me a letter of recommendation for a internship/job I want?
Posted by: jesse on December 10, 2003 04:30 PMhm. i think radiohead's single, "go to sleep", is good. i haven't heard the whole album, though, so i don't know whether to agree with you or not.
liz phair's "why can't i" is catchy, that's all. when i first heard it, i thought it was hilary duff.
if you want disappointment (nay, *heartbreak*) listen to red hot chili peppers' latest album. nakakaiyak ang mediocrity non. i swear they've turned soft.
Posted by: malatemail on December 11, 2003 08:37 AMMalatemail: well, that's the thing -- there's nothing intrinsically wrong with Hilary Duff (she is kind of cute) and her music (it's decent pop), but this is Liz Phair we're talking about here.
I haven't listened to RHCP in a long time, but I'm not really a fan of theirs.
Jesse: you should post an entry on turkey dinner on why you disagree. I'm waiting.
What's this internship? E-mail me.
Posted by: the wily filipino on December 11, 2003 11:48 AM