John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

There is so much to love about this album - Coltrane's playing is just the tip of the iceberg. Give a few listens to Elvin Jones's drums, though, which are as wild as anything Keith Moon did for The Who. While conceptually, it's a spiritual album, it would be enjoyable even without that knowledge. The songs hold up individually, with the chaotic skills present on "Part III: Pursuance" showing how Coltrane's quartet toed the line between hard bop and free jazz, the brisk track's melody seemingly taken apart and reassembled into something totally new. But it's together, as a whole album that A Love Supreme shines, with each part leading logically into the next, culminating with the serenity in "Part IV: Psalm." At just over 32 minutes, it manages to be a tight album without a moment of filler. Combine that with its wild ambitions, and its place in the upper-echelon on jazz albums is well-deserved.

Panic! at the Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

When do we get to compare 00s emo and 90s gangsta rap for lyrical cliches? There are so many guns, hospitals and pills in this album, it's the first thing I think of. Panic! here are catchy but not too distinguishable from what Fall Out Boy was doing at the time, aside from mild dance elements that provide additional hooks.  The media savvy approach some songs take (Webzines! Photo ops!) expose a self-consciousness that is a bit unbecoming for a band so young and so not-famous-yet. The dance-meets-rock-meets-wordiness thing was done to death in the mid nineties during the Britpop era. Despite being from Vegas, Panic are too young, with the strip joint in "But It's Better if You Do" sounding like something gleamed from the movie Striptease rather than real experiences.

Supergrass - I Should Coco

From an American standpoint, Supergrass are perhaps one of the most underrated bands of the 90s. They haven't but out a bad album yet and have slowly assembled one of the most accomplished discographies in rock. It's probably possible to argue for days which is their best work, but I Should Coco, their debut, is definitely the most fun. At a brisk 35 minutes, it speeds through its songs with a manic pace, until track 10, "Time," slows things down a bit. Their giddiness might be a short-term detriment, though, as the compositional complexity of their songs cannot come through without repeated listens. With careful listens, though, the details found in their harmonies, tempos, etc. reveal a jerky, punkish masterpiece from the britpop era.

The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Flying Burrito Brothers

In 1970, Gram Parsons, that fickle trust fund hippie, departed from the Burrito Brothers for a solo career, leaving Chris Hillman as the head of the band. In his time with the band, he helmed or at least helped the band through one undisputed classic (The Gilded Palace of Sin) and one arguably only slightly worse album (Burrito Deluxe). In 1971, The Flying Burrito Brothers was released, and what chance did it have to measure up to their first two albums? That is the trouble with judging this album. Hillman and co. try hard to recapture what Parsons called "Cosmic American Music," and succeed except for a lack of excitement. Well-chosen covers of songs by Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan ("White Line Fever," "To Ramona," respectively) prove more memorable than Hillman's originals, though "Four Days of Rain" and "Can't You Hear Me Calling" are spirited, but don't stick. And that sums up The Flying Burrito Brothers as a whole, too: its playing and songwriting are adequate, but never much more.

The Pixies - Doolittle

Doolittle is easily a canonized indie rock classic, so is there much left to be said about it? What was notable to me on my latest listen is how vicious the band sounds on the faster numbers, while the slower number are a Pulp Fiction cool. The band is fully in control here, with Francis Black and Kim Deal playing off each others' voices throughout like a battle between the sexes. The Pixies' lyrical style tends to lean towards the surreal, with Doolittle seeming to balance its polished sound with a bit more of a violent edge (correct me if I'm wrong). As always, the playing is more than accomplished, with "Wave of Mutilation" hiding some tricky changes in tempo within its sweet, relaxed melody. Side note: Doesn't "La La Love You" sound like a precursor to 69 Love Songs?

Jimmy Eat World - Clarity

Jimmy Eat World are an emo band. This much is true - but on Clarity they take pride in the fact that they can stretch far beyond that. The album plays like a dream. Moments can be jarring, tones shift from song to song. The closing "Goodbye Sky Harbor" is achingly beautiful, though when I first heard it, I thought the CD was broken until new instrumental elements crept into the mix toward the end. Clarity thrives on this kind of beauty, though - Bleed American, its followup, would contain tighter songs and stronger hooks, but Clarity is a curious kind of album. It's a dense record, whose production is on par with Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom, even if the songs can't quite distinguish themselves from each other. While moments here and there meander a bit, the melodies and string arrangements make it feel important, a big moment from a band hitting its stride.

2Pac - Me Against the World

The cliche is that rap albums are 60 minutes about shooting people, bitches, hos and flashing money and one song tacked on about how the rapper loves his mom. When listening to 2Pac's Greatest Hits, I can't help but feel that way when "Dear Mama" comes on. Here, it fares better among the soulful productions while Pac waxes insightful about the thug life. He puts his sensitivity on full display here, with the songs celebrating nostalgia ("Old School") or wondering if there is a better way of living ("Me Against the World"). Arguably, it's on this album that the 2Pac legend hinges; without the soul-baring moments like this album, the braggadocio of All Eyez on Me would be bone-headed. That fact alone would make it a quintessential 2Pac album. The fact that it's musically accomplished (not a bad song in the bunch) makes it one of the great 90s hip-hop albums.

Vanessa Mae - Subject to Change

Forgive me: I am woefully ill-equipped to describe violins with adjectives more descriptive than "pretty." But Mae's music is evocative, bringing to mind images of middle-eastern deserts... or something. It's violin-based classical but given a pop music sheen with the aid of some electronic drums and instrumentation in the background. A close stylistic comparison could be made to the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. When she sings, her voice is breathy and a bit buried in the mix, but the point is the instrumentation, which is superb.

Pulp - This Is Hardcore

Pulp's swirling mass of bleakness make this a near-masterpiece that comes apart in the end, as the closing trio - "Sylvia," "Glory Days," and "The Day After the Revolution" - clash with the dirty perversion and loathing of "The Fear" and "This Is Hardcore." The Deluxe Edition would reveal "Glory Days" to be a rewrite of "Cocaine Socialist," and the latter is a more natural expression of lead singer Jarvis Cocker's state of mind at the time. Those last three songs on the album proper aren't bad, but they lack conviction. This Is Hardcore ditches the populism of Different Class to become more of a singer-songwriter record, with Cocker's confused issues making the bulk of the subject matter. Perhaps the sense of isolation and dread make this a fascinating, lonely album. Up until the chorus of "Sylvia," This Is Hardcore is like Taxi Driver in music form.

Ice Cube - Death Certificate

Death Certificate is comparatively (triple emphases on "comparatively") less of a vengeful blast of testosterone than Amerikkka's Most Wanted. The production here is significantly more laid-back, for starters: Death Certificate finds that delicate halfway point between Public Enemy's Bomb-squad productions and Dr. Dre's P-Funk aping G-funk. It's an interesting mix that makes it one of the more invigorating listens from the golden age of hip-hop. Cube himself is fiery as ever, but somehow it seems less of a shock to the system than his first album or NWA's Straight Outta Compton. It's an equal to Amerikkka's Most Wanted; lyrically, AMW is better, but Death Certificate wins on production.

As Fast As - Open Letter to the Damned

Recently, I wrote a review of Justincase's debut (and so far only) album, saying "They are pretty forgettable - not worth more than a listen in the background every once in awhile." Consider As Fast As sort of the opposite. They don't do anything particularly new, but they do it very well. The Maine-based power pop band strings together eleven songs of sugary goodness with just enough edge to them to keep them interesting. Opening duo "Blame It on the Drugs" and "Florida Sunshine" are addictive and catchy, while the music shifts moods and speeds slightly from moment to moment. Two demerits: A) They don't do much new and B) the second half is a tiny bit weaker than the first half (but only a tiny bit!). The thing is, though, As Fast As's sharp songwriting and likability make it tough to care.

Tom Waits - Closing Time

Tom Waits' debut album is a stirring, soulful classicist pop album. The majority of the songs are ballads in the vein of In the Wee Small Hours-era Sinatra, but Waits sets himself apart with strong songwriting and, of course, his inimitable voice. That brassy, bassy, bourbon-coated throat gives the songs a gravitas that other singers wish they could possess. It's not all mopey ballads, though - "Ice Cream Man" is a fine bit of flirtatiousness, but it's the haunting moments ("Old '55," "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" and "Grapefruit Moon") that leave the most lasting impression.

Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else

Somethin' Else is among the standard bearers in hard bop, featuring a veritable jazz dream team of Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones and Art Blakely, completing Adderley's quintet. The playing is smooth, with the songs swinging smoothly in an airy kind of playfulness. Adderley and Davis are a two-headed dragon, with their respective instruments trading many of the solos while the others keep time, though each member is able to shine through their virtuosity. The players push hard while staying playful, such as on the title track, which features a measure in double time. It's not an odd occurrence, but it gives the band a brief moment to let loose and show their mastery.

Justincase - Justincase

It is completely understandable if you don't know this band. They are pretty forgettable - not worth more than a listen in the background every once in awhile. They're technically proficient for a pop/rock outfit, but nothing - literally nothing - about them would set them apart from any other generic pop/rock group. Lots of "I-to-you" verbiage in the lyrics, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-chorus structures, midtempo ballad-ish songs... "Without You" featuring Michelle Branch is a melodic gem, except it highlights that Branch has a much stronger voice with a better range than the band's lead singer (whose name, by the way, I can't even find).

The Kinks - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society

The band is at a peak here, with the individual songs truly becoming more than the sum of their unassailable parts here. A simultaneous celebration and condemnation of British culture, Village Green is a series of beautiful pop songs, from the playful keyboards on the opening track through the sheer giddiness of the closer, "People Take Pictures of Each Other." While the individual songs feel less distinguishable from each other than on their previous few efforts, the more unified sound fits the album, making it one of the best items in their catalog, and understandably their most popular album. Nothing here approaches the sublime power of "Waterloo Sunset," but the walking bass riff on "Picture Book," the falsettos on "The Last of the Steam-Powered Trains," and dozens of other smaller moments approach its brilliance.

The Kinks - Something Else by The Kinks

Face to Face is widely considered The Kinks' first masterpiece (I'd put a vote in for The Kinks Kontroversy, myself), but Something Else is just plain better. There's nothing particularly different about the album sonically from its predecessor; it's still the same style of pop from its predecessor, but the songs are sharper by just a smidgen. The album's sound is quirky and relaxed, backing character studies that can be both celebratory or biting, depending on the song. Ray Davies' ability to distill social observations ("Two Sisters," "David Watts," "Harry Rag") into a 3.5-minute pop song surface here. His songwriting in a general sense reaches a certain peak at the end: "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the prettiest songs ever recorded, with falsettos that rival The Beach Boys. It's an absolutely gorgeous end to an already great album.

The Kinks - Face to Face

Arguably the first classic by The Kinks, it opens with a bang. "Party Line" is a nervy little rocker with gentle harmonies and an incessant hook. Many of the songs, from "Sunny Afternoon" to "Dandy" burrow their way into your brain - and I mean that in a friendly way. They're sharply written songs, with well-crafted production. Some of the observational songwriting Ray Davies would explore in the future of the group surface here in the form of songs like "Session Man" and "House in the Country." The Kinks have a jovial sense of melody that is hard to resist, even in the mean-spirited bonus track (on the CD) "Mr. Reporter." More than anything, the album is as gorgeous to listen to as anything to come out of the 60s.

The Kinks - The Kink Kontroversy

This early Kinks album plays like a garage rock masterpiece; many of the songs can coast by on sheer catchiness alone, lacking the nuance and unity of the Kinks albums that followed it. It's far from their best album, but it could be considered an early sign of the greatness that would come on the rest of their releases through the 60s. It's simpler, though, with songs like "I Am Free" working despite sounding mildly derivative. The strength of Ray Davies' songwriting carries the album through such moments: "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" rocks hard (and would live on as a Van Halen cover), while "I'm On an Island" sounds like a dry run for their future direction. However, most of the songs, while more carefully constructed than "You Really Got Me," show a band still refining its sound and style.

Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material

This deeply political product of the punk rock era sets itself apart from similar fare by The Clash with lyrical content that contrasts with the punkish rage of the music. Anti-violence is the main topic of the album, delivered by lead singer Jake Burns' frothing delivery. The Irish band's music doesn't mire itself in the politics of the region, striving for a more universal approach that keeps the music relevant several years later. "Suspect Device" preaches skepticism of all information sources, for example, and while "White Noise" is centered on British politics, its racial politics won't find themselves dated any time soon. But enough politics - the album's music occasionally can bleed one song into the next, and it could be argued that the topical and sonic unity can feel rather monotone. The playing is superb, however, foregoing subtlety for sheer brute force. A compulsively listenable minor punk classic.

White Stripes - Elephant

Jack White comes out here as a guitarist, and Meg White comes out on one track ("Cold Cold Night") as... a gentle, barely on-key respite from White's six-string onslaught. The Whtie Stripes have always been a strong, consistent band, but this is the first album that works as one coherent statement, with relationships forming the album's topical core (Around the perimeter: "Jack White is a soulful, shrill man"). The sound is more unified than on any Stripes album since their first one, compared to the fragmented sub genre-hopping of De Stijl and White Blood Cells. For the first time since their self-titled debut, the White Stripes sticks to the basics.  Meg White can be criticized for her simplistic drumming, but it provides White with an anchor where he can show off his skills. Witness: the slow bluesy creep of "Ball and Biscuit," or the punkish "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine."

Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Take your Dark Side of the Moon, your The Wall, your Wish You Were Here (your Division Bell?)! This is my Pink Floyd of choice, an album that is at once as whimsical as the Beatles' brighter moments while flowing with a darker undercurrent like all the subtleties also within the Beatles' brighter moments. But it's as tightly played and constructed as the aforementioned Pink Floyd masterpieces, keeping it all together. Strangely, it's haunting and smile-inducing at the same time, whether Syd Barrett is singing about gnomes named Grimble Gromble. Deep in the rabbit hole of Barrett's constructed world, there's clanging, echo, sound effects... and the loneliness of madness, colored by beauty and childhood.

P!nk - I'm not Dead

P!nk's winning streak continues with I'm Not Dead, the followup to her breakthrough M!ssundaztood and I'm Not Dead may be the best trilogy of Thriller-like pop albums this decade. Thriller-like, not in terms of sales, but in the sense that on her albums, P!nk shoves something for everybody onto the record. Subversive pop commentary on "Stupid Girls," a sublime ballad on "Who Knew," swagger on "Cuz I Can," power pop on "Leave Me Alone I'm Lonely," etc. P!nk's voice always seems to be in great shape, launching between hushed whispers and raspy shouts from song to song. Even the (now) dated "Dear Mr. President" is touching for the conviction in its singing. I'm sure more of the non-specific references will become relevant in the future, if they're at all irrelevant now.

N.E.R.D. - In Search of...

It's a party record that combines R&B with rock guitars to bring the noise. The Neptunes know the way to get a hook into your brain, as they do on "Brain." Pharrell's falsetto is limited but inviting, but there's no mistaking that this is a producer's album: lyrics, for the most part, take a back seat to atmosphere, big choruses and the overall sound of it are the main focus. It's to The Neptunes' credit that almost all of it is memorable, with individual songs adding up to become more than the sum of their parts.