The year's best in music

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Dec 23, 2099 Source: Nando Media Submitted By: (December 22, 1999 10:04 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Thank heaven for little girls, for little girls keep big record companies in business. And don't blame those teens and pre-teens for making Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears the big stories of 1999 in the music world. Blame the "credible" acts for failing to come up with viable competition. For it was the Backstreet Boys who spearheaded an Anglo-pop explosion that included other boy bands such as 'N Sync and 98 Degrees as well as young solo women such as Spears and Christina Aguilera. Their only competition was a Latin pop explosion (that sounded suspiciously Anglo) led by Ricky Martin and including Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and ... Santana (?!). Together, these acts sold about 50 million albums in 1999. By contrast, "failure" was the key word for almost everything that didn't pop. Rock had a grim year, with such former beloved acts as Stone Temple Pilots, Live, 311, Bush and Nine Inch Nails plunging quickly down the charts. And though Rage Against the Machine debuted at No. 1 late in the year, that group was also pulling a fast fade. So who in rock could put brains on the chart to counter all that bubblegum sentimentalism? Limp Bizkit? Kid Rock? Please, they're about as intelligent as Jewel's book of poetry. Yet they were the source of rock's dubious salvation. No wonder Woodstock '99 started getting ugly about the time Limp Bizkit took the stage. It was a nasty year for urban music, too, as Puff Daddy, Master P, Mary J. Blige and O.D.B. all tanked. The most successful rap act of the year was Eminem, and how sad is that? But rap is getting what it deserves. The genre has broken apart into franchises - e.g. the Ruff Ryders and No Limit Records - and members of each group appear all over each other's releases until it's hard to figure out who the primary act is. (Did someone say they couldn't tell Spears and Aguilera apart?) Elsewhere, some key female singers took it easy: Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant and Sheryl Crow cut live albums, and McLachlan officially laid to rest the Lilith Fair. And apparently lesbian chic is over: Just ask Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls what happened to their '99 releases. While we're wondering what happened, the Ghost Town Formerly Known as Nashville was awfully quiet all year, perhaps in shock that Garth Brooks completely flipped out - and wiped out - with his alter ego's rock album. Plus the biggest-selling country act was a Canadian (Shania Twain) who was only a little bit country - and whose "Come on Over" has been around for more than two years. Maybe millennium fever's to blame, but it seemed like everyone was trying to make a mark this year. Cher's improbable comeback was beyond belief, and other old-timers such as Whitney Houston, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and TLC came out fine. Old-timers such as Sting, Eurythmics and Blondie didn't. It may have been a lousy year for music with integrity, yet we partied like it was 1999 (no thanks to yet another misfire by The Artist). So if the Grammy Award for best album comes down to the Backstreet Boys vs. Ricky Martin, who's to blame? That said, there were a number of very good releases in 1999 - though many of them were fairly obscure. They include: 1. "You Can't Stop the Bum Rush" by Len. This Canadian group could be headed for one-hit wonder status after the Top 10 success of the single "Steal My Sunshine" - but only because "Bum Rush" isn't a conventionally commercial album. The droll band's free-for-all sound liquefies everything from the past 20 years (hip-hop, synthpop, rock, electronica, punk, etc.), creating an escapist world where butter tarts are the cure for depression. Every track is a unique adventure, and the hooks range from simple grunts to synthetic loops to guest rapper Biz Markie's ragged mantra, "Oh what a beautiful day." "Bum Rush" is the aural equivalent to "Alice in Wonderland." 2. "The Way We Are" by Fleming & John. Like Len, the Nashville-based married team of Fleming McWilliams and John Mark Painter experiment in weird music hybrids, and the results are enchanting. McWilliams' manic mood swings and Painter's clever eclecticism yield singularly exotic results as the pair twists through a disco rave-up, vamps over a pseudo lounge cut, waltzes through a cabaret number, succumbs to punk hysteria and engages in a truly touching tribute to commitment. And humor? Well, McWilliams is incredulous at being dumped for an ugly girl, and with exclamation-point singing she profiles an emotionally manipulative lover: "That's not love pumping through his veins." 3. "Electric Honey" by Luscious Jackson. This aptly titled release oozes with organic sweetness as the trio playfully romps over thumping and shuffling grooves. Tag-team vocalists Jill Cuniff and Gabrielle Glaser bring two distinct dimensions to a group that marries earthy vocals to stirring electronica. The brilliantly arranged songs were some of the catchiest of the year, but tragically, they were overlooked. 4. "Midnite Vultures" by Beck. Music's Renaissance man took another expectedly unexpected turn - this time into an R&B-oriented arena that eschews his rock and folk roots. Beck's latest cut-and-paste release pays surprisingly fresh homage to Kraftwerk and classic Prince - even with the banjos and slide guitars. And his suave new persona is a winner, even if he still isn't much of a singer. 5. "When the Pawn ..." by Fiona Apple. No longer a stranger, Apple may have trouble charming the masses. But the Los Angeles-based singer/pianist is making fun of her sullen self these days, and she's doing so with a fuller and more artistic sound than her "Tidal" debut. Plus her lyrics are more imaginative, and her startlingly rich voice is more confident. She's still sour, conflicted and sardonic - yet she's more listenable this time. 6. "60 Second Wipe Out" by Atari Teenage Riot. At least someone remembers the true meaning of punk. This Berlin-based group merges hardcore techno and speed metal for an exhilarating (and exhausting), politically charged reaction to the neo-Nazi movement creeping into German society. Unlike albums by other punk revivalists, this breakneck apocalypse is more than unfocused rage - it's a soundtrack for Western decay. 7. "On How Life Is" by Macy Gray. This should have been the successor to Lauryn Hill's 1998 breakout, but apparently the Los Angeles-based singer wasn't slick enough. Her throwback to the glory days of funk and soul is one of the most genuine R&B releases in years, underscored by her Billie Holiday-like voice and an enticing blend of sensuality and spirituality. Forget miseducation, Gray knows how life really is. 8. "Hardknox" by Hardknox. The British duo of Steve P and Lindy Layton force-feeds house music through the techno-grinder, and the sinister outcome is a pounding distortion that would thrash Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers if given the chance. Hardknox's invigorating combination of primal, adrenaline-heavy vocals and futuristic, electronic aggression is both tense and satisfying. 9. "Willennium" by Will Smith. Forgive Will Smith for smugly dismissing his critics by pointing out his huge sales. The rapper's charisma is in overdrive again on "Willennium" as he brags and flirts his way through a stellar collection of party songs that don't glorify drugs, violence, misogyny or bad grammar. Oh, and he makes movies, too. 10. "Remedy" by Basement Jaxx. The best house-music album since 1996 (when Daft Punk released "Homework"), "Remedy" is a stylish and surprisingly soulful effort from the London-based duo of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. Avoiding the monotonous trappings of their genre, Basement Jaxx craft a surreal mix that is at once animated, bracing and endearing. Chuck Campbell is a music critic at The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: markus http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Comment on this item. Next Item: In 1999, everyone takes back seat to Backstreet Prev Item: Backstreet Boys are setting a new gold standard for the music business