2002 Review – Albums #110 – 101
By Nada Staff
110. The Reputation – The Reputation (Initial)
The Reputation play super-fast pop rock that’s buoyed by the style and cred of former Sarge front woman Elizabeth Elmore and her talented new band. The record settles down halfway through but never loses its glossy sheen. To summarize: Yummy.
109. Harshing Your Mellow – Akimbo (Dopamine)
Seattle’s favorite hardcore band makes a play for the Blood Brothers throne with this fantastic 2002 release. Look for 2003’s Elephantine to launch Akimbo into the stratosphere.
2002 Review – Albums #110 – 101
By Nada Staff
110. The Reputation – The Reputation (Initial)
The Reputation play super-fast pop rock that’s buoyed by the style and cred of former Sarge front woman Elizabeth Elmore and her talented new band. The record settles down halfway through but never loses its glossy sheen. To summarize: Yummy.
109. Harshing Your Mellow – Akimbo (Dopamine)
Seattle’s favorite hardcore band makes a play for the Blood Brothers throne with this fantastic 2002 release. Look for 2003’s Elephantine to launch Akimbo into the stratosphere.
108. Making the Rounds – Boss Martians (Musick)
We’ve been trying to finish a nearly-completed interview with Boss Martians’ main dude Evan, but keep missing him when the Seattle-via-Tacoma surf-rock-come-punk-rock outfit is in town. If you like tight, high-energy punk rock you should do otherwise and catch their next live show. Making the Rounds is the latest addition in their growing catalogue.
107. lovetheonlyway – Inner (Caboose Music)
A couple years ago Nada contributed reviews to the Tacoma Reporter, a local weekly struggling to stay afloat in a market that’s analogous to being called “Seattle’s dirty, smelly little brother.” At the time, the music editor was Lisa Gunter. Since free weekly publications aren’t easy to keep alive, her position was cut, much to our dismay, and she took off for California to do publicity for some band called Inner, on Caboose Music. Lo and ehold, without ANY tampering from our staff or ballot stuffing from the sunshine state, we find this gorgeous release from a Tacoma band fronted by the talented and lovely Jennifer Turner on our 2002 Review. Good work Lisa.
106. One By One – Foo Fighters (BMG)
So Dave Grohl will always live in the shadow of his Nirvana days. So his band, The Foo Fighters, puts out pretty safe hard rock albums every couple years. Each one features carefully-constructed rock songs as good as any being released today, and since we don’t expect every band to be the next Nirvana we can’t really complain about One by One. Or can we?
105. Alive Or Just Breathing – Killswitch Engage (Roadrunner)
Killswitch Engage rose from the ashes of cult favs Overcast, pulled their Pantera and Slayer influences out and made one of the best metal albums of 2002.
104. While You Weren’t Looking – Caitlin Cary (Yep Roc<)
Those in the know will recognize Cary as the violin player from the great Whiskeytown. While You Weren’t Looking proved Carey’s as talented a songwriter as former bandmate Ryan Adams. Her intimate songs center on lost love and shattered relationships, but with a spark of hope. Look for a Whiskeytown reunion sometime in ’03.
103. Lost In Space – Aimee Mann (Superego)
At first I thought this album wasn’t all that special, but I respect it more with each successive listen. It could easily be titled “Bachelor #3”, but Mann is happy giving the fans what they want. She’s come a long way since ‘Til Tuesday and, matter of fact, has improved a lot since her first two solo albums. Lost In Space is one of the most sucessful self-released albums ever, and deservedly so.
102. Skorborealis – Danielle Howle & The Tantrums (Daemon)
Skorborealis is the first proper rock album Howle has made with the Tantrums since 1997’s Do a Two Sable and it could be the best album she’s ever made. As usual, she’s all over the map, switching from pop (“Big Puffy Girl Handwriting”), mullet rock (“Camaro Power”), and weepy country ballads (“Let The Angels Commit”). To boot, Howle’s songs are boosted by the fact that she’s pretty damn weird.
101. Under Construction – Missy Elliott (Elektra)
Under Construction suffered from a year-end release and should finish higher this year. This masterpiece includes the chart toppers “Work It” and “Gossip Folks,” and 2002 also marked the debut of Missy’s new look. No longer can she be referred to callously as “The Fat Girl we’d Fuck.”