Alientologist: The Six Best Albums of 2001

    Alientologist (Keri)  
 # 1
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Name: Keri
Email: alientologist@hotmail.com
Location: Vancouver, Canada
 
1. Bleed American Jimmy Eat World
2. Satellite Rides Old 97's
3. Green Weezer
4. Souljacker Eels
5. Is This It The Strokes
6. To Be Decided

Comments:

Favourite tracks indicated in bold.

Bleed American Jimmy Eat World
This one is so fun, and charming that I can't believe they aren't household names. They have beautiful harmonies, and great songs that belie their punk rock beginnings. As always it's hard to pick just three, but I'll toss out The Middle, Your House, If You Don't, Don't. As an added bonus there is secret stuff on the CD if you play it on your computer. (I just found this today.) I won't spoil the surprize, just go get it.

Satellite Rides Old 97's
This would have made my essential list, but I realized I could squeeze both of them in this way. This is alt country with an empasis on the alt. They have great songs that manage to tell the old love story in beautiful expressive stories and they know how to write great pop songs. Standout track are Rollerskate Skinny, Up The Devil's Pay, Designs On You, and King Of All The World. Oops, that's four. Well arrest me already. That 3 rule was self inflicted.

Green Weezer
Concise perfect effort from a band that has a huge backlog of material, and another of those CD's where the singles are not the standout tracks. My favorites are Don't Let Go, Photograph, and Crab.

Souljacker Eels
I love the Eels, and their fabulous leader E, and I'm again impressed by their abilty to reinvent themselves over again. If you have Daisies Of The Galaxy, you'll be surprized by how energetic this release is. As with all my choices, I love most of it but I'll suggest That's Not Really Funny, Fresh Feeling, and Friendly Ghost.

Is This It The Strokes
I'll probably make this an essential choice one day. I can't imagine anyone who's reading this, not loving it. Another concise perfect effort with not a single dog. The entire CD can be summed up in it's opener Is This It, which expresses ennui while dishing out lethal energy. Top picks, Barely Legal, Someday, and Hard To Explain.

musicforthemorningafter
Pete Yorn
I don't ususally like an album right away. I usually put it away for a bit after a first listen and let it simmer and see what I think a bit later when it's had a chance to familiarize itself with my mind. This was a keeper from it's first spin in my CD player. I expected him to be more like Elliott Smith, but he has a much broader range. Sure, he dallies in that neo folk genre but his biggest successes are when he walks a twisty rock road. His voice is like an elastic instrument, and his lyrics seem so profound, and often make no sense at all. Try Life On A Chain, Just Another, and Murray

Bleed American Jimmy Eat World (2001)

1) Bleed American
2) A Praise Chorus
3) The Middle
4) Your House
5) Sweetness
6) Hear You Me
7) If You Don't, Don't
8) Get It Faster
9) Cautioners
10) The Authority Song
11) My Sundown



 Satellite Rides Old 97's (2001 )

1) King Of All The World
2) Rollerskate Skinny
3) Buick City Complex
4) Bird In A Cage
5) Up The Devil's Pay
6) What I Wouldn't Do
7) Question
8) Am I Too Late
9) Weightless
10) Can't Get A Line
11) Designs On You
12) Bood Of Poesm
13) Nervous Guy
 # 3 # 4
Green Weezer (2001)

1) Don't Let Go
2) Photograph
3) Hash Pipe
4) Island In The Sun
5) Crab
6) Knock-down Drag-out
7) Smile
8) Simple Pages
9) Glorious Day
10) O Girlfriend


 		Souljacker Eels (2001)

1) Dog Faced Boy
2) That's Not Really Funny
3) Fresh Feeling
4) Woman Driving, Man Sleeping
5) Souljacker part 1
6) Friendly Ghost
7) Teenage Witch
8) Bust Stop Boxer
9) Jungle Telegraph
10) World Of Shit
11) Souldjacker part 2
12) What Is This Note?
 # 5 # 6
Is This It The Strokes (2001)

 1) Is This It
2) The Modern Age
3) Soma
4) Barely Legal
5) Someday
6) Alone, Together
7) Last Nite
8) Hard To Explain
9) When It Started
10) Trying Your Luck
11) Take It Or Leave It
 musicforthemorningafter
Pete Yorn(2001)

 1) Life On A Chain
2) Strange Condition
3) Just Another
4) Black
5) Lose You
6) For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)
7) Murray
8) June
9) Sense
10) Closet
11) On Your Side
12) Sleep Better
13) EZ
14) Simonize