Polling Place

Since 2000, I've been contributing to the Village Voice's Pazz and Jop year-end music poll. On one hand, I consider it a prestigious thing, as it's likely the closest I'll ever get to being associated with the Voice. On the other hand, they invite over a thousand critics to submit votes, so any music-digging monkey with a computer can take part. Still, it's a fun exercise.

I haven't figured out what my top ten for this year is yet, but I'll post it soon. In the meantime, here are my lists from 2000-2003:

2000
#1 album: Superdrag, In The Valley Of Dying Stars. Can't say enough good things about this LP. It's on the shortlist of my favorite records ever, right up there with Tommy Keene's Songs From The Film. In a dogfight with Nada Surf's Let Go for best of the 00's.

2001
#1 album: Superchunk, Here's To Shutting Up. I'd stand by this choice; probably the Chunk's strongest.

2002
I had six records tied for #1; the Voice's software alphabetized them, so Bruce Springsteen's The Rising shows up in the top slot. Of the six, I'd now probably put Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Interpol's Turn On The Bright Lights alone at numero uno.

A word about The Rising, though...I don't consider myself much of a Boss fan--I only have one other of his records, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and have only seen one of his shows. (I was briefly a fan in high school, till I flipped out over the Who and listened to pretty much nothing else for about two years.) But there's something undeniably powerful about this album; the more I listened to it, the more I was drawn to its passion. A few of the songs are dogs, but the rest is really strong, moving stuff.

2003
#1 album: Nada Surf, Let Go. One of my all-time favorite records; matter of fact, it's currently in my discman. (No iPod yet. I know, I know...)


On an unrelated note: For those of you who've been hoping against hope to see a skeleton marionette lip-synching to a recording of "Lucille," your prayers have been answered.