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Big time, high flying critics might assume that everything they recommend is subsequently rushed out and purchased by their vast legions of apostles. (I've allowed this fantasy to flit across my mind as well, but only after an unreasonable amount of gin and tonic.) But the reality is that I and I assume many other people are still catching up on what they missed from last year, never mind the Absolute Latest thing they Have to Buy. I'm still unearthing records that make me smack my head and exclaim, "Damn it! This album is fantastic! Wish I'd known about it for my 1998 best-of list!" Here, then, an ongoing update of albums (as I continue to discover them) that represent the best of what that year had to offer. I've taken the liberty of breaking the list out into Truly Remarkable Efforts and just plain old Great. The lists are in no particular order except for glorious number 1, which no less an authority than the Rev. Kenneth O'Connor of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art once called "the greatest human achievement." Hear hear. Truly Remarkable Efforts: 1) Neutral Milk Hotel - IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA 2) Silver Jews - AMERICAN WATER 3) Olu Dara - IN THE WORLD: FROM NATCHEZ TO NEW YORK 4) Beastie Boys - HELLO NASTY 5) Tom Ze - FABRICATION DEFECT Just Shy of Genius, but still Great: 6) Tortoise - TNT 7) Arto Lindsay - NOON CHILL 8) Massive Attack - MEZZANINE 9) The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - ACME 10) Black Star - MOS DEF & TALIB KWELI 11) Liz Phair - WHITECHOCOLATE SPACEEGG 12) U.N.K.L.E. - PSYENCE FICTION 13) June of 44 - FOUR GREAT POINTS 14) Sonic Youth - A THOUSAND LEAVES 15) Belle & Sebastian - THE BOY WITH THE ARAB STRAP 16) PJ Harvey - IS THIS DESIRE? 17) Fugazi - END HITS 18) Billy Bragg & Wilco - MERMAID AVENUE 19) Gastr Del Sol - CAMOFLEUR 20) Outkast - AQUEMINI 21) Air - MOON SAFARI 22) Spoon - A SERIES OF SNEAKS More to come..... |