Monthly Archives: February 2014
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 2006
I have little to say about 2006, except that it’s a year from which I own an awful lot of albums and subsequently a year for whose Top 5 I had to be especially choosy. So, let’s nod to some … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 2005
As I’ve been revisiting albums for this project, I’ve become happily reacquainted with a lot of music I thought I knew. For the 2005 list, though, Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois is the big comeback story. I’ve known it and liked it … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 2004
2004 was a full decade ago. Weird, huh? As I reflect on the last decade in music, I’m moved to an observation about my own tastes. Musically speaking, there are few things I find more frustrating than when everybody loves … Continue reading
Album Review: Temples, “Sun Structures”
A couple weeks ago, a Facebook friend shared a post from NPR about British quartet Temples’ debut Sun Structures (2014) with the commentary, “Temples aren’t a band, they’re a time machine.” Well, as a music fan and something of a … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 2003
For 2003, I simply want to mention two albums that don’t make the list due to my self-imposed guidelines and that will demolish whatever remaining cool points I have. The first is Michael McDonald’s Motown, an album of Hitsville U.S.A. … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 2002
The fact that the following list is filled with older artists (or artists working in older idioms) doesn’t mean that I haven’t heard anything more “hip” or contemporary from 2002. Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is probably their best album; but … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 2001
2001 was a big year for me. It was the year my grandfather passed away, giving me my first experience with the death of a family member. It was the year my political consciousness was awakened by the September 11th … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 1999
And so we come to the close of the 1900s, a century of radical changes in all areas of life: political, economic, cultural, intellectual, musical, you name it. As we’ve gone through the last third or so of the century … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 1998
As I’ve mentioned before, one of the most gratifying things about this Top 5 Albums project is that, through friends, acquaintances, and fellow online list-makers, I’m discovering a boatload of new and great music. And the two major recommendations for … Continue reading
Revolutions Per Minute 