898. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I See a Darkness (1999)

Track Listing

1. Minor Place
2. Nomadic Revelry (All Around)
3. I See A Darkness
4. Another Day Full Of Dread
5. Death To Everyone
6. Knockturne
7. Madeline Mary
8. Song For The New Breed
9. Today I Was The Evil One
10. Black
11. Raining In Darling

Review

Finally, after the creative desert of the last three albums, we return to albums which reflect the vision of an author. Truly a rare thing in these past few "list-years".

Bonnie "Prince" Billy's album is a work of bleak folk which manages through all that bleakness to be a really beautiful work. It might be the case that it sounds better in contrast to the albums that surround it on the list, but that not the sole explanation.

This is an album which reflects a definite voice, a sense of purpose and a message to transmit. We need more of this, and together with Le Tigre it also takes a big cake for the overall dismal year of 1999.

Track Highlights

1. Nomadic Revelry (All Around)
2. I See A Darkness
3. Minor Place
4. Death To Everyone

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Johnny Cash would later record the title track on his album American III: Solitary Man (2000). Oldham provided background vocals for Cash's version. Steve Adey also covered the title track on his 2006 LP All Things Real.

Nomadic Revery:

897. Metallica - S&M (1999)

Track Listing

CD 1:

1. The Ecstasy Of Gold
2. The Call Of The Ktulu
3. Master Of Puppets
4. Of Wolf And Man
5. The Thing That Should Not Be
6. Fuel
7. The Memory Remains
8. No Leaf Clover
9. Hero Of The Day
10. Devil's Dance
11. Bleeding Me

CD 2:

1. Nothing Else Matters
2. Until It Sleeps
3. For Whom The Bell Tolls
4. Human
5. Wherever I May Roam
6. Outlaw Torn
7. Sad But True
8. One
9. Enter Sandman
10. Battery

Review

How bad is this album? Let me count the ways. Firstly the addition of an orchestra brings nothing new to the songs, to the point where you often forget it is even playing. It is quite noticeable the first couple of tracks and then it's pretty much gone.

Secondly it is a crap recording, the band sounds like they are at the bottom of a well and the orchestra like it is buried under said well. Then they ruin The Ecstasy of Gold, a Ennio Morriconne track from one of my favourite films...

Fuck this album.

Track Highlights

1. Ecstasy of Gold

Final Grade

3/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The name of the album is a play on sadism and masochism (also represented by S&M).

No Shit!

Enter Sandman:

896. Britney Spears - ... Baby One More Time (1999)

Track Listing

1. Baby One More Time
2. You Drive Me Crazy
3. Sometimes
4. Soda Pop
5. Born To Make You Happy
6. From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart
7. I Will Be There
8. I Will Still Love You
9. Deep In My Heart
10. Thinking About You
11. E Mail My Heart
12. Beat Goes On

Review

This is a horrid album for reasons we will see later. However, from the albums it is sandwiched against it is the least annoying of the three. At least she doesn't annoy me as much as Eminem or bore me as much as Metallica's S&M.

That being said the album is still piss poor. The production is beyond shitty with synthesised arrangements which are dismal and would have been dismal a decade earlier. In fact it all sounds a bit Vengaboys if you are just listening to thebeats, if you don't know who the Vengaboys are I envy you.

Britney was clearly produced by song-by-the-mile Swedish people, the same who make songs for shit dance pop bands from America to Japan. The album sounds cheap, unpolished and overly artificial... clearly a recipe for success!

Track Highlights

1. The Beat Goes On
2. ... Baby One More Time
3. Sometimes
4. I Made Porn to Make you Happy


Final Grade

4/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The majority of Baby One More Time was recorded and produced in Sweden from November 1997 to June 1998, using Swedish dance-pop producers. Spears' label intended the album to have a distinct pop feel and felt that the dance music produced in Sweden best fit Spears' style and marketability. The album was first released with five snippets of demo songs on January 2, 1998. It was officially released on January 12, 1999 in Canada and the United States, and on March 8, 1999 in the United Kingdom. The cassette had the same cover that was later included in "...Baby One More Time" single booklet, although some editions, like the Australian edition, have an alternate cover picture, a picture of Spears in white, with her hands in a praying gesture. The picture also resembles the cover artwork of Björk's album Debut. The album was then meant to be named just Britney Spears, but due to the debut single success, the title was changed to make the album more recognized in the public.

Hit Me Baby One More Time:

895. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP (1999)

Track Listing

1. Public Service Announcement
2. My Name Is
3. Guilty Conscience
4. Brain Damage
5. Paul
6. If I Had
7. Bonnie & Clyde
8. Bitch
9. Role Model
10. Lounge
11. My Fault
12. Ken Kaniff
13. Cum On Everybody
14. Rock Bottom
15. Just Don't Give a F**
16. Soap
17. As The World Turns
18. I'm Shady
19. Bad Meets Evil
20. Still Don't Give a F***

Review

Soooo annoying!

Track Highlights

Seriously?

Final Grade

3/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

In 2003, the album was ranked number 273 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It placed higher than Eminem's second album The Marshall Mathers LP on the list, despite the fact that it originally received 3.5/5 stars compared to Marshall Mathers's 4/5 star rating.

I will not inflict a video on you.

894. Le Tigre - Le Tigre (1999)

Track Listing

1. Deceptacon
2. Hot Topic
3. What's Yr Take On Casavetes
4. The The Empty
5. Phanta
6. Eau D'bedroom Dancing
7. Let's Run
8. My My Metrocard
9. Friendship Station
10. Slideshow At Free University
11. Dude Yr So Crazy!!
12. Les And Ray

Review

Finally, a really great album. Unfortunately it is the last one for at least three albums... the next three albums are god-awful... just a warning. Afterwards we might be getting back to better stuff.

Now this album is a nifty one, it sounds like Tom-Tom Club in a more punky mood. This is natural seeing as the singer here is coming from Riot Grrrl Bikini Kill, another great band.

There is one thing which kind of annoys me, there is a bit too much topic and name dropping going on here, furthering their feminist agenda... not that there is anything wrong with that agenda, only with the fact that it sometimes sounds pretentious. Still the music is so infectious and great... and reminds me so much of a time when music was better that this is up until now the best album of 99.

Track Listing

1. What's Yr Take On Cassavetes
2. Deceptacon
3. Hot Topic
4. Dude Yr So Crazy!!

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The song "Deceptacon" was featured in the 2006 Norwegian film Reprise.

Deceptacon: