Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco

Getting close to the end of the alphabet of albums now! Y is for Y go on?

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco, 2002, :51

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

This album is often held up as the Holy Grail by alt-country-pop hipsters who think Wilco is the greatest thing since white bread. It's a fine pop album, and superb in places, but certainly not without its flaws. "Radio Cure" is languid and self-important and boring, finally bothering to work itself up into an actual song in the final minute of its five-minute length.  The seven minute number "Reservations" is a quiet unassuming song, with four full unnecessary minutes of ever-quieter beeps and drones and hum at the end. I like the horns in "I'm the Man Who Loves You," but dislike the strained guitar noises at the end. Likewise, "Poor Places" is a fine song, but ends in awash of irritating white noise and found sound.  Noise isn't Art, it's just noodling. Favorite tracks: "Jesus, Etc," the rollicking "Heavy Metal Drummer."

Velocity of Sound, Apples in Stereo

Continuing the alphabet of albums, V is for vroooom!

Velocity of Sound, Apples in Stereo, 2002

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I like the Apples a good bit, and I think their best album is A Discovery of a World Inside the Moone.  In comparison, this album has much more fuzzy, buzzy guitar and rapid tempo.  The vocals are rapid-fire and high pitched.  While this is a rollicking albeit unadventurous good time, all the songs are pretty much the same, with the variation mostly being in the level of distortion ("I Want" being fuzzed to the max).  It's nice, but it's more background fuzz than a melody to catch and enjoy.  Although the bonus track, "She's Telling Lies," is basically a Beach Boys song written for fuzzy guitars.  Favorite tracks: "Baroque" with its "ba ba ba" harmony, "Better Days" with its noodling, wavy organ lines, "Rainfall" with its nearly punk beat.

Time Bomb High School, Reigning Sound

Time Bomb High School, Reigning Sound, 2002, :37

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Terrific garage punk by a band I've never heard of.  They open with a garage-rock cover of "Stormy Weather" and make it sound like their own, and you know this is something special.  They're rebuilding the British Invasion for the modern era, all superb energy, ragged Jagger-like vocals, and crackling guitars.  Favorite tracks: "Stormy Weather," "Brown Paper Sack" (another cover), "Time Bomb High School."

Jackknife To a Swan, Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Currently doing one album for each year, 1960-2020. Today: 2002. 

Jackknife To a Swan, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 2002, :40

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

This is one of the Bosstones' lesser works, perhaps.  But really, if you've heard one, you've heard them all.  The final song, "7 Ways To Sunday," is a bit off their beaten track.  But otherwise, it's the same ska-punk formula, all horns, guitar and growly vocals.  If you like it, you like it.  I like it.  Favorite tracks: "Sugar Free," "The Old School Off the Bright," "Go Big."