These
are a few of my favorite things.
Albums of 2002
Fingathing: Superhero Music
On their second album, Fingathing make hip-hop fun
again by adding cello,
long drum interludes and an array of vocal samples.
Mum: Finally We Are No One
Another sophomore release, this from an Icelandic
band whose work recalls Bjork’s “Vespertine.”
Music boxes, bells, and crisp layered sounds conjure
images of snow and ice-covered lakes.
Deadly Avenger: Deep Red
An assortment of soundtrack flavors, breakbeats and
old school funk,
co-starring the Budapest Film Orchestra. The album
comes with stickers too!
Dom and Roland: Back for the Future
The best drum and bass album . . . ever!
Industrial-sounding beats
are expertly mixed to create a coherent, exciting
whole.
Various Artists: Chill Out in Paris
02
After the disappointing Buddha Bar IV, David Visan
returns to what made him so effective:
a textured, smoothly blended array of international
beats and spiritual vocals.
Album Tracks
Linkin Park: <MYDSMR “This is my
December; this is my snow-covered home.”
The Doves: There Goes the Fear “Think of me
when you’re coming down.”
Tori Amos: Gold Dust “And then we’ll
understand, we held gold dust in our hands.”
Craig Armstrong: Sea Song “If you won’t
change your mind, I’m going back to the sea.”
Rjd2: Smoke and Mirrors “Who knows what
tomorrow will bring, maybe sunshine, maybe rain.”
Movies
Spider-Man:
With great power
comes great responsibility, and Raimi fails to disappoint. The rare
instance in which the year’s highest-grossing film is also the
most enjoyable.
The
Two Towers:
The
film improves upon the novel by reorganizing the material and
expanding the battle of Helm’s Deep. Also check the special
edition DVD of Fellowship.
Spirited
Away :
A unique and
wonderful anime from the maker of Princess Mononoke. Every
frame bursts with inspiration; imaginatively conceived and
brilliantly executed.
The
Brotherhood of the Wolf:
Multiple
movies crammed into one, completely over the top. Neither subtle nor
coherent, but ever so entertaining, dramatic & sumptuously
lensed.
The
Count of Monte Cristo :
Grand old-fashioned moviemaking; changes in the source material have
transformed the story into something more triumphant than tragic.
Books
Revenge:
A Story of Hope (Laura Blumenthal) Redemptive Middle East
memoir.
Poems
to Read (Ed. by Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz) Introduced by
readers.
Good
Poems (Ed. by Garrison Keillor) Good indeed, with categories
like “Yellow.”
A
Sideways Look at Time (Jay Griffiths) A cross between Calendar
and Faster.
The
Rural Life (Verlyn Klinkenborg) NYT columnist combines
nature & sociology.
~ Rich Allen