Top 5 - Bill Holmes
1) Montgomery Cliffs, Andiamo (115). A low-budget, high voltage masterpiece from a three-piece NYC band, The Cliffs parlay the guitar-bass-drum formula into something much greater. Great songs, whip-crack musicianship and a sense of humor that rocks your world and still makes you think. And the best part? They're better live. This disc kept getting back in the player all year long, and how better to measure your favorite?
2) Radiohead, OK Computer (EMI/Capitol). I thought last year's record was a bold statement but this one tops that. Call it a rock opera or a concept record or just an amazingly intense piece of music, but NO ONE else is making records like this in 1997. Thom Yorke's vocals are mesmerizing, and the guitar work takes each song into another dimension. If you haven't, let this one grow on you, and you will be richly rewarded.
3) Richard X Heyman, Cornerstone (Turn-Up). This will come out in 1998 on Permanent Press Records with an additional track, and I considered holding off until then, but I've had this version for almost the entire year. Pop genius Heyman was sorely missed but has returned with his strongest and most complete work to date. A song cycle about love, loss, and our place in time, Heyman again takes his place among our greatest songwriters.
4) The Pursuit Of Happiness, The Wonderful Word Of The Pursuit Of Happiness (Iron Music). No one writes about unrequited love like Moe Berg! Fourteen brief snips of wonder that segue together into a thirty minute tour through angst, heartbreak, love and bitterness. Rocks hard, smiles sweetly, and shines with the most unique harmony vocals in rock. Canada's treasure should be everybody's baby.
5) Michael Shelley, Half Empty (Big Deal). Imagine Jonathan Richman fronting the Fountains of Wayne and you can get an idea of the wry and wonderful Shelley. Took me completely by surprise, but his knack for a hook combined with the acoustic garage pop flavor of the music makes this a big winner at my house. "Think With Your Heart" is one of the best pop songs of the 1990's and worth the price of the record alone.
