Top 5 - Sean McGill
1) Prodigy, The Fat of the Land (Maverick/Warner). It was loud, it was abrasive, I couldn't get it out of my CD player.
2) Jane's Addiction, Kettle Whistle (Warner). Sure there were only four new tracks, but Kettle Whistle was like visiting with old friends - they're not getting any younger, but it was damn nice to hear from them again.
3) Rollins Band, Come In And Burn (Dreamworks). A worthy successor to Weight, the latest Rollins Band album is more personal than the rest, but still retained the hard edge that defines the group.
4) Deftones, Around the Fur (Maverick/Warner). If this album had come out at the beginning or middle of the year, it would have made its way to number one. It hasn't left my stack in three months, and probably won't for three more. Heavy, intense, but suprisingly melodic in parts, this is the album Korn will never put out - and that's their loss.
5) Depeche Mode, Ultra (Warner). It's been a few years and a couple of bouts with recovery, but Ultra is a throwback to the great Depeche Mode music of the past: slow, depressing, and recommended by four out of five potential suicide victims in the world...but in comparison to the rest of this list, I found it uplifting.
