Top 5 - Tim Hulsizer
1) The Figgs, Couldn't Get High (Au Go Go). Having parted ways with Capitol Records, The Figgs go the indie route once more and put out perhaps their finest work to date. I suppose making this album my number one pick of 1998 will immediately cause the International Society of Music Critics to collectively scratch their heads and cut up my union card, but to hell with all of that. The disc clocks in at barely over 30 minutes, the tunes are catchy beyond belief, and this is the only album that consistently held my ear and demanded dozens of listens over the course of '98. I haven't had this much fun in a long time.
2) Mercury Rev, Deserter's Songs (V2). If you're familiar with their older work, you hear about a new album and immediately have a certain set of expectations in your head. Then the band goes and shatters every single one of them. This disc is lush, beautiful, and spaced-out in just the right way. Production is the weapon here, and Mercury Rev wields it in just the right way. Dense without claustrophobia, and experimental without losing the plot, this album deserves any praise I can heap upon it.
3) Gang Starr, Moment of Truth (Noo Trybe). It could be argued that it doesn't matter if you're working within a formula, as long as you can do amazing things within that formula. Gang Starr has always been one of the tightest rap acts around, and they seem at the top of their game here. Guru's rhymes are smooth and intelligent, and Premier's turntable skills cannot be questioned. This is just too good to miss.
4) Club 8, The Friend I Once Had (March). While not the most innovative album ever made, I can't help but love this one. It's pure pop perfection from Scandinavia, with insanely catchy tunes and great lyrics about the usual topics (love mostly). The production is clean and sober, without a trace of irony. Give this a shot when the angst and distortion start to take their toll.
5) Belle & Sebastian, The Boy With the Arab Strap (Matador). I admit it's a crime that this narrowly beat out Tricky's latest offering, but that's life. Belle & Sebastian haven't lost a step here, favoring the clean pop sound I crave, and never shying away from poetry. In 1998's commercial atmosphere of spite and stupidity, I'd have to say that's a fairly revolutionary concept. Their live show's not too shabby either.
