The decade in local music: 2002
It's December, and you know what that means: lists. But this isn't just the end of a year, it's the end of a decade, which means even bigger lists (and an even bigger chance of pissing people off by forgetting something). Over the next two weeks, The A.V. Club will roll out year-specific lists of our favorite local albums. Is it a best-of? Not quite. We thought it would be more interesting to make it a little looser in scope, the better to highlight both some of the most well-known albums and also the ones that we love even though they've gotten a little lost in the mists of time. We've limited each artist to one album for the entire decade, and limited ourselves to no more than six albums for each year. (We were originally shooting for five, but some years were just too good.) We hope you enjoy our lists and maybe remember a few albums you may have forgotten about over the years. And if we didn't include your favorite, please keep it to yourself. (No, just kidding—share it with us in the comments.)
12 Rods, Lost Time (self-released)
The band: The synth-heavy rock outfit anchored by brothers Ryan and Ev Olcott snared national attention with its critically acclaimed early work, 1996's Gay? EP and 1998's Split Personalities.
The album: After its second album, the Todd Rundgren-produced Separation Anxieties, tanked, the band was dropped by V2 Records and its fanbase fizzled. In 2002, 12 Rods had something to prove, and they had to do it all on their own. But who needs Todd Rundgren when your band counts Ev, one the best producers in town, as a member? Sharing production duties, the bandmates brought back the big guitars awash with cymbal rolls and spacey keyboards. The album was also the band's first to feature the work of drummer Dave King, whose presence is felt in his jittery outbursts on "Accidents Waiting To Happen" and "Boy In The Woods." The band even had a chance to release some industry-related anger with the shout-along "Terrible Hands," which only got faster and more out of control every time they played it live, right up until the band split up in 2004, going out on a high note.
Heiruspecs, Small Steps (Interlock Records)
The band: This St. Paul hip-hop staple can claim a laundry list of excellent musicians, including founding members MCs Felix and Muad'dib and bassist Twinkie Jiggles.
The album: Heiruspecs emerged in the burgeoning Twin Cities rap scene of the late '90s, and Small Steps, their second album, solidified their hold on the hearts and minds of local hip-hop heads. As the title implies, the album is indeed a step forward, in terms of production, songwriting, and recording. Featuring fewer freestyles and more fully realized songs than 2000's Antidisestablishmentabolism, the album still manages to retain the energy of their live performances. The lyrics are smart, punchy, relatable, and backed by some of the best head-nodding music you could ever want. "Small Steps" and "The Part About Treason" give the band opportunity to grab the limelight with a mixture of funk, rock, and jazz, while tracks like "In Regrets," "Commonwealth," and "Traction" (featuring guest verses from Slug, P.O.S., and Qwazaar of Typical Cats, respectively) remind listeners that this is, at its heart, a rap album. More than ever before, Heiruspecs feel like a fully realized group here, the components complementing rather than competing with one another.
Love-cars, Thank You For Telling Me What I Already Know (No Alternative)
The band: Love-cars combined the unassuming, maybe jaded voice of (former A.V. Club editor) James Diers with the boundless polyrhythmic energy of drummer Dave King, creating a melodic brain trust they've since honed in Halloween, Alaska.
The album: The third in a three-album career (although the band still plays occasionally and has threatened new material), Thank You For Telling Me What I Already Know is the most balanced of Love-cars' albums, with the band refining the rawer energy of Chump Lessons and the proggier leanings of I'm Friends With All-Stars into a record that includes pop gems, New Wave-y rockers, and a pair of epic album closers. Throughout, guitarist Matt Foust's obsession with tone makes everything delicious. In a way, Love-cars was too good for this world: King and Diers' brainy, often story-driven lyrics made them critical favorites, as did King's over-the-top, sometimes avant-garde approach to rock drumming, but their would-be hits never went further than college radio. Maybe they were ahead of their time. Or maybe they just dropped three classic albums on the Twin Cities for us to enjoy like a secret.
Mark Mallman, The Red Bedroom (Guilt Ridden Pop)
The artist: The Twin Cities' favorite piano man draws comparisons to his superstar ivory-tickling brethren all the time, but Mallman's brand of stage madness, including shows that last for days and sets played in cardboard boxes, is one of a kind.
The album: By his third full-length, Mallman had established himself as a merchant of glammed-out arena rock and quiet, fragile balladry, the common thread being a view of the world as a cruel, dangerous place. On The Red Bedroom, he seems a little more comfortable setting that cynicism aside and revealing a soft, vulnerable heart. Which is not to say Mallman doesn't explore some dark themes on the album. Here, he's a road-weary traveler and blue-collar grunt who's only looking for a little human contact to keep him sane. "Life Between Heartbeats," a song about hiring a prostitute, is more about trying to fill a void in his life than whatever horrors drew her to the profession, and it features a simple, recurring piano line so pretty it could (almost) convince you the two will end up together. With The Red Bedroom Mallman was at his most relatable, which is a major accomplishment for an artist generally seen as sort of a weirdo.
Paul Westerberg, Stereo/Mono (Vagrant)
The artist: Minnesota's second-biggest musical icon of the '80s behind Prince—and arguably the most beloved—Westerberg fronted The Replacements, who continue to cast a long shadow over every street-tough rock band on the local scene.
The album: Westerberg's first three solo albums drew continually diminishing critical and commercial returns over the course of the 1990s, his forays into adult-oriented rock and slick production alienating longtime fans without gaining new ones. After taking a much-needed break, he broke a three-year silence with the double album Stereo/Mono, a striking return to form nobody saw coming. Recorded alone in his basement with a "first take = best take" mentality, it's the sound of a songwriting genius re-energized and finally breaking free from the burden of outside expectations. The 24-song set gave equal time to both sides of Westerberg's musical personality: Mono shows him at his snot-nosed, power-chording best, while Stereo showcases his way with wounded balladry ("Baby Learns To Crawl" remains among the most moving tunes in his entire canon). Subsequent years have seen Westerberg remain committed to his one-man-basement-band aesthetic to varying degrees of success, but the rest of his 21st-century output has yet to match Stereo/Mono for sheer scruffy brilliance.
A Whisper In The Noise, Through The Ides Of March (originally self-released, later re-released on Exile On Mainstream)
The band: The dark orchestral rock project of West Thordson incorporates heavy sampling and electronics alongside classical instruments.
The album: While Through The Ides Of March is A Whisper In The Noise's debut, it doesn't have the rough, malformed sound typically associated with a group's first release. Steve Albini helped the band record it in three days, but the songs are so dense and complex that that speed seems best explained by Thordson knowing exactly what he wanted to do and delivering it efficiently. Barely audible samples swirl amid synthesized, heavy strings, and ever-present keys, giving the perfect backing for Thordson's soft, evocative vocals, punctuated by the occasional suppressed scream. It's the natural outcome of Thordson's love of partnering classical instruments and techniques with technological experimentation, creating a solid foundation for the band's growth. A Whisper In The Noise's sound has evolved to include guitar and more lyrics, but it still retains the hope-tinged bleakness first found here.
