Now to gush about albums that helped me get through 2002. Indeed, I probably would have… Now to gush about albums that helped me get through 2002. Indeed, I probably would have perished without them. Everything I was “into” this year seems to have an association with some particular, event, season or month. So here is also a small glimpse into my 2002.

5. My Bloody Valentine

Loveless

I first heard this album in the backgrounds of some of the better parties of fall 2002. Finally getting a hold of a copy and listening to Loveless sans roomfuls of people talking loudly and late night philosophical conversations, this band’s aesthetic amazed me – how did they blend everything together into one warm, noisy beautiful mess?

4. Modest Mouse

The Lonesome Crowded West

Last winter, this album’s well-placed cynicism hit home as I discovered the cruel, harsh post-high school world. Well, it wasn’t actually that cruel and harsh, but this album’s disgruntled post-punk rang true anyway. This album contains some of Modest Mouse’s most energetic and subversive material.

3. Pikadori

Pikadori

H.T.M.L.

The Monkey Part of the Job

Io

The Willow Snag

My best of 2002 album list wouldn’t have been complete without a mention of these three bands, who each released albums on local labels that year. Each of these bands is quite different from the rest (Pikadori = rock ‘n’ roll, H.T.M.L. = political hardcore, Io = frantic thrash). I realized while watching these bands in various basements and at the Mr. Roboto Project, that each seem to share a few common threads: sincerity, positive energy and a desire to shake up the status quo.

2. Neutral Milk Hotel

On Avery Island

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

So I’m an Elephant Six nerd. That said, I love these two albums, which reek of quirky sappiness, raw fuzzy acoustic guitar and flugelhorns. Throughout the fall and summer months, I spoke/sang the ridiculously real lyrics with slightly spacey NMH front guy Jeff Mangum. These two albums have a relatable lo-fi charm, especially on On Avery Island with its two unpolished gems, “Song Against Sex” and “Naomi.”

1. Velvet Underground

White Light/White Heat

From the propped-open window of my friends’ apartment above Cumpie’s, The Velvet Underground’s sunglassed grittiness confronted those on the sidewalk below. During many hazy July afternoons, White Light/White Heat‘s demented imagery flooded my mind: Lady Godiva on an operating table, rivulets of blood “pulsating gently in the morning sun” from Waldo Jeffers’ box, etc. etc. The album ranges from short bursts of guitar-fueled noise to winding distortion, while Lou Reed’s sleepy voice alongside Doug Yule’s even sleepier one gives the whole album a stuporous feel. Somehow the album strikes a balance between dirty and insatiably cool.