When my Decades series gets around to 2003 (probably in a year or so), there’s no question one of my top albums from that year will be Fountains of Wayne’s Welcome Interstate Managers.
This is a great album to give anyone looking for an introduction to the band. From great power pop (‘Stacy’s Mom,’ ‘Bright Future in Sales,’ today’s SOTD) to beautiful acoustic tracks (‘Hackensack,’ ‘Valley Winter Song’) to charming love songs (‘Hey Julie’), this album serves up a little bit of everything.
‘Barbarism Begins at Home’ is a track from The Smiths’ sophomore studio album, 1984’s Meat is Murder.
It concerns corporal punishment, three years before the United Kingdom banned the practice in state-run schools. It seems many an English schoolboy who grew up before the ban went on to write songs about their experiences on the wrong end of the cane.
Ice Cube had an ugly break-up with N.W.A. in 1989, followed by his well-received solo debut, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted in 1990. A year later, his Death Certificate dropped to even better reviews.
The release also generated a lot of controversy, with Ice Cube’s lyrics (deservedly) called out as misogynistic, racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic. Let’s just say the Oscars won’t be tapping him to host anytime soon.
Power pop seems to transcend trends and find an audience no matter the decade. From The Beatles in the 60s through Todd Rundgren and Big Star in the 70s, into a legacy carried on by R.E.M. and others in the 80s and 90s.
Matthew Sweet is solidly in that tradition, and his 1991 album Girlfriend is considered one of the definitive albums both of the year and the genre.
I definitely prefer the rap and hip-hop artists of the 80s and 90s to the ones we hear today. I regret not being more into the genre back then, because every time I spend a little time with what are now considered throwbacks, I love it.
A Tribe Called Quest released their second album, The Low End Theory, in 1991, to critical raves. The Queens-based trio took hip-hop in a new direction, introducing elements of jazz to their low-tempo sampled beats and call-and-response lyrics. It’s a great sound.
Meet Me In Montauk 