Bruiser Boone
Contributing writer

1. The Blasters, Testament: The Complete Slash Recordings (Rhino) I fell in love with these guys the first time I saw them on Fridays (remember that show?) in the early 80s. I have been dying to get their first record on CD, but to get the whole shebang on two CDs, well, what more could one ask for? [buy it]

2. The Reivers, End Of The Day (Dualtone) These guys were the nicest band one could ever possibly want to meet and they rocked my world like a hurricane. The inclusion of two unreleased tracks on this reissue was a nice addition, but it's hard to argue with pop perfection like "Almost Home" and the title track. [buy it]

3. Kelly Willis, Easy (Rykodisc) Although I didn't enjoy this one as much as What I Deserve, she still has one of the best voices in country music. Faith and Shania be damned—this is the real deal. [buy it]

4. Neil Finn and Friends, 7 Worlds Collide—Live at the St. James (Nettwerk) I always was always a sucker for Neil's work in both Split Enz and Crowded House and still remain pissed that those bands weren't huge. Neil brings in guests like Eddie Vedder and Johnny Marr to help him remake songs from his long career. [buy it]

5. The Walkmen, Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone (Star Time) The lead singer does sound like Bono, but that's where the U2 comparisons end. This is one of those recordings, like the Cowboy Junkies' Trinity Sessions, that has so much atmosphere going on it almost sucks your lungs dry. This one has replaced the Gun Club's Miami as my car driving record of choice. [buy it]

6. The Donnas, Spend The Night (Atlantic) I was too young to jump on the Runaways' bandwagon years ago, so I'm not letting the Donnas pass me by. One word sums up why I love this one so much: cowbell. [buy it]

7. Opeth, Deliverance (Koch) Along with Amorphis and Borknagar, these guys reinstalled in me the faith that heavy metal can be both kick ass and intelligent. [buy it]

8. The Distillers, Sing Sing Death House (Epitaph) Brody Armstrong is everything Courtney Love wishes to be—young, loud and snotty without being so pre-fabricated. Also, when your husband is Tim Armstrong (Rancid), you know a thing or two about playing in a punk band. [buy it]

9. Various Artists, Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three (Sanctuary) Whether or not you believe these guys are innocent or not, this is still one of the best tribute albums out there. Artists as diverse as Ice-T and Tom Araya (Slayer) have oodles of fun remaking the Black Flag songbook. [buy it]

10. Glenn Tillbrook, The Incomplete Glenn Tillbrook (What Are Records?) The former lead singer of Squeeze makes an album of sublime pop that would make Brian Wilson proud. [buy it]

11. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Last DJ (Warner Bros.) Petty returns with one of his strongest records ever, a loosely based concept album that gives a big middle finger to the record industry. [buy it]

12. Buddy Miller, Midnight and Lonesome (HighTone) I've always been a big fan of Buddy's wife, Julie, but this record made me a convert. One of the few alt-country records that truly pricked my ears this year. [buy it]

13. Capercaillie, Live In Concert (Valley) Capercaillie's lead singer, Karen Matheson, has the voice of an angel. If they would have included "Hebridean Hale-Bopp" on this already fine record, that would have moved this one further up my list. [buy it]

Michael Toland
editor-in-chief

The year seemed to start off slow, but picked up speed as it went on; by the end of it, I was having a devil of a time trying to narrow a best-of list down to a mere thirteen. I had to leave reissues off completely just so I wouldn't talk in my sleep.

1. Wayne Kramer, Adult World (MuscleTone) Proof that you can grow up and still rock like a mofo. Diverse, creative, intelligent, passionate and rocking—everything a rock & roll record should be. [buy it]

2. Porcupine Tree, In Absentia (Lava) The prog/psych/pop/folk/metal/electronic/whatever band makes the major label transition with no ill-effects whatsoever, even moving itself up its evolutionary ladder a step or two. Steven Wilson may be a genius. [buy it]

3. The Coffee Sergeants, Consolation Has No Phone... (Monkey's Paw) On its third CD, Austin's best psychedelic pop band leaves behind genre designations for its most impressive work so far. Excellent songs, strong performances, etc. make it a landmark disk for both the band and the much-vaunted Austin music scene. [buy it]

4. The Hellacopters, High Visibility (Psychout/Universal/Gearhead) As the noise factor becomes less of an issue in its sound, Sweden's Hellacopters become better and better songwriters—in a just universe "Toys and Flavors" would've dominated AOR radio. That they haven't sacrificed one iota of their onstage energy even as they've gotten smoother makes the package even more attractive. [buy it]

5. The Green Pajamas, Northern Gothic (Camera Obscura) Pajamas bandleader Jeff Kelly is one of America's most underrated songwriters, a situation made more maddening due to his constant improvement. That his 20-year-old band can cap off an unprecedented spurt of activity (five CDs in the past two years, plus solo records and side projects) with its greatest album ever is simply astonishing. [buy it]

6. Blue Mountain, Tonight It's Now or Never (DCN) Roots rock icon Blue Mountain's unexpected swan song is a double live CD that ranks with the very best of its studio records. It was always a terrific live band; now we finally have documented proof. [buy it]

7. Doug Martsch, Now You Know (Warner Bros.) The Built to Spill major domo filtered the country blues of Mississippi John Hurt through his modern rock filter and came up with an album Neil Young would kill to make. Proof that the blues can evolve while still retaining its passionate spirit. [buy it]

8. Mike Rosenthal, Movin' In (Red Truck) Austin singer/songwriter Rosenthal made this record so he could get on the radio. Would that we could all sell out with such heartfelt honesty and melodic grace. [buy it]

9. Stew, The Naked Dutch Painter (Smile/Image) The Negro Problem leader had a good year (see below). His second solo album brings his already masterful pop tunesmithery to a new, more sophisticated level. [buy it]

10. John Cunningham, Happy-Go-Unlucky (Parasol) Lots of songwriters get the Nick Drake comparison, but so few deserve it. The U.K.'s Cunningham does, and he does it by building on Drake's legacy, rather than copying it. [buy it]

11. Los Lobos, Good Morning Aztlan (Mammoth) East L.A.'s greatest rock band obviously felt it needed a change, having taken the arty experimentation thing as far as it could go (some might argue too far). So the Lobos made a back-to-basics CD that rocks as hard and as smartly as anything they've ever done. [buy it]

12. The Negro Problem, Welcome Black (Smile/Image) Just to prove he hadn't run out of great tunes, Stew reconvened his band after its hiatus and made a stupendous smart-aleck pop LP. The XTC of America, with sillier humor and catchier songs. [buy it]

13. Lonesome Bob, Things Change (Leap) Lonesome Bob has managed to hone his considerable craft almost unnoticed (which is hard to do when you're well over six feet tall), and his second solo album is a masterpiece of roots music as psychological rollercoaster. Despite its instantly appealing melodies, it's probably the most emotionally harrowing album released this year. [buy it]

previous: Brian Briscoe

Disagree with our writers? Think your list is better? Have your own 2002 musical story to tell? Write us at editor@highbias.com.