The Red Circle

44. The Drive-By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera (2001)
While their name might not imply a mastery of subtle wordplay, the Drive-By Truckers are among the finest rock groups the South has ever produced and their 2001 breakthrough Southern Rock Opera is every bit as ambitious as its name suggests. Twenty tracks spread over two discs build a complex portrait of life in the American South and an exploration of misunderstandings that continue to this day. There’s no shortage of ambition on this initially self-released epic but thankfully the group rose to the occassion, keeping the bloat to a minimum by grace of extraordinary songwriting. Though we might have come to understand “the duality of the Southern Thing” without Hood’s expository passages towards the end of the first act, the group wisely chooses to take no chances; they aren’t satisfied just to rock the audience, they have to inform them as well. The simple understanding to be gained from stories of  Lynyrd Sknyryd’s relationship to Neil Young or famed segregationist George Wallace’s opportunistic motivation is just as key to the point of the album as the great songs about them (“Ronnie and Neil” and “Wallace” respectively.) Ultimately, Southern Rock Opera is Hood’s personal story of pride, confusion, identity and perception as expressed through historical events and figures and that’s why, even at ninety minutes, it never ceases to be compelling.

43. Andrew WK – I Get Wet (2001)
Upon its release, Andrew W.K.’s I Get Wet was met with a mixture of praise, hatred and confusion. There was no frame of reference for a record of its kind: Life-affirming pop about partying and infatuation buried under a wall of guitars heavy enough to crush Phil Spector to death. Was it earnest? Was it ironic? Almost ten years later, the album and its charismatic creator are as difficult to get a read on as ever. Backed by members of legendary death metal act Obituary, Andrew W.K.’s brand of power pop never lets up on the “power.” Just as likely to encourage vomiting as drinking or death as well as life, the key to the album’s success is the singer’s undying enthusiasm for anything and everything. Whatever the artist’s intention, I Get Wet succeeds at being an entire album full of anthemic arena rock that can’t help but make listeners feel the same enthusiasm for life as its creator. It never attempts to transcend rational thought, choosing instead to circumvent it entirely. It may seem like an easy path to take, but I Get Wet is proof that it isn’t always the wrong one.

Share