O U T K A S T S p e a k e r b o x x x / T h e L o v e B e l o w Andre 3000's The Love Below is an almost rap-less set piece about modern romance; Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is a party album designed to get everyone dancing. What both have in common is a willingness to reach into any musical cookie jar to come up with something sweet. Andre bravely dropped rapping in favor of singing, and while his voice isn't smooth, his authentic tenderness (when matched up against Norah Jones on "Take Off Your Cool") and exuberance (on the classic "Hey Ya!") proves his point: Vulnerability is what love is all about. Big Boi, usually stereotyped as OutKast's less-adventurous half, merged funk, drum-and-bass, pop, rap, jazz and a chorus whispering 'hot sauce' into the year's best ear candy. No album(s) this year were nearly as interesting or as joyous. Best Tracks: "Hey Ya!," "Roses," "Unhappy," "Ghetto Musick"
T H E W H I T E S T R I P E S E l e p h a n t
Jack White has always had the audacity of a great rock star, but Elephant is his (and drummer ex-wife Meg's) first great rock album. The pure pounding of "Seven Nation Army," the surprising tenderness of "You've Got Her In Your Pocket" and the goofy vamping of Meg's vocal debut on "In The Cold, Cold Night" are all fueled by a fairly undemanding worldview: love is good! But clinging to their ideological minimalism, a single guitar and a rickety drum-kit, Jack and Meg prove that with very little you can make people feel a whole lot. Best Tracks: "Seven Nation Army," "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself," "Ball and Biscuit"
T H E B L A C K K E Y S T h i c k f r e a k n e s s
While the blues were being embalmed over on PBS, this twenty-something Akron white-boy duo released a great, contemporary blues album — to absolutely no acclaim. The Keys may pillage the occasional Stevie Ray Vaughn or Hendrix lick, but they're not playing the blues to be precocious. They're doing it because Dan Auerbach's rusty holler is 100% pure ache. Best Tracks: "Thickfreakness," "Midnight in Her Eyes," "Hard Row"
5 0 C E N T G e t R i c h o r D i e T r y i n '
Depth is not Fitty's forte, but it's a testament to his smooth baritone that he made senselessness like "Go Shorty" and "I'm a m_____f____n' P.I.M.P." seductive. Those beats from Dr. Dre didn't hurt either. Best Tracks: "In Da Club," "Patiently Waiting"
R A D I O H E A D H a i l t o t h e T h i e f
Fans mourned because it was neither a rock-saving opus nor a pot-clanging ambient experiment, but Radiohead's sixth album was the first to fuse all of their various incarnations into something warm and cohesive. Best Tracks: "Go to Sleep," "There There"
F O U R T E T R o u n d s
It's not just you. Wordless electronic music makes everyone yawn. But Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) is the rare electrician who emphasizes melody over mood, so his tightly structured instrumental tracks aren't just drifting, they're moving. Best Tracks: "Hands," "My Angel Rocks Back and Forth"
T H E S T R O K E S R o o m o n F i r e
As the hype finally settles, it's increasingly clear that The Strokes don't want to save the rock universe, they just want to cruise the Lower East Side. The simplicity of their punk grooves is deceptive — they work hard to sound effortless — but that's to their credit. And the affectation of Julian Casablancas' world-weariness is slowly beginning to sound like character.
Best Tracks: "Under Control," "Between Love & Hate."
T H E R A V E O N E T T E S C h a i n G a n g o f L o v e
The 13 songs on this sunny second album were composed entirely in B flat major — which is a pretty weird gimmick. But then this is a Danish duo mixing the Shangri-Las and Nirvana into sentimental garage rock ballads that they sing in perfect English. So weird is relative. Best Tracks: "Remember," "Love Can Destroy Everything"
L U C I N D A W I L L I A M S W o r l d W i t h o u t T e a r s
When greatness is expected, goodness tends to get overlooked. World Without Tears doesn't stand up to the perfection of Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, but it is full of robust rock songs, beautiful guitar playing and Williams' trademark runs of fuliginous nouns. Best Tracks: "Ventura," "Those Three Days"
Y E A H Y E A H Y E A H S F e v e r t o T e l l
Lead singer Karen O pours beer on herself with the sloppy expertise of a Girl Gone Wild, which, frankly, is kind of a turn-off. But she can sing. "Modern Romance" is as wistful as anything by The Cure, while the ferocious "Black Tongue" would have been a radio hit if not for the growling curses in the chorus. If O ever drops the six-pack and thinks up something to say, this band will be dangerous. Best Tracks: "Black Tongue," "Maps"
