January 6, 2002 by A.S. Van Dorston

Finally got the latest Wire with their Top 50. The Wire has an annoying policy of including reissues and compilations in the list. I just included the NEW music.

It’s funny how The Wire is known for covering stuff that no one else does — electronica, improv, modern composition and outer limits, yet commercial American hip hop & r&b nearly beats out everything (Jay-Z, Cannibal Ox, Missy Elliot, N*E*R*D, Saul Williams). Strange surprises were Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Low.

New discoveries for me are Fennesz, No-Neck Blues Band, Electrelane and Jackie O Motherfucker. I look forward to checking those out.

Odd fact — the two polar opposite magazines, The Wire and Rolling Stone are the ONLY magazines to have Bjork number one in their lists, other than my own Fast ‘n’ Bulbous. Everyone else listed her further down. I don’t think any other artist came close.

I’m glad The Wire does what it does, but one has to take their list with a grain of salt as far as music that is actually enjoyable. As impressive as Cannibal Ox is, I could only listen to the whole thing through in one listen once. It doesn’t get played much, which made it sink lower in my list than it was originally. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billie and Low released relatively substandard albums compared to their other stuff, whereas The Strokes don’t even exist as far as they’re concerned, heh.

1 Bjork * Vespertine
2 Cannibal Ox * The Cold Vein
3 Fennesz * Endless Summer
5 Le Tigre * Feminist Sweepstakes
8 Missy Elliot * Miss E…So Addictive
9 Herbert * Bodily Functions
10 No-Neck Blues Band * Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones
11 Saul Williams * Amethyst Rock Star
12 Jay-Z * The Blueprint
14 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds * No More Shall We Part
15 Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy * Ease Down The Road
16 Electrelane * Rock It To The Moon
18 Radiohead * Amnesiac
19 Low * Things We Lost In The Fire
20 N-E-R-D * In Search Of…
22 Spring Heel Jack * Masses
23 Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO * La Novia
25 The Necks * Aether
26 Taku Sugimoto * Italia
27 Tortoise * Standards
28 Toshimaru Nakamura * Sachiko M * Do
29 Matmos * A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To Cure
30 Jackie O Motherfucker * Liberation
31 Fushitsusha * Origin’s Hesitation
32 Mercury Rev * All Is Dream
34 Pulp * We Love Life
35 David S Ware * Corridors & Parallels
36 Glass Cage
37 Roots Manuva * Run Come Save Me
38 Buck 65 * Man Overboard
39 Cyclo
40 John Butcher/Derek Bailey/Rhodri Davies * Vortices & Angels
41 DJ Rupture * Gold Teeth Thief
43 Aesop Rock * Labor Days
46 His Name Is Alive * Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth
47 Jemeel Moondoc * Revolt of the Negro Lawn Jockeys
48 Supersilent * 5
49 Sylvia Hallett * White Fog
50 Solid Steel Presetns DJ Food & DK * Now, Listen!