Tag Archives: 1999

Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums

RS #416: Tom Waits, Mule Variations

#416

Tom Waits, Mule Variations

Release Date: 1999 Previously Owned: Yes
"I didn't marry I man. I married a mule," Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits' wife
Impressions: Tom Waits is a good candidate as any to be immune from the dreaded late-career album doldrums. He always seemed like a old guy on the inside with his whiskey and cigarette rasp, beatnik/bluesy subject matter and general craggy demeanor, so naturally it would follow that could age nicely into his persona. He never really went away, but Mule Variations at the time was well regarded as a "comeback." … Continue Reading ››
Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums

RS #465: The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
I thought that was a dirty joke, but no, this album actually contains sixty-nine songs about love.
#465

The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs

Release Date: 1999 Previously Owned: No First Time Listen: Yes
Impressions: I know almost nothing of these guys/this guy. Let's listen...Quirky, jaunty opener "Absolutely Cuckoo" then leads into the dour, but funny "I Don't Believe in the Sun." Kind of cynical, but affecting, interesting instrumentation. Sometimes the sound with rinky-dink keyboards, banjos, and ukuleles seems a bit too indie-cute, like something you'd see in a hipster movie or commercial, but still winning me over. Nifty songs with … Continue Reading ››