In November, the Washington City Paper asked its music writers to compile lists of their 10 favorite releases of the past year. Critics were required to divide a total of 100 points among their selections, awarding no more than 20 pointsand no fewer than 1to each. Any single, EP, album, or box set of old or new music released in any quantity anywhere in the world in 2002 was eligible. Eight weeks, 2,700 points, and a 13-way tie for 18th later, the City Paper’s top 20 releases of the year are:
1. 99 points
Kill the Moonlight
Spoon
Merge
2. 93 points.
I Phantom
Mr. Lif
Definitive Jux
3. 85 points.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
Nonesuch
4. 67 points.
Trust
Low
Kranky
5. 48 points.
One Beat
Sleater-Kinney
Kill Rock Stars
6. 41 points.
The Day the Earth Met the…
Rocket From the Tombs
Smog Veil
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
Warner Bros
7. 39 points.
Original Pirate Material
The Streets
Vice
Phrenology
The Roots
MCA
Super/System
El Guapo
Dischord
8. 37 points.
Surrounded by Thieves
High on Fire
Relapse
9. 32 points.
Reveille
Deerhoof
Kill Rock Stars
10. 30 points.
Footprints Live!
Wayne Shorter
Verve
I Get Wet
Andrew W.K.
Island
11. 28 points.
The Evil One (Plus One)
Roky Erickson & the Aliens
Sympathy for the Record Industry
12. 25 points.
Rings Around the World
Super Furry Animals
XL
Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe
Pavement
Matador
This Night
Destroyer
Merge
13. 24 points.
Fantastic Damage
El-P
Definitive Jux
14. 22 points.
Sea Change
Beck
Geffen
Turn On the Bright Lights
Interpol
Matador
15. 20 points.
20 Years of Dischord
Various Artists
Dischord
At Ratso’s Volume 2
Carmen McRae
Hitchcock Media
The Eminem Show
Eminem
Aftermath/Interscope
From Filthy Tongue
of Gods and Griots
Dälek
Ipecac
Life and Times of…Laddio Bolocko
No Quarter
OOOH!
Mekons
Quarterstick
A Rush of Blood to
the Head
Coldplay
Capitol
Sha Sha
Ben Kweller
ATO
Source Tags and Codes
…And You Will Know Us
by the Trail of Dead
Interscope
Travelogue
Joni Mitchell
Nonesuch
16. 18 points.
Sons of Northern Darkness
Immortal
Nuclear Blast
17. 16 points.
Alice
Tom Waits
Anti-
All of the Above
J-Live
Coup d’Etat
Daylight
Aesop Rock
Definitive Jux
Remission
Mastodon
Relapse
18. 15 points.
Accumulation: None
Smog
Drag City
And the Surrounding
Mountains
Radar Brothers
Merge
The Colored Section
Donnie
Giant Step
Concubine Rice
Lone Pigeon
Domino
The Fix
Scarface
Universal
The Hill for Company
Sodastream
Rough Trade/Sanctuary
“Hot in Herre”
Nelly
Universal
Instant Vintage
Raphael Saadiq
Universal
Is a Woman
Lambchop
Merge
The Last Broadcast
Doves
Capitol/Heavenly
Lifted: Or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground
Bright Eyes
Saddle Creek
Murray Street
Sonic Youth
Geffen
Put Your Hands Up!
The Tribute Concert
to Chuck Brown
Various Artists
Raw Venture
19. 13 points.
EXITHEUXA
GoGoGo Airheart
Gold Standard
Laboratories
Falling in Love Is Wonderful
Jimmy Scott
Rhino Handmade
First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection
Pentagram
Relapse
Sound Restores
Young Men
Cynthia Dall
Drag City
20. 12 points.
Denials, Delusions,
and Decisions
Jaguar Wright
MCA
Different Damage
Q and Not U
Dischord
Jerusalem
Steve Earle
Artemis
Semi-Detached
Mock Tudor
Richard Thompson Band
Beeswing
St Arkansas
Pere Ubu
SpinART
Writers Without Homes
Piano Magic
4AD
Contributors: Joe Banno, Andrew Beaujon, Matthew Borlik, Brent Burton, Jason Cherkis, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Sean Daly, Glenn Dixon, John Dugan, David Dunlap Jr., Sarah Godfrey, Todd Hitchcock, Mark Jenkins, Mike Kanin, Steve Kiviat, Josh Levin, Michael Little, Jacob Long, Shauna Miller, John Murph, Christopher Porter, Leonard Roberge, Joel E. Siegel, Joe Warminsky, Mark Williams, Pamela Murray Winters, and Shannon Zimmerman. For complete ballots, visit www.washingtoncitypaper.com/special/2002top20.html.