the brainwashed brain
a weekly digest from the staff and contributors of brainwashed
2002 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW
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2002 POLL RESULTS

now can we put 2002 to rest?
First we would like to thank everybody who took the voting seriously. There were more entries submitted this year than in previous years. Perhaps next year things will change in the way the voting is done, but then again, the end of the year might sneak up again!

For all people who did not take the votes seriously, your ballots were each thrown out! Anybody who answered "none" in any category, "--", "what is a producer," or "i don't read books," your refusal to read the instructions resulted in DELETION!

So, without further adieu, here's the results,...

MUSIC

album of the year

  1. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.
  2. Sigur Ros - ( )
  3. Low - Trust
  4. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
  5. Notwist - Neon Golden
  6. Sonic Youth - Murray Street
  7. M? - Finally We Are No One
  8. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
  9. El-P - Fantastic Damage
  10. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
  11. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
  12. Do Make Say Think - &yet &yet
  13. Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthroughs
  14. Tom Waits - Alice
  15. Out Hud - Street Dad
  16. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes
  17. Books - Thought for Food
  18. Cornelius - Point
  19. RJD2 - Deadringer
  20. Nurse with Wound - Man with the Woman Face
  21. Deerhoof - Revilie
  22. Beck - Sea Change
  23. Antipop Consortium - Arrhythmia
  24. Black Dice - Beaches & Canyons
  25. Fennesz / O'Rourke / Rehberg - Return of Fenn O'Berg
  26. Legendary Pink Dots - All the King's Horses
  27. Tom Waits - Blood Money
  28. Liars - They threw us all in a trench and stuck a monument on top
  29. Clinic - Walking With Thee
  30. DJ Shadow - The Private Press
  31. Hrvatski - Swarm & Dither
  32. Isis - Oceanic
  33. Max Tundra - Mastered By The Guy At Exchange
  34. Ms. John Soda - No P or D
  35. Shalabi Effect- The Trial of St-Orange
  36. Biosphere - Shenzhou
  37. D?ek - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots
  38. DJ /Rupture - Minesweeper Suite
  39. Legendary Pink Dots - All the King's Men
  40. Pan?American- The River Made No Sound

single or ep

  1. Wire - Read & Burn 01
  2. Wire - Read & Burn 02
  3. Autechre - Gantz Graf
  4. Coil - The Remote Viewer
  5. Yo La Tengo - Nuclear War
  6. Limp - Orion
  7. M? - green grass of tunnel
  8. Missy Elliot - Work it
  9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  10. Dntel - (This is the dream of) Evan and Chan
  11. Kid 606 - Why I Love Life
  12. Savath and Savalas - Rolls and Waves
  13. Gold Chains - Straight From Your Radio
  14. I Am Spoonbender - Shown Actual Size
  15. Coil - Winter Solstoce Bonus CDR

best song

  1. M? - Green Grass of Tunnel
  2. Low - That's how you sing amazing grace
  3. Messy Elliot - Work It
  4. Sigur Ros - Nj?nav?in aka The Nothing Song
  5. Squarepusher - Do You Know Squarepusher?
  6. Boards of Canada - 1969
  7. Interpol - NYC
  8. Legendary Pink Dots - The Unlikely Event
  9. Ms John Soda - Solid Ground
  10. Wire - 99.9

best various artist compilation

  1. Blue Skied an' Clear
  2. Brain in the Wire
  3. Urban Renewal Program
  4. Wire Tapper 09
  5. Seasonal Greetings
  6. 20 years of dischord
  7. Masonic
  8. 24 Hour Party People Soundtrack
  9. Disco Noveau
  10. In The Beginning There Was Rhythm
  11. Lost for Words
  12. Machinenfest 2002
  13. Rough Trade Shops: Electronic 01
  14. The Fire This Time
  15. 2 Many DJs - As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt 2
  16. Acid Mothers Temple Family Compilation: Do Whatever You Want, Don't Do Whatever You Don't Want!!
  17. All Tomorrow's Parties v. 1.1
  18. Badorb.Com Bless You
  19. Bip Hop Generation volume 5
  20. Chamber A Cold Springs Records Sampler

best single artist compilation

  1. Fennesz - Field Recordings 1995 - 2002
  2. Windy & Carl - Introspection
  3. Microphones - Song Islands
  4. Bj?k - Greatest hits
  5. Farben - Texstar
  6. ISAN - Clockwark Menagerie
  7. Smog - Accumulation None
  8. Bj?k - Family Tree
  9. Cabaret Voltaire - The Original Sound of Sheffield '78/82. Best Of
  10. Coil - Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)
  11. The Fall - Totally Wired
  12. Hrvatski - Swarm and Dither
  13. Rocket From The Tombs - The Day The Earth Met...
  14. Lesser - lsrmp3cd
  15. Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays

best double or multi-lp/cd release

  1. Windy & Carl - Introspection
  2. Blue Skied An' Clear
  3. Brain In The Wire
  4. Legendary Pink Dots - Chemical Playschool 11,12,13
  5. Acid Mothers Temple Family Compilation 'Do Whatever You Want...'
  6. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted - Luxe and Redux
  7. Squarepusher - Do You Know Squarepusher?
  8. Paul Westerberg - Stereo/Mono
  9. Throbbing Gristle - 24 Hours
  10. Bj?k - Family Tree

coolest unusual packaging

  1. Brain in the Wire
  2. Venetian Snares - a giant alien force more violent and sick...
  3. Bj?k - Family Tree box
  4. Sigur Ros - ( ) (what the hell's so unusual about this one?)
  5. Boards of Canada - Geodaddi (book style) (or this one?)

nicest cover design

  1. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.
  2. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
  3. Low - Trust
  4. Sigur Ros - ( )
  5. Shalabi Effect - Trial of St Orange
  6. Boom Bip - Seed to the Sun
  7. Nurse With Wound - Man With The Woman Face
  8. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
  9. M? - Finally We Are No One
  10. Return of Fenn O' Berg

best rerelease/repackage/reissue

  1. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted - Luxe and Redux
  2. Boards of Canada - Twoism
  3. Stars of the Lid - Avec Laudenum
  4. Flaming Lips - Finally the Punk Rockers are Taking Acid and The Day They Shot a Hole in the Jesus Egg
  5. 23 Skidoo - The Gospel Comes to New Guinea
  6. Fridge - Eph
  7. HNAS - Melchior
  8. Don Cherry - Orient
  9. Gary Wilson - You Think You Really Know Me
  10. Nurse With Wound - Automating Volume 2

worst album you bought

  1. Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi
  2. Current 93 & Nurse with Wound - Music for the Horse Hospital
  3. Squarepusher - Do You Know Squarepusher
  4. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
  5. DJ Shadow - The Private Press
  6. Future Sound of London - The Isness
  7. Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man - Out of Season
  8. Cex - Tall, Dark, and Handcuffed
  9. David Bowie - Heathen
  10. Download - Inception

most anticipated disappointment

  1. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O. (you only waited two years? that's not much anticipation, come on)
  2. Sigur Ros - ( | )
  3. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
  4. Future Sound of London - The Isness
  5. Audioslave
  6. Autechre - Gantz Graf
  7. Cex - Tall, Dark, and Handcuffed
  8. Destroyer - This Night
  9. Trans Am - TA
  10. Low - Trust

guiltiest pleasure

  1. Eminem - The Eminem Show
  2. Kylie Minogue - Fever
  3. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
  4. Justin Timberlake - Justified (you wouldn't admit this if the poll wasn't anonymous)
  5. Andrew WK - I Get Wet
  6. Doves - The Last Broadcast
  7. Queen of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
  8. Belle and Sebestian - Storytelling
  9. Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out of Season
  10. Missy Elliott - Under Construction

band of the year

  1. Sigur R?
  2. Low
  3. Interpol
  4. Acid Mothers Temple
  5. Coil
  6. Flaming Lips
  7. Legendary Pink Dots
  8. M?
  9. Wilco
  10. Wire

best solo musical artist

  1. Keith Fullerton Whitman
  2. Jim O' Rourke
  3. Tom Waits
  4. Jessica Bailiff
  5. Venetian Snares
  6. Beck
  7. DJ Shadow
  8. Fennesz
  9. El-P
  10. Cex

new act of the year (band or solo artist)

  1. Interpol
  2. Liars
  3. The Books
  4. Xiu Xiu
  5. DJ /Rupture
  6. Limp
  7. Christmas Decorations
  8. RJD2
  9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  10. Devandra Bahnhart
  11. Ms. John Soda
  12. Out Hud
  13. Parlour
  14. Polmo Polpo
  15. Radio 4

best live show/concert experience

  1. Sigur R?
  2. Coil
  3. Godspeed You Black Emperor!
  4. Stars of the Lid
  5. Legendary Pink Dots
  6. Sonic Youth
  7. Low
  8. M?
  9. Cex
  10. Do Make Say Think
  11. Wire
  12. Jackie-o Motherfucker
  13. Explosions in the Sky
  14. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
  15. Acid Mothers Temple

most overrated band/artist

  1. Interpol
  2. Sigur Ros
  3. Strokes
  4. Wilco
  5. Kid 606
  6. Radiohead
  7. White Stripes
  8. Vines
  9. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
  10. The Streets
  11. Boards of Canada
  12. Eminem
  13. Sonic Youth
  14. Cex
  15. Godspeed You Black Emperor!

most irritating band/artist

  1. Eminem
  2. The Strokes
  3. Interpol
  4. The Vines
  5. Radiohead
  6. Avril Lavigne
  7. Kid 606
  8. Nickelback
  9. Ryan Adams
  10. Sigur Ros

lifetime achievement

  • Sonic Youth

(only one band can win it per year)

Band/artist with most detestable audience/fans

  1. Godspeed You Black Emperor!
  2. Eminem
  3. Radiohead
  4. Interpol
  5. Phish (who could smell worse than godspeed fans but are agreeably far less pestering)

Most obligatory

  1. Low
  2. David Bowie
  3. Skinny Puppy / Kevin Key
  4. Autechre
  5. Boards Of Canada
  6. Coil
  7. Godspeed You Black Emperor
  8. Sonic Youth
  9. Squarepusher
  10. Current 93

Most annoying reissue

  1. Peaches - The Teaches of Peaches (stay tuned for next year's three-CD edition)
  2. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
  3. Boards Of Canada - Twoism
  4. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
  5. Incredible String Band reissues on Collector's Choice

Worst comeback

  1. Suicide
  2. Soft Cell
  3. Guns 'n Roses
  4. Future Sound of London
  5. Sex Pistols
  6. The Rolling Stones
  7. Boards Of Canada
  8. Beck
  9. Julee Cruise
  10. Al Gore

most prolific artist who really shouldn't be so prolific

  1. Merzbow
  2. Acid Mothers Temple
  3. Venetian Snares
  4. Legendary Pink Dots & every single one of those side projects
  5. Jim o'Rourke
  6. John Zorn
  7. Kid 606
  8. Mick Jaggar
  9. Robert Pollard
  10. Ryan Adams

biggest scam act

  1. Interpol
  2. DJ Shadow
  3. The Vines
  4. Fischerspooner
  5. Kid 606
  6. Acid Mother's Temple
  7. Current 93's limited editions
  8. Merzbow
  9. The Strokes
  10. Andrew WK

miss congeniality

  1. M?
  2. Cex
  3. Peaches
  4. Antony of the Johnsons
  5. Beth Orton
  6. Kylie
  7. Landing
  8. Low
  9. Matmos (who else asks you for a picture when you mail order a CD?)
  10. Missy Elliott (when has she been nice to you? when has she stuck around after a show to sign CDs??)

most overpriced release

  1. Bj?k - Family Tree
  2. TG24 Box Set
  3. Nurse With Wound / Current 93 - Horse Hospital
  4. Sigur Ros - ( )
  5. Coil Live set

most fetishable

  1. Peaches
  2. Avril Lavigne
  3. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
  4. Bj?k
  5. Kylie Minogue
  6. Aphex Twin
  7. Cex
  8. Christina Aguilera
  9. Justin Timberlake
  10. Adam Forkner (Yume Bitsu)

most confessedly ignored by you

  1. 23 Skidoo (results may have been skewed by the description of this question, all apologies)
  2. Nurse With Wound
  3. Coil
  4. Acid Mothers Temple
  5. Flaming Lips
  6. Legendary Pink Dots
  7. Nirvana
  8. Pere Ubu
  9. Talk Talk
  10. The Fall

worst sellout

  1. Sigur Ros
  2. Ryan Adams
  3. Godspeed You Black Emperor
  4. Trans Am
  5. Moby

fave producer

  1. Steve "I'm not a producer, I'm an engineer" Albini
  2. El-P
  3. Jim O'Rourke
  4. Nigel Goodrich
  5. The Neptunes
  6. Timbaland
  7. Dr Dre
  8. John McEntire
  9. Phil Elvrum
  10. Colin Potter

who will break big next year?

  1. Cex
  2. Kinski
  3. Venetian Snares
  4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  5. Black Dice

record label

  1. Kranky
  2. Morr Music
  3. Constellation
  4. Mego
  5. Def Jux
  6. Fat Cat
  7. Tigerbeat 6
  8. Temporary Residence
  9. Matador
  10. Ipecac

music video
(as seen on various web sites and CD-Rs in addition to non-music video channels, for those who think they're only seen on MTV)

  1. Autechre - Gantz Graf
  2. White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl
  3. Missy Eliot - Work it
  4. M? - Green Grass of Tunnel
  5. Clinic - Walking with Thee
  6. Interpol - PDA
  7. Notwist - Pick up the Phone
  8. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Another Morning Stoner
  9. El-P - Deep Space 9mm
  10. Lightning Bolt - Power of Salad and Milkshakes
OTHER STUFF

movie of the year

  1. Bowling for Colombine
  2. Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers
  3. Spirited Away
  4. Punch Drunk Love
  5. 24 Hour Party People
  6. Adaptation
  7. Mulholland Drive
  8. Crossroads
  9. Donnie Darko
  10. Secretary
  11. Heaven
  12. Lost in la Mancha
  13. Star Wars Episode II - Attack Of The Clones
  14. Talk to Her
  15. The Ring

tv show

  1. Simpsons
  2. 24
  3. Sopranos
  4. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
  5. South Park
  6. Futurama
  7. The Daily Show
  8. Alias
  9. Oz
  10. That '70s Show

magazine/newspaper

  1. The Wire
  2. The Onion
  3. Magnet
  4. Grooves
  5. Careless Talk Costs Lives
  6. Entertainment Weekly
  7. Found
  8. Giant Robot
  9. Guardian
  10. New Yorker

book of the year

  1. Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
  2. A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram
  3. After the Quake: Stories by Haruki Murakami
  4. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
  5. Love and Loud Colors by Edward Ka-Spel

fave actor

  1. Philip Seymour Hoffman
  2. Johnny Depp
  3. Adrien Brody
  4. Kevin Spacey
  5. Edward Norton

fave actress

  1. Julianne Moore
  2. Christina Ricci
  3. Nicole Kidman
  4. Winona Ryder
  5. Jodie Foster

fave director

  1. David "I didn't direct anything this year, you clowns" Lynch
  2. Hayao Miyazaki
  3. Micheal Moore
  4. Aki Kaourismaki
  5. Darren Aaronofsky
  6. David Fincher
  7. Martin Scorsese
  8. Peter Jackson
  9. Steven Soderbergh
  10. Todd Haynes

fave writer (book/tv/film/play,...)

  1. Chuck Palahniak
  2. Paul Auster
  3. Haruki Murakami
  4. Thomas Ligotti
  5. charlie kaufmann

best website

  1. Brainwashed / the Brain
  2. pitchforkmedia.com
  3. theonion.com
  4. homestarrunner.com
  5. allmusic.com
  6. Fakejazz.com
  7. Absorb.org
  8. aquariusrecords.org
  9. espn.com
  10. explodingdog.com
  11. four09.org
  12. kompaktkiste.de/
  13. news.bbc.co.uk
  14. projectbloodteam.com
  15. RecycleYourEars.com

most annoying trends
Gosh there's so many...

  1. Electroclash
  2. Republicanism / Right Wing Politics / Bush Support / New McCarthyism
  3. War Mongering
  4. Mall Rock masked as Commercial Alt. Rock
  5. 80s Retro / Revival (see: haircuts/nostalgia/cocaine)
  6. Garage Rock/Crock/House/Pop/Revival
  7. Emo
  8. Concert Crowd Conformity Code (see functionless thick-rimmed glasses, unshowered NYC indie film hair look, girls who look exactly alike)
  9. Reality TV (especially discount celebrities like Anna and Ozzy)
  10. Cell Phones (at least turn them off at the movies, assholes)
  11. Major Labels/RIAA bitching/DMCA Reaction/Copy-proof CDs
  12. Bands that start with "The" and end with a plural noun
  13. Designer Dirt (see: bleach stains on jeans)
  14. Economic Instability (the kind caused by rich, white corporate assholes bringing everything down)
  15. Glitch (isn't that 1999?)
  16. IDM
  17. Polls
  18. Recycled goth
  19. Blind Patriotism / Nationalism
  20. Blogs
  21. White Hip Hop (that sounds white)
  22. Leg Warmers
  23. MTV (note to future voters: this is a channel, not a trend)
  24. Really low jeans on chubby chicks / butt cleavage
  25. Talking loud at concerts

dumbest category on this poll

  1. Best band you lied to your friends about seeing live
  2. this one
  3. most fetishable (put a ball-gag in it)
  4. Miss Congeniality (obviously you don't care when a band writes you back)
  5. Band/artist with most detestable audience/fans(stop bitching you obnoxious twit)
feedback and submissions:
Brainwashed Academy of Arts and Sciences
P.O. Box 7 / Arlington MA 02476 / USA
electronic mail



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