I'm not done with 1969 yet, but might as well get you started on this:

10 years ago. Probably one of the better years of the 00's, but let's try to focus a bit on less obvious choice or things that you think might have slipped under the radar. We've all heard "Is This It?" and love it and most of us have heard "The Glow, Pt. 2" etc.

Maybe we can find some new things here.

has to be included.

Jeff Mangum - Live at Jittery Joe's

Yeah, this one is pretty much just for hardcore NMH fans. That said, most of the people who should hear this probably already have. Still, I think that it's worth mentioning for those who may be curious. This is not a masterpiece by any stretch, however, it does cast a new light on a lot of songs that fans of the band already know and love. The fact that they stand up on their own, with only Jeff's guitar and voice my surprise some, and it may not. However, the recording does put the focus very squarely on that voice -- which some love and some hate. For a fan like myself, I think that it showcases just how much emotion he can pour into a song like "Two-Headed Boy" or "Gardenhead" and give so much emotional heft into such cryptic lyrics. It underlines the fact that the songs mean something, even if it's only to Jeff, himself.
Also, a fun little cover of Phil Spector's "I Love How You Love Me" and a rarely heard 'children's song" (however he defines that) called "Engine".

My favorite album from Fennesz, and an absolute classic imo.

Recently listened to this again and loved every second of it.



Beulah - The Coast Is Never Clear

First album in this thread I like. My favorite of their's is Yoko but I like this one too.

My favorite Pinback album, by far.

Jim O'Rourke - Insignificance

I need to find my copy of this, because I really, really loved it. It's probably O'Rourke's first real stab at more pop-orientred songwriting and he freaking aces it. (Or maybe that was Eureka, but still...) Great melodies and creative arrangements that are informed by classical sense of harmonies. Completely accessible high-brow pop and something that everybody that posts here should hear. Yeah, definitely.

Yoko is definitely my favorite from them as well. That thing is just class, start to finish.

Todd, that Jim O'Rourke album is great, as is this one which he also put out in 2001:


I'm Happy and I'm Singing and a 1, 2, 3, 4

Totally different from Insignificance, this is an electronic, laptop-based, (at least somewhat) improvised live performance. It's a "glitch" record, I guess, and absolutely one of the best of its kind, if not the best. (I prefer it greatly to the relatively overrated Fennesz album from this year.) Just a really cool record that might even appeal to people who usually aren't into this sort of thing.

Yeah both are great.

Two Classics from 2001 in my collection

Dark, smoky, ponderous, jazz textures, trip hop grooves, rootsy folk rock. Joe Henry succeeded brilliantly with this record. In my Top 50 of the decade.

+1 to the Jim O'Rourke records.
+1 to the Beulah record, though I prefer this and When My Heartstrings Break to their swan song, Yoko.

This.

And a few other obvious entries...

One of my favorites of the 00's:


Papa M - Whatever, Mortal
Simple, moody folk.

Low - Things We Lost in the Fire
Sadly, the last Low album that I really liked. My favorite from the year at the time.

My Morning Jacket - At Dawn

I still feel like not enough people have heard this album...maybe not true with the obner crowd, but still this is one of my favorite albums of the decade and MMJ's best work imo.

This is probably my favorite album of the whole decade.

Listening to the brilliant Sparklehorse, I always got that feeling of dread or things falling apart. We all know the rest. Great record.

RIP Mark Linkous

That's one of those records I loved at the time but haven't listened to much since. I definitely listened to a ton of Sparklehorse from '99-'02.

Need New Body - s/t

This is one of my favorite spazzy/weird/fun records, and I was talking about these guys a lot when I started posting on CMJ in 2003. This is one of the bands I was most excited about at the time, and I wish they were still around. (They more or less became Man Man, who are, believe it or not, a good bit more straightforward.) There's just so much insane creative energy here. This and their follow-up UFO are both awesome.

Oh, nice one. I loved those Need New Body albums.

I concur on the Beulah & Ted Leo/Rx

I'll add these:

Alkaline Trio - "From Here to Infirmary" - A lot of people think this is a low point for them, but it remains my favorite of theirs.

Ben Folds - "Rocking the Suburbs" - Still a good listen every once in a while

Tenacious D - "Tenacious D"

Weezer - "Weezer (The Green Album)" - Underrated gem, IMO