I think it was.

from their website -
ágætis byrjun became available to the world in 2000 when fat cat released the album in the uk, and in 2001 when pias recordings released the album in north america

You are completely right here. Have this filed in the wrong folder for sure, thanks for the catch.

Nice one. Saw them open for Low on the Things We Lost in the Fire tour and really dug them. Bought this album at the show from one of the dudes. This used to be my go-to late night album when I couldn't get to sleep before 3am in college.

2 big ones for me.

Yes, I love that Lightning Bolt record. I think it's their best one.

Conversely, I hate that Avalanches record. Like really hate it.

I like all of these:



I still listen to these alot:



Nicolai Dunger - Soul Rush

RIYL: Van Morrison



The New Year - Newness Ends

I know these guys had a bunch of fans back in the day but I don't hear them mentioned around here much anymore. Still for my money, they are a great and highly underrated band. Maybe the only indie band that has been active for ten years and has yet to disappoint me.



Cosmic Rough Riders - Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine

Sunshiney Scottish Pop

RIYL: the lighter side of Teenage Fanclub, Eugene Kelly or if your name is Bort
This is their best album but I did a tenner for these guys so there might still be an active link floating around for that.



Orlando Conchaito Lopez - Conchaito

For my money, the best album by any of the Buena Vista Social Club artists. Conchaito is the bassist and he's backed by the usual Cuban and Ry Cooder recruits. This one's a little more adventurous though mixing Cuban styles with a little dub and even some scratching. It's mostly instrumental but has Ibrahim Ferrer vocals on one tune.

Not my link:





Jonathan Pointer - Love Songs from the Outskirts of Bliss

My favorite little obscurity and a random emusic find. Intelligent folk pop with interesting, diverse influences. RIYL: I dunno. maybe Joe Pisapia or Joe Henry although he doesn't really sound like either.

Here's a song uploaded to youtube:

Holy shit I forgot that idlewild record....

I just remember 01 being the year that it seemed like Wolf Eyes put out a record a week.

despite this, my actual cd shows 1999 as well.

if i had to choose just one that has not yet been mentioned it'd be:



which runs neck and neck with i see a darkness for my favorite bpb album.

I remember Bedhead, but not The New Year. I just bot it for 0.99 on Amazon.


Yep. Good 'un. Totally forgot about it.




Going to look around for this.

A few more after sorting through my stuff. This really was a great year as a lot of bands that have gone on to become legends of sorts in their chosen craft seemed to really just start figuring out what they were doing here. A lot of these aren't the best by these bands for sure, but gave a great sense that something really exciting was happening.



Stars of the Lid-The Tired Sounds Of: Painfully pretty drones and drifts. I have never understood what these guys do or how they do it and at this point I have given up. A record that can be most the comforting or most unsettling thing you've ever heard. Not as intricately orchestrated as later stuff would be, but still pretty dense for the most part.



Double Leopards-A Pebble In Thousands of Unmapped Revolutions: Not their best by any stretch of the imagination but a great introduction to a band that would serve as a counterpoint to Weise's harsh noise and Carter's folk leanings. This record was tonal and disturbing but still a bit pretty. It was almost feminine in nature (something that Bassett would later perfect with Zaimph) somehow, which was insane in the boys club of noise/drone. Very cool band, good entrance record if you aren't familiar with the genre or the band.



The Tower Recordings-Folk Scene: The careers that this band would spawn are just ridiculous; Matt Valentine, Joshua Burkett, PG Six, Noah Wall, Samara Lubelski, Tim Barnes, a complete who's who of Arthur Magazine darlings in the years to come. This record is fucking nuts with 20 some odd tacks, most of which contain samples of other tracks on the record that are relayered or pitch shifted, at times not even changed at all. This idea was eventually perfected by Brightblack Morning Light, but can easily be traced back here. Love this band.



Charalambides-Branches: Christina sang way too much on this one, but this was the album were Tom Carter cemented himself as the king of drift in my book. Beautiful guitar work.



Tim Hecker-Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again: Not as pretty as Ultraviolet, but glitchy and fuzzed out melodies are everywhere here and still sound unbelievably cool.



Acid Mothers Temple-The New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple: Space Age Ballad and Psycho Buddha stand as some of the best things Kawabata has done in his 30+ years of recording.

Yes.

Yes 2x

I've been really burned out on Will Oldham for a while, but this is a good reminder that I've never really listened to that album and probably should.

it's still weird to me that he was in jackass 3-d playing a zookeeper

Raisins in the Sun



It's not as good as that description would have you believe but it definitely belongs in the "You Should Hear" pile and it's surprising how little attention it's ever gotten given the names involved.

He's been pursuing an "acting career" for a little while now.

he should probably stick with troubadouring

I don't know, I thought he was pretty decent in Old Joy.

Here's an odd one.


Text - self-titled

Certainly sounds intriguing. I've never heard of it, billyg.

he was acting before he was a musician. as a teenager he was in Matewan, which is a great movie and he steals the damn show.

[johnnycarson]i did not know that...that is weird, wild, wacky, wacky stuff[/johnnycarson]