01. Sleater-Kinney ~ One Beat
02. Mountain Goats ~ All Hail West Texas
03. Desaparecidos ~ Read Music Speak Spanish
04. Beck ~ Sea Change
05. Sonic Youth ~ Murray Street
06. Spoon ~ Kill The Moonlight
07. Paul Westerberg ~ Stereo
08. Damien Rice ~ 0
09. Rhett Miller ~ The Instigator
10. Tanya Donelly ~ Beautysleep
11. Girls Against Boys ~ You Can't Fight What You Can't See
12. Departure Lounge ~ Too Late To Die Young
13. Extra Glenns ~ Martial Arts Weekend
14. Standard ~ August
15. Mountain Goats ~ Tallahassee
16. Flaming Lips ~ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
17. Hayden ~ Skyscraper National Park
18. Kasey Chambers ~ Barricades & Brickwalls
19. Coldplay ~ A Rush Of Blood To The Head
20. Paul Oakenfold ~ Bunkka
21. Sigur Ros ~ ( )
22. Kinky ~ Kinky
23. Superdrag ~ Last Call For Vitriol
24. Frank Black ~ Black Letter Days & Devil's Workshop
25. Anna Waronker ~ Anna
26. David Gray ~ A New Day At Midnight
27. Franklin Bruno ~ A Cat May Look At A Queen
28. Rilo Kiley ~ Execution Of All Things
29. Reindeer Section ~ Son Of Evil Reindeer
30. Mia Doi Todd ~ Golden State
2002 CD Recommendations By Month
October 2002 (links lead to official band or label sites)
Apples In Stereo ~ Velocity Of Sound
Black Heart Procession ~ Amore Del Tropico
Garageland ~ Scorpio Righting
J Mascis ~ Free So Free
Mr. Scruff ~ Trouser Jazz
Quails ~ Atmosphere
Rilo Kiley ~ Execution Of All Things
Sigur Ros ~ ( )
September 2002 (links lead to official band or label sites)
Beck ~ Sea Change
Denison Witmer ~ Philadelphia Songs
Doug Martsch ~ Now You Know
Franklin Bruno ~ A Cat May Look At A Queen
Ill Lit ~ WACMusic
John Doe ~ Dim Stars Bright Sky
No Knife ~ Riot For Romance
Paul Weller ~ Illumination
Rhett Miller ~ The Instigator
Ryan Adams ~ Demolition
Sahara Hotnights ~ Jennie Bomb
Soft Boys ~ Nextdoorland
August 2002 (links lead to official band or label sites)
Amy Miles ~ Dirty Stay-Out
Bright Eyes ~ Lifted
Frank Black ~ Black Letter Days
Frank Black ~ Devil's Workshop
Future Bible Heroes ~ Eternal Youth
Paul Oakenfold ~ Bunkka
Reindeer Section ~ Son Of Evil Reindeer
Sleater-Kinney ~ One Beat
Spoon ~ Kill The Moonlight
Standard ~ August
July 2002 (links lead to official band sites)
Beth Orton ~ Daybreaker [ audio, video ]
Mellow and gratifying, Beth's beautiful vocals define modern blues in the 90s.
Booty Olympics ~ Boystyle [ mp3s ]
Three bad-ass girls rock on about boys and break-ups in true Thelma & Louise style.
Duraluxe ~ The Suitcase [ mp3s ]
Orchestral indie-rock with a smidgen of new wave! Grandaddy meets the Flaming Lips.
Flaming Lips ~ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots [ video ]
They're orchestral, epic, punk, and magical.
Pixies ~ The Pixies
Hear the extremely awesome first recordings of songs you grew to love on later lps.
Superdrag ~ Last Call For Vitriol
Hooks to die for, fuzz-rock guitars, and a hint of classic rock thrown in on this CD.
June 2002 (links lead to official band sites)
Aberdeen ~ Homesick & Happy To Be Here [ mp3s ]
Delicate pop with lilting female vocals and sweet melodies.
Anna Waronker ~ Anna [ video ]
Girls kick ass, and so does Anna from That Dog on her solo self-produced debut.
DJ Shadow ~ The Private Press [ audio ]
The genius of sampling has a divine new record. Not too dancey for me.
Enon ~ High Society [ under construction ]
Sorta like a wacked-out version of the Smiths, with some Japanese-pop influence.
Guided By Voices ~ Universal Truths & Cycles [ mp3s ]
GBV have delivered 19 two-minute pop-punk songs and they all rock.
Hayden ~ Skyscraper National Park [ mp3s ]
He's back and I didn't know he had that jammin' shoe-gazer side to him. Brilliant.
John Vanderslice ~ Life & Death Of An American Four-Tracker [ mp3s ]
Quirky like Ween, heart-breaking like Paul Westerberg.
Jucifer ~ I Name You Destroyer [ mp3s ]
If you like Sleater-Kinney, i.e. growling girl vocals and driving guitar, you'll like this.
Silkworm ~ Italian Platinum
Do they even know how to make a bad record? Emotional stories, ripping guitars.
Sonic Youth ~ Murray Street [ mp3s, video ]
A gentle album featuring mostly Thurston's work, but still well worth it.
Sunday's Best ~ The Californian [ mp3s ]
Tasty tasty tasty, I could eat these rockin' songs up with a spoon! Love this record.
Tommy Keene ~ The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down [ mp3s ]
Classic pop never goes out of style, this record rocks and it makes me smile.
May 2002 (links lead to official band sites)
Breeders ~ Title TK [ mp3s, video ]
The way Kim Deal wraps her vocals around a song is positively sinful. Indulge in it.
Girls vs Boys ~ You Can't Fight What You Can't See [ mp3s ]
Another great record from the indie crew with the intriguing vocals and driving rhythms.
Mary Timony ~ Golden Dove [ mp3s ]
Former Helium leader is back with more unique melancholic beauty.
Polara ~ Jetpack Blues [ mp3s ]
Epic, wonderful songs from this long-time favorite Minneapolis band. Don't miss it.
Soul Hooligan ~ Music Like Dirt [ audio, video ]
These British groovers have soul running thick in their veins and grooves galore.
Ugly Casanova ~ Sharpen Your Teeth [ mp3s ]
A quirky release from a super-group led by Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse.
April 2002 (links lead to official band sites)
764-Hero ~ Nobody Knows This Is Everywhere [ mp3s ]
Swooping, melodic, jammin' rock in the Built To Spill vein.
Acid House Kings ~ Mondays Are Like Tuesdays And ... [ official site ]
If you liked The Cardigans, this is the new Swedish band for you. Melodic, poppy tunes.
Desaparecidos ~ Read Music Speak Spanish [ mp3s ]
Cathartic, wrenching, bitter, raw rock and roll, just the way I like it. Not for the timid.
Go Back Snowball ~ Calling Zero [ official site ]
A wonderful collaboration between Robert Pollard of GBV and Mac from Superchunk.
Imperial Teen ~ On [ mp3s ]
Crashing keyboards, bouncy loud guitars, intriguing vocals, high-energy pop and fun.
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion ~ Plastic Fang [ video ]
JSBX delivers another gem filled with nasty, gritty, bluesy rock and roll.
Luna ~ Romantica [ mp3s ]
Gentle songs, loopy irresistable rhythms, surreal lyrics, a fine return after a long layoff.
Paul Westerberg ~ Stereo [ mp3s ]
2 CDs (one quiet, one loud), all new songs that hold up well to the Replacements legend.
Pedro The Lion ~ Control [ mp3s ]
Dark, moody, thoughtful rock that will get under your skin from SF Bay Area favorites.
Saloon ~ This Is What We Call Progress [ mp3s ]
St. Etienne-type vocals, light & lovely pop that sometimes wanders off into blissful noise.
Sarah Shannon ~ Sarah Shannon [ mp3s ]
Former Velocity Girl lead singer makes a beautiful pop record with lush orchestration.
Wilco ~ Yankee Hotel Foxtrot [ official site ]
A genius album of melancholy songs flavored with sweet pop melodies.
Honorable Mention goes to the following records this month which are also well worth your time:
Mirah ~ Advisory Committee [ mp3s ]
Promise Ring ~ Woodwater [ mp3s ]
Radio Four ~ Gotham [ mp3s ]
Robyn Hitchcock ~ Robyn Sings [ official site ]
Schatzi ~ 50 Reasons To Explode [ audio ]
Valet ~ The Glamour Is Contagious [ official site ]
March 2002 (links lead to official band sites)
Eels ~ Souljacker [ audio, video ]
Genius, hilarious, poignant musical compositions with a rockin' band
Departure Lounge ~ Too Late To Die Young [ mp3s ]
Kid Loco-produced, a unique blend of pop, groove, keyboards, wit & delicious vocals
Stratford 4 ~ The Revolt Against Tired Noises [ mp3s ]
From San Francisco, very My Bloody Valentine-influenced, with a bit more of a pop bent
Songs: Ohia ~ Didn't It Rain
More dark tales from Jason Molina in his distinctively slow and heartfelt style
February 2002 (links lead to official band sites)
Tanya Donelly ~ Beautysleep [ audio ]
shimmering melodies and her angelic voice re-create Belly's trademark dreamy pop songs
Kasey Chambers ~ Barricades & Brickwalls [ audio ]
Aussie country girl witha formidable voice and songwriting chops as well
Josh Rouse ~ Under Cold Blue Stars
Josh gets more lush but doesn't lose his folk roots on this slow and lovely third album
ballboy ~ Club Anthems [ mp3s ]
per NME: "a lot like the Wedding Present playing hopscotch with Belle & Sebastian"
Dressy Bessy ~ Sound Go Round [ audio ]
delightful pop with a bite from Tammy Ealom and her Apples In Stereo guitarist boyfriend
The Maroons ~ You're Gonna Ruin Everything [ mp3s ]
irrestible British-sounding debut from John Moen, Stephen Malkmus' current drummer
Damien Jurado ~ I Break Chairs [ mp3s ]
soulful singing about love lost & the indignities of life with aggressive guitar but still folkie
The Mountain Goats ~ All Hail West Texas [ mp3s ]
stark & lo-fi is beautiful when combined with aching vocals and first-class songwriting
Buffalo Daughter ~ I [ audio ]
it's arty and odd and loud, but above all its pop
January 2002 (links lead to official band sites)
Sloan ~ Pretty Together [ audio ]
4 power-pop songwriters from Nova Scotia make one great album
Helio Sequence ~ Young Effectuals [ mp3s ]
has to be heard to be believed, insane electro-psychedelia from Oregon
The Skating Club ~ The Skating Club
mellow indie pop with vocals reminding me of Hayden
Teenage Fanclub ~ Howdy [ audio ]
finally a U.S. release for this fan favorite - their quieter side
Concrete Blonde ~ Group Therapy [ mp3s ]
she still writes fantastic lyrics alongside a gentler version of their classic L.A. sound
Neil Halstead ~ Sleeping On Roads [ mp3s ]
Mojave 3 frontman/former Slowdive founder writes a gorgeous introspective album
Hefner ~ Dead Media [ mp3s ]
they write songs about angels playing drum machines, what could be better?
Extra Glenns ~ Martial Arts Weekend
a terrific collaboration between John/Mountain Goats and Franklin/Nothing Painted Blue
Vermont ~ Calling Albany [ mp3s ]
the lovely second album from a group that is a side project of The Promise Ring
Jim O'Rourke ~ Insignificance
long-time indie rock producer puts his own quirky complex songs on CD
Various Artists ~ Dean Quixote Soundtrack
don't forget the indie-pop soundtrack designed by yours truly