My favorite albums of 2000:

I know some of these have been out for some time, but these are the albums I found myself listening to in the last year. (So write me a ticket!)

Kevin Gilbert: The Shaming of the True

I played this one or twice a day or more for a couple of months this summer. An amazing album made even more poignant because of the circumstances surrounding its completion.

Jon Brion: Meaningless

This one just came out, but I've been waiting for it for months. Finally! And it's good, very very good. Especially "I Believe She's Lying", the second track, which makes me dance crazily around the living room. And I still can't quite keep up in my attempts to play along with that track on guitar. I'm working on it.

Duncan Watt: Six Songs Of Good And Evil

Here's the review I wrote for Chalkhills: "Recipe for contemporary adult pop: start with some Randy Newman, add a generous helping of Elvis Costello, flavour with a pinch of Tom Waits, dust lightly with XTC. Et voilà!"

XTC: Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)

This album has some great songs, especially the album closer, "The Wheel and the Maypole". Great and surprising guitar work and the usual excellent lyrics make for a good electric romp. Unfortunately, the album didn't seem to have much staying power.

Magnolia (Songs by Aimee Mann - Music from the Motion Picture)

"Save Me" has got to be one of Aimee Mann's best songs in recent history, and her other tracks on this album are also excellent. It's always good to hear a little Supertramp. And of course, there's the album closer, the lovely little theme from Jon Brion. The only loser on this disc is Gabrielle's "Dreams" (and I really wish I didn't have to mention it by name).

Stereolab: The First of the Microbe Hunters

This, the EP that accompanies the album Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night, is in fact better than the album itself. I still don't really know how to categorize this group, save to say that it's great working and driving music. Bleeps and bloops, analogue electronica with a lounge music bent, but still obviously modern.

David Mead: The Luxury of Time

The three minute pop song. That's what it's all about, innit? And yer man here has it. Down. I really like his voice, especially his falsetto.

The Wannadies: The Wannadies

This album is not new, but I didn't hear it until this year. Very nice Pop pa Svenska, with a couple of standout tracks, especially the moody "Silent People", which, like Nirvana's best, uses dynamics very well, and the long "remix" album closer "That's All", which draws the listener (me) on through its full ten minutes without getting boring. I hear echoes of many bands, including Lemonheads, Beatles, Burt Bacharach, and Blur. Rockin'. (Since I wrote this I have discovered that this album is actually a US-only compilation of two or more previously released Swedish albums.)

Aimee Mann: Bachelor No. 2 (or, the last remains of the dodo)

Aimee Mann has slowly come to be one of my favorite songwriters and performers. Her show at Bimbo's in San Francisco was one of my favorites this year. And this album is no letdown. Unfortunately, it was somewhat overshadowed by the Magnolia soundtrack. But it's an excellent collection of songs in its own right. Why do I like Aimee Mann? Great lyrics, great melodies and harmonies, interesting production, and biting wit and self-deprecation. It hurts so good.

The Solipsistics: Whatever Makes You Happy

This album alternately annoys me and enthralls me. Which definitely makes it interesting. But then I found that I couldn't stop humming "We Few" (a song which reminds me of an old favorite, Badfinger's "Day After Day). Then "Honey Complain" wormed its way into my subconscious. Overall, this is a very strange album, or perhaps it's just that Jeff McGregor is strange. But very listenable.

The Sugarplastic: Resin

After the pop perfection of Bang, The Earth is Round this album is a bit of a disappointment. Mellow, meandering, and subtle. Too subtle, at times. But The Sugarplastic still come up with some of the best music around. "Dunn the Worm" is a classic track. Hopefully this album will convince people that The Sugarplastic are more than the sum of their influences.

Other Honorable Mentions:

Stereolab: Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night
Rachel Podger: Bach Sonatas & Partitas Vol. 2
Rachel Podger: Bach Sonatas & Partitas Vol. 1
Louis Philippe: Azure
Julia Brown: Jubilant Newborn Alien Haze
Steve Vai: The Ultra Zone
Yann Tiersen: (Tout Est Calme)
Anton Barbeau: A Splendid Tray
California Guitar Trio: Rocks the West
Elliot Smith: Figure 8
Pepperisms Around The Globe (Various Artists)
Radiohead: Kid A
Dan Castellaneta: Two Lips
Galactic Cowboys: Let It Go
Love, Peace & Poetry - Latin Psych (Various Artists)
Love, Peace & Poetry - Asian Psych (Various Artists)

Best live shows this year:

Jon Brion (Justice League, 12/7)
Stuart Davis (Hotel Utah, 1/22?)
Aimee Mann (Bimbo's 365, 1/25)
Anton Barbeau / Solipsistics / Loud Family (Hotel Utah, 2/18)
California Guitar Trio (Club House, Foster City, 1/31)
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci / Aisler Set (Bottom of the Hill, 3/19)

If you get a chance to see Jon Brion live, do it.

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