OUR LADY PEACE / Spiritual Machines (2000)

It’s funny how the most significant and lingering concepts in Kurzweil’s carefully-penned hybrid history/textbook/novel sprang from the tiny, off-hand responses of his fictional conversation partner, Molly. The consequences of both his predicted change in the nature of humanity, and the philosophical musings given rise to in those conversations are rather ethereally expanded upon here, sonically and lyrically. Raine makes the endeavor more palatable, but honestly no less haunting, when all is said and done. The requisite shadowed side of the coin was ironically delivered by the person I’d least expect.

That’s probably why I love it so much.

Songs of Note: Made to Heal; Everyone's A Junkie

5 Attempts to Convince Yourself That It’ll All Be Okay out of 5

PRIMORDIAL / Spirit the Earth Aflame (2000)

StEA taps the same vein as A Journey's End (1998) did before it, a vein that connects with and feeds from the lifeblood of nature itself. The result is a flowing, pulsing musical intention capable of supporting the aggressive mourning that manifests in Nemtheanga's transition from clean vocals to screechy rasps; as he sings of bygone days, we share in the affecting pangs of loss.
The Black Metal influences are never far from the surface but they've been made to fit Primordial's template, not the other way around.

Songs of Note: Gods to the Godless; The Burning Season

4½ glorious dawns out of 5

EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN / Silence is Sexy (2000)

The cushion soft, bassy tones of Blixa Bargeld are instantly recognisable. When paired with the calculated and orchestrated perfection of the rest of Einstürzende Neubauten, magic happens. Together they traverse borders and boundaries, fuelled by catchy rhythms and stirring percussion that toys with the silly, the serious, the terrifying and the beautiful. I suspect they'd be equally at home on Sesame Street as they would be breaking bread and debating determinism with the great philosophers. Belief in their own ability makes them strong. An experimental approach to music makes them special.

Songs of Note: Die Befindlichkeit des Landes; Total Eclipse of the Sun

5 golden memories out of 5

THE OFFSPRING / Conspiracy of One (2000)

I don’t know how the Offspring fandom or society at large feel about this album. That’s for the best as you’re going to get a completely uninfluenced opinion. A chunk of these songs feel surprisingly philosophical without ever falling into pretentiousness, and blunt without being crude or superficial. There’s an overall sense of jauntiness and fun that has been absent from all I've heard from them since. On paper, I wouldn’t think all of this would gel, but it does. It’s only enhanced by the art direction which I find to be spot on and crucial. Alan Forbes, Sean Evans, you rock. 

This is the only Offspring album I’ve ever been able to enjoy from front to back. It’s been the only one in my collection for quite a while, as a result.

Songs of Note: Want You Bad; Conspiracy of One (accompanying artwork)

3 (Not So) Secret Desires For Suicide Girls out of 5

NINE DAYS / The Madding Crowd (2000)

If you've only heard Absolutely (Story of A Girl) you will have a decent idea of how half of this album sounds. There is a second singer-songwriter present, however, who brings a healthy dose of tranquil introspection to the table. He also provides a touch of measured venom, and, unfortunately, an exercise in art-school pretentiousness. Thankfully, that is really the only true misstep of which to speak. These boys have a decent amount more going on beneath the surface of their shiny pop-rock lake than most of their deceased one-hit-wonder brethren and I have to believe that’s the reason they've long survived in the absence of public acclaim.

Songs of Note: If I Am; Bitter

4 Cursing Girls (Sold Separately) out of 5

JARBOE | TELECOGNAC ‎/ Over (2000)

Telecognac (Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller) took a single Jarboe track and made a lazy release from it. It's classed as an album, but has just three tracks totalling 35 mins. They chopped most of Jarboe's vocals into small, unintelligible chunks and then dropped them into a toolbox of experimental awkwardness that relies heavily on juxtaposition and percussion to fill out the running time.
It only gels into something engaging about fifty percent of the time. The other fifty percent is mostly cold, listless and irritating.

Songs of Note: Over 1; Over 2

2 gold idols out of 5

THE YOUNG GODS / Second Nature (2000)

The Young Gods are no strangers to genre blending; they'd been merging Ambient, Industrial, and Dance for years before this fifth album emerged. Song structures on most tracks are similar to what they've delivered before, but the Techno element (what I call Techno – I'm no expert on the subtleties of the genre) is much too overpowering for my liking. Consequently, the tracks that I feel stand out are the ones that go in the opposite direction to that, into more experimental territories, using sounds and contrasts that no one else is coming even close to.

Songs of Note: Attends; Love 2.7

2½ abstractions out of 5

CURRENT 93 / Faust (2000)

Faust is a 35 minute track that'll appeal to a very limited number of people. It's designed to give musical accompaniment to a reading of Count Eric Stenbock's text of the same name (included with the release), but because people read at different speeds, the experiment is problematic and flawed before it even begins.
When stood apart from the text, is the music any good? Yes. Except it's not music in the traditional sense. It's a haunting growl layered with mostly unintelligible scratching whispers, howls and hypnotic chiming bells. It's eerie.

Song of Note: Faust

4 heavy tolls out of 5

THE DAMAGE MANUAL / One E.P (2000)

The Damage Manual's One (aka –>1) is an E.P. of ardent vocals, rhythmic distortion, a hammering pulse, and a second heartbeat keeping it all in sync, or to be more precise, Chris Connelly on vocals, Geordie Walker on guitar, Jah Wobble on bass, and stick man extraordinaire Martin Atkins on drums. It sounds similar to a lot of the other bands that those guys are a part of, such as Pigface, Murder Inc, etc, meaning it's more a variation on a theme than a brand new listening experience, but if you're a fan of either of them, then that's no bad thing.

Songs of Note: Sunset Gun; Damage Addict

4 midnight hits out of 5

ALICE COOPER / Brutal Planet (2000)

Alice doesn't jump on bandwagons, but he's always enjoyed toying with other genres. The BP album sees him get heavier than ever, throwing elements of Grunge, Metal and even Industrial into the mix to better represent the themes that the album explores; i.e the degradation of society, corrupted values, domestic violence, loss of freedoms, etc. It's the world we live in through a glass darkly, the 'Brutal Planet' of the title. Alice the storyteller finds a hook that's relevant to us all; you don't need to share his religious views to empathise with the stance.

Songs of Note: Eat Some More; Pick Up The Bones

4 infected minds out of 5

KOJI KONDO / The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Original Soundtrack (2000)

Like the previous game soundtrack, Ocarina of Time (1998), the music of Majora's Mask was reliant on the N64's limited sound capabilities, but Koji once again managed to tease out some beautifully haunting themes that perfectly capture the environments they were designed to represent. It's possible the limitations actually worked in his favour, forcing him to be extra creative.
There are also familiar themes presented differently, reflecting the darker nature of the game. Its simplistic beauty is something that is fading from today's games.

Songs of Note: Chamber of Voices; Freed Souls

5 events undone out of 5

OPIUM JUKEBOX / Music to Download Pornography By (2000)

Martin Atkins is no slacker. He's been a part of PiL, Ministry, Pigface, Killing Joke, The Damage Manual, and Murder Inc, among others. He's one of the finest drummers you'll ever hear, which makes Opium Jukebox even more bizarre.
It's not the percussion-heavy experience you'd expect. Instead, he takes existing songs by other artists and turns them into weird Dub/Bhagra/Electronic/WTF? style chill-out tunes. It doesn't really matter if you loved or hated the original versions, because they're so far removed from the original vibe/intent that they sound completely new. Part of the fun is not looking at the track list and trying to figure out what the hell you're hearing.

Songs of Note: Head Like a Hole; Cars

3 sitar is the new guitar out of 5

PINK FLOYD / Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live [2000]

I'm going to get this out of the way, and I'm going to get crucified for this as well, but I think Pink Floyd's live recording of The Wall is better than the studio album.
Hear me out, before you grab your pitchforks and torches. Now, The Wall was meant to mimic that of a theatrical extravaganza and the studio album did a mighty fine job at it but the live version does better as theatrics are meant to be live. The bitter passion of performing in front of a live audience is very evident in Roger Waters' voice. With excellent sound quality, perfect performances, extended songs and 2 new songs how can you go wrong? This is the next best thing to the real theatrical deal you're going to get these days.

5 Brand New Bricks out of 5

Songs Of Note: Empty Spaces/What Shall We Do?; The Last Few Bricks

GREEN DAY / Warning [2000]

With blink-182 threatening to take the pop-punk crown away from them, Green Day played by their own rules and released an album that sounded like they didn't give a damn about their genre stature or what their ADHD mall-punk fans would think.
2000's Warning is a brave move by the band, blending acoustic ballads, Tom Waits styled polkas and channeling Bob Dylan & Bruce Springsteen instead of The Ramones or Twisted Sister.
With tracks that are easily some of the best written songs in their career, the fanboy in me wants to give the album a solid 5 but unfortunately the album comes with quite a few throw away songs as well.

3½ punk rock mandolins out of 5

Songs Of Note: Misery; Macy's Day Parade

EMINEM / The Marshall Mathers LP [2000]

After being dragged through the mud by the controversy surrounding his first major label album The Slim Shady LP, Eminem stepped out from behind his fictional character and unmasked himself as Marshall Mathers on his 2nd LP.
The Marshall Mathers LP blurred the lines between reality & fantasy, horror & comedy, satire and truth. With an angry smirk and quick wit, Mathers makes you chuckle and uncomfortable simultaneously with precise spitfire vocal performances over clever production and backbeats. It's morally wrong, shocking and tasteless but it's honest anger in it's purest form that unfortunately Mathers wouldn't repeat for another 10 years.
Love him or hate him, it can't be denied that The Marshall Mathers LP is one of the first true classic albums of the new millennium.

5 Marilyn Mansons out of 5

Songs Of Note: Bitch Please II [featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit & Nate Dogg]; Criminal

JARBOE / Disburden Disciple (2000)

Jarboe embraces experimental. Her music is full of textures, loops, projected beauty and synchronized disharmony. Her voice is strong, passionate and unique; it still gives way to the percussion a lot but she's ceased hiding it behind the music. Piano, guitar, bass and drums seem to be fighting each other for dominance on the album, creating a power play that becomes a great strength. It's harsh at times, avant-garde always, but I find her enthralling. I can't see it appealing to anyone that didn't like her work in Swans, though. If you're one of the ones that did enjoy those days, then Disburden Disciple is worth the effort.

Songs of Note: Consume Me; Dear 666

3½ portraits of the artist out of 5

PJ HARVEY / Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea [2000]

Taking a break from the raw, dirty and aggressive sound of her previous albums, Polly Jean Harvey opted for more of a melodic, positive sound on 2000's Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. It may not pack the angry punch of her earlier work but Harvey still keeps her passion for music firmly intact.
Charged with a brand new lust for life but a careful understanding of the dangers it could bring, Stories is a beautifully composed album best listened to at night with a glass of wine and a canvas to paint on.
It's not the Harvey we were used to but certainly one we could bear to hear some more from. A career highlight indeed.

4 Yorkes out of 5

Songs Of Note: A Place Called Home; Kamikaze

FLEURETY / Department of Apocalyptic Affairs (2000)

Avant garde black metal from Norway! Sounds grim, doesn't it? Fleurety are different. They developed an atonal jazzy sound beneath the surface that often peeks through when least expected, or takes over completely; initially it sounds wrong but on repeated listens begins to make sense. Most songs go through a number of changes musically that may frustrate a listener, especially when they don't stick to the bit you like most. Ironically, for me that's part of the charm.
With guest musicians from the likes of Mayhem, Ulver, Arcturus, Beyond Dawn, Ved Buens Ende and more, it's a smorgasbord of genre greats making challenging music that's definitely not for the unadventurous ear.

Songs of Note: Exterminators; Barb Wire Smile (Snap Ant Version)

4 omnivorous appetites out of 5