my top 10 of the last year:
1. rage against the machine
2. mtv first 1000 years of hip hop
3. wyclef jean the carnival
4. limp bizkit
5. a healthy dose of early and live police albums
6. ferris bueller's day soundtrack
7. Dance Hits 2000
8. lots of Mike Ness and Social D
9. some travis bootlegs i made
10. a lot of Ash

Sorry for how long this is...
Death Cab For Cutie- We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes: More than a really great name for a band, an achingly beautiful record with ridiculously melodic songs and first-rate lyrics.

Blonde Redhead- Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons: More adventurous and melodic than their previous numbers. Absolutely #*@! brilliant. The sexiest band alive.

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone- Answering Machine Music: The seriousness of the subject matter balances the flimsiness of the yard-sale keyboards perfectly. Stunning lyrics. Morrissey with a casio keyboard. Seriously!

The Cure- Bloodflowers: Maybe not exactly the equal of its supposed brethren "Pornography" and "Disintegration", but much better than anything they did in the 90's. I don't care how much Moz and Bob hate each other, I still say they're two sides of the same coin.

Arab Strap- Elephant Shoe: I think this is their strongest album ever. The stylistic variety of "The Weekend Never Starts Around Here" with the space and mood of "Philophobia". Really beautiful.

Cat Power- The Covers Record: I feel blessed to be alive at the same time as Chan Marshall. Although not the cathartic, life-changing experience that "Moon Pix" was, "The Covers Record" provides tons of spine-tingling moments with That Voice.

Smog- Dongs of Sevotion: At turns creepy, funny, confusing, breathtaking.

Magnetic Fields- 69 Love Songs: Ok, there's some filler, but when you're writing 69 songs, there's bound to be, right? But the beauty of songs like "The Night You Can't Remember" and "Busby Berkeley Dreams" makes up for the other stuff.

Bauhaus- Gotham: Worth the price for "Double Dare" alone.

Joy Division- Preston 28 February 1980: Ok, ok. This shouldn't really count, but the 9-minute version of "The Eternal" is beyond words. Timeless. "I'd like to apologize.....for everything..."

Head Music - The London Suede
Golden Greats - Ian Brown
Davy Jones Locker - The Ocean Blue
The Rising Tide - Sunny Day Real Estate
Corrode - Groundswell UK (Former Ned's Atomic Dustbin Members New Band)
Supergrass
Bloodflowers - The Cure
Standing On THe Shoulder Of Giants - Oasis
1991-1998 - The Smoking Popes
Lazy Line Painter Jane (Box Set) - Belle & Sebastian
Us & Us Only - Charlatans UK
The Man Who - Travis
performance and cocktails - Stereophonics

1."Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant"
      by Belle and Sebastian
2. "Stars Forever" by Momus
3. "69 Love Songs" by Magnetic Fields
4. "Rising for Sunset" by Gene
5. "Midnite Vultures" by Beck
6. "The Unauthorized Bio of Reinhold Messner" by
        Ben Folds Five
7. "The Days of Our Nights" by Luna
8. The New Saint Etienne (can't think of title)
9. "The Soft Bulletin" by Flaming Lips
10. "The Albemarle Sound" by the Ladybug Transistor
11. "Head Music" by Suede
12. "Cafe Atlantico" by Cesaria Evora
13. "La Llorona" by Lhasa
14. "Play" by Moby
15. "Remedy" by Basement Jaxx
16. "Reves/Soy" by Cafe Tacuba

My top ten of the last 12 months reverse order:

10. Saint Etienne - The Misadventures of
  9. The Beta Band - The Beta Band
  8. Guided by Voices - Do the Collapse
  7. Air - Premiers Symptomes
  6. Ian Brown - Golden Greats
  5. Mint Royale - On the Ropes
  4. Supergrass - Supergrass
  3. LeTigre - LeTigre
  2. Clinton - Disco and the Halfway..
  1. Electronic - Twisted Tenderness

Electronic's LP will be released in the US soon..hopefully it will then get some notice.
Clinton? yes, depite burning Morrissey in effigy, they are worth listening to.
The Saint Etienne LP was a movie soundtrack only released in Japan on a French label, so maybe you haven't heard of it.

GurgleJerk

1.moby- play
2.blur- 13
3.NIN- the fragile
4.pavement- terror twilight
5.beck- midnight vultures
6.mogwai- come on die young
7.flaming lips- the soft bulletin
8.ben lee- breathing tornados
9.guided by voices- do the colapse
10.manic street preachers- this is my truth tell me yours

The Auteurs "How I Learned To Love The Bootboys"
Black Box Recorder "The Facts Of Life"
Suede "Head Music"
Saint Etienne "Sound Of Water"
Etienne Daho "Corps Et Armes"
Elastica "The Menace"
A-Ha "Minor Earth/Major Sky
Gallon Drunk "Black Milk"
Ultrasound "Everything Picture"

1. TQ - selftitled
2. Counting Crow s - This Desert Life
3. Morrissey - Bren Center Bootleg
4. Black Crows - Best of...
5. Eminem - Marshal Matters
6. Del the Funky Homosapien
7. B.B.King & Eric Clapton - Riding with the King
8. Morrissey - So Much for London Boot
9. Pearl Jam - Binural
10. Santana

... but, to be honest, I've found very little new music over the past year worthy of being dignified with comment. Even the new Gorky's album is boring rubbish, and those recent Stereolab releases are absolutely unspeakable. Actually, I've been subsisting on Yoko, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Radio 4 for most of the time... A few exceptions to the general dismalness:

Quickspace, The Death of Quickspace - delicious even though its a "more of the same" - type scenario, plus admirably inept artwork.

Amon Tobin, Supermodified - another virtuostic bricolage, although I'm sure it'll have been ruined for me in a few months through hearing it too often in all the wrong places.

I'm not sure I have the patience to do this properly (it's been one of those days...), so I'll just throw a few names at you...

Plone, For Player Piano

Solex, Pick Up - make sure you hear her previous album, Solex versus the Hitmeister, which is better if anything.

Laika, Good Looking Blues - again, take a look at the back catalogue.

I also feel quite protective and maternal towards that Jeff Buckley live album, although I'm not entirely sure whether it's any good or not.

I can, however, give a wholehearted personal recommendation to the following items which you can get from Rough Trade (they do mail-order no, you know). I'm even personally involved with some of them ;)

Now, (s/t) - angular analogue pop. Radio 9, Motorik - ... which does exactly what it says on the tin.

You also need to look out for the recorded output of They came from the stars, I saw them when it happens. I think there's going to be a track on a Lo Recordings compilation fairly soon.

That's as much "cool" as I can muster for the moment...

love

naomi

DAVID BOWIE - Hours
SUEDE - Head Music
THE DELGADOS - The Great Eastern
DOVES - Lost Souls
SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE - The Rising Tide
ST. ETIENNE - Sound of Water
GAY DAD - Leisure Noise
RICHARD ASHCROFT - Alone With Everybody
MUSE - Showbiz
UNDERWORLD - Beaucoup Fish

Coming up in 2000: COLDPLAY, BJORK, RADIOHEAD, MY VITRIOL, ....(MORRISSEY??)

These are the only "new" CD's that I got:

1. Julian Lennon... Photograph Smile
2. Frenz of the Enz... Split Enz and Beyond
3. Charming... Demo
4. Did You Know? ... Demo
5. The Cinematics... Merangue
6. Neil Finn... Try Whistling This

the rest of the best that I recently bought (though they are "old") and have listened to:

7. Morrissey... Viva Hate
8. Finn Brothers... self titled
9. Smiths... Hatful of Hollow
10. Smiths... Louder Than Bombs

1. Belle & Sebastian "Fold your.." + "Legal Man"
2. The Flaming Lips "Soft Bulletin"
3. Mercury Rev "Deserterīs songs"
4. Seaside, but still docked (12 Songs on mp3.com-great!)
5. Tindersticks "Simple Pleasure"
6. David Sylvian "Dead Bees On A Cake"
7. Nick Lowe "Dig My Mood"
8. Ron Sexsmith "Whereabouts"
9. The The "Naked Self"
10. Van Morrisson "The Philospers Stone"

bloodflowers- by the cure

1. Communicate - Sasha and John Digweed

2. Something to write home about -
  The Get Up Kids

3. Clarity - Jimmy Eat World

4. The Man Who - Travis

5. Sketchy ep#2 - Onelinedrawing

6. California - Mr. Bungle

7. The Fragile - NIN

8. Survival Sickness - International Noise Conspiracy

9. Estradasphere - Estradasphere

10. Bloodflowers - The Cure

Cousteau-Cousteau. Cool barfly choons by a band who dress for success. Check out the immaculate track 'She don't hear your prayer'.

Whereabouts-Ron Sexsmith. Not my favourite album by Ronboy. But the lad proves that he remains in the premiership table of singer/songwriters. A modern Dylan? Too easy a comparison, however this guy is really first class.Excellent live.

London Calling-The Clash. I know, not a new record but I did not have it on CD and saw it going cheap. One of the greatest albums ever, by one of the greatest bands.

Macy Gray-On How Life Is. A brilliant debut from a woman who knows how to produce stunning, unforgettable pop.Awesome.

Head Music was the best album of 1999 but was released in May so I guess it doesn't apply here.

Here's my TOP 3 albums (satisfaction guaranteed!)

1. The Motorhomes - Songs for me (and my baby)
web: www.motorhomes-online.com/
2. Eskobar - Til We're Dead
web: www.eskobar.com
3. Kent - Hagnesta Hill
web: www.kent.se

You might also want to look into Belle & Sebastian (fold your...) and Violet (debut)

10. PET SHOP BOYS-Nightlife
  9. DURAN DURAN-Pop Trash
  8. COVENANT-United States of Mind
  7. SUPERGRASS-Supergrass
  6. PULP-On Fire
  5. SUEDE-Head Music
  4. RICHARD ASHCROFT-Alone With Everybody
  3. OASIS-Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
  2. THE CURE-Bloodflowers
  1. TRAVIS-The Man Who

1)Paul Van Dyk "Out There And Back"
2)Danny Tenaglia "Global Underground"
3)Sasha "Ibiza"
4)John Digweed "Bedrock"
5)Jeno "Rising To The Top"
6)Everything But The Girl "Temperamental"
7)Olive "Trickle"
8)Beastie Boys "Hello Nasty"
9)Guided by Voices "Do The Collapse"
10)Sasha/Digweed "Expeditions"

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN "fold your hands blah blah"

MODEST MOUSE "the moon and antartica"

THE WHO "bbc sessions"

BUILT TO SPILL "keep it like a secret"

GOLDIE "INCredible"

IRON MAIDEN "brave new world"

LUXURY "s/t"

DIRTY THREE "whatever you love, you are"

STORM&STRESS

STARFLYER 59 "everybody makes mistakes"

SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE "the rising tide"

BOWIE "hours"

i think i might stop here.
there has been some good music but we need more glam rock. where is it? anybody want to start a band and bring it back? speaking of...when is PULP going to release another record? oh well, later.

Not in any particular order:

The The "NakedSelf"
Cure "Bloodflowers"
Travis "The Man Who"
Crowded House "Afterglow"
Matthew Sweet "In Reverse"
Electronic "Twisted Tenderness"
Jimmy Page/Black Crowes "Excess All Areas"
Chris Cornell "Euphoria Morning"
Bryan Ferry "As Time Goes By"
Moz "Viva Las Vegas" bootleg from 12/20/99 show

1. Momus - Stars Forever
2. Ultrasound - Everything picture
3. Elastica - The menace
4. The Weeping Willows - Endless night
5. Dorian - I don't belong here
6. Gay Dad - Leisure noise
7. Suede - Head music
8. Doves - Lost souls
9. Gene - Revelations
10. can't think of any other album

eagerly awaiting JJ72, Badly Drawn Boy and Echoboy

1. Jeff Buckley - Mystery White Boy
2. Tindersticks - Simple Pleasure
3. A Silver Mt Zion - He has left us alone but shafts of light sometimes grace the corner of our rooms
4. Six By Seven - The Closer You Get
5. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
6. Belle & Sebastian - Fold your hands child, you walk like a peasant
7. Muse - Showbiz
8. Gomez - Liquid Skin
9. The Cure - Bloodflowers
10. Smashing Pumpkins - MACHINA/The Machines of God

Mogwai & Travis didn't make it because they were out in March & April 99 (well, in the UK anyway).

1. Doves "Lost Souls" - bonus! Doves are from Manchester.
2. The Delgados "The Great Eastern"
3. The Flaming Lips "The Soft Bulletin.

NIN- the fragile

1. Stereolab
"Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage In the Milky Night"
2. Stereolab
"The First of the Microbe Hunters"

3. Martin Denny
"Exotic Moog"
(old, but new for me this year)

10.NIN-The Fragile
9.Rage Aagainst The Machine-Battle for L.A.
8.Beck-Midnight Vultures
7.Sanatana
6.Smashing Pumpkins-Machina/The Machines of god
5.KoRn-Issues
4.Eminem-The Marshall Mathers LP
3.Limp Bizkit-Significant Other
2.The Cure-Blood Flowers
1.Stone Temple Pilots-4

In no particular order, here's my list of fave's of the past year.

1) Charlatans - Us and Us Only
2) Ian Brown - Golden Greats
3) No Doubt - Return of Saturn
4) Royal Crown Revue - Walk On Fire
5) The Creatures - Anima Animus
6) Fugazi - Instrument
7) Blur - 13

4. NIN - "The Fragile"

3. Rage Against The Machine - "Battle of Los Angeles"

2. The Cure - "Bloodflowers"

1. Jeff Buckley - "Mystery White Boy"

ok, so, i'm not the typical moz fan but here goes my list of my favorite albums of the last year, in no particular order:
tori amos-to venus and back
indigo girls-come on now social
dido-no angel
tracy chapman-telling stories

ok, now don't be too rough on me . . .

In reverse order.....

10. The Cure - Bloodflowers
9. Suede - Head Music
8. Mr Plow From Bangor - F1 Drum
7. Moby - Play
6. Beck - Midnite Vultures
5. Blur - 13
4.Belle and Sebastian - Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant
3. Transdiffusion - This is Transdiffusion Vol.2
2. Transdiffusion - This is Transdiffusion Vol.1
1. Travis - The Man Who

Back to the opinions that someone may read from the my opinions that nobody shall read.....

Calexico - Hot Rail
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada EP
Dirty Three - Whatever You Love, You Are
Monroe Mustang - The Elephant Sound
Do Make Say Think - Goodbye Enemy Airship, The Landlord is Dead
Hefner - The Fidelity Wars
American Analog Set - The Golden Band
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Spanish Dance Troupe

Umm.....some of these might have come out in early 99' but,

Beck-"Midnight Vultures"

Aphex Twin-"Windowlicker"

Belle&Sebastian-"Fold Your Hands Child You Walk Like A Peasant"......Now, I really love about half of the songs on here, but the other half I kinda detest. This is for the songs I love.

Chemical Bros.-"Surrender"

Cat Power-"The Covers Record"

Travis-Ya right.........complete shite.

In no particular order:

Suede - Head Music
Belle & Sebastian - Fold you hands...
Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk (cheating a little)
The Auteurs - How I learned to love the bootboys
Black Box Recorder - The Facts of Life
James - Millionaires
Looper - The Geometrid
The The - Naked Self
Supergrass - Supergrass
The Divine Comedy - A Secret History

Showbiz - Muse
Mystery White Boy - Jeff Buckley
Days Of Our Nights - Luna
Buildings And Grounds - Papas Fritas
Daisies Of The Galaxy - Eels
And Then Nothing Turned itself - Yo La Tengo
At The Close Of Every Day - Arid
Soft Bulletin - Flaming Lips
69 Love Songs - Magnetic Fields
Great Eastern - Delgados
Revelations - Gene
Fold Your Hands... - Belle And Sebastian
The Man Who - Travis
Snow EP - Trash Can Sinatras
Geometrid - Looper
Terror Twilight - Pavement
The Ideal Crash - dEUS
Yerself Is Steam - Mercury Rev
In The Russet Gold Of This Vain Hour - Autumns
White Ladder - David Gray
Much Against Everyone's Advice - Soulwax

MADRUGADA - industrial silence
http://www.madrugada.net/htm/silence.htm

THE CURE - bloodflowers

MIDNIGHT CHOIR - unsung heroine
http://www.midnightchoir.cjb.net/

GLUECIFER - tender is the savage
http://www.gluecifer.com/

tonights top 10 list goes as follows
1.limp bizkit
2.red hot chili peppers
3.cronic 2001
4.kurupt
5.both eminem albums
6.ducan duh best of...
7.destinys child
8.morrissey vs morrissey (2 cd bootleg i created)
9.nin
10. (u pik this one)

just some of my favorites and the diversity of musik i enjoy!

From '99:
Mogwai - Cody
Gomez - Liquid skin
Guided By Voices - Do The Collapse
Folk Implosion - One Part Lullaby
Pavement - Terror Twilight
Godspeed You Black Emperor - EP

2000 so far:
Calexico - Hot Rail
Tahiti 80 - Puzzle
Tarentel - From Bone To Satellite
My Morning Jacket - The Tennessee Fire
Tosca - Suzuki

The best album so far has to be...
The Facts of Life - Black Box Recorder

But also worth a mention:
Midnite Vultures - Beck
Play - Moby

And, if they count:
13 - Blur
Head Music - Suede

(not necessarily in any order)

01. Belle & Sebastian - "Fold Your Hands..."
02. Mojave 3 - "Excuses For Travellers"
03. Judybats - "Judybats '00"
04. Built To Spill - "Live"
05. Mark Kozelek - "Rock & Roll Singer"
06. XTC - "Wasp Star"
07. Flaming Lips - "The Soft Bulletin"
08. Belle & Sebastian - "Tigermilk"
09. Grandaddy - "The Sophtware Slump"
10. Jeff Buckley - "Mystery White Boy"

Best album of the previous year: Black Box Recorder, "The Facts of Life"

the cure - bloodflowers
NIN - the fragile
the smashing pumpkins - MACHINA/the machines of god
tori amos - to venus and back
sleatter-kinney - the hot rock
sunny day real estate - live
juliana's pony - total system failiure
cocteau twins - bbc sessions
sleater-kinney - all hands on the bad one
gene - revelations

1. As Time Goes By. Bryan Ferry
2. Head Music. Suede
3. hours... David Bowie
4. Anima Animus. The Creatures
5. Rock and Roll Singer. Mark Kozelek
(just about the only American artist who doesnt suck)
6. Bugged. Babybird
7. Wishville. Catherine Wheel
8. Golden Greats. Ian Brown
9. Hanging out in Heaven. Marty Willson-Piper
10. Looking for a Day in the Night. The Lilac Time

Catherine Wheel-Wishville
Iron Maiden-Brave New World
    (I must be a sucker for the Dickinson clan)
Charlatans UK-Us and Us Only
Morrissey-Bootleg from 2-29-00
MDFMK-S/T
Cathedral-Soul Sacrifice/Statik Magik

Well, for me:
B.Butler,
I.Brown,
Weller,
N.Young,
The Niagras,
O.C.Scene,
Some of the new Toploader l.p.
Badly drawn boy,
Eels
to name a few!

kind regards,
see you in the next world....

Ok, the Slash code is cool, but you don't have to barrow their topics as well. Shhhyattt.

1/theThe Nakedself
2/Trashcan Sinatras-EP
3/Badly Drawn Boy
4/Electronic-TT
5/Shack
6/James-millionares
7/Diesel Park West-Doing the coorprate waltz
8/Travis.............but this awful thing,i took back to the shop

Ween - White Pepper
Melys - Kamikaze
Tori Amos - To Venus And Back
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Spanish Dance Troupe
Mogwai - Come On Die Young
Pavement - Terror Twilight
Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Joy Division - Preston 28 February 1980

If anyone is actually reading down this far, here's my favourites of the last year:

10. Oasis - Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
A couple of years ago, any Oasis release would have been at least top 3. Disappointing by their standards.
09. Stereophonics - Performance and Cocktails
08. Suede - Head Music
See 10.
07. Manic Street Preachers - This is My Truth Tell Me Yours
06. Sloan - Between the Bridges
For long time fans only. A mock rock opera of their rise and fall.
05. Catatonia - Equally Cursed and Blessed
04. Chemical Brothers - Surrender
The new millenial rock stars.
03. Travis - The Man Who
02. The Tragically Hip - Music@Work
Too Canadian too be big anywhere else, national icons for us.
01. Electronic - Twisted Tenderness
It's too bad they didn't actually promote the album, definitely their best work to date.

I'm a loser, nothing of interst last year.
'desperately waiting for Placebo's new album
..........and maybe maybe a new single fom
what's his name, uh.........'

In no particular order.

1. Jump With Joey-Swingin Ska Goes South Of The Border

2. The Reverend Horton Heat-Spend A Night In The Box

3. The Calicoes-Full Custom Acceleration of The Gospel

4. MxPx-The Ever Passing Moment

5. Mr. Bungle-California

6. James Intveld-Somewhere Down the Road

7. Havalina Rail Co.-America

8. Starflyer 59-Everybody Makes Mistakes

9. The Bomboras-Head Shrinking Fun (though 3 years old...still gets regular play...amazing band who called it quits.)

10. Murder City Devils-In Name and Blood