Belle and Sebastian - Legal Man (Jeepster, 2000)

Indie Pop meets Northern Soul hipshaker.

This record passed me by first time round despite coming from Belle And Sebastian's golden period of dressing up and doing things their own unique way. I only discovered 'Legal Man's splendour when someone asked me to play it at their wedding a few years later.

So I gave it a spin and found that it was a perfect fusion of Northern Soul and Indie Pop with a sardonic lyric that borrowed heavily from the missives of the band's legal counsel.

Frug.

Download Belle and Sebastian 'Legal Man' (indie pop, Northern Soul, mp3 download) (Mediafire)

Clinic 'The Second Line' (Domino, 2000)

More twisty psyche business from Clinic.

Irresistable, twisty lo-fi ear-worm from Clinic, riding on a bouncy groove. Vocals are quietly intoned over a ticky-ticky guitar scratch and some halucinogenic organ pulses the song to its conclusion.

It's what The Horrors think they sound like.

Download Clinic 'The Second Line' (Psyche, indie, mp3 download, 2000)

Clinic - The Return Of Evil Bill (Domino, 2000)

Compulsive, knockabout Freakbeat magic from the mysterious Clinic.

I haven't really kept up with Clinic since this album even though it's a doozy. I did catch them live last year is an armpit of a venue and they blasted out a mighty set. In scrubs and surgical masks. Quite a sight.

Clinic deal in a hybrid of Freakbeat, indie, Krautrock and, on this occasion, dub-style melodica. It's a heady, potent brew that rides in on the melodica before making off on a lively, one-note riff.

'The Return Of Evil Bill' could be an alternative theme for the sixties version of Batman. A version of Batman where someone has put Harpic and/or Brasso in the water. Time has become elastic and the walls start to bleed as mini-skirted dancers 'cut a rug'. Or something like that.

Well worth a listen as a taster for a great album.

Download Clinic 'The Return Of Evil Bill' (garage, alternative, mp3) (Mediafire)

Beige 'The Rhythm! The Message?' (Leaf, 2000)

Frentic, pretty-much bangin, slab of electronica from 2000.

The Leaf Label is a truly eclectic home for jazzers, drum'n'bass heads, electronica, folktronica, folk and artists who mix two or more of those things together.

This tune by one-man-mentalist Beige is a both efficient and linear as well as being just twisted enough to be interesting.

Available to buy as a 12" along with the great Beige album from The Leaf Label online.

Download Beige 'The Rhythm! The Message?' (electronica mp3) (Mediafire)

Goldfrapp 'Utopia (Live Session)' (Mute, 2000)

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Exquisite live version with some of the squiggliest synths outside of the Radiophonic Workshop.

From a promo CD that must have been made available to radio stations so they could pretend Alison and Will were live in the studio.

'Utopia' is a highlight of the fantastically elegant Ennio Morricone-meets-Delia-Derbyshire sound of 'Felt Mountain'. The cinematic feel of Portishead, the Moog-y wonderland of Stereolab allied to a soaring Wagnerian swoop.

Also features the line "my dog needs new ears" which is pretty cool, though the song seems to be about the idea of the supermensch and maybe even eugenics.

You don't get that from Kasabian.

Download Goldfrapp 'Utopia (Live Session)' (electronica mp3 download) (Mediafire)

Download the whole Goldfrapp Live Session over on Archive:Live+Rare

The Strokes 'Last Nite (Original Demo)' (c.2000)

Remember them? Demo from back when they didn't have to think about it.

Irresistable clang and drawl from the once-stratospheric New Yorkers. Perhaps without them there would have been to Libertines or no Arctic Monkeys.

Shame they ran out of steam as this is effortlessly cool.

Download The Strokes 'Last Nite (Original Demo)' (indie mp3 download) (Mediafire)

Doves 'Here It Comes (Live at Maida Vale)' (December 2000)

Soupy, organ-heavy, urgent version of the early Doves single.

Live session version from 2000. Top notch version, shot-through with an almost desperate urgency, bringing back memories of the debut album and inspiring the likes of Cherry Ghost.

Download Doves 'Here It Comes (Live at Maida Vale)' (indie mp3 download) (Mediafire)

Download the whole Doves Live at Maida Vale, December 2000 set over on archive:Live+Rare

Playgroup 'Make It Happen (Radio Edit)' (Source, 2000)

Edgy, sultry post-punk-infused dancefloor mayhem.

Despite making a solid gold classic album of edgy Hoxton punky funk, there was sadly to be only one proper album from Playgroup aka Output Records head-honch Trevor Jackson.

'Make It Happen' was the first taster from it, a sweaty but elegant, passionate but detached, sleek but dirty insistent groover. It's up there with the best records Jackson put out on Output - early LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture and Blackstrobe's 'Me and Madonna'.

Tasty.

Download Playgroup 'Make It Happen (Radio Edit)' (punk funk mp3) (Mediafire)

Morphine 'The Night' (Rykodisc, 2000)

Deep, brown moodcore from Morphine's last album.

Morphine dealt in a rich, jazz-infused, bluesy take on alt/postrock, anchored around the late Mark Sandman's langorous bass. A powerful, sodium-street-light-lit trio, they remind me of the wonderful Breed.

'The Night' is the title track from their final album, released after the death of singer Mark Sandman. It's a gorgeous, moody voyage through a fog of see-sawing strings, pattering drums and deep, dark bass.

Morphine used a limited palette to great effect and a great band with acres to explore. This is a great place to start.

Download Morphine 'The Night' (alternative, indie mp3 download) (Mediafire)

Phoenix 'If I Ever Feel Better' (Source, 2000)

On first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that Phoenix tend to deal in mannered, soft rock-referencing with an air of detachment. Posh French boys playing at being in A Cool Indie Rock Band.

There's lot's to admire in their back catalogue though. This sweetly somehow-downbeat-whilst-being-upbeat little groover, for example.

Built around a some tight walking bass and disco drumming action with delightful muted guitar, it's reflective in the verse and optimistic in the chorus. As it should be. The vocals are almost rapped in the verses, releasing the tension in the chorus with the rich, melodic voice sitting up-close and right in your ears.

Very catchy and one of those records you want to put back to the start as soon as it's finished.

Download Phoenix 'If I Ever Feel Better' (mp3) (Mediafire)