Having already done two “Best of 2001” lists elsewhere, I thought I’d focus strictly on my favorite indie label albums that bore the 2001 stamp on them for this list. Why did I do three lists? Which one’s the definitive version? Well, the first one I turned in was for PopMatters, and it had to be done by December 14 of last year. That was a bit early, so of course there’s always time to rethink some things afterward. On my site, Echo From Esoterica, I made a list of 20 albums, with a couple that were released in December of 2000 or a bit earlier, and had a few major label picks in there as well. So for this one, I figured it would just be cool to line up my ten fave indie discs that were definitely released this year and parade them around one more time. I’ve also included my picks for the two Worst Albums of 2001 at the bottom, since we were allowed to have 12 total here at Fufkin. And now, the list.

Those Peabodys - s/t (Post-Parlo)

This is the album that topped all three of my lists with no problem at all. It’s undoubtedly the best straightforward rock and roll album released in 2001. These boys from Austin, Texas know a great riff when they hear one, and Those Peabodys is filled to the gills with nothing but. Listen to this album and marvel at what great guitar rock can still sound like. This disc will leave you bewildered at just how “lost” the electric six string has become in more popular musical circles. Choice cuts: “Negro Spiritual”, “Frank”, “Plum Parts”, and “Hazzard Co.”

Linus of Hollywood - Let Yourself Be Happy (Franklin Castle/Oglio)

For the strictly pop music lover in me, no album got played more around here than Let Yourself Be Happy, Linus of Hollywood’s splendid sophomore album. As I’ve stated before elsewhere, this is the kind of thing that Paul McCartney wishes he could be creating (and probably could if he just put forth the effort). Where else are you going to get a cheerful cover of Ozzy Osborne’s “Goodbye To Romance”? Nowhere, man. This is pure pop for all of those who love The Beatles but still like to hear someone inject their own skills into an album rather than let the influences do the talking. Linus is a genius. Choice cuts” “Building A Ship”, “Goodbye To Romance”, “Where Are You?”, and “Thank You For Making Me Feel…Better”.

Chris Butler - Easy Life (Future Fossil)

My pal Chris Butler not only issued the grand Kilopop! collection Un Petit Gouter on his Future Fossil label last year, but also produced his own Easy Life which still seems to have me at a loss for words. Seriously, the guy’s a one of a kind power pop powerhouse when it comes to intricate yet completely satisfying songs that sport all sorts of neat guitar twists and brilliant lyrics to boot. A nice Joe Jackson/Frank Zappa melange of wit and cool melodies. Choice cuts: “Hey Stranger”, “Box of Noise”, “Millions & Millions”, and “Beggar’s Bullets”.

coco b’s basement songs - firehawks and dirtybirds ep1 (K-Double)

firehawks and dirtybirds got my EP of the Year vote. There’s only about 13-and-a-half minutes worth of music here, but none of it is wasted. Kevin Castillo has an eerie Man Called E. and Elliott Smith thing going on here, and with partner Bob Penn the two have made some beautifully understated music on this disc. There was going to be an ep2 to go along with this collection, but the guys decided to just go for it and release a full-length album next. Good call, as I couldn’t get enough of this one. Choice cuts: “bluebird” and “big okie-dokie”.

Deering and Down - Coupe de Villa (Burn Barrel)

The Reverend Neil Down has played with many of the greats through the years, like bassist Jerry Scheff. Recently, Lahna Deering came knocking at his door. Together, the two have made the grandest, rootsy, rockin’, sultry, swingin’ CD of 2001. Lahna’s only 19 but her voice would tell you that she’s older. Plenty of grit in those vocal cords. Keep an eye on these two, as nothing but great things should be expected from them. Choice cuts: “Sheet Rockin’”, “Givin’ Heart”, “The Ride”, and “Room 101”.

Abandoned Pools - Humanistic (Extasy)

Tommy Walter used to play in the Eels. Now he’s all alone and playing all the instruments. Only thing is, he’s rocking it harder and blowing minds better than the Eels ever did. Who’d have thought that band was secretly concealing this master of hard edged, yet extremely accessible and melodious power pop? Not me. A touch of electronica here. A dab of shoot to kill rock there. It all works magically. Puts that poseur Billy Corgan to shame (a sincerely thrilling fact anytime). Choice cuts: “The Remedy”, “Mercy Kiss”, “Suburban Muse”, and “Sunny Day”.

Champale - Simple Days (Pitch-A-Tent)

Boy howdy. This band of eight released one of the sweetest pop albums in 2001. They were written up in The New Yorker for their sublime Simple Days as well. Surprisingly, I didn’t see Champale make bigger waves like I had hoped they might. Well, there’s always the next time. But this debut is certainly nothing to sneeze at. There are all sorts of moody and atmospheric things going on in this band. Sometimes vocalist Mark Rozzo brings to mind Matthew Sweet. Yeah, now if only Sweet could crank an album out like this. Choice cuts: “Motel California”, “Black Telephone”, “’68 Comeback”, and “Hard To Be Easy”.

Old Time Relijun - Witchcraft Rebellion (K)

Any guys that can successfully create what I believe to be the definitive sequel to Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica (even if the Cap himself didn’t create it) certainly deserves a spot on one of my top ten lists. Well here they are in all their bizarre glory. If you’ve heard Trout Mask, then I don’t need to tell you what this is like at all. If you haven’t heard it, then, well, you’re in for either a big shock or a pleasant surprise. Either way, these guys have the sound down cold. Impressive. Choice cuts: “Vampire Sushi”, “King of Nothing”, “Mystery Language”, and “Dark of The Male, Light of The Female”.

K. - New Problems (Tiger Style)

K. is Karla Schickele. She and some friends have created the most haunting album of 2001 if nothing else. Simple, spooky, and warm and fuzzy, New Problems is a remarkable work of art that should not go unheard. There’s a bit of a Liz Phair groove creeping about in these songs, but Schickele’s really all about creating her own other-worldly sounds more than she is about writing hard-ass lyrics about ex lovers. A brilliant album through and through. Choice cuts: “Always So Good”, “Got a Feelin’”, “Poor Dumb Bird”, and “Hip Flask”.

Theselah - No Sleep More Fun (K.O.A.)

Theselah created the best four-track album of the year. How they did it is still beyond me, even after interviewing them and asking all about their process. A cleaner sound I’ve never heard from such a basic machine. The songs are scary, surreal, but above all else, just plain exciting. Some of the other reviewers who tried out this album couldn’t see what all the fuss was about, but if this is the apex of lo-fi, then I can only imagine what these guys could do with a bigger deck. Phenomenal. Choice cuts: “Uryne”, “Anna Come Out”, “Green-Blue Crayon”, and “Little Song To Self”.

The Two Worst Albums of 2001

I listened to a lot of bad music this year for review purposes. Every time I thought I heard the worst album there could possibly ever be, there was another right behind it destroying my ears and love for music for a short time. Not a pretty sight. However, there were two albums that stood atop the stink pile above all the others, and for two very different reasons. Dig in to reveal the albums that punished me the most.

Worst Album of 2001 (Winner) - The Bridge And Tunnel Club - Songs for Carpetbaggers Come and Gone (self-released)

The Bridge And Tunnel Club’s disc takes the cake because it just sounds horrible. The recording quality, that is. Apparently it was recorded on everything from a hand-held cassette recorder to a computer, but you’d never be able to tell the difference because everything sounds so far away and washed out. And if that wasn’t bad enough, lead singers Scott Sendrow and Marya Sea Kaminski completely deep-six the album with their terrible vocals. Sendrow alternately mumbles and presses his lips to the mic far too many times, and Kaminski is one of those singers who thinks she can carry a tune, but is nothing but simply tone deaf. And then there’s the lyrics. “Tattoo” goes as follows: “We both dated people with tattoos / Even though we both hate tattoos / We both dated people who smoked a lot of pot / Even though we don’t smoke pot / And we don’t smoke pot, we don’t smoke pot / We don’t smoke pot, we don’t smoke pot / And of course we tried to smoke some pot / Even though we both hate, we both hate pot / But we both just stopped short of getting a tattoo”. Are you sure you don’t smoke pot?

Worst Album of 2001 (A Very Close Runner-Up) - The Beanweevils - s/t (Weed)

The Beanweevils have a good production job on their disc, but their lyrics are appalling. They want you to believe that they have the wit of Zappa, but all they really have is an album full of dirty songs that just aren’t funny. The San Francisco band seems to draw from lead Weevil Bean’s everyday excursions into the city’s netherworld, but what he comes up with is merely a desperate howl of toilet humor. “Plak!” is all about a woman’s vagina falling off and taking off down the road (seriously; “plak” is the sound it made, so the song goes). “Sherry” is a song about a woman with hairy nipples. “Deadhead” is another entry into the already worn-out pile of songs pissing on Grateful Dead fans (for once I’ll side with the fans). “Strip Club” attempts to poke fun at said establishments but only comes up with dumb lines like “My trousers are all covered in semen stains / But I don’t think about it, I’ve got boobies on the brain”. And then there’s also the juvenile “Sucker” that picks on the mallrats and their shopping habits. Gee, how original. Wasn’t that a fashionable thing to do back in ’94? Ah well, arguing over the trivialities of an album like this is pointless. But then again, so was this album.

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