Chuck Prophet – No Other Love

Chuck Prophet – No Other Love

By

Jesse E. Mullen

One of the greatest of the early 2000s. Like Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, it finds the artist in question pushing the boundaries of their usual Americana/Folk/Alt. Country/Rock sound with field recordings, found sounds, tape loops, electronic beats, and various keyboard instruments. But all of this would be window dressing if Chuck didn't come up with the excellent set of songs that he did. The performances by the studio band are uniformly excellent, and Prophet’s guitar playing is as awe-inspiring as ever. Highly recommended.

New West/2002

Mark Mulcahy – In Pursuit of Your Happiness

Mark Mulcahy – In Pursuit of Your Happiness

By

Jesse E. Mullen

My favorite of Mark's solo albums. (And second favorite of all his albums - to the Polaris album.) "Cookie Jar," and "I Have Patience" are the melodic indie Mulcahy is known for at its best. Closer "He Vanished" however, is a totally different animal altogether. A slow waltz with lyrics in tribute to a fallen friend delivered in a Lou Reed speak-sing, it is my favorite Mark Mulcahy song, and one of my favorite of the 2000s. If you only buy one album by Mark, let it be this one. But you'll want more than just this.

Mezzotint/2005

Graham Coxon – The Golden D

Graham Coxon – The Golden D

By

Jesse E. Mullen

Probably his best solo album. The instrumental "Lake" is mind melting psychedelia, while "Jamie Thomas," "Fags and Failure," and the two MoB covers show Coxon at his noisy post-punk best. Graham plays all of the instruments, produces and paints the cover artwork with a (messy) focus and passion - not entirely a contradiction in this case. A resounding success all around. Highly recommended.

Transcopic/EMI/2000