Jagjaguwar Records
Bloomington, Indiana-based Jagjaguwar releases everything from whispery pop to raucous punk. Their one guiding principle? Uniform excellence.
Aspera
Aspera is in fact, a revamped version of the Philadelphia shoegazing indie rock group Aspera Ad Astra, minus their old lead singer. The group still makes dreamy pop, but it feels considerably more orchestral, percussive, and neo-psychedelic these days.
Sugar & Feathered
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2001
Birds Fly EP
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2002
Oh Fantastica
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2003
Robert Creeley
Robert Creeley is one of the great figures of American postwar poetry, remarkable for the economy and grace of his work, the fluidity of his language, the assurance with which he articulates big themes, ideas, and emotions with a minimum of verbiage.
Robert Creeley
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2001
The Curious Digit
Luminous and rickety, the sparse and immense marry here in this gorgeous contraption. Sometimes it feels as if Smog and Slanted and Enchanted-era Pavement got together to make this music.
Bombay Aloo
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1996
Hessian Hills
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1999
Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston
What happens when two notoriously nutty musicians team up? Nuttiness squared. Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston produce rambling, shambling nursery rhyme-like meditations on a variety of arcane subjects. Some songs are merely eccentric, some are downright insane.
It's Spooky
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1989
Somewhat Humorous
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2001
Manishevitz
Chicago singer-songwriter Adam Busch -- aka Manishevitz -- is a diverse talent who spikes his laconic tell-all folk-pop with helpings of classic R&B, goofy '60s pop, and even a bit of vaudeville.
Grammar Bell and the All Fall Down
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1999
Rollover
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2000
Nad Navillus
Nad Navillus shows that minimalist voice-and-guitar songwriting can be remarkably soulful and searching. Slightly experimental, very pretty neo-folk from the guitarist of Songs: Ohia.
Show Your Face
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2001
Parker Paul
You don't hear too much of this kind of thing these days -- a guy and his piano, singing brilliant, off-kilter, jazzy pop songs that would sound perfect late on a Sunday night after too many drinks in a slightly decrepit, once-posh nightclub.
Lemon-Lime Room
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2000
Wingfoot
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2001
Patrick Phelan
Singer-songwriter Patrick Phelan makes small miracles happen with a piano, a guitar, and a voice that makes you feel like you're floating on a cloud. His quiet songs explore a broad spectrum of human emotions without ever departing from their dreamy gentleness.
Songs Of Patrick Phelan
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2000
Parlor
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2001
South (U.S.)
Intricate arrangements of guitar, bass, occasional piano, and drums -- ravishing and morose. The vocals enter when you least expect them, evoking memories of Slowdive.
South
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1999
Spokane
Rick Alverson, the frontman of the plaintive Virginia band Drunk, goes solo with this sad, meditative, unconventionally beautiful project. Spokane's music is full of melancholy dirges and odes to dissatisfaction, yet it somehow finds a way to be uplifting, leaving you feeling oddly cleansed.
Leisure and Other Songs
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2000
Close Quarters
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2001
The Proud Graduates
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2001
Able Bodies
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2002
Sarah White
Sarah White documents the moments we feel crestfallen and alone, the moments we feel wronged and vengeful, and the fleeting moments we feel joy, demonstrating once again the remarkable power of the human voice and acoustic guitar.
All My Skies Are Blue
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1999
Bluebird
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2000
Richard Youngs
Richard Youngs blends classical, folk, and experimental guitar work to create spectacular musical laments. Some of the most singularly excellent and deeply moving voice-and-guitar you'll ever hear.
Sapphie
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1999
Making Paper
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2001
May
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2002
