From: Eric Hoffsten <eric-NOSPAM@billstudio.com>
To: Doug Orleans <dougo@ccs.neu.edu>
Subject: Chug poll 1998
Date: 15 Feb 99 17:23:09 -0500
Reply-To: Eric Hoffsten <eric-NOSPAM@billstudio.com>

Doug--

In considering exactly *why* it took me so long to get this together for
you, I realized that my lack of inspiration is directly related to my
decreased interest in "today's music," (i.e., specifically dance- or
beat-oriented electronic music), coupled with my increased interest in older
(pre-1975) folk/psych/trad.-type stuff.  It wouldn't have been difficult to get
together a list of 50 or so pre-1975 rekkids that rocked my world; as far
as I'm concerned, the best record I heard all year was Fraser & DeBolt's
_With Ian Guenther_.  Thing is, that album was released in 1970.  On
Columbia.  

That said, insofar as "new music" goes, I give you...

My favorite 20 records of 1998, ordered alphabetically:

ALVARIUS B   (s/t 2xLP)
BELLE & SEBASTIAN   The Boy with the Arab Strap
SIR RICHARD BISHOP   Salvador Kali
BOREDOMS   Super are
CALEXICO   The Black Light
DIADAL   (s/t)
FUZZHEAD   Got Marbles Inside
ALISTAIR GALBRAITH   Mirrorwork
GATE   The Lavender Head
GOLDEN CALVES   Golden Calves Money Band
MICHAEL HURLEY   The Bellemeade Sessions
EYVIND KANG   Theatre of Eternal NADEs
K-SALVATORE   Four Impossible Puns
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL   In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
NO NECK BLUES BAND   Letters from the Serth
PELT   For Michael Hannas
PINETOP SEVEN   Rigging the toplights
RENDERERS   A Dream of the Sea
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE   (s/t)
TOWER RECORDINGS   Furniture Music for Evening Shuttles

...and for those who'd argue that ROBERT WYATT's Shleep is a 1998 release
(though it's really '97), well, what the hell -- let's throw that one on
as well.  One to grow on.

_______________________________
Eric Hoffsten
w o r k : eric-NOSPAM@billstudio.com
p l a y : hoffsten-NOSPAM@spacelab.net