The turn of the century was a bit of a no man's land for indie-rock, but all was not lost. In the years between the moment that Britpop’s big hitters had got a little stale and the arrival of a new generation of rock’n’roll upstarts, there was still lots of captivating sounds to lose yourself in. It mostly occurred away from the mainstream, with the limelight now on a wave of nu-metal groups seizing their moment, and it resulted in a number of intriguing, experimental-ish records seemingly unburdened with the weight of commercial expectations.
Some became bigger than others, sizeable enough (like the nocturnal grooves of Doves’ debut Lost Souls, the Mercury Prize-winning folky strums of Badly Drawn Boy’s The House Of Bewilderbeast or Sigur Rós’s transfixing Ágætis byrjun) that to include them on an “underrated” list would be a liberty too far. Instead, here’s the contenders from (mostly) the periphery, a group of guitar bands and artists revelling in the freedom of doing their own thing. It wouldn’t be long until the guard changed again with the big breakthrough of The Strokes, The White Stripes et al just a year or so later but this curious little patch in 2000 resulted in some corkers that deserve revisiting…
Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
You can’t more Year 2000 than a sad song about an android and the second album by Californian crew Grandaddy is full of them, mixing doleful synth-folk ballads and spacey, melodic garage-rock. An understated classic and one of the most restrained epic records of the era.
Six. By Seven - The Closer You Get
There just didn’t seem to be much interest in British guitar bands at the moment that Nottingham quintet Six. By Seven made their masterpiece, which is a bit of a shame. The Closer You Get was their second record and it’s a frequently thrilling album. From the menacing, shoegazing-style layers of Ten Places To Die and My Life’s An Accident to the frenzied punky thrashes of Don’t Wanna Stop and the exhilarating meld of breakbeats and avalanches of guitar that is Another Love Song, it’s an album to lose yourself in, find yourself again, and then lose yourself once more.
The Delgados - The Great Eastern
Given they must have been pretty busy running Chemikal Underground, the iconic indie label they’d founded in 1994, you would’ve forgiven The Delgados for taking their eye off the ball by the turn of the century. But no, they came up with this beaut, a gently soaring baroque-pop gem that in its mournful, euphoric standout American Trilogy contains one of the best indie songs of the 00s.
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Madonna
The second record from these art-rock, prog-punks from Austin, Texas was originally released in the US in October, 1999, but its UK bow didn’t come until summer 2000 when Domino picked up the British rights. It’s an album worthy of its wider exposure, one where angular Sonic Youth riffs and post-hardcore pugilism meets expansive atmospherics and octopus-limbed drumming. An early 00s classic.
Explosions In The Sky - How Strange, Innocence
Something must have been in the water in Austin as one decade gave way to the next. This debut from post-rockers Explosions In The Sky sounded like the sort of thing Mogwai might have made if the Scottish instrumentalists had grown up under panoramic Texan skies instead of in Glasgow grey.
Super Furry Animals - Mwng
The only group here who had lived through Britpop and come out the other side, by 2000 the Super Furries had established that they were on their own, wild path. And what could say it more than Mwng, their fourth album and a record sung entirely in their native Welsh. A lo-fi, psychedelic-rock break from their usual indie anthems, it remains one of their finest releases.
Clinic - Internal Wrangler
Liverpool quartet Clinic immediately made an impression at a time when most bands seemed to be happy looking like a bunch of fellas heading to their nearest All Bar One. In their surgical gowns and facemasks, they were striking outliers and their music, minimalist and propulsive 60s psych-pop, caught the attention too. Thom Yorke was such a fan he invited them to tour with Radiohead.
Black Box Recorder - The Facts Of Life
A band born out of Auteurs frontman Luke Haines’ growing dissatisfaction and disdain with British guitar music during the 90s, Black Box Recorder occupied another space entirely, all dreamy, loungey 70s pop with a slightly Gallic swagger about it. They did it best on this second record.
Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows
The Scottish indie-rockers led by Roddy Woomble were still finding their feet in 2000, yet to perfect the balance of their thrilling, chaotic live shows and something more fully-rounded in the studio. That would come with 2002’s The Remote Part but its predecessor also has lots to love, particularly the swooping, indelible opener Little Discourage and the hypnotic, rhythmical, R.E.M-style patterns of Roseability.
King Biscuit Time - No Style
An EP and so a slightly dubious addition to this list but one deserving of the spot. The Beta Band were one of the most restlessly inventive groups of the period and this EP from frontman Steve Mason’s solo project underlines that he had brilliant to spare – check out the bounding, baggy-meets-hip-hop excellence of its lead track I Walk The Earth. If it came out tomorrow, it would still sound forward-thinking.
