UltraNormal

I recently created a bunch of Smart Playlists in iTunes to segment my music by year. I have the following lists so far: before 1990, 1990-1995, 1996-1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007. Today is Year 2000 day - full of techno, Eels, Phish and Lemon Jelly.

Here are my favorite songs from 2000 (not in any order, and probably not the "best", just my faves):

• Name of the Game by The Crystal Method - This song kicks so much ass, I think it was on repeat in the car for at least three months. The rest of the album it came from doesn't measure up to the standard set by Vegas, but it's still pretty good.
• Get Your Snack On by Amon Tobin - Another frequent repeat. Kicks almost as much posterior as the the first song in this list. Amon Tobin creates atmospheric industrial stuff that's not for everyone, but I dig most of it.
• Bewilderbeast by Badly Drawn Boy - The album this song comes from is spectacular, and this is my favorite song from it. One of his few instrumentals, it's sweet, lovely and has a wonderful beat.
• Daisies of the Galaxy and I Like Birds by Eels - I love Eels and am sad I didn't discover them until recently. The whole album is great, but these two songs make me insanely happy. You won't be able to listen to I Like Birds without giggling and singing along.
• Dirt by Phish - From Farmhouse, what I consider to be the last great album by the band, this song is heartbreaking and one of their rare slow numbers. It's gorgeous and unlike 99% of their other stuff.
• Everything in its Right Place by Radiohead - This song and album were my first real exposure to the bad, and I was blown away. Painful and brilliant.
• Diamond from the Snatch soundtrack - You've heard this song even if you haven't seen the movie. Like Massive Attack's Teardrop, this one makes the rounds in commercials, sporting events, other movies, and even a few TV shows. Bouncy rockin' techno.
• Gravel Road Requiem by Walkingbirds - I don't remember how I found out about Scott Andrew LePera and the Walkingbirds, but this song is an acoustic folky masterpiece. You can download it (and hopefully buy it) on his music page. It's funny. I met him at SxSW a couple years ago and it took me three days to remember where I'd heard his voice before.

Next week, it's on to 2001: Cake, Zero 7's first album, Constantines, David Byrne and Gotan Project.

Oh, and I'm going to be on The Biblio File tomorrow night. Details on their blog for how you can join in the fun.