1. Endlessly - Mercury Rev
Tracks and remixes from Deserter's Songs were scattered all over magazine covermounts in 1998/9. It didn't need such hype - Mercury Rev's switch from experimental rock to these lush soundscapes caught the imagination of the public all by itself.
2. Pictures Of Me - Elliott Smith
Smith's perfomance at the 1998 Oscars ceremony catapulted this tortured soul into the public domain giving his 1997 album Either/Or, featuring this track, a new lease of life. Smith was soon signed to Dreamworks and he became one of the biggest cult singer-songwriters in the world. His mysterious death/murder in 2003 has only added to his cult status.
3. Piglet - Arab Strap
Signed to Chemikal Underground, Arab Strap (aka Malcolm Middelton and Aiden Moffatt) were the masters of lo-fi post rock miserabilism at the arse end of the 90s until their split in 2006. Despite threatening to sour the Top 40 singles chart in 1998 with their double A side single Here We Go/Trippy, the single fell short by 8 places. The album, Philophobia, containing Piglet, just made it - at #37 - but they soon descended back into cultdom.
4. Somethin' Hot - The Afghan Whigs
Greg Dulli's soul-rock band Afghan Whigs had been plugging away for ten years when their 1998 album, named 1965, was on target to be 'the big one' after their previous album Black Love had won over the critics and new fans. Despite that album hitting The Top 40, 1965 barely scraped the Top 100 and the singles, of which this was one, disappeared without trace. The fall out of the disappointment of 1965's failure led Dulli to split the band up. Dulli has been active since, with Mark Lanegan in The Gutter Twins and his own The Twilight Singers.
5. Stevie (For Steven S) - Royal Trux
Americsan noise rock band active for 14 years between 1987 and 2001. This was featured on their 1998 album Accelerator.
6. I Never Want To See You Again - Quasi
More American alt-rock. Quasi have released 8 albums since 1996, this being from their fourth, Birds.
7. Won't You Be My Baby, Baby - Leila
Primed for big things at the end of the 90s but still an underground concern, Leila Arab has worked with Bjork and recorded for Rephlex, XL and Warp Records. This was taken from her debut 'Like Weather'.
8. A Galaxy Of Scars - Third Eye Foundation
A vehicle for dark folk musician Matt Elliott, several albums and remix albums were released under the Third Eye Foundation name until his first album under his own name in 2003. This is from the 1998 album 'You Guys Kill Me'.
9. Roygbiv - Boards Of Canada
The downtempo electronica of BoC's Music Has The Right To Children saw it become one of the huge critical successes of 1998. Acclaimed for their warm, atmospheric, analog soundscapes, the Scottish duo have only released three albums proper on Warp despite releasing a clutch of EPs, an impressive pre-Warp back catalogue and a number of remixes to their name.
10. Concrete Schoolyard - Jurassic 5
Critically acclaimed hip hop group J5 releaseds their eponymous album in 1998 containing this UK Top 40 hit. The group released three more albums before splitting in 2007.
11. Acid Rave (All The Girls Love An) - MDK
MDK's - or Murder Death Kill - Open Transport released in 1998 is an eclectic and heavy electronica album running for 72 minutes and containing 31 tracks. Not easy listening, other tracks include Die, Urgggh and Do You Want To Be Murdered?
12. The Dead Flag Blues (Edit) - Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Massively lauded Canadian experimentalists actually called Godspeed You! Black Emperor - the exclamation mark used to be in the wrong place. F#A#∞ (or F Sharp A Sharp, Infinity) was originally released in 1997 as a limited edition vinyl only abum. This was then expanded and re-released to worldwide acclaim in 1998. More EPs and two more albums followed before the band split in 2003. They are now back together and are touring in 2011.
