The third release from the trip-hop/indie/rock/electronic/jazz/pop band named after the first dog in outer space.

The second album from Ohio singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur, who was originally discovered and signed by Peter Gabriel.

Spell MDFMK backwards and what do you get? Well, KMFDM fans know the answer, and may find the sound of this Sasha K.-led industrial band to be remarkably familiar.

Singer-songwriter Chan Marshall is Cat Power, and on this album she reinterprets (sometimes drastically) the works of some of her favorite artists, including Smog, the Rolling Stones, the Velvet Underground, and Bob Dylan.

The soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's film features instrumental tracks from Air, as well as the single "Playground Love," featuring vocals from Gordon Tracks.

The duo of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen return after a 20-year hiatus, with this Grammy-winning comeback album sounding as if they had never left.

Aside from the noisy "Cherry Chapstick," the tracks on And Then Nothing showcase a mellower sound for the Hoboken, NJ three-piece, which disappointed some long-time fans but certainly won over critics.

Robert Smith declared 'Bloodflowers' to be the final release from The Cure. It wasn't, of course, but it does in theory complete a trilogy that began with 'Pornography' and 'Disintegration.'

The 13-piece outfit from Nashville (that isn't a country band) returns with a concept album about the former president (that really isn't about the former president). It's one of those things that you have to hear to understand.

Clinton consists of the duo behind Cornershop, Ben Ayres and Tjinder Singh. Features the single "People Power In The Disco Hour."

The Amsterdam duo follow their eclectic 1999 debut 'All-In' with the equally eclectic 'Music For Imaginary Films,' which is just that: tracks composed for a variety of movies which don't actually exist.

Beck's "official" follow-up to 'Odelay' is an even more eclectic mix of soul, electro, funk, folk, rock, and hip-hop, including more than one song that sounds an awful lot like Prince.

The full title of this sophomore effort from the 22-year-old singer-songwriter runs a whopping 90 words: When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and if You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and if You Fall It Won't Matter, 'Cuz You'll Know That You're Right.

The title says it all. This 3-disc set indeed contains 69 love songs, all penned by Stephin Merritt (whose other projects include The 6ths, Future Bible Heroes, and the Gothic Archies). The Magnetic Fields have evolved into a real "band," including keyboardist Claudia Gonson (also Merritt's manager) and multi-instrumentalist John Woo, and Merritt alternates on vocals with Gonson and additional singers. Despite the almost encyclopedic variety of styles and huge volume of songs, there is surprisingly little filler here.

This is the third full-length and first major-label release for the low-fi duo of Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr.) and John Davis, who earlier achieved brief commercial success with the single "Natural One" off the soundtrack to the movie "Kids."

The Dave Fridmann-produced 'Soft Bulletin' is considered by many fans and critics to be the band's finest album, and found its way onto quite a few Best of 1999 lists.

Damon Albarn's breakup album (he split with his longtime girlfriend, Elastica's Justine Frischmann, prior to recording) was produced by William Orbit and features the singles "Tender" and "Coffee & TV" (although it failed to produce an American hit along the likes of the previous album's "Song 2").

This second studio album for the experimental Elephant 6 band led by William Cullen Hart and Bill Doss includes the single "Hideway" among its 27 (!) tracks.

This is the second album for the English singer-songwriter, who gained acclaimed for her 1996 debut 'Trailer Park' as well as her work with the Chemical Brothers and William Orbit. Here, she shies away from the electronica of her prior album, resulting in a more organic folk-and-blues sound.

This second major-label release from Doug Martsch and company (following 'Perfect From Now On') features shorter, cleaner-sounding songs than that previous release.