Neutral Milk Hotel? WTF?

[DavidS]

Actually, I don't feel too bad about the NMH inclusion, because their critical reputation changed so much in the period that spanned the inceptioon of the book to publication.

I do feel like it was a bit of a cheat to include the Dwight Yoakum record we did. It's a major record in the history of country music and marked a significant turning point. However, I had the feeling that country music had already started to turn so far from that Bakersfield sound and resurgent honky tonk that Dwight represented that it wouldn't be a bad idea to shine some light over there.

[Hayden]

Between when I wrote my entries and when the book came out, music by both Richard Buckner and now The Feelies have appeared in car commercials (which must mean that someone is going to re-release The Good Earth sometime soon), the Go-Betweens' 16 Lovers Lane has been remastered and re-released, and Jandek has emerged from seclusion to play live. My submissions are officially found in the grooves now.