For artist of the year nods it wasn't even really fair for not only the vegan midget's efforts made him so ubiquitous. You couldn't see a film w/o him in the soundtrack or watch tv w/o him cavorting with Gwen Stefani. Moby was a brand everyone wanted. Play's methodology was mostly same, but when Moby showed off his record collection, melding past with future, it was intoxicating.

Its really all just this glorious big mess. And that is the most wonderful thing about it. Stephen Merritt is as earnest and heartfelt as he is dry but the best bits are when you can't tell the difference.

The Flaming Lips avant excursions crystalized on TSB into a more digestable whole without eschewing their sonic frivolity or sense for daring. "Race for the Prize" got all the headlines but you had to love "The Spiderbite Song", "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" & the mournful yet hopeful "Waiting For A Superman".

Today, even more than the music itself what gets me excited is how you can just hear the potency bearing out what was to follow. These are exciting songs of possibility. You also remember how you felt the first time you heard Em rhyme on the half-beat.