The Green Pajamas: Seven Fathoms Down and Falling (1999)

The Green Pajamas are one of those bands that have been around seemingly forever, but just can't seem to break out into even semi-mainstream indie rock circles.  A few songs over the years have gotten some traction (like early single "Kim The Waitress," later covered by Material Issue), but for the most part they remain well under the radar.  While their prolific output has been varied, their music largely sits firmly in a jangly retro-psych-pop vein, 60s psychedelia as filtered through revivalist movements like the Paisley Underground and the Elephant 6 collective.

Although they have a number of really good albums, few quite make it to greatness, each offering a few terrific tunes making them better suited for an outstanding home-made compilation.  This one may be the best stand-alone album, if only because it's got their greatest moment, the deliriously heart-warming love song "She's Still Bewitching Me." It's a haunting (literally), jangly pop delight, begging to be included on every mixtape you'll ever make.

Other highlights include opening track "Just A Breath Away," with its buzzing psychedelic guitar sounds; the folk-psych "My Visit With Magpie," sounding like the Strawbs crossed with late-period XTC/Dukes of Stratosphear; the insistent and catchy "Bronte Moon"; and the Beatlesque psychedelia of "Planet Love."  Overall it's a great introduction to an unjustly overlooked band; but they have a ton of great music, and you could spend hours just getting lost in their Spotify page.  There's also a decent career overview (Through Glass Colored Roses), though I find the selections diverge significantly from my home-brewed mix.

Here's an audio rip of "Bewitching":