Syd Barretts Solo work

The brilliance of Syd Barretts solo work is that it seems largely like sketches, musical sketches.  You have to almost hear some of it for the potential in it, not for what is there.  As the seed for Pink Floyd he was crucial yet if he had stayed with the band, it wouldn't have become what it did as that was largely Roger Waters energy.  So much untapped brilliance existed in Syd Barrett, perhaps he was meant to burn brightly for a short period of time, that was just his run. 
        His work conjures up images of castles and kings of medieval times, fairy tales, like in the song "golden hair" as well as just an alternate reality where "clowns and jugglers" exist in this renaissance fair sort of mystical land, that is haunting, beautiful and surreal at the least.

why the Black Angels are the most exciting band in years.

In the summer of 2006 a friend of mine and I were driving around from bar to bar, he had this strange music playing that I could best describe as strongly Velvet Underground influenced, with a strong, pounding beat, an almost native American rhythm that would drive the song.  The drone, the repeating guitars added an element as well.  At best I could say I was struck by the potential of the band, but it wasn't quite there yet, it was still too one dimensional.   Recently after pandora got more popular, I remembered to check them out.  In the fall of 2010 I heard the album Phosphene Dream.  This had changed everything, the sound had gotten more layered, the melodies more complex, this was it, this was what I had seen back in 2006 as the potential, and in my opinion it will keep expanding from here.   One of the best melodies I've heard in years is a song that wasn't on the album but only found on Itunes called "Melanie's Melody" other highlights are "Bad Vibrations" and "The Sniper" where at one magical point the guitar and vocals seem to almost blend together.  Keep an eye on this band, they will be the ones to watch.