Freakwater - End Time (1999)

Freakwater, a Chicago-based project (originally from Louisville), led by singer-songwriter duo Janet Beveridge Bean and Catherine Ann Irwin, has always been known for its uncompromising, raw approach to American roots music. However, it was on "End Time" that their sound underwent a noticeable evolution.
Despite the increasingly complex arrangements, Freakwater remained true to their core. The album's music draws inspiration from the dark legacy of The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, and Lefty Frisell. Janet and Catherine's signature gritty, slightly dissonant vocal harmonies are found here at the intersection of old-school country folk and the rebellious independent rock aesthetic of the '90s.

The album was hailed by critics from Britain's The Guardian and American publications as one of the most honest, rigorous, and serious works in the alt-country genre of the time.