Rings Around the World

Rings Around the World was the band's first album for Epic, after Creation folded and after Mwng on their own label. It was released in the UK on 23 July 2001 on CD, vinyl, MiniDisc and DVD, and it was the first album by any artist released on CD and DVD at the same time. The DVD carries the album in surround sound, with a video for each song and remixes. It reached number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 32 on the US Independent Albums chart.

Recording started in April 2000 at Monnow Valley Studio in Rockfield, with Chris Shaw co-producing and Eric Tew engineering. The band then moved to Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, before going back to Monnow Valley and finishing in September 2000. Bearsville had the drum and live rooms they wanted, because they were using more microphones than usual to capture the surround mix. They recorded to two-inch analogue tape until they had a take they liked, then moved it to Pro Tools to edit and overdub. Encouraged by Shaw, they worked out their vocal harmonies in advance rather than singing until something worked.

Rhys wrote most of the songs on acoustic guitar and piano. Ciaran wrote [A] Touch Sensitive and Miniature and shared credit on Run! Christian, Run!, Alternate Route to Vulcan Street and No Sympathy. Alternate Route to Vulcan Street came out of a jam between Ciaran and Bunford, and Sean O'Hagan wrote string arrangements. Paul McCartney is credited with celery and carrot on Receptacle for the Respectable. John Cale plays additional piano on Presidential Suite. The band had met him in Cardiff when they backed him on a song for the film Beautiful Mistake, and they first asked him to arrange strings. Rhys called the record a very ambitious project and the band's cosmic rock record, and said it was about Earth and the pollution of space.

It was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Music Prize and has a Metacritic score of 86. Mojo ranked it first among 2001's albums and NME eleventh. Pitchfork's 2001 review, which scored it 8.9, said the band had whipped up their best album to date. It is included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.