Double Bummer
Artist: Bongwater

Beginning an album career with an utterly schizophrenic double album that ran the gamut from reinterpretations of Led Zeppelin songs with Chinese lyrics to such zingily titled rants as "David Bowie Wants Ideas" might not seem like the most sane approach. Then again, Bongwater were one insane group. Kramer and Magnuson's screwy take on art rock á... Read More

I Want Your (Hands on Me)
Artist: Sinéad O'Connor
Succumbs
Artist: R.E.M.
Guilt Regret Embarrassment
Artist: Treepeople
Community Score: 10.00

Combining elements of Hüsker Dü-esque power pop and hints of grunge, without going overboard on sounding metal, is what gives Treepeople their unique sound. Fuzzy dueling guitars and tortured lyrics accompany Guilt Regret Embarrassment from the second "No Doubt" hits the speakers all the way to the final track, "Trailer Park," making this... Read More

Vermillion
Artist: The Three O'Clock

It's said that Prince signed the Three O'Clock to his Paisley Park label after they were dropped by IRS having never heard a note of their music but knowing that they were friends of the Bangles, for whom he had previously written "Manic Monday." It seems like the Three O'Clock's paisley underground pop would have been a perfect fit for Prince's... Read More

If I Should Fall From Grace With God - GERMANY
Artist: The Pogues
Community Score: 8.33

If Rum Sodomy & the Lash captured the Pogues on plastic in all their rough-and-tumble glory, If I Should Fall from Grace with God proved they could learn the rudiments of proper record making and still come up with an album that captured all the sharp edges of their musical personality. Producer Steve Lillywhite imposed a more disciplined... Read More

Blow Your Cool!
Artist: Hoodoo Gurus
Community Score: 6.50

For the Hoodoo Gurus' third album, the group's American record label was hoping the band could come up with something a bit easier to market than the witty, '60s-obsessed pop/rock of Stoneage Romeos and Mars Needs Guitars, so they paired the group up with producer Mark Opitz, who had previously twisted the knobs for AC/DC, INXS, and the... Read More

Treehouse
Artist: The Grapes of Wrath

Early comparisons to R.E.M. are clearly justified on Treehouse, a jangly folk-pop masterpiece. On this, their second album, the band seem considerably more confident and focused. Crisp and bright production, courtesy of Tom Cochrane (ex-Red Rider), compliment the glorious harmonies and melancholy, introverted songs perfectly. A sadly overlooked... Read More

Lolita Nation
Artist: Game Theory
Community Score: 10.00

Game Theory leader Scott Miller has never made much of a secret of his fondness for Big Star, but while Real Nighttime favored the sound of #1 Record and The Big Shot Chronicles suggested the harder-edged tone of Radio City, Lolita Nation sounded like Game Theory's variation on the themes of Big Star's masterfully damaged swan song, Third/Sister... Read More

You're Living All Over Me
Artist: Dinosaur Jr.
Community Score: 7.42

A blitzkrieg fusion of hardcore punk, Sonic Youth-style noise freak-outs, heavy metal, and melodic hard rock in the vein of Neil Young, You're Living All Over Me was a turning point in American underground rock & roll. With its thin, unbalanced mix, the album sounds positively menacing and edgy -- Lou Barlow's bass barrels forward over Murph's... Read More

Bucky Fellini
Artist: The Dead Milkmen

A step up from the good but not great Eat Your Paisley, Bucky Fellini begins with a parody of the bandmember introductions from Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" and raises another fun and funny stink. The most entertaining and ridiculous thing the band ever did takes deserved center stage -- "Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)." Consisting of... Read More

Tender Pervert
Artist: Momus
Community Score: 10.00

Tender Pervert is the first great Momus album, thanks to a newfound affinity for synth-pop and songcraft, not to mention his sudden discovery of irony. It's hard to say which is more important to the overall effect. The lush, electro-acoustic arrangements provide a platform for Momus' increasing production acumen, and the rambling song-poems of... Read More