Heavy Load
Artist: New Kingdom
Community Score: 5.00

One of the dozens of hip-hop groups signed in the early-'90s alt-rap feeding frenzy, this little-known duo is probably most notable for its seminal work with producer Scott Harding (aka Scotty Hard), who went on to work with artists like the Gravediggaz and Prince Paul. The first two tracks start their debut album off rather clumsily, with an... Read More

Staying Loose (A Compilation)
Artist: H.P. Zinker

Vienna songwriter, guitarist, and singer Hans Platzgumer fronted the H.P. Zinker outfit for several years, establishing a connection with several key American artists and actually creating something of a following for himself in the process. This is more than one can say for quite a few other European rock artists, especially ones from Vienna. A... Read More

Salad Daze (The BBC Radio 1 Sessions)
Artist: The Mission UK

Salad Daze (The BBC Radio One Sessions) is an apt title, given that this was released during the downslide in the Mission U.K.'s popularity. Compiling BBC Radio One sessions from 1986 to 1990, this is an indispensable document of the group's live power. While this collection may not be important to a casual fan, it is a nice companion piece to... Read More

The Holy Bible
Artist: Manic Street Preachers
Community Score: 8.82

It's difficult not to look at The Holy Bible as Richey James' last will and testament, yet that only makes the record all the more powerful. A remarkable step forward from the Manic Street Preachers' first two records, The Holy Bible is a tense, harrowing collection of tortured, cryptic declarations of depression -- the diary of anorexia "4st... Read More

The Best of Anne Clark
Artist: Anne Clark

Songwriter and pianist Anne Clark has been a cult figure since the early '80s and has amassed a rather sizable catalog despite her small but rabid following. She writes nearly-Gothic love songs full of obsession and pathos, and pretty orchestral settings with clever instrumental figures and stinging piano runs and minor-key epiphanies. She's a... Read More

Definitely Maybe
Artist: Oasis
Community Score: 8.35
Whiskey for the Holy Ghost
Artist: Mark Lanegan
Community Score: 8.00

Mark Lanegan's first solo album, 1990's The Winding Sheet, was a darker, quieter, and more emotionally troubling affair than what fans were accustomed to from his work as lead singer with the Screaming Trees. The follow-up album, 1994 's Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, used The Winding Sheet's sound and style as a starting point, with Lanegan and... Read More

Modern Life Is Rubbish
Artist: Blur
Community Score: 7.43

As a response to the dominance of grunge in the U.K. and their own decreasing profile in their homeland -- and also as a response to Suede's sudden popularity -- Blur reinvented themselves with their second album, Modern Life Is Rubbish, abandoning the shoegazing and baggy influences that dominated Leisure for traditional pop. On the surface,... Read More

Siamese Dream
Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins
Community Score: 8.07

While Gish had placed the Smashing Pumpkins on the "most promising artist" list for many, troubles were threatening to break the band apart. Singer/guitarist/leader Billy Corgan was battling a severe case of writer's block and was in a deep state of depression brought on by a relationship in turmoil; drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was addicted to hard... Read More

Scraps at Midnight
Artist: Mark Lanegan

With the Screaming Trees, Mark Lanegan is part of a dysfunctional family that can only pull its act together once in a while. As he's struggling to make the group work, he's taken away from his solo career, which has proven to be far more consistent than his band's. Scraps at Midnight, Lanegan's third solo effort (one arrives every four years or... Read More