Robin Holcomb
Artist: Robin Holcomb

With a tremulous voice, poetic lyrics, and a fine band, Robin Holcomb put together an impressive debut album. A lot of credit for the distinctive sound of this record must be laid at the feet of organist (and Holcomb's husband) Wayne Horvitz and guitarist Bill Frisell, both alumni of John Zorn's Naked City. The playing of Horvitz and Frisell... Read More

Yogi in My House
Artist: Martin Stephenson
Community Score: 10.00

Originally released in 1995, Stephenson's album finally returns to print, another example of the excellent songwriting (and very tidy playing) of one of England's more eccentric but gifted songwriters. Eccentric usually translates commercially to a cult following, and that's quite true in Stephenson's case. While not his very best work, Yogi in... Read More

The Natural Bridge
Artist: Silver Jews
Community Score: 10.00

The Silver Jews' 1996 recording, The Natural Bridge continues the band's shift from their early, sprawling racket into a smooth foil for David Berman's laid-back vocals and evocative lyrics. When sessions with original Jews Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich and with members of the Scud Mountain Boys didn't work out the way Berman hoped, they... Read More

Destination Anywhere
Artist: Brenda Kahn

If one were to strip Bob Dylan's 1966 classic Blonde on Blonde of its beautiful and surreal rants about relationships, the result would be Brenda Kahn's Destination Anywhere. In "Spoon," the narrator's boyfriend is addicted to drugs, while in "Yellow Sun," the female protagonist is a "walking hit and run." Kahn seems to feel that relationships... Read More

Willing to Wait
Artist: Melissa Ferrick

Eluding the sophomore jinx with a vengeance, Melissa Ferrick certainly appeased patient fans and critics with her fabulous second effort, Willing to Wait. Ferrick reveals an awful lot of insights into her own psyche through her craft. She battles her inner demons with a pen and a guitar, creating incredibly delicate and intimate poetry through... Read More

University
Artist: Throwing Muses
Community Score: 6.80

Possibly their finest album, Throwing Muses' fifth album, University, blends the rock power of Red Heaven, their first effort as a trio, with the shiny, surreal pop of The Real Ramona. The result is a collection of songs, like the album opener, "Bright Yellow Gun," that are as ferociously kinetic as they are insinuatingly melodic. At first,... Read More

Sings the Songs of Greg Brown
Artist: Prudence Johnson

This is a beautifully presented set of interpretations of the work of a fine Midwest songwriter. ~ Richard Meyer, All Music Guide Read More

Ugly Beautiful
Artist: Baby Bird
Community Score: 4.00

Moving to a major label and switching to a full backing band for Ugly Beautiful is both a positive and negative development for Baby Bird. In the positive sense, Steven Jones' songs -- including a handful of tracks that were on his indie releases -- are given a clarity they were lacking in the past, and the full-bodied arrangements reveal songs... Read More