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

The Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones
Artist: Dramarama

Despite all of their good reviews, Dramarama was never able to break into the mainstream. Nevertheless, they left behind a number of terrific rock & roll albums, which found a dedicated cult following. For anyone interested in joining that cult, Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones provides an excellent primer, featuring 16 of the group's best songs... Read More

Strange Country
Artist: Billy Strange

Recorded in the 1960s (the liner notes do not specify the exact date), this was a sessionman supersession of sorts, also featuring Joe Maphis on banjo, Tommy Tedesco on second guitar, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Earl Palmer on drums. Strange offers fluid, crisp instrumental interpretations of a mixed bag of folk and pop tunes, including not only... Read More

Greatest Hits
Artist: Robyn Hitchcock
Community Score: 10.00

Disappointingly, the 1980s failed to recognize the genius of Robyn Hitchcock. As a member of the Soft Boys until they broke up in 1981, Hitchcock went on to write some extremely witty, off-the-wall, and peculiarly clever music. With a sound reminiscent of Lloyd Cole and even Elvis Costello at times, Hitchcock's jangly Brit-pop is made up of... Read More

No Code
Artist: Pearl Jam
Community Score: 7.02

A strange phenomenon with anthemic hard rock bands is that when they begin to mature and branch out into new musical genres, they nearly always choose to embrace both the music and spirituality of the East and India, and Pearl Jam is no exception. Throughout No Code, Eddie Vedder expounds on his moral and spiritual dilemmas; where on previous... Read More

Limbo
Artist: Throwing Muses
Community Score: 7.60

On the one hand, KRISTIN HERSH and mates are guilty of running in place: It's difficult to distinguish between the production and style of this LP with 1995's University. Indeed, one of Limbo's strongest efforts, "Ruthie's Knocking," sounds like a re-write of "Shimmer." Moreover, nothing grabs as much as the spine-tingling "Bright Yellow Gun"... Read More

Stag
Artist: Melvins
Community Score: 8.55

The repeating sitar-into-guitar-chord start of the album makes it clear that Stag isn't going to be quite like anything the Melvins had yet recorded to that point. There's such a strong and audible emphasis on the band really exploring the possibilities of the studio throughout that the effect is breathtaking -- it's a huge, epic sound that's... Read More

Wax Ecstatic
Artist: Sponge
Community Score: 6.33

With their second album, Sponge returned to the '70s hard rock roots they had only hinted at on their alterna-metal debut, Rotting Pinata. Before Rotting Pinata, the group had slogged it out on the Detroit hard rock circuit under a variety of names, honing their chops and developing their skills. They managed to have a moderate hit with Rotting... Read More

Magic Box
Artist: Bel Canto
Community Score: 6.00

It's a sign of the times and relative fame that the opening track, "The Magic Box I," immediately calls to mind Tori Amos, where some years previous it would have just sounded like Bel Canto through and through. While Drecker and Johansen have never achieved the thorough fame of Amos or many other well-known names, the duo still stick to their... Read More

Happy Nowhere
Artist: Dog's Eye View
Community Score: 8.00
Unclogged
Artist: X

Perhaps referring to the staid forum known as contemporary "unplugged music," or their own aging arteries, Unclogged successfully reprises X's finest work in an electro-acoustic live set. No worse for the wear, John Doe and Exene Cervenka are in perfect voice, while Tony Gilkyson and D.J. Bonebrake play the songs they played a million times with... Read More