Shimmering, Warm & Bright
Artist: Bel Canto
Community Score: 6.00

Jenssen left before the recording of Shimmering to pursue his solo career as Biosphere; arguably he took some of the harder and darker edges of Bel Canto with him, but by no means all, and the band was not crippled as a result. The duo of Drecker and Johansen here create another bewitching array of songs with sources young and old, resulting in... Read More

Rags to Riches
Artist: Oasis
Beacon Street Collection
Artist: No Doubt
Community Score: 6.50

When No Doubt's debut album proved a disappointment to Interscope executives, the label withdrew support from the band and refused to release them from their contract. The group's self-produced reply, recorded during several sessions from 1993 to early 1995, is their finest album. The synth and new wave influences of the debut are pushed to the... Read More

Nancy Boy
Artist: Nancy Boy

Much like the Britpop craze in the U.K., American-British-Canadian hybrid Nancy Boy campaigns to bring fun, fashion and style to American pop music. Led by celebrity kids Jason Nesmith (son of the Monkee's Mike Nesmith) and Donovan Leitch (son of folk singer Donovan), Nancy Boy melds a glamorous, witty image to some fun, concise pop songs.... Read More

To See the Lights
Artist: Gene

The easy joke is, To See the Lights is Gene's Hatful of Hollow. True, the album is a collection of B-sides, non-album singles, radio sessions, and live tracks but, like the Smiths' Hatful of Hollow before it, the album illustrates the band's strengths more effectively than their debut album, Olympian. Several of Gene's greatest songs, including... Read More

Fabulous 8-Track Sound of Superdrag
Artist: Superdrag
Community Score: 8.00

Before vaulting to a major label and polishing up their pop sound for punchy singles like "Sucked Out," Superdrag was a much more interesting band. The Fabulous 8-Track Sound... demonstrates this: it's a collection of Beatles-esque pop gems buried in fuzz, with more than enough intelligent content to appeal to those indie fans who find the... Read More

Olympian
Artist: Gene

Kicking off with the sprightly "Haunted by You," Olympian immediately conjures images of the Smiths, particularly "This Charming Man." Martin Rossiter's voice also sways like Morrissey, yet his band plays their songs as if they were hard rockers, bringing a desperate edge to their best material. Most of Olympian's finest moments were singles --... Read More

Deluxe
Artist: Better Than Ezra
Community Score: 7.70
Living in Large Rooms and Lounges
Artist: Hunters & Collectors

Despite the fact that Hunters & Collectors had been unable to maintain the sort of record sales toward the end of their career that they had enjoyed in the 1980s, they still remained one of Australia's favorite live rock acts. Living in Large Rooms and Lounges shows why. Recorded on their "Live Demons" tour in early 1995, this collection shows... Read More