Stuck in Wonderamaland
Artist: Dramarama

Continuing its regret-tinged look at the life of the almost-famous in L.A., Dramarama on its third album continued polishing its abilities at both straight-ahead rock and gentler affairs on Stuck in Wonderamaland. Beginning and, in a brief acoustic reprise, concluding with the title track, a wistful strum with some prime feedback burn added in... Read More

Bluetonic
Artist: The Bluetones
Times Like This
Artist: Slim Dunlap

This album is the opposite of the Replacements' rowdy, unscripted alt-rock vitriol. As the band's ever-agreeable guitar presence, Dunlap won the fans' respect for the good-humored grace by which he succeeded his predecessor, the late, revered Bob Stinson. Dunlap stays true to his humorous, low-key form: "Cozy" is a jangling make-out invitation... 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

Only After Dark
Artist: Mick Ronson

The do-nothing-halfway attitude of David Bowie's managerial arm (MainMan) vaulted him to glory, but netted his colleagues no commercial bonanzas. These reissued albums by his star guitarist didn't break the trend, but offer timely reminders of Ronson's towering musical prowess. "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" is an outstanding example, though not... Read More

Exit the Dragon
Artist: Urge Overkill
Community Score: 9.10

Sonically falling somewhere between Supersonic Storybook and Stull, Exit the Dragon is a dark, lean album, the flipside of Saturation's glossy celebration of '70s rock & roll excess, and easily Urge Overkill's most haunting collection of songs. It kicks off with "Jaywalking," a terse, powerful rocker lamenting "all the evil in this world," which... Read More

The Supersonic Storybook
Artist: Urge Overkill

With the addition of drummer Blackie Onassis, Urge Overkill shapes up into a killer rock & roll combo. It also doesn't hurt that the songs are the finest they have written to date. Although the production is a little flat, there's no denying the force of the best tracks. "The Candidate" boasts a huge, stadium-size riff, "The Kids Are Insane" is... Read More

All Shook Down
Artist: The Replacements
Community Score: 8.33
Let It Be
Artist: The Replacements
Community Score: 9.14

The Replacements half-heartedly tried to expand their reach on Hootenanny, and they followed through on that album's promise on Let It Be. Kicking off with the country-rock shuffle of "I Will Dare," the record explodes into a series of pseudo-hardcore ravers before hitting Paul Westerberg's piano-driven rumination, "Androgynous," one of four... Read More

Cheating at Solitaire
Artist: Mike Ness

In one sense, it seems a little strange that Mike Ness would choose to record a solo album since he always appeared to be the driving force behind Social Distortion. On the other hand, Social Distortion is a full-fledged rock band, which means they're a democracy -- and that might have gotten a little constricting after nearly 20 years in the... Read More