Goldfly
Artist: Guster
Community Score: 7.00

Bursting on to the sonic scene with the driving "Great Escape," Guster's major-label debut quickly mellows into the insightfully deceptive "Demon" and the island chock of "Perfect" before revving back up to the strikingly produced "Airport Song." Though the album has many high points, this first single is the highest. Drifting in like a distant... Read More

Holiday Man
Artist: The Flys
Community Score: 7.00

Produced by Masters of Reality member (and champion of retro sounds) Chris Goss, the Flys' debut, Holiday Man, succeeds on inspired performances and their willingness to experiment with the standard alt-rock songwriting formula. The band is successful at creating mind-altering soundscapes ("Groove Is Where You Find It") as well as dark,... Read More

Cocoon Crash
Artist: K's Choice
Community Score: 9.17

On Cocoon Crash, their followup to their breakthrough second album Paradise in Me, K's Choice is determined to showcase their musical diversity. As a result, the album is a bit scattershot, since it runs the gamut from jangling folk-rock to roaring post-grunge. It's all tied together by Sarah Bettens' vocals, but she's more of a chameleon than a... Read More

Getaway Cruiser
Artist: Getaway Cruiser
Through the Trees
Artist: The Handsome Family

Through the Trees was the Handsome Family's breakthrough album, garnering enough attention and sales that they were finally able to quit their day jobs and focus on music full-time. The group subsequently toured the U.S. and Europe, while critics on both sides of the Atlantic went nuts for the Sparks' clever, brooding songs. With Through the... Read More

Low Estate
Artist: 16 Horsepower
Community Score: 9.25

Sixteen Horsepower's third album, Low Estate, finds the group at the peak of their powers, moving their hypnotic, rustic country-rock into neo-Gothic territory. Producer John Parish helps the group reach their potential, accentuating the darkness and mystery inherent in their music. There are still a few weak moments on the record, but overall,... Read More

Pink Elephants
Artist: Mick Harvey
Community Score: 6.00

Pink Elephants continues what Mick Harvey began with Intoxicated Man -- it's the second collection of Serge Gainsbourg covers that the Bad Seeds guitarist has recorded. This time around, he concentrates on lesser-known songs like like "Manon," "Comic Strip," "The Ballad of Melody Nelson" and "Hotel Specific" and while the results aren't as... Read More

Redlight
Artist: The Slackers
Community Score: 8.33
Only Witness
Artist: Carol Noonan

One of the most appealing folk-oriented (that is, folk mixed with rock, pop and/or country) artists to emerge in the mid-1990s, Carol Noonan had another gem in her third solo album, The Only Witness. Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Sandy Denny and Judy Collins continued to influence the expressive New Englander, but she never sounds like a clone of... Read More

Seen a Ghost
Artist: Honeydogs

Like their pair of indie records, the Honeydogs' major-label debut, Seen a Ghost, is a charming collection of Beatlesque pop, demonstrating the group's knack for bright, catchy melodies and ringing guitars. Seen a Ghost is a solid, craftsmanlike collection of pop that doesn't offer any new thrills, but there are nevertheless thrills in the hooks... Read More

Electro-Shock Blues
Artist: Eels
Community Score: 8.28

The Eels' second release, Electro-Shock Blues, is a much darker album than their underrated debut, 1996's Beautiful Freak, but just as rewarding. Singer/guitarist/songwriter E experienced many upheavals in his personal life between albums (the passing of several family members and close friends), and decided to work his way through life's... Read More