Spiders
Artist: Space
Community Score: 7.44

Quirky and often highly clever, Space had one of the most appealing alternative rock releases of 1996 in Spiders -- which grossed some listeners out with a cover depicting tarantulas. This eccentric, risk-taking band (not to be confused with the late-'70s disco group Space) doesn't take itself too seriously, and brings an enjoyably twisted sense... 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

Twenty Percent of My Hand
Artist: 59 Times the Pain
Community Score: 5.00

The second full-length by Sweden's 59 Times the Pain -- the group's first album to see U.S. release -- build on the strengths of 1996's More Out of Today by opening up the stylistic straightjacket of hardcore just a bit to incorporate occasional tempo shifts and some actual pop song approaches. The single "Don't Belong Here" has the pubbed-up... Read More

The Best of the Call
Artist: The Call
Community Score: 10.00

The Best of the Call compiles all of the hits and best-known songs from the group's career, adding a couple of solo tracks from their leader, Michael Been, as well as two new tracks by the band, which feature contributions from Bruce Cockburn and Jim Keltner. It's a near-definitive collection, and for the casual fan, it contains all the Call... Read More

Pure Chewing Satisfaction
Artist: Lard

Lard's Pure Chewing Satisfaction is a dark, frightening look at everything wrong with America. The lyrics are pessimistic and apocalyptic in the extreme. Jello Biafra, who teams up with the dudes from Ministry to create Lard, is an artist who often prefers to make his point through unusual songs in which he cuts up and mixes phrases and decides... Read More

Farmer
Artist: Farmer

On their self-titled debut, Farmer offer up folk-accented heartland rock not dissimilar from Hootie & the Blowfish, although frontman Marshall Altman lacks the vocal resonance of Hootie's Darius Rucker; anthemic and heartfelt, cuts like "Sadie" and "Make Some Time" resurrect the spirit of 1970s AM radio. ~ Mark Donkers, All Music Guide Read More

The Best of 1980-1990
Artist: U2
Community Score: 8.29

As one of the most popular bands of the '80s, U2 didn't quite fit into any particular category. They were a post-punk band that quickly found acceptance from a hard rock audience, a group that made fully formed albums but often made their best statements on individual songs, especially during the '80s. Consequently, they're a very hard band to... Read More