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

Fly
Artist: Sugar Ray
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

Master of Styles
Artist: The Urge
Community Score: 6.75

With their second major-label album, Master of Styles, the thrash-funk-metal band the Urge have created their most accomplished and effective album to date. Not only is the Urge's ambitious material their finest to date, but they have accurately captured their pile-driving, overwhelming live sound, resulting in a visceral, exciting listen unlike... Read More

Eve 6
Artist: Eve 6
Community Score: 6.82

Like many teenage rockers of the late '90s, Eve 6 gets by on brash attitude as much as musical skills. That's not to say that the Los Anglees trio isn't talented or ambitious; far from it, as a matter of fact. The group's sound is based in nervy punk-pop, but it has strong '70s hard rock underpinnings, and the harmony vocals of Jon Siebels and... Read More

All the Pain Money Can Buy
Artist: Fastball
Community Score: 5.93

When compared to their last album (the 1996 debut Make Your Mama Proud), Fastball's latest release shows that the group is steadily improving and honing their AAA/roots-rock sound. The biggest difference between All the Pain Money Can Buy and their debut is that by spicing up their songs with horns and classic synthesizer sounds, there is a... Read More

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

Turn the Radio Off - CLEAN
Artist: Reel Big Fish

Although it occasionally sinks in its own smirky, frat-boy humor, Reel Big Fish's debut Turn the Radio Off is a muscular blend of metal, ska and punk. The group's sound is powerful and strong, but their songwriting isn't as accomplished as their sound. Still, the group can turn out a fun party record, as Turn the Radio Off proves. [Turn the... 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