Sleeping on a Roller Coaster
Artist: Tommy Keene

After a less than ideal tenure at Geffen Records, Keene emerged undaunted in the '90s with a rockin' new band and a strong batch of fresh songs, as evidenced on this five-song EP. Produced by Keene and Steve Carr -- who engineered a good share of Keene's work in the '80s, including the magnificent Places That Are Gone EP -- Sleeping on a Roller... Read More

Show World - BONUS TRACK
Artist: Redd Kross

Kicking off with an exuberant version of the L.A. power-pop-classic-that-almost-wasn't "Pretty Please Me" -- and unsurprisingly Jeff, Roy and Steve McDonald and company this time around rock the bastard to the ground with a smile -- Show World is yet more fun from a band that dedicates itself to a smart good time. In ways, Redd Kross had by this... Read More

The Shazam
Artist: The Shazam
Community Score: 8.00

Right away in "Let's Away" listeners know the Shazam hear the Move's grass grow. The second track, "Oh No," starts up with Cheap Trick, but then this Tennessee trio hits a peculiar stride. Sure, "Hooray for Me" gives a Sweet wink and the rockin' "Rollercoaster" comes down helter-skelter, but the boys also run off into the Greenberry Woods to... Read More

Bubblegun
Artist: The Merrymakers

By this point in their career, it seems as if the duo of Anders Hellgren and David Myhr should have four or five acclaimed releases under their belts and be household names in the world of pop music. Bubblegun, however, is only the Merrymakers' second full-length album (and their first in the U.S.), though they have been making unabashedly... Read More

Feeling Strangely Fine
Artist: Semisonic
Community Score: 6.09

While the first single from Feeling Strangely Fine doesn't necessarily show it very well, there is a lot of Ben Folds Five in Semisonic. Both employ a variety of different instruments, thus creating a sound that is sometimes very, very comparable. This is never more evident than on the fourth track, "Never You Mind." It doesn't help that... Read More

Navy Blues
Artist: Sloan
Community Score: 7.83

Having weathered the demise of its most recent American label, Sloan forges on, battered but unbroken and still delivering perfect pop records; Navy Blues might just be the band's best yet, with the sheer consistency of its infectious melodies, clever lyrics, and exuberant performances pushing the group toward new creative peaks. Moving away... Read More

The Sound Is in You
Artist: The Grip Weeds

The Grip Weeds showed on their debut album that they were a powerhouse pop-psyche band extraordinaire who write insanely gripping melodic nuggets, and they multiply that gift on their followup. Making musical analogies is an overused descriptive technique, but it also happens to be the only way to initially approach The Sound Is In You. You can... Read More

Navy Blues - JAPAN
Artist: Sloan

Having weathered the demise of its most recent American label, Sloan forges on, battered but unbroken and still delivering perfect pop records; Navy Blues might just be the band's best yet, with the sheer consistency of its infectious melodies, clever lyrics, and exuberant performances pushing the group toward new creative peaks. Moving away... Read More