Somewhere More Familiar
Artist: Sister Hazel
Community Score: 6.38

While it is a bit glossier than the group's debut, Somewhere More Familiar is an engaging record of polished jangle pop, highlighted by the group's harmonies and knack for ringing acoustic guitar riffs. The group's songwriting is a bit inconsistent, but when Sister Hazel do hit upon the right song -- such as "All for You" -- the results are... Read More

Wild Blue Yonder
Artist: Flat Duo Jets

Check your dictionary. You'll find this disc listed under "raw power." Though the band is here reduced to just guitarist/vocalist Dexter Romweber and drummer Crow, the sound is just as tough as ever. Few bands have so beautifully preserved the spirit of rock & roll, taking it from the '50s straight into the next century. The super-lo-fi... Read More

Stunt
Artist: Barenaked Ladies
Community Score: 7.47

By trying to mask their smart-ass humor in a big pop production, the Barenaked Ladies attempt to set themselves up for the big crossover that they nearly achieved with such past singles as "Be My Yoko Ono" and "Brian Wilson." Nothing on Stunt, the group's fourth studio album, is so clearly jokey (although "Alcohol" comes close), but they still... Read More

Got No Shadow
Artist: Mary Lou Lord
Community Score: 5.00

For many years in the alternative revolution of the early '90s, Mary Lou Lord was touted as the next big thing by those in the know, but she never delivered a full-length album, preferring to turn out a series of indie EPs on Kill Rock Stars. It wasn't until 1998 that she released her full-length debut, Got No Shadow. While many of the titles on... Read More

The Bottle & Fresh Horses
Artist: Refreshments
Community Score: 6.00

For their second album, Bottle & Fresh Horses, the Refreshments wisely decided to move away from the smirk-rock that made their debut Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy a minor post-grunge hit. With the assistence of producer Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers), the Refreshments have strengthened their sound, adding layers of guitars and muscular beats. Their... 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

Jalapeno
Artist: Value Pac
Community Score: 10.00
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

Pristine Smut
Artist: Murmurs
Community Score: 10.00

For their second album, the Murmurs decided to electrify their collegiate folk-pop and add a full rhythm section. Such an approach could have led to a standard-issue post-grunge affair, where the sound is grungy but glossy and the lyrics are too angst-ridden, but under the watchful eyes of producers k.d. lang and Larry Klein, the duo is steered... Read More

Roomic Cube
Artist: Takako Minekawa

Based on the concept of a "room" being Takako Minekawa's favorite place for creating music, Roomic Cube finds a place for everything. Co-written and produced with her friends in Buffalo Daughter, the album stretches her sound: while her more usual style of minimal, poignant songwriting shows up on tracks like "Sleep Song" and "Never/More," the... Read More

Live Stages
Artist: Vertical Horizon

Vertical Horizon's live album Live Stages was released by indie label Rhythmic Records in 1997 and then again by RCA in 1999. It contains five songs from the group's first two indie albums: four from Running on Ice and one from There and Back Again. The rest are unique to this album and include "The Ride," "The Unchosen One," "Great Divide,"... Read More

In Extremis
Artist: Thinking Plague
Community Score: 10.00

Though it contains material from as early as 1990, In Extremis mostly consists of recordings from 1996 to 1998 with a varied lineup of percussionists and keyboard players. The music skirts the more symphonic end of free jazz and improv, with good contributions from drummer David Kerman and vocalist Deborah Perry. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide Read More